family Archives - Early Learning Childhood Education

11/07/201911/07/2019

Schedule A Rewarding Grandparents Day In Your Calendar

The relationship between grandchildren and grandparents is one that is mutually beneficial and offers many incredible rewards for all involved. It is certainly a relationship that deserves recognition and celebration. With Mothers Day in May and Fathers Day in September, we always find July is the perfect time to host a Grandparents Day in centres.

Benefits of Family Relationships For Children

Did you know involving parents in children’s pre-school and school life is linked to closer bonds with children, increased resilience and overall family wellbeing? Involving grandparents is beneficial to strengthening family bonds and further improving the wellbeing of young children.

This is why each year we encourage all providers of early childhood education to fit in a day dedicated to celebrating grandparents.

Research has shown there are mental health benefits in maintaining a good relationship with grandparents as children get older. Both parties are less likely to suffer from depression as a result of their bond. In fact, the same researchers highlighted the benefits of extended family for children, saying that these relationships are more important today than ever before.

Thoughtful Ways To Share The Love With Grandparents

Grandparents and children’s special friends enjoy spending any quality time with children, but these ideas can enhance the celebration at a morning or afternoon tea at your centre:

Create an ‘I Love You because…’ card and children can offer a special reason
Create a photo frame as a gift
Create a collage together of things that remind them of their relationship
Sing some special songs together
Play instruments together in a music session
All children act out a favourite book for the grandparents/special friends
Yoga and wellbeing activities with grandparents/special friends
Grandparents/special friends may enjoy sharing a snack with the children
Children might like to give grandparents/special friends a tour of their room

Click here to find some great printables and other ideas for your Grandparents and a Special Friend Day.

Keep It Inclusive

The relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren can be varied – some are very close and play a huge role, while others may not be as close and perhaps even live far away or are no longer with us.

It can be a good idea to invite children to celebrate grandparents and special friends, so an aunty, uncle, godparent or family friend can attend too. This gives families the opportunity to celebrate grandparents if they wish or celebrating someone else special in children’s lives if it’s more appropriate for them.

Take a look at our very own ‘Grandparents and Special Friends Afternoon Tea’ celebrations from last year at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder for further inspiration: http://bit.ly/2NMsvDm

23/02/201724/02/2017

The Benefits of Open Days for Families (and Centres!)

Open Days are an essential ingredient to help families make the right choice for their children when it comes to starting their early childhood education.

For a family to choose the centre or kinder that best suits their needs and preferences for their child isn’t as simple as looking at a website or hearing positive things in the community. While these are important and help with the decision-making process, there’s no substitute for getting up close and personal with a centre and its staff.

Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale, Victoria is hosting an Open Day on Saturday 4 March. From 10am until midday we have invited members of our local community to come along and visit our centre.

We’ve arranged a music show and yoga with Bonkers for children and families to be entertained as well as gain a deeper, more interactive understanding of our approach to early childhood education.

Attending Open Days presents many benefits to families. Here are three of the main reasons families should definitely attend Open Days to get firsthand experience of a centre:

How Families Can Get the Most from Open Days

1: Programs and Facilities
Explore the centre and see for yourself what it has on offer, rather than read or hear about it.

2: Meet the Educators
Meet some of the individuals you would be entrusting with your child’s wellbeing.

Questions to consider:
-Do I find the educators and staff to be likeable and friendly?
-Did the team seem genuine and passionate?
-What are the team’s qualifications and specialty areas?

3: Trust Your Feelings
Get a feel for the centre that can only be felt in person.

Questions to consider:
-How do you feel visiting the centre?
-Can I see my child enjoying spending time at the centre?

Perhaps you’re from a centre and have been wondering if an Open Day is worthwhile for you to showcase what you have on offer for local families – here’s how you can deliver to the community and give them the information they need to decide if you’re the right fit for their families.

Reasons Why Your Centre Should Hold an Open Day

1: Showcase your centre
Don’t just tell – SHOW the local community and families what you have to offer. Planning an open day allows you to put your best foot forward and demonstrate to families why they should choose your centre for their child or children.

2: Meet the Families
Early childhood education is a crucial part of a child’s life and in our communities. Engaging with local families shows and grows your passion for your centre’s wider community and its members. An Open Day could be the beginning of a long relationship between you, your centre and these parents and children.

3: Be Transparent
You can have great flyers, ads and a perfect centre, but the way your centre makes parents and families feel when they are there is a key factor when it comes to enrolling. Let your centre’s positive energy and warm atmosphere shine through to families on a day dedicated to your centre and all that it has to offer children who attend!

Attend or hold an Open Day this year and enjoy the benefits for yourself as either a parent or a centre.

If you’re local to the Aspendale area, visit our Open Day at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder & Childcare on Saturday 4 March, 10am-12pm. Hope to see you there!

14/07/201614/07/2016

Grandparents and their impact on children’s wellness

Did you know that involving parents in children’s pre-school and school life is linked to closer bonds with children, increased resilience and overall family wellbeing? Involving grandparents is beneficial to strengthening family bonds too and further improving the wellbeing of young children. This is why each year we encourage all providers of early childhood education to fit in a day dedicated to celebrating grandparents.

In the Seven Stone Philosophy, a stone is dedicated to relationships and their impact on wellbeing: “Healthy relationships lead to better lives. They are important and have an enormous impact on our physical and mental health.” Mums and dads should of course be celebrated, but we also believe that grandparents unique role in children’s lives should be celebrated too. This is why we always include a Grandparents Day each year!

Relationships can vary

As we all know, families come in all different shapes and sizes, and family dynamics and relationships can vary greatly.

Each child has a different relationship with their grandparents, while some may not have grandparents. It can be a good idea to invite children to celebrate grandparents and special friends, so that an aunty, uncle, godparent or family friend can attend too.

Grandparents and Special Friends Day presents an opportunity for children to share their learning environment – it’s always a treat to watch children give the tour and point out their artwork along the way!

July is the month we choose and recommend for celebrating Grandparents and Special Friends Day at Bonkers Beat – with Mothers Day in May and Father’s Day in September, it fits nicely in between.

Get creative for Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Here are some creative ideas to include in your celebration of Grandparents and Special Friends Day:

Create a photo frame as a gift
Children can simply draw/paint their grandparents/special friends
Children enjoy cooking up a storm to share some special treats with grandparents/special friends
Get out the glue to create a collage that represents their relationship
Sing some special songs together
Put on a special show for grandparents/special friends
Play instruments together in a music session
All children act out a favourite book for the grandparents/special friends
Yoga and wellbeing activities with grandparents/special friends

Bonkers Beat members, share your ideas to celebrate grandparents and special friends on our closed group. Parents, let us know what you thought of our celebration on the closed group for the centre. Everyone else, feel free to share yours on our Facebook Page.

14/04/201614/04/2016

3 Reasons Open Days are a MUST

When it comes to choosing the right centre to kick off a child’s early childhood education, parents are dedicated to making an informed choice. Many spend time researching online and seeking opinions from family, friends and colleagues. However, there is no substitute for visiting a centre and getting a feel for the facilities, the environment and the people.

For parents, Open Days at early learning centres offer the opportunity to see firsthand what the centre has to offer. When Open Days are scheduled for weekends, you get the freedom of exploring the centre and chatting with educators and staff without interruptions. For centres, Open Days give you the chance to showcase what you’ve got to offer your community’s youngest members and put your very best foot forward.

First, let’s look at 3 reasons why Open Days are a MUST for parents to attend, then we’ll go through 3 reasons why centres should have Open Days.

3 Reasons Why Families Should Attend Open Days

1: Programs and Facilities
Explore the centre and see for yourself what it has on offer, rather than read or hear about it.

Questions to consider:
-Does the centre have a rich curriculum to benefit my child?
-Are educational programs embedded in the curriculum and offered daily?
-Is there a funded kindergarten program?
-Do the programs give my child the best start?
-Is the centre engaging and does it reflect the children’s learning journey?
-Are the facilities clean and up to date?

2: Meet the Educators
Meet some of the individuals you would be entrusting with your child’s wellbeing.

Questions to consider:
-Do I find the educators and staff to be likeable and friendly?
-Did the team seem genuine and passionate?
-What are the team’s qualifications and specialty areas?

3: Trust Your Feelings
Get a feel for the centre that can only be felt in person.

Questions to consider:
-How do you feel visiting the centre?
-Can I see my child enjoying spending time at the centre?

Now, for centres that are wondering why they should have an Open Day, consider that you need to deliver based on the above reasons that are so important to parents and families. Here’s some more information for centres on these areas…

3 Reasons Why Centres Should Have Open Days

2: Meet the Families
Early childhood education is a crucial part of a child’s life and in our communities. Engaging with local families shows and grows your passion for your centre’s wider community and its members. Open Days can be the beginning of a long relationship between you, your centre and these parents and children.

3: Be Transparent
You can great flyers, ads and a perfect centre, but the way your centre makes parents and families feel when they are there is a key factor when it comes to enrolling. Let your centre’s positive energy and warm atmosphere shine through to families on a day dedicated to your centre and all that it has to offer children who attend!

We have an Open Day coming up this Saturday 16 April at Bonkers Beat Music Kinder & Childcare in Aspendale, Victoria. From 10am-12pm we have invited all families in our community to visit the centre and enjoy a fun morning of exploring. For anyone who would like to see what the Bonkers Beat programs are all about, please join us at 49 Laura Street, Aspendale from 10am-12pm this Saturday 16 April.