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8 Tips to Help Your Child Adjust to Preschool

August 31, 2018 by Young Scholars Academy 3 Comments

Adjust to preschool
Children having their snack time with teacher

It’s time for your little one to attend to preschool and you have no idea how to prepare for it. You may have heard from other parents that the transition for the first few weeks will be hard and stressful for both you and your child. Separation anxiety in children is a common thing and it’s nothing to be afraid of. There are ways to help children adjust to preschool and to make the transition easier for both of you.

Starting school is a big milestone for both kids and parents. Preschool offers a lot of benefits but it can be a bit difficult for children to leave the familiar safety of home. Some parents may also worry about whether their children are ready for school or not. Here are 8 tips to help you and your child adjust to preschool.

Have a Positive Attitude

Going to school for the first time is a big change in a family’s life. Remember to always stay positive. Children can pick up on your feelings, whether it’s positive or negative. So if you are having a hard time, your child will feel that way, too. Try to have the  mindset to be perky and excited. Pay attention to the way you talk about them going to school. If you sound nervous, your child will tune in to your feelings and not the words you’ve spoken. Portray a sense of calmness and confidence. Preschool is a wonderful thing to happen to kids. Let them grow, learn, and develop new memories with teachers and schoolmates.

Talk to your child about school

Introduce the idea of school to your child long before they’re ready for school. Introduce them other children who go to school. Show them the school bus and tell them stories about how much fun it is to ride in one. Tell them what they can do in school and how they can make lots of new friends and playmates there. Describe the playground and the new toys they can play with and so on. Talk about school as a positive place for them to go to. Don’t create a negative impression about school, otherwise, your child may not look at school in a positive manner.

A consistent routine is key

Having a consistent routine can create a sense of normalcy for every child. Make a consistent morning ritual and make sure that they have enough sleep the night before. Have breakfast together, pack lunch, help them prep for school, and leave home happily. At school, you can say hello to their teacher together before saying goodbye to each other.

Slowly and gradually phase out separation anxiety

Separation anxiety in children is common especially between the ages 1 to 3. Children tend to cling to their parents and cry out whenever they don’t see them near. When your child is already going to preschool, try to phase out separation. Most preschools allow the parents to stay with their children for the first few hours. Encourage your child to enjoy the new environment they are in. Children can become comfortable in 2-3 days time. Every child reacts differently, so depending on how they respond, you can gradually decrease the time you spend with your child. Leave them for half an hour, then an hour and so on. Make sure to pick your child up on time. This instills confidence in them that you are there whenever they may need you. If you can already see that your child is enjoying school without your company, try not to linger too long and go on to your other tasks.

child at a preschool
a child learning how to read

Help ease your child’s fears

At a young age, children are still not capable of expressing their feelings in words. Try to be gentle and understanding. If going to school scares your child and they refuse to go, talk to them and make them understand how important school is. Talk instead of trying to force them.

Recall the second tip. Spend time having conversations with your child about school. Gradually introduce your child to the possible activities they will get to do in school. You can also let them play early with crayons and paper, this will make them comfortable when they see these things at school. To ease your child’s fear of unknown territory, visit the preschool classroom a few times before school starts. Meet with the teachers and  ask about common school activities and routines to prepare your child for what is ahead.

Let your child explore the new classroom and let them interact with other children. This will help them become familiar with this new environment. The more composed and calm you are with sending your child to preschool, the more confident your child will be going to school.

Saying goodbye helps

When leaving your child at school, do not sneak out. Don’t leave without saying a proper goodbye. You don’t want your child to feel abandoned when you sneak out, right? Avoiding a tearful farewell by not saying goodbye may be an idea you’d entertain but it will just impose a negative feeling to your child. Always include a loving goodbye and make it quick. If you are going to make a promise to return, be sure to be on time.

Stay connected

Always make time to bond with your child. Every day after school, have a special time to ask them about their day. Listen to what they have to say and interact.

Involve the teacher

Children need to feel connected to adults that they think will keep them safe. When they are in school, the immediate adult they have in their environment is the teacher. Help your child bond with the teacher. Experienced teachers can help children ease the transition from home to school. They can assign a special job to the child so that they can feel more connected, like they have a role to play each day. Teachers have a lot of effective strategies in their arsenal for helping young kids adjust in school. Your child will learn to trust their teacher when you show that you trust them, too.

When it’s time for your child to go to school, make sure to prepare early. Let them get a good night’s sleep so that they will have the energy to do fun activities in school. Preparing early  will help your child adjust to preschool quickly. Follow the tips mentioned above for an easy transition of this big change. If you are looking for a good preschool for your child, check out this daycare in Colorado Springs.

Filed Under: Family Tips

Tips to Prepare your Children for the New School Year

August 30, 2018 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

back to school essentials
Going back to school is exciting

It’s August, summer is finally coming to an end and the new school year is right around the corner. Time for  parents and students all over the country to start their back to school preparations. Whether your children look forward to this event or they dread the regimented school days ahead, one thing is for sure – back to school entails another big transition. Help your kids cope with the biggest adjustments and make those first weeks of school easier for them with the following tips:

Start talking about the upcoming school year

Before summer break ends, find opportunities to talk to your child about the upcoming school year. Instead of allowing them to dwell on the post-holiday blues, get them excited about going back to school. Think of the things your child will love about school. It could be spending time  with friends, having time to play with other kids, or about a subject they are interested in? Highlight these topics during your conversation so that they’ll have something to look forward to.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Family Tips

3 Simple Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Preschool

August 2, 2018 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

preschool math sheet
Preschool has the right tools to help your child succeed

Getting back into the school year can be a fun and exciting time! I get asked a lot by my students’ parents ways they can help their child thrive in the preschool environment. As parents, you want to help your child be the best version of themself and do everything to help them along the way. As we begin the new school year I just wanted to communicate with parents 3 simple ways that they can really help their child succeed in preschool.

• Try to establish a morning routine with your child – You know them best! Getting into a routine where they feel familiar with what will be going on really helps you get out the door on time! I know personally when I stray from our ‘normal’ morning routine my kids seem just ‘lost’ and then it makes me feel crazy! Ha! Include your child in their routine, have them help pack the morning snack ahead of time, pack their backpack on Sunday nights so they have their crib sheet, blanket/lovey ready to go. Give them the chance to show some independence and be in charge of their morning.

• Have conversations and make connections with your child’s teachers – I love talking with parents in the morning! Especially when a child is coming in grumpy/sad/mad. It is very helpful to know the reason ‘why’. We want to help your child talk about how they are feeling and help them work through their issue, especially when something happens at the very beginning of their day.

When my son has a rough night of sleep or a tough time out the door, I always try to have a quick conversation with his teacher. As a parent, I want to know he was able to work through it (even if it wasn’t with me). Tell us the super happy things too! When there is an exciting transition –moving, new pet, new sibling, etc. these are wonderful things to discuss with your child as well. They really love sharing these topics with us most of the time, but its great to have the conversation with you as well.

• Talk to your child on the drive home – Open up the conversation to allow your little one to express how their day was and what they did. I encourage parents to check LifeCubby and the front of our classroom door to see the main topics we focused on for the day. Use those topics as conversation starters on the way home. When you read under Science that your child’s class played with real worms, ask open-ended questions to see what they thought about the activity. Try to stay away from questions that may only get a “yes or no” response. Making this connection at the end of the school day is a great transition from preschool to home.

These are just a few easy ideas to help get the school year started off right! We all want to see your child grow as a whole person-socially, emotionally, and academically. Lets all kick off the new school year making these wonderful connections, setting important routines, and setting up the kiddos to really succeed!

-Ms. Whitney
Curriculum Coordinator
Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

Filed Under: Holidays

Sticking With Bedtime Routines

August 2, 2018 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

child holding teddy bear before bedtime
Bedtime is important for kids

School is upon us, and I know many of us have strayed from our bedtime routines, or have never had one before. With school right around the corner now is a great time to get on this. One of the most common things you hear from parents when days are bad is “they did not well sleep last night”, “we stayed up too late”, or “they’re just tired”. I get it, life happens and sometimes we do not make it to bed on time. Or sometimes kids are just in that mood where going to sleep is going to be a battle.

That is exactly why bedtimes that are set in stone are so, so important. It may not seem like a big deal to some, or may seem like something that can be different times for various reasons. No! Bedtime is the exact opposite. Small children need their sleep. Hell, we all need our sleep. I have included a chart from the national sleep foundation for the amounts of time that children and adults need to sleep to have a properly working body and be at their best.

Making bedtime a routine is a must. It may seem daunting if it is not something that your family or you do. First, decide what’s most important to your family for this time; bath, story, some T.V., brushing teeth, sweeping the room for monsters, picking out clothes for tomorrow. There are so many ways to approach this. No matter what your pick you just need to stick to it, and the times. If you want your kids in bed by 8 make it happen. If you want them fast asleep by 9 then plan accordingly.

Having a bedtime routine isn’t just amazing for your children. It’s amazing for YOU too! Think of this structured free time you have just earned yourself each night. Maybe you want some wine and Netflix time, or maybe you want to read a bedtime story before sleeping too. Maybe you haven’t had much time for your significant other lately.

The possibilities are endless. I’m not saying every night will be peaches and cream. But having a set routine that you stuck to 99% of the time will make your life so much easier for many reasons. With well rested kids everyone’s immune system will be more aggressive, less sick days, happier kids, parents and teachers. How much we sleep each night has a direct domino effect for our whole day.

-Ms. Brooke
Curriculum Coordinator
Literacy Coordinator
Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Preschooler’s Social Emotional Health

August 2, 2018 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Forget the ABC’s and 123’s.

kids on a bed
It is important to teach children about emotional well being

Why is it not a priority to teach our children social emotional health and well-being? Why are we so concerned with milestones and where a child is at academically, that we overlook their social emotional welfare?

There has been a switch in what people are now thinking is important for children to “master.” Social Emotional Learning skills, or those most related to character, confidence, anger management, optimism and self-awareness, are other important contributors to student success.”

CASEL (the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning) an organization based at the University of Illinois, defines Social Emotional Learning as:
“Social and emotional learning is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”

“Don’t become preoccupied with your child’s academic ability but instead teach them:
to sit with those sitting alone, to be kind, be a friend, to encourage others, to think about other people, to look for the good THIS IS HOW THEY’LL CHANGE THE WORLD” -Anonymous

We are so focused on making sure our children are the next rocket scientist that we are not making sure to give them the tools that will make them successful in life. For instance, child has lots of cousins, and family friends around his age. When we get together it is always a competition on who is potty trained, who knows their ABC’s, and who is going to be the next president. I on the other hand am looking at who is sharing, who is offering up their toy to the crying friend next to them, who is making sure everyone is include, who is going to the one child sitting alone waiting to see if they can join in. Now this is not to say that academics are not important but that we might be forgetting to invest in a child’s character as well. On a further point, we should focus on overall wanting a well-rounded child instead.

When we partner social emotional education with academics children become affluential individuals. “Teaching social emotional learning skills can help increase students’ self-awareness and impulse control, boost attendance rates and help them make constructive and responsible decisions in and outside of the classroom. When combined with effective academic instruction, SEL can help all students have a positive and well-rounded educational experience.” (https://www.mheducation.com/…/social-emotional-learning-imp…)

According to Edutopia there are five key areas to focus on with social emotional education.

  1. Self-Awareness
  2. Self-Management
  3. Social Awareness
  4. Relationship Skills
  5. Responsible Decision making
    https://www.edutopia.org/sel-research-learning-outcomes

Thank you all for taking the time and wanting to make this world a better place by raising the best version of tiny humans that you can!

-Ms. Michaela R.
Child Success Advocate
Lead Preschool Teacher

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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