5 Values You Should Teach Your Child By Age 5

As a parent of young children, you know that there are important values your kids need to learn for them to make friends, do well in school, and grow up.

When your kids are younger, they soak up everything they see and hear! The earlier you start teaching good values, the more likely they’ll internalize those values and apply them throughout their lives.

Here are five values that you may want your child to learn by his or her fifth birthday:

1. Love – Always be generous with your affection. When your son or daughter sees you showing love to family members and friends, he or she will feel more comfortable expressing affection. 
2. Consideration – Teach your kids to think about others’ feelings! Over time, a young child can see that treating peers nicely and being friendly can ensure that his or her peers will be nice in return. Remember the Golden Rule: treat others how you want to be treated!
3. Determination – Encourage your kids to take on a challenge! The easiest way to encourage determination according to Parents.com is “avoiding excessive praise and by providing children with honest feedback, delivered in a gentle, supportive fashion.” Make sure to congratulate your kids when they do something that is difficult for them, such as making friends when they’re shy, or completing a homework assignment that they’ve struggled with in the past.
4. Honesty – Help your kids find a way to tell the truth! The easiest way to encourage them to be truthful is to make sure that you’re truthful as well. Another way is to make sure you don’t overreact to small white lies. Encourage children to be honest by assuring them that you won’t yell and that they won’t be in trouble if they tell the truth the first time. 
5. Justice – Teach your kids to say ‘I’m sorry’ and make amends! Teaching your children to apologize after they do something wrong will help to instill the concepts of right and wrong, and help them think about how their actions affect people around them.

We think there’s a good chance that kids who learn these values will have an easier time socializing, making friends in school, and interaction with adults. Learning these values and life lessons early on will also give your children a foundation they can build on as they grow into mature, happy, kind-hearted people!

As the trusted and preferred daycare in Ann Arbor, we provide a positive learning environment for kids all over Washtenaw County. If you want more information about our facility or our teaching style, please visit our website!

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!

Shape Matchup Activity!

Want to set your child up for success by teaching him or her all about shapes?
 
Can your child already recognize certain shapes because of everyday items found around your house?
 
Is your child aware of different size objects around your home?
 
We recommend a great activity to practice shapes and sizes by Trish Kuffner, found on FamilyEducation.com:
 
Materials

• Colored construction paper 
• White construction paper 
• Pen or marker 
• Scissors 

Directions

1. Cut basic shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, heart, and so on) out of colored construction paper. 
2. Trace all the shapes onto a piece of white construction paper. 
3. Have your child match the colored shapes to those drawn on the white paper.  

This might seem like just a fun playtime activity, but you’re really helping your child to be set up for success. Want your child to be the next great mathematician? The earlier fundamentals are learned, the better your child will perform in school and beyond! This shape matchup activity helps develop your child’s cognitive senses for math concepts from geometry to sorting and patterning.

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!

Baby Talk or No Baby Talk That is Thee Question!

Yay or nay for baby talk?
 
Do you believe that imitating your babies babbling can be beneficial to your child’s vocabulary growth?
 
Or, do you think that speaking in a regular tone rather than a sing-song voice would be just as beneficial for your child, and that’s why you don’t baby talk?

According to PBS Parents, “Experts call this musical way of talking “parentese” and report there’s a true value to it. Parentese helps parents and caregivers connect to their babies and helps babies develop language skills.” If it can help benefit your child in the long run, why not try speaking baby talk every now and then. It couldn’t hurt!
 
With baby talk every child is exposed to drawn out vowels and exaggerated facial expressions, which allow a baby’s brain to remember the sounds they hear to help better recognize language. Before you know it, your baby will be rolling out sentences and performing in the school play!
 
Has baby talk worked for your children? Why are you for or against baby talk? 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!

Looking for Family Groups in Ypsilanti or Ann Arbor?

Are you looking for parent or family support groups in Ypsilanti or the surrounding areas?
 
There are many parents in the area who have similar interests and children at the same milestones as your family. Many groups in the area provide opportunities for parents to mingle, get advice, and support each other in their parenting endeavors.

Some groups in the area include:
 
1. Hike it Baby
2. La Leche League
3. Ann Arbor Parents Without Partners
4. Ann Arbor Parents Meetup Group
5. Lamaze Family Center
6. Saint Joseph Hospital Breastfeeding Club
7. Ann Arbor Baby Wearers
 
If you need a few more suggestions on family groups in the area, feel free to ask our staff. We’re always willing to help support and guide our Little Angels parents and guardians.
 
If you decide to try some of these parent groups, we’d like to know how they work for you. In addition, are there any other alternative parent groups that you’re already a part of that you’d like to suggest to other parents? Please let us know in the comments! At Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti serving Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan, Pittsfield Township, and the surrounding areas, we’re dedicated to our students’ health and well-being. (734) 998-0233

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!

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!

6 Ways to Deal with Aggression in Toddlers and Preschoolers

Is your child aggressive toward other toddlers or preschoolers?

Does your child have a history of biting, kicking, or hitting?

What have you done to help solve the problem?

If you’re having a hard time dealing with an aggressive child at home, you’re not alone! Many toddlers display aggressive behavior around two years old mostly because they’re frustrated. Toddlers have a limited vocabulary to express how they’re feeling, which results in frustration. 

Photo Credit: George Hodan

How would you like to get a good report from your child’s teacher every day? You would have less frequent trips to the preschool and daycare in Ypsilanti, and have more YOU time!  

According to Parents Magazine, “if your child has a tendency toward aggressive behavior, it's up to you to help him develop judgment, self-discipline, and the ability to express his or her feelings in appropriate ways. Here are six ways to do that:

1. Set firm consistent limits.
2. Help your child find new ways to deal with their anger. 
3. Instill self-control in your child.
4. Avoid encouraging your child to be tough.
5. Don’t spank as a form of discipline.
6. Control your own temper.”

Give these recommendations a try. It’s important that you portray how your child should behave yourself because, after all, they learn from you! Your child will pick up on your signals. If they continue to struggle, it may be beneficial to speak with a doctor regarding your child’s behavior.

If you decide to try some of these things with your child, we’d like to know how it works for you. In addition, 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! At Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti serving Saline, Ann Arbor, Milan and the surrounding areas, we’re dedicated to our students’ health and well-being.

The Ultimate Guide to the Right Car Seat for Every Age & Stage

Are you overwhelmed by the abundant selection of car seat choices?

Don’t worry! We have the 411 on car seats!

Whether your child is an infant or toddler, there’s a special car seat made just for them! 

According to Consumer Reports, “about 80 percent of parents and caregivers experience some level of misuse when using seats that include a harness, so it's important to carefully read the owner's manual for both your vehicle and your child's car seat.”

At Little Angels Preschool & Daycare in Ypsilanti, we like to ensure the safety of our students and their families. So, we have a few suggestions on how to pick the right car seat for your child including:

Infant Car Seats: (4-25 lbs.) Unless your baby is born before 37 weeks, you’ll buy this car seat when your baby is first born. These car seats have a comfy cushion surrounding every corner to embrace your baby.

Car beds: (born before 37 weeks or have special needs) These car beds are perfect for preemies because they feature a slant, enabling your baby to ride safely lying down. 

Convertible Car Seats: (25-100 lbs.) These car seats grow with your child, so you’ll only have to buy one car seat in your child’s lifetime. However, they are typically not compatible with strollers and can’t be used as a carrier.

 

Booster Car Seats: (30 to 40 lbs., maximum weight 70 to 120 lbs.) The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children ride in safety seats until the age of seven, and if your child is small, it may be wise to keep your baby in one even longer.

We hope this information will help you become more aware of the car seat options at your disposal. 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.

Do you know of a parent looking for a quality daycare in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor or the surrounding areas? Please encourage them to contact us to schedule a tour of Little Angels Preschool & Daycare.

5 Tips to Improve Communication with Your Child

Many parents feel that communicating with their child can become a struggle. Something to keep in mind; a child’s brain can keep only four ideas in short-term memory at one time (even less in younger children). With our Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti’s 5 tips to improve communication, you’ll be on the fast track to smoother days with your child!

According to Psychology Today, the four most common methods to avoid in communicating with children are the following:

1. Talking too much
2. Nagging
3. Listening poorly
4. Failing to apologize

Here are a few suggestions to try in your communication with your child:

1. Limit the conversation (short and simple) – this helps them absorb the information better.
2. Allow your child to manage the situation better by loosening the reins (give choices you both would accept).
3. Try turning off your electronic devices when you come home from work.
4. Set an example on how to fess up after making a mistake and learn the proper way to apologize. State the mistake, apologize, and explain how to improve the relationship/situation.
5. Limit tasks – younger children may only retain 2-3 things at a time. Good rule of thumb is one task for every year old for 5 years and younger.

Give these recommendations a try. Your child will be more responsive and you will strengthen your parent-child relationship at the same time.

If you decide to try some of these things with your child, we’d like to know how it works for you. In addition, 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 hope this information will help you become more aware of your parent-child interactions. At Little Angels Preschool in Ypsilanti, we are dedicated to our students’ health and well-being.