Holiday Crafts, Books, Gift Guides, and More.
Holiday Crafts, Books, Gift Guides, and More.
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.
BOOK CLUB - Holiday Books
Are you looking for a new book to share with your family this holiday season? Do you want to introduce your child to different holiday traditions from other cultures? Check out the list below for holiday books from Fay's Primary School Library. 
50+ Books to Share With Your Child This Holiday Season
LITERACY AND NUMERACY - Writing
Did you know that emergent writing skills, such as name-writing, are important predictors of children’s future reading and writing skills? However, as is the often the case with young children, if the task is not fun, they usually are not interested. To make writing fun for your child, see below for ideas to incorporate writing activities into your holiday season.  
  • Help your child write their own name on your holiday cards this year. Even if they just put their initials on the cards, this is good practice.
  • Let your child wrap gifts with you and write on name tags.
  • Let your child write their own gift list this season. Even pretend writing that may look like scribbles and includes fake letters is an important part of emergent writing.
ARTS & CRAFTS - Pre-Made Craft Kits
Save yourself some time this holiday season by purchasing pre-made craft kits. Pre-made craft kits come with everything you need for projects, and they are handy if you will be traveling. Some suggested kits are below, but more options can always be found online or during your next visit to Target or Michaels. 
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE - Table Manners 
If dining at your house is chaotic, rushed, and uncivilized, you are not alone! However, with the holidays here you are probably anticipating meals with extended family and wondering how you can make your dinners a little less unruly. At Fay, our lunches are served family-style, with a teacher joining a group of students who are assigned to a new lunch table every two weeks. Not only does this foster new friendships between students, but it is also an excellent opportunity to establish some basic table manners. “Practicing good manners helps us enjoy each other's company and conversation as well as the delicious food,” says Fay’s Head of Primary School Katie Knuppel. With the holidays here, make sure your child has the skills to be a positive presence at any dinner table.  
Tips to Master Table Manners with Your Child
FIELD TRIP - Local Charities
Parents are a child’s first and most influential teachers. When they see you volunteering and helping others, that sends a strong message about what you value. This holiday season, if you are culling items from your kitchen for the local food pantry or gathering toys for a gift drive, involve your child in the process so that they feel like active participants in helping others. Some local charities that you can visit with your child are below.
PARENTING ADVICE - The Can’t-Miss Gift Guide: Our Kindergarten Experts Share the Gifts Your Child Won’t Be Able to Put Down
Every parent has had the experience of buying their child a gift that turns out to be a clunker. Sometimes, you know as soon as the wrapping paper comes off and the gift is quickly discarded. Other times, kids will excitedly play with something new for a day or two, but the novelty quickly wears off. The gift is set aside and never touched again. This year, wouldn’t you love to invest in a holiday gift that they’ll still be playing with next December? We reached out to the experts - our Fay School Kindergarten teaching team - to get their insider recommendations for the toys and activities that are the biggest hits in their classrooms and that your child is guaranteed to come back to again and again.
Gifts Your Child Won’t Be Able to Put Down
Kindergarten at Fay School
Kindergarten lays the foundation for a child's entire learning experience. At Fay, our small class sizes and differentiated approach help each kindergartener establish the skills they will need for a successful educational journey. Our teachers focus on each child’s literacy, numeracy, science understanding, and social-emotional development, supported by a team of expert specialists who coordinate instruction in art, music, French, and Spanish, and P.E. Our teacher also focus on fostering a love of learning, and they know that when students believe that their learning matters, they give their all.
Learn more about Fay's Kindergarten program and beyond at our Admission Classroom Visit Day on December 8.
RSVP & More Information
FAY SCHOOL   48 Main Street   Southborough, MA   01772   508-490-8201   www.fayschool.org
Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
48 Main Street
Southborough, MA | 01772 US
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
powered by emma
Subscribe to our email list.