What Children can Learn from Arts and Crafts

Whether your child is enjoying arts and crafts at school or you are encouraging the activity to bond with your child, it’s important to know the benefits. Your child can learn some things, and his or her development can be fostered by the activity. Here are some of the top things children can learn from arts and crafts, especially at Miss Sue's Summer Fun!

Being Able to Follow Directions

In any arts and crafts session, there are directions to be followed to get through the project. This is a valuable skill for children to learn. Following instructions must be done throughout camp, school and beyond, encouraging them to make choices (while adhering to directions) -- which can be great for their imagination.

The Gift of Patience

Patience is something that some adults still struggle with, but it is an incredible asset to have. Arts and crafts take time and patience to complete them correctly. Your child can learn patience during wait times while the glue dries or when they have to work slowly on a craft.

Focus and Concentration

Whether your child needs to paint, cut specific items, or even put together pieces, focus and concentration are the keys to success. They’ll learn to minimize distractions and focus on getting the project done. It will also show them how much more effective they can be when they’re focused on the task at hand.

Problem Solving

Let’s face it: arts and crafts are not the easiest things to do. Your child is going to run into specific issues that they’ll need to resolve. This encourages the use of problem-solving skills to get past the obstacle. Even better, they can use their imagination and get creative in their problem-solving.

When you choose Miss Sue’s Summer Fun, you can rest assured knowing that your child is safely having fun in the sun, while also building the knowledge, skills, and confidence to have a successful future. To learn more about the program, give us a call at 516-366-5623.

The Benefits of Sending Your Child to Day Camp

Fact: summer is officially on the horizon. With that being said, now is the perfect time to start considering what you’ll be doing for your child during the day, while you’re at work! One of the greatest options to consider is to enroll your child in a local day camp, such as Miss Sue’s Summer Fun! In fact, there are a variety of benefits for children when they attend day camp -- which will ultimately help nurture their skills and development. Without further ado, here are some of the many benefits your child can have when they attend Miss Sue’s Summer Fun:

A New Experience

Let’s face it: day camp is the perfect opportunity to help your little one build memories and learn a number of developmental skills. In fact, it’s the perfect way to keep them going all summer long -- and not seated in front of a television screen or stuck indoors.

Your child will have the best summer making friends, participating in physical activities (such as paddle boats and wind surfing, to name a few), and will have a great time enjoying the great outdoors! Your child will make memories that will last a lifetime -- and they’ll certainly thank you for it in the process! 

Encouraging Physical Activity

Fact: day camp isn’t about sitting around all day. In fact, there are a variety of activities that children can participate in that will keep them moving and working with their peers! Whether they’re doing arts and crafts (fine motor skills) or participating in sports, such as volleyball and soccer, there are plenty of physical benefits, as well as opportunities to build friendships and cooperation skills, too!

Foster Independence and Confidence

Independence and confidence are two very important traits for your child to develop as they get older. When your child attends Miss Sue’s Summer Fun, our staff can help foster these two characteristics in your child as they spend time away from home, learning new activities, communicating with others, and learning some of life’s most important lessons!

Day camp is a very rewarding experience for children, especially at Miss Sue’s Summer Fun. There are numerous benefits for their development and parents can feel confident letting their children go for the day. Your child will come back with a strong self-esteem, better communication skills, and even some new friends, making it the best summer ever for your little one!

When you choose Miss Sue’s Summer Fun, you can rest assured knowing that your child is safely having fun in the sun, while also building the knowledge, skills, and confidence to have a successful future. To learn more about the program, give us a call at 516-366-5623.

How to Encourage Your Child to Read

One of the most important skills any child can have is the ability to read. When your little one begins the journey into the literary world, they’ll be enamored by how much their imagination can soar just by reading a book. If your child is just embarking on their reading journey and needs a little bit of encouragement, here are some ways to spark a love for reading:

Change it Up

When it comes to encouraging your child to read, they may grow weary of reading the same book over and over again. If you’re looking for the perfect way to keep them occupied, in terms of reading, then it’s best to give them a variety of different books to choose from! From picture books to those with a few sentences or more, give your child the gift of an expanded library; you’ll see how pleasantly surprised they’ll be when the reading options are endless!

Start and Stop

Another way to encourage your child to read is to have a faux story time with them. What does this mean? Simply have your child pick out a book for you to “read” to them. Next, sit them down like a normal story time and begin to read the book to them. Once you get to a certain point, hand the book over to them and let them continue the story aloud! You’ll see how this will motivate your child, and ultimately, how this will spark their passion to read even more books!

Make it Cozy

One of the best ways to encourage your child to read is to create a cozy book corner in your home! This can consist of pillows, a beanbag chair, or anything else you can think of that will be inviting! Not only will this be the perfect way to get your child to read, but it will also make them feel at ease when reading — and quite comfortable, too! This is truly one of the best ways to have your child’s reading adventures take flight!

At Miss Sue’s Nursery School, our prime educational goal is the development of the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. A multi-sensory, holistic approach to learning is provided through play, art, music and physical activities. To learn more about the school and give your child the best pre-k experience, give us a call at 516-938-0894.

Ways to Help Your Child Develop Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills play an important role in a child’s development and success in the classroom. Children who experience issues with these skills have a hard time developing strong muscles in their hands and wrists, leading to hand fatigue and complications with writing.  This can also take a toll on their self esteem.

Playing with your child at home, is one of the most important ways to help them strengthen these muscles. Get them excited about learning something new by introducing them to these fun (and effective!) activities.

String Macaroni: Making macaroni necklaces is a great way to encourage creativity in your child, while working on their hand-eye coordination. Have them choose from different sizes of pasta to strengthen their muscles and create a personalized piece. Don’t have any pasta handy? Beads and cut-up pieces of straws are a great alternative, giving you the same outcome.

Play With Play-Dough: Play-dough has always been a fun kid favorite, and it’s actually beneficial for them too! The soft, squeezable texture is not only perfect for stretching finger muscles, but for helping your child overcome sensory issues as well. Having them use both hands to roll balls or pound the dough will also promote bilateral coordination.

Color With Broken Crayons: Think again before you throw out that bin of old, broken crayons! Holding fragments of crayons actually helps your child develop the proper grip. Instructing them to color in small circles while pinching the crayon will build muscle endurance and dexterity.

Punch Holes: One of the biggest obstacles your child will face when entering preschool is learning to cut. Using a hole punch allows them to develop the skills required for cutting and writing. These hole punching activities are a great way to develop the arches of the hand and provide stability of the fingers--and they’re fun too!

At Miss Sue’s Nursery School, our prime educational goal is the development of the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. A multi-sensory, holistic approach to learning is provided through play, art, music and physical activities. To learn more about the school and give your child the best pre-k experience, give us a call at 516-938-0894.

Toys That Help Development

Fact: some may think that playtime doesn’t have any long term benefits. However, playtime is a very important step in every child's development! Not only is your child having fun — but they’re also learning about the world around them, thanks to toys! Not sure how effective they are? Let us explain their impact:

Types of Play:

When observing playtime, there are two types of play that every child will experience. From Cooperative Play to Active Physical Play, both share a supporting role in your child’s development process. Here at Miss Sue’s, we know the importance of both and incorporate them into our daily schedule — but what are they exactly? 

• Cooperative Play- At Miss Sue's, we encourage children to play together as a group, since it helps children strengthen their social skills! An example of cooperative play involves two or more children playing a game together, such a puzzle or board game!

• Active Physical Play- Toddlers have enough muscle to participate in active physical play with their peers! Active Physical Play strengthens motor skills and hand-eye coordination tremendously — and is an important step of the development process. An example of active physical play is a child using a small toy car or truck!

Toys That Help Development:

After learning about the important types of play that each child participates in on a daily basis, there are a series of toys that help to continue the development of your child. Below are examples of the following toys that foster development:

• Puppets 
• Dolls
• Character Toys
• Rhythmic Musical Instruments
• Toy Cars and Trucks
• Puzzles
• Books 

At Miss Sue’s Nursery School, our prime educational goal is the development of the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. A multi-sensory, holistic approach to learning is provided through play, art, music and physical activities. To learn more about the school and give your child the best pre-k experience, give us a call at 516-938-0894.

Best Ways to Boost Your Child's Memory

Fact: sometimes young children may have a hard time remembering things. The reason is that their memory is still in the process of being developed. If you’re looking for a way to improve your child’s memory, then here are some helpful tips to know!

Be Repetitive

Believe it or not, repetition is a positive factor when it comes to memory exercises! When talking to your child, don't be afraid to repeat yourself — because this will be the key ingredient when it comes to improving a child’s memory. To further elaborate: when your child hears something more than once, it will become ingrained in their memory. One of the best ways to practice repetition is to short book to your child. When you finish reading the book, you can then ask your child to tell you their favorite sections of the story. This is a great (and fun) way to boost your child’s memory skills!

Listen To Music

Presenting music to your child at a young age can actually help strengthen their memory! Studies have shown that children are more likely to remember data when it is presented with an accompanying melody; think of sing-along videos featuring their favorite cartoon characters. If you want to take it a step further, you can sing messages to your child and encourage your child to create their own tunes when responding! Not only is this a great way to increase your child’s memory, but it will also entice their love for music, too!

Give Positive Feedback

When your child accomplishes a new task, it's important to give them positive feedback! After all, children are more likely to recall positive feedback than negative feedback. They will certainly remember what they did to receive that kind of praise, too!

At Miss Sue’s Nursery School, our prime educational goal is the development of the whole child — socially, emotionally, physically and educationally. A multi-sensory, holistic approach to learning is provided through play, art, music and physical activities. To learn more about the school and give your child the best pre-k experience, give us a call at 516-938-0894.

Activities That Encourage Imagination

At Miss Sue's, we always want our students to use their imaginations! One of the best ways to encourage imagination is through free-play. From toys to games, the possibilities are completely endless when it comes to boosting a child’s imagination. If you’re looking to continue encouraging your child’s imagination, then here are some activities that keep imagination flowing:

Playtime with Toys

When children play with toys that don’t make noise, this then gives your child the power to create their own sounds! Think of it as this: if your child is playing with a plastic toy horse (without sound effects built-in), they might then begin to start making noises for the horse — or even make it talk. No matter what the outcome may be, your child is exercising their imagination, which opens the door to many incredible possibilities on the road ahead.

Arts & Crafts

Fact: your child's imagination can run wild with art! Whether it’s painting a picture on a giant piece of paper or making a sculpture out of modeling clay, your child will be able to fully express themselves through any artistic activity you provide them with! Before the arts and crafts begin,  be sure to supply your child with various art supplies that will pique their interest. This is truly a great way for children to express themselves and their emotions!

Story Time

One of the best ways to spark your child’s imagination is through reading. When reading a book to your child, it introduces them to an entire world of make-believe and lets their imagination soar! In addition to expanding their imagination, your child will also learn how stories are told — which will inspire them to make up their own stories! Finally, when you read to your child, it will also spark their love of reading, since they’ll be inspired to read more books to learn about the incredible world of imagination! 

Looking for nursery school on Long Island where your child can learn through play? The dedicated staff at Miss Sue's Nursery School focuses on the individual needs of each and every child. We invite you to visit our school and see our program in action. For more information about Miss Sue’s, give us a call at 516-938-0894 or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.