Friday Newsletter 21 September 2018
Friday Newsletter 21 September 2018
21 September 2018
everybody, from all of us here at Baby Blessings Playgroup and Preschool Lonehill.
We hope that is has been a good week for all!
As we near the end of this school term, we would like to thank you all for your continued support and encouragement so far this year. We have been so blessed by having an amazing group of Parents and children here with us.
Our Water Animal theme comes to an end today. The children have had such fun, with so many interesting things to learn.
With next week being a shorter week (see below), and Tuesday being our Helpers Day celebration, we are looking forward to the last few school days being spent playing (indoors and out). Water play, free play, dress up play, messy play, play, play, play…). The children have all worked so hard this term, and we couldn’t be more proud of them.
A reminder that:
- Monday is a public holiday and school will be closed
- School will then be closing for the holidays on Friday the 28th of September and will re-open on Monday the 8th of October.
Parents, please note that today is the cut-off date to register your child / children for holiday care, which will be available from Monday 1st October to Friday 5th October. No further registrations will be accepted after today as we have already catered for staff.
Thanks Parents
Also, not forgetting about our Helpers Heritage Day celebration here at school on Tuesday the 25th of September. (Parents please note that this is only for Helpers / Nannies). They are most welcome to dress in their traditional outfits for the morning. The time is from 10:00 – 11:00 am. To cater for numbers, please let your class Teacher know by today if your Helper will be joining us. Looking forward to it!
Important notice:
Parents please be advised that we will be including a R1500 deposit for January 2019 fees in your October fees invoice, (as per our Registration Agreement). This is to secure a space for your little one for next year. This amount will then be deducted from your January 2019 account. Thanks Parents.
The children enjoying their Soccercise Starz lesson on Thursday:
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Ball play is an important aspect of our school programme here at Baby Blessings.
An interesting read:
Why Your Child Should Be Playing With Balls
There aren’t too many kids that would say no to playing with a ball. Whether it is throwing or kicking a ball around, they provide hours of simple fun and in many cases these days, much-needed physical activity! As well as teaching your child important skills such as throwing and catching, dribbling, kicking, and aiming for a target, the benefits of ball play are also essential in life.
What Your Child Learns
Balls are easy and affordable must-have toys. You can introduce them to your child very early on because they immediately strengthen motor skills (https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-are-fine-motor-skills-2162037) and familiarize little ones with their environment. Early on, little ones gravitate toward things that roll. Your infant will be fascinated by a ball’s continuous movement. Balls allow children to feel in control of something other than their own movements. Rolling a ball back and forth is a way to build a social bond between two people, and it’s also a very introductory lesson of cause and effect.
Toddlers will discover a ball’s abilities and the different effects of bouncing, rolling, tossing, kicking, and dropping it. A ball will remain an entertaining toy as your child transitions from independent play and parallel play (https://www.verywellfamily.com/types-of-play-2764587) to collaborative play (https://www.verywellfamily.com/collaborative-play-290161), which is vital in developing social skills, learning how to share, how to follow rules, and how to negotiate.
Benefits of Ball Play
- Introduction to sport and extracurricular activities. Getting kids excited for sports and activity at an early age is vital for an active, healthy lifestyle.
- Hand-eye coordination. For a child it could be as simple as putting blocks on top of one another or putting a lid on a box, but the development of this skill is critical for many aspects in life.
- Gross and Fine Motor Skills. The development of muscles is important at an early age, as this will help your child through many milestones such as (first, holding their head up), learning to reach for and grasp objects, walk, skip, jump, run and more as these skills become more refined with age and practice!
- Timing. There’s only so many times a child will receive a ball in the face before they realize they should have their hands up or arms outstretched quicker. Timing is one lesson that children learn quickly so they don’t miss out on catching that ball!
- Prediction. After many hours of fun and practice, children will also figure out which way a ball will bounce, or how quickly a ball will roll. There are balls of so many shapes, sizes and textures – and with enough ball playtime, your child will begin to anticipate the ball’s movements – direction and speed.
- Force. Knowing how much strength is needed to throw or kick a ball is not an easy judgment for kids. But with plenty of practice (and building of muscle strength), they will learn how to apply the right amount of force at the right time.
- Good sportsmanship. Having patience, taking turns and having nice manners are all traits that we want our kids to have, and if they learn these from you at an early age, it will be ingrained in them for life!
Use the opportunity of ball play to get outside for some fresh air and healthy exercise for you and your child. A clear mind will be more productive and have improved focus.
Easy ball games to play with young children
- Starting simple, roller ball is an easy one for small children. Sit opposite your toddler and (telling them what you are going to do every step of the way) roll the ball to them and encourage them to reach for the ball and catch it. Then ask them to roll the ball back to you (they might try to throw it, so show them how to keep the ball on the ground and ‘push’).
- Throwing and catching This takes a little more coordination, so look out for signs of frustration from your child and assure them that it just takes practice!
- Keep it in the airWith a balloon or other soft ball, try to keep the ball from touching the ground.
- Bowling Using plastic bottles as skittles, roll the ball and see how many you can knock over.
- In the goal. Throw the ball into a hoop or bucket (I use a plastic washing basket), moving further back to make it more challenging.
These are just a few games to start you off! Have fun together!
Our last Bible theme for the term is: A desert surprise
That’s it for this week Moms and Dads. But before we go…
A little thought for the day
Blessings to all for a wonderful weekend ahead
Love Anne, Chantal, and the Team at Baby Blessings