Friday, February 25, 2011
While we all understand the importance of good nutrition during early childhood, a few of us are blessed with extraordinarily picky eaters. What’s a parent to do?
Children who attend preschool are better served when their parents pack their lunches. Why? Because the process of choosing, packing and providing healthy meal choices is in the hands of parents; not a caterer or packaged meal plan provider. This is especially important if your child is a picky eater. The Strategy: Parent Tips:
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/picky-eater-strategy
1412349
/locations/3507607
Friday, February 18, 2011
Focusing your child’s physical fitness on fun activities will increase your child’s ability to move with confidence and competence.
Focusing your child’s physical fitness on fun activities will increase your child’s ability to move with confidence and competence. Exercise increases overall metabolism, builds a healthy heart and lungs, strong bones and muscles, and improves coordination, balance, posture and flexibility. Infant Encourage babies to explore activities that allow for reaching, rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling themselves up and walking. ‘Tummy Time’ is the perfect opportunity for babies to practice lifting their heads and develop strong muscles. Placing toys just out of reach encourages babies to reach for the toys, assisting in physical development. First Steps/Toddler Support young toddlers mastery of walking by allowing them to be active! Play …
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/age-appropriate-fitness
1412349
/locations/3429217
Friday, February 11, 2011
Communication between parents and teachers is an essential part of any child’s education.
Establishing a strong, open line of communication between parents and teachers is an essential part of any child’s education. Doing so allows parents to always remain apprised of their child’s progress and, should a problem arise, allows for easy discussion on ways to address and remedy the situation. Never hesitate to get the lines of communication flowing. As your child’s teacher greets each new student on the first day of school, take advantage of the situation to introduce yourself as well. Ask how and when would be the best time to contact them if you have questions or just want to check in on your child’s progress. Try to communicate with your child’s teacher regularly. Find some good ideas on quality communication here. …
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/parent-teacher-communication
1412349
/locations/3366464
Friday, February 4, 2011
Model compassion to combat destructive behaviors.
It is important to understand the reasons behind your child’s developmentally appropriate—yet unacceptable—hitting, kicking or biting behaviors. Try to consider your child’s point of view. Some frustrations may include: These are just some scenarios that may prompt your toddler to believe that hitting is a justifiable response to her frustration. Biting is also common - see why in this video. And, toddlers may not always realize that hitting or other inappropriate behaviors hurt, or she just may not be able to control herself. As a parent, your job is to safely redirect her away from those behaviors. Here are some ways to do just that: Respond immediately. Acknowledge your toddler’s feelings and provide a lesson in positive behaviors. …
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/your-toddlers-development-hitting-and-kicking
1412349
/locations/3287550
Friday, January 28, 2011
The Difference between Discipline and Punishment
Contrary to popular belief, discipline and punishment are not equal. Discipline is positive and should prevent the need for punishment. In fact, the word “discipline” is derived from the Latin “disciplina” which means teaching or education. Discipline helps to guide children toward positive behavior, promotes self-control, encourages children to think before acting and is not damaging to their self-esteem. Punishment, on the other hand, is negative – whether physical, verbal, withholding rewards or penalizing. Positive discipline teaches children rules and behaviors in a respectful, loving and considerate way. And your work as a parent comes in stages, see a brief video here. It requires thought, planning and patience from parents …
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/positive-discipline
1412349
/locations/3191050
Friday, January 21, 2011
Helping Your Child Make Friends
To a preschooler, a “friend” is anyone who is willing to play the way they want to play during any given period of time. Friends are just as likely to be boys as girls and may change frequently. Playing with friends is an important way for children to learn social skills including sharing and taking turns so providing your child the opportunity to make friends is helpful, worthwhile and fun! Dale Walker, a professor of child development at the University of Kansas, offers these guidelines to promote productive and enjoyable playdates.
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/playdates-and-playmates
1412349
/locations/3120317
Friday, December 3, 2010
Learning to read is a process, and the key goal is to instill a love of reading.
Many parents look forward to announcing that their child can read, but the truth is children are reading long before they can interpret the pages of the book. As with most things in life, reading requires the proper building blocks before it can begin. Reading begins with language and how it relates to your child's world. Creating a language-rich environment will help your child's vocabulary grow. Language develops with every interaction you have with your child – infants begin by reading their parents' facial expressions while older children develop their vocabulary by listening and eventually repeating what their parent say. Verbalize your child's world and he or she will begin to repeat sounds and syllables – be sure to pause, speak and…
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/focusing-on-reading-readiness-for-children
1412349
/locations/2609727
Friday, November 26, 2010
Contemporary times have created contemporary family structures.
A "blended family" is formed when one or both members of a couple have children from previous relationships and combine households. They are becoming increasingly common and at least one-third of all children in the United States will become a part of a blended or step family before they reach age 18. A local, Deb Chernick, has created a Facebook page challenging us to develop new names for blended families. Blended families should consider the following to help navigate obstacles they may encounter while trying to raise responsible, thoughtful, cooperative children. Emotional Extremes Children thrive on consistency and routine so it's not surprising that the change of becoming a part of a blended family may be very unsettling to them. …
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/blended-families
1412349
/locations/2545608
Friday, November 19, 2010
With the holidays comes lots of holiday travel. Here are some tips for making the trip fun for your younger family members.
Traveling with the family is fun, but it's important to be prepared. The National Household Travel Survey lists Thanksgiving as one of the most travelled holidays. Here are some tips and advice for parents to consider before they travel with their young ones. Infant to One Year First Steps (12 to 18 months) Toddler and Get Set (18 to 36 months) Preschool to Pre-K (36 months+)
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/traveling-with-your-children
1412349
/locations/2480619
Friday, November 12, 2010
A Father’s Involvement Is Critical to a Child’s Healthy Growth and Development.
Prior to the 1970's, being a parent meant taking the place of a child's mother. In fact, the word mother is synonymous with to look after, care for, and protect. Today, we know that men and women differ in their ways of relating to their child. The role of each parent is significant but research supports that a father's role is not only essential but unique. Research on fatherhood shows children who perform better in school and exhibit less behavior problems have involved nurturing fathers. This may be due to a father's unique perspective on parenting. A father's interaction with their child differs from their mother's on everything from discipline to play. An everyday child rearing task can turn into a stimulating event because …
41.457127
-71.473635
The Goddard School
20 Preservation Way, South Kingstown, RI
/articles/the-fathering-phenomenon
1412349
/locations/2389427
Cheryl Butler
2:05 pm on Friday, February 25, 2011
We used to have "try outs" for getting our kids to try new "healthy" foods....kind of like a movie audition--they really had fun with it....and I think we managed to get a few of them to actually like some "new" healthy foods.....broccoli was one ! Thanks for some great tips, Clay! more ›