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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