S.M.A.R.T. NEWSLETTER - DEC. '19 S.M.A.R.T. Spaces

​Frosty the Snowman has a very important holiday message for you; Crawling and Creeping are the language of the brainstem! Wait, what? It’s true! That’s why it is so important to keep Crawling and Creeping in your S.M.A.R.T. course all year long! ​

When children are Alligator Crawling they are developing:

• The proprioceptive system – understanding of where each body part is located, without having to move it!
• Bilateral coordination for controlled, organized movement – writing, drawing, cutting
• Hand supination for fine motor control
• Eye movements critical for reading
• Midline development for reading, writing, cutting, self cares, etc!​

When children are creeping on a Slap/Creep Track they are developing:

• Eye movements critical for reading – especially for fluency
• Eye teaming also critical for reading
• Bilateral coordination for controlled, organized movement – writing, drawing, cutting
• Depth perception for accuracy in judging distances​

Remember to change up your Slap/Creep Track by switching your cards every 2 weeks. Frosty has one more message for you; Click here to download a free set of December Slap/Creep Track cards!

​Need some help remembering which activities to include in your S.M.A.R.T. course every day? Check out the S.M.A.R.T. course recipe in our September newsletter.

References:
Alligator Crawl
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE Guide pages 47-49
S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide pages 66-68
Slap/Creep Track
S.M.A.R.T. Pre-K CORE Guide pages 50-51
S.M.A.R.T. Curriculum Guide pages 69-71

Download:
December Slap/Creep Track Cards (PDF)