Tic Tac Tots Daycare Centre

“There is no better phase than being a child. Enjoy it to the fullest.” Happy Children’s Day! 🎈🎉

We are OPEN for registration for 2022/2023 intake! Limited slots available only!

Early bird promotion
Registration fee waiver ‼️

Contact us at 0174541213 to find out more!

Posted • 🌈 What is one-to-one correspondence?

It's an important early learning math skill that involves counting each object in a set once, and only once, with one touch per object.

🌈 How is it different to rote counting?

Rote counting is just saying the number aloud in order, "one, two, three, four, five..." One-to-One correspondence is touching each object and saying the number aloud. It gives numbers meaning and is a much more complex skill for young children to master.

🌈It can take months for preschoolers to begin counting objects with one-to-one correspondence. For this reason, it’s important to provide young children with plenty of opportunities to practice counting one-to-one when they are at home with you or when they're in preschool.

I used pop poms for this as Tommy loves popm poms but you can use anything your child is interested in from lego, cars etc 💕
If this is something you'd like to try with your little one don't forget to save for later 🔖

Posted • Are you stuck in a repeating rut? 😩
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I get it - it happens to all of us. Whenever I find myself repeating what I’ve already said OVER AND OVER... I try one of these five tips:
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1. Whisper the message
2. Check you actually have their attention
3. Add time to process before repeating the message again (kid brains need more time than adult brains)
4. Get down on their eye level
5. Make sure your words matter

Making sure our words matter is often a big one 🗣 Are your words matching what happens? If you say to clean up, but then clean up without them... they learn that. They start to know that the words you say don’t matter as much as they could or should. So - check your message and your follow through. Show them that your words matter.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It’s easy to get into the habit of repeating. After years of teaching and raising kids, trust me when I say: these tips work 🙌🏻🙌🏻
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Any tips you’d add to this list?? ⬇️ Comment below ♥️

Posted • A team from the University of Toledo studied whether the number of toys in a toddler’s environment influences the quality of play.

✨The findings suggested that too many toys actually reduce creativity, focus, sustained attention and imaginative play. ⁣✨
⁣
Intuitively this makes good sense to me. ⁣
⁣
𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠? ⁣
⁣
Get one bite-sized chunk of parenting advice each week in your Inbox. ① Grab a coffee. ② Read weekly parenting tip. ③ Up your confidence. Sign up for FREE baby school. Link in bio⁣ ⁣🐤🐤🐤⁣

⁣
     ⁣   ⁣     
⁣      ⁣ ⁣  
   
 ⁣      
⁣  ⁣  ⁣  ⁣⁣  
       
     ⁣  

Posted • Recently, I have been seeing more cases of Hand,Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in the clinic.

If you noticed your child having sudden lack of appetite, drooling or crankiness, look hard for other signs of this disease.

Although HFMD is usually not dangerous, however it can spread rather rapidly in schools and day care settings.

Infographic from Positive Parenting

Posted • When a child comes to the office with a fever, I examine her to look for the source of the fever. Does she need an antibiotic or is this a virus which needs time to run its course? I don’t blame the child for the fever. ⁣
⁣
💟 When a child says, “Go away!” we need to think about the underlying cause of the feelings instead of reacting to the words (which sting!). Your little one is not old enough to have insight into why she feels a certain way—so no sense in asking. ⁣
⁣
Instead, let your child know you love her even when she wants you to go away. ⁣
⁣
𝗣𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗘:⁣
Create that space between the behaviour and your reaction to it. Use this moment to consider what’s going on. Consider practical issues like hunger, boredom, and fatigue…⁣
⁣
𝗦𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦:⁣
“You want mommy to go away. I understand.”⁣
“I love you to the moon and back, even when you feel this way.”⁣
⁣
𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗭𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦:⁣
Your child is asking for a little space . . . she’s NOT asking you to fly to the other end of the world. ⁣
⁣
𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘆𝗲𝘁? 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻. ⁣
⁣
🎉😋 ⁣Do you want to become a calmer parent? TODDLERS MADE EASY, the online course will give you the tools you need to see and solve problems with a gentle-firm approach that you’ll be happy to use. ⁣
⁣
Get on the waitlist, if you want to be the first to know when the course is good to go. Don’t miss out on the early-bird bonuses. Are you ready for your toddler to be easy? LINK IN BIO. ⁣
⁣
  ⁣  ⁣
    ⁣ ⁣
   ⁣          ⁣
   ⁣ ⁣
⁣

Posted • .love.and.positivity 🎨:

Posted • I will always love this reminder when it comes up on my feed. I find that this is such a hard thing for parents and educators to grasp sometimes, especially when they are just starting out viewing children as capable and competent through the lens of the Reggio Emilia Approach.

Does this mean we should never do these things for children?! Absolutely not. Modeling these things for children and supporting them as they learn to do it themselves is different then simply doing it for them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Posted • No matter how old I will get, I want my dear parents to remind me of their unconditional love. ♥️

Posted • Infants and toddlers thrive on routine. Whether we are asking them to move, take a trip, start daycare or preschool, stay in the care of someone new, give up a habit of pacifiers or bottles, or move from our bed to a bed of their own, our children need our sensitivity and respect. They need an honest, direct approach to change, and an open-armed acceptance of their feelings about the changes.

Posted • .talkers 𝗠𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴!🏳️⁣
⁣
🙋You may have been there. Your little one is pulling out all the communication tools to tell you something, whether through gestures, vocalizations, or words. At times they may get frustrated or just really excited because they have something they want to say! 😣 We see this when babies aren't saying words yet, but also with new talkers that can be difficult to understand! 🥴⁣
⁣
🆘 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲?⁣
⁣
🔅 Do your best to INTERPRET what your little one is trying to say! By saying the words for your child's message, you let them know you are listening and trying to understand them, and you are modelin g the words for them! 🤗⁣
⁣
🔎 To do this, you need to pay attention to the cues your little one gives you along with the context. ⁣
⁣
👀 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿:⁣
▫️facial expressions 😦⁣
▫️gestures 👉⁣
▫️where they are looking 🧐⁣
▫️what is happening around them 🦮⁣
⁣
🔅 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀!⁣
⁣
For example:⁣
➡️ Your baby looks at their cup and vocalizes, "uhhhhhhh!"⁣
You pick up the cup and say, "Cup? Want the cup?"⁣
⁣
➡️ You and your baby are out for a stroller walk, and your baby looks up to the sky. You notice your baby has spotted an airplane, so you point to the airplane and say, "You see the airplane! It's fast! The airplane flies!"⁣
⁣
⁣
 ❣️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Posted • "But there is no magic without Santa Claus, his elves, and the North Pole!"

You might be reading the graphic and thinking that very thought! The thing is, Santa and his workshop isn't what creates the magic of the holiday.

Spending quality time with your little one, creating your own family traditions, and focusing on connection during the holidays is what creates the magic of the season.

You can be honest about Santa and elves doesn't AND you can still play Santa if you want to incorporate Santa centric traditions into your holiday season.

Being honest with your child about Santa builds a relationship on a foundation of trust and honesty. This is a core component of positive, respectful, developmentally appropriate parenting

How do you explain Santa to your toddler? Have you ever explained the meaning behind Santa Claus to your toddler? What are some Christmas traditions that you started with your family?

Posted • .and.sew You know when a baby laughs and you can’t help but smile? It’s so delicious as your body mirrors their feel good hormones. The same thing happens when your child has a meltdown or big emotional expression. They produce cortisol or adrenaline and your body mirrors it.

If you aren’t able to regulate in order to bring the calm and co-regulate with their nervous system, then you can wind up in a gnarly spiral that doesn’t feel good for anyone. If what you need in order to respond with intention to them and hold space for their feelings is a moment to breathe or take space, you are allowed to do so.

✨Make sure they are in a safe space.
✨Communicate clearly with them.
✨Leave and breathe.
✨Return to support.

Swipe to the second slide for ways you can communicate with them before you walk away.

It’s your job to calm down for them, not their job to calm down for you. You get to model self regulation and show them you’ll take responsibility for your regulation so it isn’t their job to do so.

This is different than a peer relationship. This is specific to an parent/caregiver-child relationship. It can feel unfair, especially if you didn’t have a caregiver growing up who was responsible for their emotions and held space for and coregulated with you. Notice those feelings and acknowledge that inner child that didn’t have this need met.

What is most helpful for you to self regulate in the moment?

Posted • Parents cannot avoid having arguments from time to time.

However, if not done peacefully or respectfully, it can cause significant distress to the kids.

Should parents fight openly in front of their kids or do it behind closed doors?

What do you think?

Posted • Screen time tends to be a hot topic, so we avoid chatting about it, but understanding how experiences with digital media may shape the developing brain is essential knowledge for those who support children’s healthy brain development.

Before age 2, children’s brains form more than 1 million new neural connections every second. The early experiences they have, and their relationship with the important caregivers in their lives, build the brain’s architecture, providing the foundation for future learning, health, and behavior.

“Children whose exposure to digital media occurred earlier in life are more likely to show poorer Executive Functioning skills during the preschool years.” (Nathansol et. al, 2014). Executive Functioning refers to a set of higher-level thinking, attention-regulation skills that originate int the prefrontal cortex: working memory, inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility.

There is also an especially strong link between increased screen time and poorer attentional control. (Mistry et. al, 2007).

As a teacher who has seen thousands of children struggle from the impact of their early environment, I share these posts and research simply to raise awareness. Children can’t advocate for themselves.

It is our responsibility as parents to make INFORMED decisions that are best for our family.

Your decisions may look different than mine, and that is OKAY!

Your family, your choice. ❤️

Posted • As parents, we can't help but compare our children with other children. Parents having more than one child also tend to compare one sibling to another.

✅How come my child can't sleep throughout the night? Other parents have it so easy.
✅How come my son is so timid? I wasn't like this when I was younger.
✅Why is my daughter such a small eater? Her portion is half her peers.
✅Why is your sister so hardworking while you are such a lazy bum?

By constantly comparing our children, we are harming not only them but also ourselves.

It fills us with a lot of negative feelings like envy, jealousy, resentment, and disappointment.

In the end, our focus will only be on their weaknesses while their strengths ignored. 💔

Let's make a conscious effort to stop comparing.


😚😚😚 #

Posted • .parenting While punishment tends to be a ready, attractive tool to meet short term needs often creates way more resistance and conflict in the long term. By shifting our intent, the *same action* can have the opposite effect on kids.

The intention of punishment is to make a child suffer for what they've done, in the hope that that regret or pain will keep them from doing it again. The intention of partnership is to protect and connect. Partnership is enlisting a child’s help to meet both their needs and ours.

Learning how to set and hold limits with grace is challenging. Many of us don’t have the tools to do it without hurting someone (or getting hurt ourselves) in the process. Our guide, “Next After No: Closing The Gate” outlines actionable strategies for parents and caregivers looking for a kinder, clearer, more effective way to respond to limit-pushing behavior.

We’ll show you how to:

🌿 Create the space you need to respond calmly and consistently
🌿 Hold limits without pleading, shaming, or punishing kids
🌿 Keep kids (and yourself!) safe

Posted • Let's face the fact that life is busy! Time seems to fly by with all the work and life responsibilities that we have. Some parents (including myself) might feel guilty for not spending enough time with their kids.
Will the kids grow up feeling resentment?
Will they have delayed milestones from the lack of stimulation?
These may be some of the thoughts that run through your mind.

However, the good news is that no matter how busy you are, there are ways to sneak in some one-to-one time with your kids. Here are some ideas.

♥️ Eat together as a family whenever possible.
No matter how busy you are, you will need a break to fill up your tummy. Take that opportunity to eat together with your kids and catch up on their day.

♥️ Never get tired of saying, "I love you."
Saying "I love you" every day does not make the phrase less powerful or mundane. Instead, it will reinforce the love you have for your child. Say it at every opportunity, every day, and at any time.

♥️ Tuck your kids to bed.
Bedtime is also another great opportunity to spend some quality time with the kids. Just by telling a short bedtime story, your kids will be looking forward to bedtime every day!

♥️ Do things together.
Can't spend time because of tons of unfinished housework? You don't have to do it alone. Get the kids involved as well. Doing household chores together provides not only additional bonding time but also teaches kids important life skills. To spice things up, have a little competition to see who does the chore better.

♥️ Select a family day.
Nominate one day of the week as "family day" and plan something exciting that you can do as a family. It could be as simple as a walk in the park, a baking session, and even a short getaway. Ditch all distractions and give your kids your undivided attention.