Learning to Lead

There are so many things that I love about having a family home daycare but if I had to choose just one thing, I think it would be the magic of watching a child transform from a tiny infant into a confident preschooler right before my very eyes. I could watch that process take place over and over again, each time its magic. 

Yesterday I was watching our oldest preschooler S and marveling at how much he’s changed in the time he's been with us. Just last year S had so much to learn about respecting peer boundaries and working on collaborative projects, especially in the building area. This year he’s the clearly leader of the pack. 

Very often throughout the day S shared all the "big kid" things he knows with younger kids.

At the easel he stoped his play to talk a toddler through the process of peeling stickers then patiently demonstrated the process of folding the paper back before pulling the tiny stickers off and placeing them on the paper. No matter how many times the little ones asked, S showed them over and over.....

While we worked with water outside he hlepd another child figure out which lid belongs to a container then he showed her how she can match the color of the lid to the color of the container- so she'll know for next time.

Later he helped all the children find clothespins for a made up game. S showed each child how to pinch the proper end of the clothes pin, then grab a hunk of hair and let go so it would stay in their hair while they jumped....

Some of the children had a lot of trouble so after they did their“best try,” S clamped it in their hair for them.

 At home S may be the youngest member of his family but in daycare land he's everyone’s "big brother". Any time he’s needed for turning on the faucet, hugging kids with skinned knees, fetching wipes or "reading" stories - Sam is on it. It’s a great learning experience to be the big kid in our little world.