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

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Preschool Bullying: Steps to Stop Child Aggression

With so much talk in the news about bullying, I found this article about preschool bullying and the effect on young children. Click here to read the article.

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Easy ways to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables

It’s a tough battle to get kids to eat their fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide vitamins, have strong antioxidant properties, and can reduce the risk of obesity and some cancers. The article below suggests easy and sneaky ways to get fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet. Click here to read the whole story.


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Inside the Preschooler's Brain

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



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Why Read To Babies

 

New moms often are told that they should read to babies, even if they are less than six months old. But if they can’t understand what you’re reading, how does it help your baby? Here are some ways reading to your baby can be beneficial.

• It gradually introduces concepts such as stories, numbers, letters, colors, and shapes that are critical for your child’s development.
• Your baby might not understand but by reading to them you are teaching them to listen.
• Reading can also teach your baby the concept of communication through using sounds before they can speak.

Here are some tips on what types of books work best based on your baby’s age.
Newborns – books with bright colors and shapes
4 and 6 months – books made of cloth and soft materials they can grab onto
6 and 12 months – the more pictures the better, your baby is starting to focus

You can’t read too much to your baby so go crazy. Take every opportunity to pull out a book, at the doctor’s office, at the market and in the mall. This will keep your child’s attention and teach them that reading is fun anywhere and anytime. Teach your kids good reading habits and they will keep them for life.

For more information on Goddard Ashburn please visit our website : http://bit.ly/1wYOYNW

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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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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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.

Teaching Preschoolers about Time

Younger children can have difficulty understanding the concept of time. When children ask when they are going to the zoo and you say Friday, they might not completely comprehend that they have to wait 4 days until the trip to the zoo. Here are some tips on helping your preschooler understand time. Click here to read the article.

Why Read To Babies

New moms and dads often are told that they should read to babies, even if they are less than six months old. But if they can’t understand what you’re reading, how does it help your baby? Here are some ways reading to your baby can be beneficial.

• It gradually introduces concepts such as stories, numbers, letters, colors, and shapes that are critical for your child’s development.

• Your baby might not understand but by reading to them you are teaching them to listen.

• Reading can also teach your baby the concept of communication through using sounds before they can speak.

Here are some tips on what types of books work best based on your baby’s age.

• Newborns – books with bright colors and shapes

• 4 and 6 months – books made of cloth and soft materials they can grab onto

• 6 and 12 months – the more pictures the better, your baby is starting to focus

You can’t read too much to your baby so go crazy. Take every opportunity to pull out a book, at the doctor’s office, at the market and in the mall. This will keep your child’s attention and teach them that reading is fun anywhere and anytime. Teach your kids good reading habits and they will keep them for life.

Kindergarten Readiness

This is the time of year parents start to register their kids for kindergarten and they wonder if their child will be ready in September. Many schools use age as the determining factor for kindergarten readiness, but some educators believe that how much experience a child has in a school-like setting is just as important.

Some schools have testing for children before the school year starts. The kindergartners may be evaluated on their physical development, ability to recognize the alphabet of his or her knowledge of body parts, colors and shapes. These tests attempt to judge your child’s level of physical and cognitive development.

What should you do if your school doesn’t offer testing before entering Kindergarten? Below are a few guidelines to look for at home:

Language

• Does your child speak in full sentences
• Can they explain events they experienced

Motor Skills

• Can your child throw a ball, skip and climb
• Do they use scissors and hold a pencil

Social & Other Skills

• Do they understand the concept of sharing
• Can your child dress him/herself
• Do they wash their own face and hands
• Does your child play well with others
• Do they follow rules and directions

There is no way to tell if your child is truly ready for kindergarten. You, as their parent. are the best judge of kindergarten readiness.

Staying Healthy During Cold & Flu Season

It’s cold and flu season. Runny noses, coughs, aches, late sleepless nights, crying, it’s all part of cold and flu season. You might not be able to avoid the cold or the flu, but here are a few tips to help you survive the season and maybe avoid a bug or two.

Establish a Germ Fighting Routine

Use the Vampire Cough – Teach your children to cough and sneeze into the crook of their arm. It’s easier to prevent the spread of germs if they are not contaminating their hands when they cough into them.

Wash Your Hands– You heard it from your mom and now you’re hearing it in public service announcements on TV, wash your hands. This is the best weapon in your germ fighting arsenal. You should teach children when to wash their hands:

• After using the bathroom

• Before they eat

• After play dates

• When they return to the house after being out

And how they wash their hands makes a difference. Teach the steps below for a proper hand washing:

• Always use warm water and soap

• Sing "Happy Birthday" twice – to make sure your washing for 15 to 20 seconds

• Use hand sanitizing gel if water isn’t available

• When using gel, scrub your hands for about 20 seconds

Lead by Example – Show your kids good habits by following the germ fighting routine above on your own. This way they are much more likely to pick up good habits instead of germs.

Treating Poison Ivy

The spring and summer months are a great for getting the kids outside to play and burn off some energy. One of the issue you may run into is poison ivy. Here is a great article that offers some advice on what to watch out for and how to treat poison ivy. Click here to read the article.

Why Read To Babies

New moms often are told that they should read to babies, even if they are less than six months old. But if they can’t understand what you’re reading, how does it help your baby? Here are some ways reading to your baby can be beneficial.

• It gradually introduces concepts such as stories, numbers, letters, colors, and shapes that are critical for your child’s development.

• Your baby might not understand but by reading to them you are teaching them to listen.

• Reading can also teach your baby the concept of communication through using sounds before they can speak.

Here are some tips on what types of books work best based on your baby’s age.

• Newborns – books with bright colors and shapes

• 4 and 6 months – books made of cloth and soft materials they can grab onto

• 6 and 12 months – the more pictures the better, your baby is starting to focus

You can’t read too much to your baby so go crazy. Take every opportunity to pull out a book, at the doctor’s office, at the market and in the mall. This will keep your child’s attention and teach them that reading is fun anywhere and anytime. Teach your kids good reading habits and they will keep them for life.

Travel With Kids

With the unofficial start of summer starting today, many families are planning summer trips. Your family may choose a long trip or a day trip. As parents we all dread the question "Are we there yet?" With a little preparing you can make traveling with your little ones enjoyable and stress-free by following these simple tips:

1. Travel at night or get a very early morning start to your trip and let the kids sleep.

2. When traveling during the day, it helps to plan several short stops.. Find kid-friendly places to stop such as parks with playgrounds, historic monuments to give the kids a short break to work off their 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. Bring a goodie-bag. Toys, games, bubbles, coloring books can all help pass the time during a long trip. Bring footballs, frisbees or soccer balls, to help gd the energy out during short stops.

5. Have your children write 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, tablet, 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.

10 Ways to Improve Reading Skills

The site, Family Education, offers 10 Ways to Improve Your Child’s Reading Skills. It’s important that parents find creative ways to encourage and improve their child’s reading skills. Family Education offers some great suggestions and some clues on what to look for when reading with your kids. Click here to read the article.

Dealing With Your Toddler's Sleep Disturbances

A young child waking up in the middle of the night can be hard on the parent and the child.   This article from Family Education gives some great tips on how to deal with young children waking up in the middle of the night.

http://life.familyeducation.com/sleep/bed-time/52588.html

Seasonal Allergy Action Plan

We all loved the warm winter we had but, the downside is an earlier and more intense allergy season.  It’s hard sometimes to determine the difference between allergies and cold.  Parents magazine gives some helpful tips to make it through allergy season. 
  
http://www.parents.com/kids/health/allergies/seasonal-allergy-action-plan/

Benefits of Teaching a Second Language to Young Children

It may seem that your toddler is still working on their language skills and that attempting to teach them an additional language would be wasted. But, recent research shows that many preschoolers are in fact able to learn multiple languages. Children can often learn a second language quicker than adults because they are not bogged down trying to learn verb tenses and grammar, they learn naturally through play and their brains are more open to absorbing new languages.

What are the benefits of learning a second language?

• Statistics show that students who study a second language perform better academically in verbal skills, logic and math.

• Students gain respect and understanding of family history and diversity.

• They will also become more tolerant of differences in people, they way they speak and where they are from.

• Students will have a better understanding of the English language. For example, since many of our words have origins in other languages, students will have a better chance to make sense of a new vocabulary word.

At The Goddard School Ashburn, we offer Spanish and American Sign Language to our children. We feel that it is very important for children to learn a second language at an early age.

Is Your Child Too Old for a Blankie?

Young children may have a “lovey” which may be a blanket or their favorite stuffed animal.  As parents we worry if our children are to old to be carrying their “blankie” around.  Scholastic magazine has a great article on dealing with this topic. Click here to read the article.