It is important to consider many factors when you start to think about your child starting preschool. Every child will develop at a slightly different rate, so there isn’t a set age at which a child should start preschool. If you are considering having your child start preschool, here are some things that you need to keep in mind in order to make the best decision for you and your child. If you have already decided to enroll your child in preschool, check out our post on tips to simplify the first day of preschool. Thorough preparation and research can go a long way toward easing your related processes.

When Should your Child Start Preschool?

Most children begin preschool around the age of 3 or 4. However, age isn’t the determining factor as to when your child should start preschool. It depends more on the state of development that your child has reached and the skills that they have obtained. Every child is unique and different, so it is important to keep all of these considerations in mind to ensure that your child is ready for preschool. These are just a few things that you will need to consider before enrolling your child in preschool.

Separation Issues

Consider whether your child has ever spent significant amounts of time away from you. If they haven’t, they may experience some level of separation anxiety when they are introduced to preschool. This can be difficult for both the child and the parent. Consider how well your child does without you, as well as how easily they adjust to changes, before enrolling them in preschool. In addition, sometimes children that have previously been in a daycare environment have an easier time adjusting to preschool. This is mainly due to the fact that they have spent time away from their parents. You should also keep in mind that preschool may help to ease the transition to kindergarten, so it may be a particularly useful step to take when you’re child nears the kindergarten age.

Potty Trained

Most preschools require your child to be potty trained before they can be enrolled. This doesn’t mean that they can never have an accident, but they should generally be potty trained before they begin to regularly attend preschool. If your child isn’t yet potty trained, they probably aren’t quite ready to join a preschool yet. Every child will become potty trained at a different age, which is another reason that there is no specific age at which every child will be ready to attend preschool.

Communication Skills

No one expects a toddler to be able to communicate particularly well or efficiently. Although you have likely become fluent in their unique communication techniques, the preschool teacher probably won’t be. It is important for a child to have somewhat developed communication skills prior to beginning preschool. This is important, because if they aren’t able to communicate, they will likely experience substantial feelings of frustration. Other children may become frustrated, as well. This will also ensure that they are able to inform an adult whenever they are having an issue, or something is wrong.

Their Nap Routine

Most preschools will have some level of nap time or period for children to rest throughout the day. However, these rest periods are often limited to the daily schedule. If your child regularly naps for 2 hours or longer, they likely need more rest than they will get during a preschool day. Don’t enroll your child in preschool until their naps average around an hour or less, to ensure that they can effectively make it through the day.

Getting Along with Others

Preschool certainly provides ample opportunities for children to improve their cooperation and communication skills. In addition, every child is likely to have a conflict with another at some point, especially when it comes to sharing toys or working in cooperation. However, it is important that they are able to somewhat get along with other children before they begin to attend preschool. This often goes hand in hand with communication, as the ability to communicate will allow them to understand and speak with other children. Ensure that your child plays well with others before you introduce them to preschool.

Listening Skills

Children generally have short attention spans. This can make it difficult to persuade them to follow all of your directions. However, it is important that children in preschool have the ability to listen to instructions and follow simple directions. This will ensure the most effective learning process, as well as prevent many issues from occurring.

Consult with Pediatrician

You may want to consider discussing your upcoming decision with your child’s pediatrician. This will ensure that you are aware of any medical issues that may cause issues for your child in preschool. A pediatrician will also be able to inform you regarding your child’s current level of development in order to make the best decision for your child.

The Benefits of Preschool

There are many benefits to your child attending preschool. It helps to provide effective preparation for kindergarten, which can help ease the transition to attending school. In addition, preschool provides a regular structure for your child. Many experts agree on the importance of a regular routine for children. There is a substantial amount of social interaction in preschool, so attending preschool can go a long way toward improving your child’s social skills. Preschool also helps to teach independence and encourage your child to begin accomplishing tasks on their own. Most preschools also encourage physical activity, which can go a long way toward improving the health of your child. 

Contact Us

Here at Corner Canyon Academy, we are dedicated to providing your child with the skills and knowledge that they need to ease their way into kindergarten. These skills can substantially improve their life and build a firm foundation. To learn more about how to tell that your child is ready to attend preschool, contact us at Corner Canyon Academy today!

It can be incredibly difficult to convince your child to clean. Chances are that you’ve experienced the situation where you repetitively tell your child to clean up their mess, only to find that they’ve gotten distracted or neglected to clean. This can be an incredibly frustrated scenario, especially when it occurs on such a frequent basis. Understanding how to inspire your child to clean can go a long way toward alleviating your stress and ensuring a clean, comfortable home. Here are a few tips to help you inspire your child to clean.

Implement a Routine

Routine is incredibly important for children, even beyond chores and cleaning. Implementing an effective cleaning routine can help to ensure that your children know what to expect. This also increases the likelihood that they will complete their chores with minimal argument or distraction. Implementing an excellent routine can help to optimize your child’s regular processes. Appropriate routines can also help to improve their health, sleep cycles, and sense of security. Try to adhere to a regular routine as consistently as possible.

Consider a Reward System

A reward system can help to provide motivation to your child, especially when it comes to cleaning. Many parents feel as though this is “bribing” their child, but positive reinforcement has been shown to be an incredibly effective method for motivating your children to clean. These can be small, simple rewards. For example, if your child wishes to do something, you may tell them that they can do it after they have finished cleaning. Consider saving larger rewards for consistent, regular cleaning. Instituting a reward system, such as allowance in exchange for their chores, can help to inspire your child to clean.

Practice Patience

Remember that you have had a lifetime of practice when it comes to your chores and housekeeping. Your child won’t have the same experience that you do. Be patient with them, especially when they first begin to complete a specific chore. If you get frustrated with them while they are trying to learn how to do the chore, they will begin to feel resentful regarding that chore. Be patient and remember that you weren’t perfect the first time you swept the floor, and they won’t be either. Conversely, ensure that you provide them with more complex tasks as they master the previous chores. This can help to prevent them from getting bored.

Set a Good Example

Leading by example can be an effective way to inspire your child to clean. They look up to you and will want to complete the same tasks that you do. Initially, you may also want to consider making cleaning a group effort. This can help to make cleaning more fun for your child, as well as provide them with the direction and guidance that they need to clean effectively.

Make it a Game

Making cleaning fun is one of the most effective ways to inspire your child to clean. There are multiple ways that you can accomplish this. Encourage them to pretend while cleaning, by doing things such as starting a cleaning company. Competition is a great motivator for children. Either compete directly with them and see who can complete a task first or more effectively or challenge them to beat a timer. The more fun you make cleaning feel, the less resistance you will face when encouraging your children to clean.

Praise and Compliment

When your child helps you to clean, ensure that you spend time thanking them and complimenting their work. This will provide them with a sense of pride regarding their cleaning, as well as encourage them to clean more quickly and effectively. Providing positive feedback can help to inspire your child to clean.

Provide Direction

When you don’t provide effective guidance regarding new chores, your child will likely feel overwhelmed by attempting to complete them. They won’t know the steps to take and will simply become frustrated. Ensure that you provide detailed direction and remain available and willing to help whenever they need assistance. When you provide your child with the appropriate directions that they need, they will be able to approach the chore one step at a time.

Assign Age Appropriate Chores

It is important to consider the age of your children before assigning individual chores. If you assign them chores that are too advanced for them, they will be unable to accomplish them effectively. Conversely, chores that are too simple may result in the child feeling bored and quickly becoming distracted. Age appropriate chores are a great way to prevent feelings of stress, while ensuring that the task can be completed effectively. For very young children, it is likely that you will want to aid them with chores until they are adept at completing the chores on their own. When they grow older, you will want to take a step back from their chores. You should also stop cleaning up after them to encourage them to clean up after themselves.

Create a Checklist

Along with providing effective direction, creating a checklist can significantly aid in simplifying chores for your child. This can help them to see the next steps that you expect of them. It will also help to break their chores down into more manageable portions. This will similarly provide you with easier monitoring of their completed chores. In addition, a checklist may help you to provide a simple reward for your child. You can give them gold stars or fun stickers for each task that they complete.

Following the steps to inspire your child to clean can go a long way toward improving the comfort of your home. This can make your time much more enjoyable, rather than spending every moment cleaning while your child is at preschool. At Corner Canyon Academy, we host multiple locations, in both Riverton and Draper. This allows us to offer convenient, effective preschool classes for your child. To learn more about our classes, contact our experts at Corner Canyon Academy today!

There are many outdoor activities during the winter that are sure to be appealing to children. From sledding to skating, a winter wonderland can create many happy memories that you can treasure for years to come. However, there are also many weather conditions during the winter that can result in a dangerous environment for kids. Following the appropriate safety tips for children in the winter months can help to prevent many issues from occurring and ensure a healthy, happy winter for your kids.

Use the Buddy System

Children should never be allowed to play outside alone in the winter. Implement a buddy system and only allow children to play outside together when there are multiple children playing. Ensure that the children know to come get an adult if someone gets hurt while playing.

Check on Children Regularly

Even if you are using the buddy system, you should still periodically check on children that are playing outside in the cold. Ensure that they are still warm and dry. Pay special attention to their feet and hands and change any wet clothing immediately. A waterproof outer layer can go a long way toward improving the level of comfort for children. Ensure that children are supervised by an adult whenever they engage in an activity requiring supervision.

Enforce Break Time

Frostbite can set in when the skin is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for prolonged periods of time. For this reason, you should take care to enforce regular breaks, especially for younger children. Encourage them to come inside periodically to warm up and have some hot chocolate or another warm beverage. This can go a long way toward protecting their health when they want to play outside in the winter. 

Limit Exposure

Limit your children’s outdoor playtime, especially when temperatures are incredibly cold. Set specific time limits for time spent outside playing in the winter. In addition, pay attention to the weather conditions outside before you let your children go play. Keep them inside during severe storms or extremely cold temperatures. Provide fun alternatives for remaining indoors. These can include everything from board games to holiday activities.

Educate your Children

Teach your children about how to play safely in the snow. Ensure that they know to stay away from snowplows and snowblowers. Teach them that it is important to play away from roads, fences, and water during the winter months. Ensure that they understand that visibility may be limited, and road conditions may be poor, so they need to be extremely careful around streets. Though it may seem silly, it is also important to tell them to never lick cold metal. Despite being a humorous scene in A Christmas Story, it is less amusing when it occurs in reality.

Use Sunscreen

Many people overlook the importance of sunscreen during cold temperatures. Unfortunately, UV rays can still damage the skin, even in cloudy conditions. Ensure that your children wear sunscreen, especially on their face. Sunlight can reflect off of snow directly into the face, which can lead to painful sunburns. By using sunscreen, you can help minimize the possibility of damage occurring to your children’s skin. 

Bundle Up

This may seem like another obvious thing, but it is vital to bundle up children in multiple layers before allowing them to play outside. If your child gets too warm, they can take off one layer at a time. Implement a waterproof outer layer to minimize the possibility of the clothing becoming wet. Ensure that your child has a hat on with their ears covered, as this will protect them from frostbite, as well as prevent the loss of heat. The majority of body heat escapes through the head, so it is important to ensure that it is covered. Ensure that your child has mittens and warm, waterproof shoes.

Use Appropriate Gear

Though there are many exciting wintertime sports, it is incredibly important that your child use the appropriate equipment when participating in any of these sports. They should always wear helmets and effective protective gear. Ensure that all other gear, such as skates and skis, are the right size to prevent injuries from occurring. Check that all of this equipment is in good condition prior to use.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

Consider preparing an emergency kit to keep inside of your car. This can serve multiple purposes, whether a child gets wet during an outing or the car becomes stranded in snow-covered roads. Pack extra blankets, sets of dry clothes, hats, mittens, and snacks into your emergency kit. This will help to protect both you and your children in case an emergency arises.

Watch for Signs of Hypothermia

Hypothermia can be incredibly dangerous, so it is vital to know the signs. If your child is exhibiting signs of hypothermia, you should contact your pediatrician immediately for medical treatment. Some common signs of hypothermia include shivering, shallow breathing, skin that is cold to the touch, loss of coordination, bright red skin, confusion, and pale, blistered skin. If the skin ever seems to be frozen, you need to take the steps to warm it back up. This is vital to protect your children from frostbite and hypothermia.

Focus on Hydration

Staying hydrated is often overlooked during the winter months. Drinking water is likely the last thing on your children’s minds when they want to play outside. The cold, dry air can lead to significant dehydration. Dehydration can be just as detrimental to the health during the winter as it is during the winter months. Ensure that your children are hydrated throughout the winter.

Winter is a magical time for multiple reasons. From excitement about the holidays to playing in the snow, there are many aspects that may cause your children to love the winter. Following these safety tips can significantly help to ensure that your children remain happy and healthy this winter season. Visit our blog at Corner Canyon Academy to learn more about keeping your kids safe this winter. Have a happy and safe holiday season!