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 affect on young child.


 http://www.education.com/reference/article/preschool-bullying-steps/

The Benefits of Eating Meals Together

Dining together as a family has become rare in today’s hectic life.  School activities and career demands can make dining together impossible. But, if you can squeeze out time twice a week to sit down together for dinner or any meal, you and your family can benefit in several ways. Eating meals together can help:

• Develop and maintain open lines of communication
• Build stronger relationships
• You share the events of the day and discuss news and ideas
• Reduce teen rates of addiction and lessen teen depression (several studies have shown)
• Show children how they are the priority in their parent’s lives
• You find out more about your children’s likes and dislikes, which can form the basis for meaningful conversation
• Parents to direct their kids toward positive activities and behaviors.
• Children get higher grades on average (several studies have shown)

Sitting down for every family meal simply isn’t possible today, but trying to sit down together a few nights a week can help your children even when you’re not there.

Make a Peeking Bunny

With the Easter Bunny arriving in a few days, we thought this craft would be cute to do with your little ones. The Peeking Bunny uses green handprints to make grass for the paper plate bunny to peek through!

 Supplies

 •Paper plate

 •Green and pink construction paper

•Pencil

•Scissors

•Black marker

•Glue



 Directions 


 1. Trace 3 green handprints to cut out. Place your paper plate 'eating side' down and glue the hand prints to the bottom of your paper plate.

 2. Cut two bunny ears from your pink paper and glue them to the top, back of the plate. Draw on some 'peeking' eyes, and you're done!!

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 school districts rely on age as the determining factor for school readiness but some educators believe that how much experience a child has in a school like setting is just as important of a factor. .

Some districts test 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 evaluate your child’s physical and cognitive development.

What should you do if your district 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.

When Children Are Afraid of the Dark

Kids often become afraid of the dark and it is tough to figure out what to do to comfort them.  Parenting magazine offers a few tips to help to take the fear out of sleeping in the dark. Follow the link below to read more. 

http://www.parenting.com/article/when-children-are-afraid-dark

Developmental Milestones: Birth - 6 month

Many parents worry about their child’s development. Parents hear what other parents are saying about their child’s development and worry that their child is behind. The truth is, although each milestone has an age level, the actual age when a normally developing child reaches that milestone can vary. Every child is unique.

What are developmental milestones?
Developmental milestones are a group of age-specific tasks that are appropriate for most children. Today we are going to talk about developmental milestones from birth to 6 months. Please keep in mind that these are only guidelines and all children develop at their own pace so don’t get too concerned if your child lags in a certain task.

Developmental Milestones for a One-Month Old
When you first bring you baby home it seems like all the do is eat and sleep. By the end of the first month your baby should become much more alert and responsive. Some milestones might include:

•Bringing hands within range of eyes and mouth
•Moving head from side to side during tummy time
•Flopping head backward if unsupported
•Keeping hands in a tight fist

Developmental Milestones for a Three-Month Old
Around 3 months of age your baby will become much more active and many newborn traits will begin to fade. Babies around this age often have more control over their body and can spend hours entertaining themselves discovering their hands.

Some milestones may include:

•Raising their head and chest during tummy time
•Grasping and shaking hand toys
•Beginning to babble
•Beginning to imitate some sounds
•Turning head toward direction of sound
•Beginning to develop a social smile
•Enjoying playing with other people and crying when playing stops

Developmental Milestones for a Seven-Month Old
Many important changes occur between 4 and 7 months of age. Your baby will learn to coordinate their motor skills and start to develop their senses like vision, touch and hearing.

Some milestones may include

•Rolling both ways (front to back, back to front)
•Sitting with, and then without, support of her hands
•Supporting his or her whole weight on their legs
•Reaching with one hand
•Tracking moving objects
•Responding to own name
•Beginning to respond to “no”
•Distinguishing emotions by tone of voice
•Enjoying social play

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, please contact your pediatrician or for more information please visit the American Academy Pediatrics website

Source: http://www.aap.org

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.