flynn011

One of the most common complaints I hear from parents about boys -- whether they're home educated or at schools -- is that they don't want to write anything. Why do (most) boys hate to write so much? The short answer is that boys develop later in that area of the brain. In fact, research has shown than girls' brains develop in the region of language and fine motor skills about six years earlier than boys!   On the flip side, boys develop their spatial memory areas about four years earlier than girls. Unfortunately, our expectations as educators are geared more toward writing than spatial memory, and so the boys get labeled or pushed too hard too early.  Is it any wonder they can develop a hang-up about writing? Logic states, therefore, that boys should be allowed to develop more slowly in this area, and in the meantime, be provided with opportunities and strategies that can help them achieve as writers at their level ! Here are a few ideas based on experience w...

He's only a little blue wooden train with a number 1 on his side and a fairly jolly looking expression on his front, but Thomas the Tank Engine seems to be one of the few toys amongst our mountain of plastic that is a perennial favourite.  I mean, my kids really do play for hours with their trains. Did I say "play"?  I meant to say "work", because that's what a child's focussed attention is with any object or in any activity.  It's their work, and should be respected as such.  In fact, if you look at this article here  about child development and Montessori theory, you will see a list of bullet points about learning through play, all of which a good session with Thomas and friends will satisfy. Let's take for example the second point in the list, "creativity expanded using problem-solving skills".  If you've ever tried to make anything more than a simple figure-8 or circular track with the Thomas railway, then you know that this ac...