Preschoolers

Preschool's out, and the beach beckons! Or Grandma's house, or the lake you daydream about during chilly winter afternoons, or wherever it is your favorite mode of transportation might take you. Walk, ride, fly, float. Do whatever you need to do to plot a getaway! And whether you are packing the kiddies up for a trip across the world or just across town, we thought you might appreciate our tried-and-true Savvy tricks for holding the (sometimes infinitesimally) short attention span of your preschooler during the trip. Read More »

Summer is a time of explorations, and no one enjoys exploring more than our preschoolers. In these days of far-flung families and friends, many of us are looking ahead to a few trips to see our dear but not so near this summer. The lucky among us may have a vacation journey with the kiddos in the works as well. We're making plans, pondering travel schedules and itineraries, studying maps, and getting the whole family packed and organized. Whew! In our haste, let’s not forget that our preschoolers want to come along for more than just the ride. Given the chance, they’d really like to get in on the planning too. Naturally, they’ll be making known their fervent desire for a trip to Disneyland, but even if that mecca is not on the itinerary, our little ones will want to understand where they are going and how they’ll get there. This spontaneous curiosity is a great excuse to give our kids their first sense of the scale and terrain of this vast land we inhabit and a bit of its history too. Read More »

On their journey from primitive cave-babies to full-fledged, semi-civilized children, our little ones are bound to bend or break just about every social rule in the book. They grab toys, toss sand, push and swat at other kids who are in their way, yowl when crossed, throw food on the floor and generally behave like the little barbarians they can’t help being. As they grow, their offenses become more sophisticated. Knowingly using bad language (giggling madly all the while), refusing to play with certain children, threatening to dis-invite friends from birthday parties and other crimes and misdemeanors become part of the repertoire. Kids can’t help but make these sorts of faux pas. How else would they learn? And so, a large part of a parent’s job is to teach them when they have crossed the line, and how to make amends for their transgressions. In this essential, endless process, no words are more important than "I’m sorry." Read More »