Young Children - May 2008 - (Page 11) ough developing an understanding of time and do not yet benefit from calendar activities that mark extended periods of time. Included in the article are suggested alternative activities that build on young children’s understanding of concepts such as later, before, and after. In “Moving Right Along . . . Planning Transitions to Prevent Challenging Behavior,” authors Mary Louise Hemmeter, Michaelene M. Ostrosky, Kathleen M. Artman, and Kiersten A. Kinder explain why some children engage in challenging behaviors during transitions and provide ideas and strategies for planning, designing, and implementing transitions to support all children. A chart of Daily Transition Tips offers practical suggestions for supporting all children at various times during the day. The article concludes by discussing how to individualize transition strategies for a child who has trouble responding to classwide transition strategies. ment,” shares how preschool teachers can vary group size and arrangements depending on children’s tasks or activities. She describes how inviting a child to do an errand supports confidence, activities done in pairs can lead to friendships, and a job completed by a team allows children to socialize as they work and play together. “Relationship-Based Infant Care: Responsive, On Demand, and Predictable,” is adapted from a forthcoming book by Sandra Petersen and Donna Wittmer. The authors focus on the importance of providing responsive, predictable, and on-demand caregiving while attending to the routine needs of babies. They offer ideas teachers can use to build relationships with each baby during feeding, diapering and toileting, and napping. “When Will I Be Special? Rethinking Developmentally Appropriate Practice in a Classroom Routine,” by Dora W. Chen and Pamela Battin-Sacks with Robert Prieto and Colleen Prieto, shares what happened when a child’s simple question about a classroom routine led a teacher to respond to the parents’ concern, with thoughtful reflection and incorporation of multiple voices and perspectives, including the children’s. The subsequent analysis of the developmental appropriateness of the routine provides a model others can use to reconsider their own practice. — Derry Koralek, Editor in Chief Illustrations © Diane Greenseid Julia Coleman Vagovic, author of “Transformers: Movement Experiences for Early Childhood Classrooms,” offers a rationale and instructions for simple movement experiences that prepare young children in preschool through second grade mentally and physically to transition to the next activity. Whether used to focus energy in the morning, engage left and right sides of the brain in the early afternoon, or wake up after nap time, transformers can help increase children’s focus, improve balance and coordination, and coordinate the mind and body. Nancy P. Jones, author of “2, 4, or 6? Grouping Children to Promote Social and Emotional Develop- Young Children • May 2008 11
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