A Simple Way to Connect with Families who have Infants!

Checking in with families and providing them with "at home" tips is always a good idea. Copy and paste the note below into a document and share it with parents and caregivers! 

Sending home this note or a similar one from time to time is a simple and easy way to connect with families and extend curriculum to home!

Dear Families,

At Family Child Care we always try to provide children with words to help them understand and express their feelings. This helps to let children know that we are aware of their feelings and care about them.  It also provides them with words and language that they will need to express themselves as they develop and grow.

Even the youngest infants are listening and starting to absorb language.It is never too early to start!Try to put your infant’s feelings into words. Talk with your infant about the feelings he seems to be expressing. 

Here are some examples of what you might say:

            - Your child starts to cry when you accidentally drop a pan on the floor: “That loud noise scared you. Let me hold you for a little while.”

- Your child kicks her legs when you walk into her room as she is waking from a nap: “You are happy and excited. I think you are ready to play”

            - Your child smiles and coos as you sing with him: “You’re so happy when I sing with you. Are you trying to sing with me?”

            - After you change her wet diaper: “That dry diaper feels good doesn't it?”

            - Your child begins to cry for no apparent reason: “You’re unhappy. Let’s see if we can find out what the problem is.”

            - Your child starts to cry as you leave the room: “You’re sad because I’m leaving. I love you too and will be back to get you.”

Do not deny or trivialize your child’s feelings. Let them know that it is alright to express their feelings, that someone will comfort and care for them. Your baby will learn to comfort themselves.

Ideas from Arkansas Frameworks for  Infant and Toddler Care.

Connecting with Families who have Infants

We encourage you to copy and paste the following "at home" ideas into a document and send it home with families enrolled in your program.                                                                                         

The following resource was found at www.education.com  , be sure to visit their website and view possible resources for families and your Family Child Care program. 

The more you play with your little one, the better prepared he'll be to learn new skills. Check out these nursery games to give your child a developmental head start, and have some fun to boot!

• Peek-a-Boo (0-12 months) This popular pick helps to teach your babe the concept of object permanence; the idea that something will continue to exist even if you don't see it. According to developmental psychologist Jean Piaget, most infants understand object permanence around eight or nine months, but games of peek-a-boo played from early infancy on can help to speed up the process. The game couldn't be easier—simply hide behind your hands (or another object) and then pop out and say, "Peek-a-boo! I see you!" Helping your kid understand this concept can mean the difference between a happy bye-bye and a tearful meltdown.
• Singing games (0-12 months) Singing songs to your sweetie helps to teach the sounds of words, as well as rhythm and music. Classic nursery songs like "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" and "Old Macdonald Had a Farm" may also help your baby identify everyday tasks and learn farm animal names and their sounds.
• Hide and Seek (3-6 months) This game offers up more object permanence practice. Take a toy, hide it under a blanket, then ask, "Where's the rattle?" Pull the blanket aside and announce "Here it is!" Name the objects as you go; this helps your baby associate words with objects.
• This Little Piggy (3-6 months) Body awareness is the name of this game, as little ones feel each individual toe being manipulated. Taking hold of each little "piggy" in turn, chant this rhyme: "This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy went wee wee wee all the way home!"
• Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (3-6 months) This nursery game promotes body awareness, helps develop body part vocabulary and gives your little learner practice with phonological awareness through singing. Sing the following song: "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, head, shoulders knees and toes, knees and toes, eyes and ears and mouth and nose, head, shoulders, knees and toes," touching each little part as you name it.
• Ride a Cock-Horse (3-6 months) Bouncing games such as this one help your kid develop social relationships, muscle coordination and balance. To play, cross one knee over the other and place your wee one on your top foot. Hold his little hands as you swing your foot up and down, gently bouncing him as you sing: "Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross, To see a fine lady upon her white horse. With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes. She shall hear music wherever she goes."
• Open Them, Shut Them (6-9 months) Introduce your tiny tot to the concept of opposites as you demonstrate both open and shut. Sit your baby up facing you and chant the words: "Open them, shut them; open them, shut them. Give a little clap. Open them, shut them; open them, shut them. Put them in your lap," as you guide your baby's hands to mimic the actions as you go along.
• Flying game (7-9 months) Promote trust, strengthen your kid's developing muscles and get more opposite practice with this Superman-inspired game. The directions are simple: swoop your baby up into the air, chanting "Up, up, up," then gently swing him down again, chanting "Down, down, down!"
• Pat-a-Cake (7-9 months) Clapping games help to develop basic listening skills, as well as manual dexterity. Sit your child up so he's facing you, and clap his hands together while you sing, "Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man, Bake me a cake as fast as you can!" Roll his hands in circles while you say "Roll it," then pat his palms on his lap as you say "Pat it," and move them to make the shape of a "B" in the air when you get to "Mark it with a "B". Finish up with, "Put it in the oven for baby and me!"
• Itsy-Bitsy Spider (9-12 months) Who doesn't love this childhood classic? Sing this simple song to your baby when he's new, but wait until he's developed some coordination before throwing in the finger movements. Sing, "Itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water-spout," as you use his thumbs and pointer fingers to "walk" on his tummy. When you reach, "Down came the rain and washed the spider out," wiggle his fingers to mimic rain. During, "Out came the sun and dried up all the rain," raise his arms up above his head. Finally, repeat the first "walk" motion as you sing, "And the itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the spout again."

Promote Literacy Skills

Encourage parents and caregivers of infants to engage their little ones! 

Board Book to Read at Home                                                                                                                     Send home a board book with simple, colorful pictures that maybe you have read in your Family Child Care. Include an idea list of "reading tips and information" along with the book such as the one below: (feel free to copy and paste the information into a document)

Before you begin:

Turn off distractions such as the TV or CD player.

Hold your baby on your lap, holding the book so she can see it.

Remember, “Look, Listen, and Say.”

Try this nurturing ritual:

Observe the infant’s interest in the book. Offer to read the book by asking, for example, “Laurie, would you like to read the book?” “We can read together.”

Read the book if she shows interest. If she doesn’t show interest, just watch and wait a little while.

Show her the pictures. Name and point to each object on the page.

Make comments about the pictures and make the animal sounds. Listen for a response.

Praise any babbling sounds or gestures. For example say, “Laurie that’s a cat. A cat says ‘meow’.”

Pause. “It’s a big yellow cat.”

Watch what your child does with the book. Let her handle and explore it. It’s okay for young infants to mouth books just as they do other toys and objects.

Encourage the infant to continue repeating the behavior. You might say, for example, “Laurie, you are turning the pages by yourself.” “Oh, look at what you can do!”

Continue for as long as you are both interested.

 I hope you and your little one enjoyed the book I sent, DON'T FORGET TO SEND IT BACK to my Family Child Care so that other families may enjoy it too!!! 

Connecting with Families

Connecting learning experiences from your Family Child Care Home to the homes of the children in your group:   

Encourage Families:                           Practice Shape and Color Recognition at HOME

What the Educator will need:

· Pre-cut shapes. (use various colors of card stock, poster paper, or construction paper. If the paper is thin you can laminate it with clear contact paper)

· Optional: A strip of paper with shape outlines for older children to match

· Optional: Send home a few crayons of different colors in the bag too!

Educators can make one for every child to take home and keep, or make just a couple of bags to send home and ask parents to use them over night or for a couple of days and then send them back to your program. Track who has had time to take it home and return it to you so that everyone gets a turn.

You will need something to send home the activity in, so here is a basic idea:

      Use a small paper bag (feel free to decorate the bag or label it – “Shape and Color Activities for Home”)

The information below can be copied and pasted into your own document. Feel free to edit and add information as needed.

Instructions and Ideas for Learning at Home:

· Inside the bag are various shapes of different colors!

· Take out the shapes one at a time and ask your child to tell you what shape it is!

· Extend learning by encouraging following directions and understanding positional words. (up, over, in, out) Spread out all of the shapes on a table or flat surface and ask your child to find the shape!

 “Can you point to the star?” “Can you pick up the square and put it back in the bag?” “Find the triangle and hold it up high!” “Let me see you put the diamond under the table”

· Practice color recognition! “Look, here is the ORANGE shape—Can you find something in the house that is ORANGE?” “This shape is yellow, can you find me something in the house that is YELLOW?”

· (OPTIONAL) Included in the bag is a strip of paper with matching silhouettes of the shapes I have sent home. Work with your child to match the shapes by placing them on the silhouette.

· (OPTIONAL) I have added some crayons, all you will need is some paper to practice drawing shapes and lines at home!

Parents, Don’t forget: Talk to your child! Point out attributes of the shapes! “Look the circle is round, like the clock on the wall” “The Star is yellow like the curtains in the kitchen.” “The square looks like a box.” Opportunities for learning never end! Point out colors and shapes while taking walks, in a store, in the backyard, and during daily routines!!!

Note: This activity is for toddlers and preschool-aged children. Next post will be extending learning for infants and young toddlers!!!! 

Promote Reading & Literacy!

Talking to parents and caregivers about the value of reading aloud with young children is important. Below is a great article found on www.earlymoments.com. We encourage you to visit their website to find literacy building activities and links that support "sharing the gift of reading".

What’s the most important trait you’d like to develop in your child? If you’re like most parents, intelligence is probably at the top of your list. We all want bright, smart children, which is why we spend so much time choosing the right schools and making sure teachers are exceeding expectations. But remember: as a parent, you have the power to boost your children's learning potential simply by making books an integral part of their lives.

We all know reading to our kids is a good thing—but are you familiar with the specific advantages your toddler or preschool-age child can receive by being exposed to the merits of reading? Below are some benefits that highlight the importance of reading to your child between the ages of two and five.

1. A stronger relationship with you. As your child grows older, he’ll be on the move—playing, running, and constantly exploring his environment. Snuggling up with a book lets the two of you slow down and recaptures that sweet, cuddly time you enjoyed when he was a baby. Instead of being seen as a chore or a task, reading will become a nurturing activity that will bring the two of you closer together.


2. Academic excellence. One of the primary benefits of reading to toddlers and preschoolers is a higher aptitude for learning in general. Numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading before preschool are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education. After all, if a student struggles to put together words and sentences, how can he be expected to grasp the math, science, and social concepts he’ll be presented with when he begins elementary school?


3. Basic speech skills. Throughout toddlerhood and preschool, your child is learning critical language and enunciation skills. By listening to you read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, your child is reinforcing the basic sounds that form language. “Pretend reading”—when a toddler pages through a book with squeals and jabbers of delight—is a very important pre-literacy activity. As a preschooler, your child will likely begin sounding out words on his own.


4. The basics of how to read a book. Children aren’t born with an innate knowledge that text is read from left to right, or that the words on a page are separate from the images. Essential pre-reading skills like these are among the major benefits of early reading.


5. Better communication skills. When you spend time reading to toddlers, they’ll be much more likely to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy way. By witnessing the interactions between the characters in the books you read, as well as the contact with you during story time, your child is gaining valuable communication skills.


6. Mastery of language. Early reading for toddlers has been linked to a better grasp of the fundamentals of language as they approach school age.


7. More logical thinking skills. Another illustration of the importance of reading to children is their ability to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognize cause and effect, and utilize good judgment. As your toddler or preschooler begins to relate the scenarios in books to what’s happening in his own world, he’ll become more excited about the stories you share.


8. Acclamation to new experiences. As your child approaches a major developmental milestone or a potentially stressful experience, sharing a relevant story is a great way to help ease the transition. For instance, if your little one is nervous about starting preschool, reading a story dealing with this topic shows her that her anxiety is normal.


9. Enhanced concentration and discipline. Toddlers may initially squirm and become distracted during story time, but eventually they’ll learn to stay put for the duration of the book. Along with reading comprehension comes a stronger self-discipline, longer attention span, and better memory retention, all of which will serve your child well when she enters school.


10. The knowledge that reading is fun! Early reading for toddlers helps them view books as an indulgence, not a chore. Kids who are exposed to reading are much more likely to choose books over video games, television, and other forms of entertainment as they grow older.

Books have the power to benefit toddlers and preschoolers in a myriad of ways. As a parent, reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do to prepare him with a foundation for academic excellence.
 

Below we have included Seasonal & Holiday book lists as well as links. Family Child Care Educators are encouraged to copy and paste the ideas below into a document and share them with families. 

 

Informing parents, grandparents, and guardians about the value of reading and extending learning and curriculum from your program to the child's home is encouraged. If you enjoyed the article above regarding "Strategies for Promoting Early Literacy" you should share it and send it home with each child as well!! 

Infants &Toddlers

Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda D. Williams

The Busy Little Squirrel, by Nancy Tafuri

Woody, Hazel and Little Pip, by Elsa Beskow

Mouse's First Fall, by Lauren Thompson

Apples and Pumpkins, by Anne F. Rockwell

The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages, by Leo Buscaglia

Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship, by Edward Hemingway

Leaves, by Melvin A. Berger

Count Down to Fall, by Fran Hawk

When The Leaf Blew In, by Steve Metzger

Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin, by Mary Serfozo

Let's Look at Fall , by Sarah L. Schuette

Snowballs, by Lois Ehlert

The First Day of Winter, by Denise Fleming

Snow, by Mania Stojic

Frozen Noses, by Jan Carr

Under My Hood I Have a Hat, by Karla Kuskin

           

I Love You With All My Heart, by Noris Kern

Bedtime for Little Bears!,  by David Bedford

Tracks in the Snow, by Wong Herbert Yee

Cleo in the Snow, by Caroline Mockford

Mouse's First Snow, by Lauren Thompson

Preschoolers

Apples,  by Jacqueline Farmer

Leaf Jumpers, by Carole Gerber

A Friend for All Seasons, by Julia Hubery

When Autumn Falls, by Kelli Nidley

Lucky Leaf, by Kevin O’Malley

Apple Cider-Making Days, by Ann Purnell

Autumn: An Alphabet Acrostic, by Steven Schnur

Apple Picking Time, by Michele Benoit Slawson

Patty’s Pumpkin Patch, by Teri Sloat

I Know It’s Autumn, by Eileen Spinelli

The Apple Pie That Papa Baked, by Lauren Thompson

Apples, Apples, Apples, by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery, by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Apple Farmer Annie, by Monica wellington

Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen

The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats

Stranger in the Woods, by Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick

Katy and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton

Snow Crazy, by Tracy Gallup

The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs

Frozen Noses, by Jan Carr

Animals in Winter, by Henrietta Bancroft

When Winter Comes, by Nancy Van Lann

 

Thanksgiving Holiday Book List, activities and you-tube links

Age 0-2

Five Silly Turkeys, Salina Yoon. Toddlers will love the fun rhyming text of this book about five turkeys doing silly things. 

The story on You Tube
http://youtu.be/UODvu6As4Ug  (Extension activity: Provide turkey prints or templates, a printed version of the story and the question, “What silly things can you get your turkeys to do?” for each child to take home. Have parents report back what silly things they did with the turkeys. Encourage them to cut, color, or even glue feathers that you have sent home to their turkey. Have families send their art back to your program for all to see!!!)

Age 3-5         

I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson.  A seasonal version of a classic favorite.  (Extension activity: make an old lady out of a cereal box and have the children retell the story. Have the children bring in pictures or empty boxes of their favorite foods from home.  

Template http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/OldLadyStoryRetelling.htm .

The story on You tube http://youtu.be/dxCrrgzY7iU

 

Age 5-8

Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano.  The story of a turkey who tries on some barnyard disguises so the farmer won’t find him.   (Extension activity:  Provide a picture of a turkey and have the kids disguise the turkey. They can paint  the turkey green like an alien, or put ears on the turkey to make him look like a dog, paste fall leaves to hide the turkey) 

The story on you tube: http://youtu.be/SqMYTCBZTe4   

Turkey template http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg145/folliesandnonsense/November%202010/disguise10.gif

 

Encourage families to visit  https://www.earlymoments.com/Promoting-Literacy-and-a-Love-of-Reading/