Outside at Last - Child Development, Physical Education and Toddlers

Alright, it is almost that time of the year. You know, time to get the kids out of the house. You want your children to have fun. You want your children to be safe. You want your children to have an educational experience. Most of all, you want your children outside. For older children it is easy. That is, if you can get the controllers out of their not so tiny hands.

But let's begin with the little ones, specifically, those children ages 12 to 24 months. Most children 12 to 24 months will have fun just by being outside and exploring their environment. Educational experiences are not necessarily limited to those experiences involving wires, cords and high-tech gizmos. For example, a child can improve his or her motor skills and balance by riding his or her cow or ladybug wheelybug.

Art is Important in a Child's Development

Moving forwards, backwards, sideways and round and round, a child's spatial development and awareness improve as he or she moves around on his or her wheelybug. And all of this is achieved without motors, batteries or controllers. Sandboxes are another great example of a low-tech, non-motorized mode of educational entertainment. In addition to spatial awareness and motor skills, the sandbox is a wonderful forum for social development and creative play.

Sand, a little water, a shovel or spoon and a lot of imagination is all that is necessary for a day of creative learning. Baby dolls are another low-tech educational toy and are great for promoting nurturing in both boys and girls. Baby dolls can be feed, bathed, dressed, kissed and hugged. Baby dolls listen and understand what we adults do not. Baby dolls are loved and love unconditionally.

How to Promote Child Development Play Activities With Your Kids

Children can also learn the names of body parts, clothing and activities while playing with their baby dolls. All that is needed with a baby doll is imagination and creativity and, perhaps, a stroller for your child's baby doll so that both your child and your child's baby doll can enjoy the outdoors. Simple push along walkers are good for outdoor entertainment. Push along walkers assist in improving balance.

Children can walk behind their push along walker with a comfortable and "safe" feeling while at the same time exploring their environment. Again, this educational toy is run not on batteries but, rather, on toddler power. As you can see, physical education can begin at a very early age and may begin your child on a pattern of healthy living that will follow your children into adulthood.

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Child Care

Child care is seen by many as one of the most respected and equally demanding professions. It is now a multi-million industry that spans a network of day care centers, kinder garden, franchise and large corporations. All of the institutions are working together to provide children with their parental and educational needs. With such a delicate duty, it is vital for the industry professionals to improve on the existing safety standards in the child care industry.

Statistics
Statistics reveal that the fastest growing sector in the child care industry is the many small businesses. These entities mostly operate from homes. According to US Census Bureau, nearly 70 percent of the child care related businesses are home based. A whopping 17 percent of the Moms are using the services of the neighborhood child care centers for their pre-school children. Kinder-Care, La Petite Academy, National Childcare Academy and Gerber products are some of the few big names of the industry.

Laws & Regulations
Recent rulings have deployed stringent rules in order to curb the risk of injuries to babies. Governments and parents have come together to create child safety laws, not only for the establishments but for parents too. These laws strss that the daycare should provide a home like setting. Licensed providers are required to take trainings before dealing with child care. The facilities should be regularly visited by the authorities and a group of parents from the local neighborhoods. The US laws restrict a single provider to take care of more than 6 children. On the other hand, parents are obliged to put their child in the day care center in their own community, except for mothers working full-time.

Child Injuries
Childcare safety statistics reveal the fact that there were 56 casualties in the daycare settings from 1990 to 1997. Almost half of these deaths were caused due to Asphyxia. In 1997 alone, over 31,000 children were hospitalized due to the injuries related to a child care setting. A recent study by the Society of pediatrics and Center for the control of disease focused on facilities that included federal institutions, private institutes and small businesses. The study found that the playgrounds posed the biggest hazard to a child.

. The most hazardous conditions included the use of unsafe cribs, poor maintenance and hard surface of the playground, very soft bedding and absence of the safety gates.

Safety Measures
Professionals recommend avoiding the use of furniture that can entrap the child's head or other part of the body. Any elevated surface that is not guarded should also be sealed off. Such surface also includes stairs. Similarly, fall-zones such as swimming pools and main holes provide a significant threat to the well being of a child. The design of the intended child care product should match the age and size of the children. Day care centers should ensure that they have the proper inventory for all the ages of the child, they admit.

Tripping hazards such as wires should immediately be removed from the premises. These also include any electrical appliance. Children have the natural tendency to poke their fingers in the wall sockets. It is mandatory for a child care center to seal off such openings. All components are to be avoided that can crush or bruise body tissues.

Playground equipment should be inspected and any large swings or slides, to be removed. Stuff toys which can suffocate a small child are also a problem. In short, the best remedy for avoiding a disaster is acute attention and a common sense.Gary Pearson is an accomplished niche website developer and author.To learn more about child care safety

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