Month: October 2022

Dressing and undressing can be a rich experience for children. I believe that children should be dressing themselves as early in their lives as they can. Like I previously said, it can be a rich experience for children. This experience should be viewed as opportunities to develop social emotional, physical, cognitive, and communication skills.

From my experience, families and parents have praised children dressing themselves. Children dressing themselves gives them a huge confidence boost as well as a sense of achievement. Some children want to get dressed multiple times a day whereas some don’t even like dressing themselves in the morning.

Dressing for toddlers is a process. Getting dressed relies on a range of physical skills including fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and decision making. Dressing also helps build language skills. Toddlers are able to recognize different clothing items and name different colors as well as distinguish where the clothing goes on their bodies. I think it’s important to ask questions while the child is getting dressed. Ask them why they are putting their socks on first, why the left arm before the right, etc.

Most of the children that I’ve had in my care have had a bedtime routine or ritual set up already, which is great. A good bedtime routine is vital because these routines help and soothe the child so that they are read for bed. It also helps your child develop good sleeping habits now and for the future.

For many toddlers, an 8:00-8:30pm bedtime is ideal, but ultimately it is important to take the cues your child is giving you. If they seem sleepy earlier, start their routine earlier.

Pre-Bed Routines & Rituals

As the night gets later, consider starting your child’s nighttime routine. A few signals to give your child are:

• Dim the lights in the house
• Turn off all TVs
• Start your noise machine
• Plug in the nightlight if you use one
• Throw the sheets in the dryer for nice warm sheets(:

If you have a set routine and/or ritual the child will then start taking your cues that it’s time for bed and it will inturn make bedtime easier.

I want to think of myself as a healthy eater… but others may disagree! I do not always eat breakfast; sometimes, I skip dinner when things get hectic. I try to eat healthy when I remember/have time to eat. I take small portions and ensure I have foods from all parts of the food pyramid.

When teaching my students about nutrition, I still think I have a lot to learn before I can do that.

During my time in the classroom, I have enjoyed seeing and hearing the students talk and converse during mealtimes. I want to push the conversation one way and then have the students discuss it further. I think this is a crucial part of the day. Mealtime can be an essential time to encourage communication. I would eat with the children during mealtime because I believe I can serve as a role model when choosing the right foods.