Pairing a hyperactive child with a quiet, slow form of exercise, may sound counterintuitive and even disastrous, but it turns out yoga can be incredibly helpful for children with challenging behaviours or special needs. Mindfulness is also good for children as it can help them improve their ability to pay attention, to calm down when they are upset, and to make meaningful decisions.
Creating Safe and Secure Relationships in early learning environments results in children who are confident and curious to learn, more able to problem solve and have increased levels of frustration tolerance. Safe and Secure Relationships are essential and are the foundation in reducing behavioural challenges in all age groups. When a child is treated with empathy, they gain a sense of belonging that leads to positive relationships and optimal learning. Further, when children are treated with empathy they learn how to be empathetic towards others. Continue reading
At La Coccinelle au coeur d’Ottawa, we noticed that as the number of non-sleeping children increased in our preschool group, we didn’t have enough quiet activities to go around. Additionally, the children were losing interest in the activities available in the playroom. We then came up with the idea of creating an activity storage bin system specifically for nap time.
These activities are chosen based on the following criteria: they are quiet, easy to understand and don’t include many pieces. Here are some examples: stacking, association, serialization games, special books, writing boards and puzzles. Activities can be as simple as a clipboard with white paper and pencils to bring out the children’s creativity. Possibilities are endless! The activities can help the children develop their cognitive and fine motor skills as well as their ability to play in an autonomous manner. Continue reading
What is a secure attachment?
A biologically based (innate) connection children feel to their parent or caregiver on whom they rely to help them feel safe, cared for, and protected. Attachment is the deep and lasting connection that children form with the people they depend on for care and protection. The work of attachment does not belong to the child. It involves caregiver as protector and the child needs to feel confident that the caregiver will protect them. Children form different kinds of attachment (e.g. secure or insecure) depending on how well their needs are met.
Different types of attachment:
Throughout development children strive for belonging, but they cannot mature among peers alone. Throughout development children strive for independence, but they cannot thrive in isolation. As children grow they require the guidance of adult mentors who understand their needs and who can help facilitate peer interactions. By satiating the attachment needs of the child, adults give them the confidence they need to explore and become capable and competent people. Children need to trust that our bond with them is bigger than any problem they can encounter. In this segment we will examine adult attachment versus peer orientation with regard to stages of development. Continue reading
Target Audience: This article is for professionals in child care, health, education looking for information about overuse of technology in young children (aged 0-6).
Dave is a 5-yo at your childcare centre. He can be very gentle and kind at times, but lately he’s been aggressive and wanting to fight with the other kids. You suspect he watches a lot of superhero movies, and he often comes in dressed like a superhero.
You can see that he has a lot of technology in his life. When his dad picks him up, you see his dad on his cellphone in the car prior to coming in. When dad comes in, Dave wants his dad’s cellphone, which dad gives to him on the way out. In the parking lot, you see that Dave is going to be watching videos on his way home…
How would you help Dave’s dad, in order to help little Dave?
At Manotick Cooperative Nursery School, inclusion is an important part of our classroom. At the beginning of the school year we have activities to include the children and their families in the school. Every child takes home a blank piece of paper to create a unique piece of art to put up on display. The activity is special and unique to each child. One year we did a fish art with the saying… We May All Be Different Fish, But in This School We Swim Together! Continue reading
