I was recently at the headquarters of Discount School Supply and was able to see many new products that are coming out this year in their catalog. This meeting is always a treat and I get excited to see new ways of doing things. We do know what early childhood children need to support their growth, but it is always a challenge to come up with new ways to introduce and support it. I have heard people scoff at new products saying that it is just a new way to do the same old thing. YES! Since we have many children to support, we need many approaches to that support. It is just as critical to use different teaching strategies that meet a child's learning style as it is to choose the appropriate skills to introduce. In fact, new products sometimes get teachers and caregivers out of the rut of using the 'same old thing' time and time again. In fact, I just had a blast with two of my grandchildren using scratch art to develop fine motor skills.
