Break the crayons, mix up the alphabet, and run with scissors.

I have learned a lot since starting my job at an elementary school about a year an a half ago.  I have learned how to teach, how to deal with frustrating little children, and so much more.  Here are some lessons for new moms, old moms, and well just about everyone.

Break the Crayons.  This goes against everything in you.  You get the 64 crayon box set and then one breaks.  Toss it?  Or allow that half crayon to fall to the bottom of the crayon box?  Difficult question.
I say "break all the crayons".

For preschoolers: The smaller crayon actually fits little fingers better and helps them practice pincher strength and fine motor skills.  I didn't make this up.  It is actually a strategy used by a writing program called Handwritting Without Tears.  Kids learn to hold crayons that are tiny so that they don't fist grab a crayon and carry over that grip with a pencil.

For big kids: Broken crayons color just as well as the long, perfect ones.  We need to focus less on what looks good and more on what is functional or what works for us.  For years I tossed the broken, dirty, paper torn crayons when the boys brought them home at the end of the school year.  Then I realized they don't care if the box of crayons is rag-tag.  They all color their own color regardless of size and outward cleanliness.  We don't need to be perfect, and neither does our toolbox.  The meal doesn't need to be perfect, the house, the car, the kids, the gifts, the outward appearance.  In one way or another we are all broken crayons and we are still valuable, still full of color and leave a lasting mark on those we encounter.

Mix up the Alphabet.

For preschoolers: A, B, C, D, E, F, G,.... now I know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me.  No, next time I'm going to show you a G out of the blue and hope that you recognize the G on its own without always following F and coming before H.
Sure there is a need for the order of the alphabet, thus alphabetizing.  But short of filing, you really don't need the alphabet in order!
So many kids struggle with letter recognition when not given the opportunity to sing the song.  Mixing it up allows for kids to learn the letters themselves and spares them a karaoke show when trying to remember the letter K.

For big kids: There is a place for order in our lives but sometimes the greatest joys and greatest learning experiences come from the random, out of order experiences.  Traditions broken, expectations crushed, and plans thwarted are all opportunities for something new.  Allow yourself to see a G and appreciate the "G" for "jjjjj like George and Giraffe" and the "gggg like golf and garage".  It is actually ok to mix things up, try something new and maybe even do it all backwards!

Run, even with scissors:

For preschoolers: kids have energy.  They need to run and jump and climb and probably fall.  They will learn that running sometimes results in falling, and sometimes they will get a scraped knee or road rash on their hands.  Then they can decide if the fall and the associated wounds are worth the joy of running.  If we never let them run for fear of falling, they will not know what to do when they take a tumble.
The other day a little friend of mine was playing on a slippery playground when he bumped in to another kid and fell down.  Knees dirty.  Oh my goodness. You would have thought he broke a leg.  He cried for 10 minutes.  10 long, noisy minutes, because his jeans were dirty.  Another boy 2 days earlier fall into a mud puddle, and I mean inches deep mud puddle.  He was soaking wet, covered in water and dirt from shoe to sleeve.  I panicked and ran over to him prepared to calm him down and as I was asking if he had spare clothes in his bag or if he wanted to go to the nurse for a change of clothes he looked at me and said "I'm ok, can I go play now?"
Teach the kids to hold their kid size safety scissors blades down, so if they do trip in fall with them they won't poke an eye out.

For big kids: Just run.  Run even if you look silly running, even if you are slow, if you have to stop and take a break, don't let the fear of falling, or failing keep you from living life to the fullest.  Take risks, just be sure to keep the scissors pointed down, so if you do fall you won't be fatally wounded because big kid scissors do not have a rounded ends.



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