>>Valley Patriot>> |
If the child knows the letters of the alphabet, show her how she can make the letter “L” with her thumb and pointer fingers. The left hand forms an “L”, but the right hand comes out backwards. She can use her hands to check when confused. This is a hard concept for children, but somehow we all caught on eventually and she will too. Several children in my preschool class have the habit of putting their fingers in their mouths. I remind them about this constantly, but it seems to be useless. How can I help them break this habit? Teachers I have worked with have all made it a practice to send a child directly into the bathroom to wash his/her hands if they have been seen with their fingers in their mouth. Having a child remove themselves from a game they are playing with friends or from a good story they are listening to, has more impact than talking to them. This is definitely a tendency you want them to lose. Recently, several children came down with severe cases of Salmonella and it is thought that they had petted farm animals and then put their fingers in their mouths. Teach children that they should wash their hands after playing with dogs, cats, hamsters, etc. In the grocery store I saw my pet peeve, a child gnawing on the balloon he was holding. Being a nurse probably makes me more safety conscious than some others might be, but this was a little child. Don’t parents bother to think? I am always tempted to say something when I see this, but then I mind my own business. There is nothing wrong with going up to the parent and saying, “Excuse me, but when you were not looking your little boy put the balloon in his mouth. I'm sure you know he could inhale it and choke.” This gives the parent the information without accusing them of being inept. Is it common for six year olds to still be afraid of the Easter Bunny, Chuck E. Cheese, Santa Claus, and other costumed characters? We are going to Disney Land shortly and I would like to take my child to breakfast with the Disney characters, but since he has reacted so negatively to the “celebrities” mentioned, I don’t think he would enjoy such close contact. This fear is more common among children than you might think, in part because they are receiving mixed messages constantly. Youngsters are instructed not to talk with or go to strangers and then once a year they are told to sit on this strangely outfitted guy’s lap, who has a huge beard and perhaps a gruff voice. Or they are asked to shake the hand of a giant mouse. The next time you see one of these costumed characters, notice that due to the large outfit he/she is wearing they often tower over your own head. Imagine how tall this character appears to your pint-sized child. When you are in Disney, observe your son’s reactions when his “favorite friends” from the shows he knows come over to say“hi.” He may get used to them simply by seeing so many of them roaming around the park. Otherwise, if he seems intimated offer to go up with him as he shakes a character’s hand or have him simply wave “hello” from a distance. If after a few days he still is overwhelmed, bypass the breakfast. *Send your questions
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How
can I help a five year old who is having trouble telling
her right hand from her left?