Special Breakfast

Cooking your child’s favorite breakfast can be a great way to start the day. If pancakes are a special treat, a large stack with butter and maple syrup can make the sleepiest kid perk up. If they love eggs and bacon, making a big breakfast that will keep them energized until lunch is a great idea. Start that special day off right with a special breakfast.

Picture

You will want to commemorate this day of school beginnings, and your child will love looking back over their “first day” photos. A photo makes the day seem more special, and is a great ritual to start for their school career.

Plan

For the first morning to go smoothly, you need to plan ahead. Making sure you have breakfast ideas ready, lunches made, and clothing, shoes, and backpacks laid out. This will make the morning time much easier, and eliminate stress and meltdowns right before school starts.

Sleep

Getting plenty of sleep will ensure that your little one has the energy to tackle a new environment. Starting  the week before the first day, make sure your child is going to bed at a reasonable time and waking up around the time that they will need to be getting up for preschool. Sleep is so important for your child’s growth, learning, and mood, and is essential for a great preschool experience.

Using these tips will make for an easier first day of preschool, and start your child’s educational career off right! If you are looking for a great preschool in South Bend, Elkhart, Goshen, or Chesterton, Growing Kids Learning Centers is here for you! We have the best programs to nurture your child and get them ready for elementary school!

The post Your Child’s First Day of Preschool appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

As a child continues to grow cognitively, creativity is immensely strong within children ages 3-6. This is a prime time to develop the structure for creative thoughts and thinking processes that can be utilized throughout their lives, both in and outside of school. Inspiring creative development can help with critical thinking, an essential and empowering skill for children to acquire. It also helps with problem solving, a stimulating and creative process that is crucial to early childhood development. Children are naturally curious, and Growing Kids likes to feed their creative side.

At Growing Kids, we teach our preschoolers and kindergartens the fundamentals of math, writing and reading to help provide a strong foundation for their future educational endeavors. We also work to stimulate all areas of development, which includes creative interactions. This is showcased in our “Main Street” center at the heart of all of our educational centers. The Main Street allows for children to engage with each other to create social relationships, as well as foster creative thoughts. This offers children the opportunity to play, pretend, create, socialize and problem-solve. This sticks to our core values of allowing students to learn on through hands-on experiences, something that the “Main Street” can provide for your child.
Growing Kids Learning Centers believes in inspiring creativity for preschoolers, and have modeled our programs to foster a creative atmosphere for our students. Contact us today to learn more!

The post Inspiring Creativity for Your Child appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

When it comes to preschool, most of us can hardly remember what age we were when we were going. If you’re looking for help from your parents, they’re probably saying that they never went and turned out alright. And while it’s not unheard of for someone to have never gone to preschool, the education system has changed and the rate at which children develop has too, which is exactly why the age range for when children start going to preschool has evolved.

Age Two

The average age of children that are going to preschool across the nation is two. That may seem extremely young, but when you think about it, this is about the age where children start going to daycare. Rather than simply leaving them in the hands of a babysitter, you could be leaving your child in the care of a professional where they can learn skills that help them develop as an individual. From learning to talk to tasks like potty training, daycare centers are able to provide the time and care that little ones need in this stage.

Age Three

This is the age where people really start to consider preschool as an option for their child. At this point they are a little older and more developed and are able to stand alone socially. For the most part, children are at the end stage of their potty training, have gained an understanding of colors, animals and numbers, and can begin to actually retain some of the information that they’ve learned. This is also the age where we see parents most comfortable to leave their child with someone else.

Age Four

In the past, age four was the age that was most commonly known for preschool enrollment. For the most part, there are children that are four in preschool, but at this point in time they’re also a little older than the average age of preschoolers. In some cases, four years olds are already enrolled in kindergarten, so we suggest enrolling in preschool prior to age four.

If you have questions as to whether or not your child is a viable candidate for preschool, don’t hesitate to call Growing Kids Learning Center, we’re more than happy to help!

The post What Age Do Kids Start Going To Preschool? appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

The Most Recommended Ways To Get Your Kiddo Excited About Preschool

1. Enroll your child in extracurricular activities. One way to get your kiddo excited is to enroll them in an after school program. We have programs at The Growing Kids Learning Center here in Goshen, but we also recommend signing your child up for a sport! Kids love playing soccer, T-ball or gymnastics. If they’re not into sports, you can look into science adventure clubs in our community. There are plenty of activities your kiddo would love to do. This way, they will look forward to their sports or club after the school day is over!
2. Show why preschool is relevant to them now. They may be a little young, but it’s never too soon to start prepping your kiddo for the “real world.” Encourage your child that they need to learn many different things that they’ll use when they’re grown-up!
3. Always compliment and encourage your child. Your child won’t be excited for preschool if you’re not excited for them. Make sure you’re encouraging them day in and day out about preschool and what they’ll learn that day!

The post Ways to Get Your Kiddo Excited About Preschool appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

The Most Recommended Ways To Get Your Kiddo Excited About Preschool

1. Create learning opportunities outside of school! Although school is a great source to learn, it’s important that your child is being challenged outside of the classroom as well. Go ahead and teach your child how to bake their favorite type of cookie. Doing so is the perfect chance to incorporate some easy math. Plus, it helps to increase your child’s chances of desiring to learn more in the future.
2. Set fun goals. Whether your kiddo doesn’t like to study their ABC’s, it’s important for them to learn that studying is important. So, you could set a goal of studying for 10 minutes a night until they have the alphabet completely memorized, or make it a little easier and teach your kiddo how to count to 20 and study that instead.

Learn more and contact us!

Regardless of your child’s age or what grade he or she is in, it’s important to get them excited about school, whether that’s preschool or 2nd grade. To learn more, stay tuned for our next blog and don’t forget to enroll your kiddo into our amazing program here in Elkhart!

The post Get Your Child Excited About School appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

1. Know the teaching staff.- There are so many schools that you could enroll your child into, but if the teaching staff is no good, you’re child won’t be successful.
2. The school’s director.- The staff is only as great as the school’s director. If the director isn’t very good, chances are the teachers won’t be either.
3. Communication skills.- Does the school you’re looking at have good system for communication? Keep in mind that the staff members at your child’s school should also be approachable. Not just for your benefit, but your child’s benefit as well.  
4. Does the school have a phase-in policy?- Separation guidelines are important. You need to know when or if you can come linger outside of a classroom to watch your child learn.
5. Ongoing development for your child.- Where do you see your child in 5 years? What do you want to have them accomplish. If you are looking for a school that keeps this into consideration, Growing Kids Learning Center is for you.

Go ahead and visit us online today and schedule a time to meet with us here in South Bend! We would love to show you around and tell you what we’re all about!

The post Get Your Child Excited About Preschool! appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

Communicate with your kiddo.

Talking to your child is essential. If you’re not communicated much to your child, they’ll be lost on their first day of preschool. Prepare your child by telling him or her what to expect. It’s also a great way of making sure ask him or her how his or her first day of preschool was, what they thought and so on. It’s important to tell your child that you wish that you could be there with him or her while he or she experiences all these new things in life. So, instead of being there, ask him or her for a report on what his or her favorite part of their day was, what made him or her laugh and what surprised him or her. It’s okay to be silly with your kiddo! Make him or her feel better if he or she is anxious.

Don’t go anywhere just yet! Stay tuned for ways that you, as a parent, can get involved with our preschool, Growing Kids Learning Center. If you have any questions or concerns about the first day of preschool, please don’t hesitate to give us a call! We’re happy to address any concerns you may have.

The post Make Preschool Memorable appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

Take a field trip!

Take your child on a field trip to their early childhood education center. Take a field trip to the school and show your little one where they’re going to be spending a lot of their days. Explain to them how their day will go, where they will put their backpack, lunch, etc. It’s good to get them as familiar as you can with their new school. Getting a tour of the school is one of the best ways to make sure your child is okay with their new daily routine.

Be early to drop off your child.

You don’t want to be in a rush when you drop of your child at preschool, so make sure you’re a few minutes early. This way you will allow some extra one on one time with their teacher and some extra time to get acquainted for the day while it’s still quite and calm in the classroom.

Don’t go anywhere just yet! We have more great tips to help you introduce preschool in your child’s life in Elkhart. Enroll your child today!

The post Tips For Easy Preschool Transitions appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

Preschool can be a scary thing for a kid. Can you remember your first day of preschool? Many of us were terrified to let go of our parent’s hand, which makes us weary of what’s to come when we bring our own children to preschool for the very first time in Elkhart. To make the transition to preschool easier, we started creating a list of tips on how you can make dropping your child off at preschool less stressful. Previously, we mentioned that you should provide your child with expectations, make sure they’re getting enough food and sleep and plan for school the night before. Here are more ways to prepare your child for preschool:

Stay on schedule.

Children love schedules. If you have a set schedule in place, and you follow it, your child will most likely wake up for preschool and go to bed without a problem. Also, if school is making your child get up earlier than they’re used to, you may want to think about adjusting their bedtime schedule.

Keep your feelings in check while dropping your child off.

It can be a difficult experience to drop your child off at school the very first time. It’s good to understand that your child is growing up, but if you are sad and worried, those feelings will only translate to your child. So send out the good vibes to your child, and keep your feelings in check as much as possible.

Visualize their day!

Tell your child how their first day will go! Just like setting expectations of what their behavior should be like in school, you should give them a plan of what to expect, including activities, like when lunch time will be and when you’ll arrive back to pick them up.

The post Parents-Keep Your Feelings In Check appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

Give your child expectations.

It’s hard for a child to be on their best behavior when they aren’t sure what to expect. Be sure that you connect with your child and tell them what to expect on their first day of preschool. Tell them about waiting in line, raising their hand and other social concepts they are likely to encounter.

Pay attention to your child’s body.

Children should be getting sufficient sleep, protein and water throughout the course of the day. Be sure you’re paying attention to how much sleep they’re getting, especially on school nights, because this can affect them the next day.

Plan for school the night before.

It’s always easier and less stressful if you’re not in a rush in the morning before you head out to drop your child off at preschool. Rather than rushing, make sure you pack their lunch for the next day, and even have them help you. Make sure they’re involved with packing lunches and picking out what they want to wear the next day! This will lead to smoother mornings and a happy child!

Want to learn more great tips for your child’s first day of preschool? Stay tuned for our next blog. Contact us online today to enroll your child in our Goshen preschool program!

The post Tips For The First Day Of Preschool appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.