1) Your child WILL get messy!
2) They will eat foods at childcare that they wouldn't even touch at home!
3) Boys play dress-up too!
They will get messy!
In any good childcare setting there will be painting, shaving cream, sand and dirt. Science experiments, art activities and outdoor exploration. It is not the place for your child's sunday best!!! Children are given smocks for messy activities and supervised closely (as I said before "in any good childcare") but no matter how many preventative measures are taken, they always end up getting a spot of paint or dirt on their clothes. But it is through these messy experiences that children learn so much. Motor skills, trial-and-error, creativity, imagination, independent thinking...the list of skills enhanced is endless. So leave the "Gap" outfit and "Ugg" boots at home for the weekend and dress them in clothes that don't matter so much. After all, childcare is a place of learning not a fashion show!
They will eat foods in childcare that they wouldn't even touch at home!
If I had a dollar for every time a parent said to me, "They ate that? They won't eat it at home!", well I'd probably be out shopping right now instead of writing this! It's amazing how children adapt in another setting outside the home. They see their friends eating and don't think twice about gobbling up those green beans (or at least trying some!). They are offered what's on the menu and apart from allergies, intolerances or religious restrictions, the children all eat the same meals. Another thing to remember is a child will eat if he/she is hungry. If they are refusing food remember that they will not starve themselves and forcing them to eat teaches them to undermine their judgement on whether they are hungry/full. One rule I always enforce is the "try one bite" rule. One bite of each food and they can decide whether they like it or not. And who knows, one time when they try one bite, they might decide they actually like it! So don't turn your nose up when you read the childcare menu and say, "My child won't eat quinoa and tofu," because they just might! And it sure makes a change from chicken nuggets and rice! Remember to have a positive attitude to new foods yourself because you are your child's biggest inspiration! If you keep an open mind they will have a better chance of having one as well.
Boys play dress up too!
For the most part when a child's parent walks into a childcare center and sees their son wearing a dress and "baking cookies" in the dramatic center, they laugh and take it for what it is, imaginary play. But there have been a handful of parents, in my experience, that are appalled to see their son wearing a tutu or their daughter always playing with trucks and never dolls. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this behaviour and definitely no link to sexual orientation. Childcare is a safe place for children to explore roles they see in their own lives through dramatic play. Why shouldn't Jimmy pretend he's baking "just like mommy" when he sees it at home? Or why shouldn't Tommy wear that tutu which is brightly coloured and an interesting texture? Likewise, Amy is welcome to push around the trucks which is much more exciting to her than her baby dolls at home which don't move and roll like four wheels do! Childcare is the perfect setting for children to explore a variety of toys and activities in a comfortable, non-judgemental setting.
They will eat foods in childcare that they wouldn't even touch at home!
If I had a dollar for every time a parent said to me, "They ate that? They won't eat it at home!", well I'd probably be out shopping right now instead of writing this! It's amazing how children adapt in another setting outside the home. They see their friends eating and don't think twice about gobbling up those green beans (or at least trying some!). They are offered what's on the menu and apart from allergies, intolerances or religious restrictions, the children all eat the same meals. Another thing to remember is a child will eat if he/she is hungry. If they are refusing food remember that they will not starve themselves and forcing them to eat teaches them to undermine their judgement on whether they are hungry/full. One rule I always enforce is the "try one bite" rule. One bite of each food and they can decide whether they like it or not. And who knows, one time when they try one bite, they might decide they actually like it! So don't turn your nose up when you read the childcare menu and say, "My child won't eat quinoa and tofu," because they just might! And it sure makes a change from chicken nuggets and rice! Remember to have a positive attitude to new foods yourself because you are your child's biggest inspiration! If you keep an open mind they will have a better chance of having one as well.
Boys play dress up too!
For the most part when a child's parent walks into a childcare center and sees their son wearing a dress and "baking cookies" in the dramatic center, they laugh and take it for what it is, imaginary play. But there have been a handful of parents, in my experience, that are appalled to see their son wearing a tutu or their daughter always playing with trucks and never dolls. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this behaviour and definitely no link to sexual orientation. Childcare is a safe place for children to explore roles they see in their own lives through dramatic play. Why shouldn't Jimmy pretend he's baking "just like mommy" when he sees it at home? Or why shouldn't Tommy wear that tutu which is brightly coloured and an interesting texture? Likewise, Amy is welcome to push around the trucks which is much more exciting to her than her baby dolls at home which don't move and roll like four wheels do! Childcare is the perfect setting for children to explore a variety of toys and activities in a comfortable, non-judgemental setting.
Very cool babe!!!
ReplyDeleteJulie xx
Thank you Julie!
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