Originally Posted by daycare:
You know I love you and Nan bit I have to disagree
I think that early exposure at the recommended age of the product is necessary. If we don't expose them how are they to learn?
I think that kids are a lot more capable of doing amazing things if we just gave them the chance to try. Just like adults most of the tine they won't perfect things or grasp the concept the first time they are shown.
I have 2 year olds that put caps on markers and 4 year olds that don't. I don't take the markers away, I let them keep the markers in their box and they soon learn that if the caps are left off the markers don't work.
After a few weeks, I will throw out the bad markers of those that ruin them and only give them one marker in their box to learn to care for. If it's success then I will add another marker to the box. The child will usually learn this way thAt they must care for the things they have. If we take it away how will they learn to ever care for them or anything else? To me it's a sense of teaching appreciation and responsibility.
I didn't say they weren't ever allowed to use them. I re-check for ability every few weeks or so and when they are ready they can have free access to them. These same kids can use the markers when I am directly involved in the use of them so I can make sure the caps are replaced but I am not ususally directly involved in their coloring. I do not have time to sit and be the marker police. If the kids need that much one on one attention just for using markers, they'll need access to them at home and not my house where I have 10 kids everyday.
I help foster and support responsibility. I am not the sole teacher of those skills. The parents need to play a role in the child's learning as well. I do what works for a group of kids. Same goes for scissors. If I am directly involved, the kids who haven't mastered them can use them but if I am not directly involved with the activitiy, they do not get scissors.
There are plenty of other activities that will help children master putting marker lids on instead of actually using markers.
And FWIW, markers are recommended for age 3 and up so I don't feel one bit bad about not exposing a 2 year old to them.
Daycare~ You have also stated you give each child their own set of markers so if they don't put a cap back on, it is their own marker that is ruined. My markers are communal and it isn't fair if one little guy ruins the blue one for everyone else...kwim?