Young parents who live near their own parents are lucky.  Some people we know are unapologetically enthusiastic to become grandparents and share their gifts and experience with their children and grandkids.  We wish them the best of luck in that aspiration.

The Special Role of Grandparents

Many of us remember childhood time with our grandparents with fondness: almost like our parents but with more time to play and maybe more willing to spoil us a little.   

But grandparents also play a very functional role in today’s society. More than three million children in the United States are cared for every day by grandparents while their parents go to work.

As more parents enter the workforce in order stay afloat in a tough economy, and as formal child care becomes more expensive, grandparents and other relatives have become the go-to source for child care. Changing family structures have also contributed to more grandparents becoming primary caregivers, in some instances taking over when their grandchildren’s parents are unable to provide care.

Very young children can benefit greatly from spending quality time with their grandparents. For example, several studies have shown that children whose grandparents talk, read and sing often to them show better vocabulary and emotional development, and are better able to manage stress.

Experts recommend several ways in which grandparents can be more successful in their role as caregivers. First, it’s important to establish mutual trust and respect with parents so that conflicts don’t arise. Additionally, grandparents can positively contribute to their grandchildren’s learning by sharing activities that promote their social, mental and emotional growth. Simple things like singing traditional lullabies, telling family histories or playing games can strengthen bonds with young grandchildren, and help them prepare to learn.

Read more:

• Learn about important developmental milestones for babies and toddlers in this helpful factsheet from PBS.org.
• Simple ways grandparents can improve bonding and learning with children, from KidsHealth.

In the News:

• “More Grandparents Serving as Primary Caregivers to Children,” Los Angeles Times, September 4, 2013.
• “As Families Become More Complicated, More Grandparents Care for Kids, Study Says,” The Washington Post, November 5, 2013.
• “Tips for Sharing Child Care With Grandparents,” Seattle Times, December 11, 2011.

Video Attachment and child expert Dr. Jim Sears talks about why building secure attachments are important to children’s health. >>

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Healthy Eating Fuels Body and Mind

Roll a ball towards a six-month-old baby that has just learned to sit up on his own, and you will likely see him respond with a great deal of excitement as her entire body prepares for play. Feed that baby nutritious food that he likes, and he has the same response. Whether experienced through breast milk or baby carrots, healthy eating plays a very important role in the proper development of a young child’s physical, mental and social well-being, and is just as important as playtime and vocabulary growth.

This is because healthy eating is about much more than the nutritive quality of food. Regular, balanced meals and snacks that are high in nutrients help build strong bones and muscles, prevent illness, provide high energy throughout the day, and strengthen neural connections in the brain. But learning how to eat healthfully also involves understanding how meals are prepared, and how to use the experience of sharing food to strengthen bonds with loved ones.

Young children benefit greatly from the experience of family mealtime. Several important studies have shown that children who eat regular meals with their parents feel a stronger connection to their families, communicate more effectively, and make more nutritious food choices. Similarly, young children who are involved in the preparation of their food—even if just banging pots on the kitchen floor while a parent prepares a meal—will more easily learn the importance of nutritive food in their everyday lives.

Parents can establish good eating habits early on by scheduling regular family meals during which family members talk to each other about their day or tell stories. Additionally, parents can encourage healthy food choices by offering a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins at every meal, and by doing simple things like talking with babies and toddlers about healthful food while grocery shopping. The lessons that young children learn about healthy eating tend to stick with them for life.

Learn More:

• Tufts University article explains why family mealtimes may prevent risky behaviors in teens down the road.
• Parents can find recipes, research and fun activities on this site from the Family Dinner Project.

In The News:

• “How to Have a Happy Family: 7 Tips Backed by Research”, TIME, March 16, 2014.

Special Feature

We’re celebrating our growing Facebook community—almost 100,000 fans!—with a special giveaway this week. Like our Facebook page or share it with your family and friends by Friday, March 21 for a chance at winning a Too Small to Fail gift bag filled with children’s books, t-shirts, games and CDs, plus a special message from former Secretary Hillary Clinton. Winners will be announced in next week’s email newsletter. Details here. >>

N.B. CGUI begins tomorrow at Arizona State.

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This seems a little obvious.  We know that playtime for young animals often foreshadows coping skills necessary later in life and that parental guidance is frequently involved.  Anyone whose cat has ever dumped a live mouse in his/her lap has probably been exposed to the idea that the cat is training its human as it would a kitten.

Human children also engage in play activities that mirror the adult world they see around them.  Whether it is playing house, playing store,  tea time,  GI Joe or a
Superhero saving the world, the game reflects an adult world as the child perceives it and ways of behaving in that world.

The pre-school son of a colleague of mine who was our bookkeeper liked to use the leftover scrap paper I had in my office that was printed with calendar grids.  He carefully inserted what looked to him like numbers.  I asked what he was doing, and he responded, “Payroll!”  There was also an implication that I should not interrupt with inane questions when he was trying to concentrate.

Playtime is Learning Time

If you spend any time around toddlers—on the playground, at home, or even in an airport waiting area—you’ll quickly notice how important playtime is for them. Whether experienced as a game of chase or dress-up, play is the vehicle of choice for learning, and how the young brain processes important information about the world we live in. Through play, young children learn how to get along with others, how to use their bodies, how to problem-solve, and even how to work out emotions, like stress.

According to Professor Karen Hutchison of Rowan University, “Play is actually the work of a child in which they are preparing themselves for adult roles and for society at large.”

When seen through this lens, active playtime becomes an important part of a child’s early education, rather than just a way to use up spare time. More than a decade of research has shown clear benefits of play to children, especially when children engage in pretend or “make-believe” play from the ages of about two through age six. According to Scientific American, studies have shown an improvement in the depth of language used by children who regularly engage in imaginative play, as well as an improvement in their ability to empathize with other people’s points of view. The same is not true of time spent passively watching TV or other screens.

While children often do a good job of playing if left to their own devices, parents and caregivers can help very young children to engage in play that will stimulate their imaginations. Games like peek-a-boo teach young babies about object permanence, and strengthen the bond between children and their caregivers. For toddlers, outdoor games and exploring, as well as imaginative play with puppets and costumes, can be fun and engaging.

Regardless of the game being played, playtime is most rewarding when it happens regularly and with people children know and love.

Learn More:

• Interesting series from Urban Institute provides research about the importance of play for young children—and their parents!
• A peek at the science behind playtime, and why it matters, from Love Talk Play.
• Fun, seasonal activities from Zero to Three that parents can use to play with young children.

In The News:

• “The Case for Play”, The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 20, 2011.
• “The Need for Pretend Play In Child Development”, Scientific American, November 11, 2013.
• “The Importance of Everyday Interactions for Early Brain Development,” The Huffington Post, February 3, 2014.

Video

Watch parents talk about ways they play with their children—from the silly to the artistic! >>

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Preparing for Preschool

A child’s first day of preschool or kindergarten can be exciting for him and his parents alike—it represents a rite of passage into later childhood. But that first experience in school can also be challenging, especially if the child is unprepared. This period of early education can be especially troubling for young children today, who are expected to keep up with more rigorous academic standards than those of just a few years ago. Some young children aren’t considered “school ready”, even if they meet the age requirements, because they are not prepared to learn in a formal classroom setting.

The good news is that the skills that a child needs to succeed in a classroom or school setting can be learned quite early in life, and reinforced by parents and caregivers long before a child sets foot in a school or childcare facility.

According to the Urban Child Institute, there are four key dimensions of school readiness: language and literacy, thinking skills, self-control, and self-confidence. These skills help a child learn to read, evaluate and solve problems, and get along with other children well enough so that learning can take place. If a child doesn’t learn the proper social and emotional skills early in life, and if she is not taught basic literacy and numeracy awareness, she has a more difficult time catching up to her peers later in school.

Parents and caregivers can help their children prepare for school early on by reading, talking and singing to them every day. Frequent reading and verbal communication during infancy leads to an awareness of vocabulary, which helps build literacy skills that will be useful later in school. Additionally, parents can help foster curiosity and a desire to learn in their children by playing games like hide-and-seek and taking the time to answer questions.

A quality preschool setting can also be useful to young children by helping them become familiar with an environment where teachers and children interact regularly without the presence of parents. In fact, studies have shown that a quality preschool can actually improve a child’s chances of academic success. While choosing a quality preschool can be difficult, the resources listed below provide useful tips for finding the right childcare facility for your child and family.

Learn more:

• The top four dimensions of school readiness, from the Urban Child Institute.
• What your child can learn from preschool, from Parents Magazine.
• PBS.org offers tips to parents on how to choose a quality preschool or childcare facility.

 

Special Feature

Too Small to Fail has a new website! Check out our expert commentaries, recent blog posts and news clips, as well as new resources for parents and caregivers from our partners. Visit us at www.toosmall.org, then tell us what you think on Facebook and Twitter!

 

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