Consistency for Early Childhood Students During Winter Break

Winter break is quickly approaching! With two weeks away from school, this is a great opportunity for some quality time with your child. While there is a lot of excitement about the long break, the holidays can be stressful for children with all of the changes in routine, out of town guests, travel, and crowded shopping areas.

In order to help your child enjoy this time with you, try to maintain a consistent routine as much as possible, keeping meal time, nap time, and bed time the same, and planning outings during the time that your child would normally be at school. Be mindful of their energy level and try to keep outings to an appropriate length of time.

If you are planning to stay in Nashville, there are a variety of enriching experiences that you and your child might enjoy! Below is a list of places that are family friendly and offer educational and active opportunities:

• Public Library - The libraries have weekly storytelling and concerts, all of which are posted on the library website. You can also let your child choose books to read at home.
• Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
• Frist - See exhibits and visit the Martin ArtQuest Gallery to experiment and create your own pieces of artwork.
• Climb Nashville - Indoor rock climbing.
• There are 108 parks and 19 greenways within Davidson County, which are great for playing, biking, hiking, exploring, and observing nature.
• There are also 54 state parks in Tennessee.
• Nashville Parent lists daily activities that can be searched by age.

If you take pictures during outings, feel free to let your child bring them to the classroom. They may enjoy sharing stories with their classmates about what they did during the break. Most importantly, have a wonderful time!