1. Speak in a calm and quiet voice. Walk up to child and talk to them at their level instead of yelling across the room.

2. Allow the child to play independently. If a child is playing nicely by themselves, let them be, try not to stop them, even to praise.

3. Maintain consistent discipline techniques. Every adult who might have to discipline a child, should know what to do. Share your discipline techniques with the teacher, if we can follow the same techniques at school, we will.

4. Redirect a disruptive child by quietly asking them to do something else. If a child is throwing toys, ask if they can help you clean them up, or ask the child to color a picture, then have them go back to clean their mess when they are done coloring.

5. When correcting a child, make eye contact and speak at their level.

6. Encourage children to “use their words.” When arguments occur, get the children to talk about what happened and demonstrate, if necessary, what should have been said.

7. Be aware of “classroom terminology.” There are certain words and phrases that the teachers and staff at MCDB use when talking to children. Some examples are:

8. Encourage your child to wash their hands. We wash our hands at the beginning of every day, before and after snack and after play time, along with after using the bathroom. Remind your children that washing hands helps us all stay healthy and stops the spread of germs.

9. Allow clothes in the bedroom to be accessible to the child so he/she can choose own clothes, and practice putting them on.

10. Have an accessible cabinet in the kitchen with snacks, etc. so they can help themselves.

11. If they can open the fridge, place a small pitcher with milk they can reach, so they can practice pouring into their own cups.

12. Have only a few books and puzzles out so they can clean up by themselves. Rotate toys to keep interest.

Ways to Help with the Transition from Home to School

1. Do not be afraid to talk to the lead teacher. If you have questions or concerns, ask the lead teacher to call you or set up a time to meet. During class time is not appropriate; it is disruptive to the children working and takes their teacher away from them. Leave a note at the front desk and the teacher will call or email.

2. The school is here to help. If there is a change at home, let the teachers know. Some examples would be if the child didn’t sleep well the night before, you are getting ready to move, a parent looses/ changes a job, or a death in the family. We might see behavioral changes at school and need to know how to address them. The teachers are also a great resource on how to help with the transition at home.