Feeding Animals - Kickstarter Style Video

Physical Object basically complete

Yesterday we filmed for the kickstarter video. A suitable box still needs to be found for packaging.
ALSO I reminder for everyone to make sure you have done your individual design journal!

Persona Creator

http://usabilitytools.com/persona/ a good website to create persona.

New thought of boardgame

EVERYONE PLEASE READ.
Yang and I have been talking and we have an idea that will be easier, quicker, just as affective.
Basically instead of using magnets. We have 3 boards with Velcro. Each food also has Velcro. The way the players determine if they are correct or not is by colour. Each player has a specific colour for all their food. When they throw it, it can be easily seen who threw what where and then right/wrong given etc. eg. Player A has a red banana, carrot etc and player B has a blue etcetc. So when they stick on the board we can see where everyone's things were thrown. We believe this is far easier while also still being effective for this age. Thoughts?

8 personas

Motor Skill Performance and Physical Activity in Preschool Children http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2008.214/full

Talking about... toys and accidents

http://www.capt.org.uk/resources/talking-about-toys-and-accidents

BBC News - Should parents still allow children to play with toy guns?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kJcd-N0Cx4

Children speaking about the importance of play

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sby38BbLZuY

Physical development in babies and children

http://www.kidspot.com.au/Development-Development-Physical-development-in-babies-and-children+5367+553+article.htm

How Physical Activity Benefit’s A Child’s Mental Development

http://www.howtolearn.com/2013/05/how-physical-activity-benefits-a-childs-mental-development/

Children – much more interested in animals than toys

http://www.zmescience.com/science/psychology-science/children-toys-07022013/

How do I keep my child interested in her toys?

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/fa2/f/challenge_one.ht

8 Personas

 Early learning frameworks
http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/analysis_of_curriculumlearning_frameworks_for_the_early_years_birth_to_age_8.pdf

Relation between physical and mental development
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIYI8VU-hb0

Why the first 5 years are so important
http://www.firstfiveyears.com.au/get-informed.html


Physical development from babies to children
http://www.kidspot.com.au/Development-Development-Physical-development-in-babies-and-children+5367+553+article.htm

Defining "Play"
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/every_child_magazine/every_child_index/why_play-based_learning.html

Fostering Physical Development in early childhood.
https://training.gov.au/TrainingComponentFiles/CHC08/CHCFC502A_R1.pdf

Good resource that details physical activity requirements for kids.
http://www.goodforkids.nsw.gov.au/sitefiles/GoodForKids/documents/Australias_Physical_Activity_Recommendations_for_Children.pdf

Why children should be active:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Children_getting_them_active?open

Early Years Swimming:
This paper details demographics of children who are learning to swim at a very early age including defining learning quantities and intended uses.
http://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/386075/swim-background-paper.pdf

Eight Personas

Action Words, Part 1 (Classroom Physical Activity Breaks)

 WisconsinDPI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF9qrV7P8tk, 2011

This video provides useful activities that develop basic gross motor skills as well as helping the children with reading and pronunciation.

 

Pediatric Physical Therapy - Gross and Fine Motor Skill Development

 Margret Rice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js62IcXgYcI , 2009

Another video that allows the children to develop their gross motor skills in a fun and exciting game.

Gross Motor Skills: Cones Sideways Cognitive Motor Skills Activities to Develop Fine Motor Skills

 Motor Skill Learning,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpgIPX0UUDc , 2012

This is video shows how basic motor skills can be pushed the limit in order for children to be pushed to the next level and become sportsmen.

Early Childhood Computer Experience and Cognitive and Motor Development

Xiaoming Li, PhD, Melissa S. Atkins, PhD

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/113/6/1715.short , 2004

A report on how factors in everyday life can both negatively and positively affect the gross motor skill development in children. This article contains a lot of statistics and data that was collected by adequate researchers.

 Why Is it Important to Develop Gross Motor Skills in Preschool Children?

Becky Swain , Demand Media http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/important-develop-gross-motor-skills-preschool-children-4262.html  2014

This article emphasises that the importance of developing gross motor skills from an early age. The benefits are presented and include: promotes a healthy lifestyle and promotes psychological health.

Fine Motor Development and early school performance

http://www.fingergym.info/downloads/Finemotordevpp1-4.pdf , 2014

This is a brief article outline what are gross motor skills and how they affect everyday life.

 

  

Cognitive development in babies and children,  

http://www.kidspot.com.au/discoverycentre/Joy-of-discovery-Development-Cognitive-development-in-babies-and-children+5357+553+article.htm Kidspot team, 2014       

This article provides information as to when a childs skills are developing so that the parent is informed at the correct time period to start developing these skills.

Developing gross motor skills,

Queensland Government  http://deta.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood/pdfs/tip-sheets/developing-gross-motor-skills.pdf  , 2012

This page outlines a game that is useful in developing basic gross motor skills.

Eight Persona Research Sources

Developmental Milestones - School Age Children (YouTube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9js2_ZsrcU


This video explains the developmental milestones which children should be reaching at particular ages. This will allow us to recognise skills that are still under development at our target age and target our product towards these skills.

Child-based personas: need, ability and experience (Article)

http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Alissa_Antle/publication/227286996_Child-based_personas_need_ability_and_experience/file/5046351cc47c7843d0.pdf

This article describes the construction of personas specifically for children. It explains the vital aspect of these personas and the data required for construction.

Growing minds: Cognitive development in early childhood (YouTube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivl7x_8XX0w

The video focuses on the intellectual development of children ages 0-5 and what activities influence this development. This can be used in recognising which skills children of our target age group should have already developed and will not need to be focused upon.

Persona Marketing for Fujitsu Kids Site (Research Paper)

http://www.fujitsu.com/downloads/MAG/vol45-2/paper07.pdf

The article details the process that Fujitsu went through in deciding how to target their specific target user group which was children. This could be applied to the way we build personas and create a product based on these personas.

Adult's Role Relative to a Child's Physical Development (News Article)

http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/adults-role-relative-childs-physical-development-2984.html

The article points out the role that parent's have in allowing their children to develop their physical skills in the most efficient way. At least one of our personas should be an adult so this article would be helpful in that case.

Activities to Improve Fine Motor Skills (Blog Post)

http://childparenting.about.com/od/schoollearning/a/fine-motor-skills-activities.htm

This post lists some activities which develop fine motor skills in children, which can be incorporated into a product. This product would need to fit the target users, which could be around the age of 5 years old - the age at which this post is based on.

Physical development considerations and accommodations for primary school students (Essay)

http://www.studymode.com/essays/Physical-Development-Considerations-And-Accommodations-For-953871.html

This essay describes considerations which need to be made when creating activities and products for primary school children.

Physical activity—helping children grow (Brochure)

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/pdf/everyday_learning/EDL1202_sample.pdf

Physical and motor skill development is described in this brochure at particular ages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHB4chltlrY

http://familyfitness.about.com/od/preschoolers/a/grossmotorskill.htm

http://www.getreadytoread.org/early-learning-childhood-basics/early-childhood/understanding-physical-development-in-preschoolers

http://www.nemours.org/content/dam/nemours/www/filebox/service/preventive/nhps/paguidelines.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuVkkhpiHTA

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5476948_do-bright-colors-appeal-kids.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NotBLpMldYE

http://activeforlife.com/physical-literacy-checklist-4-6-years/

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/social/physed/fmsteacher.pdf

Jean Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Stages for children

Vygotskys developmental theories

Handwriting activities for children

Cognitive Developmental Stages 

Cognitive development activities 

Gross motor skills activities 

Book: Teaching Health and Physical Education in Australian Schools, edited by: Richard Tinning, Louise McCuaig and Lisa Hunter

Book: Educational Psychology 2nd Edition, written by Anita Woolfolk and Kay Margetts

reminder

Guys, please don't forget to join google+ community and write down your comment for other group concept cards, it is due to 9th of April. You will LOSE MARK if you don't do it. Also, you first electrical journal is due this FRIDAY, don't forget to do it. Have a nice day!

critque

Hi! guys this is the general points of criticism/where things could improve:

1. Solutions in search of problems: many of the concepts I saw were not well grounded in an issue or problem that people (users/children/parents etc.) actually face. I had the impression a lot of it was more interactive junk being  pushed at people, rather than products that had intrinsic value for the physical abilities they had the ambition to foster in users.

2. Path of least resistance: too many of the concepts cards looked like the product of about 30 minutes of thought and effort, (scribbled on butchers’  paper or ripped out of someone’s visual diary) rather than 4-5 person hours (which is what we could expect given a group size of 6). This is independent of the quality of the ideas on the cards, some of which were still okay. But some teams really need to take much more pride in what they present to us. If this was a presentation to a client, only a few would get a contract.

3. Too few ideas: on the strength of some of these teams' three (best) concept cards, I would guess the teams are working from a pool of only 6 or 8 total concepts, if that. Some probably only 3. There was usually a concept with potential in every team, but often the other concepts were just “fillers” that looked like the first or second idea one might have in response to the brief. They need to have a pool of 30 or 40 ideas if they want to expect to have a really good idea in there somewhere.

4. Superficial digitisation: a number of the concepts for the sprint were just bits of technology glued onto existing physical systems (whack-a-mole, frisbee tag, soccer) where it was doubtful that the technology actually added any value above and beyond the physical system. In these cases, the original physical games were actually more likely to build skills. Buttons and lights don’t just make things better.

5. Vague/general notions of skill: Most of the skills I saw identified on the cards were things like dexterity, fitness, strength, stamina, hand-eye coordination etc. These are very broad, bordering on abilities rather than skills. They are okay and they fit the brief, but I was disappointed that I only occasionally saw specific physical skills like drumming rhythm, violin-playing, woodcarving, watercolour painting, etc. supported by their products. This also relates to how many teams (almost all) have interpreted the brief as an invitation to design a game (ironically a word that is found nowhere in the brief).

6. Designing from somewhere, but not from the brief: A lot of the products they presented were games that looked fun and playable, but that do not seriously address a skill-building domain. It looked more like an added bonus that you might develop a physical skill by playing it, e.g. You might become more fit if you play super frisbee tag. If a child REALLY wanted to train his/her fitness, however, that game is unlikely to be their #1 option, since there are innovative and successful systems already in existence to build fitness in kids. This gives me an insight into their process—few teams are working from the brief, i.e. starting with users, contexts and a skills and working out from there to develop concepts.

20 concept cards

Hi, group mates, I find a template from PPT, and use it as a concept card model. everyone just need to fill in each part and print it out in COLOR at the end of this project. DO NOT DRAW the concept cards! it is too bad. if YOU see this, please comment to me that u understand what we trying to do. Only THREE weeks left and we havent start a thing. I decided reduce our work from 2 concept cards to 1 concept card this week. We can do it, guys. Keep it simple and clear,
- Please make sure your concept cards are legible, and that the format and quality is consistent across all three.
- If possible, try explaining your concepts to someone outside the course to see if you need to make certain points clearer.
cheers.

8 user research Yang Youxi

 

1.Developing Children's Social Skills 

2.Child Development & Positive Parenting Skills 

3.Physical Stages of Development in Children Coordination on Minitrampolin, synchronized jumping. Children Motor Skills

4.Child Motor Skills

 

 

 

5.Physical development in babies and children

By Kidspot team |

There’s one thing for sure – babies and kids will grow. But physical development is about more than just hitting the right percentiles on a height chart.
All babies grow in the same order but at completely different rates. One seven-month-old might be crawling around and chattering madly. Another might be playing silently on his playmat. One five-year-old can look like he’s still only four, while another can look like he belongs with the seven-year-olds.
Developmental achievements are often called ‘milestones’ and there are certain physical milestones.

• Gross motor skills involve the coordination and control of large muscles and skills like walking, sitting and running.
• Fine motor skills (or manipulation) involve the coordination and control of small muscles, and skills like holding a rattle, picking up crumbs and scribbling with a pencil.
• Vision is the ability to see near and far, and to interpret what’s seen.
• Hearing is the ability to hear, listen to and interpret sounds, whereas speech is the ability to produce sounds that form words. Language is something different again, but also important.
• Emotional and social behaviour and understanding is your child’s ability to learn and interact with others, including skills for play and communicating with other people and children.

What parents need to know about physical development

Physical development provides children with the abilities they need to explore and interact with the world around them. A young child's physical growth first begins as muscles gain strength and children gradually develop coordination. The development of muscular control is the first step in this process.
Think about the words physical development. They encompass so many different tasks and abilities. The term motor development refers to physical growth, or growth in the ability of children to use their bodies and physical skills. Motor development often has been defined as the process by which a child acquires movement patterns and skills.
Genetics, size at birth, body build, nutrition and culture can all influence motor and physical development.

Gross motor skills versus fine motor skills

Gross motor development

This is the area of physical development that most parents think of first - the child's general ability to move around and use the various parts of his body. Activities like rolling over, crawling, walking, running and jumping are gross motor skills. These skills usually involve using the entire body or several parts of the body at one time.
Some of the areas that are considered when evaluating the area of gross motor development are:
Muscle tone: How tightly or loosely do the muscles work for your child? If a child's body has high tone, then his movements might be jerky or disconnected. If a child's body is too loose - or low tone - then her movements might be slow and lack strength.

Muscle strength: How strong is your child? How much pressure can he apply with his hands and legs? How much pressure can his body withstand?

Quality of movements: Are the movements smooth or does she seem to jerk her limbs? Does she seem to move either particularly slow or fast? Does it take effort for her to move around?

Range of movement: An important area in physical development is a child's ability to make movements that span the entire length of her body. A significant milestone is the ability to make movements that go from one side of the body to the other, referred to as "crossing the midline". This skill is necessary for a child to do tasks such throwing a ball or passing an object from one hand to another. This concept is also important for the area of fine motor development.

What to expect of physical development

Physical development by six months

He will show basic distinctions in vision, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, temperature and perceiving pain. He will also lift his head when on his stomach and possibly show squeals of delight as well as grasp objects and roll over.

Physical development by 12 months

He can control his torso and hands, sit without support, crawl and has growing control of legs and feet. He may stand or creep across the floor. 

Physical development by 18 months

Can creep or crawl up stairs, possibly walk, draw lines on paper with crayon and will show growing physical independence.

Physical development by age two

He can go up and down steps, run, sit self on chair, use a spoon and fork, turn single pages in a book, kick a ball, attempt to dress himself, build a tower of six blocks, kick a ball and has bowel and bladder control (though he may not care to show it and be toilet trained!).

Physical development by age three

He can run well, march, stand on one foot briefly, ride a tricycle, feed himself (with a bit of mess), put on his own shoes and socks (though not tie laces!), unbutton and button.

Physical development by age four

He can skip on one foot, cut with scissors, wash and dry his own face, dress himself, throw a ball overhand and other skills to show growing independence.

Physical development by age five

He can hop and skip, dress without help, has good balance and smoother muscle action, skate or ride a scooter, print and write simple letters, establish whether he is left or right handed. Girls' fine motor skill development is likely to be about one year ahead of boys.

Physical development by age seven

He can stand on one foot with eyes closed for three seconds, walk on a line in heel-toe fashion, skip on both feet, possibly ride a bicycle without training wheels, jump rope, catch and bounce a tennis ball and tie shoelaces.

Physical development by age nine

He has the capability to roll, bat, kick and throw a ball, which makes him able to play organised sports such as soccer, cricket and basketball. His strength and coordination will continue to develop with practice.

Physical development by age 12

Puberty can start to appear at this age, which is why you’ll see kids developing at different rates between the ages of eight and 18. With growth spurts come clumsiness and a lack of coordination. If your child is not athletic, help him find a sport or physical activity he enjoys. At this age, kids who don’t excel athletically are tempted to avoid all physical activity.

What parents can do to boost physical development

Australia’s Department of Health and Ageing has two recommendations for parents to encourage optimal physical development.
1.    Children and young people should participate in at least 60 minutes (and up to several hours) of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity every day.
2.    Children and young people should not spend more than two hours a day using electronic media for entertainment (e.g. computer games, Internet, TV), particularly during daylight hours.
Encouraging physical activity in school-aged children can:

• Build strong bones and muscles
• Improve balance and develop skills
• Maintain and develop flexibility
• Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
• Improve cardiovascular fitness
• Help relaxation
• Provide opportunities to make friends and improve social and emotional development
• Improve self-esteem

 

 

6.What is child development and what skills do children develop at different ages

What is child development?
Child development is a process every child goes through. This process involves learning and mastering skills like sitting, walking, talking, skipping, and tying shoes. Children learn these skills, called developmental milestones, during predictable time periods.

Children develop skills in five main areas of development:

1. Cognitive Development
   This is the child's ability to learn and solve problems. For example, this includes a two-month-old baby learning to explore the environment with hands or eyes or a five-year-old learning how to do simple math problems.
   
2. Social and Emotional Development
   This is the child's ability to interact with others, including helping themselves and self-control. Examples of this type of development would include: a six-week-old baby smiling, a ten-month-old baby waving bye-bye, or a five-year-old boy knowing how to take turns in games at school.
   
   
3. Speech and Language Development
   This is the child's ability to both understand and use language. For example, this includes a 12-month-old baby saying his first words, a two-year-old naming parts of her body, or a five-year-old learning to say "feet" instead of "foots".
   
   
4. Fine Motor Skill Development
   This is the child's ability to use small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers, to pick up small objects, hold a spoon, turn pages in a book, or use a crayon to draw.
   
   
5. Gross Motor Skill Development
   This is the child's ability to use large muscles. For example, a six-month-old baby learns how to sit up with some support, a 12-month-old baby learns to pull up to a stand holding onto furniture, and a five-year-old learns to skip.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities has recently launched a campaign to promote child development. For more information on child development, visit the Act Early website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/.


What is a developmental milestone?
A developmental milestone is a skill that a child acquires within a specific time frame. For instance, one developmental milestone is learning to walk. Most children learn this skill or developmental milestone between the ages of 9 and 15 months.

Milestones develop in a sequential fashion. This means that a child will need to develop some skills before he or she can develop new skills. For example, children must first learn to crawl and to pull up to a standing position before they are able to walk. Each milestone that a child acquires builds on the last milestone developed.

To find out more information about age-appropriate developmental milestones click on a specific age below. If you are concerned your child has not met a developmental milestone, click here to learn more.


What are typical milestones, or skills, children learn at different ages?
We now know that our brains are not fully developed at birth. In fact, a baby's brain weighs about one quarter (1/4) of what an adult's brain weighs!

The brain grows very rapidly during the first several years of life. During this time, your child is learning all sorts of new skills.

Because children usually acquire developmental milestones or skills during a specific time frame or "window", we can predict when most children will learn different skills. The pages below describe the types of skills children usually learn at different ages. If you are concerned your child has not met a developmental milestone, click here to learn more.

Childhood Development:

• First 6 Weeks
• 1½ to 3 Months
• 3 to 6 Months
• 6 to 9 Months
• 9 to 12 Months
• 1 to 2 Years
• 2 to 3 Years
• 3 to 5 Years
• 5 to 7 Years

What if my child does not meet a developmental milestone?
Each child is an individual and may meet developmental milestones a little earlier or later than his peers. You may have heard people say things like, "he was walking before he turned 10 months, much earlier than his older brother" or "she didn't say much until she was about 2 years old and then she talked a blue streak!" This is because each child is unique and will develop at his or her own pace.

However, there are definitely blocks of time when most children will meet a milestone. For example, children learn to walk anytime between 9 and 15 months of age. So, if your child is 13 months of age and not yet walking, there is no need to worry if he is crawling and pulling to a stand. He has acquired the skills he needs to learn to walk and may begin walking soon. However, if you have a child 15 months of age who is not yet walking, it would be a good idea to talk with your child's pediatrician to make sure there aren't any medical or developmental problems since age 15 months is outside of the normal "window" or time frame in which children learn to walk.

In this website, we will provide you with some information about these "windows" or blocks of time when children usually develop a skill. We also will share with you some warning signs or "red flags" to watch for that may mean your child is not meeting developmental milestones. We will also give you the names of some books and websites about child development that you may find helpful.

However, whenever you have questions, do not hesitate to ask a professional like your child's doctor, nurse practitioner, or a trained child development or behavioral specialist. There are also several clinical specialists who are specifically trained in various areas of development who can be consulted. These include speech pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, developmental psychologists and audiologists.


How can I help my child meet these developmental milestones?
As parents, we all want our children to succeed and be the best they can be. We know from research that two factors influence how your child succeeds and grows: genes and environment.

One of the factors that influence our child's development is their genetic makeup or "genes." Some people refer to this as "nature." Genes are the genetic material we pass onto our children. Children are born with their "genes" in place. These genes act like a blueprint for what characteristics a child may have. For example, genes determine if a child will have blue eyes or brown eyes; they also determine if he will be left- or right-handed.

The other factor that influences child development is the environment. This includes experiences children have in their home, school and community environments. Some people refer to this as "nurture." The environment can either improve or harm a child's genetic blueprint. For example, malnourished children who live in third world countries may not reach their IQ potential because of the impact of their environment on their brain development.

We often think we need to run out and buy special toys, music and games to stimulate our child's development, but we have to remind ourselves that it is more important to provide the following, every-day activities you can do with your child to encourage brain development.

• Give your child lots of love and attention. No matter what a child's age, holding, hugging, and listening are important ways to show your child they matter.
• Interact with your child by talking, singing, playing, eating, and reading with your child. Your child will grow up feeling special and important to you. You will also learn a lot about your child's interests and skills.
• Read, read, read. Research has shown that children who are read to by their parents have a larger vocabulary than other children. Reading also provides children with new perspectives about the world we live in.
• Learn some simple parenting skills for helping your child to learn how to behave. The most important parenting skills are having consistent rules, rewarding behaviors you want to see your child do more of, and having consequences for behaviors you do not want your child to continue to do.
• Limit TV time and video time to no more than 1-2 hours of educational viewing per day.
• Download C3's informational handout on supporting your child's development.
• Ask for help when you need it from your spouse, partner, family, friends, and your child's doctor or nurse practitioner. Parenting is wonderful but it is not always easy.
• For more helpful suggestions on parenting, click here.

 

 7.Developing skills and abilities

Your children’s skills and abilities will be their most valuable asset throughout their lives. Skills are behaviors that we can learn and improve through practice. Every day, students are learning and practicing skills as they also increase their knowledge in the subjects they study. Abilities are closely related to skills – they are natural talents. We tend to think of singing as an ability because people are born with good voices and typing as a skill because it can be learned. Some of our strongest skills, however, are really well developed (practiced) talents.
In this Web site’s overview about why your children should explore careers, building foundation skills is discussed. Understanding what skills and abilities they have and what skills and abilities they need to reach their dreams is an important component of your children’s career development. Building their skill set and being able to talk about that skill set are key strategies for success in the 21st Century workforce.
As a parent, you can help your children learn about skills and abilities – their own and those that are used by others. You can help them develop a vocabulary of skill words. “I am honest, reliable, and organized. I can use the computer for word processing and spread sheets. I work well with others and can coordinate activities of groups. I am good at gathering and evaluating information. I have a high attention to detail.” Understanding that they have skills, that these skills are valued by others, and that they can develop the skills that they enjoy using contributes to self-esteem and motivation.
What kinds of skills should my child develop?
Skills can be categorized in many different ways. One helpful way to break them apart is to look at them as:

• Employability skills. Skills that are needed by all workers, regardless of job, work setting, or industry. These include good work habits and other personal qualities, basic reading, writing and math skills, and thinking skills that are required to perform any type of work effectively.
• Transferable skills. Skills that are used in many different work settings by different kinds of workers. They can be transferred from one line of work to another.
• Technical or job specific skills. Skills that are very specific to a particular activity, job, or industry. For example, the technical skills for a plumber include installing and soldering pipes.

During elementary years through high school, your children are primarily developing employability and transferable skills. At the youngest ages, they begin developing their employability skills as they learn individual responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity. They are also building basic skills required for functioning in any work situation through what they learn in school – reading, writing, arithmetic and mathematics, speaking, and listening, thinking creatively, making decisions, solving problems, reasoning, and knowing how to learn.

The Career-Related Learning Standards are one of four career-related graduation requirements in Oregon.

In fact the Oregon Board of Education requires that all students demonstrate important employability skills in order to receive a high school diploma. These are called the career-related learning standards; they incorporate personal management, teamwork, communication, problem solving, employment, foundations, and career development. You can help your children develop these skills by turning daily activities into opportunities for learning. Household chores, volunteering, and part-time work provide excellent opportunities to develop skills, especially those all important self-management skills. By focusing on the importance of these skills, you also teach that all work is important, necessary, and valuable.
How can I help my child with problem solving skills?
Problem solving involves math and thinking skills. Demonstrate an interest in mathematics and make math and problem-solving a part of the family routine. Here are some everyday activities that can help build them:

• Cook together. Have your children follow a recipe. Explain fractions and measurements while cooking.
• Shop together. Illustrate percentages with pennies and dollars. Have your children check the grocery receipt, and calculate prices.
• Travel together. Have your children act as the navigators on a family outing. Play simple games such as “how far is it?” Keep a chart of daily temperatures to help plan for a family vacation.
• Play games together. Have your children learn the rules of a game by reading and enforcing directions. (For more ideas, see University of Oregon College of Education professor, Dave Moursund’s book, Introduction to Using Games in Education: A Guide for Teachers and Parents, online at http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~moursund/Books/Games/Games.pdf)
• Do projects together. Have your children build a model or assemble store purchases by following directions and using schematics.
• Involve them in routine home maintenance work. Involve your children in family decisions. Have your children anticipate and experience the consequences of a decision.

How can I help my child with communication skills?
Communication includes reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Keep lots of quality reading material around the house. Make visits to the library part of your family routine. Point out that pleasurable reading comes from good writing. Here are some ideas to develop better communicators:

• Read to your children. Spend 20 minutes a day reading to preschoolers. Have older children read to you or take turns reading to younger siblings. Let your children see you read at least 20 minutes a day.
• Encourage good listening. Discuss the content of what you or they have read. Tell stories and have children re-tell them in detail.
• Play games that involve writing, speaking, and listening. Charades requires non-verbal skills.
• Encourage writing. Expect that your children will write letters and thank you notes to relatives and friends. Make sure your children have writing materials, such as journals and diaries, available.

How can I help my child with teamwork?
Teams are not only important on the athletic field. All aspects of life require people to work effectively as members of teams. Think of your family as a team, and use some of these ideas:

• Build your family team. Involve children in family discussions or decisions, as appropriate for their age and maturity level.
• Work together. Give kids important jobs to do within the family or work on chores together.
• Practice conflict resolution. Teach them to get along with others by modeling good teamwork and conflict resolution.
• Learn together. Emphasize the learning that takes place in groups, whether on school projects or team activities like sports, music, theater, or volunteering.

How can I help my child with other employment foundations?
Employment requires understanding and using tools and technology, working in organizations and systems, and following procedures. You can begin building these skills at home by:

• Do projects that require many steps, use of tools, and following procedures, such as:
  • Cook together. Have your children read recipes and measure ingredients.
  • Do laundry. Have your children sort items of clothing according to color, read washing instructions, measure detergent and time wash cycles.
  • Go grocery shopping. Have your children write shopping lists, compare food prices, make change, and identify and classify food items.
  • Fix the family photo album. Have your children sort pictures, write labels for each photo and write a story about some of the photos.
  • Organize the house. Have your child sortren items in a "junk drawer," label them and arrange them alphabetically.
• Talk about products and services you use. Introduce your children to all aspects of work; including technology, business, artistic, social and customer service perspectives.
• Discuss new technologies and how they change our lives. Discuss ways to improve products, processes and services with your children. Encourage your children to brainstorm solutions to technical and human problems. 

 

8.Developing Social Skills and Relationships

Learning to successfully interact with others is one of the most important aspects of a child’s development, with far-reaching implications. Although most children acquire social skills by example, and possibly osmosis, research clearly suggests children with learning disabilities (LD) may have difficulty making and keeping friends. Adolescents with LD have also been shown to interact less with their peers and to spend more leisure time alone, addicted to TV, computer games and the Internet.

Certainly not all young people with learning disabilities experience social problems. Typically, the good athlete, class comedian, resident artist, or owner of the most magic cards, is likely to be accepted regardless of his learning issues. Then, too, some children, with or without LD, seem born to make life easy for parents—and for themselves as well. They appear to develop social awareness early in life and, as they grow, display innately good “people skills”—a sense of humor, a positive attitude toward life, and empathy for others, qualities guaranteed to win friends.

But for many children and adolescents with LD, the lack of peer acceptance can become the most painful of their problems. Computers and calculators can help children with writing and arithmetic, but there is no similar technology to help them handle a lonely recess at school, a family outing, or a date. These require social competence.

“Social competence” in this context refers to those skills necessary for effective interpersonal functioning. They include both verbal and nonverbal behaviors that are socially valued and are likely to elicit a positive response from others.

Young people with social disabilities frequently are less able than others their age to figure out how to behave in social situations and less aware of how others respond to them. Therefore, they act without knowledge or regard for social consequences. Most, though, tend to be unaware of their role, perceiving themselves as the victims of others’ mistreatment. Therefore, they take little responsibility for their actions, blaming others or simply “bad luck” for events in their lives. What they do feel, though, is an overdose of criticism from peers and adults alike.

To help young people with social problems, it is important to understand on what level they are having trouble and how their social disabilities relate to their learning disabilities. The immaturity of many children with LD transcends academic areas, affecting their social adjustment as well. Communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal, also have social implications. Children who don’t “read” body language and facial expressions well are likely to miss important signals in life that are apparent to others.

To help children and adolescents develop social skills and promote social acceptance, parents might consider these techniques

• Listen to children with the “third ear,” i.e., active listening, not only to the words they say, but the feelings they are expressing.
• Initiate and practice pro-social skills at home, including:
  
  • How to initiate, maintain, and end a conversation
  • The art of negotiation—how to get what you want appropriately
  • How to be appropriately assertive without being overly aggressive
  • How to give and receive compliments
  • How to respond to teasing by peers
  • Practice how to accept constructive criticism

Although not all children and adolescents with learning disabilities have social difficulties, those who do require special understanding, not only in terms of their current functioning, but for the people they are capable of becoming. Although each young person is unique, all have the same needs—acceptance, approval and a sense of belonging.