Building Joy in Our Children

COMFORT

• give each child special individual time.

• create and keep alive good, warm memories through family traditions, photos, special events and doing things together as a family.

• smile frequently and enjoy a good laugh together.

PLAY

• find activities you and your family enjoy doing together.

• remember, ordinary daily activities are as important as special trips and holidays.

• during the first five years, children need lots of opportunities to just play, either alone, with peers and with you.

TEACH

• give children the opportunity to have play dates with their peers.

• sharing joy with others is very important.

• children are born not knowing what is safe and important.  In the years before age five, they need parents and caregivers to provide routines and rules to maintain safety and respect for others.

• the parents and caregivers also need to provide consistent consequences and moral guidance, suitable for the age and temperament of each child, and teach them how to think, problem solve and communicate their feelings and needs.

Most of these essentials take place in ordinary, everyday activities at home or at the preschool.  The important thing to remember is that children need exposure to all three of these essentials.