So, how do we prep Tom for the holidays? Well Tom can't see the decorations going up around town, but he can feel the chill in the air and he hears all the holiday talk going on around him. We just focus on what his other senses can tell him.
- Smell- Baking cookies, candles that smell like cinnamon, pine and cloves, burning wood from a fire, hot chocolate. Take your child to a store and let them pick a holiday candle in their favorite scent. Sometimes Tom and I go through the spices and smell them.
- Touch trees so kids can feel the bare trees and the evergreens. Touch ice and snow. Feel the ice on the windshield and tell your child how you turn on hot air to melt the ice. Have them help you decorate the tree or house for the holidays. Do you have some nice neighbors? Investigate their outside holiday decorations.
- Make a holiday countdown - I did a Santa but you could just as easily do a menorah and use a cotton ball to count down every night of Hanukkah.
- Eat and prepare delicious food special to the holidays your family celebrate. Possibly my favorite idea!
- Listen - Play your favorite holiday music. Tom loves to sing "Jingle Bells" so he can add "Ha, Ha, Ha," for the laughing all the way part and he does a big, "Hey!", at the end. I will be singing that song a lot!
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| I downloaded this image then added texture. Add 25 raised dots in the beard area and have the child put one cotton ball on the dot per day. A Fun holiday countdown! |
So what can Tommy do to help? He can help make cookies. Working with dough is excellent fine motor work and great for pre-braille skill building. By using his hands to roll out dough he can reduce tactile sensitivity and increase his hand and finger strength.
Books for Concept Building
We always try to use books to introduce concepts to Tommy. We have Braille books to represent almost every holiday. Now I'm not good enough to Braille entire books, but I do add Braille words to some of the regular print books we have using our Braille labeler. If you don't have a Braille labeler, go get one! It is so easy to use and it's a good way to become familiar with the Braille alphabet. My Braille labeler came as a gift from an awesome relative via amazon.com.
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Preschool
His preschool does a great job of working on concepts through music, field trips, books, events and daily lessons. I am very excited to attend the holiday show at his school in December.
I think it is especially important for Tom to understand that holidays are celebrated by many people. Being blind, it might take him a while to realize things like that. He can't see the whole city celebrating so we have to help him understand. Tom makes me think of things in new ways!
You have a new follower. I am so thankful to have found your blog and can't wait to read and learn through your story. We adopted our daughter two years ago. She was born with congenital cataracts and Down syndrome. We just visited Emory in Atlanta Ga to see their pediatric opthamologists. We had no idea she was visually imparted/legally bling with her glasses on. I am still in shock. I am at a loss where to begin with this new diagnosis. She will soon be evaluated by the school to receive special services but its taking such a long time, very frustrating.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Anna! I bet as you take new approaches to stimulate her (now that you know she is visually impaired) you will see a difference.
ReplyDeleteMy son always acts up when he is bored. He can't just sit in a car and look out the window so we have to play music and sing songs. It really is just a different way of looking at things. Let me know if you have any questions!
Where do you live? Maybe I could help you identify some resources.
Jessica