Posts Tagged ‘Preschool’

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12 Surprising Benefits of Play

Friday, February 4th, 2011

12 proven and surprising benefits of child-directed (aka unscheduled and spontaneous) play for our stressed-out, over-supervised kids.

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.

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Posted in Learning through Play | 1 Comment »

Play-Based Education Drives More Effective, Well-rounded Learning; Effects Seen by 4th Grade

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Leading preschool chain shares the power of playful learning with children around the nation

Over the last two decades, children have lost eight hours of unstructured playtime in their week. Since 2002, 34% of kindergartens have eliminated recess. This trend of cutting back on playtime may have more negative effects than most parents are aware of. Although the debate on whether rigorous academic learning or play-based learning is more effective rages on, recent studies have shown playful learning has many positive, lasting effects unmatched by academic-based learning.

“When compared to academically-based preschool programs, children in play-based programs outperform the other group socially and academically by the time they reach the fourth grade,” said Kyle D. Pruett M.D., a child psychiatrist, published author, and advisor to The Goddard School®.

In a study conducted by psychologist Rebecca Maron of the University of North Florida, 1,200 toddlers and preschoolers were followed to measure the long-term academic effects of play-based learning vs. academic-based learning. The results strongly show the play-based learners outperforming the academic group both socially and academically by 4th grade. These findings support the claim that play-based learning increases a child’s ability to both learn abstract concepts and interact with peers.

Supported by a growing body of research from Play for Tomorrow, the consortium behind the respected “playful learning” movement, The Goddard School believes in and supports the power of play for learning and has incorporated the concept into their 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, reflected in an approach to learning that presents new skills to children in a playful and engaging way.

Research has shown many lifelong benefits of learning through play, including an increased ability to learn from mistakes, develop independent decision making and fine-tuning of children’s physical development and perceptual motor skills.

“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. Pruett.

To further support these learning techniques, The Goddard School has launched a system-wide initiative, the Goddard Community Games event, on February 5. During the event, families in schools across the country 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., franchisor of The Goddard School. “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.”

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Posted in Events, Learning through Play | 2 Comments »

Could We All Be Bullies?

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

The majority of American parents have become increasingly worried about the probability that their children will be bullied, and they’ve begun to ask for solutions. A recent Harris poll found that two-thirds of parents worry that their preschool/kindergarten children will be bullied. Though bullying has been a part of human experience since before recorded time, our shrinking world increases its presence and possibly forecasts an increased toll to our children. My grandparents believed, ‘what didn’t break you, made you stronger’; today, we’re a little more worried about the ‘breaking’ coming before the ‘strengthening’ – especially among our youngsters.

Bullying is a problematic, but not inevitable, part of human interpersonal business. It differs from the usual scrapes and chafes of everyday life because of its intentional nature. Toddlers and preschoolers are busy working on their unique sense of self, using newly learned personal pronouns to announce what’s theirs. This includes their toys, body parts and random objects that catch the eye (see Toddler Property Laws in my book, ‘Me, Myself and I’). So, when someone unknowingly violates one of these property laws, ‘No, mine!’ gets screamed and a brief, small (in the scheme of things) social encounter of an aggressive nature may occur. A parent or teacher usually handles such incidents with some helpful words and – it’s on with the day.

Bullying, however, is an intentional, aggressive act – social or physical – with the sole aim of intimidating a peer. Such acts happen daily on the margins of adult supervision and as such are witnessed by most peers. Most of the children we know have either been a perpetrator, victim or bystander – since as long as they can remember, these three jobs may even be a continuum.

We are born with a drive to master the world around us, and a portion of selfishness and aggression seems to be part of everyone’s tool kit. Parents begin early by helping their children get the ‘dosage’ right, helped along by culture and society’s expectations. One of nature’s partners in this process is the innate capacity for empathy which shows up, developmentally, in the middle of the second year of life. Remember the toddler offering (temporarily) his binky or blankie to a sad friend?  How do we get from there to Michele Anthony’s descriptions of the painful social bullying in her Little Girls Can Be Mean: Four Steps to Bully-proof Girls in the Early Grades - in just a few short years? Well, we could go on forever, but in this article’s worth of advice, I know parents are pretty sure they’d like to strengthen their child’s defenses against distressing stuff.

Supporting an early drive to care for one another is the winning strategy. The brain –and its hormonal partners- treat acts of kindness and caring with the same special care as it does warm human relationships. The ‘relationship hormone’, oxytocin, increases whenever such acts are performed, improving our capacity to regulate our emotions and get our aggression and selfishness under control. If parents can ‘catch’ their children in small acts of kindness and add a few words to explain why this feels good – to them and to the child, and why they value it so highly – resilience to bullying when parents are not around is under construction.

Speaking up about how we treat each other is an especially powerful tool in anti-bullying strategies because it has the power of majority.  Bullying feeds on our silence. Let’s help each other and our children find our voices.

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Posted in Dr. Kyle Pruett, Manners, Nature | 1 Comment »

The Goddard School Sponsors Play-Focused Goddard Community Games Event

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011

Nation’s Leading Preschool Chain Shares the Power of Playful Learning with Families

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.

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Posted in Activities, Events, Goddard News, Learning through Play | No Comments »

Sleeping Through the Night

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

A good night’s sleep is essential for both you and your baby.  The sooner your little one is sleeping well through the night, the sooner you can return to a beneficial sleep routine as well.

Newborns tend to wake frequently during the night until they reach about three months of age.  This is when most babies begin to sleep for longer periods of time and develop a regular sleep pattern.  By six months of age, most babies are able to sleep through the night, which can be anywhere from five hours on.

To help your baby reach the “sleeping through the night” goal, be sure to establish consistent bedtime and naptimes.  Also, develop a bedtime routine that will be repeated in the same order, at the same time each night.  Consistency is the key in helping your baby develop a healthy sleep pattern.  Find appropriate activities for your baby’s bedtime routine that will help her become calm and relaxed. If a certain activity, such as bathing, seems to be too stimulating, consider moving that activity to another time of day.

It’s also okay to wake your baby in the morning or rouse her from a nap if she is sleeping longer than you would like.  This will help her establish a healthy sleep schedule and to wake at the same time each day.

Putting your baby down to sleep when she shows signs of drowsiness, but is not yet asleep, will help her learn to fall asleep independently.  This is advantageous to helping her fall back to sleep if or when she wakes during the night.  Rather than crying for you to hold or feed her, she’ll be able to quietly fall back to sleep on her own.

Don’t be discouraged if these techniques take a while to work or don’t work for your baby.  Each baby’s needs are different and there are various sleep training techniques available.  Consult your baby’s doctor for other suggestions and remember to remain positive and consistent.

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Learning to Play Together: A Parents’ Guide to Bully Prevention in Preschool and Beyond

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

In addition to their ABCs and 123s, preschool children are learning and developing life skills that will shape who they grow into as adults.  One of these building blocks is learning to play well with others and accept each other¹s differences.  Learning this at such a young age is critical, especially since, according to some research, bullying has become more common among two to six year olds.

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.

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Posted in Preschool, Safety, School, Tips | 2 Comments »

Making Time for Small Talk

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Just Talk
The most important thing you can do to encourage language and communication is talk to your child. From infant, to toddler, to preschooler and on up through the years, share what you are doing, seeing and feeling. Small talk is a great way to maximize language growth. Always use tone and emphasis, and be sure to respond to your child’s attempts at sounds, words, sentences and conversation.

In Your Daily Travels
Whether at the market, bank or park, talk about what you see and hear along your way. Be descriptive. Chat about characteristics in terms of color, shape, size, what things do or sound like, how they taste, how they feel, how they smell. You’ll be surprised at what your children will absorb—and will share with you some day!

Keep It Simple
Discuss your child’s environment and focus on what is important to them. Every conversation counts. Your daily routine can be full of new words, experiences and feelings for your child. While reading a book together, running errands, making dinner or visiting a relative, ask your child many questions: What are you doing? How does that feel? Why/how does that happen? What happens next?

The Ultimate Reward
As they develop, your child will gain valuable conversation, language and social skills. As a result, the bonds and connections you will form with your child, through even the simplest of coos or the most complex of conversations, are absolutely priceless!

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Posted in Development, parenting | 1 Comment »

Positive Alternatives to “No”

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

Children should begin to learn to respect limits from a young age. Most boundaries for children are set for health and safety reasons and are a very important and necessary developmental tool. Children are corrected every day, which can lead them to simply “tune out” any perceived negativity or become uncooperative. Regardless of their age, most people respond better to positively communicated direction. This is especially true for children. For example, “Grandma is worried about us getting stains on her couch. Let’s enjoy our snack in her kitchen instead,” will generate more cooperation than “No food or drinks in Grandma’s living room.”

Try telling your child what they can do instead of what they can’t. Practice the positive alternatives below to avoid overusing the word “no” while maintaining reasonable limits.

  • “Maybe later” can work to delay a request such as snacks or sweets before mealtime.
  • “Not today” communicates that the timing is wrong but leaves the possibility open.
  • “When we’ve done (this), then we can do (that).” This method is good for transition times and to help toddlers establish event routines. For example, “When all of your toys are put away, we can go play at the park.”
  • “I’ll think about it” replaces an automatic “no” by allowing yourself the time to think about your determination. Parents tend to make better decisions when they take the time to think about the request and their response.
  • “Sure, did you bring your allowance?” This technique allows you to communicate that they may have the requested item if they can pay for it themselves.
  • “Yes (with qualifier).” This strategy grants conditional permission. For example, “Yes, you may play the game after we eat dinner.”

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Posted in Manners, parenting, Tips | 1 Comment »

The Goddard School Announces the Top Five Preschooler Approved Toys for 2010

Friday, December 10th, 2010

Childcare franchisor highlights toys that encourage learning through play

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.

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Posted in Goddard News | No Comments »

The Importance of Nap Time

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Your toddler shows all the signs that he is exhausted and in dire need of a good old-fashioned nap.  He is yawning, whining, rubbing his heavy eyelids and twirling his hair—but, at the mere mention of a nap, he just may melt down. The explanation is truly a simple one: Toddlers do not want to miss out on even one moment of adventure, as they are beginning to understand that they can assert their own independence as often as they like to manipulate the world around them.

The solution is not necessarily as straightforward. Here are a few tips for a more successful nap (or at least quiet) time:

  • Plan a quieter activity before nap time begins to allow for a winding down period.
  • Make the transition to nap time consistent each day: potty time, read a book, cuddle up with a lovey or special blanket.
  • Never make nap time a punishment.
  • Provide a restful place for nap time. (Consider: darkening blinds, heavy curtains, calming music, a fan or white noise machine)
  • Make sure naps are in his bed or crib. This will help him associate his own bed with sleep.
  • If he absolutely refuses to nap, leave him with some toys and books and tell him it’s quiet time.
  • Give him a hug and a kiss, tuck him in and leave the room.

Remember, sleep is very important for a growing child. If your child repeatedly gets up after you have tucked him in, calmly take his hand and return him to his bed. Walk him back to bed each time, and he will soon realize that you are serious. If he still seems to have difficulty napping, let him know it’s ok to stay awake, but he needs to use this time as “quiet time.” Be calm—but firm—about this resting period. Children (and parents, too!) need rest, even if they are not sleeping.

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Posted in parenting, Preschool, Tips | No Comments »

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