I learn from families too

I know I'm the "professional" so I'm supposed to be doing all the teaching right? I'm not afraid to say I've learned some great things from my families as well. I can't possibly know it all and I won't pretend I do. It's okay to say you don't know something and to look it up and come back with an answer later.

One Mom sang an awesome song while doing an activity. It's the "Put it in" song. I later found out it was from Ms. Racel on YouTube. I haven't really checked her out but I love her song and my families seem to be loving her. I've only heard good things and she's not overstimulating as Cocomelon can be.

I had another Mom that had a great response when her child was hitting her. She said, "Would you like a high five or a hug?" I just love how she doesn't tell them "no" but instead gives other options. I often suggest focusing more on what they can do instead of always on what they can't do. So if they're climbing on things you don't want them to like tables or something, redirect to something they can climb on.

Some families have great ideas for sensory play too. One mom used some type of foot soaker thing to make tons of awesome bubbles. They just grew out of it like bubbly foam kind of. It was great. Another Mom used coffee grounds as dirt. She sanitized them in the oven on a low setting. I love coffee so I thought they smelled amazing as well. It had construction trucks in it sometimes and Dinosaurs other times. It had a few coffee beans in it too. It was so much fun and creative. Once my baby is old enough we will have a coffee sensory bin for sure.

I often suggest taking pictures of familiar people to work on labeling family members. One Mom made an actual book from I think Shutterfly, but there are so many places you can print out real books with your own pictures. A family book is coming soon for my little guy.

I'm so lucky that I get to work with some great families. I love to be able to collaborate with families and when a good idea comes around to share it with my other families as well. Why not share the wealth?