The kids are too quiet

It hit me today. I've been getting annoyed and frustrated when I hear "will you play with me?" all day long. Not "watch me play." Or "stay in the room with me." But actually get in my world and play with me. We've worked really hard on teaching independent play. It's important for all the developmental goodness happening inside them. Play is the work of a child. We're here to support them and help them problem solve but it's not the same as playing by themselves. And it's def initely not the same as playing with peers. I don't genuinely enjoy digging in dirt or pretending I'm a ninja. That's why I provide them will all kinds of outlets to play with other kids. I'm not 4! But guess what? He's probably tired of playing with me too. He misses his friends. And I miss them for him. I don't have the right ideas or make the right noises. I don't put the animals in the right spot or create th...

If you say you don't have a quarantine sized abundance of recycled boxes, food packages, and general trash around the house, you're lying. If you really don't, I'd like to hire you as a life coach when this is over. We seem to be going through a painfully large amount of packaged food right now. I hope the benefits of dolphins in the canals of Venice can offset all the trash we're creating. Animals everywhere are living their best lives. Have you seen the lions quaranteaming on the roads in South Africa that are typically filled with caravans of safari tourists? I wish I could blame quarantining on my trash alphabet but this would not be the first time I made one of these. It's kind of a staple in a pre-k classroom.  That said, all those boxes and packages are the perfect companion to the Recycled Alphabet. What's a Recycled Alphabet?  It's a large scale alphabet where children sort and categorize different logos, labels, symbols, signs, and word...

Here's a simple version of our schedule I posted earlier. Write or print it out and add pictures so your child can follow along! They will soon be telling you what comes next and taking ownership of their daily routine. And if the weather is nice, take meals and activities outside whenever you can! You'll see I've adjusted some of the times on ours already to make it work. No big deal! We may do it again as the week goes on and you will too.  Our Daily Schedule                              Wake up  8:00    Breakfast               Play               Activity 10:00  Snack            ...

Take a breath. Take a moment to remember that you know your kids best. You know what they love, what they despise, and what makes them belly laugh. Don't get confused in all the panic. You are enough for your child or children.  But lets make it a little easier. Even though you know your children so well, day after day at home without school, playgrounds, libraries, museums, and playdates feels like too much.  One way to help give your kids balance and consistency at home is to have a daily schedule. This is especially important for children who are used to having this at school or daycare. It's crucial in a classroom and you can use one at home so everyone knows what comes next!   No schedule will make the day perfect but it can definitely help tip the balance to more good moments than bad. Here is a daily schedule we are going to use the next few weeks. You can adjust and move things aro...