Benefits of Introducing Art for Young Children
Children of every age love to color, paint, draw, cut, and glue. They scribble on the walls and smear mud on the backyard fence. They mix all the paint or Play-Doh colors together to create new colors. They cut endless pieces of paper and paste them together with glue.
Is all this just a mess, or is there a developmental reason for the chaos?
Luckily, research shows that children love to create, and channeling their creativity has many positive benefits. Here are just a few.
Art Creates Well-Rounded Persons
When we focus on memorizing factual information in the early years, we can create children who are hardened by the beauty around us. Art helps children delight in the small areas of beauty, experience pride in their work, and value another’s art.
Improves Fine Motor Skills
Children begin to develop fine motor skills around twelve months of age. This is most noticeable with picking up food using a pincher grasp. As they grow, children will gradually acquire more fine-tuned motor skills, but there is a lot of practice needed before a child can successfully write their name on their homework assignments.
Art gives children the motivation to develop fine motor skills. Holding the grip on a crayon while dragging it along the paper is challenging for young hands, but the delight of seeing the color gives the child a reason to keep going.
Scribbling is a precursor to handwriting, so it’s vital to allow plenty of time for children to experiment by scribbling. Over time, the intrinsic muscles needed for handwriting will mature and strengthen, making handwriting easier in kindergarten.
Boosts Problem-Solving Skills
Art is open-ended. Any form of art provides endless possibilities to express the imagination. During creation, children make choices of color, texture, and proportions, and they learn problem-solving skills to get it to all fit together. They may change their mind along the way and need to adapt, or perhaps they made a mistake and must choose to either hide or include the mistake in their final creation.
These problem-solving skills aid children in social and educational situations. They learn to persevere and concentrate, make the best of mistakes, and learn how to do things correctly the next time.
Art Helps Children Express Themselves
Children experience a range of emotions throughout the day and are learning how to control and channel these feelings. Learning art is one of the best tools a child can constructively express their emotions.
If a child is feeling angry or anxious, an “art timeout” will allow them time to focus on something else and return to their situation of frustration or anxiety with a calm spirit.
Improves Academic Performance
Believe it or not, art can improve academic performance! Studies are being reviewed that show a correlation between creativity and higher IQ. Learning shapes and space help children master early math skills and learn about ideas such as bigger and smaller, opposites, and spatial awareness.
How Do I Start?
Hopefully, you are inspired to help your child experience the beauty of art. But how do you get started?
Luckily, art is easy to incorporate into your daily routine–it just takes a little intentionality. Starting with simple crayons and paper or a coloring book, talk about each color and shape. Some basic paints (or pre-colored paint with water pictures) are sure to delight your child and have very little cleanup. Paint sticks are another easy clean-up craft!
Older children can improve their fine motor skills by cutting with blunted children’s scissors or using stickers. Glue sticks can bring a new dimension to their cutout creations.
Art at Crestwood Preschool Academy
At Crestwood Preschool Academy, we strive to provide many opportunities for various art forms on a weekly basis. From infants to older ages, we include age-appropriate crafts, activities, and art appreciation so children gain all the benefits of art.
It can be hard to include your child’s art skills during a busy day. Thankfully, you can rest assured that your child receives age-appropriate and fun art skills at Crestwood Preschool Academy.
Crestwood Preschool Academy is proud to offer an outstanding educational and fun curriculum that prepares your child for kindergarten per state academic standards.
Contact Crestwood Preschool Academy today if you’re looking to give your child a head start in school!
What’s Next
Why You Want Your Child to Have a Structured Day
You may enjoy spontaneity in your job or social life. However, children need the consistency of a structured routine in order to flourish and learn essential life skills.
Consistency and routine can be hard to accomplish as a stay-at-home parent because there are endless options for how to fill your day. But it’s precisely the inconsistency in routine that can cause tantrums.
This is where the advantage of daycare comes in! At Crestwood Preschool Academy, we have a consistent daily and weekly schedule. Keep reading to learn how maintaining consistency benefits your child.
Reduced Anxiety
Adults can relate to the feelings of anxiety over not knowing the future. Similarly, children can experience anxiety when they don’t know what to expect in their day. Children often express their anxiety can result in obstinance or tantrums. The best way to help relieve anxiety is to give children a predictable, consistent routine. Children feel safe and secure when they know their routines.
Safety and Security
Knowing that adults are in charge gives children a sense of safety and security. When a routine is in place, children instinctively know that they don’t have to protect themselves or look out for their best interests. They are free to simply be children.
Gives a Sense of Control
Having a schedule helps children feel confident and in control of their environment. They can be fully present to learn and play because they know what is expected and what is coming next.
Engaged in Learning
Children are more likely to be engaged in learning when they have a consistent routine. They know that the teacher sings a good morning song, that snack comes after reading aloud, and that naps happen after lunch. They won’t have anxiety about what is coming next or if the teacher will change her mind on a whim.
How Do I Start?
If your child throws tantrums or outbursts, you may feel motivated to reduce their anxiety by starting a routine.
Pick two or three things you know you can be consistent about. Pick something you know you can stick with for at least two months, which is the average time to form a new habit.
Finally, don’t forget to be flexible. Modeling an appropriate response to inconvenience or a change in schedule influences how your child will respond to similar situations in the future.
Structured Routine at Crestwood Preschool Academy
We understand the importance of a structured routine at Crestwood Preschool Academy while occasionally giving flexibility for special events. Each classroom has its own daily routine that meets the needs and capabilities of the age group. The children enrolled in Crestwood Preschool Academy can count on our teachers and staff to consistently teach from our curriculum calendars and provide outings that they can look forward to.
Crestwood Preschool Academy is proud to offer an outstanding educational and fun curriculum that prepares your child for kindergarten per state academic standards.
Contact Crestwood Preschool Academy today if you’re looking to give your child a head start in school!
What’s Next
5 Benefits of Teaching Young Children Math
Most people think reading is an early marker of intellectual and educational success. However, new research indicates that math skills are more important than reading in predicting future academic success. The conclusions are so strong that now experts are saying math needs to be emphasized over reading in early childhood education.
Here is what the science reveals about how math helps young children.
Predicts Academic and Career Success
According to several studies, “Early math skills foretell higher aptitude in high school math and higher rates of college enrollment… [and for] both males and females, mathematical precocity early in life predicts later creative contributions and leadership in critical occupational roles.”
Develops Problem-Solving Skills
Math is all about solving the equation. It only makes sense, then, that math improves your child’s problem-solving skills. The earlier children can solve math problems, the better they can solve everyday problems–and succeed in math at school.
Introduces Logic Skills
Dr. Jie-Qi (Jackie) Chen has said “Math is the language of logic.” Your child’s brain will mature in logic as he develops early math skills because you must first figure out the best way to solve a math equation before performing each step. Children who learn math concepts early in life have a head start on analytical and logic skills.
Improves Flexible and Creative Thinking
Equations can often be solved in more than one way, which promotes flexible and creative thinking. Using creative and flexible thinking at an early age strengthens the brain to perform more challenging mental tasks later.
Teaches Perseverance
Almost all adults can recall having a meltdown over math homework. Perhaps the greatest lesson we learned from these meltdowns was perseverance. Math provides ample opportunity to persevere and solve the equation. The earlier children learn perseverance, the more resilient they will be in the real world.
How Do I Start Teaching My Child Math?
Hopefully, you feel inspired to incorporate early math skills into your daily routine. But how do you start? You must first take into consideration the age of your child and their current math knowledge. While teaching numbers is important to understanding math, math is more than numbers.
Some creative ways to incorporate math skills include:
- Sorting shapes and colors or other toys (e.g. cars from trains)
- Discuss the different weights, sizes, shapes, and heights of objects
- Use various blocks with geometric shapes to build visual literacy
- Use pattern games to practice patterns and sequences
- Strategically choose board or card games that include math, like Chutes and Ladders or Uno
Math Skills at Crestwood Preschool Academy
Crestwood Preschool Academy teaches many early childhood math skills, as well as providing math-centered games, puzzles, and toys that develop your child’s brain so they receive all the benefits of early math skills.
It can be hard to include your child’s math skills during a busy day. Thankfully, you can rest assured that your child receives age-appropriate and fun math skills at Crestwood Preschool Academy.
Crestwood Preschool Academy is proud to offer an outstanding educational and fun curriculum that prepares your child for kindergarten per state academic standards.
Contact Crestwood Preschool Academy today if you’re looking to give your child a head start in school!
What’s Next
What Makes a Safe Daycare?
What makes a childcare center safe?
Licensure should be the first box any daycare should check. A licensed daycare will meet minimum standards for staff accreditation, safety, sanitization, and nutrition. What sets quality daycares above average is when the daycare goes above and beyond the minimum standards.
Here are some key areas to keep in mind when you’re looking for childcare.
Safety Policies
Some preschools are lax in their safety policies, such as letting the staff’s family members or friends inside during business hours. Letting any visitor into the building is a huge red flag. At Crestwood Preschool Academy, we keep a tight rein on who we allow in the building so you don’t have to worry about strangers watching your children.
Our security cameras record everything in the building, playground, and parking lot. Additionally, our playground area is shielded from most foot and automobile traffic.
Sanitation Policies
In a post-pandemic world, everyone must be even more careful to reduce the spread of bacteria and viruses. That includes daycares!
There are three primary ways daycares can practice proper sanitation for safety:
- Hand Washing: Staff must wash their hands and use hand sanitizer frequently. Modeling these sanitary behaviors also helps children develop safe sanitation habits.
- Toy Sanitation: Toys need daily cleaning, especially in younger classrooms where children put everything in their mouths. A facility should clean toys throughout the day and before closing.
- Building Sanitation: Toilets, floors, and sinks should be cleaned with a bleach solution regularly. Additionally, the building should be routinely checked for mold, termites, water damage, and more.
At Crestwood Preschool Academy, we do our share in preventing the spread of viruses and illnesses. Although illness will still occur, we carefully train and hold our staff accountable to our sanitation policies.
Safe Employee Policies
Daycare employees must be background checked and maintain certain health standards to be employed by a daycare. However, checking these boxes doesn’t make a staff member automatically a good teacher or role model.
At Crestwood Preschool Academy, we are picky in our hiring process. We want the best teachers and staff so we can provide quality childcare and early education! Our teachers are skilled with classroom management, peacemaking skills, and early childhood education, and are all-around great role models for children.
Crestwood Preschool Academy is proud to offer an outstanding educational and fun curriculum that prepares your child for kindergarten per state academic standards.
Contact Crestwood Preschool Academy today if you’re looking to give your child a head start in school!
What’s Next
Licensure and Safe Childcare
Safety should be a top priority for any parent placing their children in the care of other adults. Parents should take this responsibility seriously and choose a daycare carefully.
How do you know whether your childcare facility is safe for your child? The best way is to ensure the facility is licensed.
What Is a Childcare License?
The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services will license a childcare facility when it meets the basic requirements for:
- Staff accreditation
- Safety
- Sanitization
- Nutrition
A daycare or childcare facility must renew its license every year. Operating a daycare without certification or with a lapsed license is illegal and the director is subject to penalties.
What Is so Important About Licensure?
Each of these regulations is vital for your child to be safe and thrive in a childcare facility.
For instance:
- Staff Accreditation: Staff should be properly trained in classroom management, age-appropriate activities, and safety regulations. Well-intentioned but ignorant workers should not be responsible children.
- Safety: The building must pass a safety inspection and have appropriate medical and safety devices available. Toys should be age-appropriate and furniture should be anchored to the wall.
- Sanitation: Daycare facilities usually enroll dozens of children, so the facility needs to stay in the cleanest condition possible to reduce the spread of illnesses.
- Nutrition: It’s crucial that the daycare offer nutritious foods for growing children, not foods that encourage unnecessary weight gain with foods too high in fat or sugar.
Crestwood Preschool Academy Goes Above and Beyond
At Crestwood Preschool Academy, you can rest assured that your child is in a safe environment. Not only does Crestwood Preschool Academy have a Kentucky state license, but we go above and beyond these standards to ensure your child’s safety.
We carefully monitor visitors to ensure no one unauthorized enters the building. Our small class sizes help cut down the spread of illnesses and allow children to receive quality care and attention from teachers. Finally, we pride ourselves on our nutritious menu that meets health standards and tastes good, too!
Crestwood Preschool Academy is proud to offer an outstanding educational and fun curriculum that prepares your child for kindergarten per state academic standards.
Contact Crestwood Preschool Academy today if you’re looking to give your child a head start in school!
What’s Next
What To Look for in Quality Daycare
When you’re looking for childcare, the many options can feel overwhelming. With so many choices, it’s easy pass by the truly important details like safety and meal plans due to an aesthetically-pleasing website.
Five things that should be a top priority when looking for a daycare.
Location
It may not seem like location matters until you’re running late or traffic is at a standstill. Then it’s really nice to have childcare that is conveniently located!
Crestwood Preschool Academy is conveniently located just off Highway 22, right after the 329 light.
Security
Daycares have many people passing in and out throughout the day. As a parent, you want to rest assured that only necessary adults are allowed in the building, such as other parents or guardians.
Other important security features include:
- Doors that automatically lock, keeping strangers out and children in
- Specific drop-off and pick-up procedures
- Security cameras of the whole building and parking lot
- Background checked staff
Security Cameras
Security cameras are vital to a safe daycare. However, some daycares allow parents to view the security camera’s live footage to check in on their child. This can have many pros and cons, such as:
Pros
- You can check in on your child at any time of the day
- You can observe how your child interacts with the teacher and peers
- You can see what your child is learning in real-time
- You can hold teachers accountable to the facility’s policies
Cons
- Live camera footage can increase parental anxiety if they see something happening to their child they don’t like.
- Live camera footage can be distracting to parents at their jobs or school and may be less productive
- Parents may develop resentment against certain teachers or other children if they feel their child is being treated unfairly
- Live camera footage is a potential breach of security because other parents have access to the footage, as well, and you have no control over what is done with that footage
Ask your daycare to see how security camera footage is stored and who has access to it. This is especially true for foster parents or guardians, as camera footage loose on the internet could potentially cause problems for the child.
Meal Plans
Most children receive 75% of their food at daycare. You want to make sure that the daycare is providing balanced and nutritional meals and snacks.
Ask to see the upcoming month’s food plan and/or previous food plan records and if they can accommodate any special dietary needs, if necessary.
Your Gut Feeling
As a parent, you get those gut feelings about what is best for your child. When you find the right daycare, you will know. Parental instincts are real, and you should trust them.
At Crestwood Preschool Academy, we’ve done our best to include every family so you can feel calm and reassured that your child is in a safe, stimulating environment.
Crestwood Preschool Academy is proud to offer an outstanding educational and fun curriculum that prepares your child for kindergarten per state academic standards.
Contact Crestwood Preschool Academy today if you’re looking to give your child a head start in school!