The Pica Perspective

Sleep: An Important Part of Healthy Development

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the need for relaxation in children's lives. Today I came across a wonderful article on the value of sleep. With the same title as this post, the article was published by Child Care Aware, and it addresses the value of sleep, how much sleep children need, healthy sleeping practices, and "the big sleep problems."

Although we're certainly aware that babies need a lot of sleep, I think we sometimes forget these days that even older children need adequate sleep. A couple of years ago I read a Washington Post article in which it was reported that the chief of Prince George's County schools told Maryland legislators that nap time in preschool had to be done away with. "We need to get rid of all the baby school stuff they used to do," he said.

But when, exactly, did children change? At what moment did their need for sleep -- or at least quiet time -- cease to exist? When did preschoolers stop being "babies?" They are still babies when we consider a typical lifespan. Young children -- especially those enrolled in full-day preschools -- need rest. Moreover, because relaxation is a learned skill, it's the responsibility of the adults in their lives to ensure that children have the time and opportunity to learn how to relax. Forcing preschoolers to power through their fatigue -- as we adults must so often do -- is not only irresponsible but cruel as well.

According to the Child Care Aware article:

Sleep is an important part of good health. It plays a role in every part of a child's development – physical, cognitive, social and emotional. However, it is easily overlooked. You may naturally assume your child is getting enough sleep because you are. Children need many more hours of sleep than adults. Without enough sleep, children can be grouchy, teary, accident prone, aggressive or not be able to focus or learn and even fall asleep while at child care or in school.

Make sure your child is getting the recommended amount of sleep. Establishing good sleep practices while she is young will not only benefit you, but it will help her for many years to come.

And, certainly, if you're looking for a preschool for your child, don't forget to ask about nap time in your interviews. If a director tells you they've done away with that "baby stuff," let her know why you won't be sending your child to her school!

Signing with Babies

Have you noticed how doing sign language with babies has become all the rage? Have you done it with your own little ones?

I must admit I was pretty cynical about it. Creators of baby sign language programs talk about the fact that being able to communicate before being able to talk prevents frustration. But I wondered if frustration wasn't a part of the natural developmental process.

I was also concerned that teaching babies to sign would discourage them from talking. After all, when my youngest brother was three and hadn't yet begun to speak, the pediatrician told my mother that she wouldn't speak either if all she had to do was point in order to get something.

Turns out neither of those concerns is worth worrying about. In fact, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted at the University of California, using signs actually makes it easier for babies to learn to talk. And it's possible that possessing the ability to communicate at a very early age has a positive impact on intellectual development.

I learned all this and more when I interviewed Linda Acredolo, co-founder of Baby Signs, for a segment of Body, Mind and Child. As mentioned, I was fairly cynical before the interview; but she convinced me that it just might be a good thing! At the very least, I don't see that it could do any harm -- unless it's being forced upon a baby in the way that flashcards too often are.

To learn more, go to NAEYC Radio and listen to Linda's talk with NAEYC executive director Mark Ginsberg and me. And if you've had personal experience with baby signing, I'd love to hear about it!

If Your Child Wants to Play Sports

Based on what you've read in this blog or what you may have read or learned elsewhere, you know participation in organized sports before the age of eight is far from ideal. It doesn't provide enough physical activity. It doesn't offer skill instruction or enough opportunity for skill improvement. It's often too competitive and therefore stressful for young children. And children under the age of eight don't possess the physical, cognitive, social, or emotional skills to participate successfully in organized sports.

But he wants to play. It's an all-too-common scenario in today's culture. What's a parent to do?

Well, if you absolutely cannot talk her out of it, the most important thing you can do is make sure any experience your child has with sports is a positive one. Otherwise the possibility of a lifetime of physical activity is in real jeopardy. But just this one task entails quite a lot.

Since too often children are enrolled in sports that their parents are excited about, you'll first want to ask your child what sport he's interested in. Does he want to play a team sport, like baseball, or does he prefer an individual sport, like swimming? Choice is essential to both enjoyment and a sense of autonomy. And, regardless of the choice he makes, he'll want and need your full support -- even when he changes his mind and decides he wants to try something else.

Also, bear in mind that any time you play a child in a situation for which she's not prepared, failure is the likely result. With failure comes loss of confidence and self-esteem and, ultimately, a feeling of worthlessness. Surely this isn't what you want for your child and should be avoided at all costs.

Children join sports programs because they want to have fun. Failure isn't fun, especially when you're too young to understand why you're failing; when, no matter how hard you try, you still can't succeed. While it isn't necessary to succeed all the time, a child will have fun if at least the potential for success is present. And that potential is most apt to exist when there's a balance between the child's skill level and the challenge of the activity. If the challenge is too easy, boredom sets in . If it's too difficult, learned helplessness is often the eventual result.

So, once your child has expressed interest in a particular sport, your first job will be to look for a program that doesn't treat children as small adults or, worse, small versions of professional athletes, which is harmful on any number of levels. In other words you don't want to enroll your child in a program where he's expected to play games (or, in a sport like swimming or karate, to take part in competitions) that haven't been modified radically for young children -- where he's expected to use physical, social, emotional, and cognitive skills he hasn't yet acquired.

What do you look for instead? Look for a program where they actually teach children the skills they'll need to eventually play their chosen sport. Yes, some of the instruction can involve playing games. But these games shouldn't involve winning and losing. Nor should they be played in the traditional manner. Fields should be smaller, balls softer, equipment child-sized, and games shorter. Additionally, rules should be minimal, and there should be a small number of players per team.

Is your child having fun? Staying interested? Then it's the right choice for her. If the answer to either of these questions is no, it's time to look for something else.

In Pursuit of Relaxation

Is that title an oxymoron?

In keeping with the theme of my last post and of the article that headlined the quarterly newsletter I e-mailed this week, I thought I'd talk more about downtime.

Did you know that relaxation is a learned skill? Some of us never acquired it, but it's certainly a great skill to help children acquire. Learning to relax, at the very least, allows children to find a quiet place inside themselves that enables them to cope -- to maintain control over their bodies and minds. Just resting is not enough; children must be able to immerse themselves in total relaxation -- or as Clare Cherry, author of Think of Something Quiet, put it: to experience serenity. The child who learns to relax will have the ability to manage stress and therefore lead a healthier -- and more serene -- life. But it will also ensure a more energetic life, as stress is most certainly an energy robber. Relaxation techniques enable children to "recharge their batteries."

Relaxation techniques even offer academic benefits. According to Al Gini, author of The Importance of Being Lazy, "Fatigue and the frenzy of overstimulation can block objectivity, delimit perspective, and often deaden our ability to calculate and evaluate logically." Research has also proven that stress has a negative, sometimes demoralizing, impact on the ability to learn and to take tests. Tension control, on the other hand, can help children learn better and more successfully manage stressful test taking. Indeed, there was a study of "brilliant American children," which found that one of the common factors in their lives was the fact that they spent a lot of unstructured time "doing nothing." That alone should be enough incentive to let children hang out and relax!

Just before bedtime is perfect for practicing relaxation techniques. Set the stage by darkening the room, speaking slowly and softly, and moving gently. If you decide to use music to promote tranquility, choose pieces with which you're already familiar -- that you've found to be peaceful and soothing. Most often that means instrumental selections (although a number of children's recordings intended for relaxation include restful lyrics). The songs should be arranged simply, with few changes in rhythm or tempo. If the music is only intended to set the mood while your child performs relaxation exercises, keep the volume much lower than if the music itself were the focus of the activity, as too much external stimulation will defeat the cause. If the music is the focus, you can sometimes encourage your child to simply lie or sit quietly with eyes closed. Other times you might suggest that your little one listen for something specific, like a certain sound, instrument, or phrase.

If you want to use imagery to promote relaxation, be sure it's imagery your young child can relate to. You might paint a picture in her mind by asking her to lie on the bed or floor and imagine, for example, that she's at the beach. Talk to her (softly) about the warmth of the sun, the cool breeze, and the gentle sounds of the waves and the gulls circling overhead. And don't be surprised is she drops off to sleep!

For other ideas, go to Moving & Learning and click on the activities link under the Resources tab on the left-hand side. And to read more about downtime, check out the featured article.

In Pursuit of Balance

I wish I had a nickel for every time the word balance has surfaced during an interview for Body, Mind and Child. It's a word that has perhaps become overused in today's society, as we adults endlessly converse about and contemplate achieving it in our lives. We strive for a balance between work and family, labor and leisure, obligation and recreation, the competition of the workplace and our need to connect with others. But while many are striving for balance, few are achieving it.

For a great many contemporary adults, balance is a word that has come to symbolize something out of reach. Something desired but elusive, as we work long hours, tend to families, and spend what little free time we have as productively as possible. What used to be considered leisure time (remember lazy Sunday afternoons?) must now be filled. It doesn't matter whether it's with "recreation," chores of one kind or another, or shuttling the children here and there, just so long as we can say we didn't waste it. "What did you do this weekend?" has become a question to be reckoned with on Monday mornings. It demands a smart answer, just as surely as did our 8th-grade algebra teacher.

If you're an adult who's been giving balance some consideration -- who's tired of the treadmill -- perhaps you find yourself looking back fondly on what now seems to be an idyllic childhood. Back to the days when time stretched endlessly before you. Back when there were few demands on that time. And, except for summers, weekends, and days when the darkness fell too early, there always seemed to be plenty of it.

How sad that today's children won't have those memories to cling to when they become harried adults. Because they're already harried! There are all kinds of demands on their time. And all they have to look forward to is more of the same.

Quiet moments of solitude? Activity initiated and directed by the child? A break from the relentless competition so prevalent in society? No chance. Children are expected to be every bit as productive and competitive as adults.

In Respectful Educators -- Capable Learners, Cathy Nutbrown wrote:

There is a sense of urgency about childhood -- of hastening progress, of accelerating development. Is this born out of wanting the best for children or from some belief or value base which says the state of childhood is worth less than the state of adulthood and so we must do all we can to reach the day when childhood is over?

Childhood is supposed to be a special time -- a time like no other in a person's life. By definition alone, childhood should naturally offer balance.

Another word heard often on BAM! interviews? Modeling. Just as we must serve as role models when it comes to good manners, physical activity, and positive nutritional habits, we must also show children that we value balance -- so they'll value it as well. And we have to show them -- beyond all doubt -- that we love and value them, not for what they do but for who they are.

If we can strike the delicate balances -- between doing and being, between competition and cooperation, between superkid and couch potato -- we'll know we've done our best to ensure healthier, happier lives for our children!

In Honor of Father's Day

Last week I was part of a media conference call in which the National PTA announced a new initiative called MORE: Men Organized to Raise Engagement. According to a poll released by the PTA, more men are getting involved in their children's education than ever before. But some of the country's top male involvement organizations are looking to continue the trend by joining with the PTA to help make it happen.

Research shows that greater involvement of men in the lives of children helps them achieve success socially, intellectually, and academically. The MORE partnership intends to ensure greater father and male involvement to produce positive outcomes and successful relationships for children, parents, schools, and communities.

MORE will call attention to the need to increase male involvement across the country by:

• Working with schools and communities to provide programs that engage fathers and positive male figures in the educational and social development of children.
• Developing male leaders who work with fathers and male role models to enhance positive male parenting and involvement with youth.
• Acting as a resource for families, communities, and schools on fatherhood initiatives and issues.
• Increasing the visibility and outreach of the quality programming of the coalition members.

The organizations working with the PTA on this initiative are:

• All Pro Dad is composed of current and former NFL players and coaches who speak out about the importance of fatherhood.
• Black Star Project sponsors father/male involvement programs including the Million Father March on the first day of school, Men in Schools Day, and the Fathers Club.
• National Fatherhood Initiative improves the well being of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible, and committed fathers.
• Real Men Cook is the leading national Father's Day family celebration tradition.
• WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is the safe school initiative of the National Center for Fathering focusing on prevention of violence in schools by using the positive influence of fathers and father figures.

Not coincidentally, the PTA president-elect, Chuck Saylors, will be the first male president of the National PTA in its 112-year history.

To all of you fathers out there: Happy Father's Day! And may you understand that your children will be healthier and happier when you're involved in their lives and education.

Asking Children for Too Much Too Soon

Heard a story yesterday that made me want to cry or scream or otherwise emote. I was talking to the mother of 7-year-old twins, who said she's at a loss when she sees friends -- people who are both intelligent and otherwise considerate -- do things with their children that she knows to be developmentally inappropriate. She was particularly frustrated by a couple she knows -- both lawyers -- who have required their daughter to read to them daily for 45 minutes...since she was three years old!

Not surprisingly, when observing this child, now 7, in preschool and kindergarten settings, she's never once witnessed her pick up a book. Books, I'm sure, have become this little girl's enemy. And I feel confident that learning in general isn't far behind.

It seems no matter how often I hear stories similar to this -- like the one about the 9-month-old being enrolled in "preschool prep" or the one about the mom being pressured to enroll her 2-1/2-year-old daughter in the local competitive soccer program -- I never cease to be amazed. (What does "preschool prep" for a 9-month-old involve? And how can children who've barely stopped wobbling be expected to play soccer, particularly considering that foot-eye coordination isn't fully developed until 9 or 10?)

Childhood today has become a dress rehearsal for adulthood. And, for many children, life has become a great big competition. A race to walk and talk earlier than the other infants. To get into the best preschool. To be a star at Little League or the dance recital. To participate in the most activities. To excel. To win. To be the most "above-average" child in the history of children. To have a resume, upon entrance into first grade, that will guarantee a place in the best high school, the best college, and later, in the best corporation/law firm/medical practice.

But what are kids really winning when they're losing out on childhood? There are millions of adults out there who are tired of the rat race, and they didn't start racing until they were at least in their twenties. How long can today's children be expected to love life when they start racing before they're even toddling?

If you're a parent today, no doubt you've been led to believe that your child might fall hopelessly behind if you don't give him or her a "head start." But the reality is that child development is what it is, and it can't be "accelerated!" Moreover, children are born with an innate desire to learn and discover. And rather than determining destiny, abilities have a way of leveling out in children. Where reading is concerned, a child may read earlier than the neighbors' children; but the other kids will have caught up by third grade. At that point, it really won't matter who read first.

There's no research that shows children who read earlier end up reading better. Furthermore, there's evidence that hurrying children can do more harm than good. Noted educator Lilian Katz has pointed out that there are short-term advantages when 3- to 5-year-olds are given formal instruction but considerable disadvantages in the long term. According to a study by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, reading literacy was the highest in those countries where reading instruction began at 6.3 years of age.

So, yes, stories like that little girl's make me want to cry or scream or possibly pull my hair out. Instead, I pass along the story in this forum, hoping it can make a difference.

Sensory Integration Revisited

This week's featured interview on Body, Mind and Child is with Christy Isbell, a pediatric occupational therapist and co-author, along with her mother, Rebecca Isbell, of Sensory Integration: A Guide for Preschool Teachers. Because this is such an important subject -- and because the interview is now available for you to hear -- I'm repeating much of what I wrote about it in February, when I originally spoke with Christy.

Although sensory integration is certainly a hot topic in education these days, I must admit that I didn't know as much about it as I should -- especially considering I'm a movement person, and movement is involved on so many levels when there are problems with sensory integration.

Let me start at the beginning. Sensory integration occurs in the central nervous system as the body gathers information through the ears, eyes, nose, mouth, skin, muscles, and joints. Christy explains that although we're taught all through school that there are five senses, there are actually seven. The other two are "hidden." They're the vestibular sense, which has to do with movement and balance sensation, and the proprioceptive sense, which alerts us to our body's position in space.

When there are problems using the information that comes in via the seven senses, it's called Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Children with SPD fall into three categories: sensory avoiders (the most common), sensory seekers, and sensory under-responders.

Although there are a variety of ways in which these problems manifest themselves, according to Christy they all have "an enormous impact on children's overall development." SPD in its many forms also has a tremendous influence on a child's ability to learn. Among the symptoms are poor attention span, difficulty focusing, poor handwriting, and low self-esteem. I was particularly fascinated by Christy's description of sensory seekers who are in constant motion and often misdiagnosed as having ADHD. For such children, she said, drugs like Ritalin won't have any effect.

Because SPD is still not commonly understood and too often results in the children who suffer from it being misunderstood, it's an important topic for both educators and parents. I highly recommend her wonderful book on the subject!

Let's Hear It for Noncompetitive Play!

Now here's some research that does my heart good. A study presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine has shown that the structuring of children's games has a significant impact on energy expenditure, and that kids accrue more physical activity in non-elimination games.

My first impulse is to say, "Well, duh!" But I'm going to go with my second impulse, which is to be grateful to have evidence to back up what I've been saying all along!

A research team led by Karla Bruggeman and David Dzewaltowski, Ph.D., measured activity during both elimination and non-elimination games and found that, due to not having to spend time on the sidelines, the children in the latter group accumulated significantly more moderate and vigorous physical activity than those in the former group.

"This study highlights the importance of quality over quantity in a physical activity session for children," said Bruggeman. "It is important to promote non-elimination games to increase physical activity participation, but also important to monitor levels of enjoyment to foster a healthy, fun environment in youth."

Continual participation, of course, is the goal if we're going to get and keep children physically active. But it's also the goal if we're going to ensure that children continue to enjoy physical activity. Children start off life with a love of movement, but too often we squash it out of them by making their early games all about winning. A child who's constantly eliminated in games will too often develop a distaste for physical activity in general. After all, being eliminated feels lousy.

My Last Word -- for Now -- on Childhood Obesity

Finally, some good news -- I hope. Reports this week have heralded the news that the childhood obesity crisis has leveled off. After 25 years of increasing, the percentage of American children who are overweight or obese appears to have held steady in 2003-2004 and 2005-2006.

However, as much as I want to believe this means things are turning around, I'm only cautiously optimistic. As some have pointed out, this could indicate a statistical flaw. And Dr. David Ludwig, director of the obesity clinic at Children's Hospital Boston (and whom I interviewed for BAM), points out that "the full impact of the childhood epidemic will continue to mount in coming years" because it can take many years for obesity-related complications to translate into life-threatening events, including heart attacks and kidney failure.

I'm going to take a wait-and-see attitude. As Dr. Ludwig said, the CDC's analysis of data for 2007-08, due next year, may be the best evidence for determining what direction children's rates are really heading. In the meantime, we should continue to do all we can to ensure children eat right and are physically active!

With that in mind, here's some interesting information about how many calories you and your children can burn doing simple, everyday things!

Activity/Calories Burned After 30 Minutes*
Watching TV	34
Office Work	51.5
Stroller Push	129.5 (17 minute mile)
Sandbox Digging	170.4
Catch	85.2
Jumping Rope	340.9
Soccer	238.6
Basketball	272.2
Gardening	136.3
Playing with children/baby	136.3
Cleaning House (light dusting/etc)	85.2
Dancing	153.2
Stretching	85.2
* For a 150-pound adult, from http://www.primusweb.com/cgi-bin/fpc/actcalc.pl