At this is the time of year with lighter mornings and longer days and there's all that spring cleaning to be done!! Lets march on!!

• You may be a very organised person who has an order for doing things and little hands can sometimes disrupt that order! But if your stress levels can handle it it’s a great opportunity to help our children learn a valuable lesson or two about life in a fun way! They'll be watching you as you clean the rooms so why not give them a duster and let them join in? No! It won't be perfect but it'll be a job shared.
• Spring cleaning means getting rid of old things and looking forward to the new. How about spending time in your child's bedroom looking at their toys and clothes? "Do you still play with this?" "Will this still fit you?" Then if you know somebody who may appreciate the toy or article of clothing why don't you ask your child to help you parcel it up and make a special visit to see that person taking the 'present' with you? Your child may even like to make a card to go with the toy. Remember to let your children draw their own pictures on cards and 'write' their own name. You can always write what they have said in a speech bubble on the back of their card but mark making by children is very important. Before children start to form their letters properly they need practice making marks – you may call it scribble (not in front of your children!) but it helps them learn the correct way to hold a pencil and also the art of moving a pencil across a piece of paper. If you can't think of anyone who may appreciate your clothes and toys then the local charity shop will always appreciate good clothing and let your child carry the bag there and tell the shopkeepers what they have brought. Again a valuable part of growing up is being able to communicate to other people sensibly and with confidence. The more practice our children get the better it will be for them as they enter Nursery and School and have to learn to communicate with both adults and their peers.
• It may be that some of their clothes and toys you want to keep for the 'next pair of helpful hands!' Having a new baby to share things with can be quite a trying time for children. Its probably a good idea if you are able to 'let them in gently'! Talk about the baby clothes they find. Remind them how much you loved seeing them wearing that lovely baby suit or how much time Grandma had spent making that coat because she loves you so much. Reminiscing about the times Daddy had pretended to wear that hat and how your child had laughed and laughed at him because he looked so funny! I think that children like to know how you felt about them, how much you love them and laughed with them when they did silly things. Its all part of building relationships with your child that will go on into later life. Then when the baby comes along let them tell the baby the funny stories of how that car was accidentally washed in the washing machine or how that teddy lost its eye on the way to the park. Laughter is a great way of enjoying life and I'm sure that children stop seeing the new sister or brother as such a threat when they realise its another person to have fun and laugh with!
• If you are fortunate enough to live near fields take a trip out and look for Nature's babies! All those new born lambs, calves and chickens. and it goes without saying that jigsaws and commercial games are good for teaching your children how to share and take turns – valuable life skills that will help them well beyond these formative years.
• Finally please read with your children. Encourage them to talk about what they can see on the page. As you turn a page ask them "What do you think will happen next?" Talk about the colours on the objects, the animals they can see – just keep talking! A child will enjoy reading if the adult has time to be there with them, asking questions, listening to their thoughts and ideas, and laughing at the pictures. Before you know it they'll be hiding under the covers with a torch reading books by themselves and you'll give yourselves a pat on the back for having introduced them to books in the first place!

Click here for Previous features

Back to pre-school home page