We’re heading into the holiday season, and while some may not look forward to the hustle and bustle of the holidays, many acknowledge that family time has a way of giving us warm, fuzzy feelings. The end of the year can bring about some of the best moments. You may look forward to cooking with your loved ones, exchanging laughs at the dinner table after family meals, or having more intentional moments with your family. With everyone’s schedule being so busy, it can be challenging to set aside time to spend with family. In addition, it can also be easy to forget the importance of family time and impacts it can have on your family unit. In our ever-increasing world of demands, we often add more responsibilities that compete with family time. 

Parents spending time with their children is critical for building strong family ties, making lifelong memories and creating an environment that builds self-esteem and character in children. Family time creates warm memories for parents and children alike. Children with happy family memories are more likely to create a loving environment for their own children when they grow up. 

Family time can consist of several different activities that range from 5 minutes to all day fun. Need some new ideas on how to maximize your family time? Check out some of these ideas that take little to no time to implement. Although the quantity of time may be difficult, it’s the quality of time that matters. 

Here are a few positive benefits to spending quality time with family this holiday season.

Family time encourages healthy relationships- One of the most important reasons that family time is vital for children’s development is the effect it has on their relationships. If you want your children to be able to enjoy healthy connections with others, this is the perfect time to set the example. Try taking short walks, putting up decorations together, or having family meals once a week. Dinner is a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with your loved ones.

Family time strengthens family bonds– Families who participate in activities together form strong emotional ties. Studies have shown that families who enjoy group activities together share a stronger emotional bond as well as an ability to adapt to difficult family situations. Experience life together. Do things as a family. Go for a hike, bike ride or make a pillow fort in the living room. Kids who participate in activities with their family have a higher sense of belonging and higher self-esteem.

Helps parents and children reconnect– Spending time together as a family helps busy parents to relax and reconnect with their children. Children tend to share more information about their lives while enjoying an activity with the parents rather than when you ask them “What did you do today?” Family activities should be a time where open communication takes place. Congratulate each other on accomplishments and encourage those who had a bad day. 

Parents get to embrace their inner child– Holiday celebrations with your family aren’t just about the adult activities, but spending and enjoying quality time with children. Their excitement and joy is infectious, and family holidays are the perfect time to let go and indulge in play time. Your kids will mimic your attitude and behavior. Have fun and focus on the present, which is spending time with your little one. They will remember these moments for a lifetime. 

Take some time this holiday season to enjoy these little moments with your family. Although quality time may look different this year, embrace the time you have. Hug your little ones a little tighter, laugh a little louder, and make the best of your upcoming holiday season.

Additional Resources:

10 Crafty Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Family

7 Family Bonding Holiday Activities

Although we wrapped up National Preparedness Month in September, we are still in the thick of hurricane season. As we prepare for cooler weather, it’s important to ensure your family has a plan in place for emergencies. Natural disasters can strike at any moment. Recently in Southern California, wildfires have been threatening many families, as others are battling hurricane season along the East Coast and Gulf of Mexico. Although emergency planning isn’t fun to think about, it’s important to know which types of disasters could affect your area and how you will respond.

Here are some tips that could help prepare your family in case of an emergency.

Put a plan together by discussing questions with your family, friends or household to start your emergency plan. How will I receive emergency alerts and warnings? What is my shelter plan? What is my evacuation route? What is my family/household communication plan? Do I need to update my emergency preparedness kit?

Allow your children to be involved in planning. Be sure they are included in your emergency preparedness conversations. Do they know where to meet the family if you all are separated? You can even build an emergency kit with your child and make it into a game. Go through different locations with your child to find what you need for an emergency kit. Have fun and build a checklist along the way.

Fill out a family emergency plan. Make a written family emergency plan and clearly communicate it to all family members to ensure everyone is on the same page in the event of an emergency. Download this family emergency plan and see if it will work for your family.

Communicate with your child care provider. Because a disaster can strike during school or work hours, you need to know their emergency response plans and how to stay informed. Discuss these plans with children, and let them know who could pick them up in an emergency. How will the provider contact you in case of an emergency? What is their emergency preparedness plan? Make sure you are signed up for alerts, warnings, and other texts from your child’s school and child care provider.

Practice, practice, practice. Be sure your family knows the plan you all have agreed on. Practice this a few times a year so no one forgets, especially before disasters occur like hurricane season. After you practice, talk about how it went. What worked well? What can be improved? What information, if any, needs to be updated? If you make updates, remember to print new copies of the plan for everyone.

Sesame Street has created an Emergency Preparedness Guide for families and videos for child care providers. The Institute of Childhood Preparedness also offers online trainings for child care providers to help improve centers and their response in the case of an emergency. They suggest finding easy ways to help children remember this vital information like songs, jingles or rhymes. No matter the strategy you choose, repetition is key. It can help to practice in the car and at bedtime. This will help ensure your child will be positively identified in case of an emergency or separation.

Please take a moment to review this important information, discuss it with your family, and make plans accordingly. In times like these, it is beneficial to hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Resources:

Sesame Street Emergency Preparedness ToolKit

Handling Emergencies

Family Emergency Communication Plan

Child Care Aware of America- Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness for Providers

A new school year is approaching and many parents and teachers have to take an unconventional approach to educate children. Over the past few weeks, return to school has been the main source of stress, anxiety, and frustration for many parents. The community was not fully prepared for the drastic shift. Parents may feel overwhelmed and unprepared to transfer their child’s classroom into the home without the right tools, resources, or years of training as a teacher. THAT’S OKAY! Distance learning is new, for parents, teachers, and most students alike. With everyone trying to figure out how to make this work, keep in mind that virtual learning doesn’t have to be scary, and can actually have rewarding benefits.

While we’re trying to find a balance between self-discipline and self-care, maintain patience and remember the few things you can do to make life run a little smoother in your child’s virtual classroom.

Connect with your child’s teachers. Teachers have been trying their best to be available and make
this new norm as smooth as possible. Stay in touch with them and ask questions. Remember you’re the student too in all of this. Work together.

Set a schedule/routine that works for you, but also keep it flexible. Not only may this look unlike their traditional school day, but it may include getting school work done on weekends when parents have more time to help out. Communicate with teachers about what your family is going through and get creative with how best to use your time.

Give yourself grace. You don’t have to be perfect. This is new for all of us. Every approach will be different. If yours is different from someone else’s, it’s okay. It is most important that your approach works for your family!

Be realistic in goal setting. Everyone has a different situation. Some parents at home and able to assist, some are essential staff working overtime, and some are able to work from home. Create weekly goals for your child that takes your family and circumstances into account.

Create a Community Pod. Have friends who are all dealing with the same unfamiliar virtual learning life? Schedule Zoom time with other families to give kids a chance to socialize, play, and chat with one another. This can be designated time throughout the day that they kids can look forward to while you catch up on work and return an email or two.

Just remember, you’re not alone. Remote learning has presented parents with many new challenges. Many families are still adapting and adjusting to new responsibilities, like teaching. However, circumstances have provided new opportunities to improve parental involvement and create new memories for your children in the future.

Additional Resources:

Virtual Learning Tips for Parents

For the First Time Homeschooling Parent/Teacher

Balancing Work and Homeschooling

Virginia is currently in Phase III of reopening. As the summer is quickly coming to an end, families are planning for the fall. Many parents have returned to work, physically or remotely, but must continue to focus on the health and safety of their children, as well as consider their development and socialization.

COVID-19 infections are continuing to spread. The decision to send your child back to care is entirely dependent on what’s best for your unqiue family situation. As you weigh your options and begin making the decision about returning your children to care, we’ve laid out a few things to consider.

Think about your family’s needs. Consider if you need full-time or part-time care. Is your work schedule flexible enough to allow you to cut back on hours in child care? Are you able to coordinate schedules with your spouse or loved ones?

Think about your family’s risk tolerance. What is the risk of serious illness to a member of our household if someone in your household were to be exposed to COVID-19? Are there children or family members with high-risk medical conditions such as diabetes, lung disease or heart problems? Do any older family members live with you? As we continue to take precautionary measures to limit the spread of the virus, both at home and in child care facilities, we also have to be mindful of the educational and social aspects of our child’s development. These are some factors to consider as you make your decision.

Questions to ask your child care provider:

Many parents are reliant on full-time work to provide for their family. In these cases, sending your child to child care or caregiver is necessary. To make you feel more comfortable, we encourage you to ask your provider questions about their reopening plan.

· How is the provider/center maintaining cleanliness and sanitation?

· How many children will be assigned to each provider?

· How are they maintaining social distancing?

· Will adults/parents be kept out of the facility as much as possible to limit exposure?

· Is there a plan in place for if a child or staff member tests positive for COVID-19?

This is a challenging and uncertain time for all. Regardless of your decision to resume child care services or not, we’re here to help in every way possible as we undergo this journey together. For a list of operating child care programs near you, give us a call at 1-866-KIDS TLC or visit our child care self-search at vachildcare.com.

Additional Resources:

Should I send my child back to childcare?

How can daycares prevent the spread of COVID-19?

Phase III Guidelines for Child Care Providers

Learn More about Contact Tracing