Many children love to be nurtured by their parents with a little back rub. It feels good and mom’s or dad’s attention is the icing on the cake.

“Back rubs can be a wonderful part of a bedtime or naptime routine, but can also be fun during playtime”, says massage therapist and author Martine Groeneveld. “Combined with stories, rhymes and games, it’s a wonderful way for parents to cherish their child with magical, loving touch and undivided attention”.

A little back rub goes a long way. Nurturing touch during early childhood is proven to be beneficial for healthy child development. Research shows that it’s crucial for interpersonal communications, cognitive and emotional development, brain growth, establishing first (and future) relationships, healthy body image development and for reducing childhood (and future adult) aggression.

Pretty amazing to stimulate all this development with a simple and fun back rub!

Below are some examples of cute back rubs to engage your child in. Always check in with your child if it feels good.

GUESS THE ANIMAL

With your fingers, draw an animal on your child’s back. When you’re finished, let him guess what it is. If he doesn’t know, teach him to ask questions like, “Where does it live?” or “What sound does it make?” or “What color is it?” He’ll probably want you to do another one!

Tips:

You can play the same game with shapes, numbers and letters. Say the number or letter that follows or precedes the one you’re stroking on his back, for example: “This letter comes after D” or this is the number that comes before 10″ or “This is the letter between M and O.” Based on your child’s stage of development, you can make it harder or easier for him to guess.

THIS PIGGY WENT TO…….

Walk with your fingers up the back as you say “This little piggy went to…..”
As you stroke down with your whole hand, let your child fill in the blank with a place or person in her mind. For example: “This little piggy went to…..the zoo!” Or “This little piggy went to a playdate with…..?”

MAGIC PAINTING
(It’s magic, because you can’t see it!)

This is an imaginative game with lots of variations. Ask your child what he would like to have painted on his back. A tiger? A castle? Maybe he’d like to have a masterpiece painted on his back! Pretend your hand is a magic paintbrush. Dip it in your magic paint and paint your child’s back with your hands and fingertips. Stroke gently while you create a magical painting. You can also let your child guess what you’re painting while you mention the colors that you’re using.

Tip:
Your child might want to paint your back as well!

MARTINE GROENEVELD is a registered nurse, licensed massage therapist, certified infant massage instructor and the author of Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy: Rhymes, Songs and Touch-Play Activities to Stay Connected. A native of Holland, Martine holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and psychology and a National Certification in Massage Therapy.

Buy Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy

For more information, visit http://www.mommydrawstarsonmytummy.com

Are you looking for last minute activites to keep your toddler busy this 4th of July?

Check out these fun printables and craft ideas:

Disney Family Fun - Star Spangled Fun

Kaboose - 4th of July

Apples 4 the Tacher - 4th of July coloring pages

Teaching Tiny Toys - 4th of July party ideas

Happy 4th of July!

Just in Time for Earth Earth Day

On April 22nd more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries will celebrate Earth Day.

Education experts at Goddard, the country’s leading child care franchise company, offer the following fun projects that you can do at home to teach your toddlers and preschools about the environment:

1. Create the Earth. Eco-friendly coffee filters make great miniature earths.  In two separate cups, use food coloring to make blue and green colored water. Then allow the children to use eyedroppers to drop the colors on their Earth (coffee filter). When the colored water is dropped on the filter it spreads a bit and the children can create land and water shapes on their “little earths.”
2. Lights Out, Flashlights On. Play “I Spy” in the dark.  Have the children use flashlights to locate objects they can use to become more “green,” such as a light switch or recycle bins.
3. Go for a Nature Walk. Place tape, sticky side out, on the children’s wrists and take them outside to collect things in nature. You could also decorate a sack and go around the neighborhood picking up litter.
4. Dress It Up! Hold a fashion show using old newspapers as the runway. Create vests by using grocery sacks decorated with recycled supplies such as used yogurt cups, etc. Glue recycled materials to the vests and decorate with paint. Then let your kids show off the “beauty of recyclables” while learning what items can be recycled.
5. Make Rainsticks. Recycle old paper towel rolls by making rainsticks. Have the children close the bottom of the stick with paper and tape. Then fill with beans or rice. You can also crumple up some aluminum foil to make a louder sound. Let the children decorate the rainsticks with construction paper. Use this activity to talk about the importance of clean water and water conservation.

About Goddard Systems, Inc. www.goddardschool.com

Recently named #1 Childcare Franchise in the United States, by Entrepreneur magazine, for the eighth consecutive year (January 2009) and one of the Top 200 Franchise Systems (in worldwide sales), by Franchise Times, for the second consecutive year (October 2008); Goddard Systems, Inc. (GSI) is expanding The Goddard School® network throughout the United States. Headquartered in King of Prussia , Pennsylvania , GSI currently licenses 320+ franchised schools with more than 40,000 students in 37 states. With a successful system in place and dedicated franchisees, GSI is the acknowledged leader in franchised childcare and a premier childcare provider in the United States .