How to Spend More Quality Time with Your Child

You lead a busy life when you have a toddler, and the hectic, noisy days can seem to go on and on. However, while the days with your babies or toddlers can seem long, the years will fly by! How can you make sure that you’re spending enough quality time with your children?

Harley A. Rotbart M.D., from Parents Magazine, writes, “Every day brings new growth, new milestones, and new wonderment, but the challenges of juggling our adult lives often prevent us from fully appreciating the delicate nuances of childhood.”

Rotbart recommends these ideas to optimize the time you spend with your kids:

• Practice parenting meditation: When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s easy to switch into auto pilot with your kids. To try to stay in the moment with your kids, focus on really seeing them, hearing them, understanding them, and really take a minute to be amazed by the little one you’ve created.
• Take pajama walks: The hour before bedtime can be chaotic, especially with young children. To help them calm down, weather permitting, take a walk in your pajamas! Not only will it give your kids time to decompress, it will also give you time alone with them that might otherwise be spent in front of the TV.
• Don’t drive everywhere: If you’re able, try to go to the park, or a friend’s house by foot. Walking with your kids is a great way to get exercise, and spend some quality time together.
• Have a special treat day: Create traditions like having ice-cream sundaes after dinner on Friday nights, or a movie night once per week where you have popcorn. 

The key to all of these tips is to focus on turning every minute you spend with your children during a busy day into a memorable moment, rather than worrying about how much time you can spend each day with them.

At Little Angels, we spend a lot of time promoting friendship, creativity, imagination, and exploring nature. At our preschool in Ann Arbor, we know that every minute your child is learning and growing is important! To learn more about our teaching approach and curriculum, schedule a tour of our facility! Visit our website to learn more.

Fun Activities to do in the Snow

Enjoying another Michigan winter? Around here, snow and cold is a way of life. When the temperatures aren’t bitter cold, and the sidewalks are shoveled, it’s time to play!

There are so many great ways to enjoy the outdoors even in cold weather, and Parents.com has come up with some great activities to make sure you and your child are getting outside for fresh air every day.

Remember: bundle up! Exposed skin in temperatures 20 degrees or below is susceptible to frostbite! Make sure to layer your kids’ clothing. Avoid cotton, as it tends to hold moisture. Keep their body heat up by properly covering their little feet, hands, and heads.

Next up: fun in the snow!

1. Cool snow critters: take a break from the everyday snowman, and try making animal sculptures out of snow! Long caterpillars will come to life when you use sticks for antennas and pine cones for eyes.
2. Ice maker: when the temperature drops below freezing, you can blow bubbles with your child and watch them freeze on the end of the wand.
3. Tic tac snow: Draw a grid in the snow and use crisscrossed sticks and pine cones as game pieces.
4. For the birds: String cranberries, popcorn, and cereal onto fishing line and decorate the trees. Watch as the birds come for a snack!
5. Build a fort: You can use sand buckets, loaf pans, and even cut-up empty milk cartons to form the shape of a snow castle!

At Little Angels Preschool & Daycare, we go outside every day (except in the bitter cold, when we utilize the large play space in our building)! At our preschool in Ann Arbor, we’re always trying out fun new games that allow the children to use their imagination.

To find out more about our nature-inspired curriculum, schedule a tour today! You’ll meet our team and see our one of a kind outdoor play area. In addition, make sure to check out our friends at Hike It Baby Ann Arbor, a parent group in the Ann Arbor area focused on getting families outdoors together in a supportive and safe environment.

Why You Shouldn’t Obsess About Milestones

As a parent it can be easy to overthink every milestone in your child’s life, especially if you’re friends with other parents whose children are around the same age.

Comparing your kids to others is natural, and worrying about developmental milestones is a common worry among parents. However, you don’t need to stress!

According to Parents.com, “Child development is a continuum, a gentle ramp or incline, not a series of discrete steps on a staircase. Although the differences between a 6-month old and a 6-year old are very dramatic, the differences between a 6-month old and an 8-month old are much less so. Some kids walk at 9 months, others at 15 months or later. That doesn’t predict their future SAT scores or athletic scholarships.”

Kids can be surprising, taking leaps and bounds in development and learning to do things like reading and writing very early, while some might struggle to do these things at the same age.

As long as you give your children the best opportunities to learn and explore, the developmental steps will come in time!

If you’re worried that kids your child’s age seem to be developing more rapidly, remember that everyone has their own learning speed and style! However, if you have serious concerns about developmental progress in your child, you should speak with your doctor for reassurance.

At Little Angels Preschool & Daycare, we’re the trusted and preferred preschool in Ann Arbor. We believe that children learn by doing, and use the Reggio-Emilia approach to learning in order to provide them with a nurturing, creative space to learn and grow.

For more information about developmental milestones and for some ideas of what you can do outside of daycare to help your child grow, please contact us today or visit our website!

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!

5 Ways to Prep Your Kids for Daylight Saving Time

If you have small children at home, chances are your sleep schedule is already a bit irregular! Throw in daylight saving time, and it can be really hard to adjust everyone’s schedules, including your own.

Daylight saving time can act like jet lag, leaving you feeling groggy for a few days after the change. Whether it’s “springing forward” or “falling back,” the lack of sleep that usually occurs with this time change can be especially hard on your kids.

According to Parents.com, “Young children need more sleep and don’t tolerate sleep deprivation as well as adults. The loss of just one hour can really affect a child’s attention span, appetite, and overall mood.”

There are some easy ways you can help your kids adjust to this big change in their schedules, and help everyone in your home be in a better mood!

1. Take Baby Steps – Try making the adjustment gradually rather than just setting the clock forward or backward one night and expecting your child to adjust. Prepare the week beforehand by making bedtime a little bit earlier each night until your child is going to bed an hour before they usually do.
2. Control the Lights – Melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate the body’s internal clock, and it increases in the evening when it gets dark out. Daylight saving time can alter this schedule a little bit, and that’s when it gets hard for kids – they don’t want to go to sleep when it’s still light outside! To fix this, make sure your kids stop using electronics about 30 minutes before bedtime, including watching TV. This will help their brains relax before it’s time to sleep.
3. Stick with a Routine – It’s important to stick to a routine at bedtime. Even when you have to change the clocks, remember to keep the bedtime routine of washing up, reading, listening to music, or whatever relaxing activities they like the same even if their bedtime is changing.
4. Get Enough Sleep Now – Going into daylight saving time well-rested can greatly help your child because he or she won’t be cranky, which can make falling asleep even harder. 
5. Be Sympathetic – If your child’s mood is bad after daylight saving time, try to be more forgiving. Parents.com says, “The time change can cause such short-term changes in your child’s mood, but your understanding and support will help him or her adjust a little better.” 

Don’t forget – daylight saving time this year is on Sunday, March 12th! We hope these tips will help you, and your child have a smooth transition into the spring.

For more tips on how to deal with other behavioral issues with your child, check out our website! We’re the trusted and preferred preschool in Ann Arbor and work hard to provide children with a positive, encouraging learning space.

Taming Your Kids’ Temper Tantrums

If your child is prone to temper tantrums, you know that they can make you feel like you’re close to having a meltdown, too! Young kids – mostly those between ages one and four – haven’t developed the coping skills they need to react calmly to negative situations, which usually results in a temper tantrum.

If you’re having a hard time getting those meltdowns under control, you’re not alone! Plenty of parents struggle to figure out what to do to calm down a child when they’re in the middle of an episode.

Ray Levy, a Dallas-based clinical psychologist says, “for children between one and two, tantrums often stem from trying to communicate a need – more milk, a diaper change, that toy over there – but not having the language skills to do it.”

Levy suggests that tantrums are the result of small children getting frustrated when their parents don’t respond the way they want them to.

So, how can you stop these outbursts from occurring so often? According to Parents.com, there are several ways you can keep these temper tantrums at bay, including:

1. Ignore the child during the tantrum – Researchers suggest that during a tantrum, the emotions in your child are on overdrive, which is why reasoning doesn’t work. Let your child work out his or her frustration, and once the child calms down, then you can talk.
2. Give your child some space – In a controlled environment (where your child won’t hurt him or herself), sometimes it’s best to let your child work out the anger. Teaching them how to vent in a non-destructive way will actually be good for children in the long run.
3. Create a diversion – Keep some books or toys handy in your purse, car, or in different places around the house to use as a distraction when your child starts to get fussy or frustrated.
4. Find out what’s really frustrating them – For kids three years or younger, their vocabulary isn’t enough for them to tell you why they’re upset. Working on communication effectively could be the key to stopping a tantrum.
5. Hugs – This may seem like a no brainer, but when a child is frustrated, sometimes all he or she needs is a big hug to feel more secure. 

For more advice on how to deal with your child when they start to get angry or frustrated, visit our website and see other posts on our blog about behavior! At Little Angels, we do everything we can to make your child feel like he or she is being heard and being taken care of. That’s why parents like you made us the trusted and preferred preschool in Ann Arbor! Call us today to find out more!

Let Your Kids Cook For You!

Now that the holidays are over, it can be a struggle to keep kids entertained. To switch up your routine for playtime at home, and to get their creative juices flowing, put on your chef’s hat and get your child involved at dinnertime!

Our friends at Let The Children Play shared this fun activity they did at their facility, and we think it would work perfectly at home, too!

Obviously supervision is required, but you can find many ways to make it work for your family! If you or your significant other has a birthday coming up, try making a special birthday dinner with your child, or have your child help you make a cake.

Cooking something for you will teach your child how to follow instructions, and they’ll love creating a dish for you with bright colors and different textures!

Of course, there are dishes that are easy to make, and some that are more difficult. Try to pick foods that will allow them to do most of the work. Here are some suggestions:

• Colorful veggie salad – Salads are relatively easy to make. Make sure you’re the one cutting up any large veggies, though! 
• Sandwiches – let your child be creative with ingredients!
• Fruit salad – You can buy fun shaped fruit cutters at your grocery store to make cutting up fruits easier and more fun! 
• Pizza - Use english muffins for the "dough", or even pieces of bread! Find recipes online for stovetop pizzas.

To make this activity more special in warmer months, consider planting a vegetable garden and have your kids help! You can create little signs with your child to stick in the ground that mark each plant, and then use the vegetables you grow to make food throughout the year.

For more information about different activities to try with your child, see our other blog posts! Little Angels is the trusted and preferred preschool in Ann Arbor and we love to play outside and use our imagination.

Make Teaching Letters at Home Easy!

Learning letters can be a challenge for anyone, but it’s almost never impossible. If you believe, you can achieve!

We recommend these great letter activities that you can do at home that were created by Lori, found on a Conversations in Literacy Blog. 

Highlight: Rice Boxes

Photo Credit: Conversations in Literacy Blog

Materials

• Rice
• Big spoon
• Letters
• Letter match-up worksheet

Directions:

Find a letter in the rice and match with the corresponding uppercase or lowercase letter.

This activity will develop the building blocks needed to understand how to read and write. This letter recognition activity helps develop your child’s cognitive senses for memory, reading, and writing.

Little Angels Preschool in the Ann Arbor area has been serving Saline, Ypsilanti, 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!

3 Essential Tips to Childproof Your Smartphone!

Has your smartphone been broken too many times to count? We know the feeling! With the number of times juice has been spilled and the accidental tumbles your child has had with your phone in hand, it’s amazing it has made it this far! Sometimes we wonder if kids are the top reason your phone needs to be repaired or replaced. 

At our preschool in the Ann Arbor area we understand your

frustration. You want your child to be able to play the educational apps on your phone but at the same time you hope your phone is durable enough that it won’t break. We’ve come up with a few ideas to help you save some money:

• Buy a strong case! Is it waterproof? Scratchproof? Shatterproof? 
• Lock your screen with a passcode or fingerprint for entry.
• Enable parental controls to enforce restrictions.

Do you have other ways to help protect your phone? We’d love to hear from you! Please post your ideas in the comment section below.

Little Angels Preschool in the Ann Arbor area has been serving Ypsilanti, Saline, 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!

Ways to Ease Separation Anxiety

Separation can be hard for many children, but it’s a normal stage in development. Our teachers at our preschool in the Ann Arbor area understand the difficulty separation has on parents and their children. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of things you can do to help your child ease through this important challenge in their lives.

1. Allow your child to get comfortable with change. Change is scary even for grown-ups! It’s important to communicate that both you and your child are safe when you’re apart.

a. Find things your child enjoys at preschool

b. Talk about the good things about your child’s preschool in Ann Arbor while at home and on the way to preschool.
 
c. Ask your child what they enjoyed when you pick them up and what they plan to do when you drop them off.
 
d. Help your child label their feelings and give them better ways to comfort themselves.
 
e. Describe different emotions to them, ask if and when they feel those emotions. Talk about how it’s okay to have these feelings, and that we can change them if we try. Singing a happy song can help make your child feel happy instead of sad or angry. A pair of sunglasses or a super hero mask may also help make them feel brave when they’re scared.

View this as a learning opportunity to establish trust, emotional regulation, and resilience. By learning these skills now, they have a chance to fine tune them before they’re in a larger class in kindergarten.

2. Establish a routine!

a. Bedtime routine – Getting enough sleep the night before never hurts the next morning. Read a story about preschool or tell a story about it. Talk about positive things at school.
 
b. Morning routine

Wake up at the same time every day, allow your child to pick out their outfit, chose a comforting tool for the day (a blanket, family photo, photo album, stuffed animal, etc.). Drive the same route to school, pointing out landmarks, and ask what landmarks comes next. Discuss their plan for the day. Give them a job – make them in charge of pushing the button to open the door to the building or entering the door code.
 
c. Drop-off routine/ Goodbye routine
Keep it short. Walk into the classroom and allow them to put away their coat and comfort tool. Decide beforehand how you’ll say goodbye; hug, high five, secret hand shake, song (silly laughter never hurts). A teacher will lead them to an activity of their choice (maybe what was discussed in the car?)
 
d. Classroom routine
Teachers can discuss with them what the plan is.
Example: Breakfast, then story, outside, then blocks or art, lunch then nap, snack then story, outside then Mom or Dad come to get you.

Please tell the teacher who will pick up your child and at what time, this way we can communicate with your child and be consistent.

Little Angels Preschool in the Ann Arbor area has been serving Ypsilanti, 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. We have infant, toddler, and preschool programs available. Call (734) 998-0233 to schedule a tour!

Ultimate Guide to Talk to Your Child’s Doctor

When it comes to your child’s health, do you know the right questions to ask their doctor?

When you’re prepared and know what to ask ... that’s a victory! 

However, whether you’ve been a parent for some time or just recently became a new parent in the scary world of a sick child, you’re not alone. Being a parent is one of the scariest and most challenging things that we’ll do in our lifetime. It’s not easy, but the rewards are more than worth it!

According to About Kids Health, here’s how to get the most information out of your child’s doctor, including what to do beforehand and when you’re there:  

Beforehand:

• Write out questions and concerns so you won’t forget things.
• Write down any recent symptoms.
• Keep self-monitoring records current.
• Review what medications and dosages your child is currently taking.
• Review the main points you want to cover.
• If your child is older, talk to them about questions that they may want to have answered during the visit.
• Keep a diary that records your child's symptoms, tests undergone, results of tests and other related information.
• Make a note of anything you need from the health-care team, such as a letter for your child’s school or help finding community health services.

What to do when you’re there:

• Bring your diary of symptoms, tests, medications, dosages and any side effects.
• Request time to ask questions.
• Encourage your child to participate in the visit and ask their questions if possible.
• Write down the answers.
• When answers seem detailed or complicated, it may be helpful to repeat answers back when talking to your child’s health-care provider to ensure that you understand.
• Make a specific plan of action for any changes to the treatment or medication routine.
• Make an appointment for the next visit.
• Ask if blood tests or any other tests, should be done.
• If needed, ask for a refill of your child’s medications during the clinic visit.

Having an open communication with your child’s doctor is extremely beneficial to your child’s health and well-being. In addition, this allows a trusting relationship to develop between you and your child’s doctor. The more trust you have with the doctor, the better they can diagnose what ails your child.

We hope this information will help you become more aware of the things you need to prepare for before and during visits to your child’s doctor. At Little Angels Preschool & Daycare Ann Arbor, 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.