Don Earl Parent Blog

As adults, we have routines that center around our jobs and our families. They dictate a lot of things in our lives and children are no different. Routines help us stay healthy and also help us reduce stress. Here are a few ways you can use routines at home to benefit your child. Morning and evening routines Morning routines help your day start off on a good note because you know what to expect. Children having a consistent morning routine can help them have a sense of security and safety. A bedtime routine helps your child prepare to settle down both physically and mentally. Brushing their teeth, putting on pajamas, reading a book; these all help them feel safe and secure if done consistently. Stick to a sleep schedule Sometimes this is tricky for adults, depending on their jobs, but a regular sleep pattern is a benefit for children. Sleep is when our body and mind refreshes so trying to stick to a sleep schedule can help them concentrate and learn during the day. Visuals

Staying positive is important, even while disciplining. Stating clear expectations for your child will help them know what they are supposed to be doing. Reviewing the rules beforehand is also helpful. I know as parents we sometimes get tired of repeating things over and over but it is important to remind your children what they should be doing. Focusing on what they should be doing is also better than focusing on what they should not be doing. As a society we are quick to say, “stop” but instead of telling them “stop running” try “use your walking feet”. Or instead of “stop hitting your sister” try “keep your hands to yourself”. By stating the positive expectations, we are clearly defining what we want our children to be doing. If you say “stop running” then your child starts skipping or jumping then you are correcting them over and over again but if you say “use your walking feet” they know exactly what you want them to do. It is also important that everyone in the househol

  Hello families and happy autumn!!! We hope you had a wonderful summer and first month of school. The transition back into routine can be challenging, but we did it!! Fall is such a beautiful time of the year, and we wanted to share some fun, developmentally appropriate activities you can do with your child during the autumn season!! Here are some ideas: -Take an autumn walk and have your child collect items. Then have your child count and sort the items found (big/little, small, medium, large, longest, shortest, biggest, smallest, etc.) Discuss the changes in seasons from summer to fall with your child and how it is different. Also have your child draw what they see/hear on the walk and discuss what the weather is like. -Make a fall collage with items found on nature walk. On the nature walk, discuss safety behaviors. -While on the walk, name the types of trees your child sees, have your child collect leaves and pattern with the leaves and discuss the changing of colors on the

Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year!  Every month we will post a new topic on the blog.  Whether you are new to the school or a returning family, we wanted to take the opportunity in our first blog of the school year to review some of the school wide expectations.  We are both a National School of Character and Missouri School-Wide Positive Supports school.  At our school we “Take Care of Ourselves, Take Care of Each Other, Take Care of Our School, and Take Care of Our World.”  The students reviewed all the rules of the school last week.  Our rules are all positively stated so the students know what to do. We also focus on making “thumbs up” choices. The next time you want your child to stop running in the house, try using the phrase, “Use your walking feet” instead of “Stop Running”.  Be on the lookout for the blog to be posted the first Friday of each month. We are looking forward to a great school year!

 The summer vacation is upon us! Here are some ways to practice Fine Motor skills and Sensory Activities while home with you little learners over summer.  Fine motor skills for preschoolers are an important precursor to developing proper writing skills as they age and go through school.  There are so many ways to develop the small muscles in a child’s hand that are easy to do at home and with little prep work or money.   Coloring – coloring is an activity that all preschoolers should have exposure to.  While not all children like to color big elaborate pictures, they will have to color at some point in elementary school or even beyond.  Broken crayons are an excellent way to help little hands learn how to hold a writing implement properly and force them to use their pincer grasp (thumb and pointer finger).  Having your child color on their tummy while lying on the floor helps strengthen their shoulder muscles which are important in writing as well.   Play-Doh – Always a kid favorite th

Hello April!! We cannot believe we are in the home stretch of the end of our school year. The last year has been a wild ride and we are very grateful for being able to work with our young learners for a whole school year!  Speaking of our young learners, every April we spend a week bringing attention and recognition to our young children and their needs, as well as the early childhood education programs and educators who work to meet those needs. The Week of the Young Child is upon us! April 19th-23rd we will be celebrating our young students and their needs. This is the 50th anniversary of Week of the Young Child, started by the National Association of  the Education of Young Children, or NAEYC, in 1971.  As early childhood educators, we believe that early intervention is extremely important and imperative to creating a strong foundation and positive experience in a young child's journey through learning. Using student needs and developmentally appropriate practices and standards,

 Hi folks! Thanks for reading again this month....this weather might give us whisplash, but the nice days are just that, NICE! This month we will discuss the importance of getting outside and making it meaningful for our little learners! Little ones are not stationary and need to move around. There are many theories that movement can help the brain remember things and can make learning more of an experience. Exercise and movement increase the creation of neurons, which are the working units of the cells in our body. If we pack movement and learning together, we can see a great improvement in how information is taken in by the brain! Outdoor fun can be all about getting energy out, exercise, fun and growing the mind, all rolled into one. Here is a list of things to do, to get the muscles and blood pumping, as well as the brain and soul! - Go for a walk: count the trees/plants you see, count your steps as you walk - Make a scavenger hunt for outside play https://www.attachmentmummy.com/2

  Be Kind to Everyone A very important lesson to teach preschoolers is to be kind to everyone.  In the month of February we celebrate Random Acts of Kindness week.  This is a great opportunity to show your children how fun it is to be extra nice to people and how to make them smile and feel special.  We have a lot of fun activities planned at school but it is just as important to teach this skill at home too.  Having your child help a sibling clean up or help an adult set the table are great ways to teach kindness.  Also teaching your child about manners and having them practice using manners at the dinner table is a great way to teach kindness.  Smiling and waving at neighbors, calling a grandparent or family member to say “I love you”, or donating clothes or toys to those in need are also different ways you can teach kindness at home.   If you want to make it fun, you can have a Family Kindness Challenge, have a Family Kindness Jar, or a monthly calendar with something kind to do eve

  Do Your Share At Don Earl, the character phrase for the month of January is Do Your Share.  When children do their share, they are developing good character, good habits, a sense of accomplishment and competence, and even academic skills. We practice doing our share at school in a variety of ways. First off, the children do their share to keep our community safe by wearing masks throughout the day. We teach how we are keeping our friends and teachers safe by doing our part. While walking in the hallway throughout the school, we do our share by walking, using a quiet voice, and keeping our hands to our side. Washing our hands before eating and after using the bathroom allows children to do their share by keeping others and ourselves safe. In the classroom, we also do our share. We do our share by taking turns, sharing, playing together, helping each other, using our words to communicate our wants/needs, keeping our hands/feet to ourselves, being kind to our friends, being gentle with