20417 S. University Blvd. Missouri City, TX THRS Family, We have several exciting events planned for this month! Our Pre-K students will experience the Kindergarten classrooms of the Sweetwater Campus on February 3 rd. They will “flip flop” to the different classrooms from 9am-10:15am. Please have your Pre-K student here by 8:15am. On February the 10 th we will be dressing as our favorite Nursery Rhyme Character. One way to work on Language and Literacy Skills is by reading rhyming books and practicing rhyming words. We will read Nursery Rhymes and practice rhyming words on February 10 th ! We are having a blast so far in 2012 and can’t wait to see how your child is progressing! We will be sending out our second Parent Report for the School Year on February the 10 th. Please make sure to read over your report. Contact Kelly or myself to schedule a Parent/Teacher Conference. Remember, we are closed on February the 20 th for a Professional Development Day. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. -Natalie Robles February 3- Pre-K Field Trip to the Honor Roll Sweetwater Campus (8:15am -10:45am) 10- Come dressed as your favorite Nursery Rhyme Character 10- Parent Reports Go Home 14- Valentine Card Swap 20- School Closed (Professional Development) 24- Dental Health Activity March 24 th 10am-1pm

Developing Sense of Humor If I were given the opportunity to present a gift to the next generation, it would be the ability for each individual to learn to laugh at himself. -Charles Shulz We all remember, or anticipate, the moment: the point at which we first see our child’s smile. While this milestone is expected and typically occurs in the first couple months of life, this first smile is actually the beginning of your child’s blossoming personality and sense of humor. While it will still be some time before the joke-telling and pranks begin, humor has its roots infancy. Infants around 9-10 months of age offer glimpses into their developing senses of humor. As we begin teaching infants at this age to wave bye-bye or talk to our infant about how we are putting socks on her feet, infants come to learn social patterns and routines in the world around them. When these routines are violated in an unexpected way, such as putting socks on our hands, infants will find humor in this. If you have an older infant, explore humor with him or her by breaking social patterns: wave bye-bye with your feet, pretend to drink baby’s bottle, or pretend to put baby’s clothing on yourself. You can then expand these everyday humors as you learn what tickles your baby. Toddlers find humor also in breaks from routine, but for the toddler, humor is found in spontaneity and unexpected outcomes. Surprise your toddler with tickles, a funny face, a funny sound, or playing peek-a-boo around an obstacle and you will surely be met with giggles. As your toddler progresses into later toddlerhood, you will also see your toddler attempting to elicit laughter from you by using objects in non-normative ways. So, when your toddler puts his bowl on his head or pretends his banana is a telephone, encourage this behavior and laugh along with your child’s developing sense of humor. It is not until the preschool years that we begin to see children develop a sense of verbal humor. Children at this age will enjoy making silly sounds, learning simple jokes, and generating nonsense words or songs. With a strong mastery of language, preschoolers learn that silly sounds, words, and rhymes are fun and that this silliness makes others, most notably their peers, laugh. This progressive humor development is also a pivotal skill in emerging literacy, so encourage silly word games. In the car, for example, say “When I think about the night time, I think of the moon. What do you think of?” This conversation will become quite silly quickly, so laugh and encourage the silly word associations and word play. Another idea would be to make up a silly song about something mundane, such as cooking dinner. Ask your child to join in and make up their own words. Join them in the fun and you will both get some good laughs.

Why is humor so important? When children can find amusement in the world around them, they will come to accept everyday change and obstacles easier. A child who can find humor in the fact that he spilled his spaghetti, for example, can more easily emotionally recover and begin seeking resolution. Humor is also a highly functional way for parents to diffuse stress and behaviorally manage your child. When your child is having a meltdown, try interrupting the tantrum with a spontaneous use of language. Rather than continue to try to coax your child to put his coat on, for example, diffuse the stress by stopping and asking him “Are you a duck or are you a mouse today?” In doing this, you will break the pattern and thus break the tension. The unexpectedness of this will also likely generate some smiles and giggles. Humor development is important to know and appreciate. You can parent without humor, but doing so will be met with more frustration and less joy. Appreciate the silly! Laugh with your child whenever you can; everyone will benefit from it! - Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction/ East