Message from Joanna
Dear Parents,
We highly anticipate being back in routine and seeing your children! While we may not know when we’ll return to the norm, I’d like to introduce you to “I Love You Rituals” and ask you to implement them with us.
For children, “I Love You Rituals” are like life preservers for sailors adrift in dangerous seas. They help children move through the storms. Unless children are helped to deal with challenges, they may challenge adults by demonstrating a myriad of irritating behaviors. By playing “I Love You Rituals” with your children, you replace mistrust of the outcome with trust. This technique is especially helpful with transitions because it eases children’s anxiety as they transfer from the care of their parent to their teacher. Rituals have a significant benefit of providing kids with a feeling of control that comes from within, which fosters self-confidence and promotes intellectual growth.
In the center we will focus on doing the ritual with your child as they come into the classroom. Your part before this exchange is to do a ritual with them before entering the room (outside the door) and then directly meet the teacher, so they can do their ritual with you present – establishing a safe and secure connection for the child. After they are done with their greeting, a simple, loving, and short farewell can complete the drop off process.
Like everything we do, it’s about the consistency and enthusiasm during delivery. Please be willing to give this a try for a week. I will place a copy of a ritual in your child’s cubby and tape it near the door (to help you recite it!) I kindly ask you take a deep breath and commit yourself to do these rituals with your child on a regular basis.
An Example:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
What a wonderful child you are!
With bright eyes and nice round cheeks,
Talented person from head to feet.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star
What a wonderful child you are!
Thank you for letting us have an active part in your child’s development!
Joanna Lamadrid
