There are so many benefits to welcoming pets into your children’s lives. Not only are they cute, but they can teach some important lessons that our four legged friends teach the best. Pets relieve stress, provide a safe haven, boost self-esteem, and give the opportunity to care for another and create a special bond.

After a hard day at school your child will feel so much better being able to hang out with their pet and cuddle or talk to them. Many children talk to their pets knowing that it is a non-judgmental space. They may find that they can share their secrets with their pets; it provides your child with a healthy outlet.

Pets can relieve stress and boost self-esteem in many children through the therapy of love. Think about walking into your house and how excited your pets are to see you no matter what kind of day you’ve had. Your pet will love you unconditionally; children need that extra cheer leader in their lives too.

Pets encourage nurturing behavior. Being nurturing is something that has to be learned; it isn’t something that we are born knowing how to do. Being nurtured by our own parents is just a part of it; children also have to be given opportunities to be the nurturers. Owning pets gives boys and girls equal opportunity for this. Depending on the age of your child this can be a great way to teach being gentle. It can help in learning patience and kindness as well.

With a pet to care for your children are given more opportunities to play outside. This can create a stronger bond with the entire family by going on nightly walks with the dogs, and taking them on special outings with the family like camping and picnics.

Caring for pets promotes responsibility. It is a huge responsibility to care for another being. Not meaning that it will be too much for your child, but meaning that they will be gaining the best understanding of others by having a pet. It will teach them empathy and how to think of others; a part from themselves. A pet just might be their first friend outside of the immediate family, which will become a part of the family very quickly. Your child will have an understanding of bonds, and what really makes a family; not just blood.

Perhaps pets are a stretch for you for a few different reasons, so consider something small and simple to handle. Fish and small caged animals can have the same positive effects. It gives your child a better understanding of how precious life is, no matter how small. Seriously, consider a pet for the social and emotional well-being of your children.

~Ms. Brooke
Lead Pre-K
Curriculum Coordinator
Literacy Leader

It’s Not Goodbye… Just See You Later

In the daycare world kids often come across many many changes and growth during their time in care. Kids are growing so fast it’s hard to believe sometimes. So many different milestones are being met, emotions are evolving, and so many wonderful moments are being created within their classrooms.

As children start to get a bit older, they realize and can really feel the change happening around them. During their time in care, children will be transitioning to different classrooms as they mature. Even at a young age, these kiddos know exactly what is going on. They sense your emotions as parents and ours as teachers along with all of their own.

When your child becomes apart of our classrooms, they become apart of us. We are so lucky to spend a huge chunk of our day with them. They really are an extension of our family, our kids. So when its time to make that transition to a new classroom or maybe you are exiting daycare for ‘xyz’ reason, it is so important to make sure as their parents you are preparing them for these changes.

It is important to make sure they are able to express and work through any feelings they may be having about moving to a different classroom or leaving school. This is such a great opportunity to really engage your child to use words to express their emotions.

In some cases, you may not feel like you personally connected deeply with your child’s teacher. But, your child who has spent weeks upon weeks with their teachers may feel very differently. On the other hand, you may absolutely adore and connect with their teacher, and maybe they did not.. at all-haha! Most importantly, it’s not about us. It is about them. So allowing them the chance to communicate their feelings about leaving should be a priority.

While talking with your child about these changes, it’s great to speak with their current and future teachers. Their current teachers should be discussing the upcoming transition as well. Be on the same page; discuss the child’s hesitations and/or excitements together. That way when either party is speaking with the child about the changes they can both address any concerns that the child may have. If you are able, it’s wonderful to meet your child’s future teachers before they enter the new classroom. As the time gets closer, doing a walk-through together and meeting the new teachers is helpful so you both can get a feel for the new environment.

Most important, allow the child to say goodbye. Let them know of their last day in their current classroom so they can gain a small piece of closure. Allow them the opportunity (if they would like) to say goodbye to friends and teachers. Remember, your kiddo has spent weeks after weeks with the same group of friends (some would say family) and they have made some wonderful bonds. It is a happy, sad, exciting, and scary time for some; transitions can sometimes be hard on all of us. Communication is so key here to see that the emotional needs of these kiddos are being met.

Remember, its not goodbye forever. Just see you soon or until next time.
~ Ms. Whitney
Lead Pre-K Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator

Summer is my absolute favorite season. I love being outside and feeling the sunshine. Even as a child, summer was something I always looked forward to. Not because of the typical reason of “school is finally out!”, but rather because of the fun, easy going times summertime brings.

In fact, I’ve always loved school. As a kid, and especially as an adult, I enjoy learning, progressing, and engaging my brain. One of my hopes as a teacher, and as a mother, is to try and pass on my love of education to my son.

So while it is Summer time and I want him to enjoy every minute of it, I also want to show him that learning can happen year round; and it can be fun! ReadingRockets.org offers some great ideas on how to keep up on curriculum during the Summer.

Here are a few I find very easy and very valuable:

1) Incorporate reading and writing into every day:
I personally think this may be the most important step in encouraging academics during the Summer! For our family, reading stories at bedtime is where we get a lot of our daily literacy. I know that during the Summer, bedtimes may be a bit later, therefore the bedtime routine may suffer. However, incorporating that bedtime story every night can be a vital resource to that growing mind!

Choose smaller books, learn to read books, books about Summer, or any kind of book that fits your needs; just make sure you are still reading! Further, one of my favorite things to do when it comes to incorporating fun writing, is writing with nature. Say you go on a hike, you and your children could collect flowers, rocks, leaves, sticks, really anything and see how many letters/words you can create! Journaling about your fun Summer activities is also a great way to keep writing active.

2) Be an active citizen:
Social and emotional growth goes hand-in-hand with academia. Children who are active within their community gain skills in empathy, self-confidence, and problem solving! PBS kids offers a ZOOM program where volunteer resources are offered, different projects to work on, and stories from other children on how community engagement impacted them.

3) “Make cool things”:
Encourage your kids to be hands on! The world of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) is being introduced to more and more school programs each year, and it is great! Pinterest some fun projects you can create based around STEAM, I promise there are so many! And, half of the fun is in trying. If a Pinterest fail happens, use that as a learning opportunity and try it again! STEAM doesn’t have to be boring or limiting, see how creative you and your kids can be this Summer!

While these are only a few suggestions on how to keep learning alive in the Summer, I hope they were valuable. Even more, I hope this inspired you to come up with your own ideas on how to engage kiddos while school is out! Summer learning doesn’t have to be as boring or as daunting as it may seem, just be resourceful and remember to have FUN! Tag or comment with us your favorite summer learning activities!

-Ms. Caitlin
Wellness Coordinator

Christmas time is everybody’s most awaited time of the year. But, if adults are looking forward to the holidays, just imagine the excitement that most kids feel as the yuletide approaches. One of the things that preschool children love about Christmas are the holiday-themed activities they get to do only during this time of the year. As parents, this is an excellent time for you to bond with your kids, and give them some activities that also provide them more opportunities for learning. So what are you waiting for? Get into the holiday spirit and explore the following exciting holiday Activities for Preschoolers in Colorado Springs.

Making stockings

If there’s anything that most kids at preschool age are excited about as the holidays approach, that’s the fact that they will be getting Christmas presents. And when it comes to gifts, it has already been a tradition of many kids in the US to hang their stockings by the fireplace and wait for their gifts from Santa Claus. Make it even more exciting for them by creating their own stunning Christmas stocking. Provide them the materials they need and guide them as they design their own stocking to however they want it to look like. This way, they are doing something productive, and this is an opportunity for them to channel their creative skills.

Decorating Christmas tree

Kids would love to participate to some of the adult activities. So when it’s time for you to put up your Christmas tree, don’t forget to get your children involved. Kids at their preschool age may not be able to do heavy and complex tasks but it does not mean that you can’t entrust them with the simple ones. They’d love to feel that you trust them even with the little things. When it comes to Christmas tree decoration, you can probably ask them to hang the Christmas balls according to color. You can let them pick the other decorations, or hang the candy canes.

Baking goodies

Baking is another activity that your little ones would love to do with you. Aside from being able to teach them a new skill or an activity that they would probably love to do as they grow old, this is an excellent chance for you to bond. Choose some fun baked goodies you can make with your kids. You can have gingerbread cookies, or cookies with various shapes, or maybe colorful cupcakes. Then, ask them to do some simple steps like adding some ingredients to your mixture, or asking them to do the mixing as you guide them. These maybe simple things but these are the ones that will leave good memories in their hearts.

Gift-giving and donations

At a young age, it is important that parents teach their kids the importance of giving and sharing with others. This holiday season, you can encourage them to practice it by asking them to collect some stuff they don’t use anymore so that they can give it to the less fortunate kids. Make a big box where they can put in their stuff and ask them to collect their old toys, shoes, clothes, books and everything else that other children can still use. Let them understand why they are doing it and recognize their effort and their desire to give.

Introduce new Christmas books

While most kids would love to spend the holidays playing, it will also be a good idea if you encourage them to read at least one book. When you go Christmas shopping, you can drop by the bookstore and let them choose a holiday themed book they would be interested to read while they are on vacation.

Making Christmas cards

Preschool children love to draw, color and paint. And you can encourage them to make good use of these skills by making their own Christmas cards. Ask them to make some cards for whoever they want to thank for this holiday season. This is an excellent way for them to do something fun, exciting and productive at the same time. Just make sure all the materials are ready for them and that they do this under an adult’s supervision.