Squid Dogs Here is a very popular and simple way to make a meal fun! The combination of noodles and hot dogs is irresistible to preschoolers. A wonderful snack or meal to make with your child or if you are studying the letter “S” for squid. Ingredients: 1 box of spaghetti 1 package of hot dogs Directions: Cut hot dogs into fourths. Spear dry spaghetti through the hot dogs. Boil this combination in until spaghetti is al dente. Fruit and Cheese Kabobs A simple crowd pleaser! Gather up favorites and make colorful pretty kabobs for a fun snack or with … Continue reading →

Is preschool too young for chores? Is it too young to keep a bedroom clean? No and no. A preschooler needs to begin learning chores and have a feeling of purpose in the home. Preschoolers love to please so doing chores is often not a struggle at first. Yet, when the novelty of helping wears off then chores do not seem like as much fun. No fun will equal struggling with chores. If you can get your child to complete chores the fun way then everyone wins. The chores become a habit and soon the games you play to encourage … Continue reading →

Summer is almost over and it’s time to begin a new school year. For many this will be the start of a brand new world. Some children who never entered a classroom will walk into preschool for the first time. It will be the first time some children are away from their parents for any length of time. The first time a child may be expected to sit and listen. The first time a child will be introduced to lessons and classmates on a regular basis. It is a very exciting world yet it can be overwhelming and intimidating for … Continue reading →

Think of the first time someone broke a promise to you. How did it make you feel? How old were you? Broken promises are hurtful even when the reason is legitimate. You may understand the reason and support the choice but hurt will exist. Of course you will get over it and learn yet again that promises are not always promises. However, a child is not as quick to get over a broken promise. It may appear a child bounces right back since hours after crying she is laughing and playing like nothing every happened. Yet, something did happen and … Continue reading →

Manners to be enforced in preschool years: Do not make fun of someone’s appearance or call names: As mentioned, children are bound to say anything that crosses their minds. It is important to teach a child that insulting someone is unacceptable. A child may not understand she is insulting someone but only pointing out a fact such as someone has a large nose or is overweight. A child also may not understand that laughing at another person is hurtful. Children are egocentric and need constant direction in this area. Take swift action if your child insults another person or child. … Continue reading →

A child’s first introduction to manners is witnessing parental behavior. They see how we talk to them, to their other parent, to grandparents, to strangers, and how we treat our friends. It will be difficult to enforce saying your “pleases” and “thank you’s” if your child never hears proper manners from the parent. A parent should say “thank you” and “please” to the child to reinforce manners and to instill a sense of respect. In addition, a parent needs to actively teach proper manners since children simply do not understand the value in it. You can begin as early as … Continue reading →

After a few crazed minutes of playing where she should not have my little one came away a complete mess. She escaped to the upstairs going unnoticed by all. She is quite stealthy. She walked past her brother doing feats of math, her sister playing Barbies, and her other sister with her nose deep in a book. Me? I was in the little girl’s room. Anyway, she decided it would be fun to get into my make up that I left on my dresser. Once she was discovered in the act, she promptly left the room with her head down. … Continue reading →

As parents we can all relate to sleeping issues concerning children. At one time or another we have all struggled with a child who does not want to go to sleep or stay asleep. Being a parent is a tiring job and sometimes we just want our children to go to bed. I am guilty of saying, “What is so hard about going to sleep?” I cannot say that all my memories of putting my kids to bed are warm and fuzzy. So, yes I relate to tired moms and dads everywhere who just want their little one to go … Continue reading →

Being a kid is hard. Imagine being told what to do even when you do not understand the purpose. Imagine wanting something and it being denied. Imagine being told not to things all day long. Kids are full of mishaps. As parents we are to mold our children into productive and positive people. Yet, kids can make our job difficult since we spend more time saying “no” or “don’t” than “yes” and “do.” If I were told “no” and “don’t” all day I would become discouraged. Discouragement does not manifest into proper behavior and positive attitudes. Wait. Please do not … Continue reading →

Recently I read an article Babycenter by Gwen Dewar, Ph.D called Praise that Makes Kids Feel Stupid. The article spoke about the detrimental effect of telling a child “You’re so smart.” On the surface this may sound illogical to you. After all, we are supposed to uplift and praise our children, right? If we do not praise our children they will lack the confidence to achieve, right? Wrong. The article maintains: People who believe that intelligence or talent is fixed and innate become helpless in the face of failure. The concept is illustrated by a child who does poorly on … Continue reading →