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Preschoolers: Parenting |
We all want to be better parents, but don't always know how. In this area we've collected some great parenting articles, as well as articles on childcare and parent-child activities. The articles in this section are for preschoolers (ages 3 to 6). For all of the KidSource OnLine articles on parenting, refer to: Parenting
Our rating system for these Parenting articles is:
- Best, in depth and most helpful overall
- Very Good, but more specific in focus
- Good reference material
A new activity for you to do with your child each day during the summer - they're fun, educational and can be done with children of all ages!
Selecting a Child Care Facility With a Safe Playground
There are many options to choose from when selecting child care. There is a lot that goes into the decision, yet one thing that can get overlooked is ensuring the playground area is made as safe as possible. This article offers parents helpful information regarding playground safety when parents are selecting child care facilities.
This is an excellent introduction to the world of parenthood. It provides a light, common sense approach to parenting and gives good advice for each phase that your child will pass through.
How do young children learn self-control, self-help, ways to get along with others, and family and school procedures? Such learning occurs when parents and teachers of infants, toddlers, or preschoolers are continuously involved in setting limits, encouraging desired behaviors, and making decisions about managing children. Read this article to learn more about how to do this!
Emergency Illness And Injury Procedures
When parents enroll their child, they should provide child care provider with the contact information and consent that they will need if there is an emergency involving that child. A sample "Child Care Emergency Contact Information and Consent Form" is included in this section, along with first aid measures one should take under different situations.
Early Childhood Activity Calendar
This 1997-1998 Early Childhood Activity Calendar is from the U.S Department of Education and is filled with helpful tips and special activities that promote reading and language skills for young children.
This is a wonderful and insightful article that will help parents understand and cope with the various types of tantrums that young children go through.It is unique in that it described 3 types of tantrums and what parents should do.
The most effective method to help children gain a sense of responsibility for their behavior is to engage them in problem-solving. This article describes how parents can better discipline their children by turning the 5 "R's" (resentment, resistance, recalcitrance, rigidity, and revenge) into the 5 A's - agreeable, assisting, amenable, adaptable, and accountable that are characteristic of responsibility.
Child Care Safety Checklist for Parents and Child Care Providers
U.S. Consumer Protection Agency (CPSC) reports have shown that many children have been injured in child care settings. Here's a good checklist to help you to evaluate the safety of a child care situation.
In this guide written for use by your baby sitter, you'll find a wealth of information, checklists and safety tips. It was prepared by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and is a must have article for all parents. If your sitter doesn't already have this article, give it to him or her.
Nutrition and Foods Brought from Home - The ABCs of Safe and Healthy Child Care
Parents and childcare providers must know the proper food safety, nutrition and food handling guidlelines. This will ensure that children in a childcare enviroment will have safe food and will receive proper nutrition.
How Can I Improve My Child's Reading
How Can I Improve My Child's Reading Parents are more concerned about their child's progress in reading than in any other subject taught in school, and rightfully so. In order for students to achieve in math, science, English, history, geography, and other subjects, reading skills must be developed to the point that most of them are automatic. This very good article will give parents suggestions and techniques to encourage reading by their children, beginning during the child's preschool years.
I Want It My Way! Problem-Solving Techniques with Children Two to Eight
An excerpt from I Want It My Way! by Sue Dinwiddie, a book containing problem-solving techniques with children two to eight. It teachs problem-solving skills from a skilled facilitator with young children. This book contains effective strategies to deal successfully with about children's quarrels, group problems, adult-child problems, and conflicts of developmentally young children. It also has over 15 real-life episodes from child care professionals to help you hone your skills.
Helping Your Child Learn Responsible Behavior
Our children deserve to learn important lessons from us and to acquire important habits with our help. They need help in learning what matters to us. We want our children to grow up to be responsible adults. This is a great booklet, filled with ideas, advice and activities for kids of all ages.
How to Teach Your Children Discipline
Children have to be taught discipline. They are not born with it. Little by little parents have to teach it to them. While teaching discipline does take time and practice, it gets easier as children learn to control their own behavior. And best of all, teaching discipline does not have to hurt either the parents or the kids. This is a great article, filled with answers to commonly asked questions and contains many helpful suggestions for parents.
Emergency Illness And Injury Procedures
When parents enroll their child, they should provide child care provider with the contact information and consent that they will need if there is an emergency involving that child. A sample "Child Care Emergency Contact Information and Consent Form" is included in this section, along with first aid measures one should take under different situations.
Helpful Information for You and Your Baby Sitter
Contains a checklist for parents, and a form for parents to complete and give to their babysitter.
Biters: Why They Do It and What to Do About It
Although biting isn't "abnormal" in the sense that one out of ten toddlers and two-year-olds does it, it is a disturbing and potentially harmful behavior that parents and educators must discourage from the very first episode.
Back to School Time- Tips to Help Children Adjust
Back to school time often means changes for children and families: the first day of kindergarten or first grade; new preschools or child care settings; new classrooms and new teachers. Making smooth transitions between home, programs and schools can help children feel good about themselves and teach them to trust other adults and children. Helping children adapt to new situations can ease parents' minds and give them a chance to become involved in their children's education.
Teaching children not to be -- or be victims of -- bullies
Parents and teachers are sometimes reluctant to intervene in conflicts between young children. They don't want to see children harm or ridicule one another, but they want to encourage children to learn how to work out problems for themselves. In such cases, adults have a responsibility to stop violence or aggression in the classroom or at home -- both for children who demonstrate harmful behavior and for all other children. We can teach children not to take part in -- or become victims of -- bullying.
Listening is a core competency for communication and for relationships
Listening is such an important skill for both parents and for children to learn and to continually improve upon. This article will help you understand more the importance of listening and it provides some activities for you to do to improve your listening skills.
Spanking is one of the most controversial discipline methods. On one side of the debate are parents who believe it is all right to spank their children. On the other side are those who think that children should never be spanked. Somewhere in the middle are parents who believe that spanking should only be used in particular instances. This digest explores some of the reasons for spanking, examines the effectiveness of spanking, and suggests alternative discipline methods.
When Children Imitate Superheroes
Keep in mind that this type of play gives children the chance to face their fears and show off physical feats. When supervised by adults, 'superhero play' can help children improve their language skills and teach them to work together to solve problems; not to mention how it encourages creativity. When children begin pretending they are superheroes, adults can help them make the most of it. Here are some tips.
How To Recognize And Develop Your Children's Special Talents
This Parent Guide from the ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education provides families with information on how they can develop their children's talents at home, as well as how they can work with schools toward the same goals. A section on multicultural gifted programs is also included.
Early Childhood Violence Prevention
This Digest focuses on preventing violence in children's lives and suggests ways caregivers, parents, and teachers can reduce the damaging effects of violence.
High-quality child care: Luxury option or standard equipment?
To ensure all children receive the kind of care and education they need to thrive, early childhood programs and centers must fully meet criteria of high quality. The author reminds us that 'option packages' do not exist when it comes to a high-quality early childhood education.
Loneliness is a significant problem that can predispose young children to immediate and long-term negative consequences. However, only recently have research and intervention in educational settings focused on young children who are lonely.
A healthcare reminder - the Food and Drug Administration licensed a new vaccine, Varivax (varicella virus vaccine live). Commonly known as the chickenpox vaccine, it will prevent the typical cases of itchy, uncomfortable, week-long rashes and mild fevers, and the rarer cases of serious illness caused by the virus.
When babies and toddlers are in child care, accreditation is a key to quality
New research on brain development underscores the importance of the first few years of life for children's development and learning. New studies also confirm that when very young children are in child care, quality matters. With roughly half of all children younger than age 3 regularly participating in non-parental care arrangements, the quality of these settings is even more critical.
How Can Parents Model Good Listening Skills?
Adults, parents, and teachers set a powerful example of good or poor communication. Parents and teachers who listen to their children with interest, attention, and patience set a good example. This article is filled with suggestions and advice to help parents develop better listening skills, so they can better communicate with their children.
One of the most difficult tasks following the death of a loved one is discussing and explaining the death with the children in the family. This task is even more distressing when the parents are in the midst of their own grief. This article, from the SIDS Foundation of Washington, will help parents understand how children express grief, and it provides specific ways that parents can help grieving children.
Tracking Down Quality Child Care Can Be Time Consuming and Expensive
In this informative article from The Bradenton Herald, you'll learn about finding quality child care. It includes a good list of helpful tips.
Tips For Shopping With Your Child
Here is a good article to help over stressed parents know what to do in the store to help children behave...without spanking, hitting, or yelling.
So You Want to Be a Foster Parent?
Foster parenting will change your life-style. This touching article describes the challenges and rewards of foster parenting.
Parents As Partners In Children's Learning
Parents and teachers may look at young children's learning from different perspectives, but they share a common goal: making sure that children receive the best possible education. Mutual respect and communication between programs and families takes advantage of both perspectives to provide children with the kind of care and education that will help them thrive.
Developmental Considerations Concerning Children's Grief
This chart, from the SIDS Foundation of Washington, outlines by age category, the developmental considerations concerning children's grief. It will help parents realize what a child understands about death and grief, how children respond and what interventions a parent should take.
With more dual-income or single parent families, it is difficult for parents to be involved with their children's childcare situation or education. This article provides concrete ideas to help parents become actively involved given the multitude of constraints on their time. These ideas are not only for parents, but for child care providers, educators and employers.
Setting Limits: Steering Down the Rocky Road of Childrearing
Is your child pushing the limits? Are you unsure of how strict or lenient you should be in responding to your child? Rest assured, you are not alone. This very good article first describes several different parenting styles and then provides many useful methods and suggestions to help you if your children are continually trying to test you and the boundaries that you establish.
Escherichia (E.) coli In The Child Care Setting
Escherichia (E.) coli bacteria are found in the digestive tracts of most humans and many animals. Usually, these infections are harmless and may even be beneficial. Not all E. coli are alike and, in a few cases, illness may result from infection with particular strains. One strain, E. coli O157:H7, causes one of the most serious digestive tract infections in the United States.
Effective Parenting Styles - Why Yesterday's Models Won't Work Today
Have you considered whether your parenting style was better suited to yesterday than to preparing your child for the twenty-first century? This article describes three different parenting styles and explains which one is best for today's changing world.
This Digest discusses the family as a preferred place of literacy development and highlights family literacy initiatives that reflect respect for the family as a site of learning.
What Is a Quality Preschool Program?
Increased numbers of working mothers of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds have created a need for preschools for today's young children and are concerned about the quality of these preschools. As a result, parents are searching for guidelines for selecting a good program for their children. This article contains answers to commonly asked questions.
Ready or not...Preparing young children for the classroom
Just when you've settled into the routine of the school year, it's time to think ahead to next year. With many preschools and kindergartens now taking applications for next fall, parents may find themselves asking: Will my child be ready? Will he measure up?
Planning Ahead for Holiday Expenses
The holiday season is approaching, and you know that often means increased spending. There never seems to be enough money for the things you want to buy, and every year you try to figure out how to pay for your purchases. The key to overcoming these holiday blues is to plan ahead and prepare for the expenses that come with the holiday season.
Plain Talk About...Dealing with the Angry Child
Handling children's anger can be puzzling, draining, and distressing for adults. In fact, one of the major problems in dealing with anger in children is the angry feelings that are often stirred up in us. It has been said that we as parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators need to remind ourselves that we were not always taught how to deal with anger as a fact of life during our own childhood.
Ten Ways Fathers Can Contribute to their Children's Health
Dr. Joseph Garcia-Prats, neonatologist at Texas Children's Hospital and himself a father of ten sons, stresses that fathers need to realize there are more aspects to their children's well-being than medical health.
Popular thinking often paints an unflattering picture of only children, portraying them as self-centered, attention-seeking, dependent, and temperamental. Despite these negative stereotypes, smaller families in general--and the one-child option--are growing in popularity.
How Parents Can Support Gifted Children
The key to raising gifted children is respect: respect for their uniqueness, respect for their opinions and ideas and respect for their dreams. Gifted children need parents who are responsive and flexible, who will go to bat for them when they are too young to do so for themselves. At home, children need to know that their uniqueness is cherished and that they are appreciated as persons just for being themselves. This digest helps parents understand their unique roll in raising gifted children and it contains a good list of indicators to help parents recognize giftedness in their children.
New Study on Children’s Perceptions of Race and Class on Television
For decades, educators and parents have expressed concern over the ways in which people are portrayed on television. There was a fear that children were getting a skewed concept about people's abilities and character based on stereotypical representations of gender, race, or class. This fear led to a number of research studies that analyzed the television roles of men, women, people of color, and people of various socio-economic levels.
Illness, young children, and child care are facts of life. Young children get sick more frequently than adults because their immune systems can not fight disease as well. Considering the large number of children in child care, both parents and child care providers must learn to recognize whether children should attend child care, or stay at home.
Low-Cost Ways to Educate Children on Money Management
Financial planners, parenting professionals and family advisors everywhere are touting the need to educate children on financial facts of life. This article provides some practical suggestions and ideas to teach children how to manage money.
Substance Exposed Infants and Children
The problems associated with prenatal substance abuse are increasing and have serious implications for the future educational needs of the children and families affected. Services, programs, and strategies that have been developed in the field of special education will have a role to play in meeting their needs.
Young children may have misconceptions about older people and they may dislike them, feel sorry for them, or fear them in general. But it's important for children to feel good about their elders if they are to learn to appreciate people different from themselves and accept and understand the fact that they will get older someday. When children are happy and secure with themselves, they will be ready to take on each new stage of life.
Kathy McKinless, mother of four and one of the first women to become partner at worldwide professional services firm KPMG, offers tips for working mothers on how to handle work and home during the busy holidays.
Tips for Parents on How to Have a Positive Impact on Gift-Giving to Kids
Five scientists whose research has contributed to major biomedical advances offer parents tips on how they can make a more positive impact with the gifts they give their children. They had unique ideas, but one thing they all agreed on -- whatever else you give your kids, make sure you give them your time.
Helping Children Cope with Violence
Diane E. Levin provides useful strategies for families, caregivers, and educators for dealing with violence in the media, the media environment, and supporting children's healthy development. This article contains some guidelines from her book to help children grapple with real-world violence:
Too Sick for School or Daycare? A Few Guidelines to Promote Good Health
The kids are back in class. It's 7:15 a.m. and Andy says, "I don't feel good." You ask yourself, "Can he still go to school or daycare today?" Parenting is full of judgment calls and this one is often less than clear-cut. This article provides a few good guidelines to help parents make this decision.
Children with low self-esteem often feel like they're drowning in an ocean of inadequacy. This article will help parents improve the self-esteem of their children and it is the fourth in a series of articles from the Feingold Association. The helpful information here applies to all children, not just those who have attention deficit disorder (ADD).
As Father's Day approaches, many men are reflecting on how they can be better fathers. This article gives fathers suggestions on achieving balance between work and family and talks about how that requires more than just scheduling.
Study Finds: Mothers Are Worth $508,700!
Your Mother may be priceless to you, but in today's job market she's worth over $500,000 per year, according to an Edelman Financial Services Inc. study of the many possible occupations that a typical mother might hold during the year.
National Child Care Association Urges Parents to Carefully Screen and Select Child Care
Ask working parents to name the most important decision they've made about their child's welfare, and one answer will surface time and again: Choosing a quality child care provider. Licensed child care providers are working to ensure parents are asking the right questions -- and using the right criteria -- to select quality care for their children.
Child Care Consumer Education on the Internet
Child care consumer education provides helps parents choose the best possible care for their children. This article will help parents use the Internet to access an enormous amount of useful information.
Why Are Books Such as Everyone Poops Bestsellers?
All the books focus on various aspects of the human body and human body by-products, and they are written for preschool children. Some hope that openly talking about and acknowledging these by-products may make them less of a source of embarrassment or giggles once kids enter school. Parents report using Everyone Poops when they are helping their child make the transition from diapers to using the toilet.
Tips for Parents & Teachers Regarding the Colorado Tragedy
The intense news coverage of the tragedy brings school safety issues to the forefront for all of us. However, children in particular may experience anxiety, fear, and a sense of personal risk. To guide parents through discussions about the Colorado incident, the National Mental Health Association offers suggestions.
National PTA Reaches Consensus on TV Ratings
The National PTA, accompanied by leaders from other child advocacy organizations, said in a meeting at the White House today that it supports a newly-revised television rating system. The system was developed in conjunction with the television industry.
What Should Young Children Be Learning?
Recent research on intellectual and social development and learning is rich in implications for curriculum and teaching strategies for early childhood education. The data on children's learning suggests that preschool and kindergarten experiences require an intellectually oriented approach in which children interact in small groups as they work together on projects which help them make sense of their own experience.
CPSC and Pampers Parenting Institute Announce Joint Grandchild Safety Campaign
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Pampers Parenting Institute are joining together to offer important safety and child nurturing tips to grandparents. With millions of children getting set to visit their grandparents' homes over the holidays, they unveiled a free booklet, "A Grandparents Guide for Family Nurturing and Safety." which is also available on-line. The easy-to-read booklet contains critical information on child development as well as potentially life saving safety advice to help grandparents kid-proof their homes and protect grandchildren, from newborns to five-year-olds.
An Important Bond: Your Child and Caregiver
Have you ever seen a child cling to a caregiver when his parents arrive to pick him up at a child care center? How about a child who greets her parents happily then returns to her activity, in no rush to go home? While such close attachments to caregivers and child care settings may make some parents initially uneasy, these bonds are an important part of children's development and learning. Working together, parents and caregivers can ensure that children see their educational settings as safe places where adults other than their parents support and care for them.
Aggression and cooperation represent two critical features in the child's social domain. Both have important roots in early family interactions, both are responsive to adult expectations and values, and both can be responsive to environmental factors. This article discusses how these features develop and what parents and caregivers can do to reduce aggression and encourage cooperation in toddlers and in preschool children.
Look Beyond the Obvious for Telltale Signs of Child Abuse
The eyes may be the window to the soul, but the face offers the most telling glimpse behind the closed doors of child abuse. In a comprehensive study of 371 children who were suspected of being abused, injuries to the head and face accounted for 28% of 892 soft-tissue injuries.
Pediatricians Respond to Media Reports on Discipline
The American Academy of Pediatrics clarifies its position on discipline for children and teens. This article describes alternatives to physical punishment, such as time-outs, as preferable means of discipline.
How Can We Strengthen Children's Self-Esteem?
Most parents want their young children to have a healthy sense of self-esteem. Experts generally agree that parents and other adults who are important to children play a major role in laying a solid foundation for a child's development. The points in this article may be helpful in strengthening and supporting a healthy sense of self-esteem in your child.
Back to School: Fresh Start for Families
Back-to-school days can put many a parent into a frenzy as eager young faces rush home with a list of needs and new activities that can overload any calendar. What makes this overwhelming at times, is that school starting comes at a time when work, organizations, or volunteer commitments are also stepping up. Time and stress management are basic building blocks of overall good health. To help women who are struggling with the demands of a hectic life, Women's Health America offers the following suggestions.
Enjoying Stress-free Summer Activities
This publication from the National Association for the Education of Young Children includes ideas for summer activities, especially those families who are working to balance the demands of adult work schedules while still providing activities for their children.
Tips to Make Moving a Positive Experience for Children
Every year, approximately 6 million kids across America move into new neighborhoods and cities. Despite the reassurances of parents, children often harbor fears of leaving friends and familiar surroundings. Here are 10 tips to help the sometimes stressful moving process go smoothly for families.
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Joins CPSC to Release Child Care Safety Checklist
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton joined U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Ann Brown today to kick off a national campaign to alert parents and caregivers to safety hazards in child care settings.
Celebrating Transitions in the Early Years
The end of the school year is a time for celebration by young children, their families, teachers, and caregivers. Yet while some families and programs see 'graduation' as an important symbol to recognize their child. Others worry that too much pomp and circumstance can lead to frustration. The important thing is to acknowledge the validity of both perspectives. Administrators, teachers, and parents can then work together. Here are some ways to consider celebrating.
'HI, HO, HI, HO, It's Off to School They Go!'
In an effort to help caregivers prepare their children for this often difficult event, the MetLife Consumer Education Center, in conjunction with nationally recognized authorities, has developed a series of free brochures that includes "Your Child's First Day At School," "Your Child and Organized Sports," "Helping Your Child Understand Money."
Learning Partners -- Being Responsible
This article highlights activities and stories which can help us teach our kids to be responsible.
Grandparents can feel overwhelmed or ignored, depending on the role they play in their grandchildren's lives. In today's society, an increasing number of grandparents find themselves responsible for raising their children's children. To meet the needs of grandparents raising their grandchildren, programs, organizations, and support groups have been developed and are available across the country. These organizations provide many resources, ranging from legal information to coping skills.
Making the First Day of School a Holiday for Parents
throughout the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union. According to Terry Ehrich, President of the First Day Foundation, "the idea is to bring the parental, family, community-involvement-in-education theme into sharper focus at the beginning of each school year. Our aim is to begin each school year with positive relationships between teachers, parents, and students, building momentum for a three-way partnership for learning through the rest of the school year"
A Reminder to Parents From the IRS
The Internal Revenue Service encourages parents to get ready for the upcoming tax filing season early by obtaining taxpayer identification numbers (TINs) from their day-care providers and making sure their dependents have social security numbers.
