FACE FAMILY CIRCLE KIT Page | 1

FACE Family Circle Kit Instructions

The purpose of the FACE Family Circle Kit Instructions is to provide FACE parent educators direction and step-by-step guidance in preparing for and carrying out the FACE Family Circle Kit sent to each program. Please review the following items prior to delivering the FACE Family Circle Kit with families.

Title:Math Fun For One’s, Two’s, Three’s, Four’s and Five’s

Format:Parent-Child Interaction - Stations

Intent: support pre-math skills

Targeted Ages of Children:14 months and up

Parent Educator Resources:

  • Beginning to Understand Number Concepts(Foundational Curriculum, page 419)
  • Teaching Children to Solve Problems (Foundational Curriculum, page 87)

Parent Handouts:

  • Thinking Skills: Matching, Sorting and Classifying(Foundational Curriculum, page 428) – put at Station #2
  • More Thinking Skills: Learning the Rules (Foundational Curriculum, page 430) – put at Station #3
  • Beginning to Count (Foundational Curriculum, page 422) – put at Station #5
  • Let’s Learn Colors (Foundational Curriculum, page 423) – put at Station #2
  • Choosing Age-Appropriate Toys for Toddlers (Foundational Curriculum, page 562)
  • Helping Your Child Learn to Solve Problems (Foundational Curriculum, page 90)
  • Puzzle Play (Foundational curriculum, page 611) – put at Station #1
  • Beginning to Count (Foundational curriculum, page 422) – put at Station #4

Materials:

  • Variety of children’s books on numbers and counting, box of 1-inch cubes, box of shapes and colors for sorting, 2 simple wooden puzzles with knobs, one 6-hole muffin tin and 7 tennis balls, shallow box or shoebox, small cylindrical objects (empty parmesan cheese shaker, empty paper towel tubes, plastic jars, etc.), marker, scissors, large coffee can or ice cream tub with lid, household objects of different shapes for shape sorting activity, tape, large plastic cup, dark sock large enough for plastic cup to fit in, collection of small object pairs (such as keys, jar lids, toy cars, plastic animals, balls or blocks), several groups of 3 everyday objects with similar uses for sorting (i.e. spoon, fork and crayon can be a set), several sets of 3 everyday objects that are the same (i.e. set of 3 blocks, 3 crackers, etc.), yarn, Cheerios or pasta for stringing, yarn, clothesline or string cut into six 4-foot pieces, masking tape, six pieces of construction paper or cardboard each with a specific number of dots drawn with the corresponding number written beneath (i.e. one dot with the number 1 written underneath)

Documents:

  • FACE Family Circle Task Sheet
  • Group Connection Sign-In Sheet
  • Group Connection Feedback Form
  • Group Connections Observation Tool

Preparation for FACE Family Circle: Prior to the FACE Family Circle, read the Parent Educator Resources and Parent Handouts. Prepare enough copies of Parent Handouts and Feedback Forms for all attendees. Read all Foundational Curriculum Activity Pages that are included at each activity station and prepare materials accordingly. Have stations set up ahead of time and mark each station with the included table tents. Prepare all necessary material for activities prior to the Family Circle. For example, have number and dot cards ready for station #5 and have shapes cut out of container lid for station #3.

Recommended Process During FACE Family Circle:

  1. Welcome (rapport-building)
  2. Greet parents and ask them to sign in.
  3. Go over agenda for the Family Circle.
  4. Make introductions and announcements.
  5. Observation. At some point during the meeting, help parents become good observers of their children. Build in opportunities for parents to practice observing, share previous observations, or make plans to observe specific skills and behaviors after the group meeting.
  6. Share with parents that the activity stations provide an opportunity for adults and children to explore activities at their own pace and level of interest. Suggest they refer to and use open-ended questions to encourage their child to explore the materials at the stations.
  7. Discussion: Incorporate, as appropriate, child development and parenting information.
  8. Children learn about math through their everyday activities. They learn as they play with objects and people, solve problems and make observations in their surroundings.
  9. Pre-math skills that begin to develop early are: matching and sorting, shapes and space, awareness of numbers, difference in size and patterns.
  10. Hands-on opportunities support children’s understanding of pre-math concepts as they explore materials such as puzzles, notice differences in colors and shapes and point to and count objects.
  11. Parent-Child Interaction
  12. Rationale: Tell parents why these activities are important.
  13. Young children need opportunities to solve simple problems and learn that a whole is made up of parts.
  14. They need to see and feel differences in size, shape and color.
  15. They need opportunities to match or pair objects (notice similarities and differences) and learn the names of numbers, the order of numbers and that numbers have values.
  16. Parent-Child Activities: The following stations have been set up around the room:
  17. Activity Station #1: Puzzles – Explores and puts together puzzles.
  18. Tennis Ball Puzzle Foundational activity (page 944) - uses 7 tennis balls and one six-cup muffin tin
  19. Two wooden puzzles with knobs
  20. Puzzle Box Foundational activity (page 924) – uses shoebox or other cardboard box and cylindrical items
  21. Other resources to place at this station, such as simple inset puzzles (similar to the triangle shape jumbo puzzle and farm animal puzzle sent to all programs December 2004), and puzzles from the early childhood classroom for 3-Kindergarten entry children.
  22. Parent handout Puzzle Play (Foundational curriculum, page 611)
  23. Activity Station #2: Matching – Matches objects that are alike, often by color or shape.
  24. Hidden Object Game Foundational activity (page 991) – uses plastic cup, dark sock and small object pairs
  25. Matching colors – Use 1-inch cubes for children 30 months and up, selecting two of each color, as well as two of other objects larger than 2 inches for children under 30 months. Set out 1-inch blocks or other larger colored objects with pieces of paper that are the same color. Children can set the block on the matching colored piece of paper.
  26. Parent Handouts: Thinking Skills: Matching, Sorting and Classifying (Foundational Curriculum, page 428); Let’s Learn Colors (Foundational Curriculum, page 423)
  27. Activity Station #3: Sorting – Separating unlike objects into groups according to similarities. When a child matches two or more objects, he/she is sorting. The objects do not need to be identical.
  28. Shape Sorter Box Foundational activity (page 932) – uses coffee can or ice cream tub and household items of different shapes
  29. Color Sorting – 1 inch colored cubes for sorting
  30. Everyday Object Sort – Set out several groups of 3 safe objects that children know, two of which are alike or have similar uses, such as fork, spoon and crayon. Allow children to sort.
  31. Parent handout More Thinking Skills: Learning the Rules (Foundational Curriculum, page 430)
  32. Activity Station #4: Counting – Children are beginning to build number concepts through discoveries as they play with objects. Through these physical activities, children combine images, meanings, and language to build number concepts.
  33. Read About Numbers and Counting – Provide selected books of your choice along with safe materials for counting for this activity.
  34. Counting Foundational Activity (page 977) – uses several household items in sets of three (i.e. 3 blocks, 3 crackers, etc.)
  35. Counting Necklace/Bracelet – String Cheerios or pasta on yarn with one end taped and the other end knotted. Encourage counting as items are put on the string.
  36. Let’s Count and Play! - Use 1-inch cubes to line up and count or stack and count, as well as blocks and other learning materials that young children enjoy.
  37. Parent handout Beginning to Count (Foundational curriculum, page 422)
  38. Activity Station #5: Jump and Count – Young children naturally love to jump. This activity encourages jumping and counting and will require space for movement rather than a table.
  39. Materials for this activity include the six 4-foot pieces of yarn or string, the numbered pieces of cardboard or construction paper and masking tape. Use masking tape to attach the pieces of string together, forming 6 hoops, or circles. Place the “hoops” on the floor and place a numbered card next to each one. Stand in the circle marked with the card. Children will count the number of dots and then jump and count that number with help from an adult. For example, if standing in the hoop with the number four card, have children count the dots and then jump four times.
  40. Parent handout Beginning to Count (Foundational Curriculum, page 422)
  41. When including center-based families, be sure to include pre-math activities for preschool children. Ask the preschool teachers to contribute ideas and materials from the Foundational 2 curriculum.
  42. Closing (summary)
  43. Ask parents to share what they noticed about their child’s pre-math skills.
  44. Thank the families for attending.
  45. Distribute any remaining parent handouts and door prizes.
  46. Ask families to complete the Group Connections Feedback Form.

Follow-Upfor FACE Family Circle:

  1. Review the Group Connections Feedback Forms
  2. Record attendance in Penelope using the Group Connections Sign-In Sheet
  3. Successes and Challenges: Be sure to write down your successes and challenges and complete the Documentation portion of the Group Connection Planning Guide and Record.
  4. Supervisor should complete the Group Connections Observation Tool located in the Supervisor’s Handbook on the Parents as Teachers Portal.
  5. Share details with your Technical Assistant: We love hearing from you about how you’ve engaged families during the FACE Family Circle! Please do not forget to take photos and be sure to have families sign a FACE Release Form.