Parenting Hints for the Month
Tip 1
Promoting Independence
Don't redo what your child has done.
If your child makes her bed, resist the urge to smooth the blankets. If she dresses herself in stripes and polka dots, compliment her "eclectic" style. If you see your child trying to assemble a toy or get a book from a shelf that she can reach if she stands on her step stool, pause before racing over to help. Unless absolutely necessary, don't fix what your child accomplishes.
Let your child solve simple problems.
When your child meets with an obstacle or problem, let them first try to solve the problem themselves. If child asks for help or gets extremely frustrated, begin by asking them to use their words to explain:
- The problem they are having
- What they have already tried
- What they think the solution might be
- What they think will happen with their proposed solution.
Encourage your child to try different solutions and observe what happens each time a tried solution does not work. Explain each try is a learning experience and not a failure. If more assistance is needed, you can guide child with pointed questions or thoughts that can help move the child’s own thinking towards a solution.
The Tucker Free Library promotes the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten project, providing your family with logs and rewards for accomplishing reading goals. The American Pediatric Association states "reading aloud is one of the most effective ways to expose them to enriched language and to encourage specific...skills needed to promote school readiness."
Research has revealed that reading regularly with young children (even starting in the womb) stimulates optimal patterns of brain development and strengthens parent-child relationships at a critical time in child development, which, in turn, builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills that last a lifetime.
Check out 1000BBK at our website: TFL KIDS – The Tucker Free Library Website for Henniker Youth
Parenting Hints for the Month
Tip 2
Trick or Treating with Toddlers during COVID
- Stay outdoors.
- Wear a mask (and not just the costume kind).
- Limit the group size. Keep your child’s trick-or-treating group to just siblings or a close friend or two.
- Limit the houses you visit. To limit unnecessary exposure to others, just go to a few homes on your street, or to visit just a few friends you know well.
- Social distance. Leave lots of space between any other trick-or-treaters.
- Take precautions while prepping goody bags. If you are the one preparing goody bags, wash your hands to soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after prepping bags.
- Stay home if you might be sick.