Arts activities are a terrific way to help preschool-age kids work on fine motor skills. In this video, you’ll learn an activity that is great for early childhood development and can be done at home with your preschool-age child in Pembroke Pines.

In this video, you’ll learn how to make a cactus plant using painted rocks. Encourage your child to find rocks of different sizes and then paint them to look like cacti. Like many great preschool activities, this project enhances fine motor skills by having your child work with small instruments, like paintbrushes. It also lets him or her work with colors, sizes, and shapes. In the end, your preschooler will have a project to display in his or her room and will have practiced several important skills.

One issue that today’s parents have to face much more than in the past is the question of screen time. Experts believe that spending too much time in front of a screen can damage early childhood development and make learning more difficult. Here is what you need to know about screen time and your child’s education and how limiting screen time can protect your child’s development in Pembroke Pines.

Defining Screen Time

In a world where we are constantly surrounded by digital technology, defining “screen time” is more difficult than ever. Furthermore, children are often expected to use computers in school and for homework. The experts of the American Academy of Pediatrics defines screen time as time spent using a digital device for entertainment purposes, so using a computer or other device for an academic exercise doesn’t count. However, it is more important to be in tune to how your child responds to being in front of a screen than to rate what activities count as entertainment and which do not.

Age-Related Recommendations

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children should not have any screen time between birth and 18 months, as it can cause overstimulation, distress, and a disconnect between children and parents. Children aged two to five can have one hour of screen time per day. For children and teens six and older, screen time should be determined by parents based on the child’s overall behavior and the amount of time he or she has left in the day after all other needs and responsibilities are met.

Choosing the Right Screen Time

Some screen time can actually aid in child development. For instance, interactive tools such as Skype can be helpful for young children as they help them practice language and other skills. In other cases, apps can help children practice numbers, shapes, sounds, and letters. For healthy child development, limit the amount of screen time that is spent passively watching a show or movie—and that includes commercials that can over-stimulate a young child.

First graders learn by leaps and bounds. In first grade in Pembroke Pines, children develop a solid academic foundation in subjects like American history, geography, mathematics, and language arts. First graders are also encouraged to embrace their creativity through art. They develop an understanding of what it means to be part of a community outside of the home and they explore the importance of embracing social and ethnic differences.

Of course, every first grader learns at his or her own pace. However, most of them can read about 150 sight words, spell many words of up to three or four letters, and write full sentences. In math, first graders learn comparison skills and they can count up to 100. Most of them will also be able to add and subtract whole numbers and know how to tell time to the nearest half hour. Across all subject areas, first grade is generally the time in which children begin to grasp abstract concepts.

It can be difficult for parents to be parted from their young children for part of the day, but preschool is your child’s path toward kindergarten readiness. Most children are ready for preschool in Pembroke Pines by about the age of three. Although your child is still quite small, he or she has already been absorbing a wealth of knowledge from everyday experiences. Enrolling your child in a high-quality early childhood education program enables him or her to learn critical skills for future success.

To Adjust to the Classroom Setting

Although there are always exceptions, teachers generally find that children who attended preschool are better prepared for kindergarten. One of the reasons for this is the child’s adjustment to the structured setting of school. When your child attends preschool, he or she is already getting accustomed to the routines of getting ready for school, participating in the classroom, and going home at the end of the school day. Preschoolers learn to follow the directions of the teacher, to appropriately gain the attention of the teacher when they need help, and to work on group and individual projects. Time for free play is indeed important, but children do need structure to thrive.

To Learn Appropriate Social Interactions

The social interactions that take place in the preschool classroom are invaluable. Without being under the watchful eye of their parents, kids need to learn how to cooperate with their peers . Your preschool student will acquire important skills like sharing, taking turns, respecting others, and developing empathy. Preschool classrooms also provide countless opportunities for children to learn about initiating and maintaining conversations.

To Develop Pre-Academic Skills

The typical preschool classroom features engaging, hands-on activities that guide children in learning pre-academic skills. While it might look like simple play to an observer, preschool activities set the stage for a child’s acquisition of language, science, and math skills.

To Work Toward Greater Independence

Your child still has plenty of growing to do and he or she will still be reliant on you for a long time to come. But the preschool age is typically the time when children express an increasing need for independence. Preschoolers need to start doing certain things for themselves and the classroom is the perfect setting for this sort of experimentation.

A child’s reading skills are one of the most influential predictors of future success. It’s never too soon to begin instilling early literacy skills in your young learner. In fact, simply talking to an infant often throughout the day will help him or her absorb the sounds and rhythms of language. As your young student enters first grade in Pembroke Pines, he or she will begin the transition from picture books to “easy readers.” There are many ways you can support your first grader’s reading skills at home.

Create a Literate Home

First graders learn by example. To encourage your young learner to remain interested in books, it’s essential to be a good role model. Let your child see you reading a wide variety of materials every day, including fiction books, nonfiction books, magazines, and newspapers. Keep reading materials readily available in the home. Even if your child cannot read most titles yet, he or she will benefit from growing up in a literate home .

Build Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness is an essential building block of literacy skills. This ability allows children to identify and use the individual sounds within the words. Better phonemic awareness supports a child’s reading comprehension and spelling abilities. You can support your child’s phonemic awareness by sounding out each individual component of the word when reading together. Even if a word has only one syllable, you can stretch out the sounds so that your child can hear them better. For example, the word “chair” can be broken down into the sounds “ch” and “air.”

Encourage Storytelling

If your child does not express much interest in books, you can engage him or her by encouraging your child’s natural storytelling abilities. Ask your child to tell you a story and write it down while he or she is speaking. Then, read the story aloud while pointing to each word. Do not expect a first grader to compose a long story complete with plot and themes. A simple story might consist of, “I like eggs. My cat is brown,” and so on. After writing down your child’s story, ask him or her to illustrate it to encourage a sense of ownership.

As your child reaches first grade , he or she will gradually read with greater fluency. During this sensitive age, it’s important that first graders in Pembroke Pines be encouraged to choose their own reading materials outside of class. Take your first grader to the library on a routine basis and let him or her choose books that appeal to him or her. The freedom of choice enables your child to develop a love of reading and it allows you to get to know your child’s interests better.

Watch this video to hear a child development expert discuss literacy in the early years. He explains that first graders are more likely to be receptive to their parents’ recommendations for first grade reading materials when the parents respect the children’s primary reading choices.

As your child reaches kindergarten age, his or her math skills become increasingly important . Your child doesn’t stop learning when he or she comes home from the kindergarten school in Pembroke Pines; use everyday activities to reinforce math skills. Kindergarten math introduces basic addition and teaches comparison, classification, and pattern recognition skills. Bake cookies together and ask your child to help you count as you add the ingredients. Ask simple math questions, such as, “If I already added one cup of flour and I add two more, how many cups of flour will be in the bowl?”

Success with kindergarten math necessitates the use of concrete items to teach skills, rather than abstract lessons. Ask your child to help you shop for groceries. While at the supermarket, point out some of the similarities and differences between types of fruit and ask your child for his or her own observances. If you purchase multiples of an item, ask your child to help you practice skip counting. These everyday activities help your child understand the relevance of math skills for daily life.

When your child is about four years old, it’s time to enroll him or her in a pre-kindergarten program in Pembroke Pines . Pre-kindergarten introduces children to structured learning activities within a classroom environment. Not only do they learn essential pre-academic skills, pre-k students also grow in emotional and social maturity. If your child has already been attending preschool, then the transition to pre-kindergarten will be a natural and easy one to make.

Independence

For parents of four-year-olds, it’s often difficult to accept that their little ones are developing their own independent identities. In fact, many parents often have a harder time adjusting to separation than their children do. Spending time in a school environment is an important step in every child’s development. Pre-kindergarten allows children to learn how to make their own choices (within reason) and thrive while away from home for a little while.

Socio-Emotional Maturity

Enrolling your child in a pre-kindergarten program will allow his or her socio-emotional intelligence to grow by leaps and bounds. All children need the life experiences that come from functioning as part of a small community. Through trial and error, and gentle guidance from the teacher, your child will learn how to interact with others in appropriate ways and how to enjoy group work as well as independent work. Your child will develop critical friendship skills like taking turns and sharing, and important classroom skills like how to capture the teacher’s attention appropriately. Being a member of a classroom community enables your child to practice his or her verbal communication skills with peers and adults.

Academic Foundation

Another primary benefit of enrolling your child in a pre-k school is to give him or her a solid foundation for lifelong learning. At this critical stage in a child’s development, he or she truly wants to learn. Your child is curious about the world and how it works, and pre-k nurtures this curiosity to encourage your child to develop a lifelong love of learning. Of course, your child will also learn crucial pre-academic skills that will prepare him or her to excel in kindergarten, first grade, and beyond.

Long before your child is ready for preschool or kindergarten in Pembroke Pines, you can instill a lifelong love of reading in him or her. Reading is a cornerstone of early childhood education , even before your child can recognize the words. Read colorful, engaging picture books with your child and encourage him or her to interact with the story, such as by helping you turn the pages and speculating about what might happen next.

Watch this featured video to hear some tips from an early childhood education provider. Sujata emphasizes the importance of being a good role model by letting your child see you reading every day. She also discusses some fun games you can play with your child to support letter and word recognition.

As more choices become available, parents are finding it increasingly difficult to settle on a school for their children. Are you searching for the ideal kindergarten in Pembroke Pines ? If so, then continue reading for tips on choosing the best one for your child and your family’s needs.

Discover Your Options

To begin the process of selecting a kindergarten for your child, start by researching what schools are available in your area. Then, look at the websites of any schools that you are interested in, ensure that the information posted there is up to date, and read any unbiased parent reviews that you can find. If possible, talk to friends, family, and neighbors that have children enrolled in kindergarten and ask them for their opinions.

Consider Your Needs

The next step in this process is to think about the needs of your family and to identify the schools which best support them. Some examples include the school’s proximity to your home or work, its transportation system and bus schedule, and its enrollment cost. Weighing in these factors can be essential for selecting a kindergarten and school that works for your family long-term.

Study the Program

What a school can offer for your child can do a great deal in helping you decide on a kindergarten. Do you want your child exposed to second languages, the arts, or other alternative programs? Also, consider how much emphasis the school puts on physical education and discover if they feature a gymnasium and playgrounds. Finally, study the kindergarten’s curriculum to get an idea of the education to which your child will be exposed.

Meet the Teachers

In many cases, meeting your child’s potential educators can be the easiest way to come to a decision about what kindergarten is best for her needs. Considering that your young child will be away from you for long periods, it’s important to choose a program whose teachers you feel comfortable with and are nurturing towards the students. Make an appointment with any school you are interested in to give yourself a chance to meet the principal and kindergarten teachers.