Pre-Primary: Can you help me, please?

As the winter season comes to a close (hopefully!), one of the most obvious skill sets that has developed with each of the children is the ability to dress and undress themselves for outdoor play. Despite many mornings of the playground being an ice rink, or it is just too cold to be outside, the children have practiced and mastered getting their gear, getting themselves dressed for recess and getting their gear back into their cubbies after recess.

During some of the organized chaos that ensues as the children dress themselves to go to morning recess, a child sought out a teacher and asked the teacher, “Can you help me, please?” He needed help zipping his coat. The teacher smiled and reminded the child to try before asking for help. The child managed to connect the base of the zipper but then one piece pulled out and the zipper separated at the bottom. The child looked frustrated. He looked at the teacher expectantly. The teacher organized his fingers to hold onto each part of the bottom of the zipper. As the child connected the bottom pieces, the teacher helped hold the fingers of one hand onto the bottom of his jacket so the zipper could zip properly. As he pulled up on the zipper and it worked, he cried “I did it, look I did it!” His eyes lit up with the pride of completing the task himself.