Arts & Crafts: Capture the Colors Of Spring

Spring is on its way! The weather is getting warmer, the grass is finally turning green again, and that gray color that’s been sticking around all winter is finally giving way to bright, spring colors!

At Little Angels, we go outside every day (even in the winter!), and spring coming back is one of our favorite times of the year. We do a lot of activities to celebrate spring, and want to share one that you can do at home with your child!

Observational Painting

Observational painting is a great way to let your kids use their imagination to describe how they see the world around them, and a way for them to practice matching colors to things they see in real life.

Take your kids outside and have them point out their favorite colors in things they see. You can even take a few photos on your phone so they have something to look at while they paint or draw.

Later, have them recreate the colors and designs they saw outside! To keep it clean, Crayola has a line of paints that are totally washable. If paint is still too messy for your kids, try colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

To add a craft element to your art project, clip some leaves and flowers from your garden and your kids can trace them to have more realistic leaves on their painting.

For the inspiration for this craft and to see more ideas, visit An Everyday Story!

To learn more about how we use arts and crafts to encourage freethinking and creativity at Little Angels, visit our website! As the trusted and preferred preschool in Ann Arbor, parents like you trust us to provide a safe and positive learning environment for toddlers in the Ann Arbor area. Join our family today!

Can Your Child Express Their Feelings Well? Try this Activity at Home!

Is your child vocal about their feelings?
 
Can they explain critical parts of a story?
 
Can your child recognize feeling words like sad, hurt, confused, loved, etc.?
We recommend this great activity to practice vocabulary and expression that we found on FamilyEducation.com:
 

Materials
•  Your child's favorite book

Directions
•  You can take a favorite story a step further after you read it by asking the child what a particular character felt like at some point in the story.
•  Help to extend vocabulary as your child searches for ways to explain feelings.

Extensions
•  Make a list of words together that describe what a character felt.
•  Ask the child if there is another way the story could have ended.
•  Ask if there is another way a character could have acted.
•  Ask the child how they feel about a particular part of a story.

This is a fun activity to do toward bedtime to boost your child’s understanding of the characters in their favorite story. The earlier your child develops analytical and logical thinking skills, the easier reading will become!  

Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti have been serving Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, Pittsfield Township, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. Your child will gain positive self-esteem, confidence and a healthy sense of value through Experienced-Based-Learning at our daycare center. Call (734) 998-0233 to schedule a tour!

What is Good Playdate Etiquette?

Does your child go on playdates?
 
Or, do you host playdates?
 
Either way, you’ve come to right place if you’re looking for the 411 on playdates! Playdates are a great way for children to socialize, learn, problem solve, discover and make lifelong friends.

We’ve collected a few great tips provided by Parents Magazine to help make playdates fun for every child and easier for parents, including:

1. Limit the number of people you invite, so your child can have one-on-one fun without anyone feeling left out.
2. Drop off your child only when you know he or she is ready and most comfortable.
3. Be on time dropping off and picking up your child.
4. Insist on helping with the cleanup!
5. Have your child “Thank” as soon as they’re old enough to talk.
6. Accommodate your child’s food allergies by bringing your own snacks.
7. Have fun activities planned out in advance if you’re hosting.
8. Make the effort to alternate locations.
9. Check with the other parent on restricting certain privileges like TV and computer use.

What do you find that works for you on playdates? Do you have tips for fellow parents? Let’s start the conversation on our blog in the comment section.

Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti have been serving Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, Pittsfield Township, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. Your child will gain positive self-esteem, confidence and a healthy sense of value through Experienced-Based-Learning at our daycare center. Call (734) 998-0233 to schedule a tour!

11 Ways to Grow Family Time!

Do you want to spend more time bonding as a family?
 
Day-to-day tasks that need to be done at home would be a great place to start! Chores can teach your child the valuable skills and lessons they need for their future. In addition, chores give children a connection and a sense of purpose in your family.  

Our teachers at Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti have compiled a list of chores you can do as a family around your home, including:

1.    Fold laundry
2.    Dust shelves
3.    Wash dishes
4.    Make beds
5.    Clean up toys
6.    Pull weeds
7.    Plant flowers
8.    Shovel snow
9.    Bring in light grocery items
10.    Cook or help prep dinner
11.    Clean spills and dirt
 
Imagine how fulfilled you’ll feel when your family feels a sense of closeness after you’ve added bonding time. The more time you spend together, the closer the family bond you’ll have for years to come!
 
Have you tried implementing something like this already in your home? Do you notice a difference in your family’s closeness or your child’s skills? If you decide to try some of these chores as a family, we’d like to know how it worked for your family.

Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti have been serving Pittsfield Township, Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. Your child will gain positive self-esteem, confidence and a healthy sense of value through Experienced-Based-Learning at our daycare center. Call (734) 998-0233 to schedule a tour!

13 Tips to Help Your Child Eat Their Veggies at Home & at Their Preschool in Ypsilanti

Children go through phases of what they will or will not eat, this is normal. We know as parents that we want our children to have a diverse palate and nutritious meals.

Our teachers at preschool in Ypsilanti suggest the best thing to do is not force your child to eat veggies, but make it a fun experience!

According to WebMD, a few proven ways to get kids to eat more veggies include:

1. Take your child to a farmers market and have them pick a veggie.
2. Try to offer a selection of different foods for salad night, taco night or pizza night.
3. Make it fun by making faces with cut up veggies.
4. Avoid battling over veggies.
5. Offer new veggies with a familiar one.
6. Don’t give up! Children’s appetites change over time.
7. Make veggie popsicles and smoothies.
8. Take advantage of peer pressure. If their friend is bold enough to try veggies, your child may follow.
9. Try roasting veggies! It helps bring out their natural sweetness.
10. Serve veggies with dip!
11. Have veggies ready to eat as a go-to snack.
12. Set a good example! Make sure your child sees you eat your own veggies. They will be more likely to do the same.
13. Sneak veggies into baked goods.

If you decide to try some of these tips to help your child eat more veggies, we’d like to know if it was successful. Imagine clean plates and no complaints at dinner time! We hope that your child becomes more adventurous in their eating habits, as well as, a better health role model for the future.

Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti have been serving Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, Pittsfield Township, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. Your child will gain positive self-esteem, confidence and a healthy sense of value through Experienced-Based-Learning at our daycare center. Call (734) 998-0233 to schedule a tour!

6 Reasons to Go to the Library!

Does your child enjoy reading?
 
How often do you take your child to the library?
 
Do you feel like libraries are an important part of learning?
 
Libraries are truly helpful in order to give children the chance to read books they may never have had a chance to read otherwise. Reading develops a child’s imagination and gives them a way to experience adventures without leaving home!
 
“I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
 
Make your summer an adventurous one, by taking a trip to your local library to see what it has to offer. Local libraries provide many benefits to young children including:

1. Children’s programs
2. Reading rewards
3. Unlimited supply of free books
4. Story time
5. Expands vocabulary
6. Teaches responsibility
   

If you decide to take your child to the library this summer, we’d like to know if the trip was successful. Libraries can be a great escape from the sweltering heat in the summer, so give it a shot! Reading a book with your child helps them develop their vocabulary skills faster!
 
Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti have been serving Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. Your child will gain positive self-esteem, confidence and a healthy sense of value through Experienced-Based-Learning at our daycare center. Call (734) 998-0233 to schedule a tour!

Preschool in Ypsilanti Suggests 7 Ways to Encourage Kids to Read!

Does your child enjoy bedtime stories?
 
Can your child identify certain words, letters, and phrases?
 
Can your child build small sentences?
 
If you answered, “Yes,” to the above questions, that’s great! However, if some of your answers were no, it’s not the end of the world. Every child learns at their own pace. It’s helpful to learn how to read earlier on in life because it can be harder to advance their education without learning the fundamentals first.

According to PBS, there are many things you can do to encourage your preschooler to read including:

1. Build reading into everyday routines.
2. Read and reread your young child’s favorite books every day.
3. Read books with a variety of characters.
4. Enjoy rhyming books together.
5. As you read, point out the important features of a book.
6. As you read, point to each word with your finger.
7. Use stories to introduce your child to new words.

If you decide to try some of these things with your child, we’d like to know how they work for you. Wouldn’t you like to see your child do well in school? By encouraging reading early in life, you’re helping them succeed. Are there any other alternatives that already work for you that you’d like to suggest to other parents? Please let us know in the comments! We’d love to hear from you!
 
Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti have been serving Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, and the surrounding areas for more than 20 years. Your child will gain positive self-esteem, confidence and a healthy sense of value through Experienced-Based-Learning at our daycare center. Call (734) 998-0233 to schedule a tour!

What Does Your Child’s Plate Size Have to Do With Obesity?

Do you force your child to clean their plate at dinnertime? 

Does your child eat more than one serving?

What size plate do you serve with at dinner?

All of these things can play a role in overeating. According to research, “one in three U.S. kids is now defined as overweight or obese.”  One way to solve this issue may be portion control!

You may ask, “How can I control my child’s portions?” According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the following steps will make it easier to minimize the extra calorie intake that you might not have noticed otherwise, including:

1. Offering the proper “serving” to each member of your family, and then putting the extra food away. You’ll then have leftovers for another meal.
    
2. Skipping the appetizers and splitting a large salad or main dish with one of your family members when dining out.
    
3. Ordering a small pizza instead of a medium pizza will make it easier for your family to avoid overeating because the pieces are usually smaller.
    
4. Watching movies at home or the theater while having a snack can distract you from noticing what you’re putting in your mouth and when. At the movies, share a box of popcorn, and avoid the free-refill tubs … and skip the candy!
    
5. Eating straight from the bag or box is never a good idea. Measure out snacks, including fruits and veggies, into appropriate portion sizes before giving them to your kids.

Obesity can lead to many health problems, such as heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis. If you make a change in your child’s eating habits early on in life, your child may end up living a longer and healthier life!  

We hope this information will help you become more aware of the portions your child is eating at home and while dining out in the Ypsilanti area. At Little Angels Preschool & Daycare Ypsilanti, we’re dedicated to our students’ health and well-being. We want to ensure the safety of our students and their families.