A vacation from school is something kids look forward to and enjoy because it’s the time they get to break from their academic life and tons of school work. But while school closures allow children more free time to play, they can also be a perfect opportunity for parents to provide their kids with productive activities that foster learning. 

Learning isn’t something that only takes place within the four walls of a classroom. It’s something you can and should promote at home as well.

Promoting learning doesn’t mean you have to stick to the lessons taught in school. In fact, it’s important to teach kids life lessons they don’t get inside the classroom. 

Read on to learn about the important life lessons you might want to cultivate in your children while school is out. 

Good manners

Good manners are important because these are what shape a person into a kind and considerate individual. It helps someone become likable and helps them maintain good relationships with others. 
Because good manners are so foundational, they are something that should be instilled in children as early as possible. Start with teaching them how to say “thank you” and “please” by being a role model. Use these words often in your interaction with them. Say “thank you” when they share their food or a favorite toy. Say “please” each time you make a request or ask them to do a task. Even when they can’t utter the words yet, they observe your actions as well as your language. Be sure to model the best examples of good manners because your child is likely to follow suit.

Money management

Another important life lesson kids should learn is money management. Their attitude toward money while they’re young will teach them how to be responsible with spending and saving. This will significantly impact their financial health in the future. 

If your child is already going to school and is receiving an allowance or has some other income, make use of the opportunity to teach them how to budget and save money. Tell them why budgeting and saving money is important especially when they have a goal to achieve. For example, let’s say they want to buy a certain toy. Instead of buying it for them, teach them how to save for it. This is a good head start to learning how to set financial goals and saving money to achieve them.

Value of honesty

It’s important that young kids understand the importance of honesty and the consequences of being dishonest. Explain to them why it’s important that they always strive to be truthful. Talk to them and discuss real life examples that may test their honesty. 

For example, say they were invited by a friend to a party and they won’t be able to attend because you have a family dinner. Tell them that they can be honest with the real reason instead of making up other excuses. More importantly, be sure that you model honesty in front of your kids. The best way to teach them that even occasional lying is not acceptable is by leading by example.

Making healthy choices

The habits and lifestyle children adopt are based on what they have grown accustomed to and been practicing growing up. Therefore, if you want to teach your kids how to have a healthy lifestyle, be sure to teach them how to make healthy choices early on. 

When it comes to food, teach them how to eat healthy by serving a well-balanced diet. Be mindful of their screen time and do not tolerate a sedentary lifestyle. Instead, encourage more physical activity and outdoor play. 

Being kind

You can never go wrong with being kind. After all, what we sow is what we reap. So, teach your little one the value of kindness while they’re young. In fact, this is an easy one because children’s default mindset tends toward kindness.

No matter how young they may be, there are plenty of ways they can sprinkle kindness around them. Encourage them to lend a helping hand or say kind words. Showing care to others can go a long way.

School closures are a perfect time for young kids to learn life lessons that will prove valuable to them throughout their lives. Cultivate these lessons in your little one starting right now and watch how they reap long term benefits. 

For more parenting tips or if you’re looking for the best childcare center for your little one, please feel free to visit Wee Care Preschool. 

Many people have been saved by hospitals. When there is an emergency that needs medical attention, the first thing you would do is go to the nearest hospital.

However, hospitals can be dangerous places for a lot of reasons. One main reason is that hospitals are breeding grounds for bacteria so the risks of getting hospital-acquired infections are higher.

Most people who are hospitalized fall into one of three categories:

• They need surgery that can’t be performed at an outpatient facility,
• Those who are very sick (and sometimes dying), or
• Those with severe injuries.

What are Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAI) and how do you prevent them?

Hospital-acquired infections are those kinds of infections contracted by patients while receiving medical care for other medical issues. The infection must not be present or incubating during admission for it to be considered HAI.

Most common infections include: urinary tract infections, infections on the surgical wounds, and/or lower respiratory tract infections.

There are certain preventive measures you can do to keep your loved ones from getting infected.

• Hand Hygiene

As simple and basic as it seems, clean hands are very important in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and deadly germs.

The World Health Organization has stressed that washing hands is a must. Clean hands are not only to ensure that patients don’t contract hospital-acquired infections, but also for healthcare professionals not to acquire infections from patients.

As a general rule of thumb, you must wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Every hospital staff member is also encouraged to wash their hands prior to having their meals, drinking, and between caring for patients.

• Research about the Hospital

It is a given that you do not have the luxury to choose your hospital, especially during emergency cases. If you are out of town and suddenly got sick, you may not know much about the hospitals in that location. However, if you are at home and know for a fact that you will need to be hospitalized soon, be practical and choose the hospital you know is the cleanest.

Do research about the hospitals in your area. Check their infection track records, and pick the one with the lowest rate. It is advisable to discuss your options with your doctor as he/she may not have admission rights to the hospital of your choice.

Check with your insurance policy and if they can cover it, ask for a private room as this will reduce the risk of acquiring infections from another patient.

• Disinfect and Make Sure All Surfaces are Clean

Since every corner of the hospital is a breeding ground for deadly viruses and germs, every room must be thoroughly cleaned between patients.

Disinfection of rooms and surfaces helps to prevent any accidental transmissions of infectious diseases when new patients come in. Additionally, non-patient areas, such as the nurse’s stations and break rooms, must also be cleaned and sanitized every day.

• Cover Wounds

Some hospital-acquired infections are acquired because of an open wound.

Nurses and/or doctors may examine patients daily to check for possible infections. While the reasons are valid, opening the bandage increases the exposure to bacteria and germs. Make sure all wounds are properly cleaned and covered.

Some hospitals are now adopting a new and safer technique to cover wounds. This involves sealing the surgical area with a skin glue instead of staples (which can easily harbor bacteria). They also use waterproof dressings which can stay for up to three weeks without opening.

• Use Gloves

Gloves are another way to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Healthcare professionals may not have the need to wear gloves when interacting with patients. However, if there will be possible contact with any bodily fluids or blood, such as taking blood samples, emptying trash, or changing the sheets, gloves must be worn at all times.

Prevention is always better than cure. Infections can be deadly. Even minor infections can become a much bigger concern for patients with pre-existing medical conditions, such as diabetes or cancer.

Stop spreading infections by being responsible and taking all the necessary precautions to keep you and your loved ones safe.

For more information about how to protect your kids and your family, contact Wee Care Preschool. We provide education and proper care for your toddlers to ensure that they grow safe, healthy, and away from any infectious diseases.

A number or factors come into play when it comes to bad behavior in kids. Is bad parenting the sole thing responsible for this negative behavior? Absolutely not. It could be anything from a child’s environment to their circumstances. Which begs the question—what causes bad behaviors in kids? And what can you do to prevent them?

The first step is always to identify these bad behaviors. Understanding what you’re dealing with makes it easier to take measures to fix it. Here are the most common bad behaviors to pay close attention to and ideas for ways to correct them. 

Bullying

Whether it’s gossiping, teasing, verbal or physical harm, bullying of any form is never okay. You don’t want to see your child getting bullied. And it’s even worse when he or she is the one who does the bullying.

This is why keeping an eye on your child’s behavior is necessary, especially when you’re not around.

In cases where they are the ones who bully, speak to them kindly and get to the bottom of things. Talk to your child about why bullying is unacceptable and how it’s harmful for them and to the victim.

If something or somebody is bothering them, teach your child constructive ways to handle their emotions and reactions to certain triggers. If lack of attention from you is what’s causing it, make a point of scheduling some one-on-one time with your child at least once a week. 

Showing no respect

When a child starts to yell or talk back to you in public, it’s a clear indication that something is wrong.

Back talking is a means for them to gain back control over their life and decisions. It’s a natural part of growing up but it doesn’t mean that this behavior should be tolerated.

This lack of respect suggests that they don’t have regard for other people’s feelings and this can get problematic if not addressed soon.

Respect is a two-way street. If you want your kids to show you respect, teach them respect by leading as an example. Treat them as how you’d want to be treated back. Speak to them with respect and soon enough you’ll watch them pick up on the habit at some point. 

Respect is important. It’s one of the key values that children must embrace from a young age.

In terms of addressing this bad behavior, it’s important to keep your composure. Be firm in establishing expected behavior and enforcing consequences. And lastly, try to look deeper.

There could be underlying causes that prevent them from treating people with respect. Is your child overwhelmed? Are they having trouble expressing their frustrations? Not enough sleep?

These underlying causes can be anything and identifying the underlying cause is necessary for figuring out how to resolve them. 

As the saying goes: Treat the cause, not the symptoms. 

Defiance and disobedience

Kids, especially toddlers, are the ones most often inflicted with defiant behavior. They may argue their way into avoiding your request for them to do something or simply ignore you on purpose because they don’t want to do it.

Although this is a common problem for parents who have younger kids, this bad behavior should not be overlooked.

Dealing with defiant children may test your patience and temper but with the right practices, it is still possible to manage them. 

First, look into what causes your kids to react a certain way. Do you notice a pattern? Any specific triggers that cause their defiance?

Often, defiance can be triggered when children are hurried through a task. Avoid putting too many things on their plate. Children don’t do well with abrupt transitions so try to put things on a schedule to set their expectations of what’s to happen next. 

Children also resort to defiance sometimes when they want to exert control over things. Giving them limited options can be helpful in this case as it gives them power to choose between things they’re expected to do.

Ungratefulness and entitlement

Parents love their children and only want what’s best for them.

Providing for their basic needs is our responsibility but it can take a turn for the worse when we start to give them more than what they need. This breeds entitlement, which can turn up from time-to-time, especially when most of the attention is on them and they are used to getting what they want at all times.

This can be tolerable, but the problem begins when it becomes a habit.

One thing you can do to handle these incidents is to point them out directly.

Preventing it however, takes a bit more time and patience.

Teach your child to value what they have by letting them earn it through good deeds or doing simple tasks at home. Getting them exposed to doing charitable deeds can also help them be more grateful of what they have and be more apt to share their resources with others who need them.

Managing bad behaviors in kids can be a challenge but identifying and taking action early can help reduce instances of these bad behaviors from repeatedly taking place in the future. 

Find these tips helpful? We’re glad to help you with your parenting journey. Visit https://weecarepreschools.com/ or contact us for more details about our amazing childhood learning programs. 

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