Developmental Milestones
Raina recently interviewed for a JK spot at MICDS, which meant that she did some sort of evaluative testing while her adult parents tried to explain how the family dynamic works. We can only hope that Raina did a better job showing off than we did!
The next week, Raina's Parents as Teachers evaluator came to visit and she continuously remarked about how savvy Raina was with all the activities: building block structures, matching shapes, counting, etc. Then Vicky left us a pamphlet about what we should expect a three year old kid to do, by the end of being three, and we totally understood her shock.
A few examples:
- The child should be able to count three separate things. Raina has been counting her ten fingers for over a year, and she counted her Halloween candy up to forty-two.
- The child should be able to count up to eight. Raina can count up to at least the forties without difficulty.
- The child should be able to work eight-piece puzzles. Raina has been doing 48 piece puzzles for a year now.
- The child should be able to list and identify four colors. I have no idea how long Raina has been able to do this -- maybe since she was one and a half or so.
I was stunned by the list, or, more accurately, by how far Raina exceeds them. Of course, the teacher in me immediately started questioning how the "average child" was determined and concluded that gender differences must have been completely ignored. All of these things that Raina is good at are skills that girls develop before boys do. Raina missed a checkmark off the gross motor development (she cannot stand on one foot), but I bet most boys conquered that one a long time ago. It makes me wonder if most girl parents are left feeling that their child is brilliant, whereas most boy parents are left feeling alarmed and concerned because their boy has not met the "appropriate language or fine motor development level" for an "average three year-old." The situation is sad.
Regardless, we learned that Raina cannot stand on one foot, so we chalked a hopscotch in the basement and let her practice jumping and landing on one foot. It's pretty amusing to watch, but I know she'll get better once her body and brain make the connections.
The next week, Raina's Parents as Teachers evaluator came to visit and she continuously remarked about how savvy Raina was with all the activities: building block structures, matching shapes, counting, etc. Then Vicky left us a pamphlet about what we should expect a three year old kid to do, by the end of being three, and we totally understood her shock.
A few examples:
- The child should be able to count three separate things. Raina has been counting her ten fingers for over a year, and she counted her Halloween candy up to forty-two.
- The child should be able to count up to eight. Raina can count up to at least the forties without difficulty.
- The child should be able to work eight-piece puzzles. Raina has been doing 48 piece puzzles for a year now.
- The child should be able to list and identify four colors. I have no idea how long Raina has been able to do this -- maybe since she was one and a half or so.
I was stunned by the list, or, more accurately, by how far Raina exceeds them. Of course, the teacher in me immediately started questioning how the "average child" was determined and concluded that gender differences must have been completely ignored. All of these things that Raina is good at are skills that girls develop before boys do. Raina missed a checkmark off the gross motor development (she cannot stand on one foot), but I bet most boys conquered that one a long time ago. It makes me wonder if most girl parents are left feeling that their child is brilliant, whereas most boy parents are left feeling alarmed and concerned because their boy has not met the "appropriate language or fine motor development level" for an "average three year-old." The situation is sad.
Regardless, we learned that Raina cannot stand on one foot, so we chalked a hopscotch in the basement and let her practice jumping and landing on one foot. It's pretty amusing to watch, but I know she'll get better once her body and brain make the connections.
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