Preventing child abuse and neglect is an important concern of all child care providers. Statistics show that the majority of abusers are parents, although the public perception is that abuse in child care centers is common. This false perception creates a very real challenge for child care providers. Child care providers need to be sure to provide a safe environment for the children in their care in order to reduce the risk of abuse and neglect in the child care …
Child care providers often dread those days when the weather is bad and the children can’t get outdoors to play. But children need to have active times every day to use up energy, learn new things, and be healthy. Luckily, active play can happen indoors as well as outdoors. With a little imagination and creativity, child care providers can come up with activities that use large muscles and burn energy, but can be done indoors. Here are some ideas to …
Creative art is an important part of the child care curriculum because it allows children to practice self-expression, fine motor skills, thinking and many other skills. Unfortunately, many activities that look like creative art do not actually encourage creativity. These activities are sometimes used in art programs and may help develop fine muscle control or eye-hand coordination, but they don’t provide artistic and creative opportunities.
It’s important to avoid activities masquerading as creative art. Activities that masquerade as creative share …
Many child care providers work with mixed-age groups that include children of many different ages. Planning your child care curriculum to include creative art activities that are appropriate (and safe) for infants through school-agers can be challenging. Here are some tips for child care providers to choose creative art activities for multi-age groups.
Children’s writing actually starts with their earliest scribbles. By giving infants and toddlers chances to draw with crayons, child care providers are encouraging them to practice the skills that they will need for later writing. With time and practice, children gradually learn to control the scribbles to make lines, circles and eventually some simple letters. These letters are often upside down or backwards, which is normal for young children. After a while, preschoolers may start to put these letters together …
Child care providers often have children with special needs included in their programs. Art activities can be a valuable learning experience for many children with special needs, but the art activities given in a child care setting may need to be modified or adapted so that all children may participate in them.
Child care providers should also be aware that they may need to guide children with special needs when helping them with their art activities. Here are some ideas …
Welcome to the eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care Database of Hands-On Activities. Here you will find hundreds of hands-on, ready-to-do activities especially designed to help young children of different ages learn, develop, and flourish. The activities can be used in the curriculum of child care classrooms or family child care homes. Parents and grandparents may also enjoy sharing some of the activities with children at home. Search or browse classroom activities to find what you need for language …
Child care providers can introduce young children to the world of reading by choosing books that match their age, development, and interests. A child’s book is something special—a world of ideas and fun. Child care providers can help children learn to love the world of reading by introducing books that capture their interest. To be most effective, books need to be appropriate to the age and developmental level of the children in the group, and appropriate to the interests of …
It seems like young children in a child care program are always in motion. You’d think that most children are active enough to keep themselves fit, but recent research tells us that today’s children are actually not getting enough physical activity. Childhood inactivity can lead to obesity and diabetes. Attitudes toward physical fitness are formed in childhood, and if obesity and inactivity continue into adulthood, there is a serious risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. When kids have …
Temper tantrums are common in child care, especially in groups of toddlers. Children typically throw temper tantrums out of frustration. Understanding why tantrums happen and having quick strategies for handling and preventing tantrums can help child care providers maintain peace in the child care setting.
Children throw temper tantrums for many reasons, some big and some small. When a square block won’t fit in a round hole, or their child care provider won’t let them climb on …
