Posts on Caring for my kids when I'm at work Recent content in Posts on Caring for my kids when I'm at work Hugo -- en Mon, 19 Jul 2021 09:36:31 +0000 Insight to Help You Select the Right Childcare Centre Mon, 19 Jul 2021 09:36:31 +0000 <p>As you juggle your home responsibilities with your job or education, it can be difficult at times and therefore necessary to hire outside <a href="" target="_blank">childcare</a> services. Whether your child is a baby, toddler, or preparing to enter preschool, they will need childcare at a reliable centre when you are at work or school. Here are some tips to help you choose the right daycare centre.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Watch the Staff Interact With the Children</strong></p> <p>During your initial visit and consultation to arrange for daycare services, you should be able to take a full tour of the facility to check out its interior environment and the activities that go on. Look into the different areas of the centre to find out if they keep all babies in one area and separate the toddlers and preschoolers into another or how this is managed. Look at how many daycare members are available to each child and if one employee has to take care of multiple babies or children.&nbsp;</p> <p>Then, consider what types of activities the children are participating in and if they have free play times along with managed activities, such as story time, crafting, and educational concept games. Although your daycare is going to provide care for your child's basic needs, they should also be able to teach your child some basic fundamental and developmental tasks.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Check the Centre's Rules</strong></p> <p>The childcare centre should have regulations and policies that determine how the staff will take care of your child. These include details about how mealtimes are completed, and diaper changes or nap times should be designated. You should be able to request a written copy of these regulations so you know what to expect for your child's care. If there is an emergency, you will know what the staff at the centre will do, such as if your child is sick or if there is a building emergency during childcare hours. Will they evacuate the building during a fire drill or other emergency to another designated site and how will they contact you? Also find out how to designate who is allowed to pick up your child from the centre.</p> <p>Be sure that you also check into the drop-off times and the rules surrounding them and if there is any flexibility. When you drop off your child, does it have to be at the same time each day or can you be flexible? If, for example, your work schedule is different for each day, find out if the centre will tailor your childcare to your work hours.</p> Why Kindergarten Is Necessary Tue, 09 Mar 2021 14:02:33 +0000 <p><strong>What is kindergarten education?</strong></p> <p>Kindergarten is a learning environment that enables children to practice basic social, emotional and educational skills that will prepare them for schooling. These skills are inculcated in children through self-directed play under the guidance of an experienced teacher. The kindergarten program is generally for children of 5 years of age, but sometimes it can include children from 4 to 6 years of age. These programs are designed in a way that helps to introduce the basic concepts of science, mathematics, language and arts.</p> <p><strong>Kindergarten program</strong></p> <p>A purposeful kindergarten program should be balanced between skills and information. It should comprise intellectual, social, creative and physical learning. All activities should be age-appropriate and develop skills of curiosity and experiment.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>What to expect from a good kindergarten?</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Language art skills</strong> <p>Usually, children at the age of 3 can use different words to express themselves. In a kindergarten class, they will get the opportunity to interact with other children of the same age and learn even better to express their feelings. They learn to express themselves by vocabulary or by showing their interests in some activities.&nbsp;</p> </li> <li><strong>Social and life skills</strong> <p>Through effective interaction with teachers and other peers, children learn to live as a community. They learn to respect and care for others, thus preparing themselves to enter into society. Children are also taught life skills and given the opportunity to practice these skills.&nbsp;</p> </li> <li><strong>Physical activity</strong> <p>Playing is an important aspect of a child's life. Physical activities improve motor skills which lay the foundation of a healthy life. By playing with other peers, children develop sportsman spirit and team-building skills. It also helps them to develop self-control.</p> </li> <li><strong>Learning through fun</strong> <p>At this small age, learning should be fun and not a stressful task. In kindergarten, teachers use songs and games to deliver lessons of maths, science and arts. This makes learning quick and easy.&nbsp;</p> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Kindergarten activities at home</strong></p> <p>Every child has a different way and capacity of learning. Children are more likely to acquire knowledge better if they develop a love for learning. Here are some fun activities to encourage children's learning at home.&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li>Learning colours with popsicle sticks</li> <li>Finding numbers and alphabets&nbsp;</li> <li>Finding different shapes at home</li> <li>Learning addition by counting things</li> <li>Learning to draw shapes and lines</li> <li>Observing colours of nature</li> </ul> <p>The basic concept of kindergarten is self-activity and learning through programs that are designed to nurture cognitive and emotional skills in children. Kindergarten is the start of a child's academic life so make it your best interest to ensure a good future for your children. Contact a <a href="" target="_blank">kindergarten program</a> for more information.</p> Two Reasons to Increase Your Child's Time at a Childcare Centre During Your Pregnancy Tue, 06 Oct 2020 13:53:24 +0000 <p>If your child spends just a few hours a week at a <a href="" target="_blank">childcare</a> centre and you've just found out that you're pregnant, you might want to increase the number of hours he or she goes to this facility for the next few months. Read on and find out why.</p> <p><strong>To make it easy for you to attend your antenatal appointments </strong></p> <p>Throughout your pregnancy, you'll need to go for regular antenatal appointments so that your obstetrician can check that your baby is healthy and that any pregnancy-related health issues you develop are under control. If you have a high-risk pregnancy, you may need to have these check-ups extremely frequently. In these circumstances, you may find it helpful to utilise the childcare centre's services a lot more than you did in the past by, for example, leaving your child at this facility for a full day, rather than a half-day, on the dates on which you have your antenatal appointments.</p> <p>The reason for this is that taking your child with you to these appointments might make them more difficult. For example, if your child continuously interrupts you or has a tantrum whilst you're at the obstetrician's clinic, you might forget to mention an important medical matter or some new symptoms you've noticed. Additionally, if an ultrasound or other test you have done at an appointment reveals some bad news (such as a health issue your baby has developed), you might end up getting very upset, which could be distressing for your child to witness.</p> <p>Conversely, if they stay at the childcare centre whilst you go to your antenatal appointments, you'll find it easier to discuss your medical issues, and if you receive some bad news, you'll have time to recover and gather yourself before you go and see your child. Furthermore, instead of having to spend time being bored and restless at these hospital appointments, your child can spend these hours playing, learning and socialising.</p> <p><strong>To make it easier to set up the nursery and to baby-proof your home </strong></p> <p>If you need to set up the nursery for your baby and reinstall all of the baby-proofing features that you removed when your eldest child reached an age where they were no longer necessary, then you should consider letting your child spend a bit more time at their childcare centre.</p> <p>Doing this will, for example, allow you to paint the nursery's walls and let this paint dry before your child has a chance to smear it or get the paint on their hair or clothes. You can also put together any furniture you've ordered without worrying that your child will run off with and possibly swallow or misplace any of the furniture's nails or dowels. Additionally, if like many children, your eldest is showing signs of jealousy at the mention of a new baby in the house, taking care of the nursery set-up and the baby-proofing whilst they're at the childcare centre will mean that they won't get upset as a result of getting your full attention because you're busy setting up this new space for their sibling.</p> How to Find a Good Preschool for a Child With Asperger's Syndrome Thu, 10 Oct 2019 10:51:11 +0000 <p>If you have a child with Asperger's and you want to arrange for them to be enrolled in a <a href="" target="_blank">preschool</a>, then you should take the steps outlined here to ensure that the preschool you choose for them is suitable for their needs.</p> <p><strong>Find staff who are knowledgeable about Asperger's Syndrome </strong></p> <p>Because Asperger's Syndrome is a relatively mild form of autism, you do not necessarily have to place your child in a childcare facility that caters specifically to children who have this condition. However, it could be very beneficial to pick a preschool for your daughter or son that employs individuals who are familiar with Asperger's Syndrome. The reason for this is as follows; if the staff members at the preschool understand the nature of this condition, they will be better able to support your child and will be less likely to react in a negative or unhelpful manner when your child displays some of the more challenging characteristics associated with their condition.</p> <p>For example, like many children who have this condition, your child may be highly resistant to making any changes to their normal routine. In this case, it is important that the staff members at the childcare facility understand that this is a normal reaction for someone with Asperger's to have to change and that they must not get cross with your child when he or she expresses an unwillingness to alter their usual routine. Their ability to understand the impact that this condition has on your child's behaviour, and to stay calm and kind when your child is being challenging, will ensure that your child's Asperger's-related outbursts do not escalate and result in them having to be sent home.</p> <p><strong>Pick a preschool that is prepared to accommodate your child</strong></p> <p>It is also worthwhile looking for a preschool that is willing to modify their usual approach to childcare and education, in order to accommodate the unique needs that your child has as a result of having Asperger's Syndrome.</p> <p>For example, they should be willing to let your child opt out of group activities occasionally, on days when he or she is experiencing stress at the prospect of socialising because of their condition. Likewise, they should be happy to let your child follow a specific routine in regards to the way in which they eat their lunch or the way that they play with their toys (as long as those routines are not harmful or very disruptive). By doing this, the staff members at the childcare facility will help your child to feel secure and relaxed enough to absorb the things that they need to learn (like the alphabet, counting and other educational topics).</p> Finding the Right Day Care Centre for Your Autistic Child Mon, 11 Mar 2019 05:37:18 +0000 <p>Having a child with special needs, specifically something like autism, can make finding a <a href="" target="_blank">child care centre</a> difficult. There are some centres that have guidelines for enrollment, such as requiring that they are potty trained, which your child may not have achieved yet. Some centres may also have limited slots for special needs or may not work with children with autism. If you are struggling to find the right option for your child and your family, here are a few key points to finding the right centre for you.</p> <p><strong>Autism Services</strong></p> <p>The first thing you want to do is ensure they centre has autism services. Keep in mind, some centres will enroll children who have special needs and who have autism. This does not mean that they have specific services that will fit your child's needs. You want to make sure that the centre has specific services, such as sensory assistance or occupational therapy. You also want to make sure they have teachers that are skilled and educated on how to deal with children on the spectrum, teach coping skills, and handle related issues that autistic children may have.</p> <p><strong>Safety Precautions</strong></p> <p>One of the leading issues that many parents of autistic children face is the lack of security and safety for their children. You need to check with the centre and ensure that they have safety measures in place for your child. For example, many children on the spectrum have listening issues and may run when they feel overwhelmed. If there are not proper safety precautions in place, the child could get away from a teacher and run out of the centre and into traffic or become lost.</p> <p><strong>Spectrum Testing</strong></p> <p>Your child may be diagnosed with autism, but you may not know exactly where they fall on the spectrum. You may also find that their level changes as time goes on. This means you will need an increasing number of tests done on a routine basis. These spectrum-based tests can give you more insight into your child's learning and into their needs. A centre that offers this service on-site can help prevent you having to make multiple trips to professionals and help the centre to better assess the needs of your child and put them in the right classes and services.</p> <p>These are just a few of the key points to finding the right day care centre for your autistic child. If you are ready to start looking, start with a list of your ideal services. Begin checking off the services list you have, and start narrowing down the list from there.</p> How to prepare your child for school in the new year Sun, 13 Jan 2019 14:11:14 +0000 <p>As the current year draws to a close, both you and your child will be excited about taking a break and enjoying the holidays. However, the holidays tend to go by fast. Before you know it, your child will be required to report back to school for the new semester.</p> <p>Many parents get caught off guard when a new school term begins. They may rush to prepare their children at the last minute, causing unnecessary stress. Here's how you can prepare your child early for the new school term.</p> <p><strong>1. Help your child in cleaning up their room </strong></p> <p>After the holidays, your child's room will likely be a complete mess. Toys may be spread everywhere, and your child may not even know where some of their school supplies are.</p> <p>About a week or two before school starts, make sure you help your child to clean or rearrange their room. This is a good time to try something fun and refreshing, such as moving the bed to a new position or hanging different artwork on the walls. Just make sure your child gets in the habit of being clean and tidy in the days leading up to a new school term.</p> <p><strong>2. Go school shopping early </strong></p> <p>Does your child need supplies for the new term? Avoid a last-minute rush, and go school shopping early. If you delay, you may have trouble locating important items, or you may find yourself going off budget.</p> <p>Make sure you find out everything your child needs for school, and purchase them a few weeks before school reopens.</p> <p><strong>3. Find out what the lesson plan for the upcoming year will be</strong></p> <p>When your child is in preschool or <a href="" target="_blank">kindergarten</a>, you play an important role in ensuring that the child absorbs and understands what they learned at school. Make sure you contact your child's teacher to find out what's on the syllabus during this upcoming year.</p> <p>Will your child be introduced to the alphabet? Will they take their first math lesson? Make sure you're aware of any upcoming lesson plans. In this way, you can support your child's learning by being ready to help them understand what was taught at school.</p> <p><strong>4. Take note of important school dates for your child&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>The school year can be hectic for both parents and teachers. Make sure you note down all the important upcoming dates. You should be aware of any parent-teacher meetings, school trips, and talent shows that the school will be hosting during this upcoming year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> Ensuring School Readiness for your Child Wed, 03 Jan 2018 10:26:47 +0000 <p>If your child is just about to start <a href="" target="_blank">preschool</a> for the first time, the experience can be quite overwhelming. You obviously want what is best for your child, but you also need to balance between trusting their teachers to do the right thing. In addition, it will be a completely new experience for your child and it may take them sometime to get used to school life.</p> <p>Ensuring school readiness is therefore a teamwork effort. It involves you, your child and teachers all being on the same page. Here are several important steps to keep in mind as you embark on the journey towards school readiness.</p> <p><strong>Emotional preparation </strong></p> <p>Starting school is a significant emotional process for both the parent and the child. You will find yourself undergoing mixed emotions; excitement about your child growing and taking the next big step in their lives, as well as the reality of watching them become independent and spend less time with you. All in all, emotional preparation for school readiness can be achieved by doing the following:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Visiting the school beforehand</strong>: this allows both you and your child to become accustomed to the school environment and to see how the classes look like, and if all the facilities the child needs are in place.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Meet the teachers in advance</strong>: it helps to become familiar with the teacher and begin to build a relationship with them</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Get books about starting school for the children to read</strong>: there are great books that your child can begin to read to get more familiar with schooling life.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Practical preparation </strong></p> <p>Practical preparation involves carrying out all the relevant errands that are associated with school readiness. This involves taking your child uniform shopping, labeling their clothes so they don't lose them, and teaching them how to put their uniform on by themselves.</p> <p>This is important because when the child starts school, they should know how to do much of these activities by themselves.</p> <p><strong>Academic preparation </strong></p> <p>Of course, your child is just beginning school so you can expect them to immediately become academic experts. However, there are several steps you can take to instill a mindset in your child that is ready for learning.</p> <p>You can do this by getting them interesting books for them to read, teaching them to adhere to a specific timetable while at home, and even teaching them how to read and write their own name beforehand. This will give the child a head start towards school readiness and the confidence they will need moving forward.</p> Early Learning: 3 Kinds of Activity Offered By a Child Care Centre Mon, 28 Aug 2017 10:50:33 +0000 <p>As a parent with a young toddler, the time will arrive when it is time to take them to their first early learning class. <a href="" target="_blank">Early learning</a>&nbsp;is an important part of the developmental process. The early education sessions are designed to expose your child to a range of different fundamental skills. The early learning sessions at your local childcare centre will also provide you with the ideal chance for you to introduce your child to other kids so they can begin learning how to socialise. Below is a breakdown of the kinds of activities your child may take part in during an early learning session.</p> <p><strong>Counting Games</strong></p> <p>The child care staff will play games with your child to encourage basic understanding of numbers. For example, the child care staff member may sing a song about a monkey with 5 bananas. Each time she reaches a number, they will pause and encourage the children taking part to shout out the number. Even if your child doesn't know the answer to how many bananas are left in the monkey's tree, they will soon learn to mimic other children. With enough repetition, they will soon start to understand the basics of mathematics.</p> <p><strong>Spelling Games</strong></p> <p>The early learning activities your child takes part in will also introduce them to the basics of spelling and language. At first, this will typically take the form of the child being asked to colour in pictures of the letters of the alphabet. As your child is colouring in these letters, the child care staff will repeat the sound the letter makes. Over a number of weeks, this will progress to the point where you child can begin to spell their own name and identify individual letters when they see them.</p> <p><strong>Creative Games</strong></p> <p>Finally, a good child care centre will encourage your child's creativity. This is usually achieved by allowing your child to experiment with paints, play-doh and puppets. Using paints will allow your child to learn about the different colours in the world and how they change when they are mixed. Painting their own pictures will also allow them to express themselves in new ways and will provide you with great fridge art. Play-doh will allow your child to construct their own structures and objects as they explore how they can manipulate the environment which surrounds them. Finally, using puppets will encourage your child to use their imagination to tell and understand stories.</p> <p>If you would like further information about early learning, you should contact your local child care centre.</p> Starting Child Care: How to Minimise Separation Anxiety Tue, 11 Jul 2017 09:06:01 +0000 <p>Taking your child to a daycare center for the first time can cause separation anxiety in your child. Several measures can help to reduce the magnitude of that separation anxiety. This article discusses some of those helpful measures.</p> <p><strong>Control Your Feelings</strong></p> <p>Children are very sensitive to the attitudes and feelings of their parents or caregivers. It is therefore very important for you to be positive as you take your child to the daycare center for the first time. How can you do this? Never apologise for enrolling your child into a daycare center because the child will think that you did something wrong. Secondly, talk about the exciting things that your child will experience once he or she goes to the daycare center. The child will start looking forward to the experience of being at the daycare center.</p> <p><strong>Do It Slowly</strong></p> <p>Another way to reduce separation anxiety is to phase out the transition for your child. For example, you should not leave the child at the child care center for an entire day if it is his or her first time to be away from you. Instead, leave him or her there for about an hour on the first day. Keep increasing the time he or she spends at the daycare center on subsequent days until it is now easy to be away for the entire day. This "breaking in" period can last a week.</p> <p><strong>Leave Something</strong></p> <p>You can also reduce how anxious your child feels by leaving him or her with an object that can remind them of the familiar home setting. For example, you can leave a scarf or a teddy bear behind. This object will comfort the child and reduce the separation anxiety felt while you are away.</p> <p><strong>Say Goodbye</strong></p> <p>It is never a good idea to sneak away from your child when you first take him or her to a daycare center. This is because the child will feel abandoned and he or she will find it hard to settle in at the daycare center. It is better to prepare your child for your departure. For example, you can tell your child that you will be going to work once you finish reading to him or her a story. Saying bye reassures the child that you are going away for a while but will be back for him or her. Your child will then feel less anxious while you are away.</p> <p>The transition period will be less difficult for you and your child if you implement the suggestions above. Talk to <a href="" target="_blank">child care</a> experts for more help.</p> Five Safety Tips to Keep in Mind When Hiring and Employing Nannies Fri, 30 Dec 2016 13:50:31 +0000 <p>If you are hiring a <a href="" target="_blank">nanny,</a> there are numerous steps you can take to ensure your child is as safe as possible. Wondering what to keep in mind? Here's a look at five tips to help you:</p> <p><strong>1. Trust your instincts</strong></p> <p>When you are hiring anyone to work with your kids, it's critical to trust your instincts. If something in you cries, "no" to a particular candidate, you should honour that feeling, regardless of the nanny's credentials on paper. Additionally, once you hire a nanny, continue to listen to that little voice of caution in your head, and if your children bring up any misgivings, listen to them as well.</p> <p><strong>2. Arrange care in your home. </strong></p> <p>If possible, have the nanny take care of your child in your own home. That gives you control over the environment. It also ensures that you can childproof the house in whatever way you find suitable. If you have the nanny care for your child in their home or a daycare facility, you have limited control over how potential risks such as staircases and outlets are managed.</p> <p><strong>3. Consider a camera.</strong></p> <p>Instincts are an age old protective tool, but in contemporary parenting, technology plays a role as well. So that you can check in on the nanny at any time, consider setting up a nanny cam. Many cams let you check in on what's happening using your smartphone or a laptop with internet access.</p> <p><strong>4. Schedule random check ins.</strong></p> <p>Nanny cams can be moved and tampered with, and in addition to using a camera, you may want to schedule a few random drop bys. Rather than telling the nanny when you will be home, stop by your house in the middle of the day. If that isn't possible, have a neighbour or relative stop by. This allows you to get a candid look at what is happening at any random point in the day.</p> <p><strong>5. &nbsp;Use a security system with individual codes. </strong></p> <p>In addition to ensuring your children are safe with the nanny, you also want to ensure that your home is safe. If you have a security alarm, set it up with a few different codes. Then, give the nanny his or her individual code. That way, if the nanny enters the home when you are not there or gives the code to a thief, you can immediately tell that it was them and not someone else.</p> <p>Finally, consider working with a staffing agency. These companies can vet potential candidates for you to ensure they have the right credentials and background to safely care for your children.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> 2 Props You Can Use To Help Your Child Transition To Day Care Thu, 27 Oct 2016 10:53:27 +0000 <p>Transitioning from being home with you to starting day care can be tough for young kids. Their routine will change, they'll miss you, and they may not understand why they now attend day care. You can make their transition smoother by helping them understand what to expect and getting them excited about the fun things they'll do at day care. Here are two props you can use at home to help your child see <a href="" target="_blank">day care</a> as a positive experience:</p> <p><strong>Personalised Board Book</strong></p> <p>There are a number of online businesses making fully customised board books for preschool children. You simply have to let them know what you want on each page and the book will be made up according to your specifications. You can provide your own images or choose from the company's bank of popular images. You could use a board book to show your child all the fun activities they'll do at day care, such as playing in a sandbox, finger painting, having lunch with other kids and story time. You can also include other parts of their routine at day care, such as naptime. This will remove some of the mystery of what to expect, and if you use positive language when looking through the book, your child will feel excited about all the fun they're going to have.</p> <p><strong>Photo Gallery </strong></p> <p>Day care providers will be happy to let you take some pictures of their facilities before your child joins them. Staff generally understand the benefit of a child recognising their faces on their first day, so they are happy to provide a picture of themselves or let you take their picture. Creating a photo gallery on an easily accessible wall in your home gives your child the opportunity to become familiar with the day care setting before they start attending, and it encourages them to ask questions and have conversations about day care with you. They'll enjoy seeing the toys they can play with and where they'll have lunch, and when they walk into day care on their first day you can point out all the things they're used to looking at on their special photo wall at home.</p> <p>These props will help prepare your child for their new adventure and let them understand you see day care as a positive place, which can be helpful as kids are intuitive and pick up on their parents' feelings. If your child seems fussy for a couple of weeks when they start day care, rest assured this is quite normal. They are adapting to a new routine and can get tired from running around all day with other children.&nbsp;</p> Three Key Ways You Can Shape Your Child's Development Mon, 24 Oct 2016 08:50:46 +0000 <p>The way your child negotiates their first five years of life can have a massive impact upon their future prospects. Even before kids reach school age, their verbal and problem-solving abilities will largely have been established. At that stage, they will either have the right grounding to flourish in the educational system or be at a permanent disadvantage relative to their peers.</p> <p>This has been born out by study after study. For instance, researchers in the USA <a href="" rel="nofollow">found</a> that children receiving extra help in their early years were much less likely to require special assistance in later years. Others have <a href="" rel="nofollow">found</a> that the first three years of life had a formative influence on young people's' communication skills. So what can Australian parents do to ensure that their children have the best possible start?</p> <p><strong>Talk to Your Child to Stimulate Their Communication Skills</strong></p> <p>The way adults communicate with children is incredibly important to the way their brains develop. Starving kids of verbal attention or humouring them with baby talk for too long can both have the effect of slowing down their verbal development.</p> <p>Ask your child questions, pay attention to their answers and requests and try out what might at first seem like complex language. Kids want to grapple with complexity—it's how they move forward and begin the process of mastering language, so don't be afraid to use long sentences and different clauses.</p> <p>When you source<a href="" target="_blank">child care</a> providers, choose companies that specialise in communication. Everyone who speaks to your child will make a big impression on how their communication skills grow.</p> <p><strong>Make Sure Your Child Gets the Right Nutrition</strong></p> <p>The way children are fed is equally important as how they are spoken to. Children who don't receive enough vitamin B are <a href="" rel="nofollow">known</a> to be more prone to aggressive behaviour later in life.</p> <p>There is also solid evidence that diet has a key <a href="" rel="nofollow">influence</a> on intelligence. Children fed diets rich in fats and sugars generally have lower IQs by the age of eight than those fed mainly on fresh fruit and vegetables, pasta and salads. This means maxing out on those foods, but also encouraging your child to eat vitamin B rich foods like salmon or yoghurt.</p> <p><strong>Book a Place at the Best Local Kindergarten</strong></p> <p>The third essential is finding a kindergarten near you that will take your child's education seriously. You may well be looking at kindergartens from a child care perspective, which is understandable, but try to factor in the quality of the education provided as well. Too often, parents choose a conveniently located institution rather than one that really engages with kids and challenges them, instead of just keeping them content.</p> <p>A good kindergarten will want to work with you to find out what your child likes to eat, how they interact with others and the way you communicate with your child. They will apply the knowledge you give them and help to introduce your child to more advanced reading, mathematics and problem-solving tasks. Instead of just allowing your child to develop, they will shape their development, leaving them ready to shine at school.</p> <p>With the right diet, strong parental communication from the start, and a high-quality kindergarten, your child will be on the road to success. Just don't coast. Those early years can't be wasted time. They could be absolutely crucial.</p> Choo-choo-sing to explore transport topics with your children Fri, 21 Oct 2016 11:19:04 +0000 <p>Kids often love exploring the idea of transport and go through stages of being obsessed with train, planes and other forms of transport. This can be a great topic to focus on for a week at <a href="" target="_blank">child care</a>, as there is a range of interesting child-friendly activities within the theme of transportation.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Train sets</strong></p> <p>Playing with train sets can be a great activity for kids. It can help kids to improve their dexterity and fine motors skills. Tracing the trains in sweeping loops across the body involves crossing the '<a href="" rel="nofollow">midline</a>' which can be useful to help children develop their gross motor skills. Even if you don't have the funds for a full train set, you can often hire large train sets from toy libraries.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Books about trains and cars</strong></p> <p>There are also some great picture books that can encourage children to learn some basic numeracy and literacy concepts by counting cars and trains. These can be a great way to encourage a reluctant book reader to sit down and spend some quiet time reading books. You can also find books with textural aspects such as squeaky buttons for horns which encourages dexterity as children explore the book. Why not ask the librarian for some recommendations on popular transport-themed books in their collection for toddlers and preschoolers?</p> <p><strong>Movies and TV shows about trains</strong></p> <p>If you have a rainy day or just need some quiet time, there are a range of TV shows about trains including 'Thomas the Tank Engine' and the 'Chuggington' series. These are very easy for even the youngest children to watch so they can be a great option if you need to keep your child occupied for a bit. The characters go on a range of adventures that encourage positive personality traits such as persistence and compassion.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Excursions</strong></p> <p>A fun cornerstone to any period of focusing on transport is to plan an excursion where you get to try some different types of transport. This can include catching a bus or train to the airport or ferry terminal (depending on the main transport in your area). Not only will the kids get to ride on different types of transport, but they can also get the experience of counting money for the fare and seeing the stops along the way.&nbsp;</p> <p>If you have a child who is obsessed with transport, it can be fun to spend some time exploring the topic with them through books, songs, TV and excursions.&nbsp;</p> Dealing With Speech Regressions in Children Fri, 21 Oct 2016 09:48:54 +0000 <p>Many children will regress in their speech skills at different points in their development. This can be very worrying for parents and carers but does not necessarily mean there is a cause for concern.</p> <p>Here are three common issues which can cause speech delays.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Emotional issues such as the birth of a sibling&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>When a sibling is born, much of the focus in the family goes to the new child. It is very normal for a child to regress in their speech and take on more 'baby-like' characteristics. This is an indication that they need more emotional support and would prefer to go back to an age where life felt easier and people were doing more for them. This is very normal and tends to self-correct over time when the child gets some more attention.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Autism</strong></p> <p>Autism can take a varied onset path, which in some cases includes a sudden appearance in children around 2-3 years old. Children who show signs of autism at this age often start to 'lose' the language that they have previously had and may develop other symptoms including difficulty in making eye contact and issues with social interaction. It can be hard to tell the difference between the usual varied development path of young children and a child with autism, so it is a good idea to take your child for a professional assessment if you are worried that this is an issue for your child.&nbsp;</p> <p>If your child does turn out to be autistic, getting early support including speech therapy can make a huge difference in their skills and abilities as they develop.</p> <p><strong>Hearing loss</strong></p> <p>Even when children have 'gained' a speech skill such as making a certain sound or combination of sounds, they are constantly listening to their speech and self-correcting. Children who lose hearing during childhood often develop a flat or odd cadence in their speech and may confuse sounds that have a similar mouth position for pronunciation (such as /d/ and /t/). If your child seems to be losing accuracy in pronunciation and struggling to self-correct speech issues, it can be a good idea to take them for a hearing assessment and meeting with a speech pathologist to establish if there are any issues with their hearing.&nbsp;</p> <p>As you can see, a range of issues including emotional development and physical problems can result in speech regression. It is a good idea to get your child's speech assessed at a clinic like <a href="" target="_blank">communiKIDS</a>&nbsp;if you are concerned so that you can determine the underlying reason for the regression.&nbsp;</p> Celebrating Valentine's Day at preschool Fri, 19 Feb 2016 10:54:24 +0000 <p>Valentine's Day is all about celebrating love. Preschools can introduce the topic of love and Valentine's celebrations in an inclusive way that talks about all the kinds of love we have in our life, including parents, carers from the child care centre and peers.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Cards for class mates and carers</strong></p> <p>Rather than placing pressure on busy working parents to buy or create Valentine's cards for the whole class, you can do some inclusive activities in class where everyone gets to make a card for a secret (and randomly selected) Valentine. Potato print of hearts, Xs and Os can make a cute and simple card that any age group could manage and can be enhanced with glitter for the children who like extra sparkle. The kids can write or get the carer to help write one thing they like about the card recipient.&nbsp;</p> <p>By ensuring that all children make a Valentine, everyone gets at least one Valentine and no one gets left out of the celebrations.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Flowers for parents and carers</strong></p> <p>As the kids have a range of different care situations you can keep things simple by asking them to make a bunch of flowers for everyone in their family. They can thread paper petals made from scraps of craft paper, old gift wrap or even catalogues onto pipe cleaners. This lets the kids use some creativity as well as letting you discuss reusing and recycling items to create new gifts.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Heart cookies</strong></p> <p>Another fun activity is to make some heart cookies to share with each other at morning tea. You can make a simple cookie recipe with 2 cup of flour, 1 cup of butter, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of white sugar and a splash of vanilla extract. Cookie cutters can be used to stamp out love heart cookies which you can decorate with cake decorations or dried fruit for extra flavour. The cookies cook for 15 minutes at 180 degrees C, giving you just enough time to clean up before they make it out of the oven. You can also make some extras to send home as additional gifts.&nbsp;</p> <p>By focusing on the important aspects of Valentine's Day, such as letting the special people in your life know how much you love them, can be a great opportunity to talk about relationships with small children. By focusing on the true meaning of the day you can incorporate fun and educational activities into Valentine's Day at <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">preschool</a>.&nbsp;</p>