Help with mealtimes

Finding mealtimes challenging with a toddler/preschooler? Well, you are not on your own! I thought I would just share a little something that we find helps us.

When working as an Early Years Practitioner, I learnt that children need rules and guidelines to help them on their learning journey. Mealtimes are a perfect example for coming together with your child and drawing up a few simple things that are expected. 

Who can play?

Children aged 2 years and above, depending own their age and stage of development.

What do you need?

• Paper/card
• Felt tip pens
• Area to display mealtime rules
• Cello tape
• Ruler  

What did we do?

Bee and I sat down at the dinner table and talked together about things that we do at Lunch, snack and dinner. I tried to focus on what we do rather than what we do not do, to make it a positive experience.

We then put our ideas in order of importance, for example wash our hands first, to make our hands clean and germ free. We then talked about the importance of being safe at the table, as we sit on our chairs and use our utensils in a safe manner. Another important point that Bee thought we had to include was to "try our food with leaves" Well, promoting healthy eating is also important!

When writing our ideas on the paper, I invited Bee to write some of her ideas. The wrote some recognizable letters and said that "We should be good and drink our water

                                     

Finally, we talked about helping to tidy up afterwards. Getting your child involved in this not only helps you, but also gives them a sense of ownership, a role within the family and promotes self help skills. 

The final product is on the wall, near our dining table, for future reference. You will probably have to keep referring back to the mealtime rules chart, but at least it is something that has been drawn up together as a team. Good luck!

What did we learn?

• Communication and language- Discussing ideas, Speaking and listening
• Physical development- Fine manipulative skills when writing and discussing healthy food choices
• Personal, social and emotional-Learning social skills and self help
• Literacy- Providing an opportunity for a writing experience.
• Mathematics- Ordering rules
• Understanding of the world- Learning about mealtime rules
• Expressive arts and design- Designing a mealtime poster together

What could be done next?

• Make mealtime place mats
• Involve your child in the setting up of the table, so that they can learn where the knives, forks and spoons go
• Let your child help wash th
  
  
  e dishes after mealtimes (as long as there are no sharp objects in the sink) You will find that the dishes may not be squeeky clean, but they will love feeling helpful and playing in the bubbles/water.

Helping your child become an independent dresser

I thought I would share some of my ideas on how I am trying to encourage my child to be an independent dresser. For some time Bee, has wanted to pick out her own clothes and this can sometimes take a very... very...very...very...long time, with a lot of "I can do it!" being said.

I have found the solution to our little challenge. The night before, we go through what we are going to be doing the following day, for example, if we have preschool, ballet etc. Once we have done this the decision can be made on what she wants to wear. When she has chosen her clothes we hang them up on her pegs and the job is done! As soon as she wakes the next morning, our clothes are ready and waiting. There are always other 'morning' challenges to deal with, but at least this is one we can check off our list.

Who can play?
Children aged 2 years+ depending on their age and stage of ability.

What do I need?

• Furniture that stores your child's clothes
• Paper
• Felt tip pens 
• cello-tape

I chose to laminate the labels for the drawers, so that they last longer. You can always type out the labels on the computer and take real life pictures of the clothes, so that they are more recognizable than my drawings

 :-)

What did we do?

To help Bee find her items of clothing and encourage independence and decision making skills, I needed to adapt her bedroom furniture. This is how her set of draws looked before.

By adding pictures/photographs of the items inside the draws, Bee can now clearly see what items are in each draw. I made sure that the items of clothing were sorted into separate drawers, for example pj's, socks, underwear, tops and pants. On a piece of paper I drew these items and wrote what they were on top the picture. The last thing I did was laminate and stick them onto the draws.

 Bee now loves choosing her clothes in the morning. She looks at both the pictures and words and is trying to segment and blend the letters.

Even just a simple idea as this can develop so many areas of learning. Read on to find out what areas are being developed.

What did we learn?

• Communication and language-Talking about what she is going to wear. Listening to where she is going the following day and making choices based on this and following instructions 
• Physical development- Fine and large manipulative skills and coordination when opening/closing draws and picking out clothes. Developing physical skills such as pulling up her own pasts and using fasteners such as buttons or zips.
• Personal, social and emotional- Developing self help skills and independence. Also learning to ask for help when needed. Putting their clothes away after is also a self help skill
• Literacy- Linking sounds to letters, learning how to read, blending and segmenting words and learning that print carries meaning.
• Mathematics- Counting the draws, finding two socks that are the same. Learning about patterns on clothing.
• Understanding of the world- Developing and learning about her role within the family, for example, it is now her job to find her clothes, but if she needs help Mum and Dad are always there. Learning about her body and which items of clothing goes where.
• Expressive arts and design- Creating her own style, learning about what items of clothing she feels go together. Designing her own outfit.

What could be done next?

• Label boxes that contain toys etc, so that the independence can continue with in the playroom.
• Have a spotty, stripey or different colour day, so that your child can try and pick out the clothes to match the theme.
• Once the clothes have been washed, ask your child to help you put them away. This is a great sorting activity and will also be helpful for you.

The Ice Den

Do you have a nook or cupboard under the stairs? We do and it could become one of the most used spaces within the home. Throughout the year our cupboard under the stairs transforms into different themes. The theme for Winter this year is Ice... Brrrrrr. Mainly due to Isabella's new infatuation with the new movie Frozen.

Bee also enjoyed playing Santa in here and transported other toys into the area such as hand puppets and other small world animals.

The area was a success and when Bee's friends came around on a play date, they would end up in there reading stories or playing independently.

                               

The entrance to the Ice Den

     

To create a cold feeling, I attached silver beads, icicles and various other Christmas ornaments to the coat rail. It created a bit of a dramatic feel, as you walked underneath them, whilst they gently brushed along your head.