CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: Through toys and other materials, children also learn to move out of themselves and face reality; they learn to think things through and thus to plan ahead. For example, they see that a doll carriage can be a shoppping cart, a boat, or a delivery van; then they come to realize it cannot go through an opening that is too narrow for it. Another route must be planned.MY WORD; Toys are not a waste of money they are the child's tools for learning.

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: Children continually check and correct mistakes by monitoring one another. In pretend play, they will exchange rules, make up definitions, and put a "frame" on the situation as they go along. Until the group formally changes them, the rules are binding. For instance, if a boy playing the role of the son asks for coffee, he will be corrected and told to ask for milk; if he later plays the father and asks for coffee, that's all right. MY WORD: Children are a constant source of give and take in their daily learning experiences.

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS: The preschool years are an important time to help your child establish good eating habits, since you can control your child's diet successfully. At their age, many children need to eat snacks or "mini-meals". They cannot always eat enough food at mealtimes to get all the nutrients and energy they need. Help your child choose sensible snacks- foods that don't promote tooth decay.MY WORD: The entire family will become responsible eaters learning from the pre-schooler.

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS:Sometimes parts of a puzzle, a toy house, or a build it yourself locomotive or truck do not come together in the way a child planned. When this happens,the child sifts and sorts and changes some of the parts to see if he can make the object work through a different arrangement. This type of creative thinking develops into more sophisticated problem solving for the child. MY WORD: Leave the child think this through by himself if possible.

CAREABOUTKIDS

PARENTS:It takes time for a child to develop an understanding of the relationship among objects. the first time he or she does a jigsaw puzzle, the child may cry when he makes a mistake. but as the pieces start coming together, ideas begin to click, and the child becomes excited. After he or she masters the puzzle, the child may mess it up on purpose or hide some of the pieces to make it more difficult.Each time a child learns something, the information is stored in the child's memory. The mind sorts what has been learned and finds ways to use it. The older a child becomes, the longer she can store facts, lists, instructions, words, plans, images along with other information and ideas in the child's memory.MY WORD: Puzzles are challenging to children at any age and should be encouraged.