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“I want to do it MYSELF!”

How many times have you heard this lately? If your child is reaching that fun age of 2-5 years old, it’s probably all the time. 

This is such a critical time in your child’s life as they are starting to learn what it is like to be independent and self-sufficient. While you still have a while before they leave the house and face the problems of adulthood, this is where the building blocks of independence and problem solving are laid. 

For parents, this can be a frustrating process, but while there are certainly going to be a lot of messes and 20-minute shoe-tying sessions, it’s an important step to take with your child towards their development. 

Here are some tips to help both you and your toddler achieve the independence they are looking for! 

The sooner you let them be independent, the less pain you will be in later

As a parent, your initial reaction is going to be to resist. Up until now, you have been doing everything for your child, so why would you stop now? Not only that, but you don’t have the time to sit there as your little one tries to dress themself in clothes that don’t match just for you to change them out of them. However, the sooner you give your child the space to start doing things independently, the better it will be for you in the long run. Now, that’s not to say you need to force the issue. Your child will be sure to let you know when they are ready to start figuring something out on their own. But as soon as you start seeing your child seek that independence, let them have it and see how well they do. You’ll thank yourself later!

Let them play, even if it doesn’t make sense

As adults, we sometimes take things a little too literally. If something is a car, it’s a car. Or a block might just be a block. While this helps us in our adult lives, it doesn’t make for very fun play for our kids. Independent play lets kids create whatever world that they want to create without the limits that we put on them with our logic. This allows them to flex their imagination muscles and develop their creativity so they can better express themselves and find who they are as a person. Don’t worry, you can still have fun playing with your kids, but giving them space to play on their own from time to time will do them a lot of good and, who knows, they might be able to teach you a thing or two about having fun! 

Find little things and exercise patience

Fair warning… they’re going to do things wrong the first time. You will end up with food on the floor and toothpaste all over the counter, but these mistakes are how children learn best. Let them try things for the first time on their own (with a watchful eye of course), and talk to them after about some way to make it better. It might take 5, 10, or 100 times before your child can really do something on their own, but letting them learn from their own mistakes is far more effective than just telling them. In order to do this, make sure you allow yourself some extra time. Know that it might take an extra 10 minutes before bed for your child to brush their teeth, for example, and plan accordingly. That helps take the stress off of you and makes the experience much more enjoyable for everyone.

Let them solve problems 

While your first instinct is going to always be to help your child with every little problem that comes their way, sometimes it’s better to see what they are capable of on their own. Problem-solving skills are one of the first things that a child needs to work on in order for them to achieve true independence. Without those skills, they won’t know what to do when adversity, no matter how small, comes their way. Next time you see your child trying to get a toy out of a box, for example, allow them space to try and work on the problem. At first, only give them a minute or two, but over time you can allow more space and let problems become more advanced (advanced to a 3-year-old anyway). This will go a long way to not having your little one come to you right away for every single little thing. They will learn that they are smart enough to do things on their own!

For us as parents, it is hard to let go. We want to love and protect our children and try to make life as easy for them as possible. This is what makes the independence stage so difficult for many. We don’t want to see our children struggle with anything and if we don’t help them right away, we feel like we are failing them in some way.

But really, this is the opposite of the truth. By letting your child start to be a little independent, learn new things and make mistakes, you are helping them develop skills and confidence that they will carry with them as they get older! 

Oh no… THEY ARE ON THE MOVE!

Parents are usually so excited when their baby squirms turn into scooting, crawling, and walking, but that excitement is quickly replaced by a feeling of dread and nervousness. 

Now, you can’t take your eyes off your child for a second before they might manage to put something in their mouth that they shouldn’t or open a cabinet that has something dangerous.

Time to baby-proof your home!

Get down on their level

There are going to be plenty of things that are very obvious during the baby-proofing process. Things like cords, outlets, and fragile items within arms reach are what parents typically start with. While those items are an extremely important place to start, there is the possibility that you might miss something. So what do we recommend? Get on their level! No matter how silly it might seem to lay on your belly and look around, you will probably instantly notice things that you didn’t before. Try to do this from multiple places and levels and try to think as your child thinks. You are sure to save yourself some “oh crap” moments later on! 

Keep dangerous items in one place and lock them up tight!

A common mistake parents make, especially with their first baby, is keeping potentially dangerous or poisonous items in different spots around the home. You might have your bleach in one place, bug spray somewhere else, and cleaning products in a third. A great strategy to help baby-proof your home is to get these items all in one place and make them extremely inaccessible. Putting them on a top shelf or far out of the way, in addition to traditional locks, will help prevent accidentally forgetting to seal up a cabinet or closet and make things much safer. Even if this spot is not convenient for you (like the top shelf in a closet) your baby’s safety is FAR more important! 

Know that your child will still find a way to get an owie, and that is ok.

I think most parents would love to wrap their children in bubble wrap from head to toe and make sure that they never get hurt, but unfortunately, that isn’t very realistic. While you might go above and beyond to make every nook and cranny in your home safe, we have some bad news… your child is going to find a way to get an owie. Just know that if your child does end up with a scrape or bruise, it’s not your fault. No house can ever be completely baby-proofed.  Stressing yourself out to assure every corner is a padded and item is picked off the coffee table is just going to drive you crazy. Baby proofing is all about making sure your home is as safe as possible without making your home unlivable. There is a balance, you just need to find it. 

Having your child start to move around is an extremely fun, yet stressful time. Your child is eager to start exploring, while you just want them to stay in one place long enough for you to go to the bathroom. Baby proofing your home is the first step you take as a parent in giving your child a little bit of independence while giving yourself a little peace of mind. By following these tips, your home will be a safe place for your child to explore and enjoy!

The weeks that follow Christmas are always some of the least organized for parents with kids.

You have all the toys your child had before, but now you have all sorts of new toys that you need to find a place for.

But what are you supposed to do? Get rid of all those old toys? Of course not! Your child still plays with some of them and there is no way you want to deal with a screaming little one that realized that the toy they haven’t played with in months but all of a sudden are looking for again has vanished. Talk about a meltdown. 

So what steps can you take to help get rid of the clutter and reclaim your home from the toy-pocalypse?

Instead of just stuffing things in a box and taking right to the garbage or local charity, take things in stages. 

1. Identify the items that are broken or don’t work. They are easy targets as it is easy to explain to your child why you are getting rid of it and they likely haven’t played with it for a while anyway. Whether it is something that is really broken or might just need new batteries, it still is much easier to justify getting rid of a toy if it is hard to play with! You might be surprised how much broken stuff you actually have and it might put a pretty big dent into the mess. 
2. Go to the bottom of the toy bin. Whether you have shelves or an actual box/bin, there is a reason these things have faded to the bottom. These toys are ones that haven’t been touched in quite some time and will likely go unnoticed. However, don’t just race off to your favorite local Kenosha charity. Put these items in a box or container and store them somewhere for a few months. This will give you that nice little buffer in the case “Mom, where is my favorite toy?” question comes up. Don’t let your child see where you get that item, however. Just chalk it up to “Mom Magic” and move on from there!
3. Get your child involved. After a few months, you will have a good idea as to what items are ready to be shipped off! I know… it probably seems crazy to bring your child into the process at this point, but we think it’s an important step. Bring up the toys you have stored away and explain to them that there are other little boys and girls that would love to play with their old toys. Let them rummage through and pick out one more item they get to keep and bring them along to donate the rest. It is such a beautiful lesson in sharing and caring for your child to experience kindness and sharing. Some children might not take this lesson very well at first, but over time, they will start to see how important it is to be kind to others and share their things. 

While this process is clearly good for the parents to get some order back to the house, it is actually beneficial to the child as well. Studies show that fewer toys actually raises the quality of play among toddlers. Fewer toys give them less distraction and allow them to focus on one thing at a time!

Hopefully, these tips will help you get everything back in order and allow your child to have an overall better play! 

Where did the time go? It feels like just yesterday you were figuring out how to change a diaper and now your child is ready to ditch them altogether to start the potty training process.

Parents typically start the potty training process somewhere between 2 and 3 years old. That is the time that your child is old enough to communicate that they need to go and understand what going on the potty means. 

But potty training is far from an easy task. Some children take to it right away without much of an issue at all, while others take a lot of time! If you and your child are having a little trouble, here are some tips that might make potty training a little easier.

Figure out what motivates your child. 

Just like how every child takes to potty training in their own time, every child is motivated by something a little different. There are the obvious motivators like candy or toys, but some children won’t respond to those types of rewards. Instead, your child might just want gold stars, some words of encouragement, or even to be just like mommy and daddy. 

It is important for you as a parent to identify these motivators and use them in this process. Try to incorporate whatever your child is into (whether it be dinosaurs, princesses, or superheroes) into the process and make adjustments as their interests change… which we all know could happen at a moment’s notice! 

Dress them in clothes that allow you quick access.

Even us adults struggle sometimes with complicated belts and buttons on our pants! 

During potty training, timing is incredibly important. Right out of the gate, your child might not be able to communicate to you that they need to go until they are right on the brink. Because of this, always dressing them in easy to remove clothes, like sweatpants, makes it easier to get on the toilet quickly! Don’t worry, you can put your child back in those cute little jeans in a few weeks.

If you are met with total resistance, don’t force it.

One mistake that a lot of parents make is trying to force their kids into potty training when they aren’t ready. You might look around and see other kids the same age as your child that are potty trained and think that your child is lagging behind but they aren’t. That’s a totally normal feeling and we understand it is frustrating, but sometimes the child just simply isn’t ready. 

If you are met with a little bit of fighting, go ahead and proceed, but if you are finding yourself with a screaming toddler on the toilet with no way to calm them down, it might be a signal that they just aren’t ready and you might need to wait another week or two before starting back up again. Trying to force the situation is just setting yourself up for a long, frustrating and difficult battle.

Ready your patience, and remove the nagging.

As you can see, patience is a big theme throughout this article. Trust us when we say that this can be one of the more frustrating things you are going to go through as a parent and some days it is going to take every bit of your patience.

One thing that often comes with that frustration is nagging. Wet diapers and underwear are going to leave you in a position where you feel like you have to ask your child every few minutes “Do you have to go?” The problem is the more you ask, the more you are going to get a hard “no”. Resist the urge to nag and just try your best to identify signs that your toddler has to go and try your best to keep them on a normal schedule of trying. Eventually, they will learn to communicate their needs to you! 

Most daycares (including us) require that children are potty trained by a certain age. While this might seem like you need to start this process right away and that if your child doesn’t grasp it immediately you are failing. It really varies greatly from child to child when and how quickly potty training takes.

Hopefully, these tips will help the process go a little easier and allow you to attack this new challenge together!

It’s pretty easy for kids to get a little stir crazy during the harsh winters here in Kenosha. 

All kids want to do is go outside and burn off some of that cooped up energy, but layering them up in hats, gloves, sweaters, coats, and boots for them to go out and play in the snow is quite the process.

Not only that but can we talk about the amount of laundry and cleaning up required after all the outside fun is done? 

Long story short, I think we can all agree that going outside to play is a process.

But what’s the alternative? There are only so many art projects and activities that you can do indoors before you run out of ideas, and you don’t want them to sit their butt down in front of a TV all day.

So that leaves you with one option, try to find some activities to do indoors that will both exercise your child’s mind, and burn off some of that crazy amount of energy.

Here are some great indoor winter activities!

1. Play a Game of “Floor Is Lava”

One of everyone’s favorite games as a kid! Instead of letting your child just go around the house however they want, declare that the “floor is lava” for a while. This means your child can’t touch the ground and has to find creative ways to get from point A to point B around the house. Now, you are going to want to set some ground rules for this game so your little one isn’t trying to make a massive leap from the couch to the coffee table, but after that, your child will have to use both their brain and muscles to manage their way around. A great way to get someone tired!

*Parental supervision recommended 

2. Set up an indoor scavenger hunt

Another way to use the space in your home to your advantage is to create a scavenger hunt. Leave a series of clues around the house that link together with some kind of prize at the end. Make the clues little riddles so your little one has to think about where the next step in the process might be and figure out the giant puzzle. Extra credit if you set up challenges at each clue, like doing jumping jacks, for that little extra energy usage. If done right, your child will be actively moving around the house all day!

3. Have an indoor camping trip!

Who doesn’t love a little camping? While setting up a tent outside in subzero temperatures is probably not a good idea, pitching one in your living room or basement can be! Have your child help you prepare your “campsite” by putting up the tent, starting your fireplace, roasting marshmallows over the stove, and you can even set up stuffed animals around the house to go on a nature hike! Your camping trip is really only limited to where you and your child’s imagination can take you! 

4. Set up your own ninja warrior course.

A favorite show in many households is American Ninja Warrior. While your child might not be able to run up a warped wall or climb up Mt. Madoriama, they can complete little obstacles you set up around the house. Work together to set up your course and get out your phone timer to see how fast they can complete it. After a few laps of trying to improve their time, switch it up and try some new challenges. You will be shocked how exhausted your child will be after just a little bit of time racing against the clock! 

*Parental supervision recommended 

Which one of these is your favorite? Do you have another activity that you love doing?

Getting to spend tons of time with your children as a stay-at-home parent is a true blessing. You get to be involved in every part of the process and watch as they grow, achieve new things, and best of all, you get to do it all in the safety of your home.

While most of the kids that come to cornerstone academy have working parents, you would be surprised how many stay-at-home parents bring their kids to daycare for even a half-day a few times per week. 

Why would stay-at-home parents bring their kids to daycare?

Socialization with other children

While we are sure your child loves interacting with you all day, there is nothing like getting them into a room full of their peers to really let their personalities come through. Building strong social skills, creating friendships, learning to share and learning how to work through interaction is essential to the development and research shows that children with strong social skills are more likely to thrive as adults.

Get to do activities that they don’t get to do at home (and you don’t have to clean up after!)

Don’t get us wrong, you are probably full of fun activities to do with your kids to help them learn, but there are limitations to what you can do. By sending your child to a daycare a few times per week, they can discover new things that they would not have been able to experience before. We take the kids on field trips, bring in special guests like firefighters and magicians, and even host a holiday concert and thanksgiving meal! The best part? Because we are handling the fun, we handle all the messes that come with them too! 

Sometimes… You need a little break too

Being a stay-at-home parent is a full-time job and just like any other job, sometimes YOU need a break. Sending your child to daycare part-time is a great way for your child to get lots of new experiences while allowing you to get some things done without distraction and even spend some time to yourself. Giving yourself a little time to do something for you and coming back refreshed can make you much happier and allows you to be a better parent! 

Gets them familiarized with school routines

Especially as children get closer to school age, getting them familiarized with a school routine can make the process a lot easier on both you and them on day one. It is important to expose them to the structure of a classroom, how to follow directions from a teacher, and what it is like to not have a parent around. Even just a little exposure to this process, will set your child up on the right path and give them a headstart when they start their first day of school. 

If you are interested in having your child join us part-time, we would love to talk to you! Make sure to reach out and stop by for a tour anytime – We would love to meet you!

Fall has officially arrived! 

While we might be saying goodbye to our swimsuits and beach days, fall in Kenosha, Wisconsin is our favorite time of year! The weather is cooler, the trees turn beautiful colors, and the kids have weekends to have some fun and try new things with their families!

Being a daycare in Kenosha, we are pretty in tune with some of the awesome things to do around the city. We are always looking for new things for the kiddos to experience and help their inquiring minds.

Here are some of our favorite fun fall activities for families in Kenosha!

Apple Holler

Let’s start with an easy one! While it isn’t technically in Kenosha, we will call it close enough. If you haven’t been to Apple Holler you are missing out on a one-stop-shop for all things fall. Apple picking, hayrides, corn mazes, and so much more are waiting for you and your kids. They also have an incredible restaurant with one of the best breakfasts in the area (make sure to get yourself a reservation: 800-238-3629). Throughout the fall, the activities change giving you a new experience every single time you go!

Hiking At Petrifying Springs

Looking to get out an enjoy all the amazing fall colors? Petrifying spring park is a hidden gem right in your backyard. With miles and miles of family-friendly hiking trails, kids of every age can get outside to stretch their legs, enjoy the crisp air, and watch the leaves change colors. And parents don’t think we forgot about you! After your done, make sure you stop by the Biergarten which is still open all fall for a little relaxation time before heading back home.

Carthage Observatory

Have a little one that dreams of being an astronaut? We have a great activity for them. Check out Griffin Observatory at Carthage college! They have dates all through the fall where they open their doors for free to the public to use their equipment and look at the stars. Kids are welcome as long as they are accompanied by an adult. There will be students and faculty available to answer your questions and show off all their amazing equipment. The perfect event for the little one with a BIG imagination!

Most people dread the end of summer, but there is still so much fun to be had around Racine and Kenosha before we all hibernate for the winter! What are your favorite fall activities for kids? We would love to hear them!

While you are looking for preschool and 4k programs in the Kenosha and Racine areas, one of the biggest questions you should be asking is what type of curriculum is used to help your children learn. 

Now, there are tons of different pre-made curriculums and programs out there that childcare centers use, but they really boil down into two main types – play-based and academic.

But we do things a little differently here at Cornerstone. While other centers use pre-created programs that fit into one of these two types, we have our own curriculum that blends both academic and play-based learning! 

So what are the difference between academic and play-based learning and how did we take the best of both worlds to make the Cornerstone Curriculum? I’m glad you asked!

Academic Learning

Academic learning uses much more traditional methods to help children learn during the day. Activities are very structured and lesson plans are created to keep children on track and in a routine. Days are very planned with specific times for certain activities and lessons making it much more like a normal schooling environment, making the transition to kindergarten a little easier.  

Lessons are what you would typically expect to see in a classroom. Shapes, colors, letters are all taught on a regular basis with children completing activities like worksheets and art projects to help enforce the learning. The care providers are very focused on children hitting “markers” for their learning and while there is not testing per se, their attention is given to make sure children aren’t being left behind.

While the structure and the preparation for more advanced learning are clear pros, the cons are many children get less social interaction with their peers and can cause children to become frustrated with learning and education early on.

Play-Based Learning

Play-based learning is on the other end of the learning spectrum. Instead of highly structured lesson plans, learning happens using activities that are much more fun and active. Instead of sitting down and reciting ABCs over and over, for example, children will draw farm animals and associate the letters of the alphabet with the characters.

In a play-based environment, teachers are seen less as lecturers and more like facilitators of learning. They let children explore and try new things on their own while adding extra learning into their everyday discoveries. Themes are much more important than topics in this environment. Instead of a lesson around colors, a classroom might be learning about planets instead. Within that lesson, they will learn that Mars is red and Earth is blue, reaching the same objective in a different way.

The cons of this learning style are simply that they are different from what they will experience when they move into kindergarten. Research shows that children who learn in this environment tend to struggle a bit when first moving up, but almost 100% of the time, they acclimate to their new environment in the first month or so.

The Cornerstone Curriculum

What happens when you take the best of both play-based and academic learning? You get the Cornerstone Curriculum. We are the only daycare in Kenosha that has developed its own curriculum because we believe your child deserves the best. 

We focus both succeeding inside the classroom and outside in the world. We put an emphasis on lessons like tying shoes and zipping up a coat in order to help your child find their independence and strive to learn more and more. Doing this in combination with very structured lessons and learning goals gives the balance of learning found nowhere else. Making the education they receive at Cornerstone fun and impactful is our ultimate goal!

At the end of the day, we want your child to learn so much more than their ABCs and we want them to LOVE the process of learning those things. Our goal is to not just help them learn things that will help them today, but set them up for success as they move up to the next stage of their education

That is the Cornerstone Way!