Ruth Hanford Morhard's Blog, page 2
January 10, 2016
GETTING BOYS TO READ!
Jennifer sits quietly on the couch, reading. Josh has a book too, but it’s opened up like a teepee on the floor—it’s become a garage for his bulldozer. You’ve tried to read to him, but he gets antsy and starts wriggling. He’s just not interested. Is it really that important?
Yes it is. Reading is going to be critical for him in school and in his everyday life. Studies show that boys, on average, are 6 months to 1½ years behind girls in reading and writing at all elementary school levels. It’s not that boys aren’t as smart. It’s because their brains work differently. The language centers in a girl’s brain develop earlier and work more efficiently, but we can help boys close the gap through reading.
If he’s not interested, how do we do that? It’s hard for young boys to sit still--so while you’re reading to him, talk about the pictures, let him act out the stories, make sounds or move like the animals, planes or other things in the books.
And choose books about things that interest him, like:• trucks, trains, planes• real-life boys, people and places• how things work and grow• animals, dinosaurs, insects• funny or action-oriented stories • superheroes, American heroes (pioneers, founders, scientists, inventors), everyday heroes (firemen, policemen, servicemen)
You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes.
Find out more in Wired to Move: Facts and Strategies for Nurturing Boys in Early Childhood Settings, published by Gryphon House. Available at amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online and retail booksellers.
www.ruthhanfordmorhard.com.
January 2, 2016
A NEW YEAR'S TIP
Frustrated Because He Doesn’t Follow Directions? Here’s Why and What to Do
You’re in a hurry. You need to get groceries. Your five year-old son is zooming the remote–controlled car he got for Christmas back and forth from the great room into the kitchen, where you’re trying to clean up after lunch. You nearly trip over it. You tell him to pick the car up, put it back on the shelf in his room and get his coat on so you can go. He grabs the toy and heads toward his room. Halfway there, he drops to the floor and starts playing with it again. You feel like screaming. Why does he always do that? Why can’t he follow directions?
Well, he can. Just not the way you expect. Boys are best at focusing on a single task at a time. That’s the way their brains are built. When they’re young, it’s hard for them to remember more than one direction at a time. Your best bet is to tap him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention. Give him the first instruction and ask him to repeat it. Wait until he has completed each task before you give him the next one. Gradually, he’ll learn to follow multiple directions at a time. You’ll find more information in the book Wired to Move: Facts and Strategies for Nurturing Boys in Early Childhood Settings, published by Gryphon House.
Available at amazon, Barnes & Noble and other online and retail booksellers.
Also see www.ruthhanfordmorhard.com
August 16, 2014
What to Do about Fidgety Boys!
Recent media stories in the New York Times and NBC talked about “fidgety boys” who are struggling in school, noting the huge gap in behavioral skills and performance between young girls and boys entering kindergarten—a gap that continues to grow throughout their school years. The Times article noted, “today’s education system fails to acknowledge the profound differences between boys and girls. It asks boys to sit still for hours and provides them with too few role models in front of the classroom.”
This is an issue that can be addressed early—through simple changes in preschool classrooms and teaching methods—and that parents, too, can use at home to help boys perform—and behave—at their best.
• Why Boys Are Fidgety. Sure, boys are “fidgety”, and there are good reasons why. It begins with the way their brains are wired. Boys are “wired to move.” When a boy is physically active, his brain is active. If his brain is not stimulated, he tunes out. He’s not built to sit and listen for a long time. His attention span and learning ability are directly tied to movement and activity. While there are many other differences in boys’ and girls’ brains, this is perhaps the most significant.
• Why Girls Generally Do Better. Girls’ verbal and listening skills are normally better developed than boys’, and they’re more adaptable to change. Most early childhood programs are geared to the ways girls’ learn. The teachers and caregivers are female and more attuned to the ways girls learn and behave. They expect boys to sit still, listen and follow directions—but they’re not made that way. They learn differently and our teachers need to adapt.
• How to Engage Boys. It’s important to keep boys’ brains awake. Allow enough time for physical activity and incorporate movement into daily routines. If you’re reading a book, let them act out the characters or pretend they’re flying like the airplane in the story. Alternate quiet and physically active times. If they need to sit quietly, give them a squeeze ball or other object to manipulate. And keep verbal instructions to less than a minute.
• How to Help Boys Learn. Boys learn best by doing—so let them learn their ABC’s and numbers by manipulating objects—have them make ABCs out of clay or count objects like coins or blocks or crayons. Give them puzzles to put together. Boys are also visual learners—they see better than they hear—so display pictures of the things they’re learning about and use the bright colors they respond to best. Build on their strengths—like spatial-mechanical abilities. Give them enough blocks so they can make large objects and have lots of balls of different sizes
• What About Behavior? When boys don’t sit and listen or when they won’t stop running and jumping and wrestling with one another, it’s easy to think that’s bad behavior. It’s not. They’re just doing what boys do. If they’re forced to sit quietly, they get frustrated and act out. They need time and space to get physical both indoors and outdoors.
Adapting to the way boys’ learn benefits the boys, their teachers, caregivers, parents and even the girls. Everyone benefits from a less disruptive environment.
There’s a lot more to learn about helping boys perform and behave at their best. It’s important to their future–and ours. Check out the book, "Wired to Move: Facts and Strategies for Nurturing Boys in an Early Childhood Setting."
This is an issue that can be addressed early—through simple changes in preschool classrooms and teaching methods—and that parents, too, can use at home to help boys perform—and behave—at their best.
• Why Boys Are Fidgety. Sure, boys are “fidgety”, and there are good reasons why. It begins with the way their brains are wired. Boys are “wired to move.” When a boy is physically active, his brain is active. If his brain is not stimulated, he tunes out. He’s not built to sit and listen for a long time. His attention span and learning ability are directly tied to movement and activity. While there are many other differences in boys’ and girls’ brains, this is perhaps the most significant.
• Why Girls Generally Do Better. Girls’ verbal and listening skills are normally better developed than boys’, and they’re more adaptable to change. Most early childhood programs are geared to the ways girls’ learn. The teachers and caregivers are female and more attuned to the ways girls learn and behave. They expect boys to sit still, listen and follow directions—but they’re not made that way. They learn differently and our teachers need to adapt.
• How to Engage Boys. It’s important to keep boys’ brains awake. Allow enough time for physical activity and incorporate movement into daily routines. If you’re reading a book, let them act out the characters or pretend they’re flying like the airplane in the story. Alternate quiet and physically active times. If they need to sit quietly, give them a squeeze ball or other object to manipulate. And keep verbal instructions to less than a minute.
• How to Help Boys Learn. Boys learn best by doing—so let them learn their ABC’s and numbers by manipulating objects—have them make ABCs out of clay or count objects like coins or blocks or crayons. Give them puzzles to put together. Boys are also visual learners—they see better than they hear—so display pictures of the things they’re learning about and use the bright colors they respond to best. Build on their strengths—like spatial-mechanical abilities. Give them enough blocks so they can make large objects and have lots of balls of different sizes
• What About Behavior? When boys don’t sit and listen or when they won’t stop running and jumping and wrestling with one another, it’s easy to think that’s bad behavior. It’s not. They’re just doing what boys do. If they’re forced to sit quietly, they get frustrated and act out. They need time and space to get physical both indoors and outdoors.
Adapting to the way boys’ learn benefits the boys, their teachers, caregivers, parents and even the girls. Everyone benefits from a less disruptive environment.
There’s a lot more to learn about helping boys perform and behave at their best. It’s important to their future–and ours. Check out the book, "Wired to Move: Facts and Strategies for Nurturing Boys in an Early Childhood Setting."
