Winter is coming and outside play will become less and less possible as the cold winds and even snow start to blow. But that doesn’t mean your small children can’t be entertained and stimulated.

Thanks to the mass quantities of technology that now consumes our lives on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that it’s even becoming a part of everyday life for even toddlers. Educational developers and computer experts are constantly working together to develop literally thousands of games and apps specifically geared toward small children and toddlers in order to keep them stimulated, help with better hand-eye coordination and well-developed fine motor skills.

Here is but a small list of the most popular apps that combine education and fun for your little one:

1. Pat the Bunny is based on a children’s book from the 1940s and is used as an interactive reading tool. While this iPad app doesn’t off the feel of the faux fur that the original book offered its readers, there are still plenty of scenes that your child can explore and interact with. For example, there’s an Easter egg hunt in all of the scenes as well as coloring activities
2. PianoBall allows your child to explore their musical side by using this app to create their own musical scores. The colorful keyboard attracts your child and keeps their attention as they explore the five different modes that allow the music to be heard the way it would sound with different instruments.
3. Potty Time with Elmo approaches potty training in a whole new way. The wildly popular Sesame Street character will help your toddler with the transition from diapers to using the “big kid potty” by using songs, puzzles and even animated stickers.
4. Drawing Pad is another app that helps your child explore and release their inner creativity. With this app they can use realistic crayons, markers and even paint brushes to create a virtually unlimited portfolio of projects.

Again, this is but a small sampling of the apps available to entertain and educate your child. This winter, replace the toy box full of unused or broken toys with apps like this and let your child explore a whole new world.

With this being said it is our opinion that the best way for a child to learn to be a kid is through hands-on interactions! Check out our Pinterest board for more ideas about what you can do inside!

We all have had at least one role model in our lives. Role models are important to our psychological well-being because they help us guide us through certain decision making processes that can ultimately affect the outcome of our lives.

Children often have many choices when it comes to choosing role models – most often their first role models are parents followed by other adults and relatives, such as teachers.

Role models should be a point of inspiration and give us an idea of how we should behave no matter the situation. This is why it’s very important for a potential role model provide good behavior – behavior that children can imitate without repercussion. There are many choices when children are younger, however as they grow older it can become more difficult for good role models to be found.

Helping your child choose a role model involves finding a person who has good morals, doesn’t take part in behavior that is self-destructive, is hard working, creative and free thinking. And yes it’s true that you can’t pick the role model your child emulates, you can do your part to make sure they are exposed to the type of people who would make good role models to begin with.

Your child’s role model doesn’t have to be Superman or someone famous – in fact, a celebrity may not always be a good choice as many tend to indulge in self-destructing behavior or take part in behavior that is just unsavory to begin with. A good role model will be someone who is similar to you.

When your child has discovered that he or she has a role model, it’s important for you as the parent not to put this person on a pedestal. Role models are human and as such subject to failure and mistakes. You can recognize this person as a guide for the behavior you would like your child to imitate but not necessarily someone your child should act like exclusively.

Thank you for reading!

Caring for an infant can be challenging, particularly in a day care setting; however if done properly, having an infant in a day care that is properly equipped to handle them can positively impact your baby’s experience.

With the state of the economy, more and more families are forced to have homes with two working parents, which means that children are being put into day care environments at younger ages and even for longer time during the day.

If you are among those families who have been forced to place your infant in a day care setting, it doesn’t have to be as scary or challenging as it seems. Things to consider when choosing a good day care environment for your infant are group size of the day care, the quality of the actual physical environment of the day care facility and how the needs are going to be met for each individual infant.

• Group Size: Infants thrive better in a calm environment, it’s true, but each infant reacts differently in different environments. Keeping this in mind, a large group of infants can create chaos and confusion and an unhappy baby – even if there are enough adults to adequately care for all of them. Many infants in a group creates a louder noise level which further leads to confusion and chaos. To have a pleasant experience for all involved, choose a day care facility with six infants or less.

• Environment: As with the group size, the environment of your day care center can mean the difference between an enriching experience and a miserable one. The environment should be comfortable and encourage interaction between the adult caregivers and the infants as well as for the parents to visit with the children at the end of the day.

• Meeting the Needs: Meeting the needs of each infant is directly related to the size of the group of infants in the day care. Smaller groups allow for more intimate care, more flexibility for sleeping, eating and playing schedules and allows for children with special needs to receive the attention they need when they need it.

Caring for children, especially in a group setting like day care, is a profession. Choose your day care facility wisely based on the needs of your family and their ability to meet those needs.