Reading to Your Little Ones: Some Helpful Tips for Parents
Benefits of Gardening for Children
Minnieland Academy is committed to supporting health and nutrition by planning physical activities both indoors and outdoors, serving nutritious foods and implementing gardening and cooking experiences. Studies indicate that children who grow their own food are likely to eat more fruits and vegetables.
In the spring we prepare our gardens for planting and by mid-summer they are brimming with bounty for our children to harvest and enjoy. These range greatly in diversity with some schools opting to plant in garden boxes while others cultivate garden plots or collect recyclable materials to try their hand at container gardening.
Throughout our Minnieland programs you will see a variety of gardening such as herbs growing in window sills, flower beds planted to attract butterflies, and salsa or pizza-themed produce growing in vegetable patches. Sunflowers are also a favorite in many of our gardens.
Getting Your Child Interested In Reading
Sharing Parenting Duties Successfully
Sometimes you have to share parenting your child with others such as spouses, grandmothers, and child care teachers.
The key to success is communication and trust. Listen with respect to the child rearing styles of your child’s other caregiver and talk openly about yours. Come up with a plan that accommodates both styles, try it out, and meet again.
Sometimes you may have to adapt your plan a few times before all are comfortable. The important thing is for your child to learn to build trusting and positive relationships with others.
-Dr. Rosemary Burton
Vice President of Education,
Minnieland Academy – Virginia Childcare
Help Teaching Your Child The Alphabet
Same Family – Different Personalities Among Children
Your Child’s Need For Independence
Three-year-old’s develop a special and healthy need for independence. They like to say, “I can do it myself.”
You may think they obviously can’t but it is good for them to try. When they want to put their shoes or their shirt or their coat on themselves, let them start. Let them struggle for a moment and when you see the frustration start to build, give them a tiny bit of help and then let them continue on their own.
Make sure they get to do the last part all by themselves. This will give them great confidence!
–Dr. Rosemary Burton
Vice President of Education,
Minnieland Academy – Virginia Childcare
A Rainy Day Game For Your Child
