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The holidays can be hectic and stressful, especially for kids.  Here are 3 Tips for Keeping Kids in a Healthy Holiday Routine

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With the holidays around the corner, life can become chaotic and energetic, causing daily routines to go out the window.  Establishing daily routines helps provide the structure and predictability essential to emotional, cognitive and social development. 

 

Predictability from routines can help reduce anxieties about the unknown while also creating a sense of comfort for children. The trick to developing routines is to make them flexible and responsive to the needs of children to allow them the freedom to learn about themselves, the world and others.

Maintain your regular school routine with these 3 tips:

  • Plan a routine for fun: At A Rising Star we enjoy doing special holiday activities. During the holidays, we focus on holiday-themed elements in the center play and circle times. We plan some special holiday projects such as snowflakes and reindeer with fun fingerplays, activities and songs.Dec_Deer.jpg
  • Get outdoors frequently:  With all the excitement of the holidays, young children need to be able to go outside and play. Enjoy the fresh air and explore the changing seasons. At A Rising Star we go outside twice daily (weather permitting) to help the children get as much physical activity as possible.
  • Healthy eating habits: Minimize sugary treats (they only add to increased energy) and try these preschool-friendly recipes on our Pinterest Board. 

A Rising Star Children’s Center offers high-quality, educational children’s day care programs to the Westchester community in Cortlandt Manor. To learn more about their programs, call (914) 788-4582 or contact the child care center through their website.

Family Fun Games for the holidays

The Chanukah Dreidel Game -

A Fun Game for all

The classic dreidel is a four sided spinning top made of wood, plastic, or clay. On the four sides of the dreidel appear four letters from the Hebrew alphabet-nun (נ), gimmel (ג), hey (ה), and shin (ש). These four letters are an acronym for "nes gadol hayah sham"-"a great miracle happened there."

Game Components 

  • Age range: Three and up (little children might require assistance with spinning the dreidel)
  • 1 Dreidel (or, accelerate the pace of the game by supplying each player with his/her own dreidel)
  • 2 or more players (the more the merrier!)
  • The "Ante" cheerios, chocolate coins or just about anything else...
  • Flat Surface (such as floor or wide table) for dreidel spinning

 The Setup

  1. All players sit around the playing area.
  2. The "ante" is equally divided among all players.
  3. Everyone takes a turn at spinning the dreidel; the one with the highest spin has first turn. (Nun is highest, then gimmel, hey, and shin.) If there is a tie for highest, those who tied spin again.
  4. Everyone puts one unit of the ante (cheerio, raison, etc.) into the pot.
  5. The one who has first turn is followed in clockwise direction by all the others.
  6. Player A spins the dreidel.

If the dreidel lands on a... Nun - נ  You've just wasted your time. Absolutely nothing happens. It's time now for the player to your left to take a spin.

If however your dreidel landed on a...Gimmel - ג Wow! Amazing! You did it! You get to take the whole pot! Take it quick and then do a little victory dance around the room.

Everyone, including you, now puts another unit of the ante into the pot, and the person to your left tries his luck at spinning.

If the dreidel lands on a .....Hey - ה Okay, you could have done better, but you could have done worse. You get to take half of the pot.

If the dreidel lands on a .....Shin - ש This is the absolute worst. You now have to put another unit into the pot!

 

Make a Kwanza Adinkra Printing

Adinkra is a type of cloth worn in Western Africa. It is a printed grid pattern made up of combed grid lines and a small shape printed in the squares.

You will need:image

  • Black paint

  • Paper

  • Potato

  • Wide toothed comb

Instructions:

To make the grid, dip the comb deep in the paint so that most of the length of the teeth are covered. Drag the comb along the paper, turning the comb over and adding more paint when needed until you have drawn a grid pattern.

Cut the potato in half and cut out a design from one side. Dip your potato in the paint and stamp the design in the center of your grid.

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