Childhood skill development, games, and babysitting
April 3, 2024 11:37 AM Subscribe
I am really enjoying babysitting my nephews (2 and 4) once a week. I have been amazed to see them grow over the past six months. I'm fascinated by childhood development, skill development, and how to have fun at the level the kids are at. Are there any books that show a skill-development tree, with games that would be fun at that level, and games that help develop skills?
I suppose I'm interested in a more modern version of Froebel Gifts, the idea that you give a ball to a 1 year old, a block to a 3 year old, subdivided blocks to a 4 year old, etc, on the idea that their brains are ready to explore different aspects of the world in a certain order.
As a mega nerd, I imagine the kids have stats, like "memory" and "following instructions" and "ability to throw" and things like that. Are there any resources that let one measure skills and plan activities around them?
Is there a skill tree for childhood activities, with information about when a kid is ready for the next level? For example, the 4 year old loves to throw things, but can't yet throw at a target. What activities might a kid play that help them learn to throw better, that are more interesting than "you threw in the wrong direction, go pick it up, go back to your mark, and try again"?
I suppose I'm interested in a more modern version of Froebel Gifts, the idea that you give a ball to a 1 year old, a block to a 3 year old, subdivided blocks to a 4 year old, etc, on the idea that their brains are ready to explore different aspects of the world in a certain order.
As a mega nerd, I imagine the kids have stats, like "memory" and "following instructions" and "ability to throw" and things like that. Are there any resources that let one measure skills and plan activities around them?
Is there a skill tree for childhood activities, with information about when a kid is ready for the next level? For example, the 4 year old loves to throw things, but can't yet throw at a target. What activities might a kid play that help them learn to throw better, that are more interesting than "you threw in the wrong direction, go pick it up, go back to your mark, and try again"?
Our school district uses this Ages and Stages questionnaire for the age 0-5 playgroup and incoming 4k students.
posted by abeja bicicleta at 11:57 AM on April 3, 2024 [3 favorites]
posted by abeja bicicleta at 11:57 AM on April 3, 2024 [3 favorites]
You might get something from the answers to this question I asked, though it's a subset of your question. (I also thought I also asked a question about curriculum for homeschoolers (probably in 2020 of course) but if it's there I didn't see it.)
Here's a random idea for you. At some point around age 4.5, both of my kids got obsessed with calendars and counting days. Time is a sensibility that I didn't expect to see kids learn. First "yesterday" appears, but then for awhile, every day in the past is "yesterday..." Some time after that begin the constant questions about how many days until their birthday, how many days until Halloween... at one point I had a running tally in my head ("47 days until your birthday") because it got asked so often. So I'd keep an eye out for the right time to buy a calendar. (Two months before their birthday or a holiday?)
posted by slidell at 12:25 PM on April 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
Here's a random idea for you. At some point around age 4.5, both of my kids got obsessed with calendars and counting days. Time is a sensibility that I didn't expect to see kids learn. First "yesterday" appears, but then for awhile, every day in the past is "yesterday..." Some time after that begin the constant questions about how many days until their birthday, how many days until Halloween... at one point I had a running tally in my head ("47 days until your birthday") because it got asked so often. So I'd keep an eye out for the right time to buy a calendar. (Two months before their birthday or a holiday?)
posted by slidell at 12:25 PM on April 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
This book was really great when our kids were little. It's much more about the "why" but I think it would be very relevant to what you're asking.
posted by true at 1:52 PM on April 3, 2024
posted by true at 1:52 PM on April 3, 2024
Coming from the other end, with emphasis not on measuring skills but on being good for age X because of the kinds of skills/abilities at that age, there are a variety of kits and subscription services for this. They send toys and/or activities tailored to your child's age. Lovevery is one example for infants (month by month), Kiwi Crates I think are for toddlers and up. Vroom shared "brain based" tips for playing with your children. In general I would take the specific scientific claims with a grain of salt, specifically regarding anything claiming to *accelerate* development. But if you are looking for more hints along the lines of "Kids at age X often are starting to throw things! If your kid can't hit a target yet, how about throwing balls toward a really big box, that will probably be fun. Or scarves instead of balls!" those kinds of toys/activities/ideas can get you thinking about what the child in your life is doing developmentally, which is fun!
(P.S. I work on measuring children's developing skills for my job, and I love how you've framed this question. The ASQ or e.g. CDC developmental milestones are probably the closest things to a skill tree you'll see.)
posted by itsatextfile at 2:49 PM on April 3, 2024 [4 favorites]
(P.S. I work on measuring children's developing skills for my job, and I love how you've framed this question. The ASQ or e.g. CDC developmental milestones are probably the closest things to a skill tree you'll see.)
posted by itsatextfile at 2:49 PM on April 3, 2024 [4 favorites]
When my kid was around those ages I really liked MamaOT. The main site seems to be down currently but here's a sample Wayback Machine grab with very satisfyingly granular progressive descriptions for earlier stages, and I remember similar for more advanced skills.
posted by teremala at 3:37 PM on April 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by teremala at 3:37 PM on April 3, 2024 [1 favorite]
Alternatively, you can do a more concrete project with them.
The Budget Bytes slow cooker black bean soup is a good activity to do with little ones.
The two-year-old can sort and rinse the dried black beans, which will also build rudimentary counting skills.
The four-year-old can chop vegetables (ceramic knives for kids are readily available online) which is great for fine motor skills.
Both children can help measure ingredients and pour everything into the slow cooker (which is, again, great for motor skills).
Another activity both children may enjoy, that will fill up a rainy afternoon, is indoor mini golf. Pick up a set of little golf clubs and balls (mine are from Dollar Tree). Build ramps and obstacles out of magnetic tiles. Golf your way around the house.
You can also build throwing skills with Staircase Skee-Ball. Take magnetic tiles and build some boxes with open tops. Sit at the foot of the stairs and chuck ball pit balls up the stairs, seeing if you can land them in the boxes.
Either of those games are going to be chaotic AF, but the kids will love it and won't know they're working on motor skills.
posted by champers at 3:45 AM on April 4, 2024
The Budget Bytes slow cooker black bean soup is a good activity to do with little ones.
The two-year-old can sort and rinse the dried black beans, which will also build rudimentary counting skills.
The four-year-old can chop vegetables (ceramic knives for kids are readily available online) which is great for fine motor skills.
Both children can help measure ingredients and pour everything into the slow cooker (which is, again, great for motor skills).
Another activity both children may enjoy, that will fill up a rainy afternoon, is indoor mini golf. Pick up a set of little golf clubs and balls (mine are from Dollar Tree). Build ramps and obstacles out of magnetic tiles. Golf your way around the house.
You can also build throwing skills with Staircase Skee-Ball. Take magnetic tiles and build some boxes with open tops. Sit at the foot of the stairs and chuck ball pit balls up the stairs, seeing if you can land them in the boxes.
Either of those games are going to be chaotic AF, but the kids will love it and won't know they're working on motor skills.
posted by champers at 3:45 AM on April 4, 2024
Response by poster: That's exactly it, Don! I don't like moralizing the kids and creating expectations they can't follow - but I am out to sea with no guidance for what kids are actually capable of. And I only see them once a month.
I've read through the ASQ Ages and Stages Questionnaire and it is very cool. While merely reading the questions gives me some new ways to think about this stuff, it doesn't yet connect to "and here's how to have fun with this information."
posted by rebent at 9:03 AM on April 4, 2024
I've read through the ASQ Ages and Stages Questionnaire and it is very cool. While merely reading the questions gives me some new ways to think about this stuff, it doesn't yet connect to "and here's how to have fun with this information."
posted by rebent at 9:03 AM on April 4, 2024
Here's a set of 40 fine motor skill activities. That site has tons of other activities. Have fun!
posted by acridrabbit at 12:15 PM on April 4, 2024
posted by acridrabbit at 12:15 PM on April 4, 2024
Here's some ideas from How We Learn.
I'm an early childhood educator. Feel free to DM if you want to chat.
posted by kathrynm at 5:03 PM on April 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
I'm an early childhood educator. Feel free to DM if you want to chat.
posted by kathrynm at 5:03 PM on April 4, 2024 [1 favorite]
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posted by Don Pepino at 11:53 AM on April 3, 2024 [1 favorite]