Before Care Tips

Separation anxiety is a phycological response that can occur in anyone at any age but often occurs when a child is introduce into a new environment absent a parent. It can occur at the initial start of an introduction to a new school or recreational activity, sometime after the introduction, or even after extended absences due to illness or vacations from environments they have already adapted to.

To reduce separation anxiety during the introduction to care and preschool, find extracurricular activities or relatives that will allow your little one to begin adjusting to the routine of parent absences before care or school is scheduled to begin. Once these activities begin, practice a healthy separation routine by creating a daily morning home care routine, and a consistent drop off routine that includes making goodbyes brief and reassuring of your return.

Children with a sense of independence have a tendency to adjust to new environment, and changing environments at a better pace than children who have an attitude of total dependency on parental attention and interaction.

Independent children have a greater sense of self awareness and self confidence that allows for them to be more socially interactive, make friends easily, and have an advanced ability to not only problem solve independently but allows for more creative expression.

Practice initiating self-play activities that allow for children to play independently such as Legos, building blocks, or coloring. Let your child explore completing as many task independently such a brushing their teeth or making their bed and let them assist you in household chores such as folding laundry or sweeping the floor. It may be a little messy at times but the praise for their help builds the confidence they'll need to tackle their new routine.

It can be most tempting to break out the baby talk when you gaze into that precious little face of your new born child. However baby talk can have an adverse reaction on your childs development that can lead to the need for speech therapy down the line.

Children need to hear proper language in order to develop proper linguistic skills. Proper enunciation when speaking to children helps their ear to adjust to the way letters and sounds are formed in speech.

Practice sweet talk over baby talk when gazes into those gorgous big baby eyes and prevent the delay of proper speech development during their early years of education that can damage their self confidence in the classroom.

Children with a healthy diet experience fewer bouts with illness than other children. Meal consumption can a s well be a problem for children when entering an environment with a different meal standard than adhered to at home.

Practice incorporating vegetables into to every afternoon and evening meal. Use the "veggies first" mantra to promote the consumption of vegetables at the start of the meal before they consume what some may view as the more enjoyable components of the meal. Create an award system that accumulates points at every meal when vegetables are consumed that leads to a reward of a favorite snack or sweet treat.

Children that have master the art of stillness and contentment in quiet environments have a better adjusted ability to quiet surrounding noise and focus during study sessions. These children have the ability to absorb more information due to their ability to sit for prolonged amounts of time and focus.

Children that have not been exposed to stillness practices tend to be more distracted during leaning excercises, lack the ability to sit still during instruction, and absorbe and retain less instructional material as a result. These children can mistakenly be diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD as a result.

Practice sitting quietly with your child as often as possible, without the distractions of screens or music. Use this time to talk with you little one and promote the normalcy of parent engagement that will be vital during their teenage years.

Children that have been properly socialized have higher self-confidence and social awareness skills that allow for an easier transition and adjusting to care and education settings. Park playgrounds, play groups, and extracurricular activities are a great way to begin socializing your little one and building their social and language skills.

Identification of social ques, social norms, and the ability to properly communicate are vital skills that are part of proper

development. Children lacking these skills can be misdiagnosed with a number of developmental delays including autism.

Begin socializing your child at any early age

To find out more about the stages of development for your little one, visit our Developmental Stages page.