Establishing a BEDTIME Routine Tips & Tricks Picking and sticking with 3-4 steps to repeat nightly with your child will help everyone in your family have sweeter dreams. Visit these links to help you along the way.
It is recommended that screens are not used 20-30 min before bedtime for the links below. The following are calming bedtime songs where the audio portion could be used or sung as part of your child's bedtime routine.
Use a clothespin to travel down this printable bedtime routine. Keep it in your child's bedroom or bathroom. Ask your child to move the clothespin after each step.
Family Resources for POTTY Tips & Tricks:
MY CHILD IS READY:
Your child will let you know when they are READY to start potty training by showing interest, getting excited sitting on the potty, verbalizing they need to go potty, and showing pride in their success.
IF your child does NOT show interest, becomes upset/has tantrums when asked to sit on the potty, then your child may not be “ready” to start this process. Potty training timelines are different for all children. It will happen only when they are ready.
First talk to your child about using the potty.
Then focus on teaching them to ONLY sit on the potty.
Potty sitting goal = 1-2 minutes each time.
Practice sitting on the potty multiple times a day.
Once your child is successful at sitting several times a day without getting upset, only then are they ready to “go”!
POTTY PAUSE:
When your child no longer shows interest in sitting on or using the potty, shows frustration or tears during potty training; it's important to take a POTTY PAUSE.
A child may need SEVERAL potty pauses during the potty training process.
Important reminder: Potty training “number 2” typically takes a longer time to master. Give this additional time and encouragement. ALWAYS keep it POSITIVE.
Indicators for potty pauses are: frustration in the adult or child, tears in the adult or child, a negative feeling in self in adult or child. STOP and try again in a few weeks. It is okay…no one learns to walk, talk or ride a bike at the same age/time…peeing and pooping is no different. ;)
Tips and Tricks to MAKE IT FUN:
Encourage your child to bring in a toy, baby doll, or stuffed animal to show their “special friend” what a big boy/girl they are by using the potty. Your child can also pretend and teach their “special friend” how to use the potty too.
Read a book with your child, let them color with a clipboard or let them watch a child’s song/video clip on an electronic device. This will encourage your child to become familiar with sitting and trying.
Create a Potty Prize Box for motivational rewards. These can be simple, small little prizes such as candy, stickers, dollar store items, etc. Show your child the Potty Prize Box ahead of time and explain to them if they can earn a prize.
Explore online resources for additional potty training motivational charts to use.
Fine motor skills are actions that help strengthen the small muscles in the wrist and hand. Building these muscles is the first step to developing skills like: holding a pencil, and pushing down hard enough to write/draw.
Other fun activities that help strengthen fine motor skills:
Play-doh, Lego, tweezer or tong games, puzzles, putting coins in a piggy bank, lacing shoes, cutting scraps of paper with scissors, stretching rubber bands around soup cans and putting q-tips into straws. Always keep it fun!
Click the Buttons Below for other activities that may help your child develop those fine motor muscles.
When we think of core muscles, we think of the 6-pack ab. But strong core muscles are also a key ingredient in writing. Putting toddlers on their bellies and letting preschoolers have "belly time" when reading/playing can strengthen core muscles.
Gross motor skills are actions that move the large muscle groups in the body. (Arms, legs, feet and torso).
Activities that help strengthen gross motor skills:
Climbing and playing on playground equipment.
Walking up and down the stairs. Practicing touching only 1 foot on each stair (instead of 2).
Throwing, catching or kicking a ball. Using hula hoops or balance beams. Bopping balloons. Crawling through tunnels. Doing the crab-walk, bear crawl or log roll.
Many caregivers worry about letting their 4-year-old use scissors. Scissor practice not only builds your child's confidence, but it also strengthens fine motor and hand-eye coordination. TIPS:
Always supervise your child closely when introducing scissor skills.
First, teach your child how to hold the scissors.
Thumb stays up when cutting.
Thumb sits in the small hole of the scissors.
Other fingers rest in the large hole of the scissors.
Other fingers stay down when cutting.
Elbow stays in close to child's side when cutting.
We want our 4Kers to enter Kindergarten with skip in their step, excitement in their hearts and confidence pumping through their veins!
Tips to building confidence in your preschooler:
Let them try!
Patience with your preschoolermeans you are providing them with the time to build their own self-confidence.
Teach them how to care for themselves.
Teach them to dress themselves. (Start showing them how to put on 1 piece of clothing, then work up to the whole outfit.)
Teach them how to open items you would find in a lunch box.
Assigning small jobs build BIG self-confidence.
Teach them how to help clear the dinner dishes, set the table, put the towels away, measure the sugar when baking cookies, hang up their coat and backpack, put on shoes etc.
Teach Resilience
Keep your praise focused on the taskdone well.
"I can tell you had fun working hard!"
"We'll try again tomorrow. Great job sticking with it!"
The seed of self-confidence is hidden in the little struggles.
It is faster to do it for them, but self-confidence is hidden in the "ah-ha!" moments.
When they struggle and succeed... self-confidence is built.
When they struggle and fail. Then, struggle and succeed in the future... resilience AND self-confidence is built.
Focus on what they did right!
Make sure your message to your child ends on a high note. "You will get it. I love how well you listened to directions today."
Help your child identify feelings & teach them techniques on how to manage their emotions.
Talking about about feeling is difficult when a child cannot label how they are feeling. Giving names to and identifying feelings like: happy, sad, grumpy, disgusted, afraid, silly, wiggly, anxious, worried is the first step to teaching a child how to regulate their emotions.
Set an example, and label your feelings as an adult. For example, "I am worried about my big presentation tomorrow." or "When you hit your brother, that made me feel sad."
Read picture books together that feature a character going through various emotions. Ask your child, "How do you think charachter's name is feeling?...How do you know?"
Teaching children ways to clam down and practicing those techniques together will help children know what to do when the emotion pops up...much like practicing for a fire drill.
Find the small moments in your day toinvest in your child's self confidence.
5 minutes while waiting in the pick-up line, 22 minutes at the grocery store, 14 minutes waiting a at a restaurant, 7 minutes before bedtime... find the hidden time to enjoy the moment with your child. Investing time, even small amounts, into your child each day, builds a feeling of security, support and love, and can deter negative, attention-getting behavior in the future.
Ask Questions.
"What is your favorite thing to do at the park?", "What do you think of...?", or "Thank you for being my grocery store helper. What do you think we should cook for dinner spaghetti or tacos?"
Make Waiting a Learning Game.
(Grocery store line) "Let's see if we can find letters in your name. Can you help point some out with me?" or (Gas station) "Can you find all the numbers from 1-10?" or (driving) "I spy a red barn. When you see it, clap your hands!" "Now you spy something!"
Ask your child to count items. Examples, "How many chairs do you think are at this table? Let's count them." or "Would you please pull out 5 napkins from the dispenser for our table?"
The chart below shows the average age children learn to pronounce English consonants correctly(Based on 15 English speech acquisition studies compiled by McLeod and Crowe, 2018)
If you have more questions about your child's development/growth, please contact our wonderful Elkhorn Area School District. Annual screenings called "child find" and personal screening are also available. More information is linked to the button below: