Daycare during a Pandemic: What Does Engagement Look Like Now?
Leading up to the days prior to re-opening daycare following the pandemic closure, we all had so many questions and fears of the unknown. As educators, we want to do our best to create an environment that keeps children physically safe and healthy. Parents may have question too because although they may trust their educators and caregivers, the situation is new to all of us. But the question remains for all, how do we provide a safe environment according to the guidelines without creating an institutional feel within the classroom?
What does engagement look like now?
Educators and parents often share many common goals when it comes to children. We all want and strive for their overall health, safety, and well-being both at homes and at school. Considering the pandemic, more emphasis has been placed on physical health for obvious reasons. But now that we have some experience implementing these new health guidelines, we have also gained some confidence to provide a broader sense of well being for each child that extends beyond just the physical well-being.
Social Interactions
After months of being house bound with limited interactions with friends, family and the community, children have now returned to daycare. For many children, this may be the only place they go other than their home. This means that the time spent with educators and peers becomes even more precious. These social interactions are critical to the child’s emotional well-being.
Responsive Educators and Peer Interactions
How do we create a warm and inviting environment for children? Firstly, the presence of a sensitive and responsive educator is the most important part. Secondly, the social interactions between peers play a pivotal role in the child’s environment and their own social development. Children can interact with each other throughout the day within a space that has a limited number of children and that allows for physical distancing during higher risk times (such as sleeping and eating times). Children—especially young children—need quality time with their educators and other peers.
Routines
We create a safe physical and emotional environment by following routines. Routines are so important to a child’s well being. This is something that most children lacked during their time at home during quarantine. Knowing what comes next creates a sense of ease and familiarity each day and this helps to build a child’s confidence.
Creative Approaches to Engagement
Creative approaches to staying connected are important while remaining cautious and safe. A sure-fire recipe for happiness is keeping children engaged. Children need ample time to engage in play and other joyful learning experiences such as exercise, mindfulness, and regular routines for sleeping and eating. It is essential to both children’s emotional and physical well-being.
Verbal and Non-verbal Communication
As educators, we find moments to use powerful words to acknowledge children. These words can convey affection, compassion, and encouragement. We also use eye contact, smiles, hand gestures, signals, and other forms of non-verbal communications to stay connected with the children.
What we know is that creating a sense of belonging, engagement, well-being, and expression creates a foundation for learning.
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 55 – Whale Search Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 55 – Whale Search Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Whale Search Activity
On a rainy day when you are stuck inside, technology can be used wisely to engage in some learning with your child. This activity involves researching animals that need water to survive. Let’s dive deep into the ocean for an adventure today.
We always want to make sure that the websites we are using are safe for children. When you use the internet to do searches with your kids, use the “kiddle” search engine. Kiddle is child-specific search engine supported by Google, which prevents the appearance of things not suitable for them. www.kiddle.co
National Geographic’s Kids is a great resource for information about all kinds of animals. Today we are going to learn about the Beluga whale. The beluga, or white whale, is one of the smallest species of whale. Their distinctive color and prominent foreheads make them easily identifiable. Visit the website and learn more about the Beluga whale. Find out what he eats, where you can find him and listen to the noises he makes.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: (STEAM: science, technology) and language and literacy.
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 53 – Five Senses Mindfulness Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 53 – Five Senses Mindfulness Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Five Senses Mindfulness Activity
Mindfulness is about noticing what’s going on around you and inside you in the present moment. This ability to focus attention on the present moment is a important skill that supports our overall health, well-being, and connection with others. Today’s exercise helps to build mindfulness skills by focusing attention on the five senses. Engaging our senses helps us focus on the present moment. Notice how you and your child are feeling as you begin. Then, together with your child:
- Notice five things that you can see. Look around you. Notice and name five things that you can see.
- Notice four things that you can feel. Tune in to your sense of touch. Notice and describe the texture of four things you can touch.
- Notice three things you can hear. Listen carefully. Notice and name three sounds you hear in your environment.
- Notice two things you can smell. Notice and name two smells you recognize.
- Notice one thing you can taste. Focus and name one thing that you can taste right now. You can take a sip or bite of something, or simply notice the current taste in your mouth.
- How are you and/or your child feeling now? Do you feel more connected to your surroundings and the present moment?
This exercise is great to do if you or your child is feeling anxious. It helps to distract the mind from anxious thoughts and focuses in on what’s happening in the moment.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: mindfulness.
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 52 – Water Play Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 52 – Water Play Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Water Play Activity
If you have a little one under 5 years old at home, then you’ve experienced what it’s like to try to keep up with an energetic toddler or preschooler. But did you know that kids this age need three hours of physical activity a day?
Children between 2-4 years old don’t only need a lot of movement, they also need a lot of variety of movement. So while it’s essential to make time for unstructured, active playtime, it’s also important to have access to plenty of fun, simple activities that you know will help them get active and develop skills in a variety of ways.
With the summer heat this week, it’s a great time to engage in water play outdoors. Water play keeps them cool in the heat and also keeps them active – and it’s FUN!
Here’s some options for easy water play that doesn’t involve a swimming pool. It may be awhile before the pools and splash pads are open.
- Car wash: Gather up lots of sponges, provide a tub of soapy water and wash the bikes and riding toys.
- Little people washing station: Gather small face towels and a bucket of soapy water and wash all the baby dolls or action figures.
- Wall painting: Gather sponges and brushes and have your kids throw their sponges on a wall or on a cement surface to make designs. Sponges and brushes can also be used to “paint” walls with water.
- Setup a water sensory table: All you need is a big bin of water and add their favourite toys as well as pail, shovels, strainers and things they can use to scoop and pour.
- Sponge toss: Gather a sponge and a bucket of water and toss the sponge back and forth to each other.
Depending on your child, you may want to put them in a swimsuit or clothes you don’t mind getting wet. And don’t forget the sunscreen!
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: physical activity.
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 51 – Marshmallow Engineering Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 51 – Marshmallow Engineering Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Marshmallow Engineering Activity
Summer is almost here and it’s almost time for bonfires and roasting marshmallows. But what do you do with all those leftover marshmallows? Marshmallows are a great building material and today’s activity uses marshmallows to build creative structures to develop engineering skills.
Step 1: Gather the following items: marshmallows (various sizes), Toothpicks, craft sticks
Step 2: Put out the materials and ask your child to build a structure with the materials. The child can choose whatever they want to make. You can make suggestions on how to stick the marshmallows together with the sticks, if they need some guidance. I recommend you also build a structure beside them. You can also extend the activity to add more challenge such as asking them to make a bridge or make the tallest structure they can without falling down.
Step 3: Talk about the structure they make and take a photo of it.
This activity is great for any age group. Even teens and adults like it!
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (engineering).
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 50 – Button Sorting Art Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 50 – Button Sorting Art Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Button Sorting Art Activity
Art and math seem like two very different subjects that don’t naturally combine. In this activity, we have combined art and math in a creative way. A simple and fun way to introduce counting and sorting through art is to use buttons.
Step 1: Gather the following items: buttons, paper and glue. Provide your child with a variety of buttons of different shapes and sizes (or other similar objects like beads, etc).
Step 2: Ask the child to sort the buttons by size and/or colour into different containers.
Step 3: Once your child has sorted their buttons, have them add drops of glue where they are going to put them on their paper.
Step 4: Take any button to cover up each dot of glue.
Step 5: The child can count how many of each they had or the can count how many in total.
For older kids, you can create math equations with the buttons to add them together or subtract them. Using buttons is a great way to teach math in a visual way. Combining the art with the math makes it more interesting as well.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (math, art).
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 49 – Fireworks Science Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 49 – Fireworks Science Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Fireworks Science Activity
We love this science activity that looks like crackling fireworks. This is a great summer science activity.
Step 1: gather the following: food colouring, glitter, baking soda, vinegar, dropper, clear container
Step 2: in the bottom of the container, drop several drops of food colouring in different colours. Do not mix colours.
Step 3: Cover the bottom with a layer of glitter.
Step 4: Cover all the glitter with a layer of baking soda.
Step 5: Use dropper to add vinegar in drops until you see a reaction. You will see splashes of glitter explosions.
This activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (science).
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 48 – Rainbow Cupcake Baking Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 48 – Rainbow Cupcake Baking Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Rainbow Cupcake Baking Activity
Baking is a great way to introduce science and math. You can talk to your child about cause and effect, measurements, mix ingredients and hav cvcasasbe them predict results.
You don’t have to be a baker to make cupcakes – they are one of the easiest things to make! This version of rainbow cupcakes is fun, easy to follow and your child will love to eat them.
All you need is packaged vanilla cake mix, eggs, oil, cupcake wrappers, frosting of your choice and food colouring. Follow the instructions on the cake mix to ensure the batter is prepared correctly.
Then portion out the batter evenly into 4 separate bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring into one bowl of batter and stir; add more food coloring, if necessary, to reach the desired shade. Repeat with the remaining colors and bowls of batter to create four bowls of different coloured batter. I like to use blue, green, yellow and red.
Using a different spoon for each color batter, spoon a small spoonful of each color into the cupcake liners, until 3/4 full. Do not mix the batter once it is in the cupcake liner. Bake in the oven according to the instructions. When it is done, let them cool before adding the frosting on top. You can add rainbow candy on top for decoration.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (science, math).
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 47 – Explore your Cultural Background Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 47 – Explore your Cultural Background Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Explore your Cultural Background Activity
Technology is a great way to bring us closer in the world. Technology helps us to learn and travel to new places without ever leaving our home. Many families have various cultural backgrounds. Today’s activity involves exploring your own cultural background using technology.
Choose a country or countries that represent your cultural background. Search that country online and show your children where that is on a map. You can use the Google Earth app www.google.com/earth/ to show them the country online and how far it is from our country. You can also look up other information about the country to find out what it is like to live there. Look up famous artists that are there, what are popular foods, what the country is famous for, what are temperatures there at this time of year. Look through pictures online, listen to the language they speak, if it is different from ours. This is a great opportunity to share your cultural heritage using technology.
Depending on the age of your child, you could expand this by having them create a story based on what they have found.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (technology) and language and literacy.
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 46 – Fish for Letters Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 46 – Fish for Letters Activity
During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Daily Activity for Kids – Fish for Letters Activity
Learning letters can be fun! This is a fun and interactive way to learn letter recognition. Here are the easy steps to create this game that can be used over and over again.
Step 1: Gather the following items; construction paper, markers, paper clips, scissors, yarn, a wood dowel stick and a magnet.
Step 2: Using the construction paper, cut out 10 fish shapes and draw on a mouth and eye with the markers. Label each fish with a letter of the alphabet. Start with 10 letters and increase the number of fish to add more letters when your child is able to recognize these ones. You don’t have to go in order of the alphabet. You can choose to use the letters in the child’s name or just random letters. If your child is able, they can also help you draw the letters on the fish. Make sure you put it on both sides of the paper.
Step 3: Attach a paper clip to the tail of the fish
Step 3: Attach the string around the magnet at one end and the stick at the other to create the fishing pole.
Step 4: Call out various letters and have your child fish them out. You can put the fish in a bowl or simply place them on a table.
You can expand this game to include words, numbers and colours by changing what is on the fish. For older children, they can complete all the step by themselves to create this fun game.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: language and literacy.