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Parenting a preschooler can be challenging, and we hope that this newsletter will add to your parenting toolbox by delivering inspiration and expert advice to your inbox each month. Do you have burning parenting questions or a topic that you would like us to cover in a future newsletter? We would love your input! Please contact Nicole Casey at ncasey@fayschool.org with any questions, comments, or feedback.
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BOOK CLUB - The Gingerbread Man Loose at The Zoo
Is one of your holiday traditions to make a gingerbread house or to decorate gingerbread men? If so, Laura Murray's The Gingerbread Man Loose at The Zoo would be perfect to get your child excited about the activity and spark their imagination.
During this engaging and interactive book, readers are taken on a riddle scavenger hunt that is perfect for building problem solving skills. While you are reading, pause after each riddle and ask your child where they think the gingerbread man will go next. The book even comes with a map that your child can use to help solve each riddle and to work on basic map reading skills.
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ARTS & CRAFTS - Make Your Own Puzzle
Materials Needed:
- blank puzzles
- crayons, markers, paint, or any preferred drawing material
Instructions:
- Have your child think about what they want to put on their puzzle, and then ask them to depict this in their coloring or painting. If they need ideas, you could suggest a snowman, a holiday message, snowflakes, or mittens.
- Take all the puzzle pieces apart and have fun making the puzzle together, or use the puzzle as a gift for family or friends this holiday season. Each puzzle comes with an envelope that is perfect for gift-giving or placing in the mail.
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LITERACY AND NUMERACY - Developing Mathematical Thinking
- Select an object to hide somewhere in your house. You could use the gingerbread man from the book by printing out a copy of the book cover and cutting the gingerbread man out. You could also pick any object you have at home - a stuffed animal, a doll, or a candy cane.
- Hide the object in your house while your child counts backwards from 10, or even 20.
- Then, give your child clues about where the object can be found by using prepositions like above, below, in front of, behind, next to, bigger than, smaller than, higher or lower than.
- After your child has found the object, you can hide it again for them, or take turns and ask them to hide it for you to find.
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DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE - Sharing
With the influx of new toys during the holiday season, sharing can become an issue in many families. No child wants to share their brand new toy, and who can blame them! However, there are ways that you can avoid the fights and meltdowns that come with sharing if it is approached differently and reinforced over time.
Most parents' instinct with sharing is to ask their child to give up their toy and interrupt their play. However, some experts suggest that sharing through turn-taking is more effective and actually helps teach positive assertiveness and patience. For more information about sharing through turn-taking, click here for an article suggested by Lauren Cilley, the Assistant Director of Fay's Early Learning Center.
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FIELD TRIP - Holiday Lights
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PARENTING ADVICE - 15 Great Nonfiction Titles to Read Aloud With Your Child and Add to Your Holiday Gift List
Katie Knuppel, Head of Fay's Primary School and the Director of our Early Learning Center, shares her list of 15 nonfiction books that are perfect to read with your child - and that would also be perfect for gift-giving.
Many parents and teachers gravitate toward reading fiction rather than nonfiction. However, the truth is that children love reading nonfiction, especially when you are reading it aloud and can answer the many questions that bubble up. Nonfiction books are filled with information, and children are eager to understand the world around them.
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Kindergarten is the beginning of your child's educational journey.
Make sure it's a strong start.
Learn more about Fay's approach to kindergarten, and what comes next, at an upcoming Virtual Information Session on Tuesday, December 8 or Tuesday, January 12 from 10:00 - 11:00 AM.
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