We are pleased to announce the debut of The Goddard School Play Along Song! Watch the ‘making of’ video while enjoying our new song.
My son is three years old. What’s the right age to put him in a preschool? He is learning a lot of stuff at home – the alphabet, numbers, rhymes, keeping hands clean, sharing, etc.
There are plenty of benefits of preschool; it can be a great place for children to interact with peers and to learn valuable life lessons such as how to share, take turns and follow rules. At the age of three, children are starting to understand some of these lessons. Children start to participate in cooperative play and the preschool setting encourages this interaction. Preschool can also prepare children for kindergarten and beyond.
But going to preschool does come with its fair share of emotions, for both the parent and the child. For a child, entering a new environment filled with unfamiliar teachers and children can cause both anxiety and anticipation. For parents, there may be mixed emotions over whether the child is ready for preschool. The more comfortable you are about your decision to place your child in preschool and the more familiar the setting can be made for your child, the fewer problems you – and your little one – will encounter. The best way to determine if your child is ready for preschool is to let him be involved in the decision-making. When you start to visit schools, bring him along and talk to him about the school, the activities that you see or participate in, and take cues from him.
Here are some additional resources:
Parents can help make the “back to school” transition much smoother for their child if they prepare in advance. Try to add activities or planned outings to your child’s day. This structure helps prepare them to be on a schedule when they return to the classroom. If the child will be going to a new school, parents may want to schedule a visit with their child before the first day. Consider taking your child on a fun shopping trip where they can help pick out their clothes, lunchbox and supplies.
Ensuring your child has adequate sleep and proper nutrition is very important. Your child will do their best if they get to sleep early and eat a healthy breakfast each day before school. A daily diet of junk food is not compatible with learning. It can cause listlessness and hyperactivity which can impair a child’s ability to learn. Skipping breakfast especially is a detriment to a child’s education.
Adjust your child’s sleep schedule a few weeks in advance to help avoid struggling to get them out of bed for school. Set up a consistent daily routine so that your child wakes up and goes to sleep at the same times each day. If you have not created one already, start a bedtime routine, including bathing, selecting clothes for the next day, cuddling together for a bedtime story and a kiss goodnight. Begin a regular morning routine that includes a healthy breakfast, packing a nutritious lunch, grooming and getting dressed for the day.
Growing up is heady stuff for kids. So sleep problems are not uncommon. If your child routinely has trouble getting to sleep or wakes up at night and needs comforting, his developmental achievements give you some important new tools to work with at this age.
Dr. Minde reminds parents of the importance of routine in the daily life of a child. At an age when children are learning so much so fast, predictability and regularity in the timing and location of meals, bathing, and bedtimes is soothing and comforting. In today’s environment of working parents, such routines may be harder to provide, but they are no less important to the child.
He encourages parents to use quiet bedtime rituals to ease the transition. Bedtime stories are a proven staple, as are songs and prayers. But you can personalize the routine and periodically update it to match you child’s special interests, such as helping him put his favorite stuffed animal or doll to bed.
When the child cries, he recommends that the parents check on the child every five to ten minutes (whatever time frame is tolerable for the parent), perhaps patting and reassuring the child, but making it clear that the child is expected to stay in bed. If necessary, he recommends that the parent withdraw from the room in stages, first sitting on the bed, then in a nearby chair.
If problems persist, Dr. Minde suggests that you enlist your child’s help. You can put your child’s growing language and imaginative powers, as well as his growing independence, to work on the case. Explain that you need your sleep, and ask your child what would help him to stay clam when he wakes and to get back to sleep on his own. Perhaps holding and talking to his favorite teddy bear or snuggling with his favorite blanket. Make sure these items are within easy reach at bedtime.
Here are some additional videos that may help:
Mother Nature is a wonderful teacher and the great outdoors is her classroom! Children learn so much through the experiences they have with nature. Exposure to the environment provides many benefits to children including stress reduction, improvement of attention span and a boost in creativity. Parents can strengthen bonds with their children by exploring nature together.
Today’s children may be the first generation at risk of having a shorter lifespan than their parents. Screen time along with schoolwork and extracurricular schedules have led to a sedentary lifestyle and made physical outdoor activity practically obsolete. A growing body of research supports that more time spent in nature can support a child’s well-being and counteract the rising rates of depression, obesity and attention disorders.
Nature is closer than you think, so make it a priority to spend time connecting with your children outside. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Explore
Remind children to use their senses as they take in the beauty and wonder of nature. Home, sweet home! Have your child look around and see if they can spot homes of wildlife – bird or squirrel nests, bee hives, and holes in trees or the ground. Ask if they can identify which animal or insect lives inside.
Create
Collect vines and branches to create a wreath together. Find a few small pine branches full of needles and let your child use them as paint brushes. Set up a piece of cardboard outside for their canvas and let them create a masterpiece.
Play
Prepare your child for a safari scavenger hunt! Hide several plush animal toys outside in the yard, give your child a few hints if necessary and watch their surprise and delight as they discover each of their beloved creatures.
Learn
Put together a “feely” bag full of nature’s treasures, like leaves, twigs, grass, stones and tree bark. Have your child reach into the bag without looking, select an item and guess what it is based on the way it feels.
Appreciate
Take time to enjoy nature with your child. Go on walks and talk with them about the things in nature that are changing as each season passes. Let their curiosity of the mysteries around them initiate opportunities for teachable moments. Eating outside is also a good way to get out in the fresh air and add some excitement to mealtime. Have a picnic lunch on a blanket or set up a table and a few chairs to eat dinner under the stars.
Enjoying free time in nature is one of the keys to children’s healthy development and creativity. These family fun adventures together are sure to create lasting memories.
We are proud to announce The Goddard School has joined the Earth Hour movement for the second consecutive year.
Across 350 Goddard Schools nationwide, more than 40,000 children will help spread the message that by working together, each one of them can make a positive impact toward a sustainable future. The Goddard Schools will launch an entire week of activities and lesson plans beginning March 22 leading up to a big celebration for the Stepping Up for the Environment event on March 26 at 10 a.m., when schools will turn off any non-essential lighting for one hour.
“We want children to think about how we all impact the environment in our daily lives and how each one of us can make a difference. Earth Hour provides a great opportunity to accomplish that,” said Joseph Schumacher, CEO of Goddard Systems, Inc. “As educators and as parents, we want to help children understand that how they care for and protect the earth will affect future generations.”
In preparation for Earth Hour, Goddard Schools will integrate the environment into a number of engaging learning activities including art projects, science lessons and even snack time! Classes will build musical instruments out of recycled materials and hold newspaper fashion shows using costumes that students create from old newspapers, magazines and paper bags. Schools will also nominate an official “Lightning Bug,” who will be responsible for always turning off the classroom lights when the children exit the room.
This year, Goddard Schools will get global. Classes will team up with preschools in sister cities across the globe and exchange drawings and ideas for helping the environment. Then the children will “green” their own communities, by planting trees and picking up trash around school grounds. They will also create invitations asking parents and neighboring buildings to join them in Earth Hour, as well as city officials and environmental leaders, to join them in the week’s Earth Hour activities.
On March 26, a day before the global Earth Hour event, Goddard Schools will celebrate Earth Hour with the Stepping Up for the Environment celebration. Goddard Schools across the country will create a large banner and students will decorate it with handprints and footprints, leaving their own little “carbon” footprint. Then, at 10 a.m., schools will turn off any non-essential lighting for one hour.
Participation in Earth Hour supports Goddard Systems, Inc.’s ongoing efforts and commitment to the environment. Recently, Goddard has become involved with Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) which give schools the option of purchasing wind energy credits, offsetting 100% of a schools electricity usage with clean, renewable wind power.
The Goddard School — its teachers, children and parents — will play an integral role in developing the look, feel and content of a new book from NGS and award-winning author Susan Magsamen. Filled with magical science and nature adventures, the book will offer unique and memorable multi-sensory experiences for children to enjoy in the classroom and at home.
“The Goddard School was selected because of its commitment to providing the best in early childhood education,” said Jennifer Emmett, Executive Editor for Children’s Books at National Geographic. “Because Goddard is dedicated to cutting-edge early childhood learning, we feel this collaboration is a natural fit.”
“This is a unique opportunity for Goddard families, educators and our community to participate in the research and development of this special book,” said Joseph Schumacher, Chief Executive Officer at Goddard Systems, Inc. “We are pleased that the National Geographic Society and Susan Magsamen have recognized Goddard’s distinctive philosophy incorporating play, the arts and learning.”
The development of this project begins in January and will continue through 2010. During the assessment, our Goddard School community will help select the title and cover design, share ideas on classroom projects, test activities and contribute a collection of their own childhood memories. Our families will also get the chance to participate by providing their own input on the Goddard Facebook page.
The National Geographic Society project kicks off Goddard’s ‘Year of Community’ – a year focused on reintroducing the strong connection between Goddard Schools to its current families, friends and the communities the schools serve.
Almost every conversation during the holiday season revolves around the word “thankfulness,” making this the perfect time of the year to help your children understand the meaning of being thankful. One of the many ways to do that is through community service.
Volunteering is an enriching experience for all involved, and there are now more opportunities, and more reasons, than ever for families to volunteer together.
Reasons to get involved:
What do children learn?
How to get involved?
Community service makes a lasting impression on children. They quickly learn that the service they provide impacts real people, and they feel good about it.
Learning language is a natural process when children are young. Introducing them to second languages such as Spanish, French and sign language encourages brain development. The earlier a child is exposed to another language, the greater the likelihood that the child will become fluent in the language.
Second languages also help celebrate cultural diversity and create an understanding of the written word. A second language can open doors and unleash curiosity.
Immersing your child in a second language early on is the key to success. Following are some age-appropriate activities to help you incorporate a second language into your baby’s daily routine:
Infant to One Year
12 to 18 months
Visit our next blog post for suggestions on teaching a foreign language to toddlers and preschoolers.
Last week’s post was about the importance of reading and how to teach/encourage children to read at a young age. It looked at activities for infant to toddlers. Below are some suggestions on the steps to take during the Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten stages of development:
PRESCHOOL (30 months +)
• While grocery shopping, ask your child to find an item that starts with a certain letter or find a particular cereal.
• While in the park, ask your child to bring you nature items one at a time. Write the word for each item and then write a story using these words.
• Show your child speech in the written form. Ask your child what he or she would like to buy at the grocery store and add it to your grocery list together, write notes to Dad or make “to do” lists.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN (48 months +)
• Read with your child. Take turns reading pages, modeling intonation and punctuation cues.
• Make up silly rhymes and alliterations.
• Help your child cut large letters from old magazines. Talk about words that begin with each of these letters.
• While driving ask your child to help you find a particular street sign.
As with everything else in your child’s development, reading skills take time and patience to develop, and be assured that reading will happen when your child is ready. Also remember that children learn by example. Let your child see you read often, they’ll want to do exactly what mom and dad are doing.
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