Creative Learning is Key at Blossoms Childrens Nursery in Dubai

Blossom Children’s Nursery in Dubai believes the key to motivating young children is to be creative our teaching methodology and activities. It is quite common for young children to pretend to be adults in real life situations, where they are eager to act the parts, as they understand them. This behavioural pattern of children is used instinctively by us to inculcate imagination which is used in our efforts to teach.

While some parents are sceptical of relaxed teaching techniques, and would much prefer a structured old-fashioned style of education, allowing your child’s imagination to run free works to our benefits for a well rounded education and a growing interest of curiosity. Creative role play is not a characteristic of the “only child”, but is common to all children below the age of ten. As the case with young children who are absorbing and decoding tons of information from their environment, they use their imaginations to place information in situations, and are almost practicing it in the world they create.

Imaginary play helps children put information learned into context by rein acting different situations. For instance when trying to teach a three year old, how plants grow, they have a better understanding of the science while role playing, rather having it explained to them. When one plays the sun, and one plays the plant and the other plays water, they piece together the information they have just received through practice and will remember it for life.

It is for this reason that Blossom Children’s Nursery in collaboration with EYFS UK adapts this method in teaching. We design practical lessons for all subjects, for children aged two to six, helping them to learn, and achieve greater heights.

A day spent at Blossom Children’s Nursery is day well spent for any child. Our care givers and Dubai nurseries aim to be productive yet relaxed for children below six. We keep children engaged in the idea of learning preparing them for higher grades by establishing a foundation for them to thrive in.

The educational standards at Blossom Children’s Nursery set to ensure that every young learner achieves all his developmental goals. All aspects of physical, mental, intellectual, social, emotional, and personal goals are explored to nurture well rounded children.

Our teachers utilize various different resources to advocate social interaction and a knack to learn. But it’s not all about learning either, we dedidate a good part of the day to free play, which allows children to be children. Each child deserves the freedom to express themselves and their ideas which inculcates the concept of individuality.

At Blossom Childrens Nursery in Dubai, we are determined to make all preschool activities as comprehensive as possible while remaining, fun and exciting for both the children and the parents.

We are certified nursery and international day care in Dubai opened from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Our flexible day care has three different pick-up times

Sibling Rivalry

If you have more than two children, especially young ones, then sibling rivalry is going to become part of your life, at least for a while. Some parents are lucky if they have two quiet children who really do not need much and are willing to share everything. But this is a rare phenomenon, in most families there will be times when your children are at logger heads with each other, constantly bickering over the silliest things. Although it can be quite frustrating playing referee, as a parent, you will need to observe and only step in when you see when a compromise is not reached.

Most parents of toddlers are now ready to grow their family, and therefore preparing your three year old for a new sibling is a challenging task, but the problems might actually begin when your new baby becomes a toddler as well and your oldest feels unimportant. It comes naturally to some parents to protect the youngest in the family regardless of how old they are. This may cause the older child to retaliate in resentment.

Sibling rivalry can take you to your wits end at times, one moment you are enjoying a nice family dinner out somewhere and the next you see food flying across the table. You may think your kids are enjoying a cartoon on TV when you sneak away to make yourself a cup of coffee and right that second one is crying and the other is yelling. Sibling rivalry is common to all species of life, and learning to resolve conflict early in life will prepare them for the future.

Although children will argue and fight over toys, food, and the remote, what they are actually fighting over is your love and their personal space. Regardless of how young they are, children need to know that they are loved and have rights to certain things in regards to their space. On certain instances they may pick up a fight with their younger sibling, just so that you can come in and tell them you love them more. It’s a trap. In many cases, the older one may say he’s always taking my things, watching for you to be fair to him, and you should but not without making sure that both children understand and accept that they have to share you first.

Having said this, do not expect the older child to always give in, as it will cause more resentment to the youngest. Instead separate their possessions and give the youngest one a replacement toy which they can own in the same light. This will make both happy, and they will learn to compromise.

Although you may be inclined to step in immediately as soon as a fight erupts, wait a while before you do, to give your children time to resolve it themselves. Get involved if it goes on too long or gets physical. Regardless of who started it, make sure they know that it is not right to hit, bite, kick, or push anyone. In this case, you will have to give time-out to both children, give them space to be alone and time with you as well. Talk to them separately. You will need to remain impartial. Giving one the upper hand with you, may make them think that they can get away with anything.

Blossom Children’s Nursery is a certified EYFS Nursery Dubai following the British system for preschool education. Every aspect of a child’s developmental needs are documented in the EYFS preschool system. Our teachers are trained to help families overcome certain difficulties that their child may be facing at nursery school with us or at home. Our activities are developed around the mental, emotional, intellectual, and physical developmental needs of toddlers and children under five. We aim to work closely with families, guiding parents in to the joys of parenthood. If you would like to have your toddler placed at our nursery Dubai, call over at our office and drop in for a chat.

Fussy eaters

“My child is a fussy eater” is a common statement we hear as pre-kindergarten care givers. This concern is common to all mothers of young preschool children and toddlers. Yes we said all mothers. Being a picky eater is part of a toddler’s character and for good reason too. From birth to one, your toddler would most likely have grown to three times his birth weight if not more. After they reach one, their growth slows down and hence they need less food. This factor coupled with the size of his tummy, which is about the size of his fist, and his explorer intuitions, would make it impossible for him sit down to a meal three times a day as we adults do.

As parents, you may believe that unless your toddler sits down to three meals a day with you, that they aren’t getting enough nourishment, but in reality, they are probably doing just fine. After spending almost a year stranded in one position, incapable of moving around like you did, your toddler is catching up for lost time, therefore sitting down will not be his strength just yet.

Meal time, is generally one that leaves parents, pulling food off the carpet, and wiping gunk off the ceiling, many times over, with each session ending in frustration, as your child will nitpick the vegetables eating only bits of what they like.

If you have a fussy eater, and a toddler who specially doesn’t like his vegetables, you may have to use creating recipes to disguise the flavour or texture of the food, and it may take some gourmet presentation skills to make him eat. If large meals are not his idea of eating, then try giving smaller bite size snacks throughout the day. Leave a platter of his favourite healthy food within easy access so he can pick on them when he is hungry. You can use a compartmentalized dish, to lay out a spread of fruit cubes, thin slices of apples, vegetable, or cookie sized finger food. Kids will never starve themselves, and although they like to be free to explore, he will stop to nibble when he feels he needs it.

Many parents do want to their toddler to have good eating habits, and thus nibbling may not be your household’s ideal eating habits. However, given the size of your toddlers tummy, and his need to run and explore, you may have to wait till he’s around five years old, before you have him sitting at the table for a meal with the family.

Encouraging healthy eating habits, is one that is accomplished by parents and his care givers at Blossom Children’s Nursery. While at home, your solo toddler explorer will want to have his way, to eat when he wants, and pick at everything first, at preschool, you will find him voluntarily joining his friends at the table to complete his snack. So in many ways, you have nothing worry about, as your toddler finds his way through his need for independence at home and acceptance at preschool.

Milestones for a three year old

As parents of young children, we like to keep track of every little milestone our child achieves in their young life. First steps, first words, the first smile and even the first time your baby rolls over would be an exciting time for parents. However, when your child reaches three, their development starts to shoot fast and sometimes, it would be tough to notice if they have reached a milestone or not. Children aged three who attend nurseries Dubai reach so many milestones each day and it can be fun and helpful to know where your child stands and if they require help in reaching specific goals.

As a day care and children’s nursery Dubai, Blossom Children’s Nursery our prime goal is to provide children with a unique and familiar environment for them to develop in. To achieve this we work closely with parents to understand each child’s needs and social backgrounds to help them evolve into well rounded children. When it comes to understanding milestones, although the EYFS system has given us a list of expectations that every three year old nursery child should achieve by a certain age, timelines can vary, and there is usually an average age that children will reach expected goals.

Many of the milestones reached by three year olds are sometimes unnoticeable as children grow. A child’s development is controlled by the five senses, and many of their achievements are based around what their senses tell them. Sight, touch, sound, taste, and smells will help your child learn the alphabet, pronounce words, know the difference between apple and orange juice, and most every story they understand or tell you will have some form of body language and hand movement.

MILESTONES FOR A THREE YEAR OLD

If by two your son was sitting in his toy car needing you to push him, by the time he has reached three years old, he will be racing around the house in foot peddled vehicle without any help at all. Your son should be walking up and down the stairs assisted or holding on to the rail, and will gain confidence each time. His circles and squares will begin to look more like the shapes we know, so if you notice his art work is starting to look neater or more recognizable, his movements and motor abilities are reaching the most important milestone of all. His body is now fully developed and he will require plenty of space to run and play. He is strengthening his muscles, and growing his bones.

His emotional and social skills will burst at this time, and do not show him you are angry if does something to embarrass you. He is still learning that he can do things, without knowing the real consequences of it. The trick to ensuring these instances do not occur often, is to set boundaries immediately. You may need to be proactive in this case. If your son feel that he needs to go to the toilet, he might follow suit like an adult and try to pee in a corner without knowing that he has to look for a washroom, so make sure that you tell him early, while potty training him, that he must only use the washroom in private when he needs to relieve himself.

Your three-year-old is developing intellectually and will need plenty of activities and things to explore in his environment to meet the need he has. He will constantly be asking “Why” for everything, want to touch and experiment and know everything. To help with this, you will need to have activities and toys, and resources available to keep him busy learning.

Preschool conflicts

Children fight. That’s a norm. Jealousy is usually the root cause for tantrums. Children of different ages have different needs, and sometimes these needs overlap causing tantrums between them. Having said this, it is also natural for children to have some amount of disagreement with their siblings as it helps train them for the outside world. They learn over the years to make compromises and resolve conflict peacefully, a skill they will certainly need when they get older.

Most parents of those children who attend our nurseries in Dubai, have stated that at some point or the other the children of the same family do show friction between each other. This could happen even between toddler and new baby, and not necessarily between just older children.

Parents often feel helpless against two children who are constantly attacking each other over things like toys, TV, or personal belongings or space. The natural inclination for you would be to step and set justice. This might find you protecting one from the other, which will cause more friction at the moment. As tempting as it is to teach your children right from wrong, and fair play, it is best to let the children sort it out themselves, unless you feel one is in physical harm to other.

Children do not need to know that the world is a fair and a just place, as they will grow up with this thinking and become over sensitive to situations that aren’t fair. So to resolve any outburst or tantrum, wait until the storm is over and then depending on the situation talk to one or both at the same time. Even if you feel that one is right and the other is wrong, make sure to not be blunt about it. If your children fight over a video game, take the video game away from both of them, ask them to apologise to each other and then set schedules for who gets the video game at what time. And set in sometime where they have to play together. This will help them overcome their differences or at least accept the rules. If they still refuse to follow the rules, then take the video game away for a week until the both of them resolve their differences. Children are very intuitive and will eventually be just to each other.

Most children fight one moment and will love each other the next. Siblings have a love-hate relationship. This might start as soon as your second child is born. You may find your toddler who attends our Dubai nursery, Blossom Nursery Dubai being slightly hostile with the new baby in the house. With them being away, they may feel that most of the attention is now going to the baby. In this instance try and include your toddler in decision making in relation to the baby. Like let him decide what colour vest his little sister should be wearing, or tell him that now he’s a big brother, that he has someone to play with when his little sister gets older. Make them feel important and always welcome your toddler home from Pre-KG with a big hug, this will show him that he was missed and is valued. If you are having trouble or need advice in conflict management amongst your little children, feel free to consult one of our teachers who will help you find a positive way to keep both your children happy.

Dealing with different children positively

If you’re a parent of a child who struggles to stay interested in a single activity for long, or a child who reacts negatively to instructions, or someone who finds learning hard. You are not alone. Children develop very different personalities and are usually unique in their own way. It becomes a problem when parents and teachers are concerned about the level success that a child will have when compared to most others in their playgroup Dubai.

Many experienced child psychologists who have studied the spectrum of young personalities who are different, state that dealing with negative behaviour negatively will only worsen the behaviour and further add to the child’s frustrations. High-expectations, are sometimes the cause of a child’s depressive and aggressive reactions.

Children who attend preschool, are learning about their own emotions, but are still not good communicators of it. This means that is something was troubling them, they find it easy to yell or throw a tantrum than talk about it. This is where teachers and parents have the upper hand. Most often than not, small talk just before bedtime or in the morning will help your child want to gain more control of his emotions.

For instance if your child struggles to learn his numbers and alphabets and would rather throw away his art than sit and try to learn it, the chance are that they are having difficulties learning in written form. She may respond better to a video or a sing-a-long with pictures and painting the letter instead.

Various child psychologists have categorized preschool personalities using positive terms than negative labelling. Instead of calling a child stubborn, experts say it would much rather be better to say unconventional child, who prefers to do things in their own way.

Children come in all shapes and sizes, some are more active than others, while some are shy and reserved. Some have already decided their routine, while others fare well in a disorganized manner. Yes, some children will have learning disabilities and others will absorb information as quickly as a sponge.

At Blossom; Dubai Nursery we aim to ensure that every child who attends our playschool has his needs seen to. By following specific tools and techniques, by making sure that every child feels important in all the nursery activities we try to resolve conflict and help each child achieve success in our nursery program.

As a nursery in Dubai, we are privileged to have children from a multicultural background, with teachers too bringing their own strengths and passion for preschool education. We offer children the best learning resources in a safe and comfortable atmosphere for children to thrive in and go on to achieve great things in the future.

Illness Policy

Blossom Children’s Nursery takes child illness very seriously to protect the child that is sick as well the others who attend our international preschool. Young children are prone to minor colds and flues regularly, however we try to minimize the health risks to the child concerned and his friends by enforcing a strict child health policy in our Dubai day care and nursery.

A strict illness policy is necessary to ensure that other families remain unaffected by illness and hospital visits. Additionally, one sick child in a classroom will expose teachers, children, and other staff members, inconveniencing and disrupting normal routine activities.

Blossom Children’s Nursery ensures a registered nurse is on call for minor medical emergencies, like cuts bruising and minor skin damage. However, the in-house nurse will not administer any type of drug, be it over-the-counter or prescription without a clear written authorization from a medical doctor and the parent. Administering medication is only done for the purpose of completing a full course, and or to prevent allergies, or certain other medical conditions. We are strictly against sending your child to his day care, when they are still unable to take part in normal activities or when they are considered contagious.

Depending on the kind of illness that your child is down with, it is best to keep them at home for at least 24 hours after the symptoms have disappeared, and for 48 hours after a contagious flu. Keeping children at home is both a necessary step in recovery as well ensuring that they do not relapse.

Relapses are common when one sick child spreads the illness to other children, who may transfer it back, should they return to day care before the said contagious period is over.

Diarrhoea and vomiting are symptoms of various illnesses and parents are advised not send their child to nursery day care if they have had these conditions the previous night. In this case they will require at least 48 hours at home. A common cold does not require a child to stay at home for more than a day, as long as they are able to take part in outdoor activities without falling ill or worsening the condition on a hot day.

Chicken Pox, Measles, mumps, scarlet fever, hand, foot, and mouth syndrome all require a minimum of a week at home or until the full course of antibiotics is complete or the scars have crusted over.

Blossom Children’s Nursery takes the health and well being of every child very seriously, and we feel responsible as the middle ground for all families to meet. Being in our position we recommend that a medical doctor be consulted on every instance to ensure your child remains healthy throughout their time with us.

Behavioural problems in Nursery

Behavioural problems in Nursery are commons problems faced by parents and teachers by toddlers and preschool children. Dealing with such instances or temper tantrums can be quite demanding, especially for teachers, who are still getting to know your child. However, we try to communicate and maintain a close relationship with parents to help every child become successful preschool children.

For every temper tantrum there is usually a hidden cause that young children have trouble communicating. Various studies conducted prove that bad behaviour usually arises from your child either being emotionally weakened, is unhappy about a situation or environment or it could even be a simple issue with the diet.

Diet plays a big role in a child’s mood and depending on either the lack of something or excess of something, your child can be tired and restless or angry and hyperactive. Many child dieticians will recommend removing all produced and artificial food like processed meats, food colouring flavouring, dairy and red and red meats. Keep them on fibre, fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates and then reintroduce each item back in to their diet. By doing this, you will be able to identify the foods that cause them to become tired and restless.

Children also act out, when they struggle are unhappy with something or are unable to speak about their emotions. It could be that a peer they want to make friends with are not reciprocating their friendship back, a parent not being often as much as they like, or even a small factor like not having a garden to play outside in. A child’s problems are usually very basic, but their inability to say how they feel, drives them to be unhappy leading to behavioural problems.

In this case, getting to the bottom of their problem is key to helping them communicate their emotions as well as letting them know that you are listening. Most children respond well to deep simple conversations. A conversation, of “I know you’re upset about something, would you like to tell me what it is, so I can help you?” would work wonders with children, as most children who react angrily are doing so to get attention. It is important to react back with positive attention than a negative one. Shouting, yelling or asking them to be quiet while you work, will only add to their frustration and they may continue with the bad behaviour.

However, there are certain instances where you will have to be stern and maintain the same response to ensure they know they can’t have it their way if it is not safe or not appropriate for them yet. For instance many children hate sitting in a car seat and will usually throw a tantrum to get their way hoping that you will eventually give in. In this case, it is best you let them know that car seats are uncomfortable and that you too, sat in one until you were big enough to have an adult seat for safety.

Children will be children, and even at nursery, they may hit each other, fight over toys, or refuse to listen to their teacher. Our International preschools Dubai teachers are trained to help your child resolve conflict with each other. We try our best to not humiliate children or punish them harshly, but explain the situation, prompting them to come to an understanding with each other. We keep parents informed at every instance and allow parents to be involved in their child’s life at preschool, in aim to maintain consistency in a stable nursery environment. Visit Blossom British Curriculum Nurseries in Dubai and ensure your child is in the hands of professional preschool educators.

International preschool for Expats

How to tell if a nursery is good?

Nursery education is as important as finding a good school. There’s however, more that you have to look for in a good nursery than a primary school. If you are a parent of an older child who attends primary school, or higher, then you are aware that the most important features would be great examination results, good discipline, and good amount of resources. Everything else works like clockwork, as children adapt to routine, and conform to rules.

Younger children, specifically nursery children are still finding themselves, learning how the world works, and developing their own little unique personalities. Standardized activities and learning methods will not work as well as it does in higher grades. A good nursery should welcome free learning, and encourage individualized development to guarantee young children are able cultivate themselves before joining a structured learning environment.

To achieve this, nurseries must have smaller classrooms with ratios that are age appropriately designed for optimum achievement. The class teacher should additionally have received extensive training in understanding children and their specific needs based on cultural backgrounds and norms.

If you’re looking for a good day nursery for your child, it should posses plenty of learning material, outdoor activity areas, and stimulating puzzles & toys. They should favour group activities and positive reinforcement. The teachers shouldn’t be considered staff, but they should be loving care givers to your child. Certain nurseries also prefer to use television and video as part of their curriculum, and although seen as an added resource, do make sure that videos are used on a strict schedule and not as a regular teaching tool.

EYFS nurseries use strategic play and structured games to help children achieve developmental milestones easily.

Strong policies of a nursery means that it takes, caring for your child seriously. A well-established nursery will have strict policies in place for everything from opening and closing to illness and first aid. Additionally, although, you may not like filling many forms for everything from family health history, to furnishing details for an emergency dependent, it is a good way to know that your nursery wants to know everything about your child. This not only helps them know their likes and dislikes, but they are more able to deal with an emergency concerning your child, should one arise.

It is a good sign, if your nursery has an open door policy for parents to walk in, without an appointment. Some schools do more, and invite parents to volunteer on outings and special events, which helps to form a strong familiar base for your child to be comfortable in.

The Blossom Nurseries Dubai follows the EYFS UK system, which requires the highest standards in compliance and conformity. Our British preschool and international day care in Dubai, is designed to give parents peace of mind, and children a place to thrive in, not only being safe, but reaching goals and accomplishing personal goals and desires. We accept children from the age of 6 months to our day care and our nursery groups are opened to kids up to the age of six.

If you would like to inquire further, please call or visit the nursery closest to you and our friendly care givers are happy to show you around.

Getting your Child ready for Preschool in Dubai

 If you are a set of working parents, then you probably had no choice but to send your young toddler off to daycare by the time they were six months old. This means, he has already had experience being with other children, and has accepted other adults as temporary caregivers, making him ready for the next step, preschool. However, if you have had the privilege of keeping him at home then you are probably wondering at what age you should start looking for a preschool in Dubai.

 

As far as the scouting goes, the earlier the better. You can start looking for a good school for your child, when they about 18 months. It will give you plenty of time to find a preschool suitable for you and reserve your son’s place there. Furthermore, it gives you a chance to explore all your options, and get to know his soon to be home for the day well before he begins his educational foundation.

 

But when is the right time to send him on his first day? Although most Good Dubai nurseries start accepting children at the age of two and half, your son will not automatically be ready at this age. You may have to start preparing him for his new school early on, or if you prefer you could wait until he is ready on his own.

 

A nursery environment should never be forceful, nor crowded with rules, instead a nursery should have an informal ambiance that is child friendly with a monitored system for preschool education. However, as your son will be away from you for hours each day, he should be willing to let another adult care for him, advice him and guide him through this very crucial learning stage. He will need to be mentally ready to take on learning, working on a strict schedule, having his day planned and structured, and be accepting of other children while he learns.

 

Some children are uncomfortable in the care of another adult, however, if a babysitter or relative, has already cared for your son, he is already used to the idea of being with somebody else. This is a good sign that he or she will be ok parting from you, for preschool. Additionally, your toddler should be able to work on little tasks by themselves. Preschool involves a lot of independent work like drawing, and painting, if he already working at home by himself; he will fit into preschool more positively.

Preschools usually work on a specific schedule; sing-a-long, art, playtime, break time, outdoor play, then class work again, group play and lunch. They do this as children not only learn of the times of day, but they also adapt more easily when order is in place. If he or she doesn’t have a schedule yet, you can get them used to it, by giving them their meals at a specific time, and having a set bedtime ritual.

Additionally, preschool involves a lot of group activity, in which all children should take part. Group play inculcates social skills, and additionally improves communication and language. It teaches them of the idea of sharing, and waiting their turns. An only child may need some help and practice before starting nursery. This is quite easy, and might be as simple as taking them to the park, or scheduling play dates with other families in the area.

 

Although preschools accept children by the age of two and half, every child is different, and some will remain reserved for a while longer, while others who have siblings, or playmates start showing these signs early. If you feel that your son may feel anxious about starting a preschool/nursery too soon, bring them along to their preschool before they start so they can become familiar with the environment and ease into a program.

 

Blossom Nurseries in Dubai, begins the new school year in January of 2014, if you would like to learn about our facilities, programs and teachers, feel free to visit us for further information.