Own a Daycare Blog » center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog Just another WordPress weblog Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Getting Creative in your Daycare Center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/getting-creative-in-your-daycare-center-2 http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/getting-creative-in-your-daycare-center-2#comments Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:25:13 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=839 Related posts:]]> Being creative with the activities for your daycare proves to be the hardest task for daycare owners. This challenge is multiplied by the age range catered by your daycare business because for every age, there is an appropriate activity to achieve a certain milestone. Of course the aim of your daycare center is the imparting of knowledge but you must also remember that the knowledge that you give should be appropriate for the mental age of the children enrolled to your center. Another thing to consider is the fun factor of the learning activities because research shows that children learn more when they are having fun.

It is also imperative that it is more important that the children are the ones enjoying rather than you. Keeping them busy will work as an advantage to you because it can buy you time to tend to your other needs. As you go on with your planned activities, it may feel like it is gradually becoming a routine. Read on to learn some few tips to juggle things up without compromising the children’s learning experience.

Every daycare facilitator must know the value of play time. Through play, the children can develop their creativity and socials skills as well. A structured set-up will bring order to your daycare but don’t forget to be flexible and versatile for the children not to lose interest in learning.

Theme based daycare centers are fast growing popularity because they are hip and fun which the children like. There are plenty of daycare center themes to choose from. For starters, try to play with colors, seasons, holidays, animals, etc as the central object for your theme. These themes may also be the guide for your activites such as a safari drawing contest, a Christmas card making activity, etc.

Acting is also beneficial for the children. Start by giving them a general scenario and give them freedom on how they would like to continue the story. Providing them with costumes and props may further improve this activity. Giving this kinds of activities is a great way of breaking the daycare routine and, not to mention, will boost the children’s creativity.

Totally dried up your creative juices? Why not ask the children what they would like to do for the day for a change? Assign one day of a week to be a day when the children gets to choose what activities they want to do. Surely you will get a myriad of ideas. To settle conflicts, suggest to the children to take turns in presenting their ideas to ensure that everybody is heard. This activity will instill confidence and accomplishment in the fragile minds of the young children.

It is very natural for the children to become very helpful. Use this to your advantage in accomplishing your tasks. Letting them experience adult jobs lets them feel that they are needed and they are important in this world. Try to give them simple and easy tasks first like putting the toys bag in the toy chest, arranging recently used books into piles or rows, etc.

See: How to start a daycare business

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/getting-creative-in-your-daycare-center-2/feed 0 What the Parents should look for in a Day Care Center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-the-parents-should-look-for-in-a-day-care-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-the-parents-should-look-for-in-a-day-care-center#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:08:06 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=778 Related posts:]]> When you finally decided to put your child in a day care center, the next step is to choose what day care center it would be. With this matter, there are a lot of factors to consider in evaluating your options. There are a lot of things you should inquire the day care center you are considering.

1. Ensure that their operating hours coincide with your working hours. Know if they allow late pick-ups or if they charge extra amount for such delays.

2. Inquire about who are just allowed to pick up the child and what identifications do they require. This will make sure that they will not entrust your child to just anyone.

3. Also know if they operate during holidays and if ever how much they charge for such days.

4. Evaluate the teachers available in the center. Are they bubbly and fun to be with? Do they communicate with children well? If ever a teacher will be on leave or suddenly can’t go to work will they have a substitute teacher?

5. Also let them discuss to you about their policy on discipline. Ask about what they do about the child’s misbehavior and if they advise the parents when such things happen.

6. They must also have ready medicines in the center, just in case a child might need them. But inquire about prescription medicines and if they would need any authorization before they can give them to your child.

7. Inspect the day care center and if they have the necessary facilities such as fire extinguisher, fire exits, fire alarms, smoke detectors and other amenities. Also ensure that the equipments and the place itself are safe for children. Make sure that the harmful chemicals such as cleaning substances are out of reach of children. Also the outdoor play area must be fenced. Children must stay within the premises and in watch of the caregivers at all times.

8. Will they have a service for fetching the kids? If ever, what type of vehicle will they be using?

9. They must have a plan and schedule of activities. Are there any out of the center activities such as field trips? If ever there are, are additional costs to pay for?

10. Also observe the children enrolled in the center if they are having fun. Are they well taken cared of?

11. They also must be appreciative of the children’s work. This makes the kids prod of themselves and help build self-confidence. Do they have a corner for displaying the kids’ artwork?

12. Do they have nap time for the children? What do they do to those who would not want to sleep? And where do they let the children sleep?

Corporate Daycare

Companies are now engaging into putting up an on-site day care centers for their customers. This is already being done in places like Britain. In a supermarket in Britain, they have a day care center where parents can leave their kids while shopping. They have been practicing this for years and they realized that customers enjoy shopping more without distractions. They will then spend more time in shopping and the market will consequently profit more.

Make a Parade Float
Why not try joining in a local parade during special occasions. Have a float for your day care center. Decorate the float with artworks made by the kids. You can also have a banner designed by the kids together with the teachers. The kids can even have their handprints on it.

Volunteer in Community Works
It’s always nice to give back to the community which has helped you a lot. And engaging in volunteer works is a way of doing it. Though you have a full-time job and a busy life, you may devote some time in helping out others. You can bake home made goodies and have them dropped off together with your child to the day acre center. Also, for the centers operating from public funds, you can give donations in terms of goods and amenities such as good cleaning products. Cooperate with other parents and discuss about how you can help. Even just spending a little of your time may mean so much to those that you may be helping. So if you can spare just some of your hours, do so. And do it in good cause.

See: How to start a daycare center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/what-the-parents-should-look-for-in-a-day-care-center/feed 0 Opening A Day Care Center Owned By Single Moms http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/opening-a-day-care-center-owned-by-single-moms-2 http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/opening-a-day-care-center-owned-by-single-moms-2#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:25:30 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=759 Related posts:]]> Most single moms are often faced with the decision whether to choose between their job and their child. Single moms need to earn money in order for her and her child to survive. At the same time, they also do not want to miss the moments that are essential for her child like their first walk and first time to talk. These are the simple joys which mothers enjoy when taking care of their child. If single moms are working, it will quite be hard to monitor the progress of their child.

If you are a single mom and is faced with this dilemma, you do not need to worry because you can now have the best of both worlds. You can work at the same time monitor the development your child as he grows up. Opening a home-based day care center is the best solution that you will have. You do not have to leave your home to work.

This may seem an expensive business venture that you will take. It is true that opening a day care business requires a lot of capital to start with. Of course, you need to have your place renovated to make it child-friendly. The corners and sharp edges of some fixtures in your home should be covered to protect the children from danger. Also, depending on the number of children that you will take care of, you may need to expand your day care. After this, you need to consider the costs for the toys, learning materials and other things that will be helpful for the children. If you do not have adequate funds, then you might have a hard time operating your own cleaning business.

If money becomes an issue for you, you will now be able to open your own day care center without worrying about it. There are grants which are given to single moms. If this will be approved, a single mom will be able to open her own day care business without having to spend anything. This has been made available since the government is aware that childcare is really important in the society. Children need all the childcare services that they can have. So the government is ensuring that there are enough quality childcare services available.

Applying for this grant is the same as any other business grants out there. You need to apply and pass the requirements of the government. Make sure that you make a sensible and realistic business plan. If you are new to this field, there are college grants which are given to single moms in order to be able to acquire enough knowledge and training when it comes to education in childcare. When the grant has been approved, you can now start with your day care business.

Owning your own day care business will allow you to work on your own schedule. This will allow you to enjoy your own personal freedom and will be able to take care of your child more often. Through these grants, the government has really provided a way for parents to earn money as well as be able to take care of their children.

See: How to start a daycare Center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/opening-a-day-care-center-owned-by-single-moms-2/feed 0 Dos and Don’ts in Starting a Daycare Center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/dos-and-donts-in-starting-a-daycare-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/dos-and-donts-in-starting-a-daycare-center#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:45:40 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=755 Related posts:]]> When starting a daycare center, you have to be well-decided and well-researched on what and what not to do. It’s not enough to be just fond of children and have enough patience in looking after them. You must have proper knowledge on handling the young ones. Keep in mind that they have varying needs according to the age bracket they are in. Younger ones have to be attended more than the older ones since they are more delicate and usually have more needs. Every single child must be given adequate attention and their safety must be of highest priority.

Be well researched on how to do proper childcare. It is very important to gather information on what the parents look for and like in a daycare. This will give you a hint on what to offer, and for you to have an advantage over other childcare services.

Also since it is a business, all of the requirements needed in starting must be met. Others have overlooked certain things that eventually cause their business to fail. Contracts, policies and taxes must be handled well and paid attention.

You must comply with the rules and regulation in starting a business so make sure to get a license. It is a certification that your business is legal and supported by the state. It’s a way to show the parents that they can trust their beloved kids in your watch. Getting a license is not that of a hassle. You just have to make sure that the staff had proper training and that the center follow certain guidelines. They will visit the center once a year and if there are no problems, your business will be credited.

Have a contract between the center and the clients. It is important to have a legal agreement that is written and you can actually keep. That contract must contain the arrangement, mode of payment and terms of services that you and the client have agreed upon. it must be signed by both parties and must be validated by legal representative. Also, have a policy handbook which contains the contract details agreed upon. It must also include the rules to follow in proper childcare. All instructions must be written here such as playing time, feeding procedures, accidents and other essential information. This will serve as a reference to look into when problems arise.

Some things you can get without having to pay . Local government provides free services that may be beneficial to your business. All you have to do is be well in touch of the childcare departments in your area. Others have resources to give away like learning materials, to help you in starting right. They can give you tips in running your own childcare business and may even give you contacts of potential clients.

You must look for the best marketing strategy to use in promoting your business. You must have customers, and when just starting out on a business, marketing is very important. Also keep in mind that children grow up and later on will not need daycare services so promotion of the business must be maintained to attract future customers.

Ask for just the right price. Ask around the area to know how much other childcare services charge their customers. Organize monthly maintenance bills, electricity, salary of employees, food, toys and other learning materials. From this, you can have an estimate on how much will cost you for every child that will undergo your program. Usually younger ones are charged higher because they will need special care and attention. You can accept only the number of children that the staff can actually handle to ensure that they will be given the proper daycare so charge the right amount for each of them.

Doing business is all about knowing the essential matters in running it. You may encounter a lot of problems at first and failure may be at the verge. But with positive outlook and a great strategy, your business can survive and grow. After all, success is not a one-step process!

See: How to start a daycare center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/dos-and-donts-in-starting-a-daycare-center/feed 0 The insurance you need in putting up a day care center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/the-insurance-you-need-in-putting-up-a-day-care-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/the-insurance-you-need-in-putting-up-a-day-care-center#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:43:55 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=753 Related posts:]]> Getting insurance is not easy. Besides from growing expenses now days, people do not get why they have to pay for something that you may never even use. But then again availing of the insurance program can be a good prevention of a higher cost. Well, you can really never tell. So be might as well prepared.

As a new business owner, you may encounter a lot of problems starting up. New challenges may arise daily in your day care center. It is therefore a must that your business be protected from risk or any liability. It can keep you worry-free as a business owner. The insurance you can get can cover everything from child injury to damage of property. It’s better to have protection before any of these things happen.

In being a day care center owner, there are different kinds of insurance that you need to avail. Here is a list of the insurance that you may consider being a day care operator.

1. Business Insurance. Your day care center is a business, after all. Business insurance protects you from greater losses in the future. It protects your current and future employees, as well. Having your business insured will protect you and your investments in the long run.

2. Accident, fire and other basic insurance. These kinds of insurance protect your home or business place. Some insurance agencies include this in basic business packages together with other special types of insurance.

3. Childcare liability Insurance. The insurance company may include this in the business insurance but some have a separate insurance for this. Furthermore, there are different types you can get depending on the kind of day care that you run. Try shopping around to get the best insurance suited to your business. This kind of insurance cover injury, legal costs and even losses. Day care liability insurance, however, is not the same for home day care and commercial day care centers. Inquire your insurance agency now for you to get the best deal there is.

4. Insurance for Omissions and Errors. This kind of insurance gives the maximum coverage for the day care center you own. It covers personal injury, negligence, field trips and unforeseen circumstances. You can get $50,000-$100,000 for medical expenses of the kids due to accidents and even accidental death.

Always remember that it’s best you have everything insured. Even the simple things such as auto insurance may be very beneficial to you in the future. Canvass around different insurance providers and inquire about the different business package deals and the important documents you have to submit. Each type of insurance has a different set of requirement and may also depend on where you are located. Getting this protection will ensure your stay in the business no matter what. So why think twice about getting coverage? It can be more beneficial than you can actually imagine!

Less Taxes for Home day Care Center
Instead of leasing or renting a business space, why not run your day care center in your own house? If you have been babysitting your friends’ and relatives’ kids and you’re very fond of being with kids, why not consider setting up your own home day care business? Aside from doing the things you love, you’ll be able to earn money too. The home day care business enjoys a lot of tax deductions as well. Here are some tips on how to avail of those deductions by meeting the IRS requirements.

1. The day care center you own must take care of clients.

2. You must’ve met all the requirements set by your state which then entitles you to a license.

3. Using your own house as your business place has benefits that you can actually use. Here is how you can have the tax deductions.

The portion of the house you will be using for your business can have tax deductions. A formula in getting the deduction is stated below.
% used for daycare: the total area of your house you use for the day care over the total area of your house

If your business operation is from 9 am to 5 pm, the following formula can be used to know how much daily are your business hours.

Total hours for day care: number of business hours
8760 hours, 8764 during leap years

Then you use the formula below to get the amount of your tax deductions

Tax deduction = the total income in your household x % used for daycare

By doing the simple math, you can avail of the tax deductions for your home business.

Also, you can deduct the food and other consumables. Keep your receipts to know what items you must declare and to save some expenses. Anything that you use is considered consumable: toilet paper, microfiber diapers, laundry soap and even table napkins as long as you use the items for business purposes. Just multiply the expenses with the formula above.

There is also a deduction for utilities and supplies. Having children means higher consumption of electricity and water. Electricity and water are services you used for business and thus can be declared. Simply multiply the total expenses in a year with the formula above. If the line is intentionally installed for business purposes, it can actually be fully deducted.

Then, you can still declare the work made on home services. Any remodeling or renovation made for purposely for business can be a tax deduction. Keep the receipts you have for house repair or even simple things such as plumbing and cleaning.

This is only one of the many advantages of having your day care center operated at home. It gets you to pay less tax. All you need is the knowledge about your rights as a home business owner. Just spend a little time in calculating when the taxes come and you’ll be rewarded and relieved of incoming problems. Remember to keep all the receipts from any purchases. This little hassle can give you so much in the end!

See: How to start a daycare center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/the-insurance-you-need-in-putting-up-a-day-care-center/feed 0 Daycare Center – Reading Aloud to Children http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-reading-aloud-to-children http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-reading-aloud-to-children#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:49:23 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=745 Related posts:]]> In the revolutionary review “Becoming a Nation of Readers” of 1986, the Commission on reading stressed that reading aloud to children is “the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for success in reading.” It is important to expose children to books at a very early age, in as early as six week old. Babies this young already like to look at pictures and hear stories. Accordingly, children already start to develop an awareness of printed letters and words by the age of two or three, by seeing surrounding adults writing, reading, typing, etc. Preschoolers and toddlers are particularly eager to learn from adults reading to them and with them.

It is crucial to read aloud to young children because it allows them to absorb the information and skills they require to do well in academics and their everyday life, and these include:

Familiarity with printed letters and words, as well as the connection between print and sound.

Wide variety of words and their meaning.

Books – what they are, as well as their use and importance

The world around them and everything in it

Formal and informal language

The happiness that reading can give

When reading aloud to children, the following practices can help improve retention and comprehension:

Let children experience reading as a pleasurable activity. Make sure that you and the kids are seated in a comfortable area where they can sit near you. Make them feel warm and sheltered. As much as you can, try to express the emotions contained in the story you are reading. This will not only make the children more interested, they will also feel involved. If they enjoy the experience, they will definitely look forward to another reading session with you.

Read aloud on a regular basis. Make reading aloud an everyday activity. Create a schedule within the day, and —

Read at the beginning of the day or before going to bed.

Read after playtime as this helps children to settle down.

Read while the kids are having their snack and before taking a nap.

Make reading a learning experience. Explain words, phrases, or sentences that can be confusing or vague. Ask the views, observations, or opinion of the kids on what you are reading. If you are reading a picture book, explain what the picture(s) is all about and how it related to the story. If you are reading a story which is set in a particular place or timeframe, give the kids a backgrounder about that place or time period. Discuss the feelings and actions of the character with the children. Look for opportunities to connect the story to everyday life or school activities.

Ask questions while you are reading. Think of questions that can relate the story to the life and experience of your young audience. Make them compare the story to other stories they’ve heard. You can also ask them to guess what will happen next or what the ending will be.

Discuss the book with the children. Once you’ve finished reading, ask the children what they think of the book or the story they just heard. Ask questions that will make them express their feelins and opnions about the book. It would also be good to make them pick a part or character they like the most. Ask them as well how they understood the book/story and the lessons they’ve learned from it.

Read different types of books. Do not limit yourself with story books. Various kinds of books help children to learn different kinds of information and skills. Storybooks promote creativity and make children learn about different cultures, eras, and people. It can also make them understand how people think, act, and feel differently. On the other hand, informational books give children useful facts about the world and everyday life. It also widens their vocabulary and make them learn concepts that will assist them in school. books. Story books and informational books both contribute to the mental and emotional growth of children. Just make sure to choose materials that are appropriate to the age of the group you are reading to.

Read books that will assist you in teaching. Alphabet books will help you teach letters, their sound, and what they look like. In the same way, counting books teach number recognition and counting. When teaching about phonological awareness, use poetry books or books about nursery rhyme. Try to find oversized books, or books with big prints and pictures as this will help kids remember easily. Pick out stories that teach about socialization, and how to properly relate to other people (ex. Books on friendship, cooperation, etc.). Books that tell about how nature works to give them an idea or two about the world and their environment.

Do not hesitate to repeat favorite books. Its no surprise that kids love to hear their favourite books again and again. Reading books repeatedly actually improve the comprehension skills of children and discover new things. For instance, after hearing a story twice or trice, children may come to understand the meaning of some words they had trouble understanding when they first heard the story/book.

Books that are suitable for reading aloud

Alphabet books. These books show the upper and lower case form of the alphabet letters and feature pictures of things that begin with the letter’s sound.

Counting or number books. These books not only show the basic numerals, they also illustrate them with the use of pictures (ex. Two monkeys, five dinosaurs, etc.)

Concept books. Books like these are meant to impart basic ideas that will assit children in school. Examples of concept books are books about color, shapes, sizes, opposites, farm animals, vehicles, and more.

Nursery rhymes. These books have different rhymes and verses that can be easily remembered and recited by children.

Pattern books and repetitive stories. In this kind of book, a phrase or sentence is repeated in the story forming a thought or pattern. You will notice that after reading a page or two of this book, your audience will have already learned the repeated phrase or sentence. This experience usually gives enjoyment especially to young children.

Traditional literature. Examples of traditional literature are fairy tales, folktales, fables, myths, and legends from different countries and time periods. These type of stories help children learn different eras, cultures, people, traditions, and practices. Meanwhile, stories like Cinderella differ from one country or culture to another and is interesting to discuss.

Wordless picture books. Books like these tell stories with the use of pictures alone. These books allow children to tell the story in their own version, which in turn enhances their creativity, language, as well as their sense of event sequencing

See: How to start a daycare center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-reading-aloud-to-children/feed 0 Preventing Swine Flu In Your Day Care Center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/preventing-swine-flu-in-your-day-care-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/preventing-swine-flu-in-your-day-care-center#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:23:32 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=743 Related posts:]]> The world has been taken by the issue on swine flu. The virus has been spreading rapidly, affecting the people worldwide. Why is this so alarming? The influenza virus can easily be acquired by anyone. It can be obtain from touching other people, desks, doorknobs, tables and even in the air. This is why so many people are taking precautionary measures when it comes to this.

If you are a day care center operator, you need to be aware that this is a dangerous illness. It can cause you to endanger the children if you do not take safety measures when it comes to the swine flu. If you have recently been listening to the news, a day care center was forced to close down because of a suspected cause of swine flu. Even if you think that your day care center is safe, you will never know if tomorrow someone may get infected by swine flu. It is better to take precautionary measures to avoid this from happening to you.

In order to prevent the transmission of swine flu, you need to make sure that everyone in the day care is following proper hand washing procedures. They should wash their hands properly before and after eating, playing indoors or outdoors and when using the restroom. These will prevent the child as well as the staff members to infect himself with the virus.

Make sure that you post a poster of the proper way of washing the hands beside the sink which the people can follow. Remind them that cleaning with water alone is not enough to remove the germs on the hands. It is always important to provide soap in the sink when washing hands. Besides from this, always make alcohol available for disinfecting the hands. This will kill majority of the bacteria that are staying on the hands.

When sneezing, always make sure that the child is taught to cover their mouths to prevent the spread of the germs. This also goes for coughing since these can easily be transmitted if they are not careful enough. Hand washing should always be remembered in these instances. The children should always wash their hands after they have sneezed or cough on their hands because they might contaminate anything that they touch.

On your part, you should always make sure that you are using disinfectants when you are cleaning your day care center. It is important to keep all surfaces germ-free so that the people who are touching these will not acquire any germs that may cause harm to their health.

Your primary job as a day car is to ensure that the children are kept safe from harm. It is not enough that you teach the children certain lessons and skills, but it is also important that you teach them how to take care of their bodies well. Do not let the swine flu beat you. You can do something about it and it is your responsibility to teach the children proper procedures that will ensure that they are healthy.

See: How to start a daycare center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/preventing-swine-flu-in-your-day-care-center/feed 0 Daycare Center – Teaching Your Child Through Crafts http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-teaching-your-child-through-crafts http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-teaching-your-child-through-crafts#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:21:59 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=741 Related posts:]]> Children are always so enthusiastic to learn. At this stage, their learning abilities are at a maximum this is why parents should take advantage of this. You child is still willing to grasp new ideas and skills that they may find to be useful in the future. It is important that you come up with activities that will be both fun and effective for your child. Children learn best when they are having fun so you need to be as creative as possible. You can incorporate in your daily activities lessons in numbers, reading, writing, drawing, history and even science.

Crafts are one activity that your child may enjoy doing. This enhances the creative mind of your child. It is now up to you how you are going to incorporate lessons in this activity. This is the perfect choice if you want your child to enjoy as well as learn. This can be something which you and your child can enjoy together. Remember that what is important is that your child is learning from these and not to come up with the perfect output.

With so many choices, it may be difficult for you to choose one. It is highly recommended that you have a lesson plan and depending on the lesson for the day, you can now pick up your craft sets in toy stores and teach your children how to learn the fun way!

Puppet shows are one of the most enjoyable learning methods of children. You can teach them how to make their own puppet and play with them afterwards. Choose a theme or storyline from their favourite show and you can play with the puppets and imagine that they are the real thing. This will really allow your child to use their creativity in making puppets. One more thing is that they will learn how to be resourceful. They will learn that they can use sock for puppets and even buttons for eyes. Your child will learn a lot from this activity.

Play dough has been one of the most popular choices for parents. Almost everyone you know have played with this. All you need when playing with clay is your imagination. You can teach children how to make animals, people, shapes and numbers using play dough. The children can work in groups and come up with a whole set of animals or a village. This is an enjoyable activity for your child since they can mold anything that they like, in any color that they want. You can play guessing games by molding a shape and ask your child what you have molded. This will allow your child to discover new things through pay dough.

Cooking is a fun activity that you can teach your child. The easiest way that your child can enjoy cooking is through baking. You can bake your child’s favourite cake, cookies, cupcakes, muffin and almost anything. You can teach your child how to mix the batter and pour them in the pans. But cooking does not stop there. You can buy decorating materials for the cake. You can buy colored icing and flowers made out of sugar which you can use to decorate a cake. You can put different designs on the cake which will make it more enjoyable to eat.

In baking cookies, you can use various shapes on cookie cutters which will be make cookies more fun to eat. You can also make crafts like designing cookie jars where you will out your cookies after baking. You can teach them how to draw simple things on the jars which they will remember everytime they get a cookie.

Playing outdoors have always been one of the things that children enjoy doing. Crafts are usually done indoor which may bore your child. It is important to have some fresh air once in a while. One activity that you can teach your child that can e dine outdoors is gardening. Teach your child how to plant, make flowerpots and even garden bins. At this point, your child may have established a favourite flower, fruit or vegetable. You can buy seeds and team up so that you can plant together, dig the sand, place the seed and cover it with soil. You can teach your child to be responsible by checking up on the plant from time to time and watering them based on the schedule. You can also plant in pots where you can put designs like a face where the hair is the grass that is growing. There are countless of options that you may take when it come to gardening.

Making scrapbooks is one craft that your child will surely enjoy. You can but a blank scrapbook which you can decorate from scratch. Let your child pick pictures which they like or remember to have a good memory with. These are the pictures which you can place in the scrapbook. Your child can practice his writing, coloring and even designing. They can incorporate colors which complement each other and designs with a theme. You can have fun reminiscing these moments with your child.

There are so many crafts from which you can choose from. You just need to be creative in coming up with an activity for you and your child. Make sure that you are able to teach your child the importance of doing the activity so that they will not only enjoy to learn but they will also enjoy the activity.

Children love to learn in a creative way so make sure that whatever you are doing, your child is interested in this. They will be willing to learn if they are enjoying what they are doing. Make sure that you are doing a craft that is age-appropriate that will allow them to learn from these. Remember that crafting is more than just a hobby or a past time, it is something which you can use to teach your child certain skills which they can further develop when they grow up.

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-teaching-your-child-through-crafts/feed 0 Daycare Center – How to Ease Separation Anxiety http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-how-to-ease-separation-anxiety http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-how-to-ease-separation-anxiety#comments Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:16:56 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=719 Related posts:]]> Separation anxiety happens when it is the first time that the parents would leave their child. This includes feelings of guilt, remorse and fears by the parents for leaving their child to someone they are not related to and by the child who will be left to someone he barely knows. Separation anxiety are manifested in children through their actions such as holding onto their parents and not wanting them to leave, throwing tantrums and ignoring the nanny or the daycare provider who is trying to calm him. On the other hand, the parents hesitating to leave the daycare, leaving when their child is not aware and holding onto their child are ways in which separation anxiety is displayed by the parents.

Separation anxiety is not good for both parents and child and this should be avoided or prevented. To prevent separation anxiety, the parents must be able to remove the feelings of fear and guilt first. Once the child observes that the parents are more relaxed, they also gain the confidence that they can trust the people with whom they will be spending the day and they would easily adjust to the new environment without their parents at their side. There are other ways to ease separation anxiety and they can be very creative ideas that you can do with your child. Some of them are included in this article.

First is having temporary tattoos, these tattoos are available in the grocery and buying a temporary tattoo of your child’s favourite cartoon character should be done. Before going to sleep, you should tell your child what to expect the next day and calm his fears by saying that when he feels sad or afraid, he should just look at the tattoo which is placed on his hand to remind him that you are just around. Before leaving your child, you can tell him again that the tattoo signifies you being back again to pick him up after work.

Buying healthy snacks that your child can bring to the day care can also be done. When adjusting to the day care center, the child usually needs something to hold on that will remind him of you. Besides, he may not feel comfortable eating the foods prepared by the facility, so having a healthy snack that is his favourite would definitely ease anxiety. Reducing the amount of the snack you pack for him would gradually ensure his adjustment to the day care setting.

Lastly, children often want their parents to read them bedtime stories and so should you. There are lot of story books which contains pictures of children going to the day care center and allowing your child to see this or hear about other kids’ stories would make him understand that he is not alone and other children are also dealing with the same kind of situation.

After every session at the day care, you must ask your child about his day and based from his reactions, you must evaluate if he is adjusting to the new environment. Usually, most kids are already adjusted to the setting after one to two weeks. If your child is still having a hard time adjusting, dropping by the center and seeing how your child interact with the adults and other kids would give you an idea of the problem. Any problems regarding the services that the day care gives should be addressed to the provider for them to do something. After all these, and your child is still not adjusting, taking into consideration other childcare options that may be more suited to your child should be done.

See: How to start a daycare center

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]]> http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/daycare-center-how-to-ease-separation-anxiety/feed 0 Getting Creative in your Daycare Center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/getting-creative-in-your-daycare-center http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/getting-creative-in-your-daycare-center#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:24:55 +0000 Mary http://www.ownadaycare.com/blog/?p=715 Related posts:]]> Being creative with the activities for your daycare proves to be the hardest task for daycare owners. This challenge is multiplied by the age range catered by your daycare business because for every age, there is an appropriate activity to achieve a certain milestone. Of course the aim of your daycare center is the imparting of knowledge but you must also remember that the knowledge that you give should be appropriate for the mental age of the children enrolled to your center. Another thing to consider is the fun factor of the learning activities because research shows that children learn more when they are having fun.

It is also imperative that it is more important that the children are the ones enjoying rather than you. Keeping them busy will work as an advantage to you because it can buy you time to tend to your other needs. As you go on with your planned activities, it may feel like it is gradually becoming a routine. Read on to learn some few tips to juggle things up without compromising the children’s learning experience.

Every daycare facilitator must know the value of play time. Through play, the children can develop their creativity and socials skills as well. A structured set-up will bring order to your daycare but don’t forget to be flexible and versatile for the children not to lose interest in learning.

Theme based daycare centers are fast growing popularity because they are hip and fun which the children like. There are plenty of daycare center themes to choose from. For starters, try to play with colors, seasons, holidays, animals, etc as the central object for your theme. These themes may also be the guide for your activites such as a safari drawing contest, a Christmas card making activity, etc.

Acting is also beneficial for the children. Start by giving them a general scenario and give them freedom on how they would like to continue the story. Providing them with costumes and props may further improve this activity. Giving this kinds of activities is a great way of breaking the daycare routine and, not to mention, will boost the children’s creativity.

Totally dried up your creative juices? Why not ask the children what they would like to do for the day for a change? Assign one day of a week to be a day when the children gets to choose what activities they want to do. Surely you will get a myriad of ideas. To settle conflicts, suggest to the children to take turns in presenting their ideas to ensure that everybody is heard. This activity will instill confidence and accomplishment in the fragile minds of the young children.

It is very natural for the children to become very helpful. Use this to your advantage in accomplishing your tasks. Letting them experience adult jobs lets them feel that they are needed and they are important in this world. Try to give them simple and easy tasks first like putting the toys bag in the toy chest, arranging recently used books into piles or rows, etc.

See: How to start a daycare business

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