For parents | Skye College

Posted on 07/11/202208/11/2022 by Ayla Hogan-Segenhout — Leave a comment

Preparing your child for the first day of ‘Big School’

It’s normal to feel a bit anxious before sending your child off to big school. As a parent, you want to be certain that your child is able to adapt to the new change and a different classroom environment.

As the holiday comes to an end, it’s completely natural for children to experience nervousness, especially since the children are entering a more structured routine after being on holiday. Some children might be welcoming to the change while others need more guidance to acclimatise.

Below you will find a some tips on getting ready for the first day of big school.

1. Read books about starting school

Seeing a character that the child relates to are useful for relieving first day anxiety. It’s also handy to ask your child questions about the character’s experience and the solutions the character might have.

See our choices below;

2. Start with your routine before the holiday ends

Getting up early again is tough… for everyone and may stir up some negative emotions just before the first day of school. Get the evening and early morning going again and make your expectations around this time clear. Your children are about the enter a structured day, ease them into it with your own structure at home.

3. Organise a playdate with someone you know will be in the same grade

In a changing environment, a familiar face can offer some assurance. It may be worthwhile to organise a playdate with a friend the same age that might be in the same grade. They would both be going through change together and can support each other through it.

4. Create a fun goodbye routine

Be positive in your goodbye, children feed off of your energy. If you are anxious or upset, your child will most likely be too. Save the tears for the car. We know it’s tough, but the more excited and positive you are, the easier it is for your child.

Create a secret handshake, a saying, or have a song you always play before you say goodbye. This creates really positive feelings and is a great bonding experience.

Drop and Go

As hard as it is, it’s best to drop and go. The longer you hang around, the more anxious and nervous your child gets. They will be confident in their new environment if you are.

5. Try and get to school before class starts

Being late and walking in while everyone is already settled creates a lot of anxiety. Try your best to get to school early until your child has settled at the school

6. Pack a really fun lunch

Seeing your favourite snacks really puts a smile on that dial. You can even leave a note or draw a picture on a post-it that may reassure your child that you are close by.

7. Try again tomorrow

If it didn’t go well today, that’s okay, we can always try again tomorrow.

Posted on 02/02/202201/03/2022 by Ayla Hogan-Segenhout — Leave a comment

10 Toddler Potty Training Tips

How to support your toddler to take care of their own hygiene

Yes, we said potty training but really, we would prefer “potty learning”. Potty learning puts the adult into the role of both teacher and learner and creates a partnership between the adult and child. While the child gets to learn how to use a potty, the adult assists the process once the child is ready to lead the way.

Our Principal, Claire says;

As with every learning opportunity that takes place at Skye College, we follow the child. No child is forced to learn something they are not ready to embrace.

How to know your child is ready to begin using a potty/ toilet:

She is beginning to try to remove her pants and nappy without your help.
She is aware of her need to urinate or have a bowel movement (even if wearing a nappy) and she’ll tell you.
She is watched you or other family members use the toilet.
She sits on and tries to use the potty, e.g. before her bath in the evening.

At this stage go out a buy a potty. There are many choices of potties on the market. Many times, one has been given to you as a gift or you can go out with your child to choose their own potty. Most importantly go underwear shopping. Make a big deal of letting them choose their own special underwear. This will encourage them to take ownership and want to take care of their underwear. Allow your child time to explore the potty. They need to learn to sit on and get up from the potty independently.

Praise and encouragement are the most important part of any learning. At Skye College we believe in positive praise. When a child has used the toilet effectively (or gives a good effort), we clap hands, we give verbal praise to the child, and, in the case of a child who may have been struggling: a sticker. We do not generally use sticker charts as this can be very damaging to their self-esteem. They may see other children getting lots of stickers and they don’t which instills the idea of “I can’t do it”. This will not support positive development.

Signs of potty-learning readiness

Your child should display several of the below signs to indicate they are ready for the potty-learning journey:

Communication: Your child must be able to tell you that he/she needs the toilet / has a soiled nappy.
Less wet nappies: An average of 2-3 soiled nappies per day (indicates bladder control).
Interest: Your child must show an active interest in using the toilet, i.e. he/she will follow you at home to the bathroom and be inquisitive about it, and is are excited about sitting on the potty.
Self-Awareness: When your child is starting to develop a self-awareness of what is happening in and around their bodies, they will, for example, realise they have a runny nose and will actively seek ways to deal with it (fetch a tissue or ask for their nose to be wiped). Your child must show signs of frustration and discomfort with wet nappies.

Tip 1 – Get yourself ready.

You, the parent, have to be ready for this transition as well. Change your mindset around the frustration and know that even the accidents (as bothersome as they may be) are an important part of the learning process. Your toddler will mirror your feelings around this journey. It is important that we as parents do not stress them out during this time or we may prolong the process.

Tip 2- Allow your toddler to choose their own potty and underwear.

Whether online or in a store, give your child two potty options to choose from. This empowers them with choice and creates excitement around using something they chose!

Potties should be made visible and easily accessible, usually in the bathroom or toilet area. Allow your child time to practice sitting on and getting off the potty – even if they don’t make use of it at first.

It is important for your child to choose and go shopping for their own underwear. This further creates a sense of ownership and excitement about the process.

Tip 3 – Buy the books and learn the songs.

Introduce the idea of your toddler using the potty with books and/or songs. This can help you to relate not only on their level, but make the process less daunting.

Below are some tools online you might find to be useful:

Play

Click on the above images to go to their links

Tip 4 – Switch from nappies to underwear.

The nappy is a safety blanket and while wearing it, your child may fall back to eliminating into the nappy. If your child has been practicing on the potty, displays signs of readiness and is comfortable wearing underwear, make the daytime switch from nappies to underwear.

Soiled underwear is uncomfortable and sometimes cold which ignites a consciousness around the consequences of not using the potty. Don’t forget to allow your child to pick their own new underwear. This creates more excitement as they won’t want to wet their new underwear.

Tip 5 – Invite your toddler to your own toilet sessions.

Most of what our kids learn is through modelling the behaviour ourselves. Start talking about what you are doing in the bathroom when you use the toilet. Young boys benefit from watching their dad or older male sibling urinate. Note that boys often learn to urinate sitting down first, before standing up.

Tip 6 – Don’t be in a hurry.

Being rushed may create a negative experience for your toddler. It often takes some time before toddlers are comfortable enough to urinate or defecate while sitting on the potty. When they are practicing and getting used to the seated position, keep them entertained with a toy, book or video while on the potty.

Tip 7 – Be empowering with your language and tone.

If your toddler has an accident, try saying “Your pants are wet. Looks like you had an accident. Let’s change and clean up.” Don’t panic, don’t show your frustration. Create a space that is safe for your toddler to make mistakes and learn from them .

Tip 8 – Celebrate the small wins!

“Well done! You noticed when you needed the potty, thank you so much for noticing that.”

Celebrate with your potty song and dance or parade and make a big deal of every little success – even just the identification of the need to go!

Tip 9 – Set your toddler up for success.

Put on easy to pull down clothes. Try and avoid dungarees, jumpsuits, button or zip down pants during this time.
If your toddler is also engaging in potty learning at school, equip the teachers with easy to pull down clothes, updates on progress at home, and a couple of spare clothing sets.
When starting out, discuss with your child all the steps involved in potty-learning: undressing, going, wiping, dressing, flushing and hand-washing. Show them each step and help them to practice the whole routine.

We created potty training cue cards to stick up in the bathroom so that your little one can remember their potty routine!

Tip 10 – Avoid bathroom battles.

If you are met with resistance from your toddler, it’s okay. You can try again tomorrow, next week or next month. There’s no set schedule and no pressure on your child to learn as soon as possible. Let your child show you when they are ready. Our experience has taught us that when a child is not ready, the process takes much longer than it should.

Remember, potty learning is a partnership where WE are the junior partner. Our toddler is doing most of the work, we are just setting the stage. So, take it easy and remind yourself: “This too shall pass!”

Still feels daunting – speak to your class teacher – we’re here to help!

Posted on 24/11/202125/11/2021 by Ayla Hogan-Segenhout — Leave a comment

Keep toddlers busy on trips – Top 10 tips

Toddlers - Ideas to keep toddlers busy on trips

Going on a long road trip with toddlers or tots might just deter even the most patient of parents from adventuring. We end up having to deal with their impatience, boredom, discomfort, refusal to nap and let’s not forget, dropping things that we constantly need to pick up. Never mind having to deal with our own frustrations.

Here’s the deal though, we need to be ready to counter anything our kids strike us with. The best road trip activities for little kids are simple, mess-free, and something they can do without supervision. Here are the best road trip activities for 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and pre-schoolers plus links to where you can get the supplies.

1 . Let them eat!

Pack a bag or box of goodies and surprise them with it. Let them discover all the yummies these bags have to give.

We found a healthy “Kiddylicious Snack Box” put together by Rivionia-based online retailer Charley’s Boxes for these exact instances.

2 . Sticker Books

Stick on your kid’s good side with a sticker book that not only keeps them busy but keeps their fine motor skills in good practice. What’s even better is that we found a sticker book with hundreds of stickers to keep them busy for as long as possible.

The Melissa and Doug brand also has great magnetic sticker boxes and Scratch and Smell sticker books that explore sensory play. Click the button below to view their range on Takealot.

3 . Music

What better way to spend a toddler’s energy than singing and dancing in the car. This becomes a fun and playful way to cure your child of boredom, and not only creates bonding but likely some special memories! Encourage their musicality by packing some instruments in the car. We found a gift bag of instruments from Charley’s Boxes that any kid would love to dig their hands into.

4 . Sensory books

Allow your child to explore their touch and hearing senses with a sensory book. This becomes ideal for developing language recognition and motor skills. You can also never go wrong with a Melissa and Doug book that mixes sensory and motor skills play in one. For older kids, audio books come in handy too!

5 . Post-it Drawings

Prepare some post-its and crayons in a container and let your child draw images and stick them up all over the window, yes it becomes messy, but a very easy-to-clean mess.

6 . Busy wallet

Keep idle fingers busy by filling up an unused wallet or purse with unused cards, pictures, colourful papers and any small goodies you can find. Let your child explore what is inside and encourage them to put it back as well.

7 . Pop its

Glorified bubble-wrap, pop it toys can keep little fidgety fingers and fussing toddlers busy for several minutes because the act of fidgeting allows the mind to be still and focus.

We suggest you pair this with an audio storybook from Youtube for some calm-time in the car.

8 . Search and find books

Buy yourself some free time with a book that kids can dig themselves into.

9 . Doodle Tablets

These are inexpensive LCD tablets whose only function is to draw on them. Using an attached pen, kids can doodle and clear and doodle and clear to their heart’s content.

10 . Bring out the screen

At this point you have held it off for long enough, your kids can relax to a good movie or keep occupied with downloaded series. Just remember to download it all at least two nights before leaving.