Running

As children get closer to two they obviously are closer to the size of a two year old rather than a one year old. This leads to the children being tall enough to reach the door knob and some of them learn how to turn it and before you know it... you have a runner! Then you're the one running in order to get them and often yelling for help at the same. "Child! Come here!" "Someone grab the child please!" Then the one who catches the child is telling the child that's it's not okay to run away from their teachers. The teacher gets the child back in the classroom and again is telling the child it's not okay to run away from the teachers and that the door is something for only teachers, mommies and daddies to touch. These then become the children whose hands you have to hold when you go out to the playground so that they don't run away from the teachers. Good times...good times....

Toddlers part 2

The last post I wrote I shared a link from NAEYC about what to look for in a toddler program. I've noticed as I've worked with parents that most know the information shared but they don't always know how to do the information that's given. So, in this post I'm going to discuss how to do the steps that are shared in the article.

The first step shared is children staying with a primary teacher so that they can develop a relationship. This one I'm going to assume is pretty obvious. At the toddler age children are still developing trust in the world and in the adults in their lives and that they'll take care of them so it's important that a child have a primary child. As the teacher and child learn to get to know and trust one another the teacher will know what temperament the child has and how to respond to the child's needs. This will also result in the child going to the teacher when they need something such as if they hurt themselves or are tired.

These first two steps lead to the third which is the teacher learns how the child communicates their needs through cries or other behaviors. I had one child who when they were tired would come and sit in my lap and snuggle. I had another child who when they were tired would go stand by the cots until I laid him down. Learning these cues helped me learn how each child communicated and what they were saying. I then did the fourth step of treating the children with kindness and respect and teaching them how to use their words. For an example see the post 'help.' This is where a lot of parents go wrong and they think they can behave or treat their children however they want to but then teach them the opposite. It's what you do that your children will follow not what you say. Not only that but respect is not a one way street that leads from children to adults. If you want your children to treat you with respect you have to treat them with the respect you want them to show you.

Sing your children the nursery rhymes and songs you sang as a child. Put Raffi, The Wiggles and other children songs on and sing them with your children. Trust me you'll learn the words so when they ask you sing a song-sing it with them. These can be some fun bonding times so enjoy this experience. Keep to the same routines as much as possible. This will lead your children to fell safe, secure and will help them know you're in charge. When a child's routine is constantly changed it leaves the child feeling insecure because they don't know what's going to happen or when and can lead to misbehavior.

Take your children to the park and run around with them. Let them play on the equipment and take toys to play with. If you have a play set in the backyard occasionally go back there and play on it with them. Your children enjoy playing with you and spending time with you. Don't give them reason for this to change. I've only worked for one company who took time to train their employees. However, this training is important. No one knows everything there is about their field so it's important to learn. As parents take time to ask questions of their child's teacher and other professionals a parent will become a better parent. If your child's teacher doesn't welcome such questions you may want to consider a different program.

Being a parent is hard. It's probably the toughest thing a person will do. However, it is in my opinion worth all you sacrifice and do.

Toddlers

I know I've mentioned it before but I've always worked with toddlers. I love toddlers! They're so fun and they change so much during this time that it's a fun and exciting transformation to watch. Toddlers can also be so funny! I don't know how many times-sometimes a day-they've made me laugh. They're all so different. It's been a fun, exciting thing to watch and learn each child's temperament. The toddler years are when their temperament and personality really start to show and form and it's fun to watch. Not a lot of people like this age because not everyone can handle the crying but it's my favorite age. Here are some things from NAEYC to look for in a good toddler program. I always worked really hard to make sure these things were a part of the room I worked in. I made them all a part of my room and it's a big part of how I made my room successful.

What to look for in a toddler program