At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we offer a variety of child care programs that give your children a number of different opportunities to socialize with other children and adults. Whether you help your child socialize through play dates or they socialize at our child care center, they will benefit in many ways. In this blog, we are going to discuss the benefits of socialization for young children! Learn more and get in touch with our child care center today.

Learn A Variety of Social Skills

There is a variety of skills that fall into the social skill category. Social skills are a set of skills that need to constantly be practiced and strengthened. By helping your child develop these skills at a young age, they will be able to continue to practice them and improve them. Some of the social skills your child should learn and develop include:

• Sharing
• Cooperating
• Listening
• Following directions
• Using manners
• Making eye contact
• Using self-control
• Respecting personal space
• Constructively expressing emotions, ideas, and thoughts
• Thinking before acting and speaking

There are many different social skills that your child will learn as they grow and develop. When you give your kiddos more opportunity to engage in social settings, they can practice these skills and begin to strengthen them, which will be beneficial throughout the rest of their lives.

Build Stronger Friendships

It only makes sense that children with better social skills will get along better with their peers, make more friends, and develop stronger friendships. Strong childhood friendships can be extremely beneficial to your child and allow them to feel a sense of belonging as they grow. Verywell Family mentions a study that indicated that childhood friendships are good for kids’ mental health. By providing your child with plenty of socialization, they will be able to get better at making friends and developing stronger relationships.

More Successful in Education

Many social skills can help your child do better in school and throughout their entire academic career. From sharing and listening to cooperation and following directions, with improved social skills, your child will be able to excel in school. The Verywell Family article also mentions a research that found children who were better at these social skills at the age of five were more likely to go to college. If you want your child to be more successful throughout school and in their careers, helping them develop social skills at a young age can be a great starting point!

More Successful in Life

Social skills are a necessary life skill. These are skills that you and your child will use throughout your entire lives. No matter the situation, social skills are important. Helping your child develop, practice, and strengthen their social skills can help lead them to a more successful life in every aspect. This includes everything from a social life to their career, to being a parent, and more.

More Confidence

Children who have better social skills are often more confident in themselves. When your child develops this set of skills, they will feel more comfortable speaking their mind, working with others, engaging with groups, setting boundaries, and so much more. With more confidence comes even more benefits. Help your child develop the confidence they need in a variety of social settings by helping them develop these skills at a young age.

Helps Them Develop Other Skills

Socialization can help your child learn and develop a variety of other skills as well. Through socialization, your child can develop stronger problem-solving skills. When they face different challenges with others, they will learn how to problem-solve and work to find a solution that is beneficial for everyone. They will also develop better language skills. Your child will learn how to properly converse with others and improve their understanding of the spoken word. Even through storytelling, dramatic play, and engaging with other children, your kiddo will begin to further develop their language skills.

Through socialization, your child will be able to experience a number of different benefits. When you give your child numerous opportunities to engage in social interactions, you will be helping them develop new skills that will become important throughout the rest of their lives.

Be sure to learn more about our child care programs at Growing Kids Learning Centers. We have locations throughout Indiana and can ensure that your child is always able to socialize with others. Contact us to learn more!

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At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we believe that the parent and child bond is an important one and can help shape the child’s life in a more positive way. When you, the parent, have a better bond with your child, you will be their support system throughout their entire life and you will be able to feel closer to your child. While building a bond with your child takes work, we have some tips to help you out. Read on to learn more and be sure to check out our child care programs today!

Show Your Love

Showing your child love and telling them often that you love them is the best way to start building your relationship. Human touch and affection are important in every stage of life but are extremely important for children as they develop emotionally and neurobiologically. By giving your child hugs daily, holding their hand as you walk to the park, and offering warm expressions as often as you can, you can help build the bond you and your child share. When your child knows, undoubtedly, that you love them, they will feel more connected to you.

While this seems easy enough, it is also easy to get lost in the hecticness of a busy day and forget to hug your child or show them affection when they walk into a room. Even on the worst days, be sure to show your child appreciation and love.

Make Time For Them

Making time for your child is extremely important if you want to build a stronger relationship. By making time for them, where you are distraction-free and they have 100% of your attention, you are showing your child that they are worth your attention. This will make them feel important and more connected to you.

Even if it is just a simple lunch date, spending quality time with your child and giving them your undivided attention can make a huge difference in the type of relationship you have. Try to make time for your child at least once a week. It can be as simple as reading them a bedtime story or playing a game with them after lunch. If you have multiple children, try to give each of them their own time with you at least once a month.

Try to Understand Them

Listening to your child, acknowledging their feelings, and trying to understand where they are coming from can help you build the relationship you want with your child. As kids get older, a big reason why they don’t talk to their parents is that they feel like their parents don’t understand or will get mad at what they have to say. It is important that you teach your child at a young age that you are here to listen to them and that you understand them.

To do this you simply have to listen to understand. Empathize with them and let them know that you are there for them and will do what you can to help them. Try to see things from your child’s perspective and actually work to understand them — simply telling them you understand is not going to help you build a stronger bond.

Play With Them

Playing is an important activity for your child’s development. While kids benefit from all different types of play, when you take the time to play with them, you will show them that they are important to you and that you want to be a part of their lives. Whether you play games, play pretend, or play whatever else they come up with, by spending this time with them, you can strengthen your bond.

Your kids likely know that you are busy, whether they truly understand how busy you are or not doesn’t matter, what matters is that you are making a point to spend time with them. When they realize that you are taking a moment out of your busy schedule to play with them, they will feel more important to you.

Eat Together

Eating meals as a family is a great way to connect as a family and spend time together. Make a point to eat dinner or breakfast together every day, with no TV and no phones at the table. Eating together allows you to communicate, connect, and bond with your children and as a whole family. You can have a few conversation prompts that get the family talking if the conversation doesn’t always flow naturally.

We suggest picking fun prompts, like “If you were an animal, what would you be and why?” rather than the typical what did you learn today. Kids will be more excited to talk about the fun stuff than what they learned. Plus, these fun prompts can help you get to know your kid better and allow you to tap into your inner child as well!

Show Interest

Showing interest in your child and what they are doing is another great way to strengthen your bond. When you show interest in your child’s life, you are once again showing them that they matter to you. Most people love when others show interest in what they are doing, and your kids are no exception. If they are doing arts and crafts projects, ask them what they are making. If they are reading a book, ask them what it’s about and if they like it. If they are playing with action figures, ask them what is going on in their play world. Show interest in what your kiddos are doing to help strengthen your bond.

These are a few great ways to start building a stronger relationship with your children. While we know you love and care about your child, showing them that love and care, spending time with them, and showing interest in their lives can help you build the bond you have always wanted.

If you are looking for a child care center in Indiana, be sure to check out Growing Kids Learning Centers! We have multiple locations throughout Indiana, allowing you to find a great child care center close to you! Contact us to learn more.

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In our previous blog, we shared some fun spring activities that you can do at home with your kids. In this blog, we are going to talk about some fun spring crafts to do with them! Not only do children love crafts, but crafting is actually very beneficial for kids. You can read our blog about the benefits of crafts for kids to learn more!

At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we love creating curriculums with activities that kids love and can learn from. That is why we love talking about crafts! We offer a variety of early child care programs, allowing your little one to get the best start to their education and have a fun environment in which they can thrive. Read on for some craft ideas to do this spring and contact us with any questions you may have!

Paper Plate Rainbow

Rainbows are a beautiful creation of nature and a symbol of spring. Making a rainbow out of a paper plate is easy and fun!

For this craft, you will need:

• Paper plates
• Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple paint
• Cotton balls
• Scissors
• Glue

Start by helping your little one cut their paper plate in the shape of a rainbow. To do this, simply cut the paper plate in half, and cut a small semi-circle out of the middle, creating a rainbow shape. Once the rainbow is cut out, your kiddo can paint it the colors of the rainbow. You can draw lines on the paper plate to show them where each color goes if it helps them.

Once their paper plate is painted and dried, have your child add some glue to the ends of each side of the rainbow and stick their cotton balls onto the ends, creating clouds! Once it is dry, you can display their artwork proudly. To make this craft even more educational, you can explain to them what rainbows are and why they occur!

Pom Pom Caterpillars

Pom pom caterpillars are adorable and easy to make with your kiddos.

What you will need for this craft includes:

• Small colorful pom poms
• Large colorful pom poms
• Googly eyes
• Green construction paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Dark green marker

Start by cutting out leaf spaces from the green construction paper. You can either help your child with this, or draw a leaf for them to cut out. The leaf should be about the size of your palm (an adult palm, not your kiddo’s!). Once the leaf is cut out, help your little ones draw the leaf’s veins. Then your kiddo can start creating their caterpillar! Have them add a curvy line of glue along the leaf, from the top to the bottom, but not covering the entire leaf, just in the middle. They will then add their small colorful pom poms along the glue. Take one of the bigger pom poms and glue googly eyes on it, then add it to one of the ends of the row of the smaller pom poms. Let it dry and that’s it! Your children have cute little caterpillar friends!

Paper Bag Bug Puppets

Paper bag bugs are an easy craft that allows your little one to choose exactly what they want to make, from butterflies to bees!

For this craft, you will need:

• White paper lunch bags
• Paint
• Googly eyes
• White doilies
• Black pipe cleaner
• Glue

Start by having your child decide what type of bug puppet they want to make. If they want to make a bee, they will paint their paper bag yellow and add some black stripes. If they want to do a butterfly, they can paint their bag purple, green, or any other color they want. For the butterfly, they will also be able to paint their doilies any color they want, using a bunch of different ones to create beautiful wings! For the bee, the wings can remain white.

Once the paper bags and doilies are painted and dried, you will glue the doilies onto the back of the paper bag, or the side that doesn’t have the bottom of the bag when folded. On the bottom of the bag, you will then add the face! Add some googly eyes and draw on a cute smile to the bug. On the back of the bag, glue on two pipe cleaners as your antennae! Once everything is glued on, your kiddos’ bugs are done! They can display them and admire them every day.

There are so many fun spring-themed crafts to do with your kiddos as the weather starts to warm up. These crafts can not only stimulate their creativity, but you can also teach your child a lot about what they are making as well! Talk about the process of caterpillars transforming into butterflies or what bees offer our world. This is a great way to get them interested and learn while having fun!

If you are looking for a great child care center in Indiana, be sure to check out Growing Kids Learning Centers! We have locations throughout Indiana, allowing you to find a great child care center close to you. Contact us with any questions you may have and enjoy spring with your kiddos.

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At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we know how beneficial doing different activities with your kiddos can be! Not only does it get them moving, stimulate their minds, and get them away from the screen, but it is a great way to bond as well. We offer a variety of child care programs that allow your children to learn and develop new skills. Plus, we have a summer camp that allows children to spend time outside, take part in different activities, and make the most of summer!

In this blog, we are going to give you some ideas for some fun spring activities to do with your kiddos at home! Read on to learn more and be sure to enroll your children in our summer camp today!

Make an Outdoor Fort

Forts are always fun for children and can give them a place to hang out and play. While indoor forts are always a great idea, you can make your fort building even more exciting by building a fort outside!

Be sure to check the forecast to ensure that it won’t rain that day or for a few days after in case you want to leave the fort up. Use a tarp to lay on the ground and use as the floor of the fort. Try to find an old sheet that you no longer use and hang it from a tree, staple it to the fence, or throw it over a ladder to get the fort started. You can use the natural aspects of your yard to help you create a fort that is fun and unique.

Let your children play where they want the fort and how they want to build it. This will help them learn decision-making and problem-solving skills! Plus, it allows them to create an outdoor fort that includes their favorite natural aspects, whether it is a tree, a garden bench, or the soft green grass that covers your lawn.

Create a Fairy Garden

You may have seen fairy gardens in your neighborhood before. These gardens include small figurines of cottages, bridges, fairies, and other pieces to create a little fairy village. You can head to a local nursery or shop online to find some fun pieces to add to your fairy garden. It may be more fun to go to a nursery and have your children pick out the pieces they want to include.

If you don’t want to buy pieces for your fairy garden, you can also make some! Walk around your yard with your kiddos and gather pine cones, leaves, pine needles, old flower pots, and any other things that could be used for your fairy garden. Use your craft supplies to create different pieces and then head back outside to help your children set up their fairy garden. This can be a fun way to spend time outside and help your children enjoy nature more! Plus, they will be able to set up, rearrange, and move their fairy garden whenever they want.

Go On a Nature Scavenger Hunt

Create a scavenger hunt for your kiddos to do in your backyard or when you are at the part together. Add things like bugs, birds, squirrels, flower buds, bird nests, and other natural aspects to the list for your kiddos to find. They will love running around and looking for these different things.

This is a great way to get outside and help your children get excited about nature. It will also cause them to actually look around and take in the beauty that is all around them. This is a great activity that can help keep your kiddos busy outside and running around for a while!

Start a Garden

Gardens can be a fun thing to do with your children and can be beneficial for a number of reasons, from teaching them how to grow their own food and patience to teaching them to care for something other than themselves. And the spring is the perfect time to start a garden!

Decide whether you want to grow a flower garden or a vegetable garden and take your kiddos to go pick out plants or seeds! This can be a fun project that will last all spring and summer long, giving your child something to look forward to and keep track of throughout the warmer month.

As the plants start to grow, your child will become even more excited and begin to learn more about plants and how amazing nature truly is. Plus, it can help them learn how to eat healthier if you choose to plant a veggie garden!

Make a Bike Course

A bike course can be a fun and unique way to spend time outside with your children! While riding bikes is fun for the whole family, a bike course can keep your children entertained for hours. Use chalk, cones, and other items you have in your garage to create a course in your driveway, on the sidewalk, and in the street (if it is safe).

You can either create a racetrack that is big enough for multiple children to ride around at the same time or just make it a fun course that they can take turns doing. Your kiddos will love working on their bicycling skills in their course and they can even throw on some rollerblades or use a scooter to go through the course! The best part is, if you make the course with chalk, you can make a new one after it rains or by simply hosing off the old course.

Make Bird Feeders

Bird feeders are a fun item to have in spring. They can invite all sorts of birds into your yard, which can be fun to watch and even more fun to listen to! While you can always go out and buy a bird feeder, making one with your child is even more fun!

Whether you make it out of wood, make-your-own bird feeder kit, or come up with some other creative way to make a feeder, this can be a fun activity to do with your kiddos that they will absolutely love. They will get excited every time a bird swoops down to enjoy the feeder they made!

These are a few of the many great spring activities that you and your children can do to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and spend more time together. If you are looking for something for your kiddo to do during the summer months, be sure to check out our summer camp program and enroll them today! Contact Growing Kids Learning Centers today to learn more and start planning some fun spring activities to do with your kids!

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At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we believe that everyday activities are a great way to help your child learn and develop new skills. Our child care centers offer a variety of programs to help your little ones get the jump start to education they need. In this blog, we are going to talk about the benefits of baking for children. Read on to learn more and be sure to check out our programs today!

Language Development

Baking and cooking can help your child’s language development. While baking, your child will be exposed to new words, expanding their vocabulary and allowing them to better understand the actions that go with different words. As you bake with them, you can explain what you are doing and be descriptive with each action, this can help boost your child’s vocabulary, as well. You can help them expand their vocabulary by explaining what different words in baking mean and maybe even by giving them a demonstration, such as sifting, combining, and whipping.

Reading Skills

Baking can also help them boost their reading skills. When baking, you are likely following a recipe and it is important to carefully read that recipe, understand what it is saying, and follow those directions. Even if your child may just be learning to read, you can read the recipe with them and then complete each direction. Reading the recipe and them completing each step can help your child better comprehend what they are reading. This can also help them learn that what they read has meaning.

Math Skills

Baking with your child is a great way to help improve their math skills. There is a lot of counting, measuring, and fractions involved in baking, which allows your children to practice and improve their math skills. If a recipe calls for two eggs, have them count out the eggs. When you measure half a cup of sugar, they can learn about fractions. Your kiddos will also begin to learn the difference between measurements, like a teaspoon and tablespoon, a cup and a liter, and other measurements. Setting your times for your baked treats can help them learn more about time, counting, and the difference between seconds, minutes, and hours.

Following Directions

One of the biggest benefits of baking is that it can teach your kiddos how to follow directions. Learning how to follow directions can be challenging for kiddos, because they simply want to do their own thing. While board games and other activities can teach them directions, baking takes that to the next level. If you don’t follow the directions, your baked treats will not turn out how you want them to. Your child may have to learn this the hard way! Baking allows your child to follow directions and receive a tasty treat because of it. This is an important lesson for children to learn and baking is a fun and great way to help them learn it.

Motor Skills

Baking can also help your child improve their motor skills as well. From measuring to mixing to kneading, there are many actions in baking that will allow your child to practice and enhance their motor function, control, and strength. As you bake with your child, have them help with the mixing, pouring, flipping, and any other motions that take control. It will help them boost these skills.

Patience

Patience is another life skill that kiddos need to learn. Baking will help teach them patience. Whether they are waiting for their dough to rise or they are waiting for the timer to go off so they can see their masterpiece, they will have to learn how to be patient while baking. If they can’t be patient, the cookies won’t bake all the way or the bread may not come out fluffy and soft. While this can be a hard lesson for your kiddos to learn (they may throw fits when they see their cookies in the oven), it will be beneficial and get easier each time you bake together. Try to come up with a fun activity to do while you wait!

Focus and Attention

Baking with your children can also teach them about focus and attention. They will need to pay attention to the recipe, measurements, and directions. If they don’t pay attention to what they are doing, they may ruin the recipe. They need to pay attention when they are measuring, counting, and following the directions, allowing them to better improve these skills and learn the importance of them.

Self-Esteem

Your child can also gain a boost in self-esteem when you bake with them! A lot of hard work, concentration, and patience go into baking and when it is finally done and they get to taste-test their treats, they will feel accomplished and proud of their work. This can help boost self-esteem and help them feel more confident in their abilities.

Perseverance

Baking is not something everyone is good at and it is not something that people are just born knowing. It is likely that your children will mess up a recipe or two, but that doesn’t mean they should give up baking altogether. If your child accidentally adds too much of an ingredient to the cookies or forgets a step, let them know that it is no big deal and you can see how they turn out anyway. Make sure your kiddos know that you have made many mistakes while baking and cooking as well. This can help them realize that it happens and it doesn’t mean you should give up! When your child makes a mistake while baking, be sure to bake with them again shortly after and help them get everything right. When the treats turn out perfectly, they will learn to be persistent and keep trying.

Bonding

Another major benefit of baking with your kiddos is that it is fun and is a great way to bond with them. Your children will love baking with you and spending this special time with you. It is a fun activity that you can do together and help them learn and develop new and existing skills. If you are looking for a fun way to bond with your children, try baking. This can be a great way for your children to learn and develop a special and meaningful relationship with you! You can build a lot of fun memories with your children in the kitchen baking goodies together.

There are many benefits of baking with your kiddos. They can learn a lot, develop new skills, improve old ones, and find a new hobby! Whether you are baking holiday cookies, making bread for your dinner, or baking just for the fun of it, your little ones can benefit a lot from this activity. Make plans this weekend to bake with your kiddos and help them grow and develop.

If you are looking for a child care center to help your kiddo get a jumpstart to their education, Growing Kids Learning Centers can help! Contact us to learn more and check out our programs!

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At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we know that this year has been hard for you and your kiddos. We believe that by making the most of this holiday season, you can teach your children to focus on the good in a bad situation and how to stay positive no matter what. While your holiday celebration will look different this year, there are still so many things you can do to make it special and enjoy it as a family. In this blog, we are going to give you some ideas for how to make this holiday season a fun one! Read on to learn more and be sure to check out our programs!

Decorate Everything

If your family feels like the holidays don’t have the same warm and cozy feeling that they usually have, it is time to decorate! Nothing makes the holidays feel more like the holidays than a well-decorated home. If you haven’t already, get out your decorations and go crazy! Your kiddos will love decorating the home with their favorite festive decorations. This is not the year to hold back on your decorations, in fact, we think you should invest in some more! Decorating your home with an excessive amount of holiday decor can help you create the warm and cozy feeling that we all know and love.

Another fun way to decorate your home with your kiddos is to make some of your own decorations! Winter-themed crafts are a great way to add a special touch to your holiday decor and allow you to spend quality time with your children doing fun activities. From paper snowflakes to construction paper garland, you can decorate your home with fun crafts your kiddos make.

Bake Sweet Treats

Baking with your family is another fun way to celebrate the holiday season. Sweet treats are a major part of the holidays, and just because you can’t share them with all your friends and family members this year doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make them! Spend time each weekend baking something with your children. Not only is this a fun activity to do with your kiddos and a great way to celebrate the holidays, but baking is actually very beneficial for developing minds! This activity teaches them to follow directions, helps with language development, allows them to work on their counting skills, and so much more.

Start A New Tradition

The holidays are also a time for family traditions. While you may not be able to do some of your old traditions, you can always start new ones! Brainstorm some fun things that your family would enjoy doing that could become a fun holiday tradition, whether it is reading a holiday book near the fire, getting matching pajamas and watching movies all day long, or making new ornaments every year. While it can be difficult to plan a tradition, you can plan a bunch of different activities and see which one sticks. Maybe your family will love doing all of these activities so much that you suddenly have multiple new family traditions!

Enjoy Cheesy Holiday Movies

While there are some great holiday movies out there that most of us love, there are others that are quite cheesy. Instead of shying away from these cheesy holiday flicks, embrace them! Make a list of all the cheesy festive films your family wants to watch this season and make a schedule to watch them all! Make this family movie time extra-special by making hot cocoa, enjoying some popcorn, and building a fort. Be sure to throw in some classic films as well so that your children can enjoy the holiday movies that you grew up watching! This is a fun way to share a piece of your childhood with your kiddos and it could help bring back some special holiday memories for you.

Meet With Family Virtually

The holiday season is meant to be spent with family, and while you may not be able to physically see family this year, you always can plan virtual meetings! Plan a time to video chat with your parents so that your kiddos can see their grandparents and talk to them throughout the season. This is a fun way to meet with family and can help everyone feel more together. This can be a great time for your little ones to show their grandparents the holiday crafts they have made, their favorite ornament, and any other fun things they want to show off.

Make Holiday Sweaters

Ugly holiday sweaters are something many people love and one way to celebrate this holiday season is to make your own with your kiddos! Simply buy some plain sweaters or sweatshirts in any color, buy some holiday craft supplies and a hot glue gun, and start decorating! This can be a fun way to make this year’s ugly sweater even more special and meaningful and it is a fun activity to do with your family. You can wear your homemade ugly holiday sweaters in family photos to really capture the memory!

Make Gifts

We know that the pandemic has put some families in a financially hard place. Everything is stressful enough as it is, the last thing you should do is stress about the holidays and gifts. Instead, make this year about making gifts! This can be a fun way to put more thought and time into your family’s gifts and can become a fun family tradition. Plus, your kids can get in on the action as well! While kids do not often take part in the gift-giving part of the holidays, when you make gifts, they can participate. They will be so excited to give someone a gift that they made! Even if it is a popsicle stick picture frame with a photo of them in it, they will be excited to give this special gift that they put time and effort into.

While this holiday season is not going to be the same as previous years, there are still so many reasons and fun ways to celebrate! Your kiddos will appreciate that you are still trying to make the holiday season special for the whole family and they will learn to take the same positive approach to life, which is a great life lesson to teach your kiddos at a young age — just because things aren’t going how you had hoped doesn’t mean you can’t make the most out of the situation you are in.

If you are looking for a child care center, be sure to check out Growing Kids Learn Centers! We offer a variety of great programs that can help your kiddos learn and develop new skills. Contact us today. We hope you have a safe, happy, and fun holiday season with your family!

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While we know that parents aren’t always looking for ways to teach their children, we believe that every moment can be a learning opportunity and that fun activities can be educational too! If you are trying to plan different things to do with your child throughout the summer, we can help.

At Growing Kids Learning Centers, we love combining fun and education to help our students learn. We wanted to give you some ideas to help you plan both fun and educational activities for your kiddos this summer. Read on to learn more and start planning all the summer fun!

Start a Garden

While this activity takes some dedication, it is fun to do with your children and can teach them a variety of different lessons. Whether you decide to plant flowers, vegetables, or any other type of plant, a garden can teach your children a lot about nature, process, and how things grow. They can watch as their seeds turn into seedlings, they can see the process of a strawberry growing. You can learn some more about plants and nature and help your child understand how it all works.

If you want to make this activity more focused on numbers and letters, you can have your child count how many plants there are, how many leaves or vegetables are growing, and help them make labels for all of their plants, allowing them to use numbers and letters for their garden.

Make Ice Cream

What’s better in summer than some tasty ice cream on a hot day? While eating ice cream is not extremely educational, making it can be! Making ice cream with your kiddos can be a fun science experiment that gives you a tasty reward at the end. This recipe from delish teaches you how to make ice cream in a bag, making it fun, easy, and educational for your kiddo to enjoy a treat. This activity can teach them how different ingredients can be used to create something tasty!

Bake Something

Baking is another great way to help your children learn in a fun way. Baking cookies, brownies, or bread may not seem like an activity that can help your kiddos learn something, but it can actually teach them a lot! When you bake with your kids, you can help them learn to follow directions, teach them how to measure, and help them understand how different ingredients work together to create a tasty treat. Baking is a great activity to do with your kiddos that is fun and educational!

Explore Historical Sites

Every town and city has some history and you can take your children on an adventure to learn about that history! Take some time to explore your town and walk around historical sites, or take a tour if possible. This can be a fun way to learn more about your home and get a cool history lesson as well!

We have locations throughout Indiana, so we figured we would give you a list of resources based on where we are located to help you find historical sites.

• South Bend: South Bend offers a ton of beautiful and unique historical sites, including mansions, museums, and more! Here is a list of some historical places and other places to visit in South Bend!
• Elkhart: Elkhart is another town rich with history and a ton of great places to explore. You can find a list of some of the best ones here!
• Valparaiso: Downtown Valparaiso contains buildings that have been standing for over a century. Take a stroll downtown and be sure to learn the history of some of these beautiful buildings.
• Goshen: There are many different historical sites in Goshen that could be fun to visit with your kiddos. You can find a list here!
• Charleston: Another city full of historical sites and places to explore, Charleston can be a great place to explore with your kiddos.
• Plymouth: Plymouth has a number of notable buildings lining the street that has historical significance. You can find a full list of those buildings here!
• Warsaw: Warsaw has some beautiful and historical places that your kids will love to see. You can find a list here!

While your child may not be as into the actual history of some of the places around your city, it can help open their eyes to the fact that these places have been around for many years and help them begin to understand history. Plus, it is fun to look at some old architecture and explore the place you live.

These are only a few of the many fun and educational summer activities that you can enjoy with your children. Start planning the summer fun and be sure to contact Growing Kids Learning Centers to learn more about our schools and enroll your child today!

The post Fun and Educational Summer Activities appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

At Growing Kids Learning Centers in northern Indiana, we know that keeping kids entertained is not an easy task, especially when you have to work during the day. We wanted to help you out but giving you a few ideas for fun activities to do with your children or have your children do while you are working. Read on to learn more!

Build a Fort

Building a fort in your home can be a fun activity for kids that will allow them to create, use their problem-solving skills, and work together. Use couch cushions, pillows, sheets, and tall stools or objects to create a fort that gives your kiddos a new space to do different activities.

If you don’t want a fort in your living room for a few days, have your children build their fort in a different room of the house where they can leave their fort up for a while. Whether you help them build a fort or they build it on their own, be sure to have them add some pillows and blankets inside so that they can spend some time in there and be comfortable. Your children can play games, pretend play, color, read, and do a variety of other fun activities in their fort.

Make Movies

Invest in an easy-to-use video camera or allow your children to use your smartphone to make movies. Pull out all of their dress-up clothes and costumes to help them get into character. They can spend time writing or planning the story they want to turn into a movie, picking characters, and planning it all out.

This is a fun activity that your children may love more than you would guess. Not only do they get to play pretend, but they can get their creativity flowing and have fun creating something unique together. They can take turns filming the “movie,” play different characters, collaborate with each other, use their imagination, and get everyone involved.

Not only is making movies a fun activity that will keep your children busy all day, and maybe all week, but it can also lead to a cherished memory that your children will love watching when they get older. It is amazing how imaginative children can be and making movies is a great way to capture that.

Do Crafts

Doing art and craft projects is another fun way for your children to spend their days. Next time you run to the store, be sure to pick up some new craft supplies or order them online. Get something different. While most kids have all the coloring stuff they need, there are many other fun crafts that they can do. Get a bracelet making kit, oven-bake clay, and other unique craft supplies.

Another fun art project that was popular a few years ago is fuse beads. These beads come with shape boards that your child can decorate with colorful beads, after they are done, you can help them iron the beads to melt them together. The result is a colorful and fun pattern that they can use to decorate their room! This is a fun art project that your child will love doing day after day.

You can also find unique craft ideas on Pinterest! This is a great place to find easy and fun projects for kids that will keep them busy and allow them to be creative. Craft projects are a great way for children to spend their time and can be very beneficial. Plus, you will have a ton of masterpieces to hang on your fridge and display around your house!

Set Up a Treasure Hunt

If you have time, setting up a treasure hunt for your children can be a fun way to keep them entertained for a day. You can even hide a new toy, game, or book at the end of the treasure hunt that they can enjoy for the next few weeks.

Your treasure hunt can include clues throughout your home and yard with riddles to keep your kids guessing. This is a fun way to keep your children entertained and help them use their problem-solving skills.

Depending on the age of your children you can make the clues for this scavenger hunt a little more difficult so they have to figure it out or make them simple to keep them engaged and excited about the treasure.

Create In The Kitchen

While we don’t expect you to allow your children to use the oven or stove without your supervision, creating in the kitchen can be a fun and entertaining activity. If you have time in your day to spend with your kids, allow your kiddos to get creative in the kitchen. They can make up different “recipes” and try new things.

Or you all can cook something fun together. Maybe there is a monkey bread recipe that you wanted to try or maybe your children have been asking to make cookies for a while now. Spending time in the kitchen can be fun and a great activity to do with your kiddos. You can even try new dinner recipes that the whole family can enjoy together!

Cooking or baking is a great activity for kids because it teaches them how to follow directions and can give them a sense of pride when their cookies turn out perfectly. You can also have them help you clean everything up to teach them responsibility.

Relax

There are some days when simply relaxing is a great activity for the entire family. You could set up an at-home spa, do a yoga practice, and watch a few of your favorite movies. You could even incorporate some of the activities above into your day of relaxation.

Build a fort as a family and work together to create a fun breakfast or lunch. Spend your day in the fort playing games as a family, reading, or watching some movies. You could throw a yoga practice in there to help keep your kids active and relaxed at the same time. Having a day where you simply relax can be fun for the whole family and teach your child a thing or two about self-care at an early age.

There are so many fun and creative activities that you can do with your kiddos at home. These are only a few ideas that we love, but there are many more! Find something fun for your kiddos to do while stuck at home. Kids are creative, imaginative, and easily entertained, all you have to do is give them the supplies and they can entertain themselves for hours!

Once the world goes back to normal, be sure to check out Growing Kids Learning Centers in Northern Indiana. We offer different programs full of fun activities that will keep your children learning and entertained. Contact us with any questions you may have.

The post Fun Activities to Do With Your Children While Stuck At Home appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

While your child likely does not deal with as much stress during a day at preschool as you do, self-care is still beneficial and important for them to practice. When you teach your child about self-care at a young age, it will teach them to prioritize their mental and physical health, now and as they age. According to a Parents article, when you introduce your kiddos to these habits of caring for themselves, it can help them learn how to deal with stressors in the future and reduces their risk of developing mental health conditions, such as anxiety and depression!

At Growing Kids Learning Centers in Northern Indiana, we understand the importance of implementing these types of things when a child is young. As your kiddo develops, they will learn skills that they will carry throughout their adult life, including skills for caring for their own wellbeing. In this blog, we are going to go over some tips that can help you teach your child about self-care. Read on to learn more and start practicing together!

Teach Basic Skills

Start by teaching your child basic skills they need to follow to keep themselves healthy. From personal hygiene to diet, you can start teaching these things at a young age. If you are feeding your kiddo healthy foods, giving them baths, and helping them brush their teeth, you are helping them to develop a foundation for taking care of themselves as they grow. These are things that your child will have to learn how to do eventually and if you work with them early on, you can help them develop healthy habits. While these may not seem like huge self-care habits, they are some of the most important and they show your child that you have to take care of yourself to keep yourself healthy.

Work on the Mind

Nowadays, kids often get lost watching episodes of their favorite TV show, playing video games, or consuming too much screen time. While technology is a huge part of the future and your child’s life, you should also encourage them to nourish the mind and get away from the TV or tablet for a while. Buy toys that get your child to think, allow them to practice imaginative play, or work on some crafts. These all can help them develop different skills and allow them to work things through in their minds. Take it a step further and have them practice yoga or something else that helps them get in touch with their inner selves with you. This is a great way to help them gain insight and awareness.

Talk About Emotions

A huge part of self-care revolves around mental health and emotions. While talking to your toddler about emotions will be different than talking to a teenager about emotions, it is a great way to help them develop the right skills to identify and manage their emotions. When your child has a tantrum or is feeling sad, help them talk about their emotions and figure out ways to manage them. Many adults do not know how to manage their emotions and may not even know how to properly identify them, which can lead to problems of their own. By helping your kiddo better understand their emotions, they can understand how to handle them, even as an adult. This is a great way to practice self-care and get in touch with their emotions.

Get Active

Exercise is a great self-care habit that is easy to teach your child. While it is unlikely that you will bring your toddler to the gym and teach them how to lift weights, there are so many ways you can encourage an active lifestyle. Play soccer or basketball with them, bring them to the park, go on bike rides, go for long walks, do yoga, the list goes on and on. When you live an active lifestyle, you are more likely to be healthier mentally, physically, and emotionally. Help your children learn that being active can help them destress and feel better. They will carry this into their future.

Allow For Downtime

Don’t teach your child that downtime is bad. Sometimes the best self-care practice is doing nothing. Especially in the fast-paced lives we live as adults, sometimes all we need is a break from it all to do absolutely nothing. Allow for your kiddos to have some downtime, whether that means just cuddling with them on the couch for a few minutes, reading to them, or sitting outside and watching the clouds float by. Teaching your child that it is okay to take some downtime and that it can help them slow down their busy lives when they become adults.

Spend Time Together

Spending time with loved ones is not only a great self-care act for adults, but also for children! Make it a habit of spending some quality time with your children every week and doing something fun. Get some ice cream, play a silly game, or do some other fun activity. Not only can it work as a self-care practice, but it can also help you bond with your child!

Get Outside

Spending time outside can help you and your kiddos refresh and is another great self-care practice. Spend time outside with your kiddos whenever you can. Have fun outdoor adventures that allow them to explore and enjoy time outside. By making the outdoors a major part of your family life, you can help your child develop a love for it and use it as a self-care tactic as they grow.

There are many ways to teach your child self-care and to practice with them! By teaching your children self-care at a young age, you can help them develop these important habits as they age and become adults.

If you are interested in our learning center, be sure to contact us today! We have multiple programs that help kids to learn and develop skills they will use throughout the rest of their lives. Get started and enroll your child at one of the Growing Kids Learning Centers across Northern Indiana!

The post Self-Care Tips For Kids appeared first on Growing Kids Learning Center.

If the thought of your child pointing out a person who is different than them is simply mortifying, you’re not alone. It’s common for kids to want to understand the newness of the world around them! However, there are great lessons in empathy that show up at these opportunities.

You might not fully be able to prevent your child from shouting about a woman using a wheelchair, but you will be able to teach tolerance with these tips from Growing Kids Learning Centers. Find out how to teach young kids about differences, and look into preschool and child care with our schools in South Bend (at Ireland Road, State Road 23, and North Bendix Drive), Chesterton, Goshen, Warsaw, Plymouth, Elkhart, Bristol, or Valparaiso today!

Give Examples

If you’re trying to avoid having your child call attention to someone who’s different from them, be proactive! Find books and movies that show great examples of representation. If the majority of your child’s exposure to fictional and nonfictional characters are very similar to them or your family, find more diverse examples.

There are some amazing, kid-friendly books that do the work of giving examples of differences for you. Purchase “It’s Okay to Be Different” by Todd Parr, “Elmer” by David McKee, “Princess Hair” by Sharee Miller, and “The Boy in the Dress” by David Walliams for your library collection.

Have Open Discussions

When you were growing up, you might have had moments where adults told you not to notice or think about other people’s differences. You might have even been told not to talk about them, or been scolded for your inquiries. At best, this breeds a lot of curiosity without direction; at worst, it creates feelings of shame.

No child should be ashamed for asking questions, especially when they have no context for what they’re asking about. Have conversations about appropriate times (and speaking volumes!) to ask questions, how other people might feel if they become the center of attention without their permission, and how you will always answer your child’s questions — it just might not be right when they want an answer.

Relate it Back to Them

The great thing about this lesson is that everyone is different! We all have our own unique tendencies, looks, and personalities. Even when your child might feel like someone else is different, the truth is that the stranger walking on the street will find them (your child) just as different!

It’s always important to focus on how we have things in common with one another, but it’s even more important to remember how our greatest commonality is that we are all different. And these differences can and should be celebrated.

Enroll in Preschool

From the books we read at Growing Kids Learning Centers to the peer-to-peer interactions we help supervise, facilitate, and use as teaching moments, your child will confidently learn how to embrace others’ differences — as well as their own. Social-emotional growth and empathy are two of the greatest and most important skills for a child to learn. Preschool is the perfect place to work on these skills, especially when you enroll with Growing Kids Learning Centers. Tour one of our schools today!

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