Back to School Routine

It’s back to school time again! Between all the back to school shopping and taking in the last little bit of summer relaxation, you may want to start getting the kids back into their school-year routine. This way, when the first day of school arrives, you’re kids meet the day refreshed and mentally prepared.

· Sleep Schedule – begin getting the kids to bed at their regular scheduled bedtime. And, don’t let them sleep in too late. Wake them up a little earlier each day so that the first day of school isn’t a shock to their system.

· Back to Chores – if you are like many parents, school-year responsibilities such as chores have fallen by the wayside during summer. Start to ease back into the chores and other responsibilities. This will begin to get the kids into a mindset to accept new responsibilities at home and at school.

· Organization – Have your kids begin to gather up book bags and other items around the house that will be needed for the school year. Also, have them go school shopping with you to help select their supplies. When you get home, have your child organize all that’s needed for the first day of school into one place. Getting your child involved in organizing things for the upcoming school year will show them the importance of organizational skills. Hopefully, some of this organization will rub off on their lockers and desks at school.

Good luck on your school-year prep.

Fruit Pizza

Kids love pizza and desert so why not combine the two for a healthy summer treat.

Ingredients:

What you’ll need for the Crust:

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Ingredients, Cheese Spread:

8 ounces cream cheese (nonfat or light)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 drop of red food color - optional)

What you’ll need for the fruit topping:

Let the kids be creative and pick fruits they love and cut them into small pieces (strawberries, kiwis, bananas, pineapple, mandarin oranges, pears, peaches, blueberries or grapes.)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. For the crust, in a bowl, cream margarine, sugar, vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Add flour and baking powder, mixing well.

3. Spread mixture about 1/8-inch thick on pizza pan, baking sheet or 9 X 13 inch pan. (Or, for individual fruit pizzas, divide the dough into 12 balls and pat out into circles.)

4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

5. Mix together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spread on cooled cookie crust.

6. Arrange fruit on top of pizza. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

A word about safety

This activity should be done together with your child. Supervise your children during this activity and only let them complete tasks that don’t put them in danger. You don’t want your child to get injured (burned, hurt by small appliances) during a cooking activity.

Signs Your Little One Is Ready for Kindergarten

Parents that have never sent a child to Kindergarten before often wonder if their child is truly ready. Here are some simple ways to judge their preparedness. But don’t worry if your child lags behind in one or two skills. They should catch up quickly in this very formative first year of school.

Social Skills

· Have you observed your child working in peer groups?

· Can your child successfully follow directions?

These are both foundational skills for kindergarten success. They’ll be working in groups frequently and using social skills to interact and to complete activities. From the very first day, they will need to listen and follow directions just to understand the room rules and routines.

If you’re worried your child needs development in any of these skills it’s not too late to make progress before school. Tell your child what appropriate behavior is when working in groups. Have your child focus on following directions and try a reward system for successfully following directions.

Motor Skills

· Does your child have developed motor skills (i.e. can they cut with scissors, can they hold pencil correctly)?

Some children are late bloomers when it comes to motor skills. Every child this age colors outside of the lines sometimes but, if your child cannot stay in the lines that could be a sign of late development. Your child should be able to write basic letters and numbers. If your child cannot complete this task, their motor skills may require attention. Resolving these issues may just take some extra practice at home, however if you think your child has a more serious issue consult your kindergarten teacher, that’s what they are there for.

Independent Thinking

· Is your child comfortable with independence?

Some children shy away from speaking for themselves or acting on their own. If this is your child, don’t worry. You can work on this skill by giving your child the opportunity to speak and act independently. Allow them to begin to make some simple decisions on their own for example, what to eat for lunch, and what to wear etc. They will begin to understand that decisions and working independently is needed in life.

Not all children are the same. Success in kindergarten will look different for everyone. Possibly, a happy kindergarten experience for your child is the biggest success of all.

Life-Long Friends

Back when the world was a smaller place, it was common to hear of friends who met the first day of Kindergarten that are still best of friends 25 or 30 years later. These are truly wonderful friendships that should be celebrated. But as the world got bigger, families became less sedentary. Families often move multiple times, sometimes from coast to coast. It’s important that parents remember that making friends is a learned skill that develops over time. It’s also a skill that your child will have to use frequently in today’s mobile society. So, if your child has difficulty making friends, here are some skills and steps to take to get them started off on the right foot.

Skills

• Be a Good Role Model – Children are prone to emulating their Parents. So tell your children about the positive experiences you’ve had making friends.
• Common Interests – children need to recognize others with shared interests. These are kids that play the same sports, like the same activities, read the same books, etc. This gives your child a reason to introduce themselves and a common point of discussion on which to base a friendship.
• Listening – everyone wants a friend who will listen to them. It’s also a great way for kids to find the common interests they have with their new fiend.
• Empathy – this goes hand-in-hand with listening. Helping a friend through a tough day can further strengthen the bonds of their new relationship.

Making friends isn’t easy for children. Be patient, understanding and supportive of your child and friendships should develop naturally. Just remember to give your child the opportunity to meet new friends through placing them in new events and activities.

Does Your Child Have Trouble Sleeping?

Kids go through phases of development. Sometimes they enjoy uninterrupted, deep sleep. They can sleep so peacefully, that parents might envy the restful sleep that their children enjoy. However, some children are not the best sleepers. Your child may wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back to sleep. Waking up in the middle of the night can be normal. But here are some reasons kids have sleepless nights and some steps you can take to reduce them.

Scary Dreams – It’s normal for children to wake up fearful of thunderstorms, or as a result of a bad dream, or monsters under the bed. But if this is a recurring theme with your child, you might want to take steps to reduce their fear. Ask your child why they are so afraid. You might find out that siblings are telling scary stories or that they are watching a scary TV show you were not aware of. You might find out that monsters are living under the bed or in the closet. A night light can be a great defense against imaginary creatures. Try checking under their bed each night at bedtime to let them know that the monsters are gone. Luckily, as kids get older, like their belief in all other myths and fairytales, monsters will also disappear.

Bathroom Breaks – Many children have underdeveloped bladders that simply won’t allow them to sleep through the night. Waking up is a much better outcome than the alternative, which is wetting the bed. If you haven’t already, install a night light in your bathroom. This can avoid the shock of bright lights, which can further awaken your child. Also, don’t talk to you child if you are assisting them with the bathroom. Stimulating your child’s senses can prevent them from falling back to sleep.

Too Much Energy – your child could be waking up because they have too much pent up energy. This could be due to lack of exercise or problems with their diet. If you find that your child has boundless energy at bedtime and they have trouble winding down, this could be the cause. Try getting your child involved with a sport or exercise program. You can also try cutting out desert and reducing sugary snacks in your child’s diet.

If you are concerned those sleepless nights are a result of a medical issue, or if you need help with your child’s diet and nutrition contact your pediatrician.

Traveling With the Kids

Traveling with children can present challenges, that’s why planning is important. To help you get prepared, here are some tips and ideas to reduce the stress and make the trip more enjoyable for the whole family.

1. When possible, travel at night or get a very early morning start to your trip and let the kids sleep. But be cautious, because it's easy to get tired.

2. If you plan to travel during the day try stopping about every 90 minutes. By planning ahead, and using travel planning websites, you can find kid-friendly places such as parks with playgrounds, historic monuments to give the kids a 15 minute break and work off some energy.

3. 1,000 bottles of root beer on the wall or B-I-N-G-O can really help to pass the time, and create some happy or sad memories depending on how good of a singer you are.

4. Create a goodie-bag. Toys, games, bubbles, coloring books can all help pass the time during a long trip. Bring toys you can use during your small stops, like footballs, frisbees or soccer balls, which will encourage running off energy.

5. Have your children do quiet activities, such as creating postcards or writing paper, or a journal to document where you’re going or where you have been on your trip. They can also practice the lost art of letter writing to friends they miss at home.

6. Of course, if you need to, you can always fall back on the hand-held games, CD and portable DVD players with earphones.

Let each child pack their own box or backpack of activities that way, you can make sure they will like what they brought and it will keep their things organized and accessible.

Keeping the Kids Busy

Looking for some ways to keep the kids entertained during the last few weeks of summer, we compiled a list of free or at least almost free ideas.

Have a Bike Parade

Gather a group of kids in you development and have the kids decorate their bikes with streamers and flags. Have them parade around on their bikes. Play some music to add to the fun.

Visit the local Fire Station

Call your local fire station and see if you can arrange a tour. Have your kids make some thank you cards ahead of time to give them to the firefighters.

Tour places in your Neighborhood

Many restaurants and markets will allow kids to tour behind the scenes. Just call and see if they have any programs.

Go Fishing

Take the kids fishing. Find a local park that allows fishing, and enjoy hours of fun with your kids. Please note that most states require a fishing license.

Head to your Community Park

Many parks offer free outdoor concerts or movies for the family to gather around and watch under the stars.

Free Family Films

Select Regal theaters offer a Free Family Film Festival each summer. Screen PG and G-rated movies at 10 a.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday. Go to regmovies.com for a schedule.

Free Bowling

We’ve mentioned the Kids Bowl Free program before. It allows children to play two games a day, on the house. Click on the link above and find a local bowling alley participating in the program.