Good Night, Sleep Tight

Here is a startling truth: We are less than one month away from school starting. Yikes! Have your kids been staying up later than they usually do? To make the start of the school year more peaceful, start practicing "school year bedtimes" now.

Preschoolers need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep at night but that is often shortened by "Can I stay up a little longer?" and "I need a drink of water." Children thrive on schedules and routines during most of their day, why not extend a routine to bedtime? An easy way to begin that process is to make a picture schedule. Sit down with your child and brainstorm what your bedtime routine includes. This is a good time to address common bedtime issues such as how many drinks of water they can have or how many times they can call you into the room.

Here are some examples of traditional components:

Bath
Put on pajamas
Brush teeth
Find teddy bear or other security object
Read a book
Listen to music
Sing a song

Next, take pictures of these actions with your camera or draw pictures of the components and paste them in the order that you do them on a strip of paper. I made my routine strip with pictures cut from magazines:



Close-ups:





Hang it at your child's level for easy reference. Children are more likely to follow these homemade picture schedules since they will take pride in having made them. It will also help your child become more independent as some of these components can be done on their own. Staying consistent with routines helps your child feel more comfortable and they are more likely to complete the task without complaints when they know what is expected of them. Don't limit your routine strips to bedtime, they can apply to anything!

Preparing for School

Summer is almost over! Wow, time flies. You may have noticed that the school supply displays are now up in stores which means it’s time once again to begin preparation for the school year. The Tax Free Weekend is almost upon us (August 7-9) so get your lists ready. The Winston Salem Forsyth County School System has adopted standardized school supply lists for all grade levels that can be found on the school system’s website.

The best way for you to get your child ready for school is to get them excited about it and make sure they feel comfortable. Here are some tips:

• Talk about how fun school is and share stories about your experiences.
• Arrange a tour so your child can become familiar with where things are.
• Attend the school’s open house and have your child meet their teacher.
• Have a picnic lunch at the school’s playground.
• Frequently drive the route that your child will take to school.

There are several books specifically written for Kindergartners to help ease their fears. Here is a sample of books to look for at your local library or bookstore:

• Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
• The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing
• Look Out Kindergartner, Here I come! By Nancy Carlson
• Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell
• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

When preparing your child for school is it very important to establish a daily routine with plenty of time for homework and sleep. Set aside a specific time of day and a quiet place for homework. Go over the homework with your child to convey the message that education is important for both of you. Preschoolers need between 10 and 12 hours of sleep including their afternoon nap. Lack of sleep does not allow a child’s body to properly rejuvenate itself and may trigger night terrors, so be sure your child goes to bed at a reasonable time.

Preparing for school is a lot of work but very important. Always remember that your attitude about education influences your child greatly so be excited but also be realistic and sincere.

The life of a bookworm....

When I was a little girl, my favorite activity was reading. I can remember getting books read to me all the time and then after I learned how to read, all I wanted to do was read to anyone who would listen. If no one in my family was available, I would recruit my dog and my stuffed animals to be my special listeners. Thankfully, they were always willing.

Thinking back to what I was exposed to, reading was a part of everyday life around my house. I often saw people reading the mail, newspaper, books, magazines, and even the TV Guide. The library was a regular destination for my family and personally I thought it was better than a trip to the amusement park. Spending hours reading about my favorite animals or getting some Little Golden Bookswas great fun for me. I have always thought of reading as an adventure because it transports me into the lives of the characters whether or not they are real. Who doesn’t love a free vacation?

I credit all of those experiences to my love of books today. I would still much rather go to the library than the amusement park. As I have grown, my tastes have changed but I’m always in the middle of a book of some kind.

Instilling this love of books in children is very important to me. I never turn down a child who wants to be read to and I always try to give books for gifts rather than toys that will be pushed to the side after a few minutes. I also get to share books with the families that I visit, as does each parent educator. We incorporate a book into every visit to promote literacy and its importance.

Every Monday and Friday, I will post a children’s book to recommend to our readers. I welcome your feedback on the choices and please feel free to tell me about your own favorites so that I can showcase those.