Your Child's Journey

wisdom for the big steps little children take

Welcome to Your Child’s Journey

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Please take a little time to look around at our collection of information about children from birth through early childhood. A good place to start is You’re Invited!

Take a look at First Steps Bulletins These monthly bulletins help you know what to expect each month from birth to 3 years. Many other resources are also available in Steps on the Way, Development, Resources, and Links here on Your Child’s Journey.

If you have ideas for expanded content, questions you’d like answered, or resources we could link to, please click: Comment

Preparing for Kindergarten

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Prepping your kindergartner for the first day

By Marian Wilde

As the lazy days of summer slip away, it will soon be time to put away the beach chairs and corner lemonade stands and prepare your kindergartner for school. Here are some tips for making the transition easier.

Adjust to the new routine

Ease into the school-year schedule. Getting into a school routine can be a challenge for everyone in the family. To make adjusting to the new routine easier, start early.

  • A few weeks before school starts, move bedtime back to an earlier time.
  • Put a positive spin on going to school. Talk about the fun things your child will be learning, the friends he’ll make.
  • If your child is anxious about starting school, reassure her that other children have these feelings too.
  • Don’t make plans for big trips right before the start of school.
  • Establish school-day schedules for homework, TV, baths, and bedtime.
  • Arrange play-dates with children that are going to the same school to make connections or to create new ones.

Books help ease the transition

Reading books together about the first days of school is a good way to start conversations about the excitement and fears. To get you started, here are some suggestions for your kindergartner:

  • Berenstain, Stan and Jan. The Berenstain Bears Go to School. Random House, 1978
  • Bridwell, Norman. Clifford’s First School Day. Scholastic, 1999
  • Carlson, Nancy. Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come. Harcourt Children’s Books, 1999
  • Davis, Katie. Kindergarten Rocks! Harcourt Children’s Books, 2005
  • Penn, Audrey. The Kissing Hand. Child & Family Press, 1993
  • Rey, H.A. and Margret. Curious George’s First Day of School. Houghton Mifflin, 2005

For more ideas: GreatSchools.org

Feeding Toddlers

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What’s the difference between a picky eater and a problem eater?

“Picky Eaters” Will Not Starve Themselves, but Problem or Resistant Eaters Might

by ISA MARRS

I spend a lot of time writing and speaking about picky eating. When I say “picky eater” I am referring to a child who has picky behaviors but can learn to eat a broader diet and change the bad habits that are negatively impacting themselves and their families. However, when it comes to feeding disorders there is a continuum of severity. And many of you have children with more severe food aversions.

Approximately two-thirds of children on the autistic spectrum have severe food aversions which can impact their growth and development. While this population of children often has feeding aversions it is in no way limited to them.

Read more at SpeechLanguageFeeding.com

 

Ten Nutrients Every Child Needs]

Preventing Food Fights

Download a Finger Food Chart

 

Brain Development and Early Learning

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Child Brain Development and The Science of Early Learning

By Madeleine Fitzpatrick<

Your baby is born with most of the brain cells she will ever have, but during her first 12 months in the world, her brain will become increasingly complex. By the time she reaches the age of two, her brain will already be 75 percent of its adult weight. By the age of three, it will have reached 90 percent of its adult weight.

Almost 50 percent of the brain cells your baby is born with will wither and die during the first few years of life. This process, known as neural pruning, organizes the brain and makes it more efficient. The brain learns through experience.

[Read more…]