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Stay up to date with the latest news, tips, and advice from our team of childcare experts at StepByStepSitter. Our blog is a valuable resource for families looking for professional nanny and babysitting services.


Tips for choosing the right babysitter

Being a good babysitter involves a combination of practical skills and personal qualities. Here are some important traits:

1. Responsibility: Parents trust the babysitter with their children, expecting her to make sensible decisions and take care of the children in a safe and responsible way.

2 . Patience: Dealing with children can be challenging, especially when they are testing limits or having a difficult day. Patience is essential to stay calm and handle these situations effectively.

3 . Creativity: Keeping children entertained and stimulated requires creativity. A good babysitter should be able to suggest fun and educational activities that are appropriate for the children's age.

4. Good communication: Being able to communicate clearly with both children and parents is fundamental. This includes listening well, explaining instructions simply, and being transparent about any concerns or situations that arise.

5. Flexibility: Children's needs can change quickly, so a good babysitter should be able to adapt to new situations, changes in mood, or unexpected plans.

6. Empathy: Understanding and responding to children's emotions is essential for building a trusting relationship. Showing care and empathy helps to calm children and create a positive connection.

7. Basic first-aid knowledge: Having basic first-aid knowledge is important to ensure that the babysitter knows what to do in case of an accident or emergency.

 

8. Punctuality and reliability: Arriving on time and keeping commitments is crucial to building trust with parents and ensuring a good reputation.

9. Energy and enthusiasm: Taking care of children can be physically demanding. Having energy and a positive attitude helps to keep up with children's pace.

10 . Observation and attention to detail: A good babysitter should be attentive to everything that is happening, from changes in children's behavior to potential hazards in the environment.

These qualities, combined with a positive attitude and a genuine passion for caring for children, are fundamental to being a good babysitter.

A Monster Called Tantrum

Fairy tales suggest that discovering a monster's true name will cause it to vanish. Many families have exhausted all options, yet tantrums persist daily in every nook of the home. Perhaps, akin to fairy tales, if we uncover the true name of a tantrum, it might just disappear.

In: Lar Montessori Gabriel Salomão,3 october 2019

 

Tantrums are frequently viewed as monsters, eliciting a spectrum of emotions in families, including anxiety, shame, anger, self-judgment, inadequacy, and fear of judgment by others. Often, the true nature of a tantrum is misunderstood. It is a common occurrence among children, found in every home and family. It's crucial to recognize tantrums as a natural behavior, especially prevalent in children aged 1 to 4, who are in the process of learning emotional regulation and communication skills. To comprehend tantrums, one must observe the child to identify the specific moments or routines when they occur most often, their frequency, and how the environment may contribute to their occurrence.

 

Thus, the main causes of tantrums include:


1. Frustration: The child may want something that they can't express or achieve.2. Tiredness, hunger or discomfort: Tantrums can arise when the child is physically uncomfortable.3. Limits and rules: When confronted with limits imposed by adults, children can react emotionally.
4. Desire for independence: At this stage, children want to do things on their own and when they can't, they can have an intense emotional reaction.
5. Overstimulation: Too much stimulation or hectic environments can trigger tantrums.

 

 

According to Montessori, tantrums are a sign of frustration, emotional maladjustment or an unmet need. Instead of punishment or repression, Montessori suggested a more understanding and empathetic approach to dealing with these moments.


In short, tantrums are moments of emotional communication that call for empathy, patience and understanding. They can be  minimised by providing the child with an environment that meets their needs for autonomy and freedom, always respecting their pace of development.


Tantrums are a natural part of child development, but with the right strategies, they can be managed effectively, contributing to the child's emotional development.

 

Come and delve deeper into the topic and define strategies for dealing with tantrums. worksohps (stepbystepsitter.eu)

Weekend Ideas 

The Importance of Conducting Scientific Experiments in Childhood: Stimulating Curiosity and Critical Thinking

Childhood is a time full of curiosity and discovery. Children naturally ask questions about the world around them: "Why is the sky blue?", "How do plants grow?", "What makes a boat float?". This desire to understand how things work is the foundation of scientific thinking, and providing scientific experiences early on can turn these questions into rich learning opportunities.

1. Stimulating Natural Curiosity

Children are natural-born scientists. They explore, test, and investigate the world around them constantly. By encouraging this curiosity through hands-on scientific experiments, we allow children to ask questions, explore hypotheses, and discover answers on their own. Simple experiments, like mixing ingredients at home or observing weather changes, spark the desire to explore further.

2. Developing Critical Thinking

Doing scientific experiments involves more than just following instructions. Children learn to formulate hypotheses, analyze results, and understand that error is part of the discovery process. This kind of critical reasoning is essential for cognitive development, helping them solve problems logically and make informed decisions in various life situations.

3. Encouraging Creativity and Innovation

When children engage in scientific experiments, they are not just following methods; they are also encouraged to think outside the box. Science often involves innovation and experimentation, and by allowing children to make their own discoveries, we foster their creativity. They learn that there are many ways to reach a solution, developing an open and inventive mindset.

4. Better Understanding of the Natural World

Scientific experiments provide children with a practical and tangible understanding of the natural phenomena occurring around them. Activities like growing plants, observing the phases of the moon, or learning about the water cycle become tools for understanding more complex concepts such as biology, chemistry, and physics. This foundation of knowledge helps prepare them for future studies in science and fosters a deeper appreciation of the natural world.

 

5. Strengthening Social and Collaborative Skills

Many scientific activities involve group work, which strengthens children's social and collaborative skills. They learn to share responsibilities, discuss ideas, share materials, and cooperate to achieve a common goal. This not only contributes to their social development but also teaches them the importance of teamwork in scientific discoveries.

6. Building Resilience and Patience

Science is about trial and error. The result of an experiment is not always what is expected, and this is a valuable lesson for children. By seeing that it’s normal for an experiment to fail and that failure is part of the learning process, they develop resilience and patience. They learn that failure is an opportunity to learn and improve, preparing them to face future challenges with more confidence.

Conclusion

Encouraging scientific experiments in childhood is a powerful way to stimulate children's natural curiosity and develop essential skills such as critical thinking, creativity, and resilience. More than that, it nurtures a love for knowledge and discovery, preparing them for a future full of possibilities. Doing science is more than just learning about the world – it’s learning how to actively and consciously explore it.

Walk on the beach - fly game

Even if the weather is a little overcast, trips to the beach are always an excellent choice.
Connect with nature, experience different textures, aromas and sounds. Rooting around and letting your imagination run wild.
Here's an idea that will get the whole family moving.


The fly game!
One member is the fly and makes marks on the floor, close to their feet, one after the other.
The others will pass through the space between the lines without stepping on them.
As they pass, the fly will widen its stride.
Whoever steps on the marks is out of the game.

Cuquedo Trail

A proposal for a family weekend outdoors, full of fun.

Embark on an adventure along the Cuquedo Trail, facing challenges and letting yourself be carried away by this marvellous story!

Material tips

Magnetic Blocks

Magnetic blocks, as open-ended materials, serve as tools that foster exploration, creativity, and cognitive growth. 

Engaging with these materials offers children the opportunity to:

Enhance motor skills: Magnetic blocks aid in developing coordination and control, which are crucial for refining fine motor skills.

Cultivate critical thinking: The process of building and dismantling structures equips children with problem-solving abilities and logical reasoning.

Stimulate creativity: These blocks provide a canvas for children to form unique shapes and designs, fostering artistic exploration.

Encourage teamwork: Magnetic blocks also present a chance to engage in teamwork, teaching children the importance of sharing and cooperation.

 

The vast array of possibilities and characteristics inherent in these materials render them highly appealing to children.

The potential unlocked by rotating and reorganizing materials.

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