Celebrating the New Year with Kids

Today is New Year’s Eve and you can plan a New Year’s bash with your kids that’s fun and educational. Kids can feel left out of New Year’s celebrations because they can’t make the late night. But with a little planning your kids can have a New Year’s bash that they will remember for years to come.

It’s always midnight somewhere, so plan your party around the world clock and ring in the New Year like you are in another part of the world. This is a great way to learn about other places in the world and maybe reinforce geography. Another option is to ring in the New Year at noon.

Try activities that the whole family can participate in. Look through pictures taken throughout the year. Have your child make a scrapbook, or make cards reflecting on the fun that was had during the past year. You can also bake a birthday cake with your children, to celebrate the birth of the New Year.

Another activity is to help each other think of resolutions. Make posters or collages that can provide motivation for sticking to resolutions for the whole year. This can help your child learn the importance of following through with things they say they want to do.

A great family craft would be to make a family time capsule filled with items gathered on trips, events and activities completed last year. You can include letters from each family member and pictures drawn by the kids. Save it to open at next year’s New Year's Eve party.

Make noise makers by filling a toilet paper roll with rice or dried beans. Cover both ends with paper and decorate the tube. Shake it as the ball drops to welcome the New Year.

Whatever you decide to do have a safe and wonderful New Year from your friends at the Goddard School.

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Fun Things To Do With Kids Over Holiday Break

With the kids home from school this week parents will be looking for activities to do with the kids.
Here a few ideas:

Cooking– Involve your child in the holiday cooking. Under supervision, letting them help you in the kitchen can be a great learning experience. Reinforce counting and measuring as they help you measure the ingredients. Let them help pour the ingredients in a bowl to practice coordination and fine motor skills.

Science Experiments – You can do some really interesting home science experiments with household items. Teach them about static electricity by rubbing your feet on the carpet and touching each other to see if a static shock develops. Mix some baking soda, vinegar and raisins and see if you can get raisins to dance. Education.com has some interesting science experiments you can do at home. Just use your best judgment to determine what’s safe for you and your child.

Pen Pals– Teach your child how to send a good old fashioned letter. Let them create their own holiday cards and send them to relatives or even classmates. Your child’s friends will be excited to get mail and your child will have fun creating their own holiday cards. It will just cost you some stamps.

The holidays are a special time for children. Take the time off to slow down, spend quality time with the family and enjoy the special moments.

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DIY Giving: 8 Gifts Kids Can Make Themselves

Children like to make gifts for those important in their lives too. With the holidays fast
approaching, Education.com offers some great ideas on gift ideas kids can make. Click here to check them out.

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Kids Say the Darnedest Things

Every parent has had their child say something that isn’t nice. It makes you want to step behind a tree or hide behind playground equipment. Here are a few tips that could help your child learn and grow from the experience.

Experience: Your child yells “this is my toy” and grabs the toy away from another child.

The learning opportunity: This could be a great opportunity to reinforce sharing with others. Concentrate on the benefits of sharing. Correct your child and then go one to tell explain the benefits of sharing:

it helps others feel good about themselves
it helps to make new friends
new friends might share new toys with you

Experience: You ask your child to do something and they scream “it’s not fair”

The learning opportunity: Explain why you’re telling your child to do the task. Give them consequences for not completing the task. For example: if they don’t clean their room they can’t watch TV when they get home. This will help your child make the connection between actions and consequences.


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12 Days of Fun (and Cheap!) Christmas Activities for Families

With the holidays quickly approaching there are plenty of family fun activities to help create wonderful memories that can last a lifetime. Family Education offers 12 ideas on celebrating the holidays with the kids without spending a small fortune. Click here to read more.



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Picking out books for Preschoolers

Parents and caregivers wonder what types of books are best for young children. Today we are going to give you some tips to consider when picking out appropriate books for your child.

Preschoolers love a good storyline. Books with a simple storyline are great. You can even buy a longer chapter book and read one chapter at a time. Your child will anticipate how the story will develop each night.Stories about characters and objects tend to hold the attention of a preschooler. Books about superhero, fairytale, television or comic book characters are great for preschoolers.Let your child express their imagination. Let them make up a story to go with a picture book or photo album. This can be a fun way to get your child interested in books. Find books with subjects that match your child’s interests like trucks, baseball, and dance. You can also choose books about characters they may experience in everyday life like doctors, firefighters, or police officers. Good reading habits can make a big difference in developing your child’s love for learning. Any time you can spare to spend reading with your child is an investment in their future.

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Making the Holiday’s Safe

The holidays can be an enjoyable and fun time for your family, but there are also hazards every parent should be aware of. KidsHealth.org offers tips to help keep children safe and avoid a trip to the emergency room this holiday season. Click here to read the article.

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Take Home an iPad Mini for the Holidays!

From now through December 21, we are giving away an iPad Mini to those who:

• Refer a qualifying family that enrolls a child and pays the first month's tuition; OR
• Schedule a visit with us, enroll a child (or children) and pay the registration fee + first month's tuition.

To qualify for the giveaway all you need to do is call us at (703) 724-0601 with your referral or, if you are a new family, schedule a tour to learn more about our programs for children ages six weeks to six years old. If you are scheduling a tour, then you must be a parent or legal guardian of an infant, toddler or preschool-aged child to qualify for the giveaway. See offer details below.

 

Call us at (703) 724-0601 today.

Offer Details:

• The iPad mini giveaway offer is valid until December 21 and applicable only for the full-time program enrollment.
• The new family must enroll and start by January 5.
• The new family must pay the registration fee + first month's tuition in full.
• The iPad mini will be given after the full tuition payment is received.
• This offer cannot be combined with any other offer.

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Preschool Cliques

It is not unusual for preschool children to form cliques. They tend to pick a few children that are similar to themselves to be friends with rather than the whole class. Because preschoolers are still learning the concept of friendship it’s important that parents and teachers help children navigate their way through this time.

If you are a parent of a new or shy student, it may be difficult for them to break into existing cliques in the class. If you are concerned about your child making new friends, you should work with your teacher on ways your child can foster friendships and break through cliques. Talk to your child’s teacher to find out how they are behaving around other children. They may be shy or acting out which can cause other children to shy away.

Here are a few tactics your child’s teacher might use to help them develop new friendships:

• Grouping your child with a variety of children during small group activities
• Working with a "buddy" to complete a task (e.g., handing out snack)
• Making suggestions about fun things to do with different children during free play

Here are a few ways you can help:

• Try role playing situations and ways your child can approach other children during school to make them comfortable with the act of making friends.
• Approach a parent of an outgoing child. See if they are open to a play date or other ways your child can be paired up with their child inside and outside of class. This may help your child learn from a peer how to make new friends.

Keep in mind that your child might simply be shy and don’t expect them to develop friendships overnight. Teaching them the skills to make friends over time will benefit them as they experience cliques throughout their lifetime.

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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 the article below offers some advice to make the tradition easier for everyone. Click here to read the article.

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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.

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8 Ways for Kids to be Thankful this Thanksgiving

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. 

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Explaining Thanksgiving to Preschoolers

With the Thanksgiving holiday later this week, I thought we would focus on teaching children about the meaning of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to teach children about the concepts of compassion and generosity. You may think that your child is too young to fully understand these concepts, but here are a few ways you reinforce these concepts with children. Click here to read the article

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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.

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American Education Week

This week across America schools and educators are celebrating American Education Week.  This week long celebration give us the chance to celebrate public education.  This years theme is "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility.  Click here to learn more about this celebration.  

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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.

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Veterans Day

Tomorrow, November 11th, we will celebrate Veterans Day.  Veterans Day is the day we honor and thank all military personnel who served the United States in all wars.   Many towns hold parades or special observances to honor Veterans.    Click here to learn more about Veterans Day.

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How to Motivate the Beginning Reader

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.



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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.

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Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is later this week and we thought we would share some Halloween Safety tips.  The American Academy of Pediatrics has written tips on selecting a costume, safe trick or treating and healthy treats.    Click here to read the tips.

Stranger Danger

Stranger, it’s a scary word. To parents it represents one of our biggest fears. We worry a lot about a stranger harming our children. To continue with Goddard’s theme this month about safety, we are focusing on strangers this week. How do you strike the balance between raising a friendly child vs. raising a cautious child?

Here are a few tips to help teach your children about the concept of strangers:

• Try not to scare your child with details on what a stranger can do to harm them. You want to develop a healthy caution not a phobia about strangers. 
• Set ground rules for when you’re out of the home in a public place.
• Work under the rule “if I can’t see you or you can’t see me you are too far away”. This could stop your child from ending up in an isolated place where a stranger can harm them.
• Another good rule is to tell your children to always tell their caregiver where they are or where they are going to.
• Teach your child that they should not talk to strangers especially when you aren’t with them
• Review with your child what a stranger is in simple terms. Someone they have never been introduced to. Someone who is trying to make them leave with them. Explain that you would never send anyone to get them that they don’t already know. 
• Review the tactics a dangerous stranger might try. “Please help me find my lost puppy dog” or “If you go with me to the candy store I will buy you a treat”.

Your goal is to help your child develop a healthy awareness of stranger danger, so they can make decisions that will keep them safe now and in the future. 

Ease Childhood Fears

Every child has fears, but the key to helping your child get over their fears is how you help them cope. Here is an article that offers ways to ease childhood fears. Click here to read the article.

First Sleepover

This is a true sign that your child is growing up. When your child is ready for their first sleepover it is certainly a milestone. But it can also be an anxious time for both you and your child. Here are a few tips to take the anxiety out of a sleepover.

* Make sure your child knows the family they will be spending the night with pretty well. The best situation would be for your child to have several play dates and maybe even a meal with the family prior to sleeping over. This will help acclimate your child to the particular habits of the family they are staying with. 

* Make sure that you feel comfortable with the family that will be hosting the sleepover. If your child knows that you are uncomfortable, they might sense your discomfort. This can lead to your child feeling uncomfortable. 

* Set expectations with your child for what a sleepover will be like. Tell them what activities they will do and how much fun they will have.
* Pack some of your children’s favorite items to take with them. This will remind them of home and comfort them.

* Anticipate the midnight call. Don’t be disappointed if your child calls and wants to come home. This is not a failure on their or your part. Take some time and try again once you feel they are ready.

Special Offer

Visit The Goddard School in Ashburn or Waldorf.

Our purpose is providing early childhood education at its best. We live to see each child discover and grow their own brilliance, and in doing so, set them on a path to a lifetime of learning!

Our programs are:

• Customized to meet each child’s needs,
• An ideal balance of academics and play,
• Inclusive of both shared and independent learning experiences, and
• Award winning!

PLUS! October is National Children’s Health Month and to celebrate families that schedule a visit will receive a free Choose MyPlate for Kids with Nutrition Lesson Plan. It is a fun and easy way to help kids establish healthy eating habits!

 

*Offer is valid at The Goddard Schools in Ashburn and Waldorf until October 31 or while supplies last. New families only.

Click or Call A Location Below to Schedule Your Visit Today!

 

Ashburn

(703) 724-0601

 

- OR -

Waldorf

(301) 638-9777

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helping Toddlers Become Problem Solvers

Parenthood.com offers some great advice on helping your toddler to become a problem solver. Toddlers who learn how to problem solve help to fuel their brains for higher thinking. Young children who can problem solve can learn more about how their world operates. Click here to read the article at .

Interrupting

Do you get frustrated when you’re trying to carry on a conversation with another adult or even one of your other children and you get interrupted? It’s frustrating to everyone involved. Here are a few tips to help your child learn to wait their turn during conversations.

Children have a small world around them. They often interrupt because they feel that they are the center of their world and that it all revolves around them and their needs. Helping them understand that there are rules around conversations with others and that what others have to say is just as important as what they have to stay is critical to stopping interruptions.

• Establish some basic rules of the road and stick to them: 
• Establish rules for when visitors come to your home – when you have company coming over tell your children that it’s really important that you talk to your company uninterrupted. Offer them alternatives to keep them busy such as a toy or book.. 
• Point out when your child interrupts – this will help them identify the disruptive behavior and learn that it is not appropriate. 
• Don’t ignore interruptions – this is likely to result in frustration and often makes children interrupt more. 
• Explain when interrupting is ok. Describe what types of situations are important and what aren’t. 
• Explain how important listening is instead of interrupting. Listening is a critical part of the communication model and an important skill need to excel in school. 

Hopefully, over time, you’ll see a reduction in interruptions from your child.

Fire Safety Web Site

To continue with Fire Safety week, I found this great website called the US Fire Administration. They have a kid’s page that offers fire safety tips and color pages, cross word puzzles and much more. Click here to check out the site

Fire Safety

October is Fire Prevention Month and Goddard Ashburn is reviewing fire safety with the kids at school. Here are a few tips for teaching fire safety to kids.

· Practice fire drills at home – rehearse different emergency scenarios with your family. This can avoid wasting valuable time when you’re dealing with an emergency in your home.

· Talk about escape routes for each room of your home.

· Designate a meeting place outside your home that is a safe distance away

· Test your plan


It’s always good to introduce scary topics to your children through games. Here are a few games that teach valuable safety lessons.


Feel Your Way to Safety – have your kids close their eyes and feel their way out of the home. This can also help your kids get some exercise. Just make sure you watch your kids closely so they don’t fall and get hurt.

Stop, Drop and Roll – press your fire alarm test button, or simply say go and have your kids see how fast they can stop, drop and roll.


Teach your kids about fire safety

Explain what smoke detectors, escape ladders and fire extinguishers are, how they work, why they are installed in the house, and what they will do when you use them.


Explain that getting out of the house is most important in a fire. And once you’re out, stay out.

These rules can go a long way to protecting and even saving the lives of your family

Separation Anxiety

Babycenter.com gives some great advice and background on separation anxiety and you little ones.  They offer tips and advice on when you may see separation anxiety, how to prepare for separation issues, and how to make it easier on your little one.  Click here to read the article.

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?

Why Toddlers Lie
Generally there are three main reasons toddlers lies:

1.   They have a strong imagination and are making up stories

2.   They lie out of fear of being punished when they know they did something wrong

3.   They lie so they can feel special, or make friends

All of these activities are normal for young children.
Tips on How to React

• Don’t make a big issue of the lie
• Don’t react with fear or 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 do tell the truth
When Lies Become a Problem
Here are some signs lying is becoming a problem:

• If the frequency, seriousness, and behavior surrounding the lie is becomes problematic.
• If your child continues to lie as they become older and right and wrong become more defined

In general, lying is perfectly normal and it is part of growing up and fitting in for toddlers. Help your children define the lines between truth and lies and given them a great start in life.

Home Safety: Hidden Risks to Kids

As caregivers we secure book cases, keep the medicine out of reach and use outlet protectors to keep our children safe around the house. Here is a great article about some appliances and other everyday things in the home that can pose hidden dangers. Click here to read the article.  

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 and 3 years of age may have a more difficult time. They are old enough to recognize and comprehend change, but they still might have difficulty talking about their feelings.

· 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, decorating and preparing the new room.

· Ask your child to 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, ask the sibling to be 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 month

When Good Kids Play the Bad Guy

Scholastic.com talks about when your little one starts to act out both good and bad roles and how it’s all part of them growing up. Read this informative article to learn more. Click here to read the whole article.

Easy School Mornings

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 smoothly but, here are a few tips that might help.

Your morning will go better with a little preparation at night
Make lunches the night before and stick them in the fridge.
Select, iron and lay clothes out at night. This is also a way to make older children more responsible for selecting which clothes they want to wear.
Make your children pack their book bag to save time in the morning.

Everything works better when you are in a routine
Make a checklist to keep track of morning tasks.
Establish times for the 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.

Top 10 Packable Lunches Kids Love

Now since school is under way, you may need to pack school lunches for your kids.  Many parents struggle to keep their kids lunches healthy and yummy for their little ones.  We found a few ideas to keep lunches exciting this school year. Click here to read the whole article

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.

When Your Child is Left Out

We all remember how it felt the first time we were left out of something. It may have been a birthday party, or not being picked for a game. This article talks about this issue and whether it is intentional or not, that it happens to all children. Click here to read the article

Leaving Your Child On The First Day of School

Leaving your child at school for the first time can be as traumatic for a child as it is for a parent. All children react differently, from full blown panic attacks, to a matter-of-fact kiss goodbye with no emotion. Here are some tips for handling the first drop-off.

• Keep perspective, remember that this is a natural part of the growth and development of your child. Try to take comfort in the fact that your child is starting out on a new adventure of learning both educationally and socially.

• Trust in the educational professionals at your child’s school. They have had a career of first school days. They know all the tricks of the trade to help a child work through their separation anxiety.
 
• Set specific expectations with your child. Let them know that you will be back after lunch. Help them understand that this is a normal part of their new schedule. 

• 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.

• Stick to the plan. Your child’s anxiety and temper tantrums can become worse of you give in to your child’s request not to leave, or if you take them back home on their first day. 

• The great disappearing act can backfire. Distracting your child so that you can sneak out may increase their feeling of abandonment. Tell them you are leaving, give them a kiss goodbye and leave the room without lingering. 

Rest assured, the drop of will get better and the school year will be a great success. 

Win the Bedtime Battles

With school starting soon and the relaxed summer schedule coming to an end, it may mean bedtime battles in your household. Parenthood.com offers advice on taking the stress out of the bedtime battles. Click here to read the article.

Back to School Routine

It’s time again for back to school preparations. This time of year is always hectic for parents. The budgets are stretched thin with back to school purchases and everyone is a little sad that summer is ending. Here are a few ways you can make this yearly transition tradition a little easier.

Adjust sleep times
• Start adjusting bedtimes and wake up times to school year time now
• Make this transition easier by adjusting in 15 minute increments until the desired time is achieved
• Practice getting up, dressing, eating breakfast and brushing teeth, before your normal school departure time to make sure they can make the bus.

Verify summer school work is done
• Check all assignments to make sure they have been completed
• Check the reading list to make sure books have been read
• Sit down with your child to review a few assignments to make sure they maintained levels from the end of last school year

Organize
• Have your children help get the house organized
• Buy bins, folder, flip charts and dry erase boards, anything to help you get and stay organized
• Tell you kids what’s expected during the school year. Coats should be hung up, school bags put away and clothes should be placed in the hamper

Following these simple steps will help you make the transition into the school year a little easier for you and your children.

Your Preschooler and Hygiene

As your preschool gets older, they can handle more responsibility with their own hygiene. FamilyEducation.com explains how to explain the importance of hygiene to your little one. Click here to read to article.

Thumb Sucking

Parents worry if it is normal if their toddler is still sucking their thumb. In fact, it is generally considered normal until a child is 2 ½ years old.

Why do kids suck their thumb?
Thumb sucking often begins in the womb, as a natural reflex. For babies, they learn about their bodies and the world around them through sucking. Everything goes in their mouth. They suck on their fingers, clothing, and toys.
Thumb sucking can also be a comfort mechanism for young children. It can induce a child to sleep and it can be a signal to parents that their child is tired. 

However, most dentists discourage thumb sucking after a child's permanent teeth come in because it can cause problems with teeth alignment, and cause changes to the roof of the mouth.

Here's how you can get your child on track.
Link giving up the habit to growing up
Reinforce that giving up the habit is part of growing up. Point out that they never see big kids sucking their thumb. But don’t embarrass them or scold them as a way to discourage them. 
Keep their mind off of the habit
Children often suck their thumbs at around the same time of day everyday. Give them something to hold to keep their hands busy. Try to distract them with another bedtime ritual. Let them look through a picture book to help keep their minds and hands busy. 

Point out the issue
Sometimes kids aren’t aware of that they are sucking their thumb in public. Develop a verbal signal to help them recognize when they are thumb sucking. This will help not to embarrass them but it will get the point across. 

Let nature take it’s course
In most cases peer pressure will kick in and your child will stop publicly sucking their thumb in school and around friends. If the habit starts to have real dental and medical consequences you can always consult your child’s doctor for advice and guidance. 

Preschool Activities: How Much is Too Much?

As summer starts to wind down, we look towards the start of fall. Fall means new activities for your child to try. As parents we want to find a balance between allowing our toddlers to try new things and not over doing it because they are so young. The website Education.com has a wonderful article that covers suggestions on how to balance it all. Click here to read the article

Protecting Kids From Sun Dangers

With the hot summer we have been having many of us are heading to the beach, pools or water parks to keep our kids cool, but being outside can pose a big risk to our children.

Protecting your child’s Skin
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, even one or two blistering sunburns can significantly increase a child's risk for developing skin cancer later in life, With that said, you don’t need to hide indoors during daylight hours to protect your kids. Here are some tips for how to keep your kids skin healthy:

• Schedule your play times before 10am or after 3pm
• Pay close attention to cheeks, backs of hands, and the tops of feet when applying sunscreen
• Wear hats and t-shirts to protect faces and bodies
• Sit in the shade under a tree or an umbrella
• Choose a sunscreen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15 or higher
• Remember just because you have sunscreen on doesn’t mean children can’t get burned
• Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before leaving the house
• Reapply after swimming or perspiring even if sunscreen is waterproof, or reapply every 2 hours.
• Apply the appropriate amount of sunscreen. A quarter size dollop will cover one toddler arm. Stock up on sunscreen. During the summer months you will go through a lot to keep the kids protected. 

Teach your kids to apply sunscreen regularly and you will be protecting and teaching them good healthy skin protection habits.

When Toddlers Hit

It’s not uncommon for a toddler to get physical out of frustration. As parents and caregivers, we need to help them to learn how to deal with their feelings. Here is a great article on how to deal with hitting and biting. Click here to read the article.

Keeping your Kids Safe in the Heat

With the rising temperature we have had this summer, you should be aware of the signs of heat exhaustion. Since children are still developing, their bodies aren't able to adapt to temperature changes the way adults do. Listed below are a few signs of heat distress and heat exhaustion. This is not a comprehensive list. If you suspect your child is having difficulty with the heat, call your doctor immediately.

These are signs that your child should take a break, cool their body down, hydrate and get out of the heat:

• Sweating heavily
• Has a bright red face
• Extremely thirsty
• Feels hot to your touch
• Breathing hard
• Heavy sweating

Pay special attention during super-humid days (when sweat doesn't cool the body down the way it does in drier weather) or during a heat wave.

These are more serious signs that could lead to heat exhaustion:
• Has extreme fatigue that forces them to sit down
• Feels weak
• Feel dizzy
• Fainting
• Nausea or vomiting
• A bad headache

If you notice your child is showing any of these symptoms, get them out of the hot weather right away and seek the appropriate medical care.

Are We There Yet? 10 Travel Activities for Kids

As we enter this final month of summer, there are still plenty opportunities to take trips with the kids. Many parents cringe when they think of spending hours in the car with the kids asking “are we there yet?” Parents.com asked their readers to offer suggestions on keeping family Travel fun. Click here to read the article

Tattling

All children tattle. Most children tattle for attention. They want to feel important to the family dynamic. The act of tattling isn’t all bad. It does help kids develop observation and reporting skills. A child has to see what happened and report it to the parent adding critical details.

Tattling can become excessive and disruptive to the family dynamic. It then becomes important to teach your child when they should tell on others. Issues involving safety of a sibling are examples of good tattling.

Tips to Reduce Tattling

• Stress that the impact of an action is very important.  One example you can ask your child to consider is “is anyone in danger”.
• Make sure you don’t reinforce tattling. Rewarding the tattler, or punishing the sibling in front of the tattler could reinforce tattling behavior.
• Balance the good with the bad. Ask your child to report good behavior from their siblings along with the bad.
• Give your children all the attention you can. More attention may reduce tattling.

Tattling is a normal part of child development. However, if you feel you need to control this behavior try the tips above.

Staying Fit in Mind and Body

This article talks about great ways to stimulate development and learning in your young child.  I like the easy everyday ways they suggest.

For instance reading, singing and dancing are great ways to stimulate your baby’s mind and interact with them. Click here to read the whole article.

The Perks of Daycare

Parents often feel guilty when they drop their child off at daycare. But here are some reasons you may not have thought of to feel good about your choice:

Long-Term Health Benefits - Children who attend daycare are exposed to illness more frequently which serves to boost their immune system. Some research indicates that this boost to the immune system can help reduce the effects of allergies, asthma and other childhood diseases.

Better Prepared for School – Your child benefits from a strong curriculum at Goddard that teaches the basics such as the alphabet, numbers, and vocabulary. By the time school starts your child has had exposure to the concept of a learning environment. They understand what is expected of them when they go to kindergarten. This can provide a valuable head start that other children may not be getting.

A Social Network – Since your child has an established group of friends from daycare who will be joining them in Kindergarten the first day of school might not be as scary. You and your child have a connection to the other parents and children through your daycare experience. In addition skills like cooperation and making friends may be more advanced as a result of the daycare experience.

Inside the Preschooler's Brain

As parents of preschoolers we often wonder what they are thinking.  This article offers some insight into what a preschooler’s think and why the do the things they do. Click here to read the whole article.

How Much Sleep Is Enough?

Sometimes parents don’t know how much sleep their children need. Here are some estimates on total sleep time you can expect from your child. However, remember that all kids are different and these are just estimates.

Babies

Newborns can spend around 16 - 20 total hours of the day sleeping. But since babies need to eat a lot, expect them to wake often to eat.

From 3 to 6 months, babies can sleep up to 5 hours all together during the day and 10 at night.

From 6 - 12 months, a baby should sleep around 3 hours during the day and 11 at night time.

You can expect more hours of consecutive sleep as they grow older.

Kids Ages 1 - 3

Kids ages 1 - 3 should sleep around 10 -13 hours. If you find that your child is having difficulty falling asleep at night, you might consider gradually reducing their total nap time until you reach the proper balance.

Kids Ages 4 – 5

Kids ages 4 – 5 should get 10 -12 hours of sleep on average. Naps are phasing out at this point, but quite time can still be a good idea.

Kids Ages 6 - 10

School-aged kids need about 9 or 10 hours of sleep. At this point, total sleep time can vary greatly. Observe your child's behavior to make sure they aren’t overly sleepy or lacking energy and adjust bedtime accordingly.

Keep in mind these are guidelines and only you know what works best for your child. If your child is waking up throughout the night or having problems falling asleep or staying asleep you may want to consult your pediatrician.

I Did it All By Myself! An Age-by-Age Guide to Teaching Your Child Life Skills

You want your child to learn how to be independent, but you're not sure what skills to teach when. The article below offers a list of what skills children should learn to do independently and when. Click here to read the whole story

Backyard Fun

Are you looking for fun outdoor activities to do with the kids this summer? Here are a few ideas:

Magical Garden
Head to your local dollar store to find some inexpensive lawn decorations. Then have your child gather other items around the yard like sticks, wood, rocks, leaves, etc., to make a magical garden. This is a great activity that you can add to throughout the summer.

Bugs are always fun
Make a homemade terrarium out of an old shoebox with dirt and rocks with holes punched in the top. Have the little ones search for bugs in the back yard and collect them in their homemade terrarium.

Scavenger hunt in the park

Make a list of things that you find in the park. Determine how simple or difficult the list of items will be based on your children’s ages. Have them find a flower or a type of rock. You can also use this opportunity to teach children about nature, science and history.

Create your own Water Park
Get the sprinklers out, baby pools, water slides, plastic toys and gym sets and have the kids create their own water obstacle course. Through in some water balloons and water toys and your kids can cool off on a hot summer day.

Make sure to supervise your kids activities to keep the safe and happy this summer.

Summer Safety Tips

Now that summer is in full swing I thought it was a good time to share an article with you about Summer Safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers some great tips on keeping kids safe in the water, around those pesky bugs, fireworks and many other tips. Click here to read the full article.

Preventing Summer Brain Drain

Summer fun means that studying goes right out the window. Studies show that kids can lose up to three months of learning over the typical summer vacation. In fact, math skills suffer the most loss over summer vacation. How do you help to protect your kids from summer brain drain?

Here are a few steps you can take to keep the loss of learning to a minimum.

Frequent trips to the local library – the more children have access to new and interesting books the more they will pick them up and read them. Your local library can also keep kids active in learning through free educational events and activities. So pack up the car and take the kids to the local library.

Some libraries and community centers offer educational camps where children can stretch their math, science and reading muscles. So try substituting an educational camp in place of a sports camp.

Try to concentrate on math – it’s hard to keep children interested in math so jazz it up. For younger children try board games or card games like go fish. These can keep basic counting, subtraction and addition skills sharp over the summer.

Take a Summer Trip Centered

On Education - Virginia has so many educational and historical areas. Williamsburg offers an excellent opportunity to have fun while learning about our country's rich history. Ask your child to read about colonial times before they go to Williamsburg to make the experience even better. Take a day trip to Washington DC. With so many museums, you’ll really be flexing your child’s science, math, reading and history muscles.

Take an active role in preventing summer brain drain and your children will thank you for the summer fun and through better grades this fall.

Managing Your Toddler's 5 a.m. Wakeup Call

It’s the weekend and your toddler has decided to wake up before 6am. What is a parent to do? Do you keep them up later at night? This article offers some great suggestions on how to deal with you early riser. Click here to read the article. 

Keeping the kids hydrated

With summer vacation starting and the temperatures rising, your kids will be spending more time outdoors. It’s very important to make certain they do not get dehydrated.

In general, kids are even more susceptible to dehydration than adults. This is mainly because children don't cool down as efficiently. Here are some precautions you can take to make summer more fun and safe and to help avoid dehydration.

Proper Fluid Intake

• Preparing Before They Play – As a general rule, children should be taking in about 5 ounces of fluids for every 20 minutes of strenuous play.
• Keep Them Hydrated During The Day – The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children drink six glasses of water on an average day.

Now you’re probably asking yourself what drinks provide the best hydration.

Water

• All natural
• No additives or sugar
• Best for routine hydration

Sports Drinks

• Great tasting
• More appealing to children
• Can increase the amount of fluids children will take in
• Can be high in carbohydrates and calories
• Replace electrolytes lost through sweating
• Limit their use to strenuous play and sporting events

Popsicles

·         Great tasting

·         Cool

·         High water content

·         Great alternative for hydration particularly with smaller children

Heat Exhaustion: If your child shows signs of heat exhaustion (fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, headache, and dizziness), get them medical attention as soon as possible.