I can’t tie my shoelaces. I can’t ride a bike. I can’t read.
Have you heard these words, or something similar?
It can be heartbreaking to hear your child say these words. And it’s almost guaranteed that they are feeling frustrated, sad and hopeless when they say them. Why not next time you hear such words, you ask your child to add on the word ‘YET’ to the end of their sentence.
Christine Hawkins
Owner KMEC Hunter
I can’t tie my shoelaces YET. I can’t ride a bike YET. I can’t read YET.
Talk to them about how the word ‘yet’ assumes that it WILL happen. Helping children rediscover this “I CAN” attitude is very important to use here at Kip McGrath. All that we do works towards helping each student regain their belief that they can achieve success with their learning given the right support.
There is a great storybook, by Valerie Coulman, which helps teach this concept; it is called ‘When Pigs Fly’.
The story is about a cow named Ralph who wants his dad to buy him a bike. His dad tells him that he’ll buy him a bike when pigs fly. From then on, Ralph does whatever it takes to find a way to help pigs fly. Along the way, he models the power of YET and shows that with a little creative thinking, and a lot of persistence, any obstacle can be overcome. I think this is a valuable lesson for children to learn.
If you have trouble finding the book, you can watch a video of a mum reading it here.
