Issue link: https://fredparent.uberflip.com/i/1226469
www.FredericksburgParent.NET 11 Concerned about your child's development? The Parent Education– Infant Development Program and Child Find can help! Crawling Walking Talking Feeding Birth to 2 Years Development Areas: Speaking so others can understand Running, jumping or climbing Coloring with crayons Listening to stories Contact the Parent Education–Infant Development Program of the Rappahannock Area Community Services Board at 540-372-3561 (toll-free 877-268-4169) Ages 3-5 Years Development Areas: Contact your local Child Find special education program: Caroline (804-633-5088) Fredericksburg (540-372- 1127) King George (540- 775-8638) Spotsylvania (582-7020) Stafford (540- 658-6517) 2.. 3.. 5.. DECIDE ON LOGISTICS AND WRITE OUT A SCHEDULE. You need to decide how long each station will last, where it will take place and which child will start there. I suggest 25 minutes for each one and spreading them out into different rooms. Next write out a schedule and show it to your kids. If they fight over who gets to go to the "most fun" station first (in my house it's any- thing electronics-related), have them pick a number between 1-10 and the clos- est to your number gets to choose first. SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO THEIR ASSIGNED STATIONS AND SET A TIMER. ENJOY YOUR QUIET TIME. You get to choose whether to do something fun for yourself or to get things done around the house. When the timer goes off, call out, "Time to switch!" And remind each kid which station to go to next. (Just move down the list of stations to keep it simple.) REPEAT UNTIL YOUR KIDS HAVE ROTATED THROUGH ALL OF THE STATIONS. 4.. TIPS AND IDEAS • If you still have a little one napping, use stations for the big kids during naptime. • If your kids are young, start with 15-minute stations first, then gradu- ally increase the time over a week or so. Bigger kids can usually do 25-30 minutes each. • You could also use stations to spend one-on-one time with each child. To do that, just make one of them a Play with Mom/Dad station. Then as each child rotates through, he'll get some individual attention and fun. Kid stations can be a parent's best friend during extended time at home. I know I will be using them while my kids are out of school. Try them, tweak them for your family, and enjoy the peace and quiet (and lack of arguing!) that they bring. Your schedule might look something like this: 25-MINUTE STATIONS • iPad Time in the Living Room: Child #1 • Legos or Snap Circuits in the Basement: Child #2 • Crafts at the Kitchen Table: Child #3 • Reading Time in Your Room: Child #4 You get to choose whether to do something fun for yourself or to get things done around the house. Your kids need some space from each other, and you need some alone time. CONCLUSSION