GIGI BYTES-Edition-17

FROM OUR DESK

AFFIRMATIVE TALKS FOR PRESCHOOL LEARNERS

Affirmative talks are crucial for preschool learners as they play a significant role in shaping their self-esteem, emotional development, and overall well-being. Here’s why they are important:

1. Boosts Confidence: Positive affirmations help children develop a healthy sense of self-worth. Hearing phrases like “You can do it” or “I believe in you” encourages them to take on challenges and believe in their abilities.

2. Supports Emotional Growth: Affirmative talks help children understand and manage their emotions. When adults acknowledge their feelings and provide positive feedback, it reinforces emotional security and resilience.

3. Encourages Positive Behaviour: Praising efforts and reinforcing good behaviour with affirmative language motivates children to repeat positive actions. For example, saying “You did a great job sharing” encourages kindness and cooperation.

4. Develops Language Skills: Hearing and engaging in positive, supportive conversations helps expand vocabulary and communication skills. It teaches learners how to express themselves positively.

5. Builds Strong Relationships: Affirmative talks foster trust between children and adults, strengthening relationships. Children feel valued and understood, which is essential for developing social-emotional bonds.

6. Promotes a Growth Mindset: Affirmative language emphasizes effort over outcomes, helping children understand that mistakes are a part of learning. This mindset fosters resilience and a love for learning.

Overall, affirmative talks create a nurturing environment where preschool learners feel empowered, valued, and motivated to grow emotionally, socially, and academically.

Swapnali Medhekar

Center Head,

Kanakia Kids,Mira Road

CLASSROOM CONNECT

Effective learning stems from a strong teacher-student relationship, built on trust, respect, and empathy. This nurturing environment fosters inclusion, making students feel valued and supported. As a result, learners actively participate, think creatively, and engage in intellectual exploration, leading to improved academic performance and personal growth.

NURSERY

ENGLISH

This week, learners were introduced to the /u/ sound through stories and phonetic activities. They reinforced the sound by drawing an umbrella, which helped improve phonemic awareness, enhance sound-picture association, and develop fine motor skills. The engaging “spat the sight word” activity further strengthened vocabulary and sight word recognition, while refining hand-eye coordination, contributing to both cognitive and physical development.

MATH

Children explored the number 5 through counting objects and an interactive song, which supported their understanding of counting and number recognition. They completed worksheets to consolidate this learning. Additionally, they learned about rectangles through rhymes and hands-on activities using ice cream sticks, reinforcing their shape recognition and boosting cognitive development, while enhancing fine motor skills.

THEME

In a recap of community helpers, learners used colourful flashcards and worksheets to revisit the tools and roles of various helpers. This activity reinforced their understanding of community roles, improved retention, and strengthened their ability to apply knowledge in real-life contexts.

JR.KG

ENGLISH

This week, learners revisited the letters ‘d’, ‘g’, and ‘o’, focusing on their sounds and associating them with pictures of relevant objects. They illustrated these objects, reinforcing letter recognition, creativity, and fine motor skills. They were then introduced to the letter ‘l’ through pictures, flashcards, and a story to explore its sound and formation. Learners practised writing sight words (by, my, one, only, old, like, have, live, give), improving their phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and motor skills. They also blended sounds to form words like got, hot, rot, and log, using clay to reinforce phonics and spelling skills.

MATH

Learners were introduced to numbers 27 and 28 through objects and flashcards, exploring 'Tens and Ones' frames and practising after numbers. They also learned about the colour brown by identifying objects and completing a worksheet. The concept of “heavy and light” was introduced, and learners sorted objects and identified light objects in a worksheet. These activities enhance their numeracy skills, colour recognition, and understanding of weight concepts.

THEME

Learners explored the concept of festivals, focusing on Carnival. They created a clown face, adding fun to the celebration. The recap of community helpers (Electrician and Cashier) helped solidify their understanding. Storytime featured “The Light of Caring,” teaching the values of kindness and empathy.

SR.KG

ENGLISH

Rhyming activities build phonemic awareness, crucial for developing reading and writing skills. Students recapped rhyming words through a fun worksheet, reinforcing their understanding of sounds. During a vowel recap, learners created new words with long vowels, enhancing their vocabulary and pronunciation. They also practiced reading blends through engaging activities, and illustrated CVC words, deepening their understanding of sound-letter relationships.

MATH

Recap sessions reinforce understanding and help students retain concepts. Through interactive games and written exercises, learners revisited addition, greater-than and less-than comparisons, shapes, and number names. These activities improved their numerical, spatial, and language skills while providing teachers with a valuable tool to track progress and address gaps in learning.

THEME

Picture talks develop language skills, improve comprehension, and spark a love for reading. During the recap on “community and leisure,” learners observed a park scene, answering questions with enthusiasm. This activity nurtured their observation, visual thinking, and confidence. Additionally, a story on love and care emphasized problem-solving through empathy, enriching their emotional and language development.

LITERACY CIRCLE

Jr.Kg learners engaged with “The Mud Hut” and practised reading simple words like “dad,” “can,” “sit,” and “the.” This reinforced their reading fluency, phonics, and word recognition, boosting their confidence in foundational literacy skills.

Sr.Kg- Reading aloud stimulates the imagination and expands learners’ worldviews. Through the story “The Frog and the Fly,” learners acquired new vocabulary and practised constructing simple sentences, laying the groundwork for future literacy skills.

HORTICULTURE

Nursery learners explored various herbs and leafy vegetables, comparing the sizes of their leaves and learning about their uses. By observing and placing the leaves in zipper bags, they enhanced their observation skills and increased their knowledge of plants and healthy eating, sparking curiosity and promoting an interest in gardening.

Jr.Kg learners spread coriander seeds in a pot and learned about seed scarification, fostering patience and responsibility as they observed the growing plants.

Sr.Kg-In this week’s horticulture class, learners observed the sprouting of the millets they planted earlier, deepening their understanding of plant care and growth. Through this hands-on activity, they developed a sense of responsibility, patience, and an appreciation for nature, which contributes to their physical, emotional, and cognitive development.

STREAM

Nursery

In the STREAM session, nursery learners identified and categorized natural objects like rocks, trees, and water, and man-made items such as toys and buildings. They learned new vocabulary like “natural” and “man-made,” supporting early science and environmental education by helping them observe and differentiate between objects in an interactive way.

Jr.Kg

Jr.Kg learners explored various rock textures (rough, smooth, and bumpy) and used magnifying glasses to observe cracks, patterns, and colours. This activity enhanced their sensory skills, attention to detail, and understanding of textures, combining scientific observation with hands-on exploration.

Sr.Kg

Senior KG learners explored the transformation of soil when mixed with water, observing changes in colour and texture. Through pouring muddy water and creating patterns with string, they practised hand-eye coordination and learned about physical changes in materials, making science fun and engaging through messy play.

SPORTS

In this week’s Physical Education session, learners engaged in a lively game using colourful rings and ice cream cones. This activity aimed to enhance hand-eye coordination, teamwork, and physical fitness. By actively participating, learners improved their gross motor skills and developed a sense of cooperation through interactive play.

Jr.Kg learners focused on developing motor skills and coordination through fun drill exercises. These drills helped strengthen balance, agility, and body awareness, providing a strong foundation for physical development and promoting overall fitness in a structured yet enjoyable manner.

Sr.Kg, learners were introduced to the basics of cricket, a fun sport that fosters teamwork, coordination, and physical fitness. Through simple drills, they learned to work together, improve hand-eye coordination, and enhance their understanding of team-based sports, laying the groundwork for future athletic skills.

ART

Nursery – Collage Making:

Our nursery learners explored the art of collage-making, developing fine motor skills and creativity. After practising scissor skills, they arranged and glued pre-cut shapes onto paper, experimenting with colours, textures, and patterns. The activity enhanced their hand-eye coordination and sparked their artistic expression, resulting in vibrant, unique collages.

Jr.Kg – Sand Art:

In this session, Junior KG learners dove into sand art, creating lines, shapes, and patterns in the sand. This tactile activity encouraged creativity, imagination, and fine motor development as the children discovered how the sand changed with every movement, promoting sensory exploration.

Sr.Kg – Nature Walk and Wristbands:

During a nature walk, Sr.Kg students observed various natural elements like leaves, flowers, and pebbles, enhancing their observation skills and connection to nature. They created nature wristbands by collecting small natural objects, fostering creativity, sensory awareness, and appreciation for the environment.