Developmental Milestones: Age 4

From calm and cool to a firecracker of energy. Expect energy, bossiness, belligerence, and sometimes bad behavior from your four-year-old. This behavior is laying the foundation for the world of kindergarten. Usually the time that birthday number five arrives, the calm makes a return and a new sense of self-confidence begins to blossom.

Here are some milestones to look for in your four-year-old

•Stands on one foot for ten seconds or longer

•Hops, somersaults

•Swings, climbs

•Copies triangle and other geometric patterns

•Draws person with body

•Prints some letters

•Uses fork, spoon, and (sometimes) a table knife

•Speaks sentences of more than five words

•Says name and address

•Can count ten or more objects

•Correctly names at least four colors

•Better understands the concept of time

•Knows about things used every day in the home (money, food, appliances)

•More likely to agree to rules

•Shows more independence and may even visit a next-door neighbor by herself

•Sometimes demanding, sometimes eagerly cooperative

Remember these are only guidelines and if you have any concerns about your child’s development contact your family doctor.



Sources: http://parenting.ivillage.com

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

Advantages of Choosing The Goddard School

When selecting the right daycare/preschool for your child you have many questions and you might be wondering what advantage the Goddard school has over other schools. Below I have listed some of the advantages Goddard Ashburn VA has over other daycare centers.

The first advantage is our Dual Management System: An on-site owner who manages the day-to-day business and an education director who focuses on curriculum, health & safety and faculty management allows us to give the proper attention to education without distraction.

Our Faculty: Goddard employs educated, experienced, tenured professionals who provide attention to each and every child.

QA: Stringent audit of Health & Safety, Curriculum and Program results in a warm and learning environment.

Our staff is trained through Goddard School University (GSU): Professional development means Goddard School teachers are on the cutting edge of educational trends and developmental information. Investing in the development of teachers also translates to better retention which provides bonding and longer relationships with your child.

Students at the Goddard School Learn Through Play: This form of learning fosters abstract thought, innovation and creativity as well as, providing developmentally appropriate socialization.

The Goddard School offers Enrichment Programs: All children can participate and there is no additional cost associated with these innovative programs. We offer over eleven enrichment programs.

Our Lesson Plans: Goddard teachers develop individualized plans which are developmentally appropriate. Goddard Schools attract and retain professional educators because they have ownership in their classrooms and resources to support them.

The Goddard School Ashburn works hard on Communication: Our Open-Door Policy, Parent Boards, Daily Activity Reports, Newsletters, Home-School Associations, and Parent/Teacher Conferences allow you to participate in your child's growth and development.

With these advantages you can rest assured that your child is attending a quality school that will meet your expectations.

Developmental Milestones: Age 3

Congratulations, you are now through the terrible two’s. Age 3 is such an exciting year as your child begins to explore words and language. The imagination really starts to kick in as your three-year-old will begin making up stories about objects and events in their environment and their lives. Even though they don’t fully grasp humor you may begin to see elements of their sense of humor in their personality. They are eager to please, so it's a wonderful time to establish excellent lifelong habits.
Here are some milestones to look for.
• Hops and stands on one foot up to five seconds
• Goes upstairs and downstairs without support
• Kicks ball forward
• Throws ball overhand
• Catches bounced ball most of the time
• Copies square shapes
• Uses scissors
• Draws circles and square
• Has mastered some basic rules of grammar
• Speaks in sentences of five to six words
• Speaks clearly enough for strangers to understand
• Correctly names some colors
• Understands the concept of counting and may know a few numbers
• Follows three-part commands
• Engages in fantasy play
• Dresses and undresses
• More independent

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, please contact your pediatrician or for more information please visit the American Academy Pediatrics website

Source: http://www.aap.org

Learning to Share

Humans start learning to share during the preschool years and continue into their adult years. It’s an important skill and one that sometimes doesn’t come easy for children. When your child refuses to share, they aren’t being selfish their acting their age. Your child will develop this skill when they realize that they are not always the center of attention. Here are some simple ways to start teaching your preschooler about sharing:

Demonstrate Sharing

Imitation is one of the primary means of learning for your child. They often do what they see, so as you share with others make sure to draw attention to your actions. For example, you might point out that it feels good to help a neighbor by sharing a book or lending yard tools and that your neighbor appreciates it too. Ask your child how they help others in school on the playground or during sports.

Acknowledge sharing

Recognize and praise when your child shares with a sibling or friend. Praise them for their efforts give them a sense of pride and accomplishment. Through positive reinforcement, he/she will feel good about themselves and want to make you happy by repeating those actions.

Here are a few activities that make it easy to share:

•Art projects: making pretend cookies with clay or drawing pictures and have them share with siblings

•Meals: Cut up a piece of fruit and count out the shared pieces. Then give a few pieces to your child and yourself to show an example of you sharing.

•Giving gifts: Make homemade gifts, coloring a pictures or making a card for mom, dad, guardian or anyone.

If your preschooler doesn’t share well, it’s probably a stage they will outgrow. With your guidance your toddler will begin to understand the importance of sharing.



Sources: www.greatschools.org

www.babycenter.com

www.more4kids.info

The importance of sending your to Preschool? Part 2

Is preschool an important and essential start to your child’s education? This is the question we asked in our last blog. Here are some more arguments on the merits of sending your child to a quality preschool like the Goddard School in Ashburn.

Learning Independence
The preschooler years are the perfect time to instill a spirit of helping others in your child. Responsibility is new to your child and they thrive on helping with even the smallest tasks. Teachers use teachable moments such as setting the table at snack time or feeding the classroom pet build on your child’s interest in helping in the classroom. There are also plenty of opportunities in the preschool classroom to teach personal responsibility for things like hygiene, washing their hands before snack time or keeping track of personal belongings or cleaning up toys in a play area. Preschools play an important role in teaching personal responsibility which will give them a sense of pride and independence

Language and Cognitive Skills
Cognitive skills involve teaching children to express themselves and to understand others by put their feelings into words through language.
The opportunity your child gets in a preschool environment to ask questions, test their ideas or solve a problems as teachers provide a wide range of hands-on activities help strengthen their cognitive skills.

The preschool teacher builds experience over time that allows them to understand that your child’s explanations of what makes the sun rise or why people grow may not be explained in a logical way. But just the task of trying to explain these things represents progress in your child’s development.

Math and Literacy Skills
You may be thinking that there is now way that your child is developing pre-math and pre-literacy skills at this young age but, everyday tasks, such as assembling a toy, or selecting the correct number of coins through games and activities help children acquire the pre- math and literacy skills they need.

Matching games, sorting games, counting games and board games all build children's understanding of number, categories and sequence, which supports later math learning. Putting together puzzles encourages children to notice patterns, plan ahead and problem-solve.

Motor Skills
A challenging and safe playground environment offers a chance for the development of motor skills. High-quality preschool programs like Goddard Ashburn’s provide opportunities for children to run, climb, and play active games. Teachers also provide activities to help children develop fine motor skills, such as threading beads or cutting with scissors. And children are challenged through a variety of activities to build their hand-eye coordination and balance.
But it all depends on you choosing a quality preschool program and facility for your child. Goddard Ashburn has the curriculum, facilities and staff your looking for. Come in and see the difference.

The importance of sending your to Preschool? Part 1

Is preschool an important and essential start to your child’s education? Most experts agree that preschool provides an important foundation for learning both socially and academically that will help your child succeed in elementary school.

Preschool is often the first opportunity your child has to learn to share, follow instructions and interact with other children in a structured environment outside of the home. It also helps to develop a familiarity with a school setting with trained teachers and groups of their peers. This initial experience can really help make the transition to elementary an easier process.

Preparing students for school
The primary grades are become more academic, this is raising the bar on preschools to provide instruction in pre-math and pre-literacy skills to help launch children on the path to success. At the same time, parents may worry that the current trend to focus on pre-math and pre-literacy skills in preschool cuts into important play time and pushing children too hard.

A high-quality early childhood education program like Goddard will provide a balanced program including both play and learning time.

For instance, children are expected to play well with others, sit in their seats during learning, and show teachers respect. Although most children are good at doing this, it can be fairly difficult for a three or a four year old to follow directions. Preschool teachers know this and work on following rules with their students in daily classroom activities, an essential skill for elementary school.

Social and Emotional Development
This is one of the most important benefits of preschool. Although many toddlers get social interaction in play groups and other social situations, preschools teach children how to work with their peers, without the safety net of a parent or guardian.

Teachers of three and four-year-olds understand when to step in to resolve children's conflicts for them, when to let children work out their problems and when to intervene. Without embarrassing a child, they encourage them to reflect on the impact of their behavior, teach them how to manage emotional outbursts and how to consider the impact of their actions on others. This is often difficult for parents to teach on their own in a home setting.

In our next blog we will offer several other compelling arguments supporting the importance of preschool.

Sources:
www.greatschools.org
www.associatedcontent.com/
www.professorshouse.com/

Developmental Milestones -1-2 years

The ages of one and two, means increased mobility, increased awareness of self and surroundings. A toddler has an overwhelming urge to explore new objects and new people. They now can recognize themselves in pictures or mirrors. They are imitating the behavior of others, especially adults and older children. Your child is becoming more independent and even showing some defiant behavior.

Developmental Milestones

•Walks alone
•Pulls toys behind while walking
•Carries large toy or several toys while walking
•Begins to run
•Stands on tiptoes
•Kicks a ball
•Climbs onto and down from furniture unassisted
•Walks up and down stairs holding on to support
•Scribbles spontaneously
•Builds towers of four blocks or more
•Recognizes names of familiar people, objects, and body parts
•Says several single words (by fifteen to eighteen months)
•Uses simple phrases (by eighteen to twenty-four months)
•Demonstrates increasing independence
•Shows increasing episodes of separation anxiety toward midyear, that then will fade

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, please contact your pediatrician or for more information please visit the American Academy Pediatrics website

Source: http://www.aap.org
www.medicinenet.com
www.education.com

Friendship

Making new friends at any age is difficult and it often leads to social discomfort. Toddlers, are just getting used to the world and what’s around them and this can bring added pressure to your toddler when their making friends in a new environment like a daycare or school. Parents can do a lot to guide their children to feel more confident in social situations ultimately helping them make new friends.

Your child’s personality plays a role in how easy or difficult they make friends: Easygoing, cheerful children tend to make friends easily and adapt well to new situations. Sensitive, cautious kids often have a harder time and are more likely to cling to adults and be left out of other children’s activities and games. Observe your child’s temperament in social situations to get an understanding of where they fall on the scale and try using some of the tips below:

Play dates/Socialization

Play dates are the perfect opportunity to allow your toddler to socialize independently. If your toddler is hesitant about meeting a new friend, start by introducing them to the child. Explain that you will remain close by. This will let them explore the concept of making new friends independently with the safety net of knowing your close by.

Small-group sport activities such as gymnastics, dance, or swimming are a great environment for your child to learn valuable social skills. The sport represents a common interest or goal that your child can talk to other children about. This common interest will make it easier for a shy child to make new friends, plus they will reap the health benefits of an active lifestyle.

Take advantage of the free activities at local libraries or community centers. Story times, musical groups and open play dates offer socialization for moms, dads and your toddler. This will allow your child to interact with other child with you still close by.

Play through learning

Use your child’s imagination to role play a new friend encounter. This will allow your child to practice making new friends with nothing to lose. Pretend that you are a potential new friend and ask questions you might expect from a young child. Practice makes perfect and it will prepare your child for the real thing.

Teach your child how to interact in different common social situations. For example, if you are on the playground with your child and they refuse to share when asked by another toddler let them know the appropriate response “yes you can have a turn”. Follow it up with prompting your child to ask the other child’s name and introducing themselves through offering their name.

Making friends can be tough for anyone, hopefully some of these tips will help. Most toddlers will grab hold of the concept quickly after they make their first good friend.

Sources: http://www.greatschools.org
http://www.justthefactsbaby.com