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The bodies of young children need to refuel each morning for the day ahead after going without food for 8 to 12 hours during sleep.

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At preschool we strive to make your child as independent as possible. One of the ways we strive for independence is to have your child learn to put their coat on. An easy way to teach them is the preschool coat flip.

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Cleaning up a mess they've made themselves is an important part of a young person’s development. It helps preschoolers develop a sense of responsibility. While it might be easier for you to do the cleaning up yourself, that's just a short-term solution.

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Daily routines like bedtime, provide children with the repetition and structure they need to feel safe.

For children, having a daily bedtime routine is comforting; it can help create a calm and relaxing feeling that gently eases them to sleep.

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Without a proper breakfast, your child may feel tired, restless, or irritable. These feelings can lead to decreased attention and energy necessary for learning.

When it comes to young children and eating breakfast, it’s important to provide foods that are rich in whole grains, fiber, and protein while low in added sugar. These foods may help boost your child’s attention span, concentration, and memory — which are necessary for optimal learning.

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Have the child put the coat down on the floor (or a table). They need to stand near the tag/hood, put their arms through the arm holes, and flip the coat over their head.

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How a child learns to clean up now sets the stage for how they will complete the chore as they get older. If you are constantly picking up after your child at this age, they’ll learn to always expect it. And then, as they get older they either won't know how or won't think it is something they need to concern themselves with, because mom and dad always do it.

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Children need:
13-14 hours of sleep for ages 2-3
11-13 hours of sleep for ages 3-5

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Children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to get the fiber, calcium, and other important nutrients they need in their diet. They are also more likely to keep their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels and fewer absences from school.

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Cleaning up, while not necessarily fun, doesn't have to be an awful chore. Here’s how to make the task run smoothly.

-Don’t just say “clean up.” It is easy for a preschooler to be overwhelmed by a big mess, often because they don’t know where to start. Instead, try “Put away your cars first and then move to the books.” By breaking the job down into little tasks, seemingly endless chores become manageable.

-Explain that if toys aren't put away correctly someone could trip and hurt themselves, or pieces could get lost and then playing with this particular toy next time won't be quite so fun. With young children, it is important to make a connection that they can relate to.

-Place removable picture labels on drawers and bins to help kids learn where everything goes. Have your child either draw or cut out of magazines pictures of specific items (blocks, puzzles, games) that go into each one. Under the picture, neatly write the name of the item (great word recognition for pre-readers). When everything has a rightful place, it makes it that much easier to put them away
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-Blast Jack Hartman or The Storybots while clean-up time is underway. It makes the job go faster and the peppy music will keep your child in a good mood. Or sing your own songs. "This is the way we pick up blocks, pick up blocks, pick up blocks. This is the way we pick up blocks, as we clean up your room!"

-When your child's room or playroom is finally clean, don’t redo what isn’t perfect. Lumpy bed sheets? No need to smooth them. Mismatched dollhouse furniture? Ignore it. As long as the job was done properly, just leave it be. A four-year-old will never clean up as well as an adult.

If you redo what they've already worked so hard to complete, your little one might not be so inclined next time to do the job since you fix it anyway. In this case, the end result is not as important as the effort.

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Afternoon preschool Session? Time to work on easing your child out of their daily nap.
-Cold turkey rarely succeeds, you're likely to get a whole house of grumpy tired people.
- Try diminishing the naps a little bit at a time. If your child typically  takes a two hour nap, try shaving off intervals of 20 minutes each week. It will help transition your child and will give his or her body time to adopt.
- Start to incorporate an earlier bedtime. That way he or she won't be missing out completely on the Zzz's.
- Having a hard time putting your child to bed? Try an earlier start to the morning. This could result in an earlier bedtime at the end of the day.

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This blog uses affiliate links. Basically, I make a small commission when you use these links, at no additional cost to you.

Taking turns is such an important social skill to master. We use it in everyday conversations, while waiting in line to purchase something at the store, when playing games, etc. Like many social skills though, kids with autism and/or hyperlexia need to be taught these skills directly as they do not develop them innately.

Here are 8 strategies for teaching your kids turn taking skills, including free printable visual turn taking cue cards and a free printable cheat sheet.

This post contains affiliate links.

Strategies for Teaching Your Kids Turn Taking Skills

There are so many opportunities throughout the day to work on turn taking skills, so you will find that these strategies are quite easy to implement.

1. Use a visual cue to indicate whose turn it is

For kids with autism and/or hyperlexia, visual cues are extremely important. You can use any kind of item you'd like as a visual cue and pass it from player to player as it is their turn. Something like a talking stick would work, but can be as simple as handing the dice or spinner to whoever's turn is next. You can download a set of free printable visual cue cards under tip #2.

2. Use turn taking language (my turn, your turn)

Actually say the phrases "my turn" and "your turn" on the appropriate turns so that your child will know exactly who's turn it is. Related to tip #1, you can use visual cues to reinforce this language. In fact, I've included a free printable my turn/your turn visual cue cards to download and print. As an alternative, you can try these visual pointing hands cards from Every Star is Different.

3. Model turn taking

Modeling is such an effective way to teach turn taking skills! Kids always pay more attention to how we act or what we do versus what we say anyway, right? Show your child how you are taking turns when holding a conversation with someone or while playing a game.

4. Play games

Board games and card games are one of the best ways to work on turn taking skills! Here are some of our favorite board games from a couple of years ago. However, my kids are a bit older now so they currently enjoy the following games:

I also like to incorporate games that challenge the stereotypical way of taking turns. Specifically, games that can randomly switch the order of the turns part way through the game like Uno or games that allow you to skip turns or force another player to take two turns like Exploding Kittens.

You might find it helpful to start a family game night to focus on helping your child work on their turn taking skills. We personally like to try and play two or three board games every night after supper.

5. Use a social story to explain why and how to take turns

Social stories are such a great way to work on a variety of social skill concepts. You can either write your own social story about taking turns or look for example stories on Pinterest or Teachers Pay Teachers. The social story should include expected and unexpected behavior when taking turns with others. It should also include the turn taking language mentioned in tip #2 (my turn/your turn). Read through the social story together before engaging in an activity or game that requires the child to take turns.

Don't want to write your own social stories? Try one of these free printable and video social stories about sharing and taking turns instead.

6. Use a timer to indicate how long each turn will be

We use this technique a lot when it comes to sharing electronic devices like my iPad. We set a timer for five minutes and when the time is up, it is time to pass the device to the next person. You can certainly use a timer for any kind of activity or game that requires kids to take turns.

A timer is also a good way to reinforce being fair and letting everyone have an equal chance to play with something since each person will receive the exact same amount of time. Furthermore, a timer acts as a visual and auditory cues for turn taking with kids.

7. Communicating and describing turns (first it is A's turn, then it is yours)

Be sure to outline or describe how the turn taking will occur. For instance, if you are going to use a timer, then tell the kids that each person will get exactly five minute turns. Or if multiple people will be taking turns with something, then be sure to explain who's turn is first, second, third, etc. You can phrase it like "First it is person A's turn, then it will be your turn."

8. Use a fidget between turns

Many kids struggle with waiting for their turn. I know my son always moves and fidgets when he waits for his turn in a game. You might find that providing a fidget for your child to use when it is not their turn can be quiet helpful. It gives them something to do while they wait.

Married to her high school sweetheart, Dyan is a Canadian stay-at-home mom to two boys, J and K. She is also a part-time piano teacher. She likes board games, video games, Instant Pots, and reading. To stay connected, subscribe to the weekly newsletter to get a copy of the free Weekly Autism Planner and follow along on social media.

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This blog uses affiliate links. Basically, I make a small commission when you use these links, at no additional cost to you. Taking turns is such an important social skill to master. We use it in everyday conversations, while waiting in line to purchase something at the store, when playing games, etc.