Ashley Read '05, Head of Early Childhood

Nov. 11, 2022

Dear Parents, 

Our Thought of the Week goes hand-in-hand with our community outreach opportunity benefiting Mission Arlington. Our families have “worked together” to help our community in a few short days. The Annual Canned Food Drive will run until November 18. Thank you for your support and donations. 

I enjoyed seeing our ECC “Big Room” overflowing with parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends as you smiled from ear-to-ear watching our little stars shine during the Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten Fall Programs. Programs offer our students the chance to explore their singing voices, practice stage presence, learn about rhythm and beats, further develop motor skills and even help with crossing the midline. 

What is crossing the midline, and why is it a crucial skill that young children must develop? To put it simply, crossing midline is the skill of reaching across the middle of one’s body with your arm or leg to accomplish a task on the other side of the body. Before this skill is developed, children complete tasks using only one side of their body. Children need to be able to cross their midline so that they can put on shoes and socks, write, cut, and create communication between both hemispheres of the brain, to name a few. 

When young children catch and throw balls, play with toy cars, dot paint, participate in our Music & Movement classes, and enjoy sensory activities, children develop their motor skills and create bilateral communication in their brains. There is so much involved when children “just play.” They learn. They grow. They develop.

We encourage families to try a few of the following ideas that develop crossing the midline:

•  Toss scarves into the air with one hand and catch it with the opposite hand
• Stack blocks with both hands
• Use a washcloth for bathing, and using both hands
• Wipe down the dinner table with a towel 
• Draw and trace a large figure 8 using sidewalk chalk, chalkboard, or paper
• Water gun target practice
• Play Simon Says

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Ashley Read