Preschool Education & Everything Preschool

Have you ever been in the awkward position of having your child make a prejudiced statement in front of other parents? This is mortifying for most adults because they want others to believe that they are teaching their children right from wrong when it comes to the important issue of prejudice in our society. But when you step away from the situation and get your ego out of the picture, you’ll usually find that your child had no bad intentions and that the statement doesn’t actually reflect poorly on your social teaching skills. Instead, it reflects on the fact that your young child is noticing differences in the people around her and she wants to know what that’s all about. Each opportunity that comes up – whether awkward or simply mundane – should be thought of as an opportunity to teach your children about prejudice.

As long as children have been defying their parents, the battle about eating their vegetables has been a regular part of the dinner table routine. For some families, this gets so bad that dinnertime is uncomfortable for everyone. You don’t want it to be this way for your family. Meals should be a fun time when the family spends time together. But of course you still want your kids to eat their vegetables. So, how do you do it without causing tears of frustration to ruin your supper?

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts for getting children to eat their vegetables:

It is infuriating when it feels like your child ignores the directions that you have given. As a parent, it’s frustrating to feel like your child doesn’t have the listening skills that she needs to be able to understand, remember and act upon what you have told her. But this is a normal part of the development process and one of the reasons that parents of preschoolers require wells of patience in order to assist their children in growing up with normal, healthy development. You not only want to teach your child good listening skills so that she can do what you say needs to be done but you also want to make sure she has those skills so that she will do well in school, get along with peers and be able to engage in appropriate social behavior in groups.

Here are some tips to improve your preschooler’s listening skills and to get her well on the way to being able to understand what’s said to her and to act upon it appropriately.

You feel like your worst nightmare has come to pass. Another child in your preschooler’s life has started to bully him or her and you’re not sure what to do about it. On the one hand, you want to teach your child to stick up for himself and to handle things alone. On the other, you want to intervene and stop the bullying before it gets out of hand. You have no idea what to do. And the worst part is that the situation brings out all of your feelings of helplessness as you begin to realize that you are not going to be able to protect your child from the world.

Should your preschooler be required to do chores? At what age are chores appropriate for your kids? And how do you go about delegating chores to your preschooler? These are all questions that parents often face as they try to teach their kids about responsibility in the home. Parents should know that dealing with these questions is something that other parents are going through as well and that you’ll find the right answers for your family.

Here are some of the basic things to know for getting preschool kids started on chores:

Bedtime. Does the very word strike fear into your heart? Don’t worry; you aren’t alone. Many parents dread the nightly bedtime ritual. This is especially true for parents of preschoolers who are worried about leaving their children alone in the night but getting a little bit desperate for some rest of their own. Establishing healthy bedtime routines can help make that part of the night go more smoothly. In fact, healthy bedtime routines can even make getting ready for bed a fun family activity. Believe it or not, bedtime doesn’t have to be bad time.

Thumb sucking is an issue of concern for many parents right around the time that kids are entering preschool age. As babies, it’s not an issue. In fact, many parents feel that it’s good for their pre-teeth youngsters because it comforts them, helps them to fall asleep and can ease the pain of teething. But as kids get older and those teeth are coming in, it’s necessary for parents to intervene to deter their children from sucking their thumbs. Continued thumb sucking in these older years can cause dental problems and it is therefore recommended that you break the habit entirely by the time that the child is kindergarten age.

We are always wondering if our children are “normal”. We don’t mean to do it, but nevertheless, it’s something that we do all of the time. From the time that we first count those ten toes and ten fingers, we’re subconsciously (or consciously) comparing our kids to some ideal standard of what is “normal” and wondering how they measure up. And when it comes to areas of life that aren’t so easy to understand, we often have trouble figuring out what’s “normal” and how to deal with it. Often, this is the case when it comes to imaginary friends.

You know that kid. He’s the one who is appalling even the other children with his atrocious table behavior. He spills food all over the place, he doesn’t ask before grabbing items, he makes obnoxious bodily noises and he talks with his mouth open. He’s only a child and yet you can’t help but be a little bit repulsed by him. When you look at your own children, perhaps in a public place where you can feel the scrutinizing eyes of other parents’ judging your parenting techniques, do you see this child in place of your own?

Children who truly believe that they can do anything they set their minds to are the children who grow up to succeed at all levels of life. It’s that belief in one’s self that lets them take appropriate risks, deal with challenges and learn to navigate the ins and outs of life. And there is no person in the world who can build that self confidence (or destroy it) like you can. If you want to have a child who does well in life (and what parent doesn’t right?), then you need to watch your own behavior and interaction with your child, making sure to maximize his or her self-confidence in every way that you can.