Countdown to New Years!

Happy New Year!

Here are some fun activities you can do with your children to bring in the New Year together. You could decorate NYE crowns and  hats,

 Play New Years Eve Bingo and games, 

Have a New Years Eve dance party,

 and watch the New Years Eve Countdown while having sparkling juice. Netflix has different character countdowns so they can do the countdown at their bed time.

 Be creative, have fun, and make memories together.

From the AOG family to yours, Happy New Year!

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Benefits of Dress up Play in Early Childhood

Tomorrow at The Academy of Gateway we are dressing up as our favorite story book characters. 

When children play dress up they are using their imagination and developing more than you can imagine!

Look at all the things going on when children play dress up: 

Dress up engages your child's brain and memory.

Builds their vocabulary through imitations and conversations.

Problem Solving: Who's going to do what? They are making decisions.

Role playing helps them see through each others eyes, developing empathy.

Role playing helps children make sense of the world and process their feelings.

They develop fine motor skills while putting on costumes.

Children learn social skills through cooperation and negotiation.

When children engage in dress-up play, their imaginations are given free reign. There is no limit to who, where, or what they can be.

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Indoor Gross Motor Movement

The cold weather is here. Even when it's too cold to go outside kids still need to get their wiggles out.

We have had several days recently where the cold weather kept us in but that didn't stop the movement or fun.

Gross motor skills can help your preschool child to move more easily, prevent developmental delays, improve confidence in their abilities and improve health as they stay active.  

You can pull out a indoor tunnel or balance beam.

Do the Reindeer Hokey Pokey.

Throw a soft ball.

It can even be as simple as placing painter's tape on the floor and practicing walking on the line.

Don't let the cold weather stop your little from getting their daily gross motor movement in.

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Hand Washing

Hand washing is the single best way to prevent spreading germs and disease. Handwashing is a basic hygiene skill to teach children. Here at The Academy of Gateway we have been working on teaching the children proper handwashing.

The earlier a child learns to properly wash their hands, the greater defense they have against germs that cause illness. 

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends washing hands with soap and warm water, scrubbing for about 20 seconds. 

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Exploration

Exploration is detrimental in early childhood development. Through exploration children gain a better understanding of themselves, others, and the world around them.

Here are some steps you can take to help your young child explore. 

• First, Always make sure the environment and objects are safe for children to explore.
• Position the infant or toddler in a way to help them explore objects and their surroundings.
• Model or demonstrate ways to use, move and play with a object.
• Provide toys that allow a child to play or use them in different ways and encourage them to fully explore the toy.  
• Talk to them about what you are doing.

Today at The Academy of Gateway our toddlers were exploring the sorting cups.

They use their senses to investigate the color, shape, patterns, and size. 

They are learning how they work and fit together. 

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Creating Family Traditions

Family traditions bring a sense of belongingness, commitment and familiarity with each other. They establish bonds that will last a lifetime. This year is the perfect time to start a family tradition in your house. 

You can start a Christmas countdown, write letters to Santa, go light-seeing with Hot Cocoa, or get matching Christmas pajamas. The possibilities are endless. Do what works for your family and makes you and your family happy. Enjoy this time of year!

We have started a new tradition at The Academy of Gateway. We are doing Winterfest! This event will be from 10am- 12pm with Santa visiting from 10-11am. There will be other fun surprise activities as well as snacks. Bring your family and make this a new Christmas Tradition! 

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Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving crafts are a great way to let your little one help decorate for the holiday. The decorations are so much cuter with their help. Here are some great ideas.

Here at The Academy we had a great time making a turkey craft. Crafts are a great sensory experience and it allows them to express themselves.

Another great idea is to make a Family Thankful Tree or make thank you notes for each other. 

Here is our tree!

It is easy to get caught up in the holiday rush and miss the reason for the holiday. In this Thanksgiving season relax and remember what you are thankful for. Take time out for the ones you love and enjoy this Thanksgiving. From the our Aog family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

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Indoor Fun For Cold Days

This week it has definitely brought in the cold. BRR!

The little ones are enjoying the extra gross motor we are doing indoors. We have brilliant art projects and fall snacks to keep their little minds going while being inside. We had a great cornucopia snack yesterday. It was a grab an go treat they could enjoy and talk about with their family on the car ride home. They loved it!

 We are working on fall trees today. They are making them out of their adorable little fingerprints. Look how cute!

We also are doing our thanksgiving lunch with the parents this Friday from 11am-12pm. The kids have told me they are ecstatic to eat with their parents at school. 

We have a petting zoo coming on friday as well. We cannot wait to see the children interact and learn about the different animals. 

What an exciting week!

It looks like a cold weekend! Here are some great ideas to do indoors to keep your little ones busy. 

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Giving Back

There are so many ways to teach children thankfulness. One way is by showing them how to give back to their community. 

 This month we will be focusing on learning how we can help others! We will be holding a can food drive and a travel-size toiletry drive to deliver to the homeless shelter! Items requested include the following: 

*Nov 5 -9 Canned veggies

*Nov 12-16 Canned fruit 

*Nov 19-23 Rice, pasta, dried goods

*Nov 26-30 travel sized toiletries 

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Halloween Safety

Halloween is full of fun for children but also full of safety hazards. Remember these Halloween safety tips to keep your children safe during this great family holiday. 

Trunk or Treats are a great option and fun for the family. The Academy of Gateway had our Trunk or Treat and Fall Fest Friday, October 26th. 

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Keeping Kids Safe

For the next two weeks at The Academy of Gateway we will be participating in the Keeping Kids Safe curriculum. It is a personal safety and abuse prevention curriculum taught to children over thirty months old. Ms. Brittany, our Program Coordinator, will facilitating this program. She will be talking to your children about various topics throughout the next two weeks.

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Family Fire Safety Plan

This week at The Academy of Gateway is Fire Safety Week! We have been talking to the children about fire safety and what to do in case of a emergency. 

Thinking about a house fire is a scary thought. Prevention is best but what if it can't be prevented? We must be prepared. It is very important to make a family escape plan in case of a fire.

The first thing you should do is test your fire alarms and replace batteries annually. It is recommended that you replace your fire alarms every ten years. You should have a smoke detector on every level of your house and every bedroom.  Now that your fire alarms are in working order you need to make a escape plan. Click here and here for these printables.

Disconnect to Reconnect

61% of adults admit to being addicted to their devices.

50% of people prefer to communicate digitally than in person.

There is a huge disconnect created by our digital devices.

When you are on your phone you are disconnected from those around you, including your family.

Time spent together as a family is critical in early childhood. Young children are still developing socially, emotionally, physically and mentally. Children who spend more time as a family have higher IQs and overall are healthier. Children learn vital social skills by watching how you communicate with them and with others. We have to teach our children that human interaction is far superior to any digital device. Show them by making family time a priority and making it device free. When we disconnect from electronics and reconnect as a family we create unforgettable memories.

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Staying Active with Your Family

The Academy of Gateway is a Gold Sneaker Facility. This initiative focuses on healthy eating and gross motor movement in child care facilities. We try to promote wellness here and at home. It is important to teach these healthy habits early and teach children that being active is fun. You need daily exercise and you need family time. Why not do them together?

This past weekend we went on a family hike at Tim's Ford State Park. We hiked 4 miles! They felt accomplished and proud.  The kids are still talking about it today on the way to school. 

They made memories and had a great workout with out even knowing it.

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Fall and Family Time

Today at the AOG we asked the children to share with us what they like to do with their family. Every family is unique and the kids love to share their families favorite things.

It is a great time to start a family tradition. There are so many things to do as a family in the fall. You can take your toddler on a fall color hunt or get lost in a corn maze with your school age children. Here are some great ideas for fall family fun.

The Academy of Gateway will be having our Fall Festival October 26th. 

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