4 Surefire Tips to Help Your Child Open Up

You pick your child up from school and you ask how their day was. You get the traditional response “fine”. As parents and guardians we want to know what is going on in our kid’s lives. Scholastic.com offers some suggestions on how to get your little one to open up about their day. Click here to read the whole article.

Keeping Kids Healthy During Cold and 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 have 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.

Emergency! What to Teach Your Kids About Safety and First-Aid

Have you wondered how your child would respond in an emergency situation if you or another member of your family needed help. Kid’s can’t be expected to respond to an emergency in an adult way, but there are some basic tasks that you can teach them that could turn out to be life-saving. Click here to read the article

Indoor Activities for Little Ones

With the weather outside being downright freezing, you may be looking for some indoor activities to do with your little ones.

Toddlers

Whisper down the Lane is great indoor game. Not only does playing this game help keep their voices down and bring lots of laughter, it’s also a memory game. Trying to recall correctly what others are whispering helps to develop a child’s short-term memory and ability to follow directions.

Try some arts and crafts, make a Cheerio necklace. This will keep their little hands busy. Then the next time they tell you they are hungry let them snack on their necklace.

Preschoolers

Take a Trip
Tell your child you’re taking an imaginary trip. Ask them where in the world they would like to go. Look up facts on the Internet about the place they pick. Let them pack a small bag with clothes and maybe even pack some food that’s appropriate. Take it one step further and decorate your living room to resemble the vacation spot and play games.

A good game of Simon Say’s can take an hour off the clock. It also helps a child develop memory and listening skills. Preschoolers can learn a lot from simple games requiring them to follow basic directions, a skill that they will need to have to be successful at school.

Top 10 Outdoor Winter Activities

As the cold temperatures begin to take hold over the region, it signifies the official start of winter.  FamilyEducation.com suggests 10 fun outdoor activities for the family. Remember that winter temperatures and winter sports require special safety equipment and clothing. Be active and safe this winter! Click here to read the article.

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.

6 Holiday Safety Hazards

A few weeks ago we talked about keeping our kids safe during the holidays.  This week we are talking about keeping our home safe from holiday hazards that can come from candles, lights and decorations. Parents.com offers tips on keeping your home safe this holiday season.  Click here to read the tips.