A Big-Kid Bed for Your Toddler

Parents struggle to figure out the right time to move their toddler from a crib to a big kid bed. Toddlers struggle with how to deal with this new freedom. DisneyFamily.com offers some advice to make the tradition easier for everyone. Click here to read the article

Developing Literacy

How does your child develop literacy?
Literacy skills (reading and writing) start to develop in preschool when teachers begin to expose children to spoken and written language.

During this time you’ll find a teacher using a combination of pictures, printed letters and words, and speaking. Through this process your child will begin to make the connection that objects or pictures represent words that have meaning.

There are many ways this occurs in the classroom including:

• Nursery Rhymes: Children love the sing song cadence of nursery rhymes. In many cases children have heard these rhymes since they were babies, and a common classroom activity is to have them fill-in-the-blanks on favorite nursery rhymes and stories.

• Scribbling: as we spoke about in a previous blog, scribbling is the start of writing and scribbling on paper should be encouraged as much as possible.

• Printed Letters and Words: Classrooms that are full of pictures and words are the best environment for children to learn the basics of literacy.
There is no better way to develop literacy than reading with your child. The time you invest in reading to your child will be paid back as your child becomes a strong reader. Let your child guess the words as you read. Let them understand that pictures often give clues to the words on the pages.

Here are some other ways that you can reinforce literacy at home:
• Make books available
• Label objects around their room
• Read in front of your child. When they see you read they will want to read too.
• Encourage your child’s creativity. Writing, drawing and even finger painting all encourage literacy.

8 Ways Kids Can Give Thanks

With the Thanksgiving holiday upon us, we can take some time to think of what we are thankful for. Parents.com offers 8 ways to help our children to be thankful without the guilt trip. Click here to read the tips. 

Toddler Friendships

Kids can make friends fast. It’s a wonderful gift that is given to young children that they haven’t developed any thoughts yet on what they like and don’t like in a friend. As a result, they are open to being friends with everyone. They simply walk up to a child and ask if they want to play. But should preschoolers have best friends?

At this age children will call each other best friends but you should consider this more of a preference. Preschoolers often lack the emotional and cognitive development to consciously decide on one best friend.

Three is not a charm

If you have ever had a play date with three children you’ll notice it sometimes doesn’t work out well. Children at this age have a preference to pair up in groups of two. Working as a larger group, three or more, requires higher developed social and organizational skills.

Play groups work well

Play groups that offer the opportunity for toddlers to form parings with other kids are a great learning environment. This provides a larger group where your child can begin to learn group behavior.

Observe your child as they interact with others. If they exhibit improper group behavior like biting or hitting you can correct your child before it becomes a problem. Just remember at this age your child will not understand the concept of patience. They’re not being mean to others, they are just trying to get what they want.

Be patient with your child. As they get older they will develop empathy for others which will let them become aware of others feelings and allow them to work well in both large and small groups.

 

Managing Your High-Energy Kid

Kids are full of energy, sometimes we all wish we could have just a little of their energy.  As parents/guardians we need to find ways to help our kids kids stay occupied and happy.  Parents.com offers some great advice on how to do this.  Click here to read the whole article.

Why Scribbling is Important

What is the connection between your child’s scribbling and cognitive and motor skills? Like many parents, when your child brings up a paper with scribbling on it and tells you it’s a family portrait, you probably wonder what they are seeing that you’re not.

But even though the picture itself might not be a masterpiece, it is a critical milestone for your child’s development. Before you tell your child to stop scribbling on that piece of paper consider the learning that’s taking place:

• Scribbling is essential in the development of hand and finger control and overall dexterity.

• It develops very important hand-eye coordination skills which many children struggle with.

• It is helps to develop imagination and independent thinking skills

• When your child begins to form basic shapes through scribbling, they start to recognize writing and drawing as communication channel.

• It can help your child communicate difficult emotions that they can’t express in words.

As you can see, scribbling is your child’s first introduction to basic reading and writing.

Helping Reluctant Readers

Reading is difficult for new readers.  Putting all of those letters and sounds together can be too much. It is important for new readers to realize how exciting reading can be.  Education.com offers some great tips on helping your child to become an eager reader. Click here to read more.

Tips on Stopping Tantrums

It has happened to all of us. We try to squeeze in a few more errands before nap time and this causes your child have the dreaded public tantrum. Anyone who has been a parent or guardian has had to endure the public tantrum. Instead of losing your cool, and your senses, try taking a deep breath, smile at an understanding adult nearby, and then see if one of these tips will work:

1.   A reward for good behavior can do wonders. Something along the lines of, “if you stop crying now, I'll let you watch your favorite video tonight”.  Your child's favorite things can be wonderful motivators to use to help reinforce good behavior. But don’t overuse this tactic or your child. You can reinforce this behavior if your child starts to act out simply for the reward.

2.   Do not overwhelm a child that really just needs some peace and calm to settle down. Your child mirrors your response to their tantrum. If you respond by yelling at your child, this might just increase the tension and raise the level of your child’s tantrum or make it last longer. Try a calming hug and some kind words instead. Your child may just be looking for some validation for their feelings or frustration.

3.   It is ok to choose your battles. Sometimes you need to step in and stop the tantrum, other times, if they are not hurting themselves or anyone or anything around them, let the tantrum continue. This can help get their anger out. After the tantrum you can calmly explain to your child the consequences of their actions.

4.   Distract her/him with something. This is a great way to help your child calm down. Put a video on, listen to music, read a story, watch television, or read their favorite book. This is might not be easy to do during a tantrum, but if you find a distraction that works it might be enough to settle them down.