Playgarden Prep

Choosing a Bilingual Preschool Many families are beginning to search out?bilingual or multilingual education?for their little ones. Bilingual preschools offer instruction and curricula in two or more languages, creating a culturally diverse classroom for your little one to be immersed in, reflecting our culturally diverse world. This is where?cultural competence?is nurtured. Cultural competence is the ability to appreciate, respect, and communicate with all people. Proficiency in?multiple languages?is not the only benefit of choosing bilingual preschool as part of their early childhood education.?Communication, creativity, and problem-solving are just some fields in which bilingual students tend to excel as they grow up. Learning and retaining multiple languages is more manageable for little ones than adults because their brains are still developing. Bilingual preschool programs allow daily practice and proficiency-building for each language. Bilingual Language Development Coach Mae Waugh Barrios states that, ideally, students spend half the time “in a language other than English.” Maybe you want a traditional program where the time spent on each language is split 50/50, or maybe a program more focused on a certain language is what you’d prefer for your little one’s early childhood education. No matter what type of program you are looking for, the right?bilingual preschool?for your little one is out there! How Do I Choose? Any questions you may have about your child’s early childhood education are important questions; don’t be afraid to ask too many! The best fit for your little one will be found by asking the important questions you have, ensuring your little one will feel safe, supported, and successful. Questions you may have or want to ask about choosing a bilingual school in particular: Teachers:?Are they fluent in all languages used in the classroom? How many students?to a classroom? What other goals are set regarding using and retaining both languages? Curriculum:?How often is each language used? How does the curriculum support the use of both languages in the classroom? How does the curriculum nurture cultural competence?? Classroom:?Is there a dominant language used in the classroom? How many little ones come from multilingual homes versus monolingual homes??? Question-wise, this is a great place to start when searching for your little one’s bilingual preschool. Whatever school you choose, your little one will experience the benefits of learning multiple languages early on. As long as your little one is enjoying their?early childhood education journey?and thriving, it is the perfect fit!

How Much Screen Time is Too Much for Your Toddler? Since 2020, the demand for online content has only increased, and educational online platforms, such as?Playgarden Prep Online, have blossomed. Through educational videos, Zoom with teachers, and much more, you can trust that your little one is spending time on screens productively. Online preschool programs available on tablets support learning by promoting social, emotional, and cognitive growth.?Playgarden Online?was created by experts to encourage early learning through connections with peers and teachers via?online preschool. Young children in online preschools build strong?foundational skills?that help with?future school success. Tablets, iPads, and streaming services all have great educational content that we want our little ones to learn from, as well as shows and games they enjoy. But how do we set boundaries around screen time and teach responsibility around screen time? From the beginning, boundaries need to be set around using tablets, screens, and any technology your little one may be using. Providing no boundaries or rules with screens can lead to children dictating when and where they use them. Screen time and the boundaries set will look different from family to family. Studies show that little ones ages 2 through 5 should only be on screens for about one hour daily. Consider breaking up the screen time throughout the day; 20 minutes here or there can also be helpful if you need to keep your little one busy while handling other responsibilities. Try to avoid your little one having screen time early in the morning or late at night to prevent blue light exposure, which will?help prevent inconsistent sleeping patterns. Let the screen time begin with a productive learning activity before allowing “free play.” Encourage your little one to choose one learning initiative to complete before allowing them to enjoy entertainment. Having a screen to learn from can inspire layered learning when paired with hands-on activities. With?Playgarden Prep Online, little ones can do worksheets and activities alongside teachers in videos that supplement the online preschool learning after tablet use so that little ones can understand concepts more deeply. Use a timer to monitor screen time, and when the timer goes off, have your little one turn the timer off and?put away the screen themselves. This removes negotiating from the equation and frames the screen as something to “put away,” not something that you, as a parent, have to “take away.” Introducing little ones to technology is essential, as it introduces responsibility, builds technological skills they will use at school, promotes?school readiness, encourages creativity, and allows?access to friends and family. Teaching them how to have a healthy relationship with that technology starts when they pick up that first screen.

What to Do When Your Child is Playing Too Rough When little ones start to play rough with others, it’s important to remember that there is always a reason for the behavior. Little ones sometimes play rough because their instinct is to react when something does not go their way. We must teach them to self-regulate?without hurting our friends and peers.?Here are some ways to work with your little one if they start to play too rough (or have been for a while) that will help with their social emotional development: Teach?Consent When we tell our friends “no,” we want them to respect our answer. Teaching our little ones to respect a friend’s “no” sets them up to be respectful. Also, reassure them that it is okay to be upset about hearing the word “no.” However, we must feel those feelings and not take them out on anyone else. It can be upsetting to not get what we want, AND it’s important to treat our friends with kindness when they want something different than we do — this is key in your little one’s social-emotional development. Take a?Time-In If your little one is playing rough, take them aside and talk to them. Take a moment to sit down, make eye contact, and breathe — both of you may need a moment to regulate. Once you are settled, ask them why they started playing rough. Little ones are still building their vocabulary to?express their feelings?so they can eventually use their words instead of reacting. Oftentimes, they may be playing rough for attention, so it's important to show them how we work through those big feelings appropriately and healthily. Set Boundaries and Try an Alternative For our little ones to stop playing rough, we must set boundaries during playtime. Start by talking about their big feelings, and explain that there are consequences if they choose negative behaviors. Odds are, this will not be the only time you have this conversation. You might have to take them out of playtime a few times for them to understand. When they feel an urge to play rough, encourage your little one to find a trusted adult to share the feeling. Sometimes they just need to release pent-up energy. Be an Example Respect and kindness start at home. Practice playing with stuffed animals or dolls at home. You can roleplay with your little one, and if they start to get rough with toys, no one gets hurt. You can ask the toy if they’re okay or like playing rough. The toy can then offer another way to play. You can also show them how you play kindly with others by saying something like, “I really wanted to play with that toy, but I am not going to push you for it. I’ll play with something else until you are done.” Have patience with your little one?and?yourself as you work through this. It can be frustrating, and sometimes they feel like they are not listening. Still, the more you consistently encourage them to play well with others and work on new behaviors, the stronger this foundation will be in their ever-growing?social emotional development.

Benefits of Bilingual Preschool Imagine for a moment: you are a little one?beginning your early childhood education journey. It is the?very first day of school, and you are?sitting in a new classroom full of new students. Your curiosity carries your gaze around the room, seeing each new friend and teacher. The space is unfamiliar and new, and it’s challenging to understand some people. The excitement calms down, and the day officially begins with a “hello” in English?and?Spanish. Throughout the day, everything you learn is in English and Spanish. It seems like it could be overwhelming, but with your ever-developing mind acting like a sponge to new information, you can easily learn and retain both languages. The benefits of?bilingual preschools?extend beyond?growing up multilingual. Studies show learning multiple languages nurtures children’s cognitive and social-emotional development. Cognitive Development? With understanding and speaking more than one language comes the practice of code switching. This practice exercises your little one’s cognitive skills because, as they make connections between the languages, they learn how to make other connections outside of the classroom. The cognitive development benefits of bilingual preschool include improved: - Mental Flexibility - Abstract Thinking - Memory - Attention Span - Self-Regulation - Social-Emotional Development In a bilingual classroom, your little one is immersed in a multicultural environment, and using English and another language interchangeably means learning to communicate in multiple ways. Learning a new language also encourages curiosity for the culture of the new language. Introducing little ones to cultures, especially cultures?different from their own, is a priceless gift you can give them during their social emotional development. Being immersed in cultures from all over the world in their early childhood education builds respect for all people. This nurtures cultural competence, or their ability to respect and understand cultures different from their own. Learning more than one language during a little one’s early childhood education will not only?set them up for success in the future. Still, it will also help nurture more?culturally competent?young people.

How to Develop Conversation Skills in Preschoolers Teaching our little ones to communicate and converse is all about practice. Talking and listening to your little ones about anything and everything is one of the many ways to help them develop their conversation skills as a new parent. Asking them questions, letting them ask you questions, and being open and honest help foster a?safe space?to practice having conversations and guide their?social-emotional development. Here are some more ways to develop conversation skills with your preschooler! At?Playgarden Prep, we have songs that introduce conversation starters. Our?Hello?and Good Morning/Afternoon songs are sung daily to help little ones practice greeting their friends and teachers, which helps their social-emotional development. Here is what our?Good Morning?song looks like: "Good morning, good morning, good morning to you! Good morning, good morning, and how do you do? I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, thank you! I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine, thank you!" Questions and answers are great?conversation starters for little ones. The odds are that they have a lot of questions they are just waiting to bring up. If you need to find a place to start as a new parent, talk about something you and your little one experienced together. Let’s say you?took a trip?to the zoo together; ask them what their favorite animal was and why, and if they don’t on their own, encourage them to ask you what your favorite animal was and why. This teaches your little one the importance of taking turns — sharing and listening in conversations are important in their social-emotional development. Preschoolers love?games?and?learning through play, so take advantage of those games they love and practice conversations through games! Little ones love to mimic and roleplay, so when you are playing something like “ice cream truck” with your little one, practice the conversation exchange:?what flavor would you like? That will be this much money, etc.?Maybe your little one will feel comfortable ordering ice cream the next time the truck comes around — what a proud new parent you’ll be! As with any skill, practice makes progress. The more conversations are started, and communication is practiced, the easier it will be to communicate as a new parent with your growing child. Creating a supportive environment where our little ones can come back to talk about and work through big feelings or any conversation they want to have is integral for their social-emotional development!

How to Plan a Playdate When your little one starts playing with other children, they are bound to start making their first friendships. A great way to nurture these early friendships is with playdates! Our little ones are still learning to play with others and make friends, and playdates are great for their social-emotional development. Introducing yourself to the new friend’s parent or caregiver is a great way to start planning a playdate. Learn a little about each other, and if everyone is comfortable, talk to your little one about inviting that friend over. They could get very excited by this idea or get a little hesitant; checking in with them about it when you are away from a social setting is a great way to make it a private conversation and let them know what to expect. Once everyone is on board, it’s time to plan the playdate! Here are some tips to get you started: Location:?Host the playdate at your home or somewhere your little one and their friend can feel safe and comfortable to play together. At home, your little one can practice sharing their toys and space in a way they may not have had to. Activities:?Plan a couple of?activities?they can do together, especially if there’s a game they already know. These plans can also help if they start to lose steam or change activities. Plan some time outside if the weather permits and you have an outdoor space. Snack Time:?Check with the friend’s family for food allergies and plan a snack time during the playdate. This will be useful, especially if anyone gets fussy or tired; a?snack?with a friend can bring the energy back up! Eyes on Playtime:?Let them know you are there if they need anything or if any problems arise. Help them get started with an activity, and once they have settled in, excuse yourself and find an activity for yourself. Keeping an eye (or an ear) out for them also ensures they play safely, but letting them try to figure things out on their own at first is great for their social-emotional development. Problems During Playtime:?If friends disagree, actively listen to see if they can resolve it independently. Working out conflicts is important for their social-emotional development. You can step in if you hear or see it escalate or observe them playing too rough. Even best friends need breaks from each other—they may need some independent playtime. Time to Clean Up:?When about half an hour is left of the playdate, let the little ones know that clean-up will start?soon. With 15 minutes left, encourage them to start putting things away. Put on some music or a clean-up song to encourage them. If they need help, join in, but do not clean up alone. Friendships made as little ones could last a week or a lifetime, and playdates are a great way to create the space away from their NYC preschool for those friendships to grow and their social-emotional development to blossom!

Managing Preschool Separation Anxiety Separation anxiety: “significant distress when the child is unexpectedly separated from home or a close attachment figure.” Signs of separation anxiety come up around 8 months old and can carry on in waves through age 4 or 5. Other triggers could bring up separation anxiety later in childhood — big changes in life of any kind can cause little ones to cling to their parents. Some kids feel super ready to go to school. However, it can also make some little ones feel anxious about being away from the people they feel closest to and safest with. To prepare your little one for drop-off, you can try a few things to ease the anxiety. Preparation for Separation Avoiding talking about starting preschool has the potential to cause more anxiety.?Talking about what to expect?can ease worries and make your little one feel more prepared for what is to come. The more prepared your little one feels, the more confident they will feel moving into new situations. Having babysitters or people outside your immediate family watch your little one now and then can help them get used to saying “see you later” and learning you will come back. When you leave, have a special goodbye with them—a handshake, hug, or something special you say to each other. A comforting goodbye can help them feel safe as they embark on their day and, again, remind them that they will see you after school. Trip to School If it’s walkable, take a stroll by the school and tell your little one that this is where they will be coming soon. Talk about the things they will learn, the friends they’ll make, and the teachers they will meet. If a play area is open to current and future students, spend some time there so they can get used to the space. Transitional Objects Studies show that little ones feel more at ease with an object they find comfort in. It can be a picture or a small stuffed animal, even a sticker on their shirt where they can see it. Some object that can be a small reminder of you and that they will see you soon. Drop-Off When the morning comes for that?first day?at your preschool near me, there will be first-day jitters, maybe for you and your little one — it’s natural! You both are taking a big step, and it’s a day you will never forget.?Our little ones can sense when tensions are high, or we feel anxious, so keeping yourself calm and at ease can just as easily influence them. On-Time Pick-Up Be sure to be on time for pick-up, especially in the first few days or weeks of school. Being late can potentially increase their anxiety, resulting in a tougher drop-off the following day. Time Away from School Life happens—we go on vacation, family events occur—and your little one’s routines will undoubtedly get disrupted. Breaks in routine can cause separation anxiety when it’s time to go back to school. This is normal, and it may take a little time to get back into the routine, but eventually, the routine will be back, and anxiety will ease!

Playgarden-Approved Daily Schedule for Preschoolers While extracurriculars are essential for our little one’s development, overscheduling can lead to stress for both you and your little one.?“But what if my little one has nothing to do?”?That is a fantastic problem to have! Our little ones learn a lot by experiencing boredom – they learn about what they enjoy doing, exercise their imaginations, and get creative. In the age of overstimulation, boredom could do us all some good! So, what does a balanced schedule look like for your little one? Time to Play Being a?Montessori-based school,?Playgarden Prep?encourages learning through play. Little ones are only little for a short time, and much of that time will be spent playing. Important skills are built and developed through play, for example: - Building with blocks or doing a puzzle = fine motor skills - Climbing or running on the playground =?gross motor skills - Playing pretend or cleaning up toys =?practical life skills Playing is essential for your little one’s daily schedule. Preschoolers follow their instincts and interests, explore what they like and dislike, and become more comfortable spending time by themselves, which builds confidence and independence—all without overscheduling activities! Extracurriculars Your little one’s interests are developing in preschool, so the inclination may be to lean into overscheduling to see what sticks. If your little one is still under 5, pick one or two activities or classes for them. I would suggest searching “pre-k near me” to find one class that gets them moving and one that gets them thinking. This could look like a gymnastics class on one day and an art class on another, or a sports class on one day and a language class on another. At?Playgarden Prep, which may very well be the “pre-k near me” for you, we offer?enrichment classes?that get your little one moving, such as Movement and Hip Hop, and classes that get them thinking, like Early Learning and?Spanish Immersion. Nothing Time In pursuing productivity, it’s important to remember that time to rest is also productive. Just like we have to sleep every night, daytime rest is essential to our overall wellness. When we teach our little ones that time spent doing “nothing” or having “nothing” planned is time well spent, they learn to prioritize that time however they want while they are still little, which probably means time with family. As they age, “nothing time” can turn into time alone. The free time in our busy lives grounds us in the present and reminds us to pause and enjoy the world and the people in front of us. As long as your preschooler has plenty of time to play, explore, and?socialize, their schedule gets the Playgarden Prep Stamp of Approval! One of the key components of childhood development is letting your little one be a child—let them learn and play and enjoy this time with them. Then, when you’re both ready, start to search out “pre-k near me.”?

Navigating Routine Changes During the Holidays The holidays can cause children stress and anxiety as they navigate routine changes. To prepare your child (and yourself) for the holidays, use the following teacher tips and holiday activities for kids to support your child’s social-emotional learning during schedule changes this season. 1.?Make a holiday calendar or checklist Providing your child with visual tools is a helpful way to allow them to understand the upcoming routine. Make a holiday calendar together and give a preview of each event as you add the dates. Place the?calendar in a space that is easily accessible for your child and allow them time to ask questions. It is difficult for young children to adapt to surprises, so knowing what is coming up allows them to transition more smoothly and enjoy new experiences. 2.?Communicate expectations? Communicate the expectations of the upcoming holiday with your child. Let your little one know what?is about to happen, who will be there, and what the behavior expectations are during each event. If it is a holiday meal, let them know what they can choose to eat and how long they are expected to sit at the table.?When visiting family and friends, remind them that everyone has their own rules and that you will collectively follow the rules of that house or event venue. 3.?Follow?your child’s lead Following your child’s cues is invaluable in making them feel comfortable this holiday season. If they need to be active, provide the opportunity to burn off energy to prevent behavior that might not be appropriate in every setting. If they are tired or hungry, address these issues proactively to prevent meltdowns. If they feel overwhelmed, remove them from the situation to give them the time and space to breathe and?calm themselves. Understand?both the challenges presented to them during this exciting time and where they are on their social-emotional learning journey, and then give them the support needed to enjoy every experience! 4.?Use comfort objects Providing comfort objects can ease the stress of new situations and schedule changes during the holidays. You can provide a thread of consistency during chaotic moments by bringing along favorite toys, blankets, snacks, activities, and water bottles. These objects can help soothe tired or excited minds and bodies. By consistently providing these cherished items no matter where you are this holiday season, children will have something expected as a touchstone while experiencing the unexpected and going through so much social-emotional learning. Remember that when little ones deviate from their normal routines, they may experience anxiety that they don’t understand. Help support them and make the holidays run smoothly (and enjoyably) by communicating with your child, providing fun holiday activities, and providing hands-on social-emotional learning tools. Above all, enjoy the season's celebrations, and your child will happily follow along!

Siblings at Preschool: If you have multiple little ones close in age, have you ever thought about enrolling them in preschool together? Having a sibling in the classroom can help little ones feel more comfortable trying new things. While it’s important to encourage them to make friends with the other little ones in their class to strengthen their social-emotional learning, siblings at preschool can be a great source of support, especially if one has a more difficult time adjusting. The beauty of?Montessori schools?is the encouragement of individual exploration and play. If your little ones are entering the same Montessori school, having the support of someone they know and love can help them?feel confident doing new things for the first time?at one of the best preschools in NYC. At Playgarden Prep, one of the best preschools in NYC, many families come through our programs, from?enrichment classes?to preschool and pre-k. Seeing the support older siblings naturally and willingly give to their younger siblings is incredibly heartwarming. However, as anyone with siblings knows, little ones will not always get along. If your little ones struggle to get along, you may be hesitant to place them in a class together. However, working on solving problems and learning to work together is a social-emotional skill that can be practiced at home and carried with them into the classroom. One of the benefits of siblings is the ability to work on conflict resolution at home. Here are some tips: Encourage them to work out the problems for themselves and find resolutions with them, not for them. When they get in the classroom at one of the best preschools in NYC, you will not be there to find solutions for them, so teaching them how to work it out themselves gives them the social-emotional tools to resolve issues in the classroom. Sometimes, space away from each other can help resolve issues on their own, or at the very least, give them time to cool down and work it out a little later. In the classroom, this can look like finding new activities to do separately and coming back to play together when they are ready. If you’re new to helping with this kind of social-emotional learning, here’s an example: Say your little ones are?fighting?over the same toy – encourage them to share it, and if they refuse to play with it together or find that too challenging, put the toy away and invite them to find something else to do together or separately. I have found, given these options, they lean into sharing! Working through conflict with siblings is a great practice for dealing with conflict in day-to-day life, whether this social-emotional learning starts at home or at one of the best preschools in NYC. Mastering listening to and respecting each other are valuable skills that will serve them positively as they get older and work with others beyond the?best preschools in NYC!