Reading together

Helen May 2019

Aubada you love sitting on the couch with your blanket. This is your “touchstone” your place of connec-
tion at the centre. We have been noticing that you have begun to physically explore the centre more.

We have been thinking about why you enjoy sitting on the couch and ways we can involve you in the
programme. We know that your blanket and the couch brings you comfort and that you also spend
time doing this at home.

We noticed that when you are walking you often walk on your toes and we are wondering whether it is
sore for you to walk. We will talk with your Mum and continue to observe the way you move. We
will offer you lots of experiences to develop your muscles and move and physically explore. Te
Whāriki speaks of the ability, co-ordination and confidence to use their bodies and take risks and
physical challenges. We are unsure whether you are quite feeling comfortable enough to take risks
away from the couch at the moment or whether you might be tired or sore. We are going to investi-
gate this further.

We brought some books over to the couch today – your face lit up and you became very animated –
pointing to the pictures and turning the pages. You understood that books are meant to delight
and amuse and laughed and laughed when the teachers swirled and twirled when “Wishy
Washy” was read. After we repeated the actions you started to join in laughing. We are going to
continue to offer you books and resources on the couch and share them with you. Encouraging
you to take a risk and try things out in the rest of the centre.

The next steps..

Aubada, since Helen observed you I have seen a huge leap in your settling skills and willingness to par-
ticipate. This week I have seen you arrive with a smile and calmly and quickly you find an activity that
interests you. I have also noticed you can climb, run and also eat your lunch. You have been like a differ-
ent child this week! I wonder if you had been a little bit unwell? I also this week learned that you en-
joyed the praise given when you tried (&ate all of your lunch!) we all noticed and clapped for you, you
had the hugest smile. Aubada, I love seeing how your safety and security at An-Nur has been found
again, and as a result your confidence and independence is also growing. Aubada, you are still gaining
control of your fine and gross motor skills. I have noticed in the mornings that you love to do the Mon-
tessori spoon activities these are fantastic for you to practice fine motor control and cross the midlines
which will help you strengthen you gross motor abilities and control. Sometimes when we are in the ba-
bies room, I see you disappear back to the big kids room to do Montessori work. I loved just watching
run & play with the older children and joining in with their chasing games. It was a real joy seeing you
laugh and play again.
Aubada, will continue to provide praise for your achievements. There are so many things for you to ex-
plore now that you are confident to do so . I will aim to provide similar Montessori experiences for you
in the babies room so that you have time and space to explore. We will be on the look out for new ways
to challenge your physical skills and allow lots of time and space to practice using your strong muscles.
Well done, Aubada, you took a step outside your comfort zone this week