young scholars academy Archives -

Nap Time Survival Checklist

August 7, 2017 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Going from several nap times a day to maybe one per day can be a rough transition for the sanity of both parents and kids!

Nap time is a necessity for young children!

As parents, we get in the habit of having our child take 2-3 naps a day. Then one day you realize your little one is no longer in need of that much nap time per day. But this transition toward fewer naps is hard on their bodies. We know that kids actually do need this time to rest!

Here are some things parents can do to help during this transition:

1. Make sure your child is going to bed at a decent time. Putting a child to bed at 11 pm at night is not going to help the one-nap-a-day situation. Your child’s body needs a certain number of hours of sleep per day. Take in account when your family must wake up and count backward. Here is a link to see the recommended number of hours your child needs based on their age.

2. Create a cool, dark, and quiet designated nap time area. Your child is not going to catch Zzzzs in a mess of a room, where the light is shining through the windows.

a. Make your child’s nap space free of distractions. If your child is napping in their own room, get the toys out of there! I feel that having most toys out of children’s rooms is a great solution to ensure happy dreams. Leave the books though! Books can be a great tool in helping with children relax and transition to sleepy mode. Include one story in their nap routine, it can be helpful to buffer between wake and sleep mode.

b. Get some of the light blocking curtains to make their room darker. There is even window tinting treatments you can put on your windows to help block light. Using one or both will help keep their room darker.

c. Get a fan if your child’s room gets too toasty mid-day. This can also double as white noise which can be soothing.

3. Pick out some calming music if you think that could be helpful for your little one. I like to use a sound machine that has different noises. There are many out there you can purchase to fit your child’s specific needs. You could even set up an iPod with a sleep playlist with relaxing tunes.

4. IMPORTANT! Set up a nap time routine.
• Nap time should occur around the same time every day. Children will get used to the schedule, which will help regulate both bedtime and nap time schedules.
• Get the room nap ready: windows closed, fan on, and music ready.
• Read one story while the child is in bed. This allows their body and mind to become relaxed and calm.
• Say your good nights, and offer plenty of hugs and kisses. Sometimes a song and rubbing their head/back is what they need to get relaxed and in that sleepy mode.

5. Next, shut the door and go take a nap yourself! (Ha ha!) Get caught up on a book, do things around the house, take a shower. Take the time for yourself.

Sometimes there are kiddos who refuse to nap; if you feel your child still needs to nap then be firm with that. If they get up, put them back to bed. Talk to them about meeting their bodies needs, and recharging for the day. If they still refuse every day, put in place a rest time. They still need to be in their room; quiet, resting, and recharging.

This little checklist can help in the survival of the nap time preschool years. Be sure to keep the routine of nap time the best that you can each day. Let your child know of their daily schedule. It will help prepare them for when nap time comes.

-Ms. Whitney
Curriculum Instruction Coordinator

Starting Preschool Tips

March 31, 2016 by Young Scholars Academy 1 Comment

For a little one starting preschool, there can be a lot of nerves. In many cases, the first day of preschool is the first time that your little one has been under the supervision of a stranger. This can create separation anxiety.

It can be hard for parents too. Your child’s nerves can induce nerves in you, the parent. You may worry about whether your little one will have separation anxiety, creating a circle of jitters that can be hard to break once started. To help both you and your child deal with the big day, here are some tips for starting preschool.

Get to Know Your Preschool Teacher/Provider

Starting Preschool Tips — Start preschool with smiles, not tears!

Even a little bit of knowledge can help to calm your nerves. This is why it is so important to get to know who is going to be taking care of your children. Make sure you thoroughly research the child care facility your child will be attending. Get to know the staff and ask about their history and training. Most childcare professionals are naturally approachable and would be happy to open up to you. You will be surprised how this can help reduce your concerns.

Now that you are reasonably calm, you can better help your child negotiate any nerves that might come up.

Arrange a Playdate

To help make the first day more familiar for your child, arrange a playdate for your child and another child in the classroom. Even better, enroll your child in a preschool program one of their friends attends.

For children, the playdate exposes them to new children from their class and makes the first day a little more familiar because they already have a buddy –or even a group of buddies- in the class now. This can cut down on the separation anxiety.

Make the whole process fun

Take your child shopping for school supplies and let them pick out a new backpack and their favorite school supplies. While shopping, you can talk to your little one about your first preschool experience and all the fun things they can expect to learn and experience.

Don’t make goodbye too long

This one can be really hard, especially if your little one is upset and bawling as you try to leave on the first day. Your natural instinct is to comfort them. Definitely do this, but don’t drag it out too long. Most children who have fits of tears snap out of it when their parents actually leave. If you stick around too long, you are reinforcing the idea that separation anxiety will only be alleviated by your presence, when the opposite should be the case. And a good childcare provider knows exactly how to get children to calm down by directing their attention to something else.

Starting Preschool at Young Scholars Academy

Young Scholars Academy in Colorado Springs is committed to making the transition for you and your child into preschool life and learning a fun and positive experience. Our professional and caring staff will help your child calm the nerves that can come with such a new experience. Young Scholars Academy encourages parental involvement in all our programs and we welcome you to engage your child’s learning to help ease the anxiety that you both may experience. Come check out our programs and contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!

Preschool Music Programs

February 3, 2016 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

Taken by themselves, the benefits of preschool and early childhood education for children are incredible. Children exposed to a preschool setting are given the opportunity to socialize and learn in ways that many children have to wait until kindergarten to explore. Even more, a preschool education coupled with a music education program is highly beneficial for the children who get to participate in them. Music education helps develop the child’s motor and intellectual skills in ways that far exceed the qualities of normal classroom learning.

What are Early Education Music Programs?

Preschool music programs are designed to give young children their first exposure to music as a way of learning. They are also introduced to music as an object of learning. Your child has no doubt by this stage developed an ear for music and perhaps sings along to their favorite songs on repeat, over and over, much to your enjoyment and exhaustion. The next step is to teach the rudiments of music theory. That is what preschool music programs do.

Some Benefits of Preschool Music Programs

According to research compiled by PBS, music education imparts a number of positive benefits on all age groups. In preschool age groups specifically, music programs have been shown to develop the part of the brain involved in language acquisition and speech. Language development, the article continues, is essential for proper social development as well.

Another benefit of preschool music programs has been revealed in measures of intellect. According to the results of a study conducted by E. Glenn Schellenburg at the University of Toronto at Mississauga, six year olds who were given weekly music lessons showed an increase in IQ test scores over children who did not participate in any music education programs. This should come as no surprise. Neuroscience has discovered that the brain of early musicians works more efficiently than that of a non-musician.

Even further, because of the more efficiently functioning brain and neural network of the child exposed to music programs, these children also exhibit improvements in fine motor skills, sound discrimination and spatial temporal skills.

All these subtle benefits of preschool music programs are also displayed academically. According to a 2007 study, students who were involved in music education programs scored 22 points higher in English and 20 percent higher in math scores on standardized tests.

Music Education Programs at Young Scholars Academy

At Young Scholars Academy of Colorado, we are proud to offer quality preschool and school age programs in the Colorado Springs area. The mighty moves program emphasizes the importance of both exercise and music. Our children become active while dancing to music, learning spatial awareness, how to incorporate your 5 senses, stability, loco-motor skills, object manipulation, all while Learning from our Food Friends how to eat healthy! Come check out all our programs and contact us today!