Planning Visit Times Helps Everyone

Make a Checklist With Needs In Mind

Professional certified day care centers use research and best practices information to schedule children’s days.  Families and extended families like grandparents can use this information for success, too.

  Children have a basic body clock, needs, and rhythm at all ages. They need to be loved, educated, nutritiously fed, be clean, have fun, read to and talked with. They need enough sleep, plus alternating active and quiet times daily.

   When there is misbehavior, usually there is an above need. If adults make a checklist schedule with needs in mind, they can manage child care, reduce stress, and teach expectations. Here is a sample. For a longer day simply rewind and repeat. 

Prepare

 When young children are coming for care or a little break for parents, you can examine your time. What jobs must be done in your usual routine? How can you blend those with children’s needs so you won’t feel overwhelmed? What quiet and active playtime activities help your young children? What reasonable behavior expectations do you have? What are the parents’ rules?

  After consulting the parents and the basic kids’ needs, list a few goals on your checklist including being nice to each other and taking turns. You can sit down with the grandkids to discuss the action plan checklist, and read the columns together. They can add ideas of quiet and active activities.

Time Together

Discuss the Plan With Parents & Grands

  During your time together add some praise, smiles, hugs, or fist bumps for jobs well done.  Since you are changing varied activities often and meeting needs like hunger, boredom, and rest you are more likely to nip any misbehavior in the bud.

  Stove timers come in handy.  You can set the timer for 20 minutes “in time” with the kids. They get complete attention—no phone, radio, TV, or videos. Adults can get on the floor to play and everyone gets some exercise.

  When the timer goes off the children now have a choice of a quiet activity to play by themselves while Grandma does jobs she needs to do for about 20 minutes. She can check on them, halfway through add a nutritious snack, and praise to insure more success.  When the timer goes off look at the checklist together, check off, and celebrate.

   Ignore a little imperfection. Catch children being even a little bit good and praise when there are polite words and evidence of appropriate behavior.

  It’s time now for about 20 minutes of an energetic activity or a walk.  Review behavior expectations first.  Then eat, read, everyone rests, and checks off the list.

Don't Forget the Timer

Does this preparation always insure that activities go smoothly? No, but checklists, stated expectations, and best practices usually help reduce everyone’s stress. For many activity ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, live and pod casts.

 More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Preparing Kids for Change in Fall

 Children behave best when they know what to expect and have practiced what to say.  Children feel more comfortable in social situations like the first days of school if they have practiced the words needed express their feeling and needs.

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  Visit the school, their room, and playground together. Where will coats, lunch, and book bags be placed? Where is the bathroom?

  Discussing and role-playing some of the tips below can be fun for the whole family, as long as, everything is kept light. The goal is to help, not create more anxiety.

Have a Plan

Experts suggest young children need 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night. Plan a healthy breakfast together and send a nutritious snack for mid morning. If children aren’t hungry when they first wake up, give them some water or milk and bag of nutritious cereal, toast, and cheese to munch.  This helps reduce a midmorning grouchy sugar low.

     How much time is needed to dress before breakfast and travel to school? Begin adjusting bedtimes to approximate the new schedule. Have several trial runs and add 10 minutes.

  Choose and set out clothes, backpack with notes and assignments, shoes, and weather appropriate outerwear the night before to avoid morning rush and family stress.

  Practice saying something nice to send the family on their way each morning. Attitude is important. Say “hi” with a smile to the bus or carpool driver and others.  

  At school hang up clothing and follow other school and classroom procedures. Walk and use an “indoor” school voice and open doors for adults and others. When adults use a signal to get attention, be quiet immediately and ready for instructions.

Practice Courtesy

There are many opportunities to be kind, courteous, and helpful. It is ok to let someone else go first in line or the drinking fountain if you are there at the same time. When you make a mess, clean it up. If someone else makes a mess, help them clean up.  If someone drops something, help pick it up. Place trash in the trashcan in and out of school.

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  Welcome others to join your group at recess or any other time. Welcome someone who is new to the school. Talk to another child who looks sad and ask, “Are you ok?” If there is something dangerous or hurtful tell an adult in charge.

  Use the words ”please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me.” Close the bathroom door, flush the toilet, wash hands, dry, and place the towel in the trash. If your stomach hurts, tell the teacher.

  At the end of the school day place all notes and papers in your backpack and be ready to share them with your family.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Ideas and Activities... See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest.