Parenting and Educator Tips: Helping Children Learn from Teachable Moments

With my four year old son, I've noticed that the best kinds of play experiences are also teachable moments.

Summing Up the Day

At bedtime when we sum up the day's events, we emphasize those actions that have a positive and favorable outcome statements like: "You were helpful when you shared that bike." Summing up an important activity at night has been part of our child's bedtime routine during his first year. It is important recording and reinforcing experience. It makes a child feel unified with the day's events knowing that he was part of several important activities.

New and unique play encounters involving students with special needs involve two important ingredients: patience and a great deal of flexibility. It is easy for any new parent in the midst of a new experience to overlook the educational value, but it is almost important to keep the recording element in mind.

During a recent play experience a boy who had Down's, my senses became a digital recording experience, which I later used for our summing up session. My son tried to give the piece of a large and foamy hand to an Elmo puzzle, but the other boy was already separating my son's efforts and shouted: "Silly boy." He held up another piece. "This is his hand." He said firmly and in a much louder voice.

My son went to work on another section of Elmo. It was clear to me then that my son was determined to stay and help this boy complete the puzzle. This was an important observation.

Together they put Elmo's hand, foot, ear together. My son would find the piece, handed it to boy who said again, "silly boy." My son gave this young boy the impression his friend was doing the puzzle. Again, another important observation, which I would later share at night before my son went to bed. They laughed together. When my son finally found Elmo's second hand, he shouted: "Oh, it fits! It's Elmo's hand!" the young boy stopped saying: "silly boy" and tried hard to concentrate on finding the last two pieces of the Elmo puzzle.

When the last two Elmo pieces were placed, the boy stood up and said in a loud voice: "Elmo!" and looked at the puzzle for a minute or two. It gave him such a feeling of accomplishment. His mother looked at both of them; tears were in her eyes. My son had already brought "Thomas the Train" another foamy puzzle to him, but his friend already lost interest. My son gave the boy a hug while the mom watched them both breathlessly.

Praising Children for Good Deeds Open the Doors to a Teachable Moment

Since praising my son for his wonderfully good deed, it has been much easier to teach him the importance of sharing. Since then he has we held the door open for people, said "please, thank you, bless you, I hope you feel better, and feel good" however this positive play experience beats them all. The next time he wants to take the train from an older boy and stare at an older boy, we try and remind him of that experience, "Do you remember the boy with the Elmo puzzle and how you helped him?" His face softens a bit and says then with a smile: "yea."

Surprisingly, it works and I remember the old adage; "if it works, use it!" Sharing is like putting a puzzle together - you don't realize that each piece is important for the final outcome.