Beating Childcare Jitters – Parents’ Edition
The first day of childcare can be a little overwhelming as a parent, especially if this is the first time you’re leaving your child in someone else’s care for long periods of time. This stress is normal, and some might say even a little healthy! That’s why it’s so important to take deep breaths, prepare in advance, and check out these 4 tips for beating childcare jitters:
Visit
It’s likely you went through extensive research to choose the childcare center that would fit best with you and your family’s needs and wants. So you’ve narrowed down your choices, chosen the best fit, and now are anxiously awaiting the first day of childcare. Visiting the childcare center in advance can help alleviate some of your nervousness. Often you’re most afraid of change – of not knowing what to expect or how your child will react to this new environment. Scheduling a visit in advance, and maybe even bringing your child along, can help begin the acclimation process early!
Get to know the childcare workers
As with visiting the childcare center before the first day, getting to know the adults your child will be spending time with can be hugely beneficial for calming your nerves! Learn their names, and use their names when talking to your child! This can help to demystify the whole childcare experience for you and your child.
Communicate with your child
It’s likely your child is just as nervous about starting childcare as you are, maybe even moreso! Depending on the age of your child, communicating with each other about what will be happening, how long they will be there, and reassuring them that you’ll still see them everyday can help ease the transition. Sometimes the most fear comes from being worried that your child will feel as though you’ve left them – continuously reminding them that you’ll only be gone for a few hours and they have nothing to be afraid of can help with both of your nerves!
Prepare in advance
Childcare can be stressful just due to transitioning out of your summer routine and into an entirely new day-to-day routine. Preparing in advance can help make this transition smoother! Preparing in advance might look like establishing new bedtimes weeks in advance, practicing getting ready in the morning or packing a lunch or making checklists to work on leading up to the first day. This makes the logistics of day care so much less scary for both you and your child if you’ve started getting used to these routines before you have to!
This might be a big transition for you and your family, but it’s also an important step. There will likely be a transition period, and that’s okay! There might be some tears and it might be hard to say good-bye to your child at first, but before long your child will be excited to go to childcare, play with other children, and participate in fun activities. Enjoy the adventure together!
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Beach Day Must-Haves
As August winds down, now is the perfect time to make the best of the warm weather and sandy beaches to take your children on a beach day! Trips to the beach can sometimes be a hassle – sand in your car, treating sunburns for days after, etc. – but with a few of these preparations, you’ll be ready for a carefree and fun day in the water!
Before your outing, make sure you prepare in advance to avoid any missed items that you’ll regret later:
Hydrate!
While playing in the summer heat is a blast for your kids, it can also be very dangerous. Long days in the sun, especially if you and your child are being very active and playing, can cause serious dehydration. Pack plenty of water bottles, and even double check if there’s a visitor center on the beach that has a water fountain for refills, if needed.
Sun Protection
Sunscreen is a must have outdoors, but especially at the beach where there’s very little shade. Apply a sunscreen of at least 30 to yourself and your children 15 minutes before going outside. Re-apply every few hours, or as-needed if your child has been in the water and has washed some off.
Protective Clothing
Sunscreen isn’t the only way to prevent too much UV exposure! Bring along extra sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat to protect yourself while relaxing on the beach. If you or your children are especially fair-skinned, it doesn’t hurt to throw on a light t-shirt or cover-up to minimize exposure as well.
Snacks
No summer outing is complete without snacks, but they can especially be important after sweating and playing on the beach all day. Be sure to bring along some non-perishable snacks (crackers, chips, etc.) that won’t melt in the sun, and fuel up!
Hand Sanitizer & Wipes
It’s normal, and even healthy, for your children to make the most of your beach day and play in the elements, but safety is important too! Bringing along hand sanitizer and wipes ensures you and your children stay clean and healthy, even after swimming in the water and digging through the sand.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Child-Friendly Local Summer Field Trips
Having free time and beautiful weather to get out and about is one of the best parts of summer vacation! Here in the Tri-Cities, there are numerous fun, child-friendly, and affordable attractions for summer field trips to remember. Plan ahead, pack a bag of essentials for your day, and enjoy one of these Midland, Bay City, or Saginaw outings!
Dow Gardens
Dow Gardens features tons of paved walking trails, beautiful gardens in full bloom, and even the Dow Canopy Walk where you can hike through the treetops! This is a great spot to enjoy the outdoors and allow your children to stretch their legs and get some energy out. Dow Gardens also features a discounted price for children 6-17 ($2), and children 5 and under get in free!
Saginaw Children’s Zoo
Spending hours viewing animals is a blast for many children, and the Tri-Cities are lucky to have their own small Children’s Zoo in Saginaw! This zoo features over 150 animals, attractions, rides, and learning programs. This is an affordable trip, and you can even pick up a zoo pass to visit multiple times this summer!
Bay City State Park
Tucked into Bay City is its very own State Park on the shores of the Saginaw Bay. Close to home, plenty of space on the sand to set up camp for the day – this is the perfect location for a beach day getaway with your kids! Snag a Michigan Recreation Pass and access not only the shoreline, but also the playgrounds, miles of trails, and the local wetlands!
Great Lakes Loons
Many Midland residents know how much fun a summer ballgame can be, and a day at the Loons Stadium is the perfect outing for you and your kids! Throughout the summer the Loons Stadium features numerous promotions just for kids such as Kids Eat Free, Christmas in July, and numerous costume games.
Putt-Putt
Do you have a budding golfer in your home? There are numerous mini golf outing locations throughout the Tri-Cities: Kokomos (Saginaw), Valley Lanes (Midland), Buoy 18 Miniature Golf (Bay City). Escape the summer heat by playing an indoor game, or enjoy the sunshine outside on a mini course!
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Creating Structure for Your Summer
The first few days, or weeks, of summer vacation are what your children likely look forward to all year. No early mornings, no hours at school or daycare, and no homework. However, as the summer goes on you may find your kids, and yourself, getting a little stir crazy. Check out some of these ways you can make the most of your summer with a little structure!
Take Advantage of the Outdoors
Summer is the perfect time to soak up the sun and play in the water as much as possible. For many children, exploring the outdoors is a highlight of their day! Encouraging your child to play outside at least once a day is a great way to not only support healthy exercise, but also channel that youthful energy into something productive outside of their normal school or daycare routine.
Create a Chore Chart
Depending on the age of your child, summertime is the perfect time to introduce chore charts and let your child help around the house in ways they may not be able to during the school year. Starting off with age-appropriate chores (setting the dinner table, sweeping the kitchen, watering flowers, etc.) provides great structure in your child’s day and encourages lifelong habits. Creating this type of structure during the summer also makes it much easier to transition these habits into the school year.
Get Crafty
What better way to keep you and your children occupied during the summer months than with a few homemade crafts? Younger children are likely used to being a bit artistic at daycare or school, and continuing these activities through the summer is a great way to encourage creativity and self-expression.
Get Out and About
A good way to add versatility and fun into your summer is to make an effort to go on at least one outing per week. Whether it’s a trip to the zoo, a beach day, a mini vacation, or even just a drive to a friend’s, getting out of the house once in a while will add some variety to your week!
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Incorporating Healthy Eating into Your Child’s Life
Every parent knows the struggle of enforcing healthy eating into young children’s lives – they will always choose goldfish crackers over a piece of fresh fruit – but incorporating nutrient-dense foods can be a gamechanger for your child and encourage lifelong healthy habits.
Here are a few ideas for encouraging healthy eating in your child’s life:
Provide Balance
It’s unrealistic to think that your child will eat 100% healthy foods 100% of the time. A popsicle on a hot summer day, or a cup of hot cocoa in chilly weather is a normal, and even healthy, part of a child’s life. The key is to provide balance. You pack a sweet treat in your child’s lunch box? Make sure you also include a piece of fruit. Your family is sharing dessert after dinner? Make sure your child understands that you expect them to completely finish their meal before dessert. This type of balance teaches your child that eating healthy is a habit, not a punishment.
Prepare Food Together
As your child gets older, they may be interested in helping you prepare meals, or even packing their own lunch. Allowing your child to get involved in the food preparation process not only introduces them to independence and decision-making skills, but also allows them to choose healthy foods they enjoy. Getting involved in the process, such as mixing a salad together or spreading peanut butter on bread, can help get your child excited about cooking food, and naturally lead them away from processed or pre-packaged foods.
Set a Positive Example
Children learn first from their parents, and often mimic what they do. By setting a positive example of healthy but non-restrictive eating yourself, your child will naturally pick up on those habits as well! As your child grows up, sharing meals together can be a communal family experience, and seeing you eat fruits, vegetables, and nutrient-dense meals will become routine in your child’s life.
Get Creative
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring! There are dozens of ways to spice up your child’s mealtimes. Try cutting food into fun shapes, using decorative toothpicks, or writing a sweet note for your child to read!
Incorporating healthy eating habits into your child’s life without restricting them is massively beneficial for both their physical and mental health. Making sure that they’re receiving the right amount of protein, calcium, and fruits/veggies ensures that they have the energy and stamina to get through their busy days. But even more importantly, it encourages self-esteem and a positive body image for your child as they grow up!
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Benefits of Choosing a Faith-Based Childcare Center
Choosing the right childcare center for your child can be a difficult decision, and that decision can be even trickier if you are a faith-based family determining whether you should choose a faith-based center. Every child is different, and has unique needs, and it’s crucial to determine where your child will thrive best.
Here are a few of the benefits of choosing a faith-based childcare center for your child:
Shared Values
Childcare centers are quite welcoming and accommodating for children and parents of all religions and denominations but choosing a faith-based childcare center ensures that your values align with those of administrators and teachers. This means that your child can continue to learn faith-based principles at childcare that you may be trying to instill at home as well, such as being kind to one another, giving to the less fortunate, showing compassion, etc.
Faith-Based Curriculum
Choosing a faith-based childcare also ensures that your child is interacting with a curriculum that aligns with your religious values. Faith-based centers, such as Heaven’s Elect, utilize God-centered resources such as bible songs and stories and prayer to engage with the children in their care, thus incorporating faith into learning activities.
Faith Infused into Daily Life
One of the great benefits of choosing a faith-based childcare center is that you can have peace of mind knowing that faith is continuing to be a normalized and routine part of your child’s life. It can be scary passing your child off to a childcare center for hours every day and being unsure what they will be learning and how it will align with your family’s personal values and routines. Choosing a faith-based childcare center ensures that your child continues to have a strong foundation in the faith of your choice, even when they are away from home.
Faith-based childcare centers allow you to never have to compromise your faith for quality of care or education and can be a great choice to provide a strong faithful foundation for your child. It’s important to research each center, speak to administration and teachers about their philosophies for working with children, and make the best choice for your family.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Spring Cleaning: Kid Edition
As temperatures rise, the days get a little longer, and you start to see a bit more sunshine, you might also find yourself wanting to get a bit of spring cleaning done to prepare for summer. Spring cleaning can be a daunting task, particularly when you have to worry about coordinating cleaning with your children.
Here are a few ideas for tackling spring cleaning with your child, and making sure the whole family is prepared for the warmer summer months.
Sort Through Clothing
For many families, spring means packing away the winter clothes and bringing out the shorts, t-shirts, and bathing suits from last summer. This also means that it’s the perfect time to go through your child’s fall/winter clothes with them to decide what to keep for next season and what to donate. A good start is to ask your child what pieces they particularly like or dislike, and to consider what winter pieces didn’t get worn very often. This is a great chance to let your child exercise some independence by calling the shots on what they may not like anymore, what may not fit, or what may be a little too worn out to be used again. Narrowing down your child’s closet to only the necessities not only lets you get rid of unnecessary clutter, but also makes packing away the remaining clothing a much easier task.
Turn Cleaning into a Game
Cleaning is usually as boring and tedious for your child as it is for you, but adding a touch of fun can be a gamechanger. Depending on the task you’re tackling, and the age of your child, they can be a valuable helper for you. Want to organize that storage room that hasn’t been touched in months? Blast your child’s favorite music and have a mini dance break every time you fill one trash bag full of items to donate. Trying to make your way through a cluttered closet full of clothes? Have your child give you a fashion show so you can identify what pieces are too small or too worn to see another season. Making cleaning into an activity as opposed to a chore can help both you and your child be more positive about the task.
Positive Reinforcement
Children respond well to positive reinforcement, and it often makes cleaning a more efficient task. Asking your child to help with minor cleaning tasks like dusting, wiping, or sorting can be much more productive if you offer a reward at the end. Your child’s favorite food for dinner, a movie night, or additional screen time are all great incentives for your little one after a productive day of cleaning.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Tips for Tackling Daycare Drop-Off
Dropping your child off for daycare can often be a stressful scenario, especially if your child experiences separation anxiety when it’s time to say good-bye. The good news is that, like most things, daycare drop-off can become a normal and stress-free daily routine with time and practice.
Positivity
Your attitude and behavior leading up to daycare drop-off can greatly influence how smoothly the good-bye interaction goes. Maintaining a positive attitude, chatting with your child about the exciting things they’ll do that day, or having a consistent sign of affection (good-bye hug, kiss, or wave) can make daycare drop-off seem normal and straightforward to your child.
Allow Extra Time
While it’s easy to let time get away from you, the stress of rushing to daycare in the morning can sometimes make your child more overwhelmed and scared to say good-bye. Allowing yourself plenty of time to drive to daycare, go through the drop-off process, and say good-bye can make a huge difference.
Set a Predictable Routine
Children function best when they know what to expect from their day and can fall into a comfortable routine. Having a predictable order of events in the morning – waking up, eating breakfast, getting dressed, leaving the house at a certain time, etc. – can help your child feel more comfortable and at ease, and makes the process of dropping them off at daycare easier.
Provide Reassurance
Many times, the good-bye process is difficult for children because they’re afraid to leave their parents’ side or are unsure of when they’ll see their parent(s) again. This separation anxiety is especially common between the ages of one and two-years-old. Providing reassurance to your child that you’re only leaving them for a short while and will be excited to see them later that afternoon, can go a long way in providing comfort and solace as your child prepares to separate.
Patience
Even if you perfect your morning routine and do everything in your power to make daycare drop off simple and pain-free, it’s inevitable that there will be bad days. The key is to have patience and understand that all transitions take time, and that frustration and stress is common during these types of interactions, but they are not permanent emotions. With a little time, consistency, and patience, daycare drop-off can be a painless part of your morning routine for both you and your child.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Teaching Children Healthy Electronic Device Use
As TVs, cell phones, tablets, and gaming systems become more and more commonplace in the lives of young children, it’s natural for parents to question how much time on technology is healthy, and how much is detrimental.
For children over the age of two, gadgets help stimulate senses, promote listening skills, and boost creativity. Additionally, using technology from a young age can help improve computer literacy and slowly phase kids into an ever-advancing world of technology.
The trick, however, is finding a healthy balance between embracing the benefits of technology and ensuring that it doesn’t interfere with your child’s development and social skills.
Set Limits
One way to promote a healthy balance for children is to allow technology usage, but set clear limits to frequency and length of time. For example, setting a specific number of hours a child can spend on a device per day, and enforcing those time limits.
Balance with Play
Play is very beneficial to children, especially in their developmental phases. Creating a healthy balance between technology usage and play is a great way to diversify your child’s day. For example, allowing one hour of television for every two hours spent playing with toys or going outside.
Monitor Usage
As children age they will naturally want more independence regarding how they use electronics, but at a young age it’s beneficial to monitor what your child is watching, playing, or browsing. Paying attention to ratings on video games, movies, and video games is a good start to make sure children are consuming age-appropriate media.
Encourage Educational Technology
One of the great things about technology is that there are dozens of educational resources on the internet and TV for children to access. Allowing educational technology usage is a great way to encourage computer literacy without allowing it to negatively impact your child.
Build Trust
While it’s normal to want to monitor and set limits for your child’s technology usage, building trust with them is even more important. Teaching children the value of family time, the importance of engaging in the world around them, and the fun of non-technological activities like sports or crafts can go a long way in promoting healthy technology habits.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Introducing Children to Independence
Independence looks different at every age, and can be a very scary stage of parenting for parents! However, teaching your child decision-making skills and letting them begin to take control of their daily routines and choices can greatly benefit their growth. Here are a few age-appropriate ways to start introducing your child to independence:
Ask for their opinion
Whether it’s choosing between an apple or orange in their lunch box, or between a dress or leggings for school, allowing your child to give input during their daily routine gives them experience making decisions for themselves.
Make lists
Tackling “big kid” tasks can be overwhelming for your child at first, but making physical lists for them to refer to can be helpful. Try creating a list for your child of their nightly routine (brush teeth, put on pajamas, etc.) and encourage them to go down the list all by themselves without you reminding them. It won’t be perfect right away, but with time your child will start to learn their own routines and be able to check off every task without help!
Praise small victories
Tying their own shoes in the morning might feel inconsequential after you’ve packed their lunch, brushed their hair, and picked out their outfit, but it’s still an accomplishment! Your child will react better to positivity after small steps toward independence than negativity about all the tasks they weren’t able to do independently.
Practice patience
Independence won’t be accomplished overnight, and it can be difficult and frustrating to stand back and let your child take on tasks that you may be able to do faster and more effectively. However, the extra time and effort that your child needs to complete small tasks is what helps them learn and grow. Even if it means getting up 10 minutes earlier than normal to allow extra time for your child to get ready on their own, that patience pays off as your child develops independence.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland childcare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.