Learning Connections Program in Prep

This term Mrs Sue Toomey will be adding the Learning Connections Program to our Prep classroom routines on a Monday and Wednesday each week.

 The Learning Connections Program is beneficial to all children. Many bright and intelligent children enter school without the full range of developmental skills they need to learn effectively. Being ready for Prep does not always mean a child is ready for all the demands of the curriculum. Whilst developmental immaturities may not necessarily be causing obvious problems with learning or behaviour, they may be preventing the child from reaching their full potential.

 All children are unique and develop at different rates and in different ways. They may have aptitudes for and excel in some areas of learning, yet struggle in others. These differences in development may present in a variety of ways and include:

 Attention problems, impulsivity, auditory processing difficulties

• Difficulty with manual dexterity, pencil grip, handwriting
• Sound understanding in Maths but poor in English
• Social difficulties, difficulties making friends, variations in performance and behaviour
• Difficulty listening and sitting focused in groups, yet can concentrate well when engaging in screen activities or Lego
• Little interest in colouring-in and drawing (despite being able)
• Poor motor skills e.g. clumsiness and poor coordination/ball skills
• Immature speech development or reading and spelling difficulties

Early movement patterns together with experiences develop brain wiring. These early movements lay foundations for later learning. The Learning Connections School Program contains activities that assist the brain in processing incoming information and adapt or change in response to the demands of the child’s learning environment.  As well as being beneficial to all children by helping optimise their concentration and learning, these activities can greatly improve behaviour and mood.

Feedback from teachers who have used this program includes:

• Children enjoy participating in the program;
• A noted improvement in children’s settled behaviour once the Learning Connections Program commenced;
• Marked advancement in school readiness;
• Improvement in the teachers’ daily teaching experience as the whole class became calmer and more focussed for learning.