Parent- Teacher Conference

I had Sarah's 2nd parent-teacher conference yesterday.  I am so glad to hear from the teacher that Sarah is doing very well. She has grown so much since the last conference & especially since she started with this daycare.  Here are her accomplishments and areas for development:

Self-Help
She is now very familiar with the daycare routine - she washes her hands before and after each meal, throws away her leftovers into the compost bin, brushes her teeth after lunch, and even tries to put away her cot when she's done napping (with the teacher's help). Next she will be learning how to put her jacket on/off and help dress herself such as pulling up her pants.

Social/Emotional
Sarah is doing well.  She is very weary of any strangers in the room and likes to maintain her distance with them until she is comfortable (which is a good thing!). She will cry when strangers approach her too fast. In terms of sharing, Sarah doesn't like it when someone snatches a toy away from her. She will fight and will cry out loud. She needs to continue to work on sharing.

Cognitive
Sarah is getting good at recognizing shapes and colors.  She can recognize 5 different colors - so the teachers are moving on to the mixed colors, such as purple, pink, etc. Sarah can also do puzzles and match 2 similar objects together.

Language
Sarah knows a lot of words and her mimicking skills are good. She is able to listen to a word and pronounce it very close to what she heard.  Sarah is able to communicate most of what she needs - milk, eat, more, book, etc.  Her next step is to learn how to use two-word sentences and put 2 different ideas into 1 sentence.  The teachers are also continuing to teach them sign language & words at the same time.  Sarah loves to read books, especially when someone reads it to her.

Fine Motor
Sarah is able to draw with a crayon upright.  In the past, she will always hold it in a slant position so nothing will come out, but now she can draw circles and lines.  She is learning how to weave strings in holes to practice precision and hand/eye coordination.  She is enjoying sensory activities such as sand, shaving cream, and messy paints much more than before.

Gross Motor
Sarah knows how to run, walk backwards, walk up and down the stairs, and kick the ball.  She is refining her skills on hopping, jumping, and standing on one foot!

It's nice to get these progress reports from the teachers every so often...because it helps to know what the teachers are teaching her so we can do the same at home.  Just like when the teachers told me that Sarah is now drinking from an open cup, we switched out all our sippy cups at home.  And now that I know they are trying to get her to take on/off her jacket, we will encourage her to do the same at home.  I am so glad that Sarah is learning so much from the daycare!