Bismillah.
I was reading online about calender time and using it with preschoolers. here's what I understood from it:
Young children have limited understanding of time. Zen is beginning to show some understanding when she said for example, "کل لبنا پھپپو آئیں تھیں " when her phuppo actually came over last month. These little mistakes show that she may be developmentally ready to learn more about time and space yet proper calender time might be too much for her. In my humble opinion, preschoolers first need to understand day and night successions before names of days and months. Here are some ideas that can help her better achieve understanding of time. Meanwhile, keep in mind she'll develop her understanding of time on her own natural pace. No need to rush her by forcing her to sit through "fun" calender time in the morning. If it's above her developmental level, it'll only confuse and frustrate her and no leanring will actually take place.
A little side note for moms: our young children's limited sense of time is also what causes those tantrums. When they can't grasp the idea of "Not now! Later!" Have mercy on these little ones. They are too little to understand our demands all at once. Try not to hold them off too long. I try to respond to Zen quickly (like I'd like her to respond to me) but sometimes I can't. It may be that I'm busy with something else that's urgent or that her request is unacceptable or just not possible at the time. In any case, I'm quick to apologize to her for "taking so long". I noticed that when I apologize like that, she appreciates that I admit that my response/behaviour hurt her. And children are quick to forgive if you really mean it :).
I was reading online about calender time and using it with preschoolers. here's what I understood from it:
Young children have limited understanding of time. Zen is beginning to show some understanding when she said for example, "کل لبنا پھپپو آئیں تھیں " when her phuppo actually came over last month. These little mistakes show that she may be developmentally ready to learn more about time and space yet proper calender time might be too much for her. In my humble opinion, preschoolers first need to understand day and night successions before names of days and months. Here are some ideas that can help her better achieve understanding of time. Meanwhile, keep in mind she'll develop her understanding of time on her own natural pace. No need to rush her by forcing her to sit through "fun" calender time in the morning. If it's above her developmental level, it'll only confuse and frustrate her and no leanring will actually take place.
- Note something significant that happened today in the morning and mention it in the evening or at night. Point out that it happened this morning.
- Go through the day with salah times. help her see the salah timing patterns. make a picture chart for salah timings and at each namaz time show which one it's currently time for, what will come after and what we did before this etc.. this will also help her keep track of her day.
- Play something cool or new or make a project and leave it half way through to come back to it later. When you do come to it later mention when you began the project, what you did earlier and what you can do now. If you made plans to finish it off a certain way earlier recall those plans with her help.
- Start a project such as molding bread project. Each day, tally the number of days and make note of read changes verbally and through drawing sketches. "Yesterday it was green only in the middle, where else do you see it green today?"
- Start a journal. Mark a page for each day and do one page a day.
- Watch and keep track of moon phases to develp a sense of a months time or a few days time..
A little side note for moms: our young children's limited sense of time is also what causes those tantrums. When they can't grasp the idea of "Not now! Later!" Have mercy on these little ones. They are too little to understand our demands all at once. Try not to hold them off too long. I try to respond to Zen quickly (like I'd like her to respond to me) but sometimes I can't. It may be that I'm busy with something else that's urgent or that her request is unacceptable or just not possible at the time. In any case, I'm quick to apologize to her for "taking so long". I noticed that when I apologize like that, she appreciates that I admit that my response/behaviour hurt her. And children are quick to forgive if you really mean it :).
