Parent Involvement

It’s a proven fact that children with involved parents or guardians do better in school and are more successful in life. Involvement can come in several forms. You can get involved with your child’s school, get involved in their homework or simply ask them how their day went and take time to listen.

Why Should I Get Involved?

In this economy the only way for schools to function is with the help of volunteers. Almost all school budgets have been cut with the downturn in the economy. Arts and music programs, athletics, library and classroom resources are all needed in schools and community centers.

Becoming involved in your child’s school or in the community or local sports as a coach will help you develop common ground with your child. It gives you a way to talk about a common interest and goals you can work together to achieve.

And the school, organization and your child aren’t the only ones who gain from your time and effort. You get to meet teachers, coaches and other children that your child interacts and learns from. You can begin to better understand the challenges and successes your children experience everyday. And you help and share in the successes as a volunteer.

It's also a good idea to) or parents' advisory board. Your child’s teacher can put you in contact with the members

Here are just some of the things your child's school, teacher or community center can help you do as a volunteer:

• join the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA
• act as a classroom aide/helper
• volunteer in a school computer lab
• help with fundraising activities such as bake sales or spring fairs
• tutor students
• assist children with special needs
• build sets or sew costumes for theatre and musical productions
• volunteer as a lunchroom or playground monitor
• help the school administrators write grant proposals or press releases
• attend school board meetings
• work as a library aide in the school library
• volunteer to speak in the classroom or at a career day

Find the type of involvement that makes you happy and fulfilled. Find something that suites your schedule and your level of commitment. Don’t forget to find something that interests both you and your child.

Tall Tales

We have all heard our little ones bend the truth as they tell stories. But the question is, when is this just an overactive imagination and when do you consider it lying?

First let’s look to what experts say about young children bending the truth? In general this activity is perfectly normal and it’s part of growing up and fitting in. Kids that lie don't necessarily have a serious problem. However, experts do caution that parents should watch the frequency and the seriousness of the lies to determine if this behavior is becoming problematic. In addition as children get older and the lines between right and wrong become more defined lies should be less frequent and less tolerated.

Why your toddler lie

There are two main reasons why kids lie:

• They have a strong imagination and are making up stories
• They lie out of fear of being punished when they know they did something wrong

Both of these activities are normal for young children. In fact, preschool children often make up stories to help them feel special or make friends.

Here are some tips on how to react:

• Don’t make a big issue of the lie
• Don’t react with fear of your anger
• Respond calmly and let your toddler know that you are aware of the lie
• If they are lying to avoid consequences, explain the lying to hide bad behavior makes the situation worse.
• Make sure to give your children lots of praise when they tell the truth

Your child’s little white lies should decrease as they get older. Help your children define the lines between truth and lies and given them a great start in life.

Errands Survival Guide

Between work, kids and school it’s hard to get errands done and even harder when your kids are whining, crying, and throwing temper tantrums in the process. Here are a few tips to take the some of the stress out when running errands with kids.

· Explain the game plan – tell the kids exactly where you’re going on your errands and how long it should take.

· Set the rules - what is an is not acceptable behavior and that your shopping for others not for them. This will help to alleviate the “mommy or daddy can I get” questions.

· Tell them what’s expected - no running, inside voice, stay with the parents.

· Review car etiquette – no yelling in the car, buckle your seat belt, no throwing anything in the car.

· Keep your kids busy – play I spy when you are going through the store. Let them help push the cart. Have them help you find items you are looking for like a scavenger hunt. Sing some songs if your car ride is longer than expected or you are stuck in traffic.

· Give time off for good behavior – reward your children with a play date or something they like to do if they are good during errands. Just make sure your not bribing them but rewarding them to reinforce proper behavior.



With these tips you might get done all of your errands and actually get some time for yourself.

Helping Children Adapt To A New Sibling

When a new member of the family is introduced to their sibling it is an exciting time. But it can also be a difficult time for the new brother or sister. Here are some tips that might help make the transition a little easier.

The older the sibling the more difficult it can be for them to adapt.

· Child under 18 months of age may have fewer issues adapting to a new sibling. They might not understand or recognize the change that is about to occur

· Children between 18 month to 3 years of age may have a more difficult time. They can recognize and comprehend that change is going to occur but they might have a more difficult time talking about what they are feeling.

· Older children will have an easier time because they can discuss the impact of a new sibling with others which can ultimately help them adapt.

Setting the stage for this change is important. Here are a few tactics you can use to prepare siblings

· Read books to your child about the introduction of a new sibling

· Involve siblings in the preparation activities including shopping, decorate and preparing the new room

· Let your child make a special gift to give to their new sibling

· Attend a sibling prep class at a local hospital. They learn about topics such as what to expect on the big day and how to be careful around new babies

· Once the baby is here make the sibling a little helper


You might experience regression with your child. Some signs of regression include: being more demanding, more bathroom accidents and trouble sleeping. Keep your cool when your child demonstrates these behaviors because in most cases this is temporary and it will pass after a few months.



Source: www.preschooleducation.com/

www.babycenter.com

Easy School Morning

Do you suffer from morning madness? I am talking about the mad rush to get out of the house before school. Getting dressed, eating breakfast, making lunch and getting on the bus or in the car, it sounds simple but, it’s not an easy task. I don’t have all the answers to make your morning run as smoothly but, here are a few tips that might help.
Your morning will go better with a little preparation at night

Here are four things you can do at night that can help you have a better morning:

1. Make lunches the night before and stick them in the fridge.
2. Select outfits and lay clothes out at night. This also a way to make older children more responsible for selecting which clothes they want to wear.
3. Make your children back their book bag to save time in the morning
4. Change your routine, select your outfit at night and iron it before instead of in the morning

Everything works better when you are in a routine

• Make a checklist to keep track of morning tasks
• Establish a times for completion of each task and stick to them
• Find a routine that works for the family and try not to deviate from it


Organize your morning

• Establish a place for shoes, hats and coats so that in the morning you know where they are
• Have your children organize their books and supplies and keep them by the door

It’s a hectic life but these tips might help you get back a little control of the morning madness.

Moving from the Crib

When is the right time to move your toddler from the crib to the bed? They can’t really tell you when they are ready. So start the transition slowly using the following tips.

• Try setting up the big boy/girl bed first while the crib is still in the room. This will help your child develop a natural curiosity about the bed without the stress and pressure of having to make the transition right away. With the bed in the room they can choose to play on it or nap on it and eventually they will want to sleep in it. This will make easier to convince your child that the crib is no longer needed.

• Play the big boy/girl card. Point out how siblings or children on TV are sleeping in a big bed. You’ll be amazed at how much children want to be considered a big boy or girl and how powerful this motivation can be.

• Let them know that when they start to use a big bed they will eventually be able to sleep in their sibling’s room or possibly go on trips that require a hotel “like Disney” or when they go on sleepovers with friends once they get older. Help them imagine the fun they will have when the crib is not required.

Patience is the key to success with make the crib to bed transition. Your child may not take to the bed right away. Set a deadline for the transition and stick to it, but be patient and understanding if they want the comfort of their crib throughout the process.

Source: www.simmonskids.com

Talking With Teachers

Open communication with teachers is an important guiding principal at the Goddard School. With the new school year under way, you might be wondering how to best communicate with their child’s teachers to keep the lines of communication open so everyone has a wonderful school year. Here are a few tips to cultivate a strong relationship with your child’s teacher:

• Take time to touch base with your child’s teacher on a regular basis. Find time before and after school to have quick conversations about your child. These quick conversations can be a great supplement to parent/teacher conferences. But be conscious not to cut into your teachers daily planning and preparation time.

• Spend time in your child’s classroom if possible. Many schools advocate parent participation through reading to children and helping out during class activities. Not only does this help your teacher out, it is a great way to experience how your child and teacher interact.

• If your child’s teacher comes to you with a problem or if you have to address a concern with your child’s teacher, try the following:

o Listen to the teachers point of view
o Express your concerns calmly and productively
o Avoid assigning blame
o Collaborate to determine the proper solution to the problem

It is important that you and your child’s teacher work as a team. Working as a team offers consistency at home and at school and results in stronger, quicker solutions.

The main thing to remember is that working together to find out the best way to help your child will help to foster a positive and nurturing learning environment and set the stage for a great school year.

Helping your little one to learn rules

Rules are an important life skill. At home, at school and then at work, rules are a fact of life. So starting early to begin to teach and reinforce the importance of your children following rules is a good idea. You might be asking yourself, how early can I start to teach this skill? Well, studies have shown that kids start to understand the difference between right and wrong as early as a year one year old. And, since rules are based on right and wrong you can start with some very basic rules at this age.

• Young babies need one word reinforcement. Use the words no and yes to reinforce good from bad. As your child gets older, begin to introduce the consequence behind the rule. No, don’t do that, because you will get hurt.

• Be specific about rules as your baby develops. For example, no don’t color on that picture book. Rules aren’t always black and white; it’s o/k to color in a coloring book but not in a picture book.

• Like teaching any skill, it is important to be consistent with rules. It may be a pain to always be the enforcer but if kids know rules can be bent or broken they will try to bend them and break them.

Your child looks to you and other adults to provide structure to their lives. Rules can actually provide comfort, support and boundaries to your child. This can help them become confident teens and well adjusted adults.

Leaving Your Child On The First Day of School

What do you do now? Your getting ready to leave your child’s preschool classroom for the first time and it starts: crying turns into grabbing which turns into a full blown screaming and a sense of panic.

Here are some tips for handling the situation.

• First, take comfort in the fact that this is normal – how kids react to their first day is as individual as each child. It’s a new environment and there is bound to be some fear and apprehension. If your child is crying it doesn’t mean that you didn’t prepare them enough for preschool. So don’t feel guilty.

• Remember that the teachers and staff have been through this many time before – take comfort in the fact that they have helped kids with this transition successfully and they have the skills to calm your child down

• Reinforce that you will be back to pick them up – explain to your child in a calm voice that they will be at school for a short time and then you will be back to pick them up as soon as school is over.

• Reinforce the fun they will have at school – tell them how much fun they are going to have doing activities and learning to become a big girl or boy.

• Stay committed to leaving – if you remove your child from the classroom on the first day it’s probably going to be even more difficult the second day and thereafter.

• Don’t sneak out – distracting them and running out sounds like a good idea but it may enhance your child’s feeling of abandonment. Tell them your leaving now, give them a kiss and reinforce you’ll be back in a short while and exit calmly.


Like many parents you might break down into tears in the car but it will get easier each day. Just remember that preschool is an important step in the growth and development of your child.
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Source: http://kidshealth.org/
http://preschoolers.about.com/