Printable Children’s Calendar 2020

What makes this such a great calendar for kids?
1. It’s flexible – you can print out the whole year or a month at a time, either way it allows your child to map out due dates for assignments and other commitments they have each month.

Hot tip: Add a pack of fun, fine line colored pens to inspire your child even further

2. Each of the 12 pages features one month of the year, with weeks running Monday through Sunday, and plenty of space for recording daily entries.

Printing a month at a time makes the job of planning out their schedule a bit more manageable, and it is great for teens to see visually represented on the page what they have coming up.

Hot tip: Set time aside at the very end of the previous month to help them set up a new calendar for the upcoming month. Helping your pre-teen/teen start to identify where their busiest times are, and where they have more time available, is a great time management skill.

3. Once printed the pages can be kept singly in a folder, or stapled or bound together, or they can be hung up above your child’s study area.

4. The black and white pages make the calendar very printer friendly.

5. Coloring the fun border on each page makes a great little mindfulness exercise!

6. If you print the calendar pages two-to-a-page you can create a handy, smaller version of the calendar that is great for children to take with them as they travel between school, home and out-of-school activities.

Help your children get organized by printing this 2025 calendar today. We’re sure your kids will love them!

How to Download & Print Your 2020 Children’s Calendar

Click here to download: Kids Calendar Printable 2025 .  Save the 12 page PDF document to your computer. Open the PDF and print the pages you require. When printing, select “Fit to printable area” (or similar) to ensure the page fits with your printer type and local paper size.
Having trouble accessing or downloading the file? Please download onto a computer, not a phone or tablet. Still not working? Try a different internet browser.
Having trouble printing the file? Please ensure you are opening in Adobe Acrobat (not Preview on Mac devices). Your version of Acrobat may need updating if the file still does not print correctly.
Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for  commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell. You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents.

More Printable Organization Resources

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Printable Toy Bin Labels

Printable To Do List Planner

Printable School Packing List

The post Printable Children’s Calendar 2025 appeared first on Childhood101.

I am very much a pen and paper girl when it comes to being organized, and I LOVE a good list! I think the physical act of sorting my thoughts as I write items onto a list helps to stick them in my brain so that I can remember what I need to do more easily – even when that list isn’t in front of me.

Printable To Do List

This printable To Do List includes two columns so that your list can be divided between home and work tasks, or home and school, or however you would like to sort your tasks. The list can be used for a day, a week, a month or a specific set of related tasks, it is completely up to you.

You can print a whole batch of sheets and write directly onto a fresh page as you need it, or use it with Post-it Notes that can be removed as each task is done. You could even laminate a copy and write on it with a whiteboard marker.

And, as there is nothing to say that a To Do List has to be ugly or boring, this cute page is available in three colors – pink, teal and black!

More Printable Resources

For more printable resources, check out these related posts;

Printable 2024 Calendar

Printable Routine Picture Cards

Printable School Packing List

The post Free Printable To Do List Planning Tool appeared first on Childhood101.

Great for students in grades 3-6, the story starters pack includes two Spin-a-Story pages. Each includes an opportunity for students to spin three narrative story elements – a main character, setting and problem. Each of these story elements features six different options and these are unique to each page. That is over 300 possible Halloween creative story writing combinations!

Spin-a-Story Halloween Story Starters

To use, provide each student with a printed copy of one page of the document. Students then use a paper clip and the tip of their pencil to create a DIY spinner. As they spin each story element – character, setting and problem, there is space provided for them to record each element in the corresponding box. Then they are ready to start writing their very own spooky Halloween story.

You can even pair this Halloween writing activity with the blank, Halloween themed decorative writing pages found in our other Halloween Writing Prompts Pack for students to record their stories onto. These will look great displayed in the classroom!

And if you are looking for an awesome Halloween story to inspire your students’ writing even further, check out our collections of 35 Halloween Picture Books for Kids and 10 Halloween Picture Books for Middle Grades.

Printing Your Halloween Writing Pages

More Halloween Learning Resources

For more fun Halloween learning ideas and resources, check out these related posts;

Scary Picture Books for Older Children

Silly Spiders Drawing Game

25 Horror Chapter Books for 9-12 Year Olds

The post Printable Spin-a-Story Halloween Story Starters appeared first on Childhood101.

Printable Halloween Writing Prompts

Perfect for school Halloween story writing lessons, this printable writing prompts PDF is full of fun Halloween story ideas, including;

• 8 different Halloween narrative writing prompts as full color, lined pages
• The same 8 Halloween story prompts as black and white, printable, lined pages
• 8 lined pages with full color Halloween border (without a story prompt) for general Halloween writing activities
• 8 lined pages with black and white Halloween border (without a story prompt) for general Halloween classroom writing tasks
• One additional printable lined page that can be added as extra writing space for students who like to write longer stories

RELATED: Looking for an awesome Halloween story to inspire your students to get writing? Check out our collections of 35 Halloween Picture Books for Kids and 10 Halloween Picture Books for Middle Grades.

The lined writing pages, each featuring a monsterific Halloween character, are also handy for other Halloween writing activities that you might have planned for your students, like our Halloween Story Starter Spinners which are a cool Halloween writing idea for students in grades 3-7.

Printing Your Halloween Writing Pages

More Halloween Learning Resources

For more fun Halloween learning ideas and resources, check out these related posts;

Scary Picture Books for Older Children

Silly Spiders Drawing Game

25 Horror Chapter Books for 9-12 Year Olds

The post Halloween Writing Prompts Printable appeared first on Childhood101.

With 35 titles on this list, we have included Halloween picture book suggestions for toddlers, preschool and kindergarten children, through to early elementary grades. Many of these deliciously scary stories also explore important themes related to empathy, friendship, overcoming fears, and more.

RELATED: If you have older children, be sure to check out our collection of 10 Spooky Picture Books for Middle School and Scary Halloween Chapter Books.

35 Best Halloween Books for Kids

As with all of the lists in our Best Books for Kids collection, each title in our Halloween picture books list links to an Amazon page (these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you) where you can find reviews and age recommendations for those you might not be personally familiar with.

I Want to Eat Your Books by Karin Lefranc & Tyler Parker
In this hilarious rhyming Halloween book, a group of school children take on a zombie who only wants to eat… books! In the quest to try to save their school’s library, the children try to stop the zombie from consuming their favourite books with fun results!

Buy : Amazon

Bone Soup by Cambria Evans
In this Halloween twist on the traditional story of Stone Soup, a cute little skeleton with a very big appetite manages to get all sorts of ghastly ingredients from his fellow ghouls to make his magic “bone soup!”

Buy : Amazon

The Scariest Story You’ve Ever Heard by Ron Keres
The perfect, scary story for fans of The Book With No Pictures, this pictureless scary picture book will have children’s imaginations running riot through the night as they try to work out just what is that bump in the night!

Buy : Amazon

Gustavo, The Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago
Gustavo the ghost is a talented spook who plays the violin. But when it comes to making friends, he’s simply too shy! And a little bit invisible. Feeling brave, he decides to hold a violin concert and invite all the monsters he wishes would be his friends. Will his risk pay off?

Buy : Amazon

Stumpkin by Lucy Roth Cummins
Stumpkin is a wonderful but stemless pumpkin, looking forward to the day that someone will take him home to make him into a Jack-o-Lantern for Halloween. But as the other pumpkins are sold, one by one, he slowly began to lose hope. With time is running out, will Stumpkin find a home in time for the holiday?

Buy : Amazon

The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt by Riel Nason
When you’re a quilt instead of a sheet, being a ghost is hard! One little ghost, who is just learning how to be a ghost, is troubled by his quilt – it makes him feel hot, it’s hard to handle and heavy to move, and he cannot hover like his sheeted ghost friends. But one Halloween, everything changes. The little ghost has an experience that no other ghost could have, an experience that only happens because he’s a quilt! A great Halloween book for reminding children that it’s OK to be different.

Buy : Amazon

For more books celebrating difference, check out our list of 65 Children’s Books About Diversity.

Fright Club by Ethan Long
One night, in the lead up to their busy Halloween event, a cute bunny comes knocking on Fright Club’s door hoping to join. Vladimir, Fright Club’s Vampire leader, says only monsters can be scary. But this one determined bunny, with a cute critter army by his side, sets out to prove Vladimir wrong!

Buy : Amazon

Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey
Pig is the world’s greediest pug and he is on a rampage for TREATS! TREATS! TREATS! But don’t even think about being stingy with the goodies, because this candy-fueled glutton has some terrible tricks up his sleeve.

Buy : Amazon

Beast Feast by Emma Yarlett
A super fun, funny and interactive story, with real letters to open! Beast has found a tasty dinner, and he’s invited all his friends to a feast. Unfortunately, Dinner is a child who very much does not want to be eaten! As Beast’s friends send their instructions for cooking Dinner, is there any way Dinner can convince Beast to change his menu?

Buy : Amazon

Poultrygeist by Eric Geron
A very funny and a creative take on the chicken crossing the road story with an appealing chicken hero, a clever premise, witty puns…and roadkill!

Buy : Amazon

Hubble Bubble Granny Trouble by Tracey Corderoy
The first in a wonderful picture book series, Hubble Bubble Granny Trouble asks if your granny were a little bit different from other grannies (even if she is, in fact, a WITCH!) would you want to change her? Or would you love her just the way she is?

Buy : Amazon

A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee
A little witch afraid of humans decides to spy on a human Halloween (from a safe distance!) to discover more about the scary spectacle but it all wrong when her broomstick crashes and she finds herself face to face with a human!

Buy : Amazon

The Vampires Next Door by Sigi Cohen
A catchy, humorous Halloween tale about Lee’s fail-proof mission to get rid of her family’s bloodsucking neighbors…without being bitten!

Buy : Amazon

Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper Rabbit is definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear. But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark! Jasper’s done with creepy underwear but despite trying everything to get rid of them, they just keep coming back!

Buy : Amazon

How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace
A fun Halloween story with a special message about conquering fears and overcoming anxiety, reminding us that even monsters aren’t always as scary as they seem!

Buy : Amazon

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
A witch and her cat encounter a series of animals who would love to join them on their broomstick – the friendly witch is welcoming, while her cat is more than a little skeptical! When they come upon a dragon who would like to eat the witch, she is saved thanks to the ingenuity of her collection of new (and old!) animal friends.

Buy : Amazon

Room on the Broom is also a fun short film for kids to watch at Halloween, check it out in our list of fabulous short films from children’s books and check out our complete list of Halloween Movies for Kids.

The Witch’s Cat by Sonica Ellis
Little Pepper is no ordinary cat but indeed the blackest cat you’d ever meet. Pepper finds it hard to make friends. Is it because of how she looks – the black cat curse? Or is it because she’s a witch’s cat? The Witch’s Hat is great for inspiring discussion about friendship and building confidence.

Buy : Amazon

Monster Mess by Margery Cuyler
A sweet story about a tired monster who cannot sleep because of the mess in a small boy’s room.

Buy : Amazon

Love Monster and the Scary Something by Rachel Bright
The lovable Love Monster is afraid of the dark! All the sounds of the night make his imagination run wild! Will he be brave enough to stare his fears straight in the googly eye?

Buy : Amazon

Monsters Love Underpants by Claire Freedman
A super fun story of monsters of all shapes and sizes who love wearing underpants, even though they know that, if they’re caught, no one will ever find them scary again! Super cute and funny too.

Buy : Amazon

Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler
Bonaparte is falling apart! His bones keep falling off – whenever he plays catch, visits the doctor, even when he rides his bike! With the help of his friends, can Bonaparte find a way to stay together before school starts?⁣

Buy : Amazon

Monsters Don’t Eat Broccoli by Barbara Jean Hicks
A rollicking, rhyming tale of monsters and their menacing meals – they certainly won’t eat broccoli! Or will they??!

Buy : Amazon

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper the rabbit loves eating carrots until one day he notices that he is stalked by… carrots! Unfortunately his stalkers disappear as soon as he tries to spot them, and none of his friends believe his story. What will Jasper do to rid himself of these creepy carrots!

Buy : Amazon

At the Old Haunted House by Helen Ketteman
A frightfully fun counting book for kids! Young readers will enjoy count the cast of creepy creatures as they prepare for their holiday celebration – the Halloween Fright party.

Buy : Amazon

The Halloween Tree by Susan Montanari
Most young saplings dream of becoming Christmas trees but one grumpy, old tree who doesn’t like lights, decorations, or people is determined to be different. He’s determined to be the Halloween Tree! A lovely Halloween story about finding your own place in the world.

Buy : Amazon

The Good, The Bad and the Spooky by Jory John
Bad Seed LOVES Halloween! But what’s a seed to do when he can’t find a show-stopping costume for the big night? Can he get a costume together in time? Or will this seed return to his bad ways?!!

Buy : Amazon

Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween by Sivan Hong
A useful tool for helping children to understanding why some of their friends may not be looking forward to Halloween, as they find it scary or overwhelming. This is a great Halloween picture book for helping kids to understand kindness and empathy.

Buy : Amazon

Hey, That’s My Monster by Amanda Noll
When Ethan looks under the bed for his monster, he finds this note instead: “So long, kid. Gotta go. Someone needs me more than you do. -Gabe” How will Ethan ever get to sleep without his monster’s comforting snorts? And who could need Gabe more than Ethan does?!!

Buy : Amazon

Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pienkowski
The first in the classic series of simple stories featuring a kind hearted witch, Meg, and her faithful companion cat, Mog, these titles have remained popular for over 40 years for a reason.

Buy : Amazon

Goodnight Little Monster by Helen Ketteman
Super cute and fun to read, young children will love reading about the little monster and how he gets ready for bed…which might be a little different to their own routine with howling at the moon, scrubbing his scales and enjoying a bedtime snack of worm juice and baked beetle bread!

Buy : Amazon

That Monster On The Block by Sue Ganz-Schmidt
Monster is excited to see what kind of creature will move into Vampire’s old house. But when the moving truck pulls up, it’s not a greedy goblin, an ogre, or a dastardly dragon that steps out. Instead, Monster’s new neighbor is something more terrifying than Monster could ever have imagined!

Buy : Amazon

Monster Trouble by Lane Fredrickson
Nothing frightens Winifred Schnitzel – but she needs her sleep, and the neighborhood monsters won’t let her be! They sneak in, growling and belching and making a ruckus. Even Winifred’s clever traps don’t stop these crafty creatures. What’s a girl to do?!

Buy : Amazon

Moldilocks and the Three Scares: A Zombie Tale by Lynne Marie
Papa Scare, Mama Scare and Baby Scare live in a spooky haunted house. One night, they go out to walk their dog to let their alpha-bat soup cool down but while they’re away in walks the zombie Moldilocks! A spooky twist on a hauntingly familiar story.

Buy : Amazon

The Monster At the End Of This Book by Jon Stone
Sesame Street’s Grover will do anything to stop you turning the pages of this book.. you see, there is a scary monster at the end of the book!

Buy : Amazon

There’s a Ghost in This House by Oliver Jeffers
Jeffers has created a fun interactive Halloween picture book about a haunted house. A little girl takes you through the rooms of the house searching for the ghost that she is sure lives there. Using a clever transparent page between each of the book pages, sees ghosts appear on each page! Watch the narrator closely, there is something ghostly about her too!

Buy : Amazon

More Halloween Learning Resources

Love this list of Halloween Books for Kids? Check out these related Halloween learning tools and resources;

10 Printable Halloween Games

21 Halloween Art Activities

Printable Halloween Alphabet Mazes

The post 35 Spookilicious Halloween Books for Kids appeared first on Childhood101.

As there are many different considerations for different children (and families) as they start school for the year, I’ve divided the books into a number of different sections, including books on starting school for kindergarteners and first graders, books for children feeling worried or anxious (including separation anxiety), and more! See each section below for further explanation.

21 Best Picture Books About Starting School

Each title is linked to Amazon (these are affiliate links) where you will find reviews and more information about each book.

For those with children starting preschool, daycare or another early education service, check out our list of 10 Books About Starting Preschool.

Children’s Books on Starting School

Stories can provide a positive, low stress way of introducing information about the new experience of going to school to children. The following children’s books on starting school are great for those moving into school for the first time.

First Day by Andrew Daddo
We love this book! The first day can be challenging for children…and for parents! The book explores all of the things children need to do each day to get ready for school and reinforces the message that Mum or Dad will be back – “the best bit about waving goodbye is the next wave will be hello” – with a fun twist..

Buy : Amazon

The Wild Guide to Starting School by Laura Bunting
The most lighthearted, fun starting school book to help prepare children for a move into kindergarten or first grade. You’ll not find better advice for starting school (for both children and adults!) than the very funny suggestions offered by a group of Australian animals!

Buy : Amazon

The Pigeon HAS to Go to School by Mo Willems
Fans of Pigeon and anyone looking for a new addition to their books on starting school will love this hilarious take on the genre. Pigeon absolutely does not want to go to school – after all, he already know everything! And it is hard to read with one big eye! This one will have children laughing out loud.

Buy : Amazon

The Things I Love About School by Trace Moroney
In The Things I Love About School, Trace Moroney focuses on the interesting aspects of being at school  including learning lots of new things and trying new things, as well as playing and making new friends. I love that it ends, “I wonder what I will learn tomorrow. I love school!”

Buy : Amazon

Chu’s First Day of School by Neil Gaiman
Chu, the panda with the big sneeze, is heading off to school for the first time. He hopes the other boys and girls will be nice. Will they like him? What will happen at this strange new place called school? And what will happen if Chu sneezes?

Buy : Amazon

I Am Too Absolutely Small for School by Lauren Child
We are long time Charlie and Lola fans. With Lola (or rather her imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson) feeling nervous about starting school – after all, why does one even need to know how to count to 100 when one never eats more than 10 biscuits at a time? –  Charlie does his best to reassure her that it will be lots of fun and she will make friends. And on her very first day she does indeed make a very special friend.

Buy : Amazon

Going to School by Anna Civardi
Percy and Polly Peach are starting school and we get to spend the first day with them. A simple story, this book walks children through many of the experiences they will enjoy in a play-based, first years program – with the story taking us from the time the twins are getting up and getting ready, through to meeting the teacher and having a parent stay for a little while, with lots of play, making things, music and story time before it’s time to head home again.

Buy : Amazon

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
My girls have both loved the audio version of this story and I am pretty sure it is because of the lovely rhythm of the text. As Miss Bindergarten gets ready for her children to come to class, the kindergarten students are also preparing for their big first day.

Buy : Amazon

Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee
There are lots of rules in school. But what if you can’t tie your shoelaces? Because that’s a rule too. Countdown to Kindergarten explores the anxieties of a little girl who is about to start kindergarten in the ten days before class starts. Will she be the only one who can’t tie her shoes?

Buy : Amazon

Books for Kids Feeling Worried or Anxious

The thought of starting school can be very exciting for both child and family but for many children there is a fine line between excited and over-excited or anxious. These starting school books are great for children who are feeling worried or anxious.

The Color Monster Goes to School by Anna Llenas
The Color Monster is feeling nervous – it’s his first day of school and he does not know what to expect! A great starting school book for fans of The Color Monster who are feeling nervous about their first day.

Buy : Amazon

RELATED: If you are a fan of The Color Monster be sure to check out our Color Monster Emotions Jar Activity.

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Wemberly has many worries – big and small! But her very biggest worries are about starting school. With the help of her family, new teacher and a new friend, Wemberly manages to make it through her very first day.

Buy : Amazon

Butterflies on the First Day of School by Annie Silvestro
Rosie’s been excited about starting school but on the morning of the first day she’s feeling unwell. ‘You have butterflies in your belly,’ her mama tells her. Rosie is startled when a butterfly flies out of her mouth whilst talking to a new friend on the school bus! As the day goes on, Rosie frees all her butterflies and even helps another shy student let go of hers.

Buy : Amazon

Back to School Books

This collection of books offers a fun, often amusing look at being back at school for a new year.

Mae’s First Day of School by Kate Berube
As Mae’s first day of school approaches she declares that she is NOT going! A reassuring, gentle and amusing story for children who are nervous about school starting.

Buy : Amazon

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneburg
A super fun story about Sarah Jane Hartwell who doesn’t want to get out of bed for school on the first day. In a fun twist, it turns out Sarah Jane is the teacher! A wonderful way to connect the feelings of students and teachers alike as a new school year begins on the very first day.

Buy : Amazon

Chairs On Strike by Jennifer Jones
A fun rhyming story about a set of school chairs in despair of how they are treated going on strike! Great back to school book as setting behavioral expectations.

Buy : Amazon

This Is a School by John Schu
A joyful celebration of the nurturing, inclusive community a school can be.

Buy : Amazon

Books About Being Yourself

Doubts about school can come in many forms, including worries about the ways a child might be different from, or less able than, their classmates. Parents and teachers can support children experiencing these feelings with a story (or two!) about learning to be yourself.

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
Penelope Rex the dinosaur is about to start her first day of school. The problem is Penelope is a carnivorous dinosaur, and her classmates are all children! The book humorously addresses Penelope’s struggle to resist the urge to eat her classmates, as well as the challenges she faces in making friends and fitting in.

Buy : Amazon

The Smart Cookie by Jory John
Cookie never feels as smart as her friends, no matter how hard she tries! A lovely story exploring the different ways in which children learn, a great choice for children who feel a little nervous about not being as smart as the other children at school.

Buy : Amazon

Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
Chrysanthemum, adores her name. Why wouldn’t she? Her parents chose it especially for her. When she finally gets to go to school though, the experience isn’t all that she’d hoped for. Her peers tease Chrysanthemum because of her beautiful and unique name. How will she handle this unexpected problem?

Buy : Amazon

RELATED: For more books that help children to both accept themselves and learn to respect differences in others, check out our collection of Books About Diversity and Difference.

Books for Children With Separation Anxiety

The following books offer extra support for children experiencing separation anxiety from a primary caregiver.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Chester Racoon is sad about starting school, worried that he will miss his Mummy and his toys and all of the things he loves to do at home.  His mother reassures him that he will love school once he starts and it is not so strange and scary any more, and then she shares a secret with him – the secret of The Kissing Hand. I think this book is just as much for those mamas who are worried about being sad at missing their child as it is for the little ones.

Buy : Amazon

The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
This simple, novel idea for helping children overcome separation anxiety from family members is perfect for children worried about missing a caregiver as they start school.

Buy : Amazon

RELATED: For more books that help children face their fears, check out our big list of books about being afraid.

More Starting School Resources

For more handy starting school resources, check out these related posts;

50 Lunch Box Snack Ideas: Printable List

Morning Time Management Tips for Families

Daily Routine Picture Cards

The post 21 Starting School Books to Help Ease the Transition appeared first on Childhood101.

However, whatever age or stage your child is in, preparing for this transition is a really important step in this big life change.

For us, it was Immy starting kindergarten. And despite my experiences as an early childhood teacher working in both child care centres and kindergarten, helping hundreds of families with this very transition, I cried buckets! Immy, well, she was just fine!

Many children start at an early learning service with very few experiences of being cared for by anyone other than their parents or other immediate family members and so it is reasonable to expect a degree of separation anxiety as they settle in.

However, every child can experience periods of anxiety around attending care at some stage – it might be on the first day, or some time later. It might be because of a change of service, or changes within the staffing team at your regular center.

Think about the anxiety you feel about starting a new job. In the same way, it takes time for children and families to form bonds and feel comfortable with new adults, with different groups of children, and to adjust to new settings and routines. There are however a number of things you can do to help your child (and family) prepare for this new stage.

9 Tips for Starting Day Care, Preschool or Kindy

1. Choose the right service for your family
The first step in easing your child’s transition is choosing the best care option for your child within your local area – whether that be family day care, center based child care, preschool or kindergarten. You will feel much more comfortable sending them off on this new adventure if you are confident that you have chosen the care option and individual service that best suits your child and family.

2. Spend time getting ready together
Talk gently with your child about the upcoming transition, being mindful that the aim is to prepare your child for what is ahead without making them overly anxious or too excited. Take them shopping for a new backpack or lunch box and drink bottle just for ‘school.’ Read stories about starting child care or kindergarten. These types of interactions will help to create a bridge between home and school.

3. Take advantage of any orientation opportunities offered by the service
The aim of orientation sessions is to provide your child with a chance to become familiar with the physical space, staff, routines and other children. It is a great idea to start visiting the service a few weeks before your child starts care, and multiple visits are very valuable.

4. Work together with your service to provide the best care and education for your child
The importance of positive family-school communication cannot be underestimated when it comes to quality early childhood programs, after all the family is the richest source of information about the individual child and a true learning community welcomes the contributions of all of its members. Both the centre/school and the individual family share responsibility for regular communication about the child.

With regards to children starting in a new program or service, many preschools will provide a survey or questionnaire about your child, their family, interests, development and routines in addition to a regular enrollment form (like the sample shown below). This information is important for helping staff welcome your child into the service and for adjusting routines and programs to incorporate their individual needs for care and the learning program.

This free printable All About Me survey sheet is available as a complimentary download for families and those providing an early education service for children. Download here.

5. Develop a morning routine
Being prepared and organized with a regular morning routine will help you to start the day calmly and without rushing. You can find out more about our morning routine here.

6. When the time comes, send them off with a piece of ‘family’
Taking along a family photo, their regular comforter or a favorite (small) soft toy is a lovely way for your child to take a little piece of familiar home and family with them on their new adventure.

7. Acknowledge your own anxiety privately
It’s important to model a sense of confidence and calm to your child as children are very perceptive and will sense how you feel about the upcoming transition, however it is perfectly understandable if you need to take a private moment to acknowledge your own feelings about the change.

8. Don’t be afraid to check in if you feel you need to
Do not hesitate to call your child’s service if you are worried about how they have settled. When you collect your child, ask staff how the day went and check their daily record sheet or program for further information about your child’s day. These snippets of information will help you to talk with your child about their day.

9. When your child is upset
Some children will get upset when it comes to drop off time. If this happens, try;

• Taking advantage of any opportunity offered to go into the room to settle your child to an activity. Once children are engaged in play, it is often easier for them to separate from you.
• Say goodbye and tell your child in a non-clock way when you will be back to pick him/her up (for example, after you’ve had morning tea or after rest time).
• Resist the urge to hang around after saying goodbye.
• If your child is upset, leave them with a staff member. Experienced staff will have a myriad of techniques for supporting your child through their anxiety once you are gone.
• For children experiencing ongoing tears and anxiety at drop off time, consider if it is a general problem of anxiety about attending care or more a case of difficulty separating from Mum or Dad.  If separation from one parent is the problem then consider making short term arrangements for the other parent or another family member to assume drop off responsibility.  A short period with an alternative drop off person can work to break the anxiety cycle for some children.

More Starting Preschool Tips & Resources

For more tips for starting preschool or daycare, check out these related posts;

10 Books About Starting Preschool

Printable Morning Routine Cards

101 Social Skills Books for Kids

The post 9 Tips for Starting Child Care, Preschool or Kindergarten appeared first on Childhood101.

Why learn about the Olympic Games?

The Olympic Games is a major, international sporting event held every four years. It is considered the foremost sports competition in the world, with athletes from more than 200 countries competing in a wide range of sports.

There are lots of interesting facts and rituals, involving both the tradition of the ancient Olympics and the Olympic Games as we know them today, to engage children in learning about this fabulous event.

With this set of Olympics worksheets including Olympics facts and information for children, your students will have a better understanding of how the Olympic Games started and how it operates today, its relationship to the Winter Olympics and Paralympics, the important symbols and rituals of each Olympic Games event, the sports offered and the Olympic medals.

Free, Printable Olympic Games Worksheets for Middle Grades

This free Olympic Games printables pack is best suited to children in elementary grades (primary school) and middle grades 3-7. The pack includes;

4 pages of interesting Olympic Games facts covering;

• The Olympics in Ancient Times
• The Modern Summer Olympics
• The Paralympics
• The Winter Olympics
• The Olympic symbols and brand
• The Olympic flame and torch
• The Opening and Closing Ceremonies
• The Sports Roster
• Olympic Medals.

The supporting worksheets and activity sheets include;

• Olympic Games True or False Worksheet
• Summer Olympic Games Host Cities Research Activity
• Two page Olympic Athlete Research Prompts and Record Sheet
• Summer Olympics Sports Word Scramble
• Summer Olympics Sports Word Search
• Olympic Games Host City Word Search
• Summer Olympic Games Crossword
• Summer Olympics Host City Crossword

We have also added a set of Answer Sheets for each activity pack that also includes three handy lists of host cities for the modern Summer Olympic Games, Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

And you can download this PDF of printable Olympic Games activities as either of two versions of the worksheets – the first is US Letter sized with US spelling and the second is A4 sized with UK spelling.

Tips for Download & Printing : Olympic Games Worksheets

Printing Tips

• Save the PDF to your computer.
• Open the PDF to print the pages you require.
• When printing, select “Fit to printable area” (or similar) to ensure the page fits with your printer type and local paper size.

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Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell. You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents. Teachers may use multiple copies for students in their own classroom.

More Learning Around the World Resources

For related resources, check out these geography posts;

75 Picture Books from Around the World

Great Geography Videos for Kids

Online Geography Games

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