Play Time Can Be Learning Time

If you have ever watched nature films on television that feature baby animals in the wild their early months are spent doing a lot of playing and frolicking. However, the narrator always tells us that this play time is really all about developing the skills the animal needs to learn to be a successful adult. The mother shows her cubs how to achieve results and her offspring learn what it takes to survive and thrive.

Raising human children is much the same. In play, children of all ages learn to socialize, be assertive, learn about believing in themselves and their aptitudes and developing beginning and advanced motor skills. When searching for the right daycare for their children, parents want a safe and healthy learning environment that supports the care, education and recreation for their child.

Some new parents seek a daycare that will take charge of their infant. These little ones need constant attention and the center should provide plenty of human contact like hugging, cuddling, singing and just talking to the infant. Supervising an infant is more than just feeding bottles and changing diapers. Mothers want the person caring for their babies to treat their prizes like they would.

With toddlers it is really important that the daycare takes special pains to have group activities where the tykes can interact with each other. They learn to share and respect the other child. These are lessons they will carry their whole lives. By playing and interacting with the others as well as the teacher, toddlers begin to learn what they like and dislike whether it is seeing how toys work or using building blocks.

Everyone talks about the terrible two's because this is the age that a child begins to display a little independence. Their favorite word is 'no'. This is the time that the right daycare will begin teaching in a structured environment that coaxes the kids to a 'yes' instead of 'no'. They may begin to learn some numbers and also greetings in other languages. Children's brains are like sponges and absorb so much information.

During their three's, children learn to communicate with each other and adults through complete sentences to achieve what they want. A good daycare will foster these skills so that wants and needs are expressed in words and not actions. It will become a great basis for kid's learning and communicating in the future.

If you child is in a pre-K age, his needs are well advanced of the toddler group. A daycare that has an individual teacher for this age category will begin the fundamentals of language, math, science as well as advanced social skills preparing the youngsters for full kindergarten. This is the stage in the child's development where good manners are learned as well as respect for all people.

After-school kids are in a class by themselves. The daycare should provide ample playgrounds so these children get the recommended amount of daily activity to guard against obesity. Parents like the daycare to have quiet areas for the children to begin their homework and have ready access to knowledgeable people for any help and assistance they need. Many of the kids feel too 'grown up' to have to go to a daycare so it is important to treat them as individuals and not as large toddlers.