Children’s Books About Courage
In 1982, Paul and Marcy Erwin opened the first Primrose school. This leap of faith took courage, and there are now more than 260 Primrose schools across the country. This month, our students celebrate the birthday of Primrose Friend Percy the Rooster, who is named after our intrepid founders (Paul + Marcy = Percy). Just like the Erwins, Percy is known for courage, and his actions set an example for children as they start understanding the decision making process. Percy…
Building Sibling Bonds: Lessons to Last a Lifetime
When I was pregnant with my second child, I worried that my first would somehow receive less because he would have to share our attention. My wise pediatrician calmed these fears by saying, "You’re giving your child the greatest gift any parent can give a child - a sibling." Now that my children are grown, I couldn’t agree more. However, I know it’s sometimes difficult to relay that sentiment to young children. This is apparent in my twin grandchildren, Allie…
Indoor Activities for Cold Winter Months
Looking for creative, engaging ways to keep your little ones busy indoors during on cold winter days? Here are my five favorite suggestions for indoor play and learning: Take a “dream” vacation or field trip. The imagination is a powerful thing and with the help of a few props, you and your family can go on a lovely spring picnic or vacation to a tropical island. Everyone just has to suspend disbelief and enter into the fun to make it…
One of our most important jobs as parents is to ensure the safety of our children and families. In fact we hear over and over from parents that health and safety is the number one priority for their children. Childproofing the family home is high on the list of important preventative safety measures you can take, but it isn’t always easy to know where to start.Anticipation is the key to successfully childproofing each room and it’s something we get better…
Transitioning from Crib to Bed
Transitioning your child from crib to bed is a big occasion for both parent and child – it marks an important milestone in your child’s emerging independence. It’s helpful to remember that timing is everything and making sure your child is ready is key. Children will be ready for this transition at different ages so you’ll need to know what to watch for to help you gauge when the time is right. Be attentive to your child’s verbal and non-verbal…
Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence in Education
In 1982, Paul and Marcy Erwin founded the very first Primrose School in Atlanta, Georgia. Over the past 30 years, Primrose Schools has expanded to include more than 245 schools in 17 states which is quite an accomplishment! When I first came to Primrose, there were only 100 schools spread across 8 states. As I reflect on my years with this amazing group, I thought I would share some of the memorable milestones in our history. Many Primrose parents will…
Honesty: Learning the Difference Between Make-Believe and Reality
Honesty is one of those abstract concepts that children come to understand over time and through experience. Learning about honesty is a little more difficult because when you’re young, your imagination has no boundaries. You play tag with imaginary friends in the backyard; build castles fit for kings and queens out of sheets, pillows and chairs; and make parents check for those big, scary monsters that live under the bed. A child’s creativity is quite spectacular – it’s not hard…
Learning to Listen: Tips on Tuning Toddlers in!
Communicating with toddlers sometimes takes a bit of guess work and a lot of patience on our part so we can make sure our directions and requests are understood. Even when we remember to get down on the child’s level and make eye contact, we can sometimes still get the feeling that what we’re saying just isn’t registering. This is where the guess work begins. Drawing the conclusion that the child is just being obstinate and refusing to listen is…
Working on Grammar with Your Child
There's no denying that the language of young children can be a great source of entertainment for parents. Sometimes it's their complete honesty and their literal interpretation of the question that tickles our funny bones. Other times it's the amazingly creative uses of grammar that is so charming. Language acquisition is a developmental process that includes experimentation and trying out different rules as part of the process. Sometimes what children say may not conform to adult rules, but can be…