Tag: preschoolers

Cool Summer Activities for Preschoolers on Hot Summer Days

toddler summer activities, preschooler water play

Summer is chock full of opportunities for entertaining and enriching little kids’ development through new experiences and activities. Need some ideas for summer activities for preschoolers? Check out these ideas for summer activities for the 3-5 year-old set. They’ll come in especially handy during the dog days of summer, headed our way.

1. No-Stress, No Mess Water Play

Take advantage of a sunny day (or even a rainy one, provided there’s no thunder or lightning) to set your kids loose outdoors and let them burn some energy doing what all kids love to do as a summer activity – play with water. Fear not, city dwellers, simply set a big plastic container filled with water on whatever outside space you have and arm your tikes with any of the following, all which make for great water play for little hands:

Summer Activities for Keeping Preschoolers — Ice Cube Boat via Alpha Mom

Small plastic fish or animals
Barbie or Polly Pockets dolls
Sponges and a wash cloths
Small paint brushes for “painting” the sidewalk
Matchbox cars for washing
Boats – make your own Ice Cube Boats with nothing more than an ice cube molded in a plastic cup set with a drinking straw and flag for a sail. These boats are adorable, and perfect for hot days.
Plastic cups for pouring and filling
A watering can for watering plants
A garden hose
Pull out the inflatable pool and let them splash for hours.

2. Easy DIY Crafts Just for Kids

Every kid needs a creative outlet, not to mention a quiet, inside activity once in awhile. We’ve found loads of great summer crafts for kids of all ages, some that can be made in minutes and others that will occupy a preschooler for the full duration of his baby sibling’s nap. Check out our Summer Crafts for Kids Pinterest board for ideas, including these adorable and easy-to-make Flowers.

3. Explore a Good Book

Be sure to save time in your summer schedule for the simple pleasure of reading with and teaching your preschooler skills that will help him learn to read. You can encourage preschoolers to spend time with books by having them join older siblings in a summer reading program, whether it be one from a local library, Scholastic or a homemade incentive program. Encourage any form of reading, including pre-reading activities, like tracing or practicing their ABCs; “reading” to you or a sibling; or having a summer ritual of reading together as a family, perhaps a chapter of an endearing family-friendly favorite like Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey, before bed. Scholastic has a helpful list of book recommendations for kids of all ages, including good picks for 3-5 year olds.

4. Get Your Groove On!

Another good hot summer activity is getting your groove on. Turn a playdate into a musical instrument making extravaganza (hint, hint, call in a babysitter to help!) and create the neighborhood’s next musical sensation. Check out Meaningful Mama’s fantastic list of 20 DIY Musical Instruments for Kids and see how simple and easy it can be to make anything from a bottle-cap tambourine to a full-on drum set.

5. Master a New Skill (and give Mom and Dad a helping hand!)

Teaching kids new skills helps develop their independence and shows them that they are an important, contributing member of their family… and eventually of the bigger world. Early childhood education experts recommend building skills by assigning chores, and believe that most preschoolers are capable of any of the following simple “taking care of myself and my house” chores:

Setting and clearing their place at the table
Making their bed
Sorting their clothes from the dryer
Picking up and putting away toys and art supplies.

See our handy guide to age-appropriate chores for kids for more ideas.

After all the fun with these summer activities for preschoolers you might need a parents night out. Book an UrbanSitter and leave the entertaining to the sitter!

5 Ways to Celebrate Preschool or Kindergarten Graduation

Don’t let your little one’s graduation from preschool or kindergarten pass by without a little fanfare. Remember the momentous milestone and his special day with these fun ways to celebrate.

What’s a party without a cake?

Whether your grad’s party is the real deal or just a classroom celebration, make it memorable with a celebratory cake like this adorable one from Sugar Creation. It makes use of a dummy cake for the top layer, which makes it a little easier to create… assuming you have decorating skills on par with hers!

Sport a special t-shirt to mark the big day.
You’ll eliminate the “what to wear” battle on graduation day and likely many other days, too. After the celebration, let him wear it to show he’s been there and done that.

Bring a class treat.
Free printable graduation stickers are a simple way to turn a lollipop and a pencil into a party favor.

Take a memorable photo.
With a little thinking ahead you can have a photo to freeze the day in time. You’ll love pulling it out in 12 years or so to compare to her high school graduation photo.

URBS_graduation_nada almashat — via Nada Almashat

Create a Memory Board.
This affordable, printable chalkboard from Chalking It Up is a cute way to remember the year. You can record his favorites, the names of his best friends, and memorable moments and firsts. Mount it on foam board for a party or photo prop, or paste it in scrapbook or photo book that wraps up the year or his preschool career.

What are your ideas for celebrating the little ones’ graduation day? Let us know in the comments!

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3 Parenting Myths about Children & Sleep, Busted!

By Dawn Van Osdell sleep+toddler

There’s a lot of contradictory and downright erroneous parenting info floating around out there. We’re not afraid to tackle it head-on!

You may be past the days of coaxing your newborn to sleep through the night, or convincing your toddler to get in bed while his older siblings are still awake. But sleep challenges don’t always disappear when your little one graduates to the big kid bed! This month, we
turned to psychologist and family sleep coach Sasha Carr, Ph.D. to help us bust three myths about sleep challenges related to growing children.

Myth #1: We have so much to do after school—activities, homework, dinner, spending time together as a family. It’s okay to push bedtime back to a later hour, since my child will be extra tired and is sure to sleep better.

Truth: It may seem reasonable to keep kids up later so we can squeeze more into our busy evenings, but the latest sleep research tells us that this isn’t a wise or productive solution. Although most young children naturally wake between 6:00 and 7:00 am, they are more likely to wake even earlier if they’ve gone to bed later, since overtired kids don’t sleep as well. They often have a hard time staying asleep through the night, or wake super early and aren’t able to go back to sleep, explains Carr. It’s important to stick to a reasonable bedtime so kids can load up on what Carr calls the “power hours” of sleep, that early, non-REM sleep time when we all sleep more soundly; this way, kids will easily be able to fall back to sleep after those normal, brief awakenings in the second half of the night.

You can make getting a good night’s sleep a priority in your house by holding tight to a reasonable bedtime. To get there, carefully consider which after-school activities are best for your child and your family and, when possible, scale back or move some of them to the weekends.

Myth #2: My child isn’t a baby anymore so he doesn’t need a bedtime ritual. Plus, now that he stays up later, I’m too tired to keep the routine going.

Truth: Bedtime routines can become like death marches for parents, especially if they’re too long and complex, or if they drag on too late into the evening. “While it’s tempting to cut your exhausted self some slack and skip the ritual, keep at it,” says Carr. Routines are reassuring even to older children, giving them consistency and calm and as a result, helping them fall asleep. If you already have a routine, work on shortening or simplifying it, so it’s easier for you to stick with it.

Thirty minutes is the ideal amount of time to be fully engaged with your child at the end of their day. So if bedtime stretches too far into the night, consider starting your bedtime routine a half hour earlier. If you always read three books, cut back to two. If you have more than one child to put to bed, save your sanity by adjusting your routine so that it includes everyone and accommodates age differences; alternate reading a chapter and picture books aloud, or have an older child read to his younger sibling, for example.

Myth #3: My child finally sleeps through the night and it’s going to stay that way forever!

Truth: Bravo to you for reaching this amazing sleep milestone! But be aware that sleep habits can change as kids grow and also change. It’s not unusual for preschoolers to have difficulty falling asleep at night, especially during a period of change, such as starting school; and some children experience night terrors—similar to nightmares although much more disruptive to the rest of the family than to the child having them—typically between the ages of 3 and 12.

Also, interestingly, Carr points out that many children progress to an 8:00 pm bedtime as they get older, but our bodies’ circadian rhythms give us a
boost of a hormone called cortisol right around this time, which makes us more alert and therefore, less able to fall asleep. Outsmart it when the time comes, either by putting kids in bed before 8:00 pm (if they’ll stand for it), or establishing an 8:00 pm quiet time in which they can read or lie around before lights out, with the aim of having them drift off to sleep by 8:30 pm.

Photographs courtesy of UrbanSitter

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The Pros and Cons of Daycare Revealed by Studies

Does Your Choice of Child Care Effect Your Child’s Development?

Nearly 11 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care each week, which isn’t surprising since nearly 70 percent of mothers with children age 17 or younger work full or part-time. Almost 30 percent of these kids are enrolled in center-based child care, such as a daycare center, nursery school, pre-kindergarten, Head Start, or other early childhood education program. Choosing child care—such a day care center or in-home daycare, nanny, babysitter, or an au pair that is right for your kids, your schedule, and your budget can be a tough, emotional decision, and one parents often second guess. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of daycare.

Take comfort from the experts: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development’s (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, the largest and longest-running study on the effects of child care on development, shows that what happens at home—family and parent-child interaction—has a greater impact on how a child develops than does a parent’s choice of child care. (Hear the huge sigh of relief from parents everywhere!) However, it’s important to carefully evaluate childcare options for your family.

The Pros and Cons of Daycare

Pros:

Socialization—Daycare enables children to spend time with other children, helping them develop important social skills, such as sharing, taking turns, negotiating, and self-control. It helps them to function in groups, to understand social norms, and ultimately allows them to learn from each other.
Cognitive and Language Development— Many daycare centers provide some instruction or exposure to the arts and academic concepts. Studies show that kids who attend center-based daycare have somewhat better cognitive and language development, as well as stronger pre-academic skills involving letters and numbers.
Dependable Care—Because centers have several childcare providers, parents can count on dependable childcare. There’s no worry or scramble to find alternative childcare if a provider calls in sick.
Strengthened Immunity— Really! Parents bemoan the constant stream of germs and sickness kids pick up and bring home from daycare, but a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows that daycare may enhance immunity. Babies who attend large-group child-care centers get more respiratory and ear infections than those cared for at home, but they are less likely to come down with these ailments once they start elementary school, signaling that some immunity building is at work.

Cons:

Inflexible Hours—While daycare offers dependable care, it doesn’t necessarily offer flexible care. Daycare centers have set hours that may not match parents’ work hours or accommodate a parent’s need to stay late at work. Centers that offer late pick-ups often charge a premium for the convenience.
High Cost of Quality Care—Studies show there is a big difference between low-quality and high-quality daycare. High-quality day care centers do not come cheap. They can often cost as much or even more than a year of college education at a four-year university.
Behavioral Problems—The NICHD study found that kids who attend daycare may have more behavior problems at age 4—such as disobedience and aggression—than kids who are cared for by a parent or other caregiver.
Inconvenience—Unlike childcare in your own home, daycare requires a drop-off and pick-up, which isn’t always convenient for time-stretched parents. Additionally, daycare centers have strict sick policies (germ control!), which mean parents need to find alternative childcare if their child isn’t feeling well.

Evaluating Your Own Pros and Cons

Every child responds to care and benefits differently due to his own unique nature and needs, so you’ll want to create your own list of pros and cons for daycare. If you decide daycare is the right choice for your family, talk with family and friends for referrals, and visit centers to evaluate facilities, programs, and instructors. Be sure look for the most recent state license and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation.

To find a nanny or sitter to care for your child, services like UrbanSitter can connect you with local providers that accommodate your unique schedule, budget and childcare needs. Choose what works for you.

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Helping Your Child Adjust to Preschool

You’re a few weeks into the new school year and your preschooler is still struggling to adjust to school. It’s heart wrenching and frustrating to leave your child sobbing at the door of the classroom each morning, even if you know he’ll soon recover and have a fun time without you. Here are helpful tips to help ease separation anxiety and make the transition a bit easier on both of you.

Prepare yourself for leaving your child at preschool.
Children can pick up on nonverbal clues, and will sense your anxiety or uncertainness about the classroom, teacher or decision to leave him at school. Portray a sense of calm and confidence. You are making the right decision. Preschool is a wonderful place for your child to grow, learn and develop new and fulfilling relationships with caretakers and friends outside of the family.

Create a consistent routine.
Children thrive on routine. They need to know what to expect and what is expected of them. Create a consistent morning ritual – having breakfast together, packing his lunch, preparing for school, happily departing home and saying hello to the new teacher before saying goodbye to each other.

Make a prompt departure.
The first few days of school, you may have stuck around a little longer to help ease your child’s anxieties and help him to feel safe and comfortable in a new environment. Now that he has a few days or weeks under his belt, it’s time to say a prompt goodbye. Give a loving hug or kiss, assure your child that he’ll have a wonderful time at school and that you will return shortly… and promptly leave. Your child will soon come to accept that that’s how the separation plays out. Sticking around to comfort your child only prolongs the goodbye, making it tougher on everyone involved.

Don’t sneak out.
Leaving without saying goodbye with hope of avoiding a tearful farewell or a full-on meltdown, only makes the separation worse. You don’t want your child to feel abandoned or tricked. You also want them to know what to expect, including a loving goodbye.

Send along a little love.
Some experts recommend giving a child a transitional object to take to school for comfort. This may be a picture of the family, a favorite stuffed animal, doll, a lovey or blanket. Make sure your child’s teacher is ok with bringing things from home before you commit to sending in a favorite. Some teachers have a policy of leaving the item in a cubbie or school bag and allowing your child to visit it when needed.

Involve the teacher.
Talk with your child’s teacher about his reluctance about going to school or his anxiety to leave you. If she knows how your child feels, she’ll be ready to help you with the separation and provide extra comfort. Teachers have lots of effective strategies for helping little ones adjust to the goodbye, such as having a special activity ready for your child, putting aside a favorite toy for him, having a helper on hand to provide extra attention or creating a ritual for starting the day at school.

It’s reassuring to remember that starting school and being away from a parent is often a tough transition for preschoolers and their parents. Kids adjust to the change at their own pace, some needing a little extra time to feel comfortable and excited about their time away. Your patience, reassurance and consistency will help them to make the transition and embrace a rewarding new experience.

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How to be an Awesome Room Parent

You’ve signed on as room parent for your child’s class. Huge props to you! Your willingness to take on added responsibility is admirable and your mad organizational skills appreciated. As a classroom parent, you’re charged with serving as the main source of communication between your child’s teacher and all of the parents in the class.

Your duties likely include keeping everyone informed and up to date on class news and events, coordinating class parties, collecting money for teacher gifts, and recruiting volunteers to help meet the teacher’s needs. It’s a big responsibility, but you can do a stellar job and keep it manageable by following these helpful tips.

Don’t go it alone. Rather than handle it all, recruit another parent as a co-room parent and split the duties. One of you can handle email communication and calendar updates, and the other coordinate parties, field trips and events. Having a partner will keep you from becoming overwhelmed with ongoing tasks.

Have a sit down meeting with the teacher to synch expectations. This is your chance to understand the needs and responsibilities of the job, get a list of events for the calendar, obtain a class contact sheet and agree on how you and the teacher will communicate. Ask about any allergies or special needs in the class that you need to be aware of. Also get a sense of her style and ask about her favorites and preferences so you’ll be ready to choose the class gift.

Go digital. Keep an updated class calendar, whether it be on the classroom blog, school website or a site such as Shutterfly. Also make use of volunteering services like Volunteer Spot for communication. The sites will keep everything up to date and allow you to recruit volunteers, request things like extra supplies or snacks, and collect money for field trips and group gifts without sending countless emails. Using these services also helps to eliminate the dreaded Reply-All communication strings.

Help families get to know each other. One of the nicest things you can do for your child’s class is to help their families build relationships with each other. Sometime at the beginning of the year, long before holiday chaos consumes us all, send a welcome letter and schedule an informal meet and greet. There’s no party planning involved. Simply invite whoever is interested and available to meet somewhere local for coffee after school drop-off or for drinks one evening. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know your child’s friends’ parents, put faces to names, and compare notes on how the year is shaping up. You may end up finding a new carpool buddy, and you’ll certainly improve your chances of recruiting volunteers later in the year.

Make it a family affair. Involve the kids and your spouse by sharing duties. Your child will get an up close view of what you are doing for his classroom, and come to appreciate the work that goes into having a well organized and fun filled school year. It’ll also help take a lot of work off your to-do list.

With a little planning and upfront work, you can take the stress out of your duty as room parent and turn the experience into a rewarding opportunity for you to contribute to your child’s education and build lasting relationships with other families in the school. Congrats to you for stepping up to the job!

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Teacher Gifts to Show Your Thanks

With the end of the school year in sight, it’s time to think about teacher gifts for your children’s tireless educators. Teachers have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. Each September, families hand over their children, and entrust teachers to nurture, enrich and fill their minds with knowledge and responsibility to help prepare for the world.

How do you show your appreciation and gratitude? Whether you’d like to give a homemade gift or something practical, or you’re charged with buying or creating a gift from the whole class, we have thoughtful gift ideas that will go easy on your time and budget.

Group Teacher Gifts from the Class

If you’re the lucky parent charged with collecting contributions and choosing a class gift for the teacher, choose a collectively built gift that’s simple and sure to be loved. Choose a theme and assemble a gift basket or package that everyone in the class can contribute to fill.

To avoid the flurry of email communication that can flood your inbox when coordinating for a large group, rely on services such as Sign Up Genius, which will handle a lot of the coordination and help avoid duplicate purchases. To hold all the loot, use a cute bag or tote, which you or another family in the class can contribute.

Here are cute ideas for the class-contributed contents for a summer-themed package:

Beach towel
Gift certificate for Mani/pedi
Magazine
Paperback book
Journal
Small photo album
Insulated tumbler and drink mix
Sunscreen
Lip balm
Summery nail polish
Gift card to department store, a sunglasses or sport store
Monogrammed Frisbee
Cute drinking straws or drink stirs
Cocktail napkins
Reusable ice cubes in a fun summer shape
Outdoor tumblers and a pitcher
Deck of cards or a game

Quick and Easy “Homemade” Teacher Gifts

Looking to go beyond a store bought gift, but have less time than inspiration? Rather than tackle a big DIY project, you can add an extra, homemade touch to a store-bought (or homegrown) gift of flowers or a potted plant. Personalizing an always appreciated gift of green shows you’ve gone the extra mile to show you care. Here are three sweet and simple ways to embellish a potted plant or bouquet of flowers.

1. Chalkboard Pot from The Idea Room on Skip to My Lou you can customize with a personal note to your child’s teacher.

2. Handmade Container from Love of Family and Home.

3. DIY Succulent Terrarium from That’s Quirky.

Picking Up a Practical Teacher Gift and Packaging It Just Right

Save yourself the agonizing and shopping for the perfect gift. Nothing is more useful to a hardworking teacher on a limited salary than a gift card to a favorite store, café or restaurant. A gift card allows him or her to splurge or spend as they like. These fun, free gift card holders to print will personalize a gift that may seem a bit impersonal. There’s one for coffee, a book store, the movies and good ole Target.

No matter how you choose to thank your child’s teacher, remember that a personal note of thanks from you and your child is often the most important gift of all. Find the perfect babysitter for summer break at UrbanSitter.

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Tips to Help Ease Your Child’s Separation Anxiety

Guest Post by Vicky Keston of Gooselings

If your life with young children is anything like mine, it’s rare that you’re able to walk to the bathroom without a child attached to your legs or shower without a child or two peering through the glass. Needless to say, you need a break, but how do you get help from a babysitter when your child won’t leave your side?

According to childcare experts, children have an innate need to bond with their caregiver before they can trust them. Separation anxiety is common, but even young children can overcome their anxiety and bond with their sitter, giving you some much needed time to yourself. These useful tips will help you to understand the anxiety your child is feeling and take the necessary steps to make time away from you enjoyable and stress-free.

Tips to Ease Separation Anxiety

Find the right sitter for your child.
Interview potential sitters carefully to find one that both you and your child like and trust. Children can detect our nervousness, so your confidence in a childcare provider is important. Make the right choice by reviewing sitter background checks or paying to run one if it isn’t provided. Also check references from other parents and employers. When interviewing the caregiver, ask how she would handle your child’s separation anxiety and discuss strategies that might work best for your child. For additional questions to ask a sitter in an interview, check out this helpful article on interviewing potential childcare providers.

Do a trial run.
For the first time or two, ask the babysitter to watch your child while you’re in the home. Give them time to get comfortable together, then slowly ease your way out. Think of the preschool analogy in which teachers often tell parents to sit along the edge of the room while their child interacts with the teacher, feeling safe that their parent is in the room.

Read a book about Mommy always returning.
You can show your child that you understand her worries and assure her that your time apart is temporary by sharing books with characters they can relate to, such as “The Kissing Hand,” by Audrey Penn or “Owl Babies” by Martin Waddell. For children who are anxious about the transition to daycare or preschool, “My First at Nursery School,” by Becky Edwards is a comforting read.

Call it a playdate.
Tell your child that a new sitter is coming for a special playdate. Talk about how much fun they will have together, and discuss what types of things they can do together. Be enthusiastic. If you are nervous, your child will be, too.

Make it a quick goodbye.
When the caregiver arrives, say goodbye and remind your child that Mommy always comes back.

Create a family book.
Include photos of you, your child and the other important people in their life. It can be as simple as photos taped onto paper that you staple together, or as fancy as a photo book. Leave this with the caregiver, so that your child can look at the photos when feeling lonely. If your child begins to miss you, ask the caregiver to help her write a letter or make a card for you.

Following these tips will help your child to build a bond and ultimately trust in a sitter, making it easier for her to be away from you. Remember that it’s healthy for your child to develop these bonds with others and just as important for you get a break.

For additional recommendations on leaving your child with a caregiver, see advice from Dr. Sears. For children starting preschool, see additional ideas at http://gooseling.com/2013/09/04/transitioning-to-preschool/.

Find friend-recommended babysitters at UrbanSitter.com.

advice for parents elementary parenting preschoolers school age kids toddlers

5 Special Back-to-School Traditions to Start this Year

Even if you are sad to see the summer go, there’s no denying the excitement a new school year brings. You can get your kids motivated for a fresh start and build lasting memories by starting back-to-school traditions you can repeat each year. These fun, memorable traditions will have everyone raring to go!

To help you create traditions that are just right for your family, we’ve pinned loads of great back-to-school ideas, tips and products to our Back-to-School Pinterest Board and included links below. We hope they are helpful!

Start a New Back-to-School Tradition:

1. Super Star Shopping Date

Remember the thrill of picking out new school clothes when you were a kid? Maybe you got a new backpack, lunchbox or some fresh kicks. No matter how much or how little was on the shopping list or what’s on your list for your own kids, everyone loves starting the year with something new.

Take advantage of pre-fall sales and hit the stores with your child. Make him or her the center of attention by arranging to send siblings on a playdate or hiring a sitter to take over while the two of you are on a date.
Stock up on school supplies, gear and clothes for the new year.
Keep budgets in check by first doing a closet and drawer assessment with your child, deciding together what’s needed. Organized Home posts helpful strategies for Back-to-School Shopping.
Make shopping a fun event by including a stop for lunch and using the time with your child to talk about highlights of the summer, and plans and goals for the new year.

2. Meet a New Teacher and Host a New Friend

For a child, walking into a new classroom can be a scary thing. Seeing a familiar face in the room always makes it a bit a easier. Take advantage of opportunities to meet the new teacher and visit the classroom to build familiarity and calm first-day anxieties. It’s also helpful, if you have a class roster or know of a child who will be in the same class, to schedule a playdate with a classmate who happens to be an old friend you haven’t seen in awhile or make an introduction to a new friend.

Turn it into a fun tradition by making it an annual project to find a new or long-lost friend to meet up with after orientation day. You can make it extra special by meeting at a local park and bringing a treat to share or at a local ice cream shop for Back-to-School cones.

3. Tweak your Routine and Refresh your Homework Station or Quiet Time Spot

morning routine — Photo: IHeart Organizing

Being organized feels fantastic and gives everyone in the family a sense of control and preparedness. Have a tradition of holding a family meeting to discuss with older kids what could be improved from last year and to share with everyone what the routine will be once school starts.

This is the time to roll out new calendars, introduce new sitters and make sure kids know what to expect. There are lots of free printables that will help you organize expectations, including chore charts, weekly planners, lunchbox planners you can create with your child, and even simple This is Our Morning Routine and This is Our After-School Routine printable charts that will help kids stay focused and limit the number of times you’ll be barking orders, such as “Put your shoes on!”

If you have school-age kids, now is the time to refresh supplies for homework and organize them in a location that’s easy for kids to access. For younger kids, you can perk up the quiet time area, maybe adding a few new books to the collection or making a space more inviting by seeing that it has a comfy spot to rest and plenty of light for reading.

4. Share a Story and a Craft

Get kids excited about school and address concerns and worries by sharing a book about starting school. Picture books can help to reassure kids about starting school or going to a new school, and they also serve as catalysts for better communication at home. Check this handy list of top children’s books about starting school, including books that talk about first day jitters, how to make new friends and simply what to expect so the day is not so scary.

If you have a crafty crew, get them excited for the big day by spending time together on a Back-to-School project. Red Ted Art has a popular round-up of back to school craft ideas that are sure to get school spirit soaring.

5. Make the First Day Extra Special

first day of school sign — Photo: Just Imagine

Create a tradition of great fanfare on the first day of school! This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours planning menus and creating DIY decorations. It just means putting a little extra TLC into the day to turn it exciting and memorable. Here are some simple ideas you can do each year:

Get up earlier to set a pretty breakfast table with fresh flowers and a favorite breakfast that you don’t typically serve on a week-day morning, such as these French Toast Roll-ups that are so easy, they could easily become a week-day staple.
Have each child pose for a First Day photo you can save in special photo album. Take it up a notch by having your child hold a small sign or chalkboard marked with the date and a personal note, such as his favorite activity or what he wants to be when he grows up.
Pack a special lunchbox treat with a note reminding the recipient that you are thinking of him all day long.
Pick up a special after-school snack, such as these Chocolate Coconut Graham Crackers that take good’ole graham crackers to a new level, or a all the fixings for First Day sundaes. Take time out of your day to either sit with your child or call them to hear the highlights of the big day.

One more tradition to start (just for mom and dad): The occasional night out! Find a trusted babysitter at UrbanSitter.com.

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Your Turn for Snack Duty!

Add up all the school classrooms and sport’s teams your children participate in and you’ll see that it’s likely you’ll be handed snack duty more than a few times.

Bringing a snack for the class or the team to enjoy at half-time is a chance to help out the teacher or coach, and to provide kids with a tasty pick-me-up.

Before you choose a snack to share, there are a few things to keep in mind:

Homemade is great for avoiding preservatives and other ingredients we either can’t pronounce or would rather not see our children consume, but your child’s school or team may have a policy against bringing homemade snacks. Some require snacks be store bought and pre-packaged. Make sure you check the rules.

If you’re bringing a half-time game snack, keep in mind your biggest objective is to keep the players hydrated and fueled. Water is key, as is avoiding overly sugary, salty or fatty foods.

Parents of kids with allergies often send a separate snack for their kids, but it’s nice to be considerate and not leave anyone out when choosing a group snack. Play it safe and ask parents if anyone has an allergy you should be aware of and check labels to accommodate them.

Younger siblings often attend their big brother or sister’s game, and love to join in on the snack. It’s nice to bring extras. Their parents will greatly appreciate not having to keep little ones away from the tasty temptations.

Keep it simple. Snacks are often eaten standing up and at lighting speed. Nothing fussy.

So what do you bring? Here’s a helpful round up of tasty, healthy food to feed a crowd:

Save your wallet and the planet by foregoing juice boxes and bottles of water. Instead, bring a large jug of water or a healthy sports drink made from a mix, and don’t forget a stack of reusable cups.
Fresh fruit. Go beyond orange slices (although they are popular for a reason!). Think apples, Cuties, grapes and bananas, or make it fun by serving frozen fruit cubes or melon balls on skewers.
Yogurt sticks. Choose the ones without high fructose corn syrup and other nasty stuff, and freeze them to turn them into satisfying popsicles.
Air-popped popcorn served in brown paper bags.
String cheese sticks.
Individual serving bags of pretzels, Pirate Booty or Apple Chips.
Mini boxes or raisins or craisins.
Fruit leathers or twists made with 100 percent fruit.
Unsweetened applesauce in the pouches.
Jello cups.
Mini cinnamon raisin or whole-grain bagels.
Popsicles – packed in a well-insulated cooler.
Healthy granola bars or other kid-sized energy bars.

Need a little extra help with snack duty? Hire a sitter to help at UrbanSitter.com.

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