Preschool
What We Saw: The children were
sitting down to have a family style lunch. The teachers
encouraged the children to pass around the serving bowls,
and each child scooped out the food independently onto
their plate. They had small individual pitchers on the
table filled with milk. One child tried to pour milk into
her cup, but spilled it onto the table. She looked upset,
and glanced up to the teacher. The teacher calmly said,
"That's okay, we'll get that cleaned up. Try to pour again."
The child poured some more milk out, and filled up her
cup. She did not spill at all, and said, "Look what I
did!" with excitement.
What It Means: All of child development
is a process of children mastering control of their
environment, so they can increasingly perform
independently of us. Expecting the children to serve their
own portions is part of how this classroom encourages
children's independence and self-responsibility. Practicing
these skills can be hard for children, especially pouring
which involves small muscle coordination.
The skill to pour liquid from a small container often
develops between the ages of 30-36 months (although there
is much individual variation in this). This teacher makes
it easier by using child-sized pitchers on the table,
and by offering reassurance when mistakes are made. Notice
how the teacher is unfazed by the spilled milk, basically
ignores it, and instead focuses the child on trying again.
This teacher focuses on effort and success rather than
on mistakes. The child shouts with excitement when she
succeeds!
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Motor Development Promising Practices
