Studies have shown that when a parent discusses their child’s day with him or her, their child feels the importance of their place in the world, develops self-worth and builds self-esteem. It’s also been discovered that reviewing and discussing a child’s day allows information to move from short-term memory to long-term memory, a great way to extend their learning experience at home!

“These four educators represent our best resources in early childhood education. GSI is proud of their accomplishments,” said Sue Adair, GSI Director of Education.

GSI received “Teacher of the Year Award” nominations from all across the country, including those from Goddard School owners and education directors as well as recommendations from parents, peers and, in some cases, children.  In addition to the recognition, the teachers received a cash prize and a gift package from GSI.

The Goddard School “Teacher of the Year” honorees each initiated ongoing projects that benefit their classrooms, schools and communities. The following teachers were honored:

• Michelle Boudreau created an original program for the children of The Goddard School located in Auburn, Massachusetts, stemming from a simple weekly theme of “Bridges.” A map of the United States was added to her “circle time” area—generating a lot of excitement and questions from the children. Photographs of various bridges were placed around the area, and the children used string to connect each photo of a bridge to its corresponding state. Boudreau, inspired by the children’s enthusiasm, carried the theme of “Bridges” throughout the curriculum, finding innovative ways to incorporate it in math lessons, social studies, literacy, music, Spanish—even as yoga poses! The children discovered all about various types of bridges, beginning in their home state with the Memorial Bridge (arch bridge) in nearby Springfield, and continuing the learning experience in California (suspension bridge), Illinois (moveable bridge) and Vermont (covered bridge).

• JoAnn Davenport developed a creative social skills program entitled Preschoolers for Pets. She introduced “Henry the Hotdog” (similar to Flat Stanley) to the children of The Goddard School located in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. Each child was given the opportunity to take “Henry” home for a weekend—and the children loved caring for “Henry”! Davenport created a newsletter for the families to share Henry’s visits to each child’s home. Together, they collected items for a local animal shelter, prepared homemade dog biscuits and made dog and cat toys. The families were invited to join in with the presentation of all the goodies to the shelter.

• Jen Grinberg of The Goddard School located in Wayne, New Jersey implemented an imaginative program focusing on building community through universal compassion, daily kindness and caring—both in and out of the classroom. This program was inspired by Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids, by Carol McCloud. This program not only encourages children to reach out and express love, respect and appreciation for others but also helps them to express their feelings in a positive manner, to establish an atmosphere against bullying and encourages more positive school and home environments. Grinberg read the book to her class, and each child decorated a bucket. The children were then encouraged to fill the buckets with kind words and compliments.

• Charlotte O’Toole instituted a literacy program that not only teaches children to read, but also fosters a lifelong love of reading at The Goddard School located at 8866 Columbia 100 Parkway in Columbia, Maryland. O’Toole developed Running the Bases to Reading—an annual literacy campaign. The ‘team’ of children, along with their ‘coaches’ (parents), work towards a goal of each reading 100 books by the 100th day of school. A monthly record of books read is maintained as an innovative, interactive wall display and the ‘team’ watches the ‘player’ run the bases, tracking their progress. This year, the ‘team’ read a total of 1,570 books—well surpassing their goal of 1,300!

• Babies can begin to learn about being gentle and soft while petting a furry pet. Little ones who are a bit too rough can practice petting a stuffed animal first—it’s important to consider the safety of our children and our pets!

• Toddlers can learn to brush a bunny, cat or dog.

• Toddlers and preschoolers can use measuring cups to fill food bowls.

• Preschoolers can practice learning how to tell time when given the responsibility of announcing “feeding time” of any type of pet—fluffy or scaly.

• Older children may practice taking the dog for a walk in your fenced in yard or hold the leash while you walk with them.

How do your children help with your pet?

Supplies needed:

Bean seeds (any type will work)

Paper towels

Clear container (jar, cup or plastic bag)

Spray bottle filled with water

1.      Fold a paper towel and place inside the clear container.

2.      Moisten the paper towel until just damp with water.

3.      Place a few beans on the paper towel and mist lightly with water.

4.      Place the container in a sunny location.

5.      Mist lightly with water each day and watch the roots grow!

As an added activity, have your little one keep a “seed sprout journal” in which they draw pictures of their sprout as it grows. On top of experiencing science and nature, they’ll also enhance their creative and fine motor skills as they draw!

By Dr. Michele Borba

Okay folks, I’m concerned. Over the last few weeks I’ve been reviewing studies involving children and play. “Shocked” and “disturbed” are the two words that describe how I feel when reading those reports.

Every study reaches one sad conclusion: Good old-fashioned play is quickly becoming an endangered pastime for today’s plugged-in, over-scheduled kids.

Worse yet, play is not only disappearing from our homes and neighborhoods, but our schools as well. And this comes at the same time when reports show that stress is mounting to  new heights in our kids while their mental health has plummeted to a twenty-five year all-time low. A good old fashioned childhood of cloud-gazing, leaf-kicking, and hill rolling is disappearing to be replaced by screens, earplugs, flashcards and tutors.

Facts About Today’s Play-Deprived Kids

• Since the late 1970s there’s been a 25% drop in our children’s free play and a 50% drop in unstructured outdoor activities

• Since the late 1970s kids time in organized, adult-supervised sports have doubled and the number of minutes devoted each week to passive leisure, not including watching television, has increased from 30 minutes to more than three hours

• The average U.S. child is now “plugged-in” to some kind of digital device–not including cell phone and text–71/2 hours a day

The loss of play and even skepticism about its value may be partly due to a more competitive, “no-child left untested era” (don’t get me started on that one…), our increasingly hurried, quicker-pace life style, and the belief we have to schedule our kids with activity after activity to stretch those IQ points. Now Tiger Mom–and every media outlet our there appearing to quote her–is urging every so-called “Western” mom to halt those play dates and any child-chosen activity.

Whatever the reason, today’s kids are playing less and many experts–and the kids–are crying, “Foul!” and with good reason. Dozens of studies prove that play is not just a luxury but essential to our children’s healthy development.

12 Scientific Benefits of Play

We’ve always known that “kids and play” are just a natural combo. But new research also shows that letting kids engage in self-directed play has immense value for their social, emotional, cognitive and physical growth. Here are just a few of the proven scientific benefits of letting our kids get messy and doing something besides clicking those darn keypads and video controllers and paper and pencil tasks:

1. Play boosts children’s creativity and imagination. Play gives children the chance to invent, build, expand, explore and develop a whole different part of the brain.

2. Play stretches our children’s attention span. Playing outdoors just 30 minutes a day increases child’s ability to focus and pay attention.

3. Play and rough-housing boost boys’ problem solving abilities. The more elementary school-boys engaged in rough-housing, the better they scored on a test of social problem solving. (Don’t ya love that one!)

4. Play boosts self-confidence and self-regulation. Kids learn to become masters of their own destiny without an adult directing, pushing, managing or scheduling.

5. Play forges friendships, strengthens social competence and teaches social skills. Undirected play allows kids to learn how to work in groups, share, negotiate, communicate and develop core social skills they need not only now but for the rest of their lives.

6. Play helps kids learn to enjoy just being in their own company, entertain themselves and develop identity. Ease that guilt when your kid says, “I’m bored, Mom!”

7. Play reduces children’s anxiety and diminishes stress. A study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry shows that play is also critical for our children’s emotional health because it helps kids work through anxiety and reduce stress.

8. Play creates joyful memories of childhood. Come on, no kid is going to remember the car pools and worksheets but the swings, jumping in leaves, playing leapfrog in the mud, blowing bubbles, building forts–those are the unforgettable childhood moments. Sigh!

9. Play boosts physical health and reduces risk of obesity. Henry Joseph Legere, MD, author of Raising Healthy Eaters points out: “Rises in screen time have led to the rise of a sedentary lifestyle for our children. In 1982, the childhood obesity prevalence in the United States was actually less than 4 percent. By 2004, that number had grown to about 30 percent.”

10. Play expands our kids minds and neurological development. Self-initiated play improve skills such as guessing, figuring, interpreting and is important to brain development and learning

11. Play builds new competencies, leadership skills, teaches lifelong hobbies, and develops resilience. “Play is what allows kids to manipulate their environment,” says a report written by Kenneth Ginsburg, M.D. of the AAP, “And how you manipulate your environment is about how you begin to take control, how you begin to develop your senses, how you view the world.”

12. Play nurtures the parent-child bond. Child-driven play also improves our parent-kid relationship.Play offers a wonderful opportunity for parents to see the world from our children’s eyes as well as strengthen our relationship when we join in.

In fact, playing with our kids is one of the few times when clocks stop and stress fades. There’s no judgments, schedules or time constraints that worry us. It’s just a glorious opportunity to give our kids our full presence, be in their space and enjoy each other’s company, and build those wonderful childhood memories. Keep in mind folks, there’s no rewind button when it comes to childhood!

So parents, why not just this week push pause and tune into your kids’ schedule? I dare you: take a Reality Check and see just how how unstructured, unsupervised time your kid has. While you’re at it, here are a few questions to help you assess if play should be added to the “Endangered Species List” at your home.

Reality Check: Could Your Kids Be ‘Play Deprived’?

How much are your kids plugged into some kind of a digital device?

How often are your kids glued to that TV or clicking that keypad?

How much free time do your kids have that is unscheduled, unplanned, unsupervised?

How often do your kids go outdoors to just recompress?

Do your kids know how to entertain themselves solo an adult, coach, teacher, or you whether it be indoors or out?

Do your kids enjoy the great outdoors?

How often (if ever) do your kids see you throwing off your shoes and joining in the unplanned, spontaneous fun with them?

Do your kids know outdoor age-appropriate games and have the equipment for those activities whether it be hopscotch, jump rope, Red Rover, I Spy, basketball, freeze-tag, kick the can, skateboarding?

Do your kids know how to self-entertain and do activities that would nurture their creativity or imagination on a regular basis?

Do you set a rule that when friends come to the house a minimum or no plugged-in devices are allowed?

Would your kid say that you encourage them to play unstructured?

How do you respond when your kids get messy? (Just asking…but remember letting your kids get messy every now and then is actually a great way to teach them that nobody’s perfect, accidents do happen, and teaches them to enjoy themselves and their own company).

Let’s remember: Play is an essential — not a luxury – for our children’s well-being. Thirty years of solid child development research confirms that play is crucial for our children’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive growth.  So check into your kids’ lives and make sure at least  a bit of “free time” is a part of their waking hours.

What do you think? Are our kids becoming play-deprived? And if they are, what do you see as the disadvantages?

Dr. Michele Borba, Parenting Expert.  You can also refer to my daily blog, Dr. Borba’s Reality Check for ongoing parenting solutions and late-breaking news and research about child development.

The Goddard School^® believes in the power of play for learning. In an effort to spread the word to families across the nation, the educational preschool will sponsor the Goddard Community Games on Saturday, February 5. The event will involve children and their families in a variety of playful learning activities based on the core curriculum and enrichment programs that form an integral part of The Goddard School’s proprietary FLEX^™ Learning Program.

Playful learning is not a new concept at The Goddard School. It has been at the heart of their curriculum from the beginning and is reflected in an approach to learning that presents new skills to children in a playful and engaging way.  Today, supported by a growing body of research from Play for Tomorrow, the consortium behind the respected “playful learning” movement, The Goddard School hopes to encourage families across the nation to recognize and celebrate the power of play for learning in their own children.

“When an activity is fun, children are engaged and eager to learn – they flex their mind and body,” says Joe Schumacher, CEO of Goddard Systems, Inc., franchisor of The Goddard School.  “Play helps them become happy, confident learners.”

During the Goddard Community Games event, families will have the opportunity to enjoy a “hands-on” playful learning experience with a variety of programs, ranging from Sign Language, Yoga and Nutrition to World Cultures Voyages, Everyday Math and “Rock ‘n’ Tot” pre-dance and creative movement. The focus will be on fun, as parents and their children share in a day of discovery and enrichment.

“The children attending The Goddard School today are the leaders of tomorrow,” says Sue Adair, Director of Education at Goddard Systems, Inc. “Our teachers nurture each child’s self confidence and foster their lifelong love of learning by incorporating teacher-planned and child-directed learning activities into each day. When children enjoy learning, they take away not only knowledge of the task or concept but a sense of personal accomplishment that prepares them for a successful journey through life.”

To learn more about the Goddard Community Games and The Goddard School, parents are encouraged to visit www.goddardschool.com/games.

Preschool-age children will often engage in unfriendly interactions with other children.  It’s the nature of growing up and it’s important to be able to identify the difference between this type of exchange and bullying.

According to Sue Adair, Director of Education at The Goddard School, “Usually, in a bullying situation, the child doing the bullying is intentionally trying to hurt or upset the other child.  A minor social spat is a normal occurrence in childhood play – ­one child grabs a toy from another and the other child cries.  This behavior is not intentional and situations like this actually help children learn to forgive and share.”

“At The Goddard School, we use The Goddard Guide to Getting Along to help instill the importance of courtesy and respect in our Preschoolers through activities, songs and guided dramatic play,” states Adair. “Since children at this age are still learning how to play together, is it an important time to teach them about friendship, compassion, cooperation and kindness.  Along with these traits, we believe the best way to prevent bullying is to build children¹s confidence.  Confident children tend to avoid being bullied and also avoid becoming bullies themselves.”

Tips for Developing Healthy Confidence in Children

• Set the example. Ron Shuali, Founder of Shua Life Skills and author of Building the 21st Century Child: An Instruction Manual, stresses, “Teachers, parents and childcare providers should be aware of their own behavior all of the time.  Adults serve as ‘models’ for children who respect them and may wish to emulate them.”  Your child will pick up on whatever feelings you convey about yourself ­ whether good or bad.  Try to always speak positively about yourself and your child will follow.

• Praise and encourage. No matter what your little one does, whether it¹s a scribbled mess or a perfect reproduction of the Mona Lisa, be sure to praise them for their effort.  Every bit of praise and encouragement you can give is another boost to their self-confidence.

• Develop a skill. If you child expresses interest in a particular hobby, help them master it by signing them up for classes or lessons.  As they develop this skill on their own, they will become more enthusiastic about learning and trying new things and feel better about themselves overall.

• Trust. As your child grows, try entrusting them with age-appropriate responsibilities around the house.  Allowing your child to take on their own responsibilities will help foster their independence and allow your child to feel more confident in making their own choices and decisions.

• Listen. What your child has to say is just as important to them as what you have to say is to you.  Remember this when your little one is trying to express their thoughts, dreams and fears.  Listen attentively and offer your own advice or guidance should they need it.

Are you shopping for a preschool-aged child this holiday season? Look no further! Children and educators from select Goddard Schools – leaders in early childhood education – have announced their top toy picks for children ages two to six years old for the 2010 holiday shopping season. The Goddard School^® Toy Test is the only national toy test designed exclusively for children in the preschool age range.

The Goddard School is dedicated to providing an environment where teachers support the nurturing and learning children want and need. It is with this focus that Goddard Systems, Inc., named the number one childcare franchise company for the ninth year in a row by Entrepreneur magazine, has released its third annual list of top toy finalists.

After a national call for submissions, Goddard educators and children evaluated entrants based on a number of criteria, including:

• Interactive, child-initiated play focus
• Creative, social or engaging
• Appropriate for children from two to six years of age

“Goddard Schools are recognized nationally for our learning through play philosophy and our play-based FLEX^™ Learning Program, which focuses on the value of guided play,” said Sue Adair, Director of Education at Goddard Systems, Inc.  “We feel that our Top Five Toys list will serve as a great resource for parents, grandparents and other family members as they enter the gift-giving season.”

Baby Stella & Baby Stella Car Seat (Manhattan Toy Company)

The Baby Stella Soft Doll collection has lifelike toes, belly buttons and plump tummies with a wide variety of adorable outfits and accessories. Baby Stella gives children the chance to learn how to nurture and care for their loveable dolls and valuables.

(Suggested Age Range: 1 & up) Manhattan Toy Company

Baby Stella Cute Comfort Car Seat provides a soft carrier for your child’s favorite Baby Stella doll. This fun accessory supplies your child with a new way to play and take care of their Baby Stella doll so he/she can go anywhere your child goes.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) Manhattan Toy Company

Citi Blocs 200 Piece Hot & Cool Colors Sets (Citi Blocs)

CitiBlocs inspire open-ended play and creativity. Start low and wide, and then stack them high and narrow. Whatever your preference, the CitiBlocs 200 piece set will keep the enthusiastic builder flexing his or her imagination while developing fine motor skills.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) CitiBlocs

Kid K’NEX Railroad Pals Building (K’NEX)

The Railroad Pals Building Set includes an idea sheet with 20+ building ideas to inspire creativity and a handy storage container for easy clean-up. Build fun train cars, engines, cabooses and more!

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) K’NEX

Medium Classic Dino ZipBin (Neat Oh, International!)

The Dinosaur Zipbin’s dramatic exterior identifies the contents and will look great in your child’s room. When the bin is unzipped, it becomes a dinosaur island Playscape™! This activity mat is perfect for playing with dinosaurs, animals, vehicles, boats, action figures, etc. Fantasy play is encouraged by a prehistoric world featuring a volcano, a river, a tar pit and a mysterious cave.

(Suggested Age Range: 3 & up) Neat Oh, International!

Slimy Squishy Polymer Fun (DuneCraft)

Just add water to unleash the Slimy Squishy Polymer Fun in this set today. Hydrate Silly Squares and try to stack and build with them, watch your Slipper Spheres grow over 100 times their size in a matter of hours! Throw them, roll them, bounce them and watch their colors blend. Make your own multicolored slime however you like it, thick or thin, chunky or smooth! Grow your own multicolored miniature icebergs with JellyStones. Mix the polymers together and make your own creation!

(Suggested Age Range: 4 & up) DuneCraft

To learn more about The Goddard School, families are encouraged to visit www.goddardschool.com or call 1-800-GODDARD.

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 parents say. Verbalize your child’s world and he or she will begin to repeat sounds and syllables — be sure to pause, speak and alter conversation style.

A print-rich environment may also help prepare your child for reading by making the connection between your child’s world and the symbols we use to communicate, so make your home an active learning environment. Start by labeling household items with pictures and words so your child will learn to associate everyday items with their symbols. Lead by example and let your child see you read often. Teach your child to respect books — while pages will rip and bindings will break, your child will learn to value books and their content if you set a high expectation for their care.

Remember, it takes many interactions with the alphabet and phonemic awareness for reading skills to develop. While it may be difficult to remain patient, be assured that reading will happen when your child is ready.

PLAY IS LEARNING!

Pretend play is an important component of your child’s cognitive and social development. Your child processes his/her feelings and understanding of the world as he/she plays.

“Young children who learn through play are more capable of making their own decisions, advocating for themselves and using creativity to solve problems as they grow. Play is essential to the development of your child’s brain, triggering trillions of neural connections that form the basis of healthy cognitive function and mastery of your child’s physical world,” says Dr. Kyle Pruett, a Yale University child psychiatrist and consultant to The Goddard School.

Infants…

• engage in play by responding to sounds, then by following objects and people with their eyes.

• demonstrate their memory by repeating an action that previously made you laugh.

• explore hand-held toys or rattles – turning them over, banging them, shaking them and maybe even tasting them.

• learn to roll over and sit up, creating choices as they discover how to move. They take aim at their own source of interest.

• learn self-discovery and motion when toys are placed within and outside their reach.

• want to examine objects as well as talk to them and follow your lead. Say, “clap,” with a smile on your face and your baby claps and smiles, too.

One-Year-Old children…

• play with water, smell a flower (which is not as easy as you may think) and recognize animals like the ones from their mobiles.

• join in the conversation with simple words and phrases and respond to “bye, bye” with an unsolicited wave.

• demonstrate their knowledge – pointing to any­thing you ‘name’ such as ears, even when they cannot see them because they’ve learned to trust their own experiences.

• play with you and imitate your actions. Watch them reflect your love with a doll providing “hugs and kisses” and ‘helping,’ the way you have guided them.

Two-Year-Old children…

• demonstrate independence to determine their limits as well as when and how to play.

• speak on a play phone and answer questions such as “Why?”

• solve simple puzzles, hold crayons in their hands, hum and sing as they play as well as join activities without prompting.

• enjoy using their imagination – pouring from one cup to another and manipulating play dough.

• begin to understand the concepts of sharing and waiting their turn.

• communicate in short sentences and demonstrate their personal understanding of the world while playing.

• can multi-task: they can sing and perform the motions to a song or converse while they paint.

Three-Year-Old children…

• ‘work’ while playing. They explore roles, feelings and ideas in an un­inhibited environment. They practice various emotions to determine how they fit into their personality.

• have a large vocabulary and under­stand the intonations of language.

• begin to connect the spoken word to written language and can orally retell a favorite story.

• are interested in cause and effect; and can identify colors, shapes, sizes and weights.

• play a role or game for long periods of time until they have exhausted their curiosity.

• need their space. Let them invite you into their play.

Four-Year-Old children…

• recognize how objects and people are the same and different simulta­neously; and can appreciate these attributes.

• begin to recognize concepts. For in­stance, taking a bath develops their understanding of water – floating, sinking, absorbing and dissolving.

• use their play experiences to develop identifiable knowledge – they can match by relationships and verbalize invisible con­cepts, such as time and calendars.

• no longer need to see or hold a toy to play; they can recall previous experiences and use their knowledge.

• can name instruments, move to the beat of music and sing along.

• have phonemic awareness and view the written word as magical – writing a word is play!