The most important consideration at the start of the new school year is to create positive feelings and optimism about school. Normalize emotions that your child(ren) may have and give your child(ren) creative ways to have an outlet, as well as stay connected to those around them. Back to School is a very important time of your child’s life. Carrying on familiar routines, transitions, and tasks every day will be beneficial to your child. Keep the first days of school very positive. Allow time for routines to kick in. Don't get upset if your child is running late or forgets things. Understand and expect by the end of the first weeks of school, routines may be set and work well or may not be. Patience is key. The gateway to learning is through children's social and emotional skills and experiences. Opening that gateway at the start of the school year will lead to a smoother path for both you and your child(ren).

Bye-Bye Time

Being dropped off at childcare or cared for by a baby-sitter means saying good-bye to Mom or Dad—and for many toddlers, bye-bye is a big deal. This gentle book helps ease the transition with simple rituals: hugs and kisses, a big wave, a deep breath, and the confidence to seek comfort with the new caregiver or other children. Toddlers learn that good-bye is not forever, it is just for a while.

Greetings to Back to CLASS!

Whether you are simply saying, “hi,” going to the store, or dropping off your little one at school, transitions can be tough. Say “Hi and Bye-bye” (or Good-bye) to your child, the same way you greet others. Using standard greetings with your child helps them learn to wave and say, “Hi and Bye-bye,” too. By waving and saying “Hi and Bye-bye” to your child at appropriate times, you provide a model of conversational behavior. By responding joyfully to their attempts to communicate “Hi and Bye-bye,” you encourage your child to try to repeat those actions. Because the gesture of waving is widely understood, it provides your child with an opportunity to communicate with people outside of your immediate family.

What You Need:

· Child and family members

· Appropriate greeting times

What you do:

Smile and say “Hi” when you approach your child or when they make a sound (this may be their attempt at saying Hi). Wave to your child to get their attention. Use greetings during daily routines, such as diaper changing, mealtime, and bath time. For example, when your child makes the “ah” sound during a diaper change, pause, move closer to their face, smile, and say “Hi” in a gentle voice. Observe your child. They will listen and watch you. Your child may smile back and then, over time, begin to imitate the sound and motion. Look for signs such as their fingers moving slightly on their lap. They will likely use the hand motion or the sound of “Hi” separately before putting the two together. Wave and say “Bye-bye or Good-bye” when leaving a room. Encourage others to greet your child the same way and help them wave their hand or wiggle their fingers to participate in this early form of conversation.

T'was the Night Before Preschool!

It’s the night before preschool, and a little boy named Billy is so nervous he can’t fall asleep. The friends he makes the next day at school give him a reason not to sleep the next night, either: he is too excited about going back! The book’s simple rhyming text and sweet illustrations will soothe any child’s fears about the first day of school.

Gum Dropping, Back to School-Design Challenge

In this activity, your child will use gumdrops and toothpicks to build structures that complete various design challenges. Give your child some free building time to explore the materials before beginning the challenge. Ask your child to build off what they have already created to complete the activity.

What You Need:

· Gumdrops (or any other soft candy like jellybeans or fruit snacks)

· Toothpicks

· Book, full water bottle, or another item (to be used as a test weight)

· Ruler or tape measure

· Pen and paper for brainstorming and note-taking

What You Do

Give your child 10 gumdrops and 20 toothpicks to start. Allow them to explore the materials by asking your child to build whatever they would like. After allowing your child to build freely for a while, ask them to take some notes on their creation. Ask your child to write down or draw the height, width, and/or picture of their structure. Then, ask your child how much weight they think their structure can hold. Test their idea by placing something heavy such as a book or full water bottle on their design. After testing their creations, you can extend this activity by asking your child to build a structure that can hold a few books, or a structure that is taller than the one they built. After your child has finished brainstorming their design, ask them to choose one of their ideas to build. Make sure to remind your child of the overall goal of their design. This is an important step of the design thinking process because it teaches your child to prioritize the functionality of their design over personal preferences. Now it is time for your child to build their design! Give your child room to test and create on their own but help if they need assistance. Once your child has finished building, help them to test their creation. If their design completes the challenge, congratulate them on their success. If your child’s design does not successfully complete their challenge, ask them what they think went wrong. Have your child go back to the original brainstorming and prototyping stages. Ask your child to redesign their structure and continue brainstorming and prototyping until their design is successful. To finish the activity, ask your child a few final questions. What did they learn during the initial exploration of the materials? What different types of structures worked or did not work in each challenge? What was the most challenging part of the activity? What was the most fun part?

Shoe Search Routine

Your child is learning to use memory to search for hidden or missing items. At the same time, your child is growing an understanding of new words like “your” and “my.” While your toddler may not say much yet, the receptive vocabulary (words they hear and understand) is very large and growing every day. Asking your child to locate familiar items will reinforce memory as well as develop an understanding of important words like “your” and “my.” Simple routines reinforce your child's memory and helps your child learn what to expect based on previous experiences. Try this routine when it is time to put on shoes: Ask, "Can you get YOUR shoes?" After you help your child put on his or her shoes, ask, "Can you get MY shoes?" If your toddler is not ready and does not yet understand the words “your” and “my,” use gestures to give clues and just work on one word at a time. For example, first help your child understand what “your shoes” means and later work on “my shoes.”

School Routine Practice

Children often have a hard time putting their feelings into words. Playing pretend can give your child a chance to work through feelings of fear or anxiety about upcoming events. It can also give you an idea of what your child is nervous about so that you can talk about it. Have your child be the teacher and act out what a day at school is like. If your child is not ready, instead of acting out what school is like, read a book about it and pause to talk about the pictures. Try to make connections between what school is like in the story and what it might be like in real life.

As we start a new school year, it is important that children with IEP/IFSP’s are continuing their services. Those services may look different this year from in-home to virtual services. It is important to stay in contact with your school district or the Kern Regional Center to ensure your child’s IEP/IFSP is current and up to date. Disabilities Specialists are working with your teachers to ensure that activities are being provided to help your child reach their individual IEP/IFSP goals.

Why is tactile sensory play important for my child?

When you think of tactile sensory play I think of touch and texture including temperature, vibration, and pressure. Tactile sensory play is felt throughout the nervous system and most directly through the skin (including the inside of the mouth). Some children may be highly sensitive to different textures and not so much to others. Some children may prefer less messy to messier and some children want to cover their whole body in shaving cream. All children benefit from tactile sensory play as it is a wonderful way to regulate the sensory system.

We do not know too many kids who don’t love a fresh batch of homemade playdough. It makes a wonderful sensory play activity, enhances learning activities, and feels amazing for the senses! Cookie cutters, natural materials, plastic kitchen tools are all fun ways to explore playdough.

Cornstarch Dough Recipe:

· ½ Cup Cornstarch

· 1/3 Cup Dish Soap

· 1 Tablespoon Water

How to make cornstarch dough:

Add your ingredients to a bowl and mix.

The cornstarch dough should not be sticky, chalky, or crumbly. If it is sticky add a tiny bit of cornstarch. It is dry add a tiny bit of water (few drops at a time). The dough should have a somewhat glossy surface and be soft.

The power of gratitude is endless! Research shows that practicing gratitude can strengthen relationships, improve physical and emotional well-being, deepen empathy skills, and improve self-esteem. With such wide-spread benefits, how can we create our own gratitude practice at home with children? First, define gratitude to your children. Click on the button below to Listen/Read the Thankful Book. Then, have your child fill out note cards with examples of what they are thankful for. Encourage your child to write something down or draw a picture of what they are grateful for. “Gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation.” Share something that you are thankful for, then ask, “What is one thing you are thankful for?” Explain that today you are going to work together to make a Gratitude Jar, a place where you will write down things you are thankful for every day. Provide time for your child to use the materials to decorate the jar, giving assistance as needed. Choose a consistent time each day to sit down as a family and each identify one thing to be grateful for each day. It can be helpful to use a sentence frame such as “I am thankful for _________ today.” Create a non-judgmental space as you share. Whatever you think of goes. This might mean your child is thankful for chocolate chip cookies one day, and that is okay! The act of identifying things you are grateful for will provide a nurturing space for your whole family to identify both big and small things. Read through the slips in your gratitude jar when the jar is full or when you need a pick-me-up. This is a great way to help your child remember all the positive things in their life.

What You Need:

· The Thankful Book by Todd Parr

· Empty container (e.g., a recycled glass jar or small box)

· Markers or crayons

· Note cards

· Decorating supplies such as: glue, glitter glue, stickers, paint

Claudia Sanchez, Family Engagement

Cynthia Rodriguez, Mentor Coach,

Delores Patricio, Disabilities, and

Teresa Lara, Mentor Coach

Website: capk.org
Location: 5005 Business Park North, Bakersfield, CA, USA
Phone: (661) 336-5236