Child Development

You used to do everything for them. Now they're doing so much for themselves. Should they be doing even more? Are they hitting the same developmental milestones as other kids their age? Get answers to these and other child development questions, right here. 

How to Potty Train in a Week

The book Potty Training Boys the Easy Way: Helping Your Son Learn Quickly – Even if He’s a Late

Starter by Caroline Fertleman and Simon Cove suggests starting off with potty training sessions. This means that you’ll want to train your child in the morning and afternoon for a few hours at home. Let him eat, drink and play as normal, but every 15 minutes put him on the potty. At the end of a session, revert back to a diaper or pull-up and go on with your day. When you get home, have another session. On the third day, go for an all-day session. If you leave the house, have a spare potty in the car or visit places you’re sure have public restrooms.

Let your child peruse your home…naked, or in just a T-shirt. Because he’s not wearing a diaper or underwear, he’ll have no place to put his pee or poop; he needs to put it somewhere—in the toilet would be a good idea! When he does put it in the potty, make sure you both have a look (yuck, I know, but the visual is important.) Make flushing a huge deal by pointing at the swirling water and acknowledging the cool whooshing sound.

Stickers, stamps on the hand, bubbles or a single M&M are all good potty prizes. Kick it up a notch by taking your child to the dollar store so he can pick out a super-special potty prize for a training milestone like the first full day in undies or staying dry overnight. Food prizes like a pizza party for dinner or ice cream sundae bar for dessert (set out sprinkles, gummy bears and cherries in bowls, and let your child create his own sundae) are also great ideas. If you don’t want to spend money, look around your house for an art project you can do together and display it so he can show off his “potty prize.”

Pre-K Program Focus Areas

Math Concepts: Our math program focuses on concepts such as measuring, predicting, patterns, spatial relationships, sorting and problem solving.

Science Concepts: Students are encouraged to recognize and investigate cause-and-effect relationships in everyday experiences.

Creative Art: Through our creative art program, our students develop an appreciation for dance, art, music, dramatic play, storytelling and visual arts.

Health & Wellness: Our health and wellness program highlights the importance of healthy nutrition and daily physical activity while also teaching our students safety and injury prevention skills. Through a series of fun, heart accelerating activities, our students learn the benefits of staying active in order to promote healthy lifelong behaviors.

Social Emotional: Students show care and concern for others. Develop healthy relationships with teachers and peers and learn how to express their feelings, needs and wants in a healthy and respectful manner.

Physical Skills/ Gross/Fine Motor: Students build on eye-hand coordination to use everyday tools. Through this process, students learn how to manipulate a variety of tools including eating utensils, pencils, scissors, blocks, etc. Students also develop motor coordination and skill using objects for a range of physical activities.

Language and Foreign Languages: Through conversation, storytelling, and technology, students develop an understanding of spoken language and world languages. Students are exposed to all forms of communication including English, sign language and world languages in order to enhance comprehension and communication skills.

Discipline Solutions

I've made a lot of bad rules in the decade I've been a mom, from irrational threats ("No graham crackers in the house ever again if you eat them in the living room even one more time") to forbidding human nature ("You may not fight with your sister"). But occasionally I've come up with rules that work better than I'd ever contemplated. These made-up rules have an internal logic that defies easy categorization, but their clarity and enforceability make them work. Several of them are not, technically, rules at all, but declarations of policy or fact. And they're all easy to remember. A few personal favorites, plus those of other moms:

Rule #1: You can't be in the room when I'm working unless you work, too

Goal: Get your child to help, or stop bugging you, while you do chores

It might seem odd, but I don't mind doing laundry, cleaning floors or really any kind of housework. But I do mind my kids, oblivious to the fact that my arms are full of their underwear, asking me to find their missing doll shoe or do a puzzle with them. Until recently, this was a source of great frustration, especially when our household grew to five kids when my husband, Taylor, and I became temporary foster parents for two months.
I tried to explain to my expanded brood that if they helped me fold laundry, we could do something together sooner. But they knew I'd be available anyway if I finished folding myself, so the argument wasn't compelling.
And then one day, as my oldest foster daughter sat and watched me work, asking me favors and waiting for me to be done, I came up with a rule that takes into account two important facts about kids:

• They actually want to be with you as much as possible.
• You can't force them to help you in any way that is truly helpful.

I played fact one against fact two and told her that she didn't have to help me but couldn't just sit and watch. She had to go elsewhere. Given a choice between being with me and folding laundry or not being with me at all, she took option one.
Why it works: I didn't care which she chose. And it was her choice, so it gave her control even as it took it away.

Rule #2: I don't work past 8 p.m.

Goal: Regular bedtimes and time off for you

You can't just announce a rule to your husband and kids that says, "Bedtime has to go really smoothly so I can get a break at the end of the day." It won't happen. But if you flip the problem and make a rule about you instead of telling everyone what they have to do, it all falls neatly—and miraculously—into place.
When this occurred to me, back when my oldest was 6 and my youngest was nearly 2, I announced to Anna and Taylor that the U.S. Department of Labor had just created a new rule and I was no longer allowed to do any kind of mom jobs past 8:00 in the evening. I would gladly read books, play games, listen to stories of everyone's day or give baths—the whole mother package—before then. Then I held firm—I acted as if it were out of my hands. Sort of like Cinderella and midnight.
Suddenly, my 6-year-old (and my husband) developed a new consciousness of time. My daughter actually rushed to get ready for bed just after dinner so that we could have lots of books and time together before I was "off." My husband, realizing that if things dragged past 8:00 he'd have to face putting both girls to sleep himself, became more helpful. Anna's now 11, and my hours have been extended, but the idea that I'm not endlessly available has been preserved and integrated into our family routine.
Why it works: You're not telling anyone else what to do. The rule is for you, so you have only yourself to blame if it's not enforced.

Rule #3: You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit

Goal: No more haggling—over which pretzel has more salt or who gets their milk in the prized red cup and who in the cursed green, or which cast member of Blue's Clues adorns whose paper plate

My friend Joyce, director of our town's preschool, told us about this terrific rule, now repeated by everyone I know on playgrounds and at home. Not only does it have a boppy rhythm that makes it fun to say, but it does good old "Life isn't fair" one better by spelling out both the essential truth of life's arbitrary inequities and the only acceptable response to the world's unfairness: You don't throw a fit.
When I first heard this, I was skeptical. It seemed too simple. But to my utter surprise, not only did it do the trick but kids seemed to rally around it almost with relief. They must have seen that if it applied to them today it might apply to someone else tomorrow.
Why it works: It's irrefutable—it almost has the ring of runic or prehistoric truth to it—and rather than focusing on an abstract notion like "fairness," it speaks directly to the situation at hand.

Rule #4: Take that show on the road

Goal: Peace and quiet

Is it just me or does someone saying "one-strawberry, two-strawberry, three-strawberry" over and over in a squeaky voice make you want to smash some strawberries into a pulpy mess? I want my kids to be gleefully noisy when they need and want to be. But I don't feel it's necessary that I be their audience/victim past a few minutes or so, or that I should have to talk (shout?) over their, um, joyous clamor when I'm on the phone. So once I've shown attention adequate to their display, I tell them that they're free to sing, bang, chant or caterwaul to their hearts' content, just not here. The same goes for whining, tantrums and generic pouting.
For the irrational and long-winded whining jags sometimes used by her 4-year-old son, my friend Denise has turned this rule to a pithy declaration: "I'm ready to listen when you're ready to talk." She then leaves the room.
Why it works: It gives children a choice rather than a prohibition and does so without rejecting them.

Rule #5: We don't argue about money

Goal: Short-circuit begging and pleading for stuff

This rule has to be enforced consistently to work, but the basic deal is that you can tell your child yes or no on any requested purchase, but you don't discuss it. If your child protests, simply repeat, calmly, like a mantra, that you won't argue about money. The key to success is that you have to have the courage of your convictions and not argue. Thus the calm repetition.
It cuts both ways, though: When your kids want to spend their "own" money, point out potential mistakes and give advice on the purchase if you'd like, but at the end of the day, don't overrule them unless it's a matter of health or safety. After all, you don't argue about money. They may make some bad choices, but they'll learn. And you'll all enjoy shopping together a lot more.
Why it works: It shifts the focus from the whined-for treat to financial policy. You're almost changing the topic on them, no longer debating why they should or shouldn't have gum or some plastic plaything and, instead, invoking a reasonable-sounding family value.

Rule #6: I can't understand you when you speak like that

Goal: Stopping whining, screaming and general rudeness

This one requires almost religious consistency of application to work effectively. But, essentially, you simply proclaim incomprehension when your child orders (rather than asks) you to do something, whines or otherwise speaks to you in a way you don't like. Whispering this helps; it takes the whole thing down a notch on the carrying-on scale. This is a de-escalation tool, so calmly repeat the rule a few times and don't get lured into raising your voice. A child who's whining or being rude is clearly seeking attention and drama, so use this as a way to provide neither.
Why it works: It empowers your child by suggesting he has something valuable to say (if he says it nicely) and allows you to completely invalidate (i.e., ignore) the rude presentation.

Rule #7: There's no such thing as boredom

Goal: Prevent your child from saying "I'm bored"; teach her to entertain herself

A friend of mine says this is one of the few things he got right with his kids. The first time his older daughter claimed she was bored he simply denied that the thing existed. Now he sometimes adds: "There's no such thing as boredom, only failure of the imagination" or "...only mental laziness." Surprisingly he's never gotten the "There is too boredom!" argument, only an exasperated "Da-ad." Regardless of the phrasing, the result is the same: The burden of amusement lands directly on your child, which is precisely where you want it.
Why it works: By the time your kids have figured out the puzzle of how something that exists can also not exist, they won't be bored. Also, it changes the terms of debate, from a challenge for you (list all my toys, then cave in and let me watch TV) to one for them. Besides—if your child learns how to entertain herself, there truly is no such thing as boredom. And that's a gift that will last all her life.

Enjoying Our Programs?

 

Is your child enjoying our programs? Let us know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Smart Start Academy!

 

Preschool is Important

Every parent knows the importance of what a good education means for their children. How they thrive in a classroom setting can set the tone for how they thrive in a successful career as an adult. You encourage and push your children to get good grades, so that they may be able to further their education by attending, and graduating from, an exceptional college.

Even though the end game is to help your kids become successful adults, often parents overlook the importance of the beginning of an education. Starting your child in a preschool program is the first step to years of happy and intelligent learning.

Here are 5 reasons why having your child attend preschool may help them throughout their entire lives:

1- Opportunity for Growth and Preparing Children for Kindergarten

Most likely this will be the first time your child is in a structured setting with groups of other children and teachers. This is where they will learn to share and follow instructions, which will be the foundation for learning in elementary school.

Exposing your child at a young age to letters, numbers, and shapes helps them feel comfortable and more accustomed to learning before entering the more academic class setting of kindergarten.

Although some parents feel that preschools tend to focus too much on the pre-math and pre-literacy skills, which will take away from play time and push a child to grow up too fast, our curriculum focuses on developing the entire child rather than just the areas that other schools deem necessary. Helping students find areas in which they excel naturally is a great way to boost their self-esteem and knowledge of themselves. Having that confidence when they move into the kindergarten classroom will give them a better personal space for learning.

2- Social and Emotional Development

In order for a child to build trusting relationships with adults outside the family they need to spend time away from parents. Our program encourages the nurturing of warm relationships among children, teachers, and parents.

Young children will develop social skills and emotional self-control in “real time.” A great teacher knows that 3 – 4 year olds will learn from their experiences or “teachable moments” and take the time to help them learn and understand, such as how to manage anger or frustration and how to help them understand the impact their aggressive or hurtful behavior may have on another child.

3- Making Friends and Playing Well With Others

Although the preschool environment may seem chaotic it is actually quite structured. Having an organized classroom space encourages social interaction. “Structured” environment doesn’t mean that adults are constantly directing activities, on the contrary, children are encouraged to find each other and play on their own, which teaches them how to have positive interactions with the other children.

4- Children get to Make Choices

Some children know what they want and when they want it. They have no problem entering a group or activity that interest them, but others may not have the skills to enter other children’s play space. We encourage and teach them ways to feel comfortable knowing what they want and suggestions on the best way to join in on the fun.

5- Children Learn to Take Care of Themselves and Others

Learning to take care of themselves and help others gives young children a sense of competence and self-worth. They are encouraged to view themselves as a resource for their peers. A teacher may ask a “veteran” preschooler to help a newcomer learn where certain toys or coloring books are kept.

These are only a handful of the amazing things your child will learn in a preschool environment. Whether you are looking for the best Hoboken preschool or the best Jersey City preschool, our program focuses on each individual child. Preschoolers are not accustomed to sitting still and listening to lectures, which is why we don’t teach that way. Through the world of hands-on teaching, exploration, and movement we maintain flexibility for the children and encourage them to independently explore their specific areas of interest.

Take a look at our events calendar as summer camp prep week, and end of year parent/teacher conferences are just around the corner. Contact us today for more information on admission dates and prices. Start your preschooler today on a path that leads to successful lives through proper education.

Any questions?

Have any questions about the methods we use with our infants?

 Just contact us.

 

Preschool is important, and we'll tell you why!

Every parent knows the importance of what a good education means for their children. How they thrive in a classroom setting can set the tone for how they thrive in a successful career as an adult.

You encourage and push your children to get good grades, so that they may be able to further their education by attending, and graduating from, an exceptional college.

Even though the end game is to help your kids become successful adults, often parents overlook the importance of the beginning of an education. Starting your child in a preschool program is the first step to years of happy and intelligent learning.

Here are 5 reasons why having your child attend preschool may help them throughout their entire lives:

1- Opportunity for Growth and Preparing Children for Kindergarten
Most likely this will be the first time your child is in a structured setting with groups of other children and teachers. This is where they will learn to share and follow instructions, which will be the foundation for learning in elementary school.
Exposing your child at a young age to letters, numbers, and shapes helps them feel comfortable and more accustomed to learning before entering the more academic class setting of kindergarten.
Although some parents feel that preschools tend to focus too much on the pre-math and pre-literacy skills, which will take away from play time and push a child to grow up too fast, our curriculum focuses on developing the entire child rather than just the areas that other schools deem necessary. Helping students find areas in which they excel naturally is a great way to boost their self-esteem and knowledge of themselves. Having that confidence when they move into the kindergarten classroom will give them a better personal space for learning.

2- Social and Emotional Development
In order for a child to build trusting relationships with adults outside the family they need to spend time away from parents. Our program encourages the nurturing of warm relationships among children, teachers, and parents.
Young children will develop social skills and emotional self-control in “real time.” A great teacher knows that 3 – 4 year olds will learn from their experiences or “teachable moments” and take the time to help them learn and understand, such as how to manage anger or frustration and how to help them understand the impact their aggressive or hurtful behavior may have on another child.

3- Making Friends and Playing Well With Others
Although the preschool environment may seem chaotic it is actually quite structured. Having an organized classroom space encourages social interaction. “Structured” environment doesn’t mean that adults are constantly directing activities, on the contrary, children are encouraged to find each other and play on their own, which teaches them how to have positive interactions with the other children.

4- Children get to Make Choices
 Some children know what they want and when they want it. They have no problem entering a group or activity that interest them, but others may not have the skills to enter other children’s play space. We encourage and teach them ways to feel comfortable knowing what they want and suggestions on the best way to join in on the fun.

5- Children Learn to Take Care of Themselves and Others
Learning to take care of themselves and help others gives young children a sense of competence and self-worth. They are encouraged to view themselves as a resource for their peers. A teacher may ask a “veteran” preschooler to help a newcomer learn where certain toys or coloring books are kept.
These are only a handful of the amazing things your child will learn in a preschool environment. Whether you are looking for the best Hoboken preschool or the best Jersey City preschool, our program focuses on each individual child. Preschoolers are not accustomed to sitting still and listening to lectures, which is why we don’t teach that way. Through the world of hands-on teaching, exploration, and movement we maintain flexibility for the children and encourage them to independently explore their specific areas of interest.

Take a look at our events calendar as summer camp prep week, and end of year parent/teacher conferences are just around the corner. Contact us today for more information on admission dates and prices. Start your preschooler today on a path that leads to successful lives through proper education.

Open House

We welcome you to register to join us at Smart Start Academy's Open House events. Meet our teachers and tour! Smart Start Academy values and takes great pride in their educators. Our teachers are carefully selected based on their education, teaching experience and their passion for teaching. All of our lead teachers must meet or exceed the qualifications set forth by the DCF, in addition to completing extensive training and orientation classes at S.S.A.

Smart Start Academy is dedicated to bringing the best environment for learning and creativity to each student. Our full day programs have a curriculum that works to meet every learning style in a way to that nurtures every aspect of a child- the physical, emotional, intellectual and social.

Ready to enroll your child at Smart Start Academy?

At Smart Start Academy, we encourage a toddler’s natural curiosity. Teachers bring a well rounded approach to the curriculum so that students can receive an education that helps them develop their
minds. There are a lot of different approaches to a child’s education, but our theory is that we are here to help each toddler learn in their most natural environment. This means that we incorporate the learning into fun, engaging ways that often looks and feels like play.

Monthly Themes
Every month, our toddler school focuses on a theme. Each one is picked to help focus on a different need of children in this age range- enhancing self-expression, peer interaction, or sensory awareness. These themes help children learn about themselves and the world around them.
One of the most difficult frustrations for toddlers, and often the root cause for tantrums, is that they have a hard time figuring out what they are feeling, what they need, and how to express all of it. Many toddlers don’t even have the language skills required to express their feelings. Our monthly themes work to teach these to our students by incorporating them into lessons and play for the entire month. This way, there is ample time to teach the students each aspect.
Monthly themes are very important to our toddler curriculum. Focusing on these different areas helps to lower frustration levels for the child, increase independence, and make communication between parents and their child a better experience. It can also help increase the level of understanding for the student in other areas of learning by meeting their base needs.

Our Curriculum
Toddlers learn best through discovery and experiencing things themselves. Most toddlers have a hard time sitting still for long amounts of time or paying attention in large groups. They like to play and learn in ways that are different from any other age. The material is very basic and often involves learning about the world around them.
Teachers design their lesson plans to meet these requirements. Students of all ages are more likely to remember and process information when they are meaningful to them on an individual level. For this reason, our teachers work to ensure that each child is engaged in the learning process when they are best ready for it. This is done through child-initiated and teacher-directed lessons. This way, the student is actually involved and in charge of their own learning experience, making it meaningful to them.

Our Goals
The most important goal we have in our school for toddlers is to help each student experience meaningful and lifelong learning experiences. Rather than making our students conform to one way of learning or only learning in the classroom, we work hard to promote active thinking and exploring how things work. Our highly trained teachers facilitate purposeful play and intentional teaching practices.
We work to ensure that each student who leaves our daycare for toddlers has a great foundation for learning that will last their entire life. When a child starts off on the right foot, it can help them enter into the later educational programs with more excitement and understanding. These two factors have a lot of influence on how successful a student is in the learning process now and in the future.
We know that parents expect more from a daycare than just simply taking care of their child’s basic needs. We want to instill a love of learning, improving life skills, and a desire to be self aware in each of our students. Our toddler program works to make life easier for the student and their parents. We work hard to ensure we are giving the best quality of experiences to your toddler so that you know they are getting everything that they need during their formative years.

Fun Family Traditions to Start This Summer

Create lasting happy memories with your kids by starting one (or more!) of these fun traditions this summer.

Summer starts out with the promise of long, lazy days, BBQs, and beach weekends -- but before you know it, the school's-out thrill wears off of your kids and the chorus of "I'm bored" starts, and then you blink and it's time to start shopping for school supplies again. Where do those summer days go? To help make those few fleeting months feel extra-special, consider starting one (or more!) of these fun family traditions.

• Host an End-of-School Awards Dinner
• Choose Your Vacation Spot by Throwing a Dart
• Hold Your Own Family Olympics
• Enjoy a Backyard Campout
• Schedule "Books and Cones" Dates
• Build a Fourth of July Stand
• Create a Sidewalk Chalk Mural
• Be a Tourist in Your Own Town
• Schedule Your Own Holiday to Celebrate
• Hold an Outdoor Movie Night
• Celebrate the Great Summer Switch-Off
• Create a Vacation Bucket List
• Do a Rain Dance
• Take a Classic Family Vacation Photo

and...Have FUN!

Mess-Free Easter Egg Dying

Easter egg dying is all kinds of adorable, until you realize what a mess it can make when kids get involved. This year, you can avoid the purple and green-stained fingers on Easter Sunday by using these helpful egg-dying tricks to keep things clean.