• Top Tips for Transitioning from Summer Camp to School

    The days are getting shorter, and the temperatures are dropping. For parents and students, these changes mean the end of summer break and the beginning of a new school year. If your child is enrolled in summer camp in Pembroke Pines , then continue reading for tips on helping her with the transition to school this fall. Transitioning from Summer Camp to School

    Get Back on Schedule

    Even though your child is keeping busy at summer day camp and benefiting from regular mental stimulation, there is a good chance that she, like many other students, is in a summertime mindset that may make it difficult for her to get back into learning mode. One way to help prepare your child for the transition from camp to school is to make a gradual return to a normal schedule. For example, you might get her back on a good bedtime schedule or set aside time for learning that will be replaced with homework once the semester begins.

    Spend Time in Nature

    For kids in summer camp, their break from school means lots of time spent outdoors surrounded by and experiencing nature. To make the transition back to a classroom setting an easier one for your child, think about how you can incorporate outdoor activities into your normal routine. To do this, you could start taking daily walks to the park, arranging weekend day trips to the forest, or helping your child start her own backyard garden.

    Talk About Any Fears

    Some kids are always excited about going back to school. Others, however, face anxiety about entering a new classroom setting. If your child experiences fear about leaving summer camp and beginning a fresh school year, then set aside time to address her worries, and speak with her about the fun experiences she should look forward to and all the friends she can make. Finally, you can even approach this with a role play technique by setting up a classroom at home and arranging learning activities for you and your child to complete together.

  • The Importance of Communication-Rich Environments

    Are you searching for the right preschool in Pembroke Pines and wondering what to look for in a quality program? If so, then you could benefit from learning about the importance of communication-rich environments for child development.

    Providing children with a variety of experiences can be critical for the growth of their language and communication skills. For this reason, you should look for a preschool program that will help promote your child’s development by providing him with an environment that is language and communication-rich.

    Your child’s preschool program should offer multiple language models over the course of the day, use developmentally appropriate language, model appropriate forms of grammar, and include daily drawing and writing activities. Additionally, your child’s preschool instructor should respond to every communication attempt made by children in the classroom, encourage families to visit the classroom, frequently read to the children, and respond to children based on their focus and intent. Selecting a program with these qualities can help promote the development of your preschooler.

    Daily Drawing and Writing Activities by Tanglewood Academy

  • Try This Nature Craft with Your Young Learner

    Arts activities are a terrific way to help preschool-age kids work on fine motor skills. In this video, you’ll learn an activity that is great for early childhood development and can be done at home with your preschool-age child in Pembroke Pines.

    In this video, you’ll learn how to make a cactus plant using painted rocks. Encourage your child to find rocks of different sizes and then paint them to look like cacti. Like many great preschool activities, this project enhances fine motor skills by having your child work with small instruments, like paintbrushes. It also lets him or her work with colors, sizes, and shapes. In the end, your preschooler will have a project to display in his or her room and will have practiced several important skills.

  • Kids and Reading for Pleasure

    As your child reaches first grade , he or she will gradually read with greater fluency. During this sensitive age, it’s important that first graders in Pembroke Pines be encouraged to choose their own reading materials outside of class. Take your first grader to the library on a routine basis and let him or her choose books that appeal to him or her. The freedom of choice enables your child to develop a love of reading and it allows you to get to know your child’s interests better.

    Watch this video to hear a child development expert discuss literacy in the early years. He explains that first graders are more likely to be receptive to their parents’ recommendations for first grade reading materials when the parents respect the children’s primary reading choices.

  • Cultivating Empathy in Your Young Child 

    When your child is between the ages of three and four, he or she can enjoy preschool activities at a learning center in Pembroke Pines. Socializing with other preschool students will help your child develop empathy, but there are also steps you can take at home to cultivate empathy in your young child. Empathy is crucial for your child’s lifelong emotional stability and ability to work well with other people. The empathetic child is capable of distinguishing his or her feelings from those of others, understanding the perspective of others, and regulating his or her own emotional response.

    Help your child identify his or her emotions.

    Girl with Blocks Preschool students are still working on learning how to identify their emotions and communicate their feelings. Sometimes, falling short in these areas can prompt a child to experience behavioral meltdowns. Label emotions whenever possible. For example, you could tell your child, “Thank you for the hug. That was so kind of you,” “I like how you shared your train with your baby sister. It’s made her so happy!” or “It must have made you sad to lose your teddy bear. Let’s see if we can find it together.”

    Encourage the open sharing of feelings.

    Young children need to know that their parents are actively listening to them and acknowledging their feelings. Make eye contact and listen carefully when your child speaks to you. Respond with joy when your child shares his or her happy feelings or with sadness when your child is upset. Share your own feelings with your child to help him or her understand that everyone has emotions and that part of life involves learning how to cope with them.

    Assign responsibilities to your child at home.

    Early childhood development research suggests that children who have small responsibilities at home generally become individuals who are caring and empathetic. Simple tasks like feeding the dog or helping you fold laundry will teach your child the value of helping others. Similarly, it will help your child to better appreciate when other people do nice things for him or her.

  • Highlighting Pre-Academic Skills Learned in Preschool

    Giving your child the experience of preschool will help as he progresses to pre-kindergarten and into grade school. Various preschool activities can form the building blocks of early academic skills and child development in Pembroke Pines. Through these fun and engaging activities, your child will gain new experiences that will follow him throughout his academic career.

    Preschool classes are typically filled with laughter and playtime. However, that same playtime is teaching children the basic foundational concepts associated with reading, writing, science, and math. A child might see his coloring page as a fun craft, but his preschool teacher knows that he is learning fine motor skills to help with future writing worksheets. The class may enjoy digging in the dirt to plant seeds, but their teacher knows that she is teaching them a simple concept of earth science. These are just a few examples of the various skills and life lessons your child will learn with a preschool curriculum. If you are curious to learn more, contact a preschool near you to schedule a campus visit.

    Preschooler Painting Programs in Pembroke Pines

  • Helping Your Child Learn How to Grip a Pencil

    As your child enters preschool near Pembroke Pines, he may struggle with the concept of gripping a pencil. This is normal, especially in early childhood education . Children are still developing their fine motor skills and learning how writing on paper will help their academic success.

    Watch the short video for an easy way to help your child grip a pencil. You would hand your child a pencil, sharpened end toward him. Ask him to grip the pencil between his thumb and pointer finger. As he grips, slowly move the pencil to rest on the skin webbing between these two digits.

    Be sure to watch your child as he does his preschool or kindergarten work. Notice if he grips the pencil too hard. If he has blisters on his hands or his knuckles are white while writing, ask him to loosen his grip. This will help encourage him to hold the pencil correctly.

  • How Summer Day Camp Helps Kids Build Social Skills

    Enrolling your kids into a summer camp in Pembroke Pines can do more for their development than simply getting them out of the house. Your kids will gain lifelong memories as they engage in various summer camp activities. They will also learn much-needed social skills that will follow them throughout their life.

    They Are Surrounded by Age-Appropriate Peers

    Tanglewood Academy’s Summer Camps in Pembroke Pines During the school year, your kids are surrounded by their peers, but the experience in summer camp is a little different. Kids are having fun and participating in various games with other children every day—an experience they may not regularly receive during the school year. Kids are also exposed to other children around the same age as them, though some might be older or younger. Often, summer camps group children by a grade or age range. Giving your kids exposure to children of different ages can help them learn more social and emotional skills.

    They Engage in Group Activities

    Part of the fun of a kids’ summer camp is being able to engage in activities and games with friends. By playing with old friends and new acquaintances, kids can better learn how to follow rules and interact with peers in an appropriate manner. They also learn how to be on a team and solve problems with each other. These lessons, and many more, all come from group activities that will influence your kids for the rest of their lives.

    They Meet New People

    Some kids may be inherently shy when meeting new people. Whether they are meeting new adults or kids their age, some kids may not know how to start up a conversation or ask for help from someone they do not know. Through various summer activities for kids, summer camp helps kids become more involved with others they may not know. This interaction can help alleviate some of the stress shy or introverted kids might feel when meeting new people.

  • Choose a Great Summer Camp for Your Child

    Summer is just around the corner, which means that your child will soon have days free from his normal school schedule. If you don’t yet know what your child will be doing this summer, it’s not too late to look into summer camps in Pembroke Pines . Talk to your child to find out what sort of camp he might be interested in, and what he’d like to learn over the summer. A great summer camp will make learning fun through activities and educational field trips. Your child may want to attend a camp with his friends, but remind him that summer camp is a great place to meet new and interesting people, too. Check out this infographic to learn more about how to choose a great summer camp for your child this year.

    Child Summer Camp Infographic

  • Healthy Snack Ideas Your Kids Will Want to Eat

    Finding healthy, yummy snacks for kids to take to kindergarten is important, because snacks will help fuel your child’s learning and offer nutrition throughout the day. Whether you want an easy snack for home, or an on-the-go snack for kindergarten in Pembroke Pines , there are many different snack options.

    As seen in the video, there are a number of tasty snacks suitable for growing children. Veggies and hummus is an easy snack that will hold up in your child’s lunch box during preschool or kindergarten. You can also give them low-fat string cheese and yogurt. These can be good on-the-go snacks, but they may require refrigeration. One of the best protein-filled snacks your child can eat is a hardboiled egg. Lastly, a sweeter, but still healthy snack, would be a waffle with peanut butter, bananas, and honey on top. This will help your kids get their protein and potassium requirements for the day.