O Be Careful What You Say and Do!

I had a good reminder today of how much is "caught" instead of  "taught".  I was asking Zoi a question today, and she looked at me as straight faced as possible, and said "Haven't I already answered that, I told you already!" LOL She sounded like a recording of me! AND, if I had to guess, the faces she was making were an imitation of mine as well.  Preschoolers are like sponges, they soak up everything, even things that we don't realize they are absorbing!

Today we made STOP signs.  We were reviewing the letter O, so we talked about OCTAGON (which Charley and Zoi could read all the letters to spell), and we traced the letters S-T-O-P, colored the sign red and then cut out the octagon.  We also talked about where we see a STOP sign and what it means. So be aware, your children will be on the lookout for stop signs and what you are supposed to do when you see one.  They are now Traffic Cops!

We are so thankful for the nice weather. It has been super nice to get to go outside. We all had cabin fever, bad.  The children were in desperate need of some fresh air and space to run! I know winter isn't over yet, but we will enjoy it while we can.

Although the change in the weather is nice, other changes are sometimes difficult. Stability is something that we work to maintain in our classroom. Preschoolers thrive when they know what to expect and what "normal" is. When the things that they know as constant change, they begin to question everything around them. Many of the children in our classroom are in a time of transition at home.  When life happens and things have to change, there are some things you can do to maintain as much stability as possible and to prepare your preschooler for what is coming. Here are a few suggestions:

• Talk to your child. Give them as much information as is appropriate. If they have a vague idea of what is coming, they won't be caught completely off guard. 
• Keep as many routines intact as possible - meals, bedtimes, wake up, school, etc... This will help keep them grounded.  
• Make time for "down time." A little snuggle time goes a long way! 
• Communicate, Communicate, Communicate - If I know things are changing, I can help your child work thru what is going on.