Dear Dr. Day Care, I recently attended my niece’s preschool graduation. Don't you think preschool age children are too young for a graduation ceremony? Don’t we have too many ceremonies and “achievements” that they are losing importance? Signed, A Great Aunt Dear Great Aunt, I am a big fan of the ceremony behind a preschool (or PreK) graduation. A preschool graduation ceremony is a great opportunity to celebrate learning and recognize an important milestone! Hopefully the first of many milestones. I have certainly had people question why my early childhood … [Read more...]
Ouch He Bit Me!
Dear Dr. Day Care, I have 2 toddler sons - 18 months and 2 ½ years old. They are always together. At least three times a day (some days it seems like a lot more!) my 18-month-old bites his brother. What can we do to stop this behavior? Signed, Ouch He Bit Me! Dear Ouch, Biting is one of the most frequent questions I have received in my career! Over the course of my 47 years working in child development, I have found that parents often have the most concerns about biting, sleeping, or eating. Fortunately, biting is a stage. I understand that it is a … [Read more...]
Practice kindness
Kindness - defined as the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Kindness needs to be part of our family culture, and it begins by modeling the concept to our children at an early age and continuing throughout our life span. Believe it or not, kindness is observed by children at an early age. Children see acts of kindness in their homes, childcare programs, and their environment. At a very young age they are hearing adult conversations and they are noticing the actions taken toward others. Young children might not understand the words adults use, but can … [Read more...]
