As both a parent and an early childhood teacher, I would love to suggest that I have the magic keys to the sleep time kingdom. The instructions and ingredients for creating a perfect sleep time recipe, simply disappeared when my own children arrived and like so many parents it seems I am still searching for them! What I do know for certain however is that as parents we have the opportunity to support, nurture and develop our child’s sleep confidence, sleep attitude and sleep time health. So I will put away my magic wand and simply suggest that by following a few tips, we can contribute to creating happy little sleepers. No magic tricks here, just practical tips for recognising sleep as necessary for growth, health and life long learning.

Routine, Routine, Routine:

This one tends to speak for itself, as we all agree that children are creatures of habit, and consistency is a common thread in parenting. Create sleep confidence as you support your child to eat, bath and calm down in the evening. An exhausted child simply cannot manage without a sense of routine and predictability. A bedtime story, a cuddle, a well-ventilated room and soft lighting, reminds children that sleep is relaxing, needed and a positive aspect to the day. We cannot make our children sleep, but we can certainly build up a routine that supports and encourages it.

The bedtime routine starts in the morning:

The bedtime routine begins in the morning – yes the morning! Consider what your child needs in terms of sleep as a holistic approach to sleep/rest in a 24 hour period. A sleep time routine must consider the child, their daily activities and for how long they are active, engaged or in care. Sleep is not simply a nighttime activity, and for many children in a busy long day care environment, sleep requirements should be considered as an important age and developmental need. Your average toddler requires approx. 11-14 hours each day, and preschool aged child approx. 10-13 hours. Understanding sleep holistically supports children’s growth and development, enabling them to learn across the day and to be actively engaged in all areas of learning across a 12 hours period. A day sleep is necessary for many children and their behavior, attitude and capacity to be active learners requires this. Our staff at Ganeinu are responsive to the sleep needs of your child and will look for individual children’s sleep cues, as a sign that they need to rest. Remember, long day care is simply that, long days and children’s sleep should reflect and enable them to be at their best all day whilst in care. A good day sleep creates a good night sleep!

The rest/ sleep debate:

Just like adults, children need time within a busy day to be quiet, to settle, to reflect and to have space. Children need to opportunity to mentally and physically switch off. A period of rest in each day, supports children’s need to both active and passive thought, movement and simple down time. If your child is approaching school age and does not routinely sleep or nap at home, they still benefit from some quiet time in the middle of a busy day. Children need to recharge, restore and replenish their batteries, just as adults do. A short quiet period enables children to rest, even if they do not sleep. At Ganeinu, our Sleep Policy reflects this need for rest and down time, as children are offered quiet experiences if they have not fallen asleep after a rest period of 20 minutes.

Screen time and sleep are not friends:

Research indicates that screen time does not support sleep health, as it over stimulates children when their brains need rest, quiet and switch off time. Screen time has a place in offering learning opportunities for children, but it is simply not your friend when it comes to building sleep attitudes and sleep atmosphere. Try and keep screens out of the bedroom and ask children to read, listen to music or look at books as they wind down in bed before the lights are out. The Wi-Fi at my house has mysterious habit of turn off some evenings around bedtime – now that is truly magical!!!

Remember children bank sleep:

When a child’s sleep deposit is reduced by a busy night out, sickness or simply a hectic few days, we need to be sure to top it up with additional hours. These lost hours do make a difference across a week and can impact upon their ability to manage behavior, be attentive or engaged. Remember what you feel like after a late meeting or work/ family event. Children need to bank sleep, ensuring they have reserves to draw on too. Ganeinu educators are aware that a day sleep can impact on your night routine, and so with parental instruction and consultation we can provide a shortened sleep period that does not disrupt your child’s night time need for rest.

As parents we set the stage for our children’s sleep health and by following these 5 practical tips, you and your children should be well on your way to the land of slumber. Now get some sleep……

Routine, Routine, RoutineThe bedtime routine starts in the morningThe rest/ sleep debateScreen time and sleep are not friendsRemember children bank sleep

As an educator and mother, I know all too well the feeling of nervous excitement, anticipation and pride as we watch our children starting a new year at daycare or returning for another year in a new room. Reflecting on the possibilities of a year ahead, how much children have grown as people, and sharing the joy of new learning and development is exciting, rewarding and big step for parent and child alike.

But settling into a new environment brings its own unique challenges, expectations and understandings. The emotional rollercoaster of parenthood is once again set in motion as we help and support our children to negotiate change, manage transitions and build confidence in both the old and the new. As your child’s first educator, you nurture, scaffold and encourage your children to not just settle into a new early childhood year, but to thrive. What aspects of parenting promote and sponsor this attitude in our children and us?

Children are creatures of habit and establishing a good routine when dropping off and picking up is essential. Make the morning drop off positive, painless and predictable for children, as they come to expect you will confidently farewell with kisses and hugs before leaving. Always say goodbye and make this short and deliberate. Consistency is the key, as children learn to understand that you will always return to collect them. Reinforce the “pick up” with a conversation about their day, their achievements or activities. A few tears are to be expected in the early days, that is very normal and our Ganeinu educators are always on hand to support you and your child at this time. It takes time for children to learn this new routine, be patient and consistent to see genuine rewards.

Establishing a connection with your child’s day is essential. Consider ways you can engage aspects of your child day at home with them after hours, as you talk, share and help them unpack their experiences. At Ganeinu, we utilize Kinderm8 to provide you and your child with images, dialogue and knowledge of our curriculum based experiences. Sharing this with your child enables you both to establish a connection to our learning community, our staff and environment.

Continuity between home and preschool is a vital element in helping your child feel secure and a sense of belonging. Speak with your child about the transition, provide time for questions, transition visits and recognize this an adjustment for you all. What aspects of home can you see in your early childhood setting and how can this promoted to support your child.

Children will always mange changes and transitions when they are active contributors in the process. Encourage their contribution to this new routine – help them pack the bag , pick out a book to take to preschool or a family photo to share for news. A child’s contribution is vital to the settling process.

Communication with early childhood staff enables them to better support, nurture and build relationships with your family. Share your child’s likes, dislikes, individual routines and preferences. Help us to support you as we learn with you and from you.

With this in mind the five C’s offer practical parenting tips to establish and guide our children in their new adventures:

* Consistency – routine and predictability

* Connection – creating a bond between home and school

* Continuity – reinforce feelings of security

* Contribution – involve your child

* Communication – relationships matter.

Wishing you all a settled beginning to the year of education, care and adventure!

It can be the simplest of things that bring joy, positivity and a smile to a child’s day. Just a single word, makes the world of difference. Praise is a gift to a child. Praise acknowledges, applauds and supports their efforts and attitudes. But how we praise and why, can have a huge impact on our children.

Recognizing the power of positive praise can help us ensure our words, love and intentions are not lost in translation. The golden rules of praise support effective parenting, quality early childhood education at Ganeinu and make a genuine difference in our children’s lives. What attributes make praise effective, authentic and purposeful on a daily basis?

“ You are holding those scissors so carefully, great job! ” -

Utilize praise as a way of helping your child to focus their attention, skills or awareness. What is it that you are communicating about their actions and what do you want them to focus on? Words should reinforce their behavior and directly offer guidance on the aspect of behavior you are seeking to teach. In this case safety with scissors is essential and you are telling them to take care.

“ That was a great observation about the rhyming sounds in the story” –

Praise can be used to scaffold learning and to offer more information for the child to build on. It can extend vocabulary, offer new ideas or support a child’s thinking about a topic. Praise can identify what a child understands and help them clarify their learning in more detail.

“ I really like the way you used words to tell her you are frustrated”-

Praise can be an effective method to modify or reinforce behaviors or expectations for children. Praise can directly communicate what we hope children will do or work towards in their social behavior and peer relationships. It can establish a desired outcome or create a standard of behavior you expect. Nothing is as powerful as a parent’s attention when a child succeeds in action or effort.

“ What an amazing job you just did” -

Praise has the power to disengage a child, as quickly as it has the power to engage. Praise needs to be timely and immediate to be most effective. Parenting is a new challenge and a joy all wrapped up into a day, so make your words meaningful and deliberate if you expect them to be effective. Sincere and honest praise in the teachable moment uses words to guide and reward.

“ Those ideas are really clever” –

Praise tells children we care and that their feelings and thoughts matter to us. A child who feels acknowledged and supported in their learning, is more likely to be happy, successful and loving. Praise builds self-esteem and confidence as children inquire, develop and grown into independent learners. Praise builds pride.

As parents, you have the opportunity to praise with purpose and guide your child by your words. Mastery of the power of praise is in your hands, so lets start by……

* Focusing on the child’s actions or awareness

* Scaffold learning with praise

* Use praise to modify or reinforce

* Make praise timely and therefore meaningful

* Praise to build pride

It is a rare day that I leave a children’s bookstore empty handed. The challenge is always to select but a few. It is a healthy obsession for teachers to have I think. The delight of a story, a new adventure or a heartwarming return to a familiar book awaits within the pages. I am lucky enough to share this with so many eager little bookworms in many aspects of my family and teaching life at Ganeinu.

Books have the potential to delight, capture and enthrall even the youngest of children. As your child’s first reading partner, how can you promote, engage and build a firm reading foundation with your child?

Children take their cues from watching, mimicking and recognizing the activities and pastimes you value. Developing a positive reading attitude is a life long gift for children. Seeing you read, being read to and developing an awareness of reading as a child, sets the stage for literacy and language success.

Provide opportunities for reading together and make this a part of your daily routine. The joy of a warm lap, a cuddle or the familiarity of special time with an adult sends a powerful message to young children. Create an expectation that reading is simply part of your routine. Remember that children need repetition with reading. Familiarity creates routine and excitement whist sharing a story together each day.

Recognize that reading is playful and be a partner in this literacy and language fun. The possibility of a child’s imagination running across the page and the open-ended nature of a story transforms a child’s thinking. A child can join a bear hunt, search a forest for a Gruffalo or walk with a dinosaur, all from the comfort of a warm bed, a familiar adults embrace or a preschool classroom.

Explore the possibilities of reading with your child. It is never too early to start reading. Babies love to read. Support your child to select books that are age appropriate. A trip to the library, exploring your own bookshelf or preschool classroom, offers endless reading ideas. So whether it is the Very Hunger Caterpillar, The Cat in the Hat or The Rainbow Fish, you can be assured that your child is a reader from the first time they pick up that book.

Do not underestimate your role as the educator, the librarian, the researcher and playmate in future reading success. No amount of screen time can offer a child the same possibilities and potential as you can. As your child’s first and most important teacher, you are the best building block of your child’s reading success. At Ganeinu we provide an extension of your families values, knowledge and love of reading. Every day is book week at Ganeinu and our educators embrace every teachable moment to share the joy of books with children. Children arrive through our gates with books in hand, and so many of our interests, ideas and learning experiences are sparked and promoted by books.

So let the reading journey begin by….

* Developing a reading attitude

* Create routine and repeated reading at home

* Recognize the playfulness of reading and make it fun.

* Reading is for every child…. regardless of age

* Being your child’s reading guide and partner.