1. Make a DIY craft

Get out all the art supplies in the house—the markers, glue, paint, paper plates, yarn, pipe cleaners, and other odds and ends—and let your kids go wild creating whatever’s in their mind.

2. Plant an indoor garden

All you need is an egg carton and some soil. This project lets kids work with their hands and gets them thinking. Have them make hypotheses about how tall the plants will grow and track the progress they see.

3. Make a friendship bracelet

This activity will hone your kids’ dexterity. They’ll also be able to share their creation with their BFF once they’re done!

4. Bake and decorate

Make your own dessert bar with treats that your kids can help make, and teach them tips and tricks of being in the kitchen.

5. Create an obstacle course

Set up the obstacle in as many rooms of the house as you want and get those gross motor functions working. This is one of the best indoor games for kids!

6. Play pretend

Playing pretend is a way to grow your child’s imagination. It allows them to explore the world around them in a safe, fun, and creative way.

7. Set out a jigsaw puzzle

Leaving out a jigsaw puzzle on the table encourages kids to stop by and put a few pieces together when they feel like it.

8. Complete a science experiment

There are tons of science experiments to do at home—with tons of simple ingredients. Your experiment can be as simple as putting a few ice cubes on a plate and observing what table salt does to them.

9. Go on a scavenger hunt

Make a list of things to find, scavenger hunt style, all over the house. Or if you’re feeling especially creative, make a series of clues that lead to one special prize.

10. Do yoga

Yoga is one of those activities for kids at home that gets the body moving and the mind calm. If you don’t have a favorite routine of your own to share, YouTube has plenty of great options.

11. Clean a closet

Set out three boxes—one for things to keep, one to donate, and one to throw away—and sort through the items.

12. Read aloud

You’ll find that many kids, no matter their age, enjoy being read to. Snuggle up and see how far you can get in their favorite chapter book.

13. Write a letter

It’s not often that you get a letter in the mail anymore, so imagine a friend or family member’s surprise when they get something from your child! If your child is too little to write a letter, have them doodle on a postcard or in a greeting card to achieve the same effect.

14. Create a sensory bin

By filling a bin with rice, small toys, and other trinkets, you can create hours of fun. Kids will be enthralled with the way the rice feels, and they’ll be intrigued to dig through it and find the treasures they’re looking for.

15. Make new clothes

Try out an afternoon of tie-dyeing or decorating tee shirts and tote bags with fabric markers and puffy paint. The next time you head out, sport your new creations!

Staying In and Having Fun

At Austin Children’s Academy, we know all about keeping children’s minds engaged. To learn more about us, visit our website and see our Montessori learning programs.

While you’re researching your options, consider these four major ways a Montessori preschool differs from a traditional preschool.

Student-Centered Vs. Teacher-Centered
Unless you were taught in a Montessori school yourself, your recollection of your early years of traditional education likely includes a teacher standing at the front of the classroom, directing the day’s work. Most traditional public or private preschools embrace this model of teacher as the leader of a structured classroom.

Montessori schools take advantage of the revolutionary research of their founder, Dr. Maria Montessori, to put teachers in the category of guides. Taking their cues from the preschoolers themselves, Montessori teachers take advantage of the child’s natural curiosity to guide them to the tools and tasks that will help them advance in knowledge and social development. By this method, teachers can monitor them so that they learn what they need to at their own speed and in their unique way.

Self-Directed Learning Vs. Top-Down Learning
In many preschools, children are assigned a chair and the classroom has a set schedule for tasks. Freedom of movement around the classroom in unstructured play may be limited. Depending on the vigor of the academics, worksheets and tests may already be introduced at this stage. Academics are taught in units, and everyone learns the same thing at the same time.

A Montessori classroom, depending on the length of the school day, can include up to three hours of unstructured time every day. During this free period, the child can move around the large room and choose the toys and tasks in which he or she wishes to engage. One child may be learning how to fasten buttons while another is recognizing patterns while sorting colorful beads. A third child may be squeezing play dough between his fingers while a fourth is building a castle of blocks. Teachers encourage further exploration and learning, but it’s the child who directs his education according to his own interests.

Self-Correcting Vs. Teacher-Correcting
If a traditional preschool assigns worksheets, homework, or tests, the teacher is the one who corrects the student’s work in order to point out the errors. Absorption of information is encouraged by repetition and rote learning.

A Montessori classroom is set up to encourage students to recognize their own errors, and then correct those mistakes by themselves. Montessori schools stock a wide variety of well-crafted toys that are specifically designed to be self-correcting. A toddler just learning to tie his shoes can play with a board that shows when the bow hasn’t been done correctly. Seeing his own mistake, he can pull it apart and practice until the task is mastered. Through these toys and methods, students develop the independence and self-reliance that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Multi-Age Classrooms Vs. Single-Age Classrooms
Most traditional preschool classrooms are divided by age. Children are among their own peer group. Though every child reaches developmental milestones at a spectrum of ages, the focus is on teaching every child of one age to certain academic and social goals.

A Montessori classroom is a multi-age classroom, and the range falls generally within three years. The advantages are multiple. Children who need a little extra time to reach social and academic milestones—or who are advanced for their age—will find peers in the classroom itself, though they may be younger or older. Younger children will find mentors among the older kids, who often enjoy being able to guide their younger classmates through tasks they’d long mastered. Those younger children then have the benefit of aging up into the position of mentors, a place of pride and great self-esteem. The family-friendly, multi-age classrooms also give ample opportunity to teach the importance of socialization and working well in groups, one of the Montessori core values.

Whatever preschool you choose for your child, be sure to spend some time talking to the teachers and observing the classroom dynamics. The more you know, the more you can be sure that you’re choosing the perfect fit.

Montessori vs. Daycare
Traditional daycare centers are typically activity driven. A schedule is set by the adults, in which activities are facilitated nearly every 20 to 30 minutes. All children participate in the same activity at the same time, regardless of their interest. The use of whole group instruction aims to keep the group of toddlers engaged in a way that the adults can manage large groups at a time with ease. Instruction happens in a group setting and at a group pace–even if some children move more slowly or more quickly.

Austin Children’s Academy is a member of American Montessori Society, with certified Montessori teachers implementing Montessori philosophy. Our toddler program is quite different from typical daycare centers. The unique aspects of Montessori classrooms allow for quality learning experiences.

The Classroom Environment
Montessori classrooms are calm and methodical. Unlike a daycare center that can have noisy and sometimes messy environments, Montessori aims to enable a space that allows for deep focus. While we too can have time for messy play, our goal is to provide meaningful experiences without distraction. This allows for more opportunities for children to work at their own pace.

Child Centered Approach
Typical learning environments are adult driven, this is the case for most schools up to 12th grade. In Montessori, a child-centered approach is taken from toddler classrooms through high school. Montessori toddler programs support a child’s growing independence and self-discovery. Instruction is given individually–teachers present short presentations to the child, and then give the child time to practice on their own.

Montessori’s basic principle is to “follow the child” and for that reason, teachers find ways to connect with each individual child based on their interests. Child-led explorations develop independence and help children become internally motivated learners.

Learning is Play
In a daycare facility, you might find toys, games, and other items to inspire play, but in Montessori–learning is play. Young children are inquisitive and eager to learn about the world around them. They desire opportunities to perform tasks on their own.

For Montessori toddler programs, learning is focused on the mantra, “Help me do it myself.” Children might practice scooping beans from one bowl to another, or pour liquid with precision from one vessel to the next. This type of work is not only satisfying to the child, it develops their fine-motor skills, promotes the use of the pincer grasp, and strengthens their hand and finger coordination.

Experienced Teachers
Montessori teachers are rigorously trained in the methodology. Unlike typical day care programs where staff may have minimal training and support, our teachers are experienced and certified with Montessori teaching credentials.

At Austin Children’s Academy, we aim to keep our adult to child ratios low, enabling us to engage children in individual lessons, offer support when needed, and build strong relationships.

Growth and Development
Montessori approaches child development quite differently from traditional childcare programs. The whole child is of focus when it comes to their growth and development. Our Montessori toddler program focus on whole body learning that promotes the well-being of the child–emotionally, physically, and spiritually. We hope to instill a love for lifelong learning beginning with our youngest children.

If you haven’t stepped into a Montessori classroom, we encourage you to schedule a tour today. A Montessori learning environment must be experienced to gain greater understanding. We hope you will come see for yourself.

At ACA, we offer two programs based on age.

Infants 3 Months To 18 Months
During this critical year-and-a-quarter of life, your child will arrive as a napping baby and graduate as a bright and active young toddler. The main goal of the infant program is to encourage a sense of independence, curiosity, and confidence as they grow and learn. Monitored by two trained caregivers, our classrooms offer a wealth of sensory stimuli to encourage your child–literally–to take the next step.

Here’s a sampling of the developmental stages monitored during the program:

• Motor Skill Development. Your child will advance from rolling over to walking, from pulling a toy to using a spoon.
• Language Skill Development. Your child will grasp effective non-verbal communication (such as pointing at something) as well as the use of a dozen words or more.
• Cognitive Development. Your child will learn to follow simple commands, answer basic questions, scribble or draw, and engage in some basic imaginative play.
• Social Development. Your child will begin handing toys to other children and developing preferences for caregivers.

Toddler 18 Months To 3 Years
Toddlers of this age, though a bit unsteady on their feet, are little whirling dervishes! It’s our mission to give them plenty of space to run, jump, and climb in our outdoor areas so they can perfect those gross motor skills. Inside the classroom, we offer specially crafted toys to encourage small motor skills like buttoning, tying, and zipping, as well as to enhance understanding of mathematical concepts, developing language, and pre-reading in preparation for preschool.

Some of the developmental advancements monitored in this program include:

• Motor Skill Development. Mastery of climbing, running, and stairs as well as being able to dress oneself.
• Language Development. Learning to follow two-stage directions, carry on short conversations, and speaking clearly enough to be understood by strangers.
• Cognitive Development. Engagement in some imaginative play, pattern and color recognition, some basic counting.
• Social Development. The patience to take turns, show empathy, and effectively express a wide range of emotions.

Interested in one of our early childhood programs? Call the Austin Children’s Academy and arrange for a tour. Once you visit our facilities and talk to our Montessori-certified teachers, we’re sure you’ll see that ACA provides one of the best baby and toddler programs in North Austin.

Here’s what you need to know about what’s in that sippy cup.

Fructose Is Sugar, Too
Real fruit juices do contain a lot of the vitamins and minerals found in the original fruit, which offers your child great nutritional benefits. But there’s one major drawback: Fruit juices have a lot of natural sugar. Stripped from the fiber of the actual fruit, which would normally modulate the release of sugars into the bloodstream, fruit sugar can give your child a jittery energy spike. If your child drinks too much juice, too often, that sudden and frequent rush of extra sugar can contribute to unhealthy weight gain.

For those who have heard of “juice bottle syndrome,” you know that your child’s teeth can also be affected by the sugar in fruit juices. Every time they take a sip, they’re giving their teeth a sugar bath. This is why juice should be restricted to mealtimes, after which they brush their teeth clean, and babies should never be put to bed with bottles of juice. For best oral hygiene, avoid letting younger children carry around a juice box or bottle between meals.

Not All Fruit Juices Are Created Equal
It’s not just the natural sugars you have to worry about when serving up a juice drink to your toddler. Be sure to check the label of your choice carefully. Many “drinks,” “cocktails,” “-ades,” and “punches” are corn-syrup fortified or contain added sugar. Some have less than 10% real juice. These are junk juices and serve only to get your child hooked on sweetness without nutrition.

Look for bottles that are labeled “100% fruit juice” to be sure you’re serving up the maximum amount of vitamins and nutrients.

Indulge In Moderation
Because there are both benefits and drawbacks to serving juice to children, the American Academy of Pediatrics has weighed in on best practices. While they recommend whole fruits over fruit juices, they nod to juice’s many health benefits when offered sparingly.

• For children under one year of age, avoid fruit juices
• For children one to three years of age, limit fruit juice intake to 4 ounces a day
• For children four to six years of age, limit juice intake to 4 to 6 ounces a day
• For children seven to eighteen years of age, limit fruit juice intake to 8 ounces a day

If you find that your child drinks more juice than is recommended, consider diluting the juice with water to lessen the sugar content but still maintain the taste, and the cumulative nutrition.

Helping children understand the interconnectedness of all things in the universe is the primary goal of visioning. This article explores the different ways visioning can foster children’s cosmic awareness.

Cosmic Education: The Montessori Method
Montessori defines cosmic education as a “unifying global and universal view[s] of the past, present, and future.” Cosmic education refers to how children gradually uncover the universe’s order and the interdependence of the solar system’s elements, animals, plants, the Earth, and humankind.

Today’s children live in the information age, and cosmic education helps children make sense of the world around them by bringing order to the overwhelming amount of information they encounter daily. The goal is to present the universe to the child in the right way to maximize their ability to find their role within the world while developing their admiration and wonder.

Through cosmic education, children learn that they have an important role in the universe’s story. It also helps children learn to appreciate other people’s worldviews. Children develop an understanding of how they can contribute to the order and balance of the cosmos and how they can make the world a better place.

Painting the Ceiling
Visioning doesn’t just help children develop their abstract understanding of the universe, it also serves to ground them in the world around them. One way to bring the universe home is by painting your child’s ceiling with images of the galaxy, solar system, moon, sky, stars, and moon.

Parents can paint or use stickers to decorate their child’s ceiling as soon as the child is old enough to recognize images. When the lights are off, these images will light up the child’s room like the night sky, allowing them to envision the universe and learn about astronomy in a stimulating way.

Go Star Gazing
Taking children out to explore nature is an excellent way to help children develop their understanding of the universe’s interconnectedness. Stargazing lets children use the oldest method for observing celestial bodies to understand the cosmos.

Children should have an opportunity to observe extraordinary cosmic events such as meteor showers and lunar eclipses. Visioning the universe will allow them to learn to identify various planets and when they’re most visible in the night sky.

Final Thoughts
Helping children develop their understanding of the universe is visioning’s primary goal. Through various activities, young children learn about the interconnectedness of everything in their world. This knowledge allows children to develop an appreciation for their role in the universe and how they can contribute to improving the world around them.

At Austin Children’s Academy, we can help children visualize and develop their understanding. Schedule a virtual tour with us today.

Uncle Sam needs you! More specifically, he needs you to raise math savvy children. Check out these effortless ways to prepare your preschooler for calculating like a pro.

Point Out Patterns, Puzzles, and Position
Promoting early math doesn’t always involve painful calculations. A strong spatial sense and an ability to quickly identify patterns are two qualities that are often found in students with strong math skills. Toddler-safe building blocks are wonderful tools for this task. Pressing together two right-triangle-shaped blocks into one larger square is the sort of effortless play that improves spatial sensibility. Older children can advance this skill by tackling high-piece-count puzzles.

The next time you pass a pet store with your preschooler, ask him which of two Dalmatian puppies has more spots, or which window has more pets in it. This kind of estimation and assessment strengthens the ability to recognize patterns.

Show ‘Em The Money
Nothing makes math more relatable than actually using it. You calculate costs every day, why not let your preschooler in on the magic? Let him count out several quarters and two pennies to offer the correct change for a purchase, at least when there isn’t a huge line at the coffee bar. At home, dig up all the spare change in the cushions, catch-all bowls, and drawers of the house and spend a little time sorting it. Show how high a tower of pennies you have to make to be equal in value to one single quarter.

Cook Up Some Fun
Fractions, fractions, fractions. So simple . . . and so not, for many fourth graders. Consider boiling down the concept by revealing how they’re used in everyday life. How many half cups of flour make one cup? How many teaspoons in a tablespoon? If there are four guests but eight pieces of pie, how much of the pie will be left when the guests finally leave?

Plan A Family Game Night
Kids learn best when learning is fun. There are dozens of board games for all ages that strengthen math skills. Consider taking advantage of the millennial screen culture by allowing educational video games (in moderation, of course!). Someday, your math-savvy child may even create one.

What Are the Essential Social-Emotional Skills?
The term “social-emotional skills” refers to any behavior that allows a child to manage their interactions with their own thoughts and the people around them. Kids begin developing these skills as soon as they are born. As they get older, they’ll need help learning the following traits:

Self-Awareness: To be successful, children need to be able to recognize their own emotions and see how they are connected to their actions.
Self-Management: Understanding emotions is one thing, but managing them is another. This may mean stemming anger reactions, delaying gratification, and otherwise exhibiting self-control.
Social Awareness: Once a child understands their own emotions, they can become aware of the emotions of the people around them. This skill involves attention, empathy, and understanding.
Relationship Skills: As children become aware of their peers’ emotional states, they can start to form meaningful relationships. For young kids, this means being able to communicate, share, listen, and handle basic conflicts.
Decision Making: The culmination of social-emotional learning is the ability to make responsible decisions based on your emotional state. This includes thinking about yourself, the people around you, and the consequences of your actions.

Why Your Kid Needs SEL
Social-emotional learning refers to specific lessons that are intended to help a child learn the previous set of skills in a safe and regulated environment. Although the list may seem overwhelming, the truth is that these skills are taught by basic social interaction and calm, compassionate education. Your child will eventually pick up every social-emotional skill on the list; however, if you actively attempt to teach these skills, you’ll be able to help your child learn far more quickly and effectively.

In a Montessori classroom, teaching these skills looks like encouraging conversations, posing basic dilemmas, and maintaining awareness of the child’s progress to avoid pushing them past their natural rate of growth. If you ask a child to make a social-emotional decision that is too difficult for them, you might cause them to be stressed and avoid making those kinds of decisions in the future. Because of this, it’s important to pose questions and situations that are carefully curated by the teachers and other adults that are in the child’s life.

One thing that parents can do to improve their child’s social-emotional learning is to be a good role model. Practice active listening, maintain control of your own emotions, and generally display positive social interactions with the people around you. Dr. Montessori believed that kids absorb nearly everything that they see, especially when they are in the first plane of development before the age of six. If you practice good social-emotional skills, your children will quickly follow suit.

Good social-emotional learning is a standard part of a Montessori education. Contact Austin Children’s Academy to learn more about the education that we can provide for your kids.

This article will highlight some of the benefits of encouraging your child to choose a learning focus.

Being in charge
Giving students the ability to choose their learning focus empowers them and allows them to be more invested in their education because it’s not something they have to do; it’s something that they’re choosing to do.

Unpressured learning
When providing students with a choice of learning focus, you can avoid the boredom and lack of engagement when students think a project is too easy and the resistance from students who feel a task is extremely daunting.

Learning is deep. richer and more complex
Suppose you’ve ever encountered a child who has become passionate about a topic, whether that’s dinosaurs or cars. In that case, you know that they will learn the most complicated things about issues they are interested in. They can become walking encyclopedias, illustrating what’s possible when learning about something they want to know more about.

Increased Social and emotional learning
When you encourage a child to pursue interesting topics to him or her, it allows the student to pursue interests that they are curious to learn more about. It can be a social or environmental issue, and the knowledge they gain will help them learn more about people who support the same interests. They may even become a part of an organization to help make a significant impact.

Creates a collaborative learning environment
When children can choose their focus rather than follow a standard curriculum that everyone else is following, it allows for more collaboration among students. Competition doesn’t exist since each student is focusing on an area of their choosing. A partnership can take place when there is an overlap in the studies of different students.

Conclusion
Traditionally, schools have taught students to learn a bit of everything and be generalists until college or university. Schools are having more success in many places, letting children stream towards science, math, and humanities earlier. Allowing children to choose their learning focus early can help them foster an early love for learning that will set them up for success in the future.

An example of self-regulation in toddlers is coping with overwhelming feelings so their emotions don’t negatively impact them. Teaching toddlers to focus and shift attention and control their behavior goes far in maintaining healthy relationships and accomplishing goals.

Research shows that early childhood is an ideal time to support self-regulation in toddlers, and doing so is an investment in their success. Self-regulation in toddlers means better school performance, healthier relationships with family, teachers, and other children, and fewer outbursts and behavioral challenges.

Proactive Self-Regulation in Toddlers
Many factors contribute to self-regulation in toddlers, including biological predisposition, care after birth, and home environment. While nature sets the stage for self-regulation in toddlers, nurturing is the primary factor from early childhood to young adulthood.

A child’s brain at infancy is wired to support self-regulation. As babies develop, this capacity increases rapidly. Think of self-regulation in toddlers in the same way as learning to speak or read—young children flourish in learning environments where they are exposed to instruction materials and supported to learn.

Taking a proactive approach to self-regulation in toddlers is very similar. In a supportive and proactive emotional environment, children who are instructed and coached in self-regulation learn these positive behaviors in the same way they learn to speak and read.

Differences in Self-Regulations in Toddlers
Research shows that children learn differently, so the best way to support toddlers’ self-regulation is to understand and help their learning style. Some children are more sensitive or more temperamental and easily overwhelmed. Other children face environmental stressors that will affect their abilities.

When support and intervention methods align with a child’s needs, they can build skills and manage their feelings, behaviors, and thoughts.

Creating an Environment for Self-Regulations in Toddlers
Parents and caregivers who create a responsive environment help children to learn self-respect. When children are comforted and supported during stressful times, they develop confidence in their environment and themselves.

Developing positive relationships in these environments allow toddlers to practice self-regulation and learn from their mistakes. A consistent routine provides even greater security to children. With clear goals, self-regulation in toddlers is an even greater success.