TIP SHEET Developing Learning Goals for your Child Developing learning goals and teaching your child new skills may seem like a challenging task at first. Continue reading for some suggestions on observing your child s skills and developing learning goals for him. During this process it is helpful to ask your child s caregivers and teachers for their input as well. Sometimes children will participate in different activities depending on the people they are with or the environment they are in. My child can.. When you play with your child observe him closely to learn more about his likes, dislikes, skills and learning style. Here are some questions for you to use as a guide: What does my child do to show that he likes a new toy or activity? For example, smiling, laughing, reaching for or moving towards new toy or Which toys or activities does my child choose most often? What does my child do to show that he does not like a new toy or activity? For example, frowning, crying, pushing or moving away from a new toy or Which toys or activities does my child usually avoid? How long can my child continue playing with a toy or participating in an activity? Your child may play for longer periods depending on the time of day or type of Does my child prefer playing alone or with a partner? You should also make a note of the times when your child tries to imitate or copy the actions of people around him. This may signal that he is interested in what they are doing. PAGE 1 OF 5
My child needs to learn. In order to determine what your child may need to learn it is helpful to figure out which categories his existing skills and abilities fit into. This will give you a clearer picture of your child s learning strengths and needs. It can also give you an idea of toys and activities that will encourage your child to explore all skill areas. Here are some definitions for six general skill areas as well as examples of activities and behaviours that reflect skills in each area. Cognitive skills focus on thinking, memory, problem-solving, and general knowledge. Here are some examples: Being able to name and identify colours, numbers, and letters. Completing puzzles. Matching and sorting objects. Communication and language skills focus on using a spoken, written, or visual language to understand and be understood by others. Here are some examples: Initiating contact with other people. Asking for objects. Repeating words to rhymes and songs. Gross motor skills focus on controlling the body s larger movements. Here are some examples: Sitting. Walking. Rolling or throwing a ball. Fine motor skills focus on hand-eye co-ordination and controlling movements of one s toes and fingers. Here are some examples: Stacking blocks. Holding a crayon. Putting beads on a string. PAGE 2 OF 5
Self-care skills focus on taking care of personal and hygiene needs. Here are some examples: Washing hands. Eating with a spoon. Putting on clothing. Social and emotional skills focus on relating to other people and expressing feelings appropriately. Here are some examples: Greeting other people. Taking turns with other children during play. Identifying emotions such as happy, angry, and sad. While cognitive, gross and fine motor skills are important, focusing on developing your child s communication, social, and self-care skills will make it easier for him to adjust to school activities and routines. For more details check out the Skills for Success area in Off-to-School. My child learns best when We all learn in different ways. Can you remember directions better if a friend tells you how to get to her house or shows you on the map? We can use some of the body s senses to understand how children explore and learn about their world. Children with sensory impairments may require specialized learning supports. For example, a child with a vision impairment may rely heavily on sound, touch, and movement to learn. Let s take the example of teaching a child the letters of the alphabet to see how the different senses can be used. Vision Looking at alphabet posters. Looking at alphabet books. Looking for letters in the newspaper or magazines. Hearing Listening to the ABC song. PAGE 3 OF 5
Singing the ABC song. Listening to and repeating nursery rhymes that mention certain letters. Touch & Movement Touching plastic alphabet shapes. Tracing letters cut from sandpaper with fingers. Making letters out of clay. Although children usually have a preferred learning style, most benefit when information is presented to them in a variety of formats. In our example, an adult may point to the letters while singing the ABC song. This teaches a child what the letters look like and how they sound. We can teach my child by It is best to start with one skill at a time, teaching a child several new skills at once may be overwhelming. Look at where he is at and what you would like him to achieve. Think of the steps that he needs to take to reach this goal rather than how long it will take him. Make sure that each of the steps is small and easy for him to achieve. This is important in providing your child with successful experiences. Next, you can think of ways to teach him each step. Be creative! Feel free to ask your child s teacher, support workers, or familiar caregivers for ideas if you get stuck. Combine your child s interests with the new skills you would like him to learn. If you need some ideas on motivating your child to learn a new skill, you may want to look at our workshop Reinforcement. Finally, once you have a plan in place write it down and keep track of your child s progress. Here is an example of a learning goal that was developed based on a parent s observations of her child. For each step we have included a teaching suggestion for the skill. Observations Jenny likes animals and singing the song Old MacDonald Had a Farm. She can name farm animals such as cows, pigs, and sheep. She also knows what sounds these animals make. Jenny s mother has noticed that she rarely PAGE 4 OF 5
chooses to play with puzzles when they visit the library together. She has decided to introduce Jenny to puzzles by showing her one with farm animals. Goal Jenny can complete an inset puzzle with nine pieces. Step 1 Jenny can grip puzzle pieces. Mom and Jenny will hold animal pieces while singing Old Mac Donald Had a Farm together. Step 2 Jenny understands that puzzles pieces have to fit in the right slots on the board. Mom starts by showing Jenny the puzzle with one piece missing. Mom guides Jenny hand-over-hand to put puzzle piece in the correct slot. Mom helps Jenny only as much as is needed. Step 3 Jenny can place a puzzle piece in the right slot on the board. Mom starts by showing Jenny the puzzle with one piece missing. She points to the piece, names the animal and asks Jenny to put it where it belongs. Gradually, Mom increases the number of pieces missing from the puzzle. Step 4 Jenny can choose any puzzle piece and put it in the right slot on the board. Mom shows Jenny the empty puzzle board and the puzzle pieces on the table. Mom encourages Jenny to choose a puzzle piece and place it in the correct slot. PAGE 5 OF 5