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Enrolling your child in kindergarten is a big decision. If you enroll him before he’s ready, he could struggle to keep up or quickly fall behind, which could affect his confidence, love of learning and enthusiasm for school. If you wait to enroll him past the point of readiness, you risk him getting bored and becoming disinterested in what’s happening in the classroom. Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding if it is the right time for your child to start kindergarten.

Does my child meet the cutoff date? The first big question is will the school allow your child to enter kindergarten. The school’s cutoff date is the date your child must be five years old to be able to enter kindergarten. This date is established based on the school’s experience of how old kids generally need to be to succeed in school. This cutoff date may or may not reflect how your child will do. However, if he misses the cutoff date, you’ll be forced to wait another year whether you want to or not. If he makes the cutoff date, then you should look at other factors to decide if he’s truly ready.

Does he have the social skills necessary to navigate the classroom setting? Kindergarten teachers are much more concerned about a child that doesn’t have adequate social skills than a child who may not be able to recite the alphabet. So what kind of social skills are needed? Your child should be able to understand and follow the basic rules of the classroom and playground. You’ll have a chance to review the rules with your child before school starts. The key is whether your child has the self-control to follow them. Your child should also be able to successfully play in groups. This means he should be able to share, take turns, ask for what he needs and be sensitive to the feelings of others. Of course every child is going to have trouble with these skills from time to time, but overall your child should be comfortable being part of a group. You’ll be able to gauge this pretty well by how he’s done in daycare, preschool or in a regular play group.

Is your child ready to separate from you? Separation comes easily to some kids and is a struggle for others. Your child’s ability to separate from you and be fully present and happy in the classroom is the key to school success. If your child is in daycare or preschool now, he’s had great practice in separating from you every day. If kindergarten will be your child’s first regular drop off and pick up situation, practice this daily routine by enrolling your child in a camp or enrichment program.

How did your child do on the assessment test? Some schools use standardized assessment tests to evaluate a child’s cognitive ability. Your child will be asked to do things like draw shapes and sort objects. These tests can be helpful in determining your child’s readiness, but you shouldn’t rely solely on them. They’re just one piece of the kindergarten puzzle.

Does your child have strong fine motor skills? There’s lots of coloring, painting, writing, cutting and other activities that require fine motor skills in kindergarten. Your child will need to be able to grasp and manipulate pencils, crayons, scissors and similar items to keep up with classmates and enjoy all the fun things he’ll be doing. If your child is behind in this area, the good news is that kids can generally catch up pretty quickly if they don’t face any delays in this area.

Does your child have fundamental letter and number awareness? Your child doesn’t need to be able to spell his name or count to 100 to do well in kindergarten. However, he should be able to sing along with the ABC song, count to 10 and recognize some letters and the numbers one to five. With this basic understanding, his teacher will have a strong foundation to build on.

Is your child excited about learning? Kindergarten is very much about encouraging every child’s love of learning. It’s helpful if your child enters school already excited about the idea of learning. Is he enthusiastic about exploring his surroundings? Does he have a natural curiosity about the many different things in his daily environment? Does he love learning new things? If your child is excited about entering school, that’s an important sign of readiness.

Deciding when to enroll your child in kindergarten is a big decision. Ask yourself these key questions, then listen to your instincts. Remember, you know your child best.

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s often easier and more convenient for today’s families to grab an instant meal or a bag from a drive-through on the way to their respective activities than to sit down together for a family meal. Still, there are so many reasons why families should be carving out time to spend together over a shared meal that the topic has been the subject of investigative news reports and scientific studies alike. Among those reasons are these ten, which may help to change your perspective on the family table.

• Reducing Obesity Rates – When everyone is sitting around the same table and the adults of the family are supervising food preparation, it’s easier to eliminate unhealthy foods filled with empty calories from kids’ diets. As a result, kids whose families share meals on a regular basis tend to have lower rates of childhood obesity.
• Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits – It’s easier to encourage healthy eating when kids aren’t faced with the temptation of a deep-fried chicken nugget while they’re being urged to eat a salad. Eating meals together means that everyone eats the same thing, which can also help turn picky kids into more adventurous eaters.
• Allowing Parents to Be Parents – Between the hours spent at school, attending various club meetings and practice for sports or arts, it’s easy to feel like other people are actively parenting your children, while you’re in charge of looking after them when they’re sleeping. Spending time around the family dinner table puts you back in the “Parent” seat, allowing you to once again resume an active role in your children’s lives.
• Reduced Likelihood of Substance Experimentation by Kids – Kids that live in a household where family dinners are shared on a regular basis are less likely to smoke cigarettes, experiment with drugs or drink alcohol than their peers who don’t.
• Better Academic Performance – When you’re able to actively talk with your children about their day at school, discuss areas in which they’re struggling and provide a support system, kids are more likely to enjoy increased academic performance than if you were less involved.
• Getting the Whole Family Involved – Working together as a family to put dinner on the table not only makes the process a quicker and less labor-intensive one, but also gives kids a sense of ownership over part of the meal and an area of responsibility to build character. Kids need to be responsible for something in order to avoid feelings of entitlement and a general lack of know-how; cooking a meal that you’ll later eat together is a great way to give them that sense of responsibility.
• Fostering Stronger Relationships – It’s difficult to build strong relationships when each member of the family is always attending other events and no one spends any time together. Getting to know your kids again, and allowing them to get to know one another, may be as simple as instituting a policy of sharing family dinners on a regular basis.
• More Time-Efficient – One of the most commonly cited reasons for parents not to cook is an assertion that they do not have the time. What most don’t stop to consider is that the amount of time spent driving to pick something up, trying to arrange a take-out order or waiting for a table in a crowded, loud restaurant is actually more than enough to prepare and share a high-quality meal at home.
• Saving Money on Meals – When every meal you eat comes from a take-out menu or a drive-through window, you may not realize how much money your family is throwing away in comparison to simply cooking and sharing meals at home. All other benefits aside, simple economic efficiency is a compelling reason to establish a family dinner ritual.
• Teaching Kids About Sustainable Eating – As the focus on green living and eco-friendly habits grows stronger, it’s important that parents teach their children how to live and eat sustainably. What better time to share this information than over the dinner table? Family dinner is an ideal opportunity for the discussion of sustainable agriculture, even if it’s just to explain where vegetables come from to smaller children.

As your child grows, helping him learn to share his feelings with the people around him and to deal with them in healthy, productive ways becomes more and more important. It’s not always easy to help youngsters navigate the complicated world of emotions, but the habits they learn during these formative years will shape the way they deal with those feelings long after they’ve reached adulthood. These twelve tips can help you empower your child to share his feelings, even when they’re negative.

• Model The Behavior You Want Your Child to Learn – If you routinely bottle up your own emotions and return any inquiries regarding your emotional state with a terse assertion that you’re “fine,” you can’t expect your child to be open and forthcoming with his feelings. Remember, kids model what they see and take their cues from the adults around them. If you want your child to express his feelings readily, you have to be prepared to do the same.
• Never Minimize His Feelings – When your child is disappointed because he didn’t get the role in the school play he wanted or was picked last for the team, your knee-jerk reaction may be to calm him with words like “it’s only a school play,” or “sports aren’t that important.” While you may be genuinely trying to help him feel better, your child hears that his feelings aren’t important, or that he’s overreacting. Don’t minimize his feelings when he brings them to you. Instead, try to show empathy and listen to what he’s saying.
• Create an Open and Safe Environment for Discussion About Emotions – Your child isn’t likely to share his feelings with the rest of the world if he doesn’t feel safe sharing them in his own home. Make sure that your child knows it’s always okay to talk about his feelings, even if they’re angry or frustrated feelings.
• Help Him to Process His Feelings – Emotions can be scary and confusing things for adults, so it’s no wonder that children find themselves overwhelmed by what they’re feeling from time to time. In order to share his feelings, your child must first have a basic understanding of how to process them.
• Take Advantage of Talking Points in Entertainment – When a character in a bedtime story encounters something that makes her sad, ask your child how he would feel in her situation. Look for talking points during kid-appropriate television shows and movies, and take advantage of them.
• Encourage Him to Ask Questions About Feelings – Your child can’t share the emotions he doesn’t understand, so make sure that he knows it’s okay to ask questions about the way he’s feeling or the way others are feeling.
• Build His Emotional Vocabulary – There’s a difference between anger and fear, but it’s not always easy to spot those differences from the outside looking in. Your child needs to know how to properly name his feelings to share them with others, so make sure that you take time to work on his emotional vocabulary when the opportunity arises.
• Find Productive Ways to Express Anger or Frustration – Helping your child to understand that it’s okay to feel anger, fear and frustration allows him to own those feelings without shame. Let him know that the important thing is how he deals with those feelings, and that some ways of expressing them are acceptable and others are not.
• Never Shame Him for Expressing Fear – It’s not always easy for children, particularly boys, to share their feelings of fear in a society that’s eager to vilify anything that could be construed as weakness. When your child comes to you with his fears and you treat them respectfully, he learns that it’s okay to feel afraid. If you shame him or make him think that those fears are silly, though, it can make it far more difficult for him to express those feelings in the future.
• Don’t Demand Rationality – Even adults have trouble maintaining some semblance of rational thought when they’re overcome by emotion, and they have a lifetime of experience to draw from. Your child’s feelings can be overwhelming and scary to him, and his reactions to them may not always be rational. Understand that it may take a bit of time for an upset child to calm down enough to begin the process of expressing himself, and that some of the feelings themselves will be irrational fears.
• Help Him Use His Words – When feelings are too much to deal with, your child may feel more comfortable expressing himself through a tantrum, a crying jag or a screaming fit. Rather than demanding that he be quiet, help your child find the words that he needs to express himself in a way that you can understand.
• Talk About Why Physical Reactions Don’t Help Anyone – Your child needs to know that there is a very big difference between sharing his feelings and showing his anger or fear through a physically violent reaction. Talk about why violence is never okay, and make sure that you work on more productive and safe ways of sharing those feelings.

Instead of tossing out leftovers from last night’s dinner, transform them into a totally new dish. If you get creative enough, the family may not even realize that they are eating the same thing! Plus, it’s a huge money saver to cook once and serve twice, thrice or more!  Over the weekend, when things aren’t so rushed, bake a whole turkey or prepare a roast. Portion out the leftovers, then package them up so you can use them throughout the rest of the week. Freeze anything extra for the following week.  Here are 27 blog entries to give you some creative ideas for turning those leftovers into a whole new meal.

Dinner to Breakfast

When it comes to leftovers, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t using them for breakfast the next day. But it should be! For a twist on the traditional breakfast scramble, reheat the leftovers in a pan mixed with some beaten eggs. This technique will also work for a frittata, but it tends to be finished in the oven.  Something as simple as spreading ricotta cheese and honey on some of the bread that’s been toasted from the night before can also be a way to use up leftovers.  These nine blog passages will give you a place to start, so you can get creative with whatever leftovers are available.

• Transform Your Leftovers! 5 Quick Breakfast Makeovers
• Transform Leftovers to Breakfast Scramble in 6 Steps
• BBQ Pulled Pork, Roasted Potato and Spinach Frittata—Plus 3 Tips for Tasty, Tempting Leftovers
• Last Night’s Potato Salad Transformed: Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Make a Frittata
• Transforming Thanksgiving Dinner into a Bountiful Breakfast
• Local Luxury Dinner Party Leftovers: Breakfast Ideas
• Dinner into Breakfast: Skirt Steak Tacos, Steak & Eggs
• Leftovers Transformed
• Dinner Becomes Breakfast

Dinner to Lunch Box

Taking leftovers for lunch the next day is a relatively common thing to do.  Not only does it save money, but it’s quick to grab on the way out the door in the morning.  However, once leftovers have gone to work as lunch one day, it’s not much fun taking them again the next day.  Wouldn’t it be nice if dinner leftovers could get made over into something totally different?  Steak from dinner last night can be turned into a steak and cheese hoagie or sliced and put on top of a salad.  Other types of leftovers can get a new life wrapped in a tortilla with some lettuce and cheese.  For more ideas like this, take a look at these nine blog posts.

• 5 Lunches to Make from Dinner Leftovers
• 5 Ways to Transform Last Night’s Dinner Into Today’s Lunch
• Leftovers for Lunch
• Lunch Box: Ranch Dressing Rotisserie Chicken with Avocado Wraps
• Leftovers for Lunch
• Five Steps to a Better Lunch
• Leftover Remake: Risotto Cake Recipe & Bento Lunches
• How to Make Leftovers Exciting and Our Weekly Menu
• Sample Meal Plan

Healthy Makeovers

Healthy dinners make for healthy leftover remakes as well.  Any grain served for dinner can be turned into a salad with veggies for the next day’s lunch or as a side dish for dinner.  Beans are very versatile, and morph well into several meals from burritos to salad to soup. Roasting a whole turkey may sound odd at any time besides Thanksgiving, but it’s a healthy lean meat that can be made into so many different dishes.  To learn how to transform leftovers into healthy dinners check out these nine blog entries.

• Nutrition Showdown: Homemade vs. Restaurant Lunch
• Transform Your Everyday Lunch Into a Tasty, Healthified Meal
•  Leftover Bean Taco Dinner—Vegetarian Meal
•  A Leftover Transformation! Turkey Tortilla Soup
• Getting Inventive with Leftovers: Delicious, Healthy Grain Burger in 5 Easy Steps!
• Leftover Transformation
• How to Transform BBQ Leftovers
• Turkey, Apple and Broccoli Breakfast Hash
• Leftover Transformation: Pulled Pork Burritos

Hiring a summer nanny has many advantages, especially for families in which both parents have full-time jobs. During the school year, after-school daycare or nannies are easy solutions for a few hours each day, but what about the full eight hours you are at work during the summer? That’s where hiring a summer nanny will come in handy.

1. Obtaining Help with Transportation – If your kids are into sports or extra-curricular activities, it can be tough getting them to everything on time while working around your already busy schedule. A summer nanny can get your kids to and from their various activities without you having to worry. If you can make it to the soccer game, great, but if not, you have someone to get your kids there safely.
2. Establishing Flexibility with Time Off – In this respect, a summer nanny has an advantage over a daycare center. Many centers will charge you for days that your kids can’t come, making them less efficient solutions for parents with irregular summer schedules. While most full-time nannies are paid for a set number of hours each week, you may be able to make arrangements with a temporary care professional so she’s only paid for days she actually works.
3. Obtaining Light Household Help – With a nanny, you will get a little extra help around the house as long as household chores are covered under your employment agreement. Chores such as keeping the kids’ playroom clean and helping them make their bed and pick up their clothes will help you out in the long run. Keep in mind, though, that nannies are traditionally only expected to handle chores directly relating to the care of children and the messes they make.
4. Providing an Individual Focus – One advantage summer nannies have over day camps and daycare centers is that they have the ability to focus on your kids as individuals. Day camps and daycare centers have too many kids to really see your children as individuals, and the activities organized are generalized to encompass a variety of interests, but those may not match the interests of your child. Hiring a summer nanny provides your kids with plenty of one-on-one interaction, and she can plan activities customized to fit your kids’ interests.
5. Establishing a Long-term Relationship – When your child is cared for by one dedicated nanny throughout the summer break, she’s able to establish a relationship with one caregiver. Daycare centers and sporadic care through a variety of sitters make it difficult for kids to form those bonds, and establishing a long-term relationship with a summer nanny can turn into a more permanent arrangement in the future.
6. Saving Money – In some cases, private nanny care is actually cheaper than working with a daycare center. Depending on your individual arrangement, you may very well find a nanny whose compensation is lower than the exorbitant fees charged by daycare centers, especially if you’re frequently stuck with late pick-up or extended care fees or if you need to enroll more than one child.
7. Creating Activity Variety – Large daycare centers tend to find a handful of activities that keep kids as occupied as possible and then stick with those activities. A private nanny, on the other hand, will generally be more creative when it comes to planning outings and activities. With fewer children under her care, a nanny is free to be more imaginative than daycare administrators with dozens of kids to consider.
8. Establishing a Live-In Arrangement – Though live-in nannies aren’t quite as common as they once were, the practice is far from extinct. Some summer nannies, especially college students forced to move out of a dorm between semesters, will gladly accept a live-in arrangement that makes them more available to you and provides them with the room and board they need for the season in addition to a paycheck.
9. Vacation Childcare Assistance –  There’s nothing wrong with wanting to slip away for a night out on the town or a kid-free dinner while you’re on vacation, but finding trustworthy childcare isn’t always feasible when you’re away from home. If you find a summer nanny that’s willing to travel, bringing her along for the ride can make that task much more easily managed. Keep in mind, however, that your nanny isn’t actually on vacation during the trip. Any time that she spends with your children is technically considered on the clock and she should be paid accordingly, as well as be given a reasonable amount of time off.
10. Obtaining Personal Service – A daycare center offers very little in the way of personal service, as they have needs of far more children to consider. If your child needs special care or requires personal attention, a summer nanny can provide that care much more easily than a crowded daycare center.

Don’t fret about what to do with your kids during the long summer months! Contact a reputable nanny agency in your area, place an ad on a local classifieds ad site or visit an online nanny recruiting website to find the personal, private care your family needs.

From preventing the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle to teaching kids valuable lessons they’ll carry throughout their lives, youth sports like soccer are packed with benefits. There are also a variety of lessons that parents can learn from their child’s involvement in the sport, especially new soccer moms that aren’t quite acclimated to the atmosphere of youth sports leagues. These are 10 of the rules that all soccer moms, both rookie and seasoned vets, should follow.

1. Don’t Berate the Coaches or Officials – The first and arguably one of the most important rules for soccer moms to follow is that berating the officials or coaches simply is not allowed. While most officials are loath to throw out a parent because it will ruin the game for the kids involved, you shouldn’t take that goodwill for granted.
2. No Sideline Coaching – Coaches of youth teams are almost always volunteers, and the job is largely a thankless one. It’s not unusual for parents to approach coaches to air grievances and to explain how they could have coached the team better themselves, which is certainly off-putting to the coaches who are donating their time. Your kids’ coach probably won’t be won over by your logic, but there’s a good chance he’ll be less than pleased by your tirades. Unless you plan to take up the mantle of Coach before the next practice, don’t try to do the coach’s job for him.
3. Familiarize Yourself With the Game – Few things are as embarrassing to a child as a parent that’s shouting for a touchdown during a soccer game. If you plan to be truly involved in your child’s athletic pursuits, you should make an effort to at least learn the basic rules of the game.
4. Pack Plenty of Healthy Snacks – Kids will work up a big appetite from running up and down a soccer field, which is one of the reasons why parents are encouraged to bring snacks to practices and games. Don’t be the parent that doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain. If there’s an arrangement among moms determining who supplies snacks on a given day, don’t skimp or skip your turn altogether.
5. Don’t Put Undue Pressure On Your Child – There’s a joy that comes with winning, and there’s no doubt that kids gain plenty of benefits from playing youth sports. Still, even the most talented middle and high school athletes had to learn how to play. During this phase, your child should be playing soccer for the experience and to learn the basic techniques. Don’t treat her like an entire professional soccer career is down the drain because of a simple mistake or honest error.
6. Don’t Force Your Child to Play – While there is definitely a wide array of benefits that come from playing sports, your child is not likely to reap the emotional and social ones if she truly hates the game. It’s important to encourage plenty of physical activity, but you shouldn’t force an absolutely unwilling child to continue playing every season.
7. Encourage Plenty of Practice – Practice makes perfect, which means that your little one needs to work on his technique while he’s at home, too. Soccer practice shouldn’t be the only time he picks up a ball, especially if he’s eager to play. You might have to make some new rules about practicing indoors if you’re interested in preserving your lamps, but you should also make sure that he has ample opportunity to practice in the backyard or the park if he feels so inclined.
8. Model Good Sportsmanship – Good sportsmanship is learned, not an innate ability. Your child will learn much about how she reacts to a given situation by observing and taking cues from your behavior. That’s why it’s so important for parents to model good sportsmanship; otherwise, it’s a difficult concept to teach the youngsters.
9. Don’t Criticize the Other Team – It’s tempting to bash the players on an opposing team, especially if they won the match. Still, you should remember that those players are also someone’s children, and that your kids don’t need to get the message that badmouthing their opponents is acceptable behavior.
10. Encourage Kids After a Loss, Don’t Lecture – After a loss, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in helping your child to learn from his mistakes that you slip into a lecturing tone. Your child will feel bad enough about losing, and will need your support. Instead of giving her a rundown of the mistakes she’s already beating herself up over, try to point out the things that she did right during the match.

Remember that the experience of participating in a youth sports league is supposed to be a fun and enriching one for your children. Bad behavior or a lack of interest expressed by a parent can be enough to spoil that experience for her altogether, so it’s important that you adhere to the basic rules of soccer mom etiquette in order to ensure that the experience is a fulfilling and rewarding one.

The first time you hear the question, “Can I spend the night over at my friend’s house?” you will know that you have reached another milestone in your child’s development. You may wonder if you are prepared for this step, as well as be concerned about his level of readiness for a first sleepover. It’s not uncommon to be awakened in the middle of the night by a phone call from a homesick child, but it’s still an experience you’d like to avoid if at all possible. So how can you tell if your child is ready for his first sleepover?

Usually, children have had sleepovers with relatives before the day comes for the sleepover with friends. Your child may be used to spending special time with Grandma and Grandpa, and be a bit more equipped for a sleepover with a friend as a result of those experiences. You feel comfortable with family members because in a way they are an extension of you, but you don’t have the same reassurance when it comes to allowing a sleepover with a stranger. Before you can determine your child’s level of readiness, you’ll have to objectively examine your own feelings on the subject.

Figure Out How You Feel About the Situation

Sometimes, it’s not the readiness of a child that’s called into question. Parents often need to prepare themselves for the first night away too. In order for your child to feel secure in spending the night away from home, you need to feel okay about it yourself. Unless you know the host parents very well, you may be reluctant to let your child go. These feelings of uncertainty are normal. Your child will be away from you and you will have no control over the situation. Take some time to get to know the other parents a little better. Make sure they have your emergency contact information and that your child knows that she can call home.

Consider Your Child’s Level of Independence

Children grow toward independence at different rates. Some are quick to seek out new and different things, while others prefer to stick with what they know by embracing change slowly. This means that you may have a youngster who is ready to spend the night with friends by the time she gets to kindergarten, or you may have a child that is nearing puberty and still declines invitations for sleepovers. You are the best judge of your child’s readiness for a night away from home.

Allowing your child to seek his own comfort level in the move toward independence is important. Keeping your child too close when he’s ready to take steps toward autonomy is just as detrimental as pushing him out when he is not ready to go. At the same time, he may think he is ready to spend the night with friends when you’re well aware that he hasn’t quite reached that stage. If you feel strongly that he is not ready for a full night away from home, you might let him go for a while then bring him home at bed time. Always let your child know that calling home is an option, no matter what time the call comes.

Look for Signs of Readiness

Just preparing for a sleepover will give you a clue as to whether or not your child is actually ready for this big step. You and your child will most likely have some anxiety over the first night away from home, even if he’s ready to spend the night away from home. If you’ve met the host parents, supplied them with your emergency contact information and feel that your child will be staying in a safe, well-supervised home, then you should put your worries to rest. If your child clearly wants to take this step, now is the time for you to be supportive and be ready to let go a little.

Some children who are used to traveling a lot or spending nights with relatives may not have problems sleeping in different places, and therefore may be excited about spending the night with friends. Other kids feel secure in their usual routine, and are uncomfortable with the idea of changing it. However you child approaches the situation, be supportive.

Take into consideration your child’s night habits. Does she wake up a lot during the night for attention or bathroom trips? Waking up in a strange environment can be upsetting for a child, and the host parents may not appreciate being on duty all night long. If your child is very active at night, she may not be ready for a sleepover yet.

Timing can be critical as well. When things are going smoothly at home, sending Junior off to spend the night with friends is fine. If there are things going on at home, like the addition of a new baby, a move, a divorce or the death of a loved one, this would not be a good time to expect him to be ready for a sleepover if he hasn’t experienced one before. If he has a desire to go and you’re in agreement that’s one thing, but if the invitation has been offered and he would rather stay home, don’t force the issue.

Children who show independence, are willing to take responsibility for their actions, follow instructions well and look forward to new things are more likely to enjoy a first-time sleepover than those who don’t possess these qualities yet. You want your child to have a good time, and enjoy their time with friends. You also want your child to be a good guest. If you feel that your child may not follow the rules or be respectful of the host home, then it’s wise to put off a sleepover until you’ve had a chance to work on his manners. When you feel confident that your child will make a good guest and be comfortable staying away from home, those are solid indicators that he’s ready for his first sleepover.

It’s not uncommon for high-quality preschools in densely populated areas to have waiting lists that are years long, with parents campaigning to earn their infants a spot on the list. With so much emphasis placed on the importance of a stellar preschool experience, how can you be sure that you’re making the right choice for your child? A first-rate preschool on your list doesn’t have to be expensive enough to break the bank; these are ten of the signs that it’s still a high-quality institution.

1. Plenty of Age-Appropriate Toys and Books – Just as kids need to work on certain developmental milestones in preschool, they also need to be free to play, laugh and have fun during preschool classes. Look for plenty of developmentally-appropriate toys and books around the classroom.
2. Teachers are Certified – Because so many preschool programs are private, instructors in many states are not required to hold state licensing or teacher certifications. Look for programs with licensed, fully-trained teachers who are experienced in the realm of early childhood education, rather than glorified babysitters.
3. Waiting Lists – Trendy schools may have waiting lists despite a relative lack of substance when it comes to curricula, but most preschools with waiting lists are popular because they have a great reputation and a commitment to maintaining the small classroom sizes that their young students need, despite the opportunity to increase revenue by increasing enrollment figures.
4. Small Class Sizes – Preschoolers are impulsive and difficult to control under the best of circumstances, so the student-to-teacher ratio needs to be quite small. Large class sizes are a sign that the school values revenue over the quality of their program, and could be a big red flag indicating that it’s best to look elsewhere.
5. A Strict Sick-Child Policy – When your child inevitably comes down with a cold or the flu, you’ll probably bemoan your choice to look for a preschool with a strict sick-child policy when you’re forced to arrange alternate childcare for the day. For all the times that she comes home healthy, however, you’ll be glad that the preschool takes such a hard stance on sending sick kids home before they infect teachers and other students.
6. Welcoming to Volunteers and Walk-Throughs – Preschools that are welcoming to visitors and open to the idea of having parents volunteer usually have no problem with maintaining transparency regarding policies and daily habits. Those that discourage parents from volunteering or are restrictive in their attitude towards parental visits may have such policies because they’re afraid of bad publicity, should a parent discover what their classes are really like.
7. Healthy Meal Plans – Many preschools expect parents to pack snacks and lunches for diminutive students, but there are those out there that have cafeteria services. If a preschool on your list has an on-site cafeteria, ask if you can see a copy of the menu. Healthy, wholesome fare is a good sign, while junk food may indicate the need for you to look elsewhere.
8. Clean and Safe Facilities – One non-negotiable trait of a stellar preschool is a clean, safe facility. If surfaces seem sticky or grimy, equipment and furniture is rickety or kids don’t seem to be well supervised, you may want to think twice about entrusting your child’s care and early education to such a facility.
9. Current Licensing – Make sure that the preschool has all appropriate licensing and is an accredited institution before shelling out your hard-earned money and investing in your child’s early education unwisely. Check the laws and regulations in your state to determine the legal minimum, then look for a preschool that exceeds those standards.
10. Pre-Reading Skills are Emphasized – Play is an important part of the way your child learns, but some skills need to be developed along the way while she’s in preschool. A high-quality preschool program will offer some sort of pre-reading skill training in preparation for kindergarten, ensuring that youngsters start off on the right foot before practical reading instruction begins.

Before you start visiting preschools, it’s wise to decide which education philosophy best meshes with your parenting style. Most private preschools will be built around the Montessori, High/Scope, Reggio Emilia or Waldorf approaches to early education. Do your homework to find the style that best suits your needs and then explore the available options in your area.

In a world filled with video games that sense movement, books that can be read on electronic devices and three-dimensional television displays, the games of your childhood may seem quaint and downright antiquated at first blush. Upon closer examination, however, you may realize that the playground is one place where little has changed. These 10 classic games are sure to be just as popular with today’s kids as they were among you and your own playmates of days gone by.

1. Hopscotch – All you need for this classic game is a bit of sidewalk chalk, a decently-sized pebble and some coordination. Teaching kids the hopping pattern is almost as much fun as the game itself! If the prospect of skinned knees and the parent-sanctioned throwing of rocks is off-putting, consider an indoor hopscotch mat and a beanbag instead.
2. Dodgeball – Splitting kids into two equally-sized groups and handing out a few balls can provide for hours of good-natured fun. This is one game that improves with the addition of more players, so there’s no one left out when you’re dealing with a large group. The rubber dodgeballs that were standard 20 years ago are still available in sporting goods stores and from online retailers, but opting for a few foam balls with softer surfaces might be a more safety-conscious move.
3. Horse – If all you have on hand is a basketball and access to a hoop, you’re not restricted to a few games of one-on-one. Horse is a faithful standby that’s ideally suited for two players. Because there’s no guarding, Horse may also be a safer alternative to traditional basketball for younger children.
4. Mother May I? – Remember all of the giggles resulting from a successful tag? Share the fun of Mother May I? with your own children, but be sure to explain that it’s not okay to answer every request with a “No, you may not” to avoid losing the game. Use Mother May I? as an example of inevitable loss, and a chance to impart good sportsmanship skills along with proper grammar usage.
5. Simon Says – Whether you’re on the playground, in the car or in the living room, Simon Says is an infinitely portable game that requires no more equipment than a few players and great listening skills.
6. Foursquare – Before there was a social networking application called Foursquare, it was a beloved playground game. Relive the days before social media seemed to take over everyone’s life by teaching your child the original meaning of Foursquare!
7. Tag – Kids sometimes have a larger supply of energy than the patience available to their parents and caregivers, which is why any game that helps them burn off some of that excess energy is a blessing. There’s something timeless and almost perfect about tag, as it’s difficult for kids to claim that another is cheating, so disputes are few and far between. Just be sure that all kids understand the importance of tagging one another gently, as rough tags can happen in the heat of competition.
8. Red Light, Green Light – Getting caught moving after the traffic light commands everyone to “freeze!” is more funny than frustrating, and the awkward poses borne of freezing in mid-movement are an endless source of humor. Show your kids how to play Red Light, Green Light by participating in a few rounds, then sit back to watch the show!
9. Freeze Tag – When you have a large group on your hands, a regular game of tag can leave the title of “It” shuffling very quickly. This classic spin leaves everyone frozen after they’re tagged, making for funny sights and longer games as “It” chases down every member of the opposing team.
10. Red Rover – Kids come hurtling across the playground from one line to another, barreling into the opposing team and either breaking through their defenses or landing squarely on the ground as they’re trounced. Make sure that Red Rover games happen on a patch of lush grass that’s free of debris, and that everyone understands the difference between blocking and throwing someone.

One major difference in the way kids play today and the way that they entertained themselves a few decades ago can be attributed to the advent of the “helicopter parent” culture. Some games, like dodgeball and Red Rover, have fallen from favor with some parents out of fears regarding their safety. The fact that you’re not afraid of a few bumps and bruises doesn’t mean that the parents of your kids’ playmates feel similarly. Before introducing a potentially dangerous game, be sure that your kids know the proper safety precautions and are prepared to have a game or two broken up by an anxious adult.

Participation in organized sports has a variety of benefits for kids, potentially boosting everything from their academic performance to their self-esteem. Kids who can’t manage their feelings after a loss or compete honorably because they’re so focused on winning, however, may not reap those benefits in the same way that their peers with good sportsmanship skills do. Helping your child learn the basics of being a good sport starts at home and extends to the playing field, and these 12 tips can help you to instill those qualities.

1. Model Good Sportsmanship – Your children learn about social interaction largely through the observation of the adults they trust and admire, so one of the most effective ways of teaching your child to be a good sport is to model that behavior yourself. That means no yelling at coaches, referees or umpires when you think they made a bad call; you don’t want to pass those habits on to your child.
2. Play Games of Chance from a Young Age – In order to learn how to lose gracefully, your children have to lose on occasion. While your first instinct may be to allow your child to win whenever possible, it’s important to play games of chance with her and to use the times when she loses as a teaching opportunity.
3. Instill a Respect for Authority – Part of being a good sport is learning how to accept the calls a referee or umpire makes even if you disagree with them and to follow the directions of coaches. Those things require your child to have some semblance of respect for those authority figures.
4. Avoid a “Winning is Everything” Attitude – When your child feels as if the only way he can please you is to win at all costs, he’s no longer focused on being a good sport, or even having fun while he competes. The entire focus of playing a sport shifts to obtaining a win, making it even more difficult for him to accept an inevitable loss.
5. Observe Your Child During Practice – Watching how your child behaves during practice will give you an idea of the areas in which she needs a bit of instruction regarding good sportsmanship. If you’re never present for practice, it’ll be difficult for you to get an accurate picture of how she handles adversity on the field.
6. Listen to Coaches – Training in good sportsmanship starts at home, but your child’s coaches will also have a strong impact on how he learns to behave. Take the time to listen to your child’s coaches during practice and games; if they’re not behaving well, they’re probably passing on those same bad habits to the kids on their team.
7. Discuss More Than Final Results – After a game, it’s tempting to get into a discussion about the results of the game and how it could have gone differently. Rather than talking about the end score, look for highlights of your child’s performance to praise and opportunities to talk about the type of sportsmanship exhibited by the other players.
8. Encourage Support of Teammates, Too – Being a good sport is more than just accepting a defeat gracefully; it’s also supporting your teammates. Even gifted kids who never complain about losing can be perceived as bad sports if they have a tendency to hog the ball or to try to make all the plays themselves.
9. Don’t Assign Blame for Losses – When the results of a game don’t come out the way your child hopes, don’t place the blame for a loss at anyone’s feet. Just as you won’t want to tell your child that he’s solely responsible for an entire team’s loss, neither should you place that blame on his teammates or coaches.
10. Avoid Minimizing Her Disappointment – Telling your child that “it’s just a game” after a loss may seem like an effective way of putting the loss into perspective and showing her that it isn’t all that important in the long run, but you’re actually minimizing her feelings. Let her know that it’s okay to be sad about a loss, but it’s more important to focus on how to do better next time.
11. Keep the Big Picture in Mind – The proper perspective is everything when it comes to kids’ sports. Players on a varsity team will have more experience in both game play and losing than those on a youth soccer team, and you can’t expect your child to handle his first real taste of defeat gracefully when he’s six. Work on good sportsmanship, but realize that those skills will take time to fully develop.
12. Establish a Policy of Congratulating the Winner – A good sport congratulates an opponent on a job well done, even if she’s sad that her team lost. Establishing an early policy of offering sincere congratulations to a victorious opponent places the groundwork for good sportsmanship as your child gets older.