Aesop's Fables in Preschool

Folktales and Fables - Keeping Treasured Literature Alive in Preschool

The month of September has been devoted to Folktales and Fables and the study of literature that seems to be lacking in many preschool classrooms across the country.  I was thrilled to see that our curriculum partners at Mother Goose Time devoted an entire month to activities, stories, engaging play, S.T.E.M, Creative Arts, Music and Movement all centered around the beloved and time honored Aesop's Fables. 

This week we discovered the strength, but gentle kindness of Paul Bunyon,his ox Babe, his great big appetite, and Frozen Flames!  We built dams, learned about fire safety, measured ourselves and our friends, and so much more! 

Follow us for more and let the play begin!!

The Birth of Paul Bunyon

When introducing a new baby, such as Paul Bunyon, we always ask what his or her name is.  Paul's name, like ours, is a very important and unique attribute and one of the very first ways we notice that letters create words.  This creates value and desire in the young child to know his or her own name and how to spell and write it.  It makes learning personal and unique to each child instilling pride as the task is mastered from recognition to accomplished writer.  

We teach name writing and recognition in a variety of ways but these personalized name builders were such a hit and easy to make and send home for play and practice with our families!

My how you've GROWN!

One of the sweetest things we get to do as preschool teachers is to watch our little learners blossom from infant to kindergartner.  All along the way our curriculum partners at Mother Goose Time provide fun measuring projects that help us gauge a student's progress.  Here we cut out leaves practicing our fine motor skills to build a growing tree.  Each student had a leaf on the tree as their height marker.  

What a darling BaaaAAAAbbbAAAYYY!!!
Self Portraits

One of the ways we sneak in assessments is by self-portraits.  In this Creative Arts activity we provide children with the simplest instructions; Draw YOU!

Today, since we were discussing baby Bunyon, we decided to make ourselves as babies as well.  We framed these sweet masterpieces and proudly posted them on our classroom window for all to enjoy!

They turned out BEAUTIFULLY!

Since there is no right or wrong way to do this activity it allows a child to work at their individual level and interest.  Some of our younger students are in the scribbling phase and some have matured in skill and strength and are in Stage Four: Pictures of object or people.  

Giving our young learners repeated exposure to a variety of art medium is vital to brain development. Even though chasing our tiny tots as they draw "lipstick" with markers can become quite a challenge, it is important that they are allowed to create and discover and have access to materials that allow for exploration of expression.  

"Creativity is a bridge to learning. When your child is creative and curious, she can come up with answers to the problems she encounters—like how to keep the block tower from falling. Creativity helps your child become a thoughtful, inquisitive, and confident learner later on, when she starts school.One of the most important ways that your toddler is tuning in to her creativity is by experimenting with art materials. As she grabs that chunky crayon and gets to work, you will see her art and writing change and become more controlled and complex as she grows.

For very young children, art and early writing skills are one and the same. At first, it’s all about just figuring out what these cool things called crayons can do. Then your child discovers the link between her hand holding the crayon and the line she made on the page: Presto! She experiences the power of cause-and-effect. Imagine how exciting this must be for her! She can now make a real “mark” on the world. This leap in thinking skills is helped along by her new ability to hold things in her hands and fingers. The growing control your child has over the muscles in her hands lets her move a marker or paintbrush with purpose and with a goal in mind.

For very young children, there are four stages of drawing and writing that you may see as your child grows from 15 months old to 3 years old. Note that the timetables listed below are approximate; your child may master these skills faster or slower and still be developing just fine. Growth doesn’t happen at the same speed for every child, but by offering repeated fun experiences with a variety of art and writing materials, you will see forward progress over time.

Stage 1: Random Scribbling (15 months to 2½ years)

This is the period when young children are just figuring out that their movements result in the lines and scribbles they see on the page. These scribbles are usually the result of large movements from the shoulder, with the crayon or marker held in the child’s fist. There is joy in creating art at all ages, but at this stage especially, many children relish the feedback they are getting from their senses: the way the crayon feels, the smell of the paint, the squishy-ness of the clay.

For other children, this sensory information may be too much and they may not enjoy some art activities at this stage (like finger-painting). As they grow to tolerate more sensory input, you can incrementally re-introduce art activities into their routine.

Stage 2: Controlled Scribbling (2 years to 3 years)

As children develop better control over the muscles in their hands and fingers, their scribbles begin to change and become more controlled. Toddlers may make repeated marks on the page—open circles, diagonal, curved, horizontal, or vertical lines. Over time, children make the transition to holding the crayon or marker between their thumb and pointer finger.

Stage 3: Lines and Patterns (2½ years to 3½ years)

Children now understand that writing is made up of lines, curves, and repeated patterns. They try to imitate this in their own writing. So while they may not write actual letters, you may see components of letters in their drawing. These might include lines, dots, and curves. This is an exciting time as your toddler realizes that his drawing conveys meaning! For example, he may write something down and then tell you what word it says. This is an important step toward reading and writing.

Stage 4: Pictures of Objects or People (3 years to 5 years)

Many adults think of “pictures” as a picture of something. This ability to hold an image in your mind and then represent it on the page is a thinking skill that takes some time to develop. At first, children name their unplanned creations. This means that they finish the picture and then label their masterpiece with the names of people, animals, or objects they are familiar with.

This changes over time.

Soon you will see your child clearly planning prior to drawing what he will create. You will also see more detail in the pictures, more control in the way your child handles the crayon or marker, and the use of more colors. What else to be on the lookout for? Children’s first pictures often build off circles. So, you may see a sun—an irregular circle, with lots of stick “rays” shooting out—or a person (usually a circle with roughly recognizable human features).

Once your child has begun to purposefully draw images, she has mastered symbolic thinking. This important milestone in thinking skills means that your child understands that lines on paper can be a symbol of something else, like a house, a cat, or a person. At this stage, your child also begins to understand the difference between pictures and writing. So you may see him draw a picture and then scribble some “words” underneath to describe what he has drawn or to tell a story. When your child is able to share his story with you, he will be motivated to “author” more and more work as he grows.

Stage 5: Letter and Word Practice (3 to 5 years)

Children have had experience with letters and print for several years now and are beginning to use letters in their own writing. Usually children start by experimenting with the letters in their own names, as these are most familiar to them. They also make “pretend letters” by copying familiar letter shapes, and will often assume that their created letter must be real because it looks like other letters they have seen (Robertson, 2007).

During this time, children also begin to understand that some words are made of symbols that are shorter and some words are made of symbols that are longer. As a result, their scribbles change. Rather than one long string of letters or letter-like shapes, your child’s writing now has short and long patterns that look like words or sentences. While these letters and words are probably not technically correct, it does not matter. This exciting milestone means that your child is beginning to understand that text and print have meaning." https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/305-learning-to-write-and-draw

Opportunity, resources, and time...all in a day of play at Woolsey Academy!

Resources and References (from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/305-learning-to-write-and-draw)Farrell-Kirk, R. (2007 February). Tips on understanding and encouraging your child’s artistic development. Downloaded on June 10, 2008.
Gable, S. (2000). Creativity in young children. University of Missouri Extension. Downloaded on June 10, 2008.
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. (n.d.). My child is an artist! The stages of artistic development. Downloaded on June 10, 2008.
Lagoni, L. S., Martin, D. H., Maslin-Cole, C., Cook, A., MacIsaac, K., Parrill, G., Bigner, J., Coker, E., & Sheie, S. (1989). Good times being creative. In Good times with child care (pp. 239–253). Fort Collins, CO: Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. Downloaded on June 10, 2008.
Levinger, L, & Mott, A. (n.d.). Developmental phases in art.Downloaded on June 10, 2008.
Robertson, R. (2007, July/August). The meaning of marks: Understanding and nurturing young children’s writing development. Child Care Exchange, 176, 40–44.