Kids & Company Blog: Development & Milestones

Getting Young Children to Eat: My two biggest mistakes

The two biggest mistakes I’ve made when it comes to fostering healthy eating habits in my two-year-old daughter and four-year-old son are: 1.  Paying too much attention to what/how much they eat. 2.  Giving them too many choices regarding what/how much they eat. When I share these mistakes with other parents in my Wholeplay classes,… [read more]


See what Emma’s eating? The positive impact of eating with peers

Say the words “picky eater” and you may get strong reactions. Some parents will tell you woefully how their child will only eat white food while others report that Junior has the palate of Julia Child. At some point, most parents deal with a child who is resistant to new foods. Yes, you do hear… [read more]


How do you know you don’t like it if you’ve never tried it?

I cringe whenever that phrase sneaks out of my mouth because I’m caught in that awkward life phase where I still remember being a kid perplexed at the things my parents said but I’ve also become a mother exasperated at the stubborn, faulty and maddening logic of a Picky Eater. Our one-year-old isn’t the issue;… [read more]


Learning Through Music in the Classroom!

All children love music, but some love it more than others! My grandson Maclean is just over two, and he really really loves music. He sings and dances along to many of the Mumford and Sons songs! So how does music fit in to our day at Kids & Company? As you know, we pride… [read more]


Ages and Stages of Play!

To follow up on my previous blog post about the importance of play, I thought I would share how children play at different ages. As every stage of development is drastically different, their ability to play will be too. Of course younger babies can’t toddle over to a toy and explore, but as a parent… [read more]


Outdoor play, the Kidco way!

What will the children play with? Why isn’t there a slide or monkey bars? Will there be enough for my child to do? These are just a few of the questions that arise when some parents tour Kids & Company outdoor play spaces. As you may know, we have built many child care centres over the… [read more]


The Benefits of Play!

In my family, we’ve always had lots of play. With eight children, they all at some point another played with each other and kept busy with great pretend games, sports play and sensory activities (even if that means making a mud pit in the backyard!). It is so important for children to explore through play… [read more]


The Importance of Play

Studying at Ryerson University where I earned my degree in Early Childhood Education and studying the likes of Jean Piaget, I learned that play can be physical but also cognitive (intellectual).  Piaget considers that play is related to cognitive development as it helps children construct knowledge and make sense of their world.  Piaget promoted inquiry… [read more]


Grand Graduation!

June is certainly a busy month at Kids & Company!!!  Last week we were celebrating Father’s Day and now we are gearing up for our Kidco Preschool Graduations! Soon, our Preschoolers will receive their Kids & Company diploma and become honourary Alumni. Time flies!!!!!  We invite you, and your family, to take part in celebrating… [read more]


Communicating with your Little One: Sign Language

I was never very into the idea of baby sign language. My son, Mac, has always been very vocal and through his sounds, few words, and cries I felt like we communicated quite well. Having worked in the Kids & Company centres for years, I am relatively familiar with basic signs such as “milk”, “more”, “water”, and… [read more]