Stepping Stone School
Supporting Families & Learning at Home
July 17th
At Stepping Stone School, our mission is to offer exceptional nurturing and education for our students, and extraordinary support and care for all parents and families! Many families are finding new and creative ways to engage and educate their children while at home. We compiled a list of fun and educational activities and resources for you to use with your family.
WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU!
Community & Cultural Awareness
8 Videos to Teach and Practice Mindfulness with Children
by Maia Horsager | Jan 16, 2020 

Mindfulness is an amazing tool.
It’s good for children, and adults.
Mindfulness is gaining good research, too, on how it can be important for children’s cognition and stress reduction.
The important thing to do before (or after) playing a mindfulness video or doing any mindfulness activities, is to teach your children WHY it’s important.
You need a little bit of investment in the WHY in order to really get children interested.
In child-friendly language:
Mindfulness helps us learn to recognize how we are feeling, and not react to it.
  • Which means it can help us calm down more quickly, or stay calm during tricky times.
  • It also gives our mind a little “break” when it is full of stuff, and can help us relax.
  • This mind break then gives our brain a little more “space” so that we can fill it up with things that are important.  
  • Mindfulness is NOT emptying your mind of all thoughts, it’s more like letting go of the ones that we don’t need.
  •  (Check out this amazing tool for teaching the difference between craziness and stillness)
  • Mindfulness is like a little mini vacation for your brain. 
  • It’s a little break to give your thoughts a chance to rest, so you can let new ones in for more learning later.
  • Mindfulness also gives you some more space in your brain so you can help figure out your emotions and feel calm.

You can prepare them for a mindfulness session by saying something like,
“Reach up to the sky, interlace your fingers, then flip your palms up to the ceiling. Stretch to one side, now the other side… then reach your arms out to the side and sparkle glitter down to the floor… now hands on your hips and twist one way, then the other… hands on your ears, rub your ears… hands on your head, hands in front of you, fold your hands one way. Now, switch your fingers and put your opposite thumb on top… switch back…. press each finger in the back of your other hand one at a time… and now gently place your hands in your lap or on your knees. Back straight and tall, eyes up.”

A breath-focused video by a cute British owl. Best for younger children.
A good introduction to the reasons for mindful breathing  and why mindfulness is a good tool in many situations. 

This is a good video in the  Cosmic Kid’s Zen Den  video series. Jamie leads you through about 6 minutes of a mindful practice, including the preparation and actual mindful listening.

A beautiful 2-minute affirmation song for listening to and breathing along with.  Remind children to breathe in as the colors appear, and breathe out as they start to disappear . It works well with the rhythm of the song.

A good 4-minute breathing video that leads children through physically tracing the rainbow with their arms in a slow and visually appealing video. 
Go Noodle’s flow videos  are all good for calming down, and many of them use mindful practices like this one. 

This a longer mindfulness meditation for children, this one works well for children ages 7+ or once they’ve done a little bit of practice with mindfulness already.

A great introduction to the  importance of using breath to help calm our big feelings . It doesn’t walk them through any exercises but is a calming video in itself.

A true guided meditation , this 5-minute video is a nice way to help children focus mindfully on the space around them, their bodies, and their emotions. Prepare the children to sit comfortably and listen the whole time. They can close their eyes or keep them open to watch the pictures on the screen.

Another song video, this video is a repetition of “Mmmm’s and oooooo’s” telling you to breathe in and out with the music and visuals. It’s 4-minutes long. The breathing instructions and music are very soothing and get the job of mindful breathing done!

A short video just for breathing, though this one has no music.
Again, prep your children so they know to breathe in and out through their nose:  in as the shapes expand, and out as they collapse .
Art & Creative Expression

Healthy Food Process Art Activity
Invite your child to look through the seed catalog or grocery flyer or magazine. Try to ask about unfamiliar foods, by identifying what foods your child likes and dislikes is an important part of the process of developing healthy eating habits.
After some browsing, (and some talking) invite your child to cut out some pictures of the fruits and vegetables. Do not try to influence your child by asking him to cut out the food he likes, just let him cut. You might be surprised by what they choose.

T his is important because some children are drawn to food because of their color, or shape, or apparent texture. A child might think he will like acorn squash because the flesh is orange like carrots. In his mind, he will like acorn squash because he likes the carrots when in reality he doesn’t actually like the squash. BUT, the more exposure you give a child to different foods, the more likely they are to try them, even if that exposure some through a simple image in a magazine.
Once a nice pile of fruits and vegetables have been cut out, invite your child to glue them down on the cardstock. No sorting necessary (unless it happens naturally), just let them glue!

Fruit and Vegetable Printmaking
Have your children explore common fruits and vegetables with printmaking. 
  • Begin by showing the whole food and asking the child to name them.
  • Then, carefully slice each one and let the children look at the inside. 
  • Discuss what you see (but you could absolutely expand that into a full-blown food science activity).
  • Then get to work with the printmaking. 
  • You can use celery, apples, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. (With the onions each ring can be seen!)


Painting with Celery Stalks
  • This activity came about while cutting the celery stalks for the above activity,
  • Notice how the inside stalks look like a paint brush. 
  • You can use the inner celery stalks as paintbrush!
  • Allow the children to experiment with how the stalk works as they use it to paint!
Making A Gratitude Tree
This creative symbol of appreciation can be a part of your gratitude practice all year long.

  • Start by collecting small branches around your neighborhood until your have a nice bundle to use for the foundation of the tree. 
  • These branches can go into a mason jar or vase filled with sand or stones.
  • Using paper, cut out leaves and punch a hole in each of them. 
  • Thread string, or yarn so the leaves will hang from the tree’s branches. 
  • On the paper leaves you and your children can write things you are grateful for each day.
  • Things like their favorite toy, food, health, kindness, family, growth, friends, support, love, art & creativity!

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” ~Melody Beattie
Writing and Literacy Readiness
Stone Soup
Written and illustrated by Marcia Brown 
Based on an old French folktate, the story is about how three hungry soldiers outsmart the selfish people living in a village so that they find themselves making the soldiers a feast.
Make Stone Soup with your Children
INGREDIENTS
  • Cabbage shredded
  • Carrots sliced into rounds
  • Onion diced
  • Celery chopped
  • Pumpkin Puree
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Fresh or dried herbs of choice
  • Redskin Potato, whole (the 'stone')
  • Water or Broth/ Stock
  • Crockpot/ slowcooker

INSTRUCTIONS
  • Roughly chop, dice and shred the vegetables.
  • Place the whole redskin potato into the crockpot to be the 'stone'.
  • Add the vegetables and onion.
  • Once all of the vegetables are in the crockpot add enough water or broth (stock) to cover them. Turn it to high and leave to cook for at least 2-3 hours.
Healthy Nutrition Books for Children

Good Enough to Eat  is a guide to children's nutrition written especially for children. A practical, hands-on tool for families who want to eat a healthy diet, this book explains nutrition from carrots to cookies. 
Good Enough to Eat  includes kid-friendly recipes such as Alphabread and Full o’ Beans Soup! Perfect for parents trying to explain healthy eating to children!

Children discover the importance of eating sensibly and keeping to a balanced diet. They learn that good eating habits are important for health and fitness.

Eat Lots of Colors  is a light-hearted first look at the nutritional benefits of eating colorful foods (derived from naturally occurring phytonutrients in a rainbow of colors which they contain). Simply written and charmingly illustrated, it motivates young children to make healthy food choices. They learn that eating whole and “real” foods actually helps them feel good about themselves, their bodies and their capabilities. The book includes a chart that makes it fun for them to follow their weekly progress as they discover a world of new and healthy foods.

Nutrition Fun with Brocc & Roll, 2nd edition combines a discovery approach to learning with a healthy dose of humor.

Who knew there were so many different kinds of vegetables?
From glossy red peppers to lush, leafy greens to plump orange pumpkins, vegetables are explored in depth in this fascinating picture book that clearly explains the many vegetable varieties, how they are grown, and why they are so good for us to eat.

Mama Bear lays down the law when she notices that Papa and the cubs are getting too chubby. With the help of Dr. Grizzly’s slide show on how the body works, the Bear family makes a healthful adjustment in their diet and fitness habits.

While teaching upper- and lowercase letters to preschoolers, Ehlert introduces fruits and vegetables from around the world. A glossary at the end provides interesting facts about each food.
Mathematical & Scientific Concepts
Simple Experiment about the Importance of Washing Hands 
This experiment is a great way to teach children that you can prevent the spread of germs by washing your hands.  In this experiment, you need a bowl, milk, food coloring (represents germs), a toothpick, and soap. 
  • Fill a bowl with milk.
  • Add in drops of food coloring into the middle of the bowl and call the coloring “germs.
  • Next, use a toothpick, dip it into a bowl of dish soap, and touch the dot of food coloring with the soap. 
  • The food coloring will disperse through the milk as the fat in the milk is repelled by the dish soap, but all that the children see is that the ‘germs’ run from the soap!  

When parents teach their children about germs using pepper and soap, it really brings it to life, because they can SEE the reaction.

Instructions: Science Experiment about Germs Using Pepper And Soap 

What You Need for the Germs Experiment Using Pepper And Soap
  • A small bowl of water
  • Ground black pepper
  • A small bowl of soap

Steps for Teaching Children About Germs Using Pepper And Soap 
  • Sprinkle pepper on the tops of the bowls of water
  • Explain to your child that the pepper represents germs like viruses that can make us sick
  • Have them stick one finger in the ‘germs’ and ask them what happened. They will probably recognize that germs got stuck on them!
  • Then have them put a clean finger in the soap and swirl it around until it covers the end of their finger
  • Have them put the soapy finger in the ‘germs’
  • The ‘germs’ should be repelled by the soap and should quickly move away from your child’s finger
I hope this is a fun and educational activity for your children as you continue to talk about social distancing and sanitation.  The biggest thing is to  remind your family to wash their hands!  

Teaching School Age Children: What is a Germ and What Does It Do?  
A germ is any microorganism, especially one which causes a disease .
Germs can be bacteria or viruses, as well as a few other types of microorganisms, too.

What is Soap?
“Soap is a mixture of fat or oil, water, and an alkali, or basic salt. The ancient Babylonians are credited with being the first people to make soap. Their recipe for animal fats, wood ash and water has been found carved into clay containers dating back to 2800 B.C.”
“The basic recipe for soap hasn’t changed for thousands of years. It’s still a combination of fat or oils with an alkali — basic ionic salt — and water. When those ingredients combine in the proper proportions, they go through a chemical process called saponification, which results in soap.” –  LiveScience  
How does soap get rid of germs? 
First off, it’s important to realize that soap does not kill germs. Soap removes germs. The germs stick to the oil on our hands, and water will not remove it, so we need to use something else. Soap likes water and soap likes oil, so it makes the perfect match!  

“When you wash your hands with soap, the soap molecules act as a mediator between the water and oil molecules and bind with both of them at the same time. Then when you rinse everything off, the soap carries away the germs with the water. ” – lifescience

When Should We Wash Our Hands?
It’s important to wash our hands often, and our kids need to understand it and make it a habit. Here are a few important times to remember to wash our hands: 
  • Before a meal or snack
  • After playing outside
  • After being at a playground or busy area
  • Before cooking or preparing a meal
  • After school 
  • After playing with friends
  • Before & after visiting anyone that isn’t feeling well 
  • After using the bathroom
  • After cleaning 
  • After touching animals 
  • After leaving a store
  • After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose

It’s hard to imagine, but there was a time when humans had no idea we needed to consider sanitation, disinfection, or even basic cleanliness. That’s because there was a time when we didn’t know about bacteria or viruses. In short, we hadn’t discovered germs.  Luckily, we’ve come a long way!  We love that we learn more every day… and we can pass on that learning to our children. 
Character Development
I recently spoke to an aquatics director at a large facility. The majority of her faculty is made up of young adults ages 18-24. Each year this director is surprised by the number of new applicants whose parents call to try to get them a job working in her facility.
She refuses to hire those applicants. Why? Because if those individuals have not shown that they are responsible enough to find their own job, then she does not want to give them the responsibility to guard someone’s life while they are in the water.
Responsibility is necessary for future success. How do parents teach this important life skill?
1. Model responsibility. Demonstrate responsibility in your actions and then talk to your children about the things you do as a responsible adult. Talk to them about why you clean up after yourself, why you go to work, and how they can be helpful and responsible at home. Read stories relating to responsibility and talk to them about the choices the characters make in the story.
2. Avoid rewards. There may be certain daily tasks you expect your child do because he is a member of the family like picking up his toys and making his bed. These are the daily tasks that teach responsibility and should not be rewarded.
3. Praise responsibility. When your three year old proudly presents herself to you with her shirt on backwards and shoes on the wrong feet, praise her efforts and initiative to get herself dressed. She is learning responsibility.
4. Be patient and realistic. Adjust the task depending on the age and ability of the child. Many chores can be broken down into smaller parts or adapted so younger children can be successful. Remember that your toddler may very well drop a dish or two as he helps clear the table. Consider using plastic dishes for a time so that he is not in danger of breaking anything as he attempts to learn this skill.
5. Teach consequences. In the likelihood that your child is ever irresponsible, consider allowing her to deal with the consequences. For example, a child neglecting to do her summer reading and book report is more likely to take responsibility for her own actions in the future, if her parent does not “bail her out” now. It may be a very difficult lesson for your child to learn, but through loving guidance and consistency, she will learn it.
It is a parent’s goal to raise responsible children who ultimately grow to become responsible adults. The time to start teaching this skill is now, while they are young. Then, as they seek their first job they will stand out from the others because they demonstrate responsibility.

Tips and Resources for Children and Parents During COVID-19

Talk with children about COVID-19
As news about the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues, children may have questions for parents and caregivers. Especially as normal routines change, children may display signs of worry about themselves, their families, and their friends. Certain words and practices can help children cope with their feelings and help guide discussions. The  Center for Disease Control and Prevention  has put together a resource document to help parents and caregivers talk with their children about COVID-19.

Stay calm
  • Children react to what you say and how you say it. They “absorb” what is said to others and pick up on nonverbal body language.
  • The more calm you are, the more relaxed your child will be, which helps children better understand the information they are told.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has put together a list of words and actions that can help parents and caregivers discuss COVID-19 with their children. 

Parent self-care
  • Many parents, who are working from home, may be trying to manage multiple work schedules as well as their child’s online school expectation. It is a lot. Above all else, try not to stretch yourself too thin. Be gentle with yourself and with each other. We will all need to let go of some expectations of normal to accommodate this new temporary reality.    
  • We must also find time to support our own mental well-being in some way. Mental health practices are not a luxury, especially now. We do not do our best work when we are overstressed, and it can impact our health as well as our child’s. See Supporting Mental Well-being during COVID-19 for tips.  

Make time to listen to your children
  • It is important to make time to talk with children when they are worried.
  • They need to know they can express their feelings and ask questions, and that you can take the time to answer their questions. 

Be aware of what your children see and hear on television, the radio and online. 
  • Children often see and hear more than parents and caregivers realize.
  • It is important to know what your child has seen or heard about COVID-19 so that you can discuss any worries or misinformation. 

Learn what your child already knows
  • Children are curious by nature. Follow your child’s lead by responding to questions they ask. This can help them have the age-appropriate information that they need to keep themselves healthy and safe, as well as appropriately informed.
  • If your child asks about something that you do not know, rely upon the CDC’s information to answer the question in an age-appropriate way. Be honest, but reassuring.

Tell your children that most kids with COVID-19 do not get very sick, but we can help those who could get very sick
  • Explain to your child that most people with COVID-19 have cold-like symptoms. Explain that some people, however, can get very sick.
  • Explain that we can all help by washing our hands frequently and staying home right now to help stop the virus from spreading.
  • Letting children know this information can help them feel like they have some control and worry less. 
Maintain or implement routines 
Routines are important for children, especially when there is increased uncertainty and stress. As school and home routines are disrupted, children may have trouble regulating their emotions and behaviors. Try to maintain basic daily routines as you normally would, such as getting ready for the day and bedtime schedules. If you have school-age children, create a basic loose structure for the day and week. 
Consider the following tips and tools: 
Keep Children Busy

Other Resources for Parents
Physical Development
Outdoor Mindfulness Activities  for Children

Try these outdoor mindfulness activities for children to help your child wind down and refocus.

Research shows that spending time in nature can boost our health and well-being in many tangible ways, for example by reducing stress and anxiety, lowering blood pressure and strengthening the immune system.
 
The Importance of Nature
One theory holds that nature can restore our attention and heal mental fatigue, a state that is caused by doing a task that requires a great deal of concentration, or “directed attention,” for a long period of time. Playing an intense video game, solving complicated math problems and navigating through busy traffic are all examples of tasks that require high levels of directed attention, and consequently tend to drain us of energy.
Mental fatigue is one of the reasons why it’s so important for children to have other opportunities to take “brain breaks." These activities
require no advance planning or extra equipment, just a willingness to immerse yourself and your children in nature. Best of all, they can be done almost anywhere and only require 15-30 minutes of your time.
Enjoy!

Outdoor Mindfulness Activities for Preschoolers
Observe the clouds
How: Lie down on a blanket on the ground and look up at the clouds in the sky. What shapes do you see? Do you and your child see the same things? How do the shapes evolve as they move with the wind?
Why: The exercise  hones your child’s observational skills and encourages imaginative thinking.

Hug a tree
How: Seek out a wooded area and select a mid-size tree to embrace. Lean your head against the trunk and try to become one with the tree. Is it moving with the wind? Is it making any sounds? What does it smell like? Repeat with a few different trees.
Why: The bark provides sensory input, and creating a feeling of “oneness” with the tree helps strengthen your child’s nature connection.

Make a nature mandala
How: Collect natural materials, for example rocks, sticks, leaves, tree nuts, pine needles, shells and flowers. Decide where to make your mandala and choose a centerpiece that you place in the middle of the work area. Use the other objects to create at least five rings around the centerpiece, a little bit like tree rings, and try to create recurring patterns.
Why: Making nature mandalas is calming and relaxing. It’s also great for nurturing your child’s creativity.

Go for a listening walk
How: Go for a walk in a nearby nature area or just around the neighborhood. Stay silent for 5-15 minutes, depending on your child’s age and attention span, and listen carefully to all the sounds around you. After the time is up, discuss what you heard and where the sounds may come from.
Variation: For a more meditative experience, do the listening exercise while lying down on the ground with closed eyes.
Why: Listening walks can help put your child in a calm but alert state, which is ideal for sensory integration.

Be an animal yogi
How: Pick some of your favorite animals and act them out in the form of yoga poses. Try to hold each pose for 20-30 seconds and repeat a few times, then try each other’s poses. Check out this  simple animal yoga activity  to see an example, or try these  5 zoo animal yoga poses  for inspiration.
Why: Yoga helps refine balance and coordination, and boosts our ability to focus. It also strengthens your child’s mind-body connection.
More Mindfulness Activities
Here are some more simple strategies for practicing mindfulness with children and young adults:

  1. Mindful Coloring. You can use any coloring pages for this activity. Let the children choose their own coloring page, whether it is a page with dragons, cats, or just patterns. Give access to the coloring materials that best suit your needs. Colored pencils, flair pens, and gel pens etc. Encourage children to quietly color on their own. Tell them that if they’ve made a mistake, just to breathe and move on. Mindfulness is about just letting the experiences pass us by without making a judgement about them.

  1. Dragon Breathing. A huge component of mindfulness is learning how to control our own breathing. A way to get younger children to buy in to this is making it fun. With dragon breathing, kids will sit up straight, breathe in, stick their tongue out, and breathe out like a dragon. It might feel super silly at first, but it helps to bring the idea of deep breathing down to their level!
  2. Smell the Flowers Breathing Activity. This activity combines mindful coloring and deep breathing. Introduce scented markers and explain that this is a special activity you can only do with those markers. This is an important point so that children don’t smell other markers that aren’t safe. Have the children color and breathe in through their noses to smell as they go.
  3. Mindfulness 5-4-3-2-1. Use this technique to ground children and young adults. This is an especially great activity to help children manage anxiety. Have the child look around their current surroundings and find five things they can see, four things they can tough, three things they can hear, two things they can smell, and one thing they can taste. By the time they get through listing all of those, they will be more present and calm.
  4. Recite Positive Affirmations. Teaching children and young adults positive self-talk is a wonderful skill. Not only is it uplifting, but it provides a sense of calm when children read their positive affirmations to themselves. You can use this free list of positive affirmations here.
  5. Practice Guided Meditations. Have children find a spot on a rug or yoga mat and lie down. Have them close their eyes and just breathe in and out. Read a guided meditation to help children visualize a soothing beach or a calm walk through the forest. You can find one online or make up your own! Within a few minutes, they will find themselves more calm and relaxed.
  6. Use Breathing Visuals. Some kids and young adults need a more concrete and visual method for practicing breathing. A “breathe board” is just a set of shapes or lines that children can follow with their fingers as they breathe in and out. Different shapes will work differently for different children, so it’s helpful to try a few!
  7. Listen to music. Play your choice of nature sounds, classical, or any acoustic music. You can play the music while the children are doing something independently or allow them to just sit down and relax while mindfully listening to the music.
  8. Use crafts. Crafts can be a very mindful and calming activity for children and young adults. Weaving and beading are two good examples. They are simple and repetitive, so it’s easy for all learners to give them a try. You can also pick up materials at the local dollar store to get started. As a bonus, children are often left with a tangible reminder of their mindful practice after finishing the craft.
Glitter Germs Activity for Kids
Education on hand washing is important, so try out this easy germ spreading activity with your children! We’ve included some affiliate links for our favorite products to help you out too!
What You Need for the Germ Spreading Game:
  • Small bowl
  • Hand/body lotion
  • Glitter
  • Larger bowl or bucket
  • Small Toys

  1. Mix some lotion and glitter in the bowl.
  2. Then have your child put some of the “germs” on their hands and rub them together.
  3. Shake hands with each other or let them touch different surfaces to learn about how germs can be spread!
  4. You can then extend the glitter germ activity lesson and by adding some toys into the mix!
  5. Let your child get the “germs” on their hand and then play with some small toys so they can see how the germs spread.
  6. Then let them practice washing the toys and their hands off with warm, soapy water. It’s a great way to teach them while having some hands-on fun!
Cognitive & Phonological Development
Fruit and Vegetable Color Sort
Print off these  fruit and vegetable cards  and have your children sort them by color. Then hand out the cards one by one until all of the pictures are sorted.
This is a great introductory activity for your children. as some may not recognize all the  fruits and vegetables pictured . This activity is helpful when teaching your children about a variety of fruits and vegetables they might be unfamiliar with.

After sorting, use the exact same materials to graph the pictures by their colors! The children might discover we tend to eat more foods of one color over others.

EAT THE RAINBOW COLOR ORGANIZATION
The above color sort can lead you right into a discussion about how fruits and vegetables make us healthy. They make us strong, and fast, and smart!
Invite your children to organize the cards by color to make a rainbow. Once your rainbow is made, You can talk about how we should eat foods that are colorful. We should eat a range of colors every day.  We should eat the rainbow!
Finally, invite your child to select food from the rainbow to represent what they might eat in one day. The goal is for every child to have a wide range of colors!
Seven Ways to Encourage Healthy Eating Habits with Your Children
Stepping Stone School is your partner in raising healthy, happy and confident children. To that end, we serve balanced and nutritional meals and snacks and offer the following suggestions for encouraging healthy eating in children.

  1. Keep healthy food on hand. Keep snacks like fruits, veggies and low-fat cheese in a special place that children can access easily. It’s OK to have an occasional treat, but if you buy smaller packages of “junk food,” it’s easier to keep these snacks to a minimum.
  2. Make healthy foods fun. When offering something new try to mix it up and be creative! By making it fun you can change their perspective and they might be more open to trying something new, “Bugs” with fruit kabobs, cutting veggies into fun shapes, making faces with vegetables on homemade pizza
  3. Acknowledge healthy choices. When your children choose healthy foods, praise them. Your approval is a great motivator for them.
  4. Never use food as a punishment or reward. Giving favorite foods for good behavior or withholding them when children misbehave gives the impression that food equals power. It can also create weight problems in later life. Something physical and fun, like a trip to the park, can be a strong and healthy motivation for good behavior.
  5. Prepare and enjoy family dinners together. Help your child create a snack or meal from a few healthy items. Research shows that children who eat dinners at the table with their parents eat better foods. Practice talking about the way food smells, looks and tastes. Involve your children in meal preparation by allowing them to wash fruits and vegetables, or mix items together. They also may be less likely to get into trouble as teenagers. Allow young children to serve themselves, but help them learn portion control.
  6. Children are more responsive when they have some control. Give your children an active role as to what foods they eat. For example, ask them to try the foods on their plates and give each grades, perhaps A, B, C, D or F. That way you can serve foods with high grades more often, allowing your children to participate in decision making. Children tend to be more open to trying new foods when they have the opportunity to explore and learn about it before they eat it.
  7. Help them learn to love a variety of healthy foods. It can take 10-15 exposures to a food before a child may accept it so it is important to be persistent and patient.
  • Make sure to set an example, a child is more likely to accept a new food if they observe friends, parents or siblings trying and enjoying the food.
  • Start small – offer a small portion at first.
  • Introduce something “new” with something “old” Try introducing a new food with an old favorite!

Remember, helping children form healthy eating habits is a process that just takes mindfulness and time!
Stepping Stone School currently sources local farm-fresh produce from these Central Texas farms
  • Johnson’s Backyard Garden – Austin
  • Urban Roots Farm – Austin
  • Boggy Creek Farms – Austin
  • Tecolote Farms – Manor
  • B. Catalani – San Antonio
Emotional & Social Development
Self-Esteem Activities for Preschool-Aged Children
Nurturing success and self-esteem in a child is like puzzle pieces linked together to create a whole picture. A sense of self is the first component and derives from a basic appreciation of oneself as a person. Children must realize that they are liked for who they are. A second component includes taking pride in both everyday and special accomplishments.
Children who feel good about themselves are open to new ideas and very eager to share their own. They have confidence, which helps them face challenges, cope with disappointments, and enjoy success in life.
In order to build self-esteem in your children, work on the two components above by creating V.I.P. (very important person) activities. Here are a few self-esteem activities for children to try:
This is “Me”
When children view their body outline, it gives them a better perspective of how they have grown, differences in features, and an overall comparison between them and their peers.
Have the child lie down onto a large sheet of butcher paper. The parent needs to draw an outline of the child’s body. Cut this out and let the child color hair, facial features, and clothing to resemble them. You can make this into a puppet by stapling half of a paper plate to the back of the head of the cutout for a handle.
“Me” Box
Encourage children to see how important they are by making special boxes exhibiting their interests and ideas. Use a small gift box, shoebox or even a coffee can covered in construction paper. Have the child place a photo of him and the family (pets included) inside. Cut pictures that represents hobbies, sports, and other favorite things from magazines. Glue all these onto the box. Decorate the outside with colorful crayons, markers, and fabric trims. These boxes make a great memorabilia project to see how children grow physically and emotionally. Make sure to have your child place their name and date on the box.
I Spy a Fingerprint
Together make fingerprint cards. An inkpad works the best, however tempera paint washes off more easily. Look at each other’s prints under a magnifying glass explaining how unique each print is. We have fingerprints of our very own unlike anyone else’s.
Wacky Photos
Provide a head photo of each of your children (several if you can or photocopy them). Cut out a picture of a football player, television actor or actress, fairy tale character, and so on from old magazines, books, or catalogs. Invite the kids to glue the picture onto a sheet of colored construction paper and attach the child’s photo on the face portion. A fun project with a feeling of “fame.”
Handprint Keepsake
A traditional art project used for many years still makes a wonderful keepsake. Mix plaster of Paris as directed on the package. Pour the mixture into disposable pie tins. Place the child’s hand into the center of the tin and press down gently. This will leave an impression that needs to dry thoroughly. Remove it from the tin and spray with gold paint (adult only) or let the child paint the handprint with a non-toxic paint. Put the child’s name and the date on the plaque with a permanent marker. Make one every year so children can see their growth pattern.
Collage Nameplate
A child’s name is very special to him. Draw out the child’s name in big block letters onto poster board. Provide a variety of collage materials to glue inside the letters, like buttons, sequins, fabric scraps, pom-poms, paper shapes, and so on. Let your child display his nameplate in his room, making this a special place.
The most important task as a parent is to make sure your children feel loved and supported throughout their days. Get creative and engage your preschool children in a variety of activities to achieve this task. Remember, parents are a child’s first teacher and children depend upon this quality time to make them feel special.
Homemade Fruit Popsicles
Homemade fruit popsicles are an easy and healthy treat, and children will enjoy helping. They’re a delicious alternative to sugary store-bought popsicles or other sugary snacks, but they still taste like a treat.
You can customize these fruit popsicles to use whatever type of fruit your children like, or what you have on hand; fresh or frozen fruit will work!
HOW TO MAKE FRUIT POPS:
  • Start by gathering the fresh or frozen fruit you’d like to use.
  • Cut the fruit into thin slices or chop it into small pieces and add it to your popsicle mold. 
  • Fill the popsicle mold with juice and freeze the molds for at least 6 hours.
  • Enjoy!
20 Child-Friendly Healthy Summer Recipes
Summer offers a great opportunity to break away from the same old chicken nugget and mac-and-cheese routine. The season's bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables make for deliciously healthy dishes children will love. Here's a sampling.
Breakfast
Snacks
Mains
Sides & Salads
Dessert