December 2016

Raising a child will simultaneously be the most amazing thing you’ve ever done and the most difficult. There is no one correct way to successfully raise your kids, but there are plenty of wrong ways. A common misconception among parents is that to be effective parents, they need to be with their children all the time and give them whatever they need. This just isn’t true, and it’s far better, for both the parents and the child, to have some separation at some point. Healthy separation allows the child to grow and mature.

Daycare and after school child care programs are a great way for parents to take a break from the stresses of parenthood and allow the child to grow in a new environment (and make some new friends along the way). Here are two reasons why you should think about daycare programs for your young child.

Advanced Learning

Just because you know more than your child doesn’t mean you know how to properly pass that knowledge onto them. Early education is so essential for a child’s development because during the first few years of their life, roughly 700 new neural connections are formed every second. Because of this, you should leave the majority of the early education to the professionals. Your kids will practice active learning techniques and will be on the right track for a successful future as they progress through the education ranks.

Respect

Another benefit of daycare centers is that there are more adults present that are not related to your child. If you and your spouse are the only adults regularly around your child, it’ll be difficult for them to understand the importance of respect for grown ups. Obviously, you don’t want your children to have the same kind of relationship with other people as they do with you, so it’s important that other adults have a role in their lives at an early age. The professionals working at these facilities will be able to teach your child to listen and respect to non-parent authority figures.

If you want to set your kid up for a successful childhood and beyond, contact Growing Room Child Development Centers today to learn more about toddler education and development.

After school care for your toddlers can be a vital and productive part of not just your child’s day, but of their education, as well. Your kids can learn plenty from child care centers, and although the emphasis during after school care may be slightly less on lessons and more on fun, the learning doesn’t stop when the school day ends. The same is true when you pick up your child. If you’re got a young toddler, here are a couple of things to avoid doing:

When Your Kid Misbehaves, Don’t Ask Them “Why?”

When a young child does something wrong, they usually aren’t deliberately misbehaving. They don’t squirt ketchup all over the dog just so you’ll have a mess to clean up; they do it because they want to see if it will turn a white dog red, or because it’s like finger-painting, or because — well, who knows. Asking a child for a reason behind this kind of action can be an exercise in futility. Other times, they have their own, vey important reasoning for their behavior, which just doesn’t take into account the bigger picture. They ran into the street to get their bouncy ball, without realizing the dangers of traffic. When they misbehave, remember that they don’t have the same experience or reasoning capacity that an older child does; explain why their behavior wasn’t acceptable, but be gentle and don’t punish them.

Help Them All the Time

As parents, we want to see our children succeed. That’s natural, but it’s important to realize that the children aren’t really succeeding unless they do so themselves. It can be hard to hold back, but let your child experience small challenges and even failures. If you see him struggling to finish a puzzle, read a page from his favorite book, or put his shoes on the right feet — don’t just swoop in and do it for him. That might help in the short-term, but won’t build their skills or their confidence for the long-term. Provide help when they ask, or if the task at hand is beyond their skill level, but let your child struggle from time to time. Learning to rely on other people to finish troublesome activities isn’t good for adults.

Complain About Your Child’s Mother or Father In Front of Them

Whether you’re in a happy and healthy marriage or recovering from a nasty divorce, you should never bad-mouth your child’s mother or father in front of them. Children are extremely impressionable at a young age. The period from birth to three years old is the fastest rate of brain development during the entire life span — so don’t fill their brains with negative talk about others. Especially when this talk concerns someone they love and trust, such complaints can cause a child confusion and stress that can cause serious problems down the line.

If you want to help turn your toddlers into great little humans who are ready to take on the world, contact Growing Room Child Development Centers today!