Tips on Keeping Your Kids Mentally and Physically Active in the Winter

Physical and mental activity are both important for the well-being of kids and essential to a healthy lifestyle. In the winter months, it is very easy to fall into the habit of lessening activities and exercise since you are indoors more often.

The American Medical Association recommends that children get 60 minutes of exercise a day. Keeping your kids physically active year-round is important for numerous reasons. It reduces the chances of them being overweight, increases strength in muscles and bones, improves posture, releases stress and it can even help improve concentration in school.

It is also important for your child to exercise their brain. Reading, educational board games and crafts are easy ways to get your kids to use their imagination.

So, what ways can you get your kids up and moving and keep their minds active when the temperature take a dip? See our suggestions below for keeping your kids mentally and physically active in the winter.

Go Bowling or Ice Skating

Bowling is a great way to keep active and it provides some healthy family competition! Go out the bowling alley to enjoy a few games. If you don’t mind cooler temperatures, you can venture to an ice skating rink for a fun winter activity that can actually burn about twice as many calories as walking.

Create a Reading Chart

Put together a reading chart and set goals for your child for how many minutes per day they read. Have little prizes or rewards for your child when they reach or exceed their goals. This will increase their literacy and help foster a love of reading.

Visit the a Community or Fitness Center

Many community centers and gyms have classes specifically for kids. There are even some gyms just for kids! Look into things like indoor swimming, dance, gymnastics or martial arts. There are places that have winter sports teams for kids, such as soccer, volleyball or basketball. Some centers even have art classes or offer chess lessons. You may even find classes that your whole family can participate in!

Have a Crafting Day

Plan a day or afternoon of crafts with your child. Crafting helps kids to learn to follow directions, use their imagination and learn new skills. Plus, your child will love being creative together with you!

Play Outside

If you don’t mind the cold weather, get out and play outside. Go for a walk, build a snowman, go sled riding, or take the family skiing, snow tubing, or snowboarding. Older kids can even help you shovel snow outside. Just be sure to bundle up!

Plan a Family Game Night

Create some friendly family competition with a game night! Games a fun way for kids to exercise their minds. Board games can teach important social skills, such as communicating verbally, sharing, taking turns and enjoying interaction with others. 

Go to the Mall

Walking around a mall can provide a moderate amount of exercise and you can get some shopping done too! If possible, take the stairs instead of escalators or elevators.

Whatever you do to get your kids moving this winter, be sure that you’re staying active as well, so that you can set a healthy example. Have fun!

 

Written by Lauren Morelli
Director, Marketing and Communications

Have comments or suggestions? Feel free to email me at lmorelli@bsaece.com

Tips on Keeping Your Baby Safe and Warm this Winter


Winter weather is here! Now you need to figure out the best way to keep your baby safe and warm. It can be tricky sometimes figuring out the best combination of warmth, comfort and safety for your baby, but thankfully, we are here to help!

Remember that babies aren’t able to keep their bodies warm like older kids and adults. This also means that they are also not able to cool down as quickly too. Dressing your baby in layers is the best way to maintain the right balance especially when going from the outside to a warm building. 

Keeping Your Baby Warm While at Home

The recommended guideline is to dress your baby in one more layer than you have on to keep them warm enough. For example, if you have on long sleeves, your baby may need an additional top, sweater or blanket to be warm.

When your baby is in their crib, experts strongly recommend that you do not use any blankets until your child is more than 12 months old. It’s best to use fleece footed sleepers or a sleep sac to keep babies warm.

Keeping Your Baby Warm When Going Outside

When it is cold out, you should really limit your baby’s time outdoors. Remember to always keep your baby’s head covered when venturing outside on cold days. Make sure the hat covers their ears as well. You should also have your baby wear mittens and thick socks, shoes or booties.

If you are carrying your baby in a sling or body pack, your body heat will keep them warm, and they won’t need as many extra layers. They will still need to wear a hat.

Making Sure Your Baby is Warm and Safe in the Car

You want your baby to be warm enough in the car, but you also have to remember car seat safety guidelines when dressing your baby. Car seat straps will not fit safely with coats, snowsuits or bunting underneath. Add the extra layers of warmth after you take your baby out of the car seat.

After you strap your baby into their car seat, you can tuck a blanket around your baby if needed.

Car seat covers are great to use when traveling between to and from your car. They also make covers for strollers when you are on the go.

Be sure to regularly check on your baby to make sure they are at a comfortable temperature. To make sure that they are comfortable, you can check their fingers, toes and ears, which should be slightly cool. If your baby’s fingers look white, that can be a sign of frostnip, and you need to warm them up right away. If your baby is red, flushed, or is sweating, they are too warm and you should remove some layers and let them cool down.

Keeping your diaper bag and car stocked with extra gear for temperature changes and regularly checking on your baby will keep them safe and warm this winter.  

 

By Lauren Morelli
Director, Marketing and Communications

How to Talk to Kids About Tragic Events

On October 27, the City of Pittsburgh was struck with a senseless tragedy within the close-knit neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, which is also home to our Hazelwood center. Eleven neighbors perished as a result of the attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue, leaving us with broken hearts. 

Incidents like this one are difficult to process as adults. For children, it can be even more daunting as they witness the strong adults in their lives struggling with feelings of sadness, confusion, depression, and anger to name a few. 

In light of our concern for children’s welfare during tragic events, we have researched ways to talk to kids about tragedy. An article from Kidsburgh.org, stood out. Below we share some of the tips offered in the article first published in response to the Squirrel Hill event.

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Advice from Dr. G on how to talk to your kids about the mass shooting in Pittsburgh by Tracy Certo, Publisher of NextPittsburgh (10.28.2018)

  • The first step is to process your own emotions and experience away from your kids if you can.
  • It’s best with younger children to avoid letting them see disturbing images of the shooting which can stick in their minds.
  • If you are confident that they are not going to hear about it somewhere else, and your child is 8 or younger, Dr. G advises not bringing it up as they will struggle to understand.
  • If they are going to hear about it:
    • For children 7 and under, it may be best to start with one small piece of information: “Some people died this weekend in Pittsburgh.” As they ask you follow-up questions, keep your answers brief and age-appropriate. It’s also very useful to ask your child what they know about the topic – what they’ve heard and what they think they know. Once you’ve discussed that, and they’ve stopped asking questions, she says, then you stop talking. 
      • It is important to answer all the questions that they ask. And give a value to the situation as you discuss it: “It’s sad,” or “We’re thinking about those families.”
    • For older kids, find out what they know and ask them how they feel about it. Get their opinions and give them yours. This is a chance to reinforce your values.
      • Validate their feelings. And be sure to check back in within a few hours and again in a day.
  • Even as you are discussing something as painful as this subject, you can focus on the positive: Who are the heroes of the story? Take Mr. Rogers’ advice and “look for the helpers.”
  • Choose action. Doing something makes us all feel better. Attend a vigil, donate to the synagogue, get together with friends to discuss.
  • And if your child is having a hard time over the coming days and weeks, keep validating their feelings and spend time doing good with them.”

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How do you handle talking about tragic events with your children? Let us know at communications@bsaece.com.

The Key to Preventing Bullying

Bullying has negative impacts on both the perpetrator and the victims. Parent and educator involvement in the early years can do a lot to prevent bullying behavior which can escalate in the first years of elementary school.

Brightside Academy has often discussed anti-bullying initiatives with our parents during parent-teacher conferences and other family events. Research has found that parent meetings, training, and parent-teacher conferences were associated with reductions in bullying especially when problems were tackled while children were still in preschool. 

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“Kids whose parents monitor their behavior and have consistent rules are more likely to have healthy and close relationships with their peers, be more engaged in school, have higher self-esteem, and are less likely to bully others” (Stopbullying.gov – CDC’s Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers: Using Positive Parenting to Promote Safe, Stable, and Nurturing Relationships).

Teachers who spend a lot of time with kids on a daily basis can often tell when an issue is minor or is becoming more of a problem. They can notify parents early of signs that their child was showing aggression or unfriendly behavior toward others. Parents can then seek professional help and other resources to work with their child on improving their behavior. Many available parent therapies teach age-appropriate ways to model behavior and establishing consequences to encourage good behavior for their children at home.

In the classroom, teachers can do their part by working with children to help them identify the feelings which may cause aggressive behavior and how to manage their emotions in healthy ways. In preschool, aids such as emotion charts, red-light-yellow-light green-light strategies, and discussions on appropriate reactions to our emotions help children build self-regulation and self-control early on.

When parents and educators work together to address behavioral red flags while children are still in preschool, they can achieve improved behavior outcomes which reduce the risk of long-term, more serious ramifications of bullying in later school years.

The Benefits of After School Care

After school programs are critical for working parents. Many Brightside Academy families have inconsistent work hours and rely on our after-school program to maintain their work schedule. Parents without after-school care may experience stress, distraction, and lower work productivity.

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention, 80% of parents agree that their children develop stronger social skills while attending an after-school program. Studies show that there continues to be an unmet demand for after-school programs.

Brightside Academy is committed to solving the problem by providing after-school programs at most of our academies. Additionally, some of our locations provide transportation from local schools to the academy. Approximately 28.9% of parents surveyed stated that their child developed stronger social skills as a result of Brightside Academy’s after school programs and 28.2% felt like our programs had a positive impact on their child’s behavior.

Our goal is to provide a safe and enriching environment for children while also providing parents with reliable care during working hours. Not only do after school programs make a substantial impact on the well-being of children and parents, but they also save tax dollars. Every $1 spent in an after-school program saves $9 because these programs have proven to reduce crime and welfare costs. They also improve children’s performance in school, thereby increasing their earning potential as an adult.

Brightside Academy’s after school programs give children the opportunity to socialize with children from other schools. In some instances, the school districts have multiple elementary schools that combine once the children enter middle school. Children in our after-school program are already acquainted with their peers, making the transition to middle school easier.

The after school children also receive homework assistance and one on-one time with a teacher. These children have the opportunity to complete their school work and continue learning after the school bell rings. Brightside Academy’s after-school program also includes projects to empower creative thinking and hands-on learning.

After school programs offer learning opportunities and activities for children to advance their educational and extracurricular experiences. These programs support working parents and give them peace of mind while at work. Brightside Academy is proud to provide enriching after-school programs to prepare children for academic and personal success.