JULIE'S HOME DAY CARE
NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2004
Note From The Provider
Well it seems as if we are in for another six weeks of winter. The groundhog saw his shadow on February 2nd. As one little girl put it, "Good! We can have Christmas all over again!" I think I'll pass on that, since there are more up-coming holidays to enjoy. I will be sending home a list of what is in your child's cubby along with clothes that no longer fit them. Please be sure to check the list and send in what they need. We will continue to go to the different community play spaces and the floors can be quite cold and dirty. We are not allowed to wear boots at these play spaces, so if you would like to send a pair of sneakers, slippers or slipper socks to Daycare, I would be more than happy to be sure they have them on when we go.
Monthly Theme -
Friendship and Getting Along
This month we will be focusing on friendships and getting along with
each other. We will include a number of
activities and read books throughout the month based on the importance of
friendship and respect of others.
We will continue
working on our alphabet and number concepts as well as our daily skills such as
potty training, getting dressed, washing up, brushing teeth and other regular
daily routines.
Paid Holiday
Closures
February 16, 2004 President's Day
Community Activities
Visit Kid's Space at MASS MoCA
PARENT'S AND KIDS
TOGETHER
A Smile Is Just The Beginning
We want our children to grow up feeling good about themselves. Children are naturally fun-loving, joyous
people. All too often, during the
growing up process those wonderful qualities are over-come by too much seriousness
and too many high expectations. We
focus our children on the end product, being grown-up and forget to remind them
to enjoy the process of just exploring, discovering and learning.
What can you do to help your child hold on to the fun-loving side of
childhood?
Be a model for your child. Show
him that it's good to laugh at your self.
Mistakes are okay. We can all
learn from them. Laughing with someone
is fun. But laughing at someone can be
very hurtful. When you are laughing
with your child at the funny things someone does, make sure that person is
laughing too. Encourage your child by
focusing, not on completed tasks, but on the enjoyment and fun of trying and
making small improvements. Life is
learning and learning is fun. We never
stop enjoying life if we keep on learning.
Plan to do something fun with your child everyday. Take 10 minutes to play a word game, make up
silly stories, or anything you can enjoy together.
DEVELOPING HUMOR
How and when do children develop a sense of humor?
-A smile is only the beginning.
-Next come the giggles, and then laughter. Even the, children are just starting to develop a sense of humor.
-Here's how a young child shows a sense of humor from 6 months to 2
years.
-The child can react to things with a smile, if they aren't scary (for
example: parents appearing, a favorite toy swinging from the crib).
-The child likes to play games with other people that allow giggling
(peek-a-boo or chasing).
-The child says nonsense words just to enjoy hearing the sound patterns
that come out. For example, he says,
"Bee, boo ba."
-The child's jokes are stories about events that are silly such as:
"Johnny walks on the ceiling."
Here's what you can expect between 2 years and 5 years old.
-The child likes playing tricks on others (games such as Hide 'n Seek).
-Early on, the child understands jokes were people doing things that
are strange (a clown juggling oranges).
-The child laughs at drawings and cartoons that show silly things.
-As the child's vocabulary increases, he enjoys making up nonsense words or sentences.
*Parent Article Courtesy of Everyday Teaching Learning and Caring
ENJOY THE REST OF THE WINTER SEASON AND HAVE A FUN
FEBRUARY!