December Newsletter

Website: iafamilysupportnetwork.org Phone: 1-888-IAKIDS1

The Iowa Family Support Network serves as a central point of contact to help parents and providers connect to Early ACCESS, Family Support, and Group Based Parent Education Services for 0-5 year olds and their families across the state of Iowa.

The IFSN Newsletter’s intention is to keep you connected and provide information that may be informative and beneficial to the families and clients that you serve.

Promoting Creativity in Your ChildrenCreativity is a skill, not a talent. This means that people can practice and improve their creativity. Children often practice this skill when using their imaginations. Encouraging your children to practice creativity provides them the opportunity to develop many important life skills and promotes good health and happiness. Working through different scenarios allows them to problem-solve and find creative solutions. Exploring different ideas promotes flexibility, which in turn helps them adapt to changes. Some forms of creativity provides people with a healthy outlet for managing stress. In today’s busy society, it can be difficult taking the time to provide creative opportunities for our children, so below are some tips to foster creativity:

Limit the amount of time watching. T.V. shows and movies and playing video games. These screen related entertainment sources provide children with enough characters, plot-lines, props, and other images that prevent children from creating their own story-lines and problems to work through. Furthermore, companies have created enough toys associated with the many characters, props, locations and other aspects from this entertainment that children no longer have to pretend a stick is a sword or the old remote controls an alien space ship.

Provide enough time for unstructured, child-lead play, free from adult direction. Provide specific spaces for creative play. A Lego table provides a boundary

where they have the freedom to dig and dump out the pieces. A desk provides a place where they can create images with art materials. If you do not have a toy room, you can place a carpet down that acts as their creative space for

Providing Care and Support to Iowa’s Families and Children

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Upcoming Events

December 8, 2018Mica Mobile Food Pantry

Grace United Methodist ChurchBrooklyn, Iowa

Occurs Every 2nd Saturday

December 19, 2018Mica Mobile Food Pantry

Public LibraryVictor, Iowa

Occurs Every 3rd Wednesday

December 19, 2018Nest Parenting Education Classes at IA State

EXT. OfficeAlbia, Iowa

December 25, 2018 Free Christmas Meal

Hope Ministries Bethel Mission ChurchDes Moines, Iowa

To find more upcoming events in your area, visit the IFSN events tab on the IFSN

website!

AnnouncementIf you are a provider and would like to have your agency’s events listed on the website, please contact IFSN

at iafamilysupportnetwork@everystep..org Please know, the events can

be parent classes, conferences and activities that both providers and/or

families of children 0-5 may be interested in attending.

imaginative play. Store items like costume components and building materials in easy-to-access bins to help contain the creative messes.

Encourage mistakes and failures. Children who are afraid of failure will struggle to master their own creativity.

For more ideas on how to foster creativity in your children, please visit: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/7_ways_to_foster_creativity_in_your_kids

Chocolate Reindeer Cookies

How to Help Children with Special Needs Enjoy Holiday Festivities

Providing Care and Support to Iowa’s Families and Children

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RemindersKeeping you connected

IFSNWe are still accepting applications for Children at Home. Applications

are on our website here: https://www.iafamilysupportnetwork.org/chil

dren-at-home/application-process

IFSN will continue to keep you informed on exciting updates within

our program and statewide!

Announcement

Please call or email us to schedule presentation about Children at

Home

It’s that time of year again! You are probably spending a lot of time in the kitchen preparing festive meals and deserts. With this fun, kid friendly recipe, your time in the kitchen can also be bonding time with the little ones. Happy baking! For directions please visit https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-reindeer-cookies/

What you’ll need:

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¾ cup butter, cubed 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar 2 tablespoon water 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate time 2 large eggs ½ teaspoon almond extract 1 can (16 ounces) chocolate frosting

The holiday season is full of sights, smells, and family. While this is wonderful for most children, it can be overwhelming for children with special needs. It interrupts their routines and causes a stimulation overload. Friendship Circle is a blog that has some great advice for parents who have children with special needs and are worried about the holidays. Below are a couple of tips given:

Parents with children who struggle with fine motor skills can open a corner of holiday cards that are fully sealed and wrapped gifts to make it easier on the child to open. Another option for these parents is to encourage relatives and friends to seal their cards with stickers rather than sealing the entire flap and to package gifts in bags.

Introduce new smells by adding them to your child’s play dough. For example, put cinnamon in the dough. Parents can also ask guests to limit perfume and cologne.

To read the blog and find out more tips visit:

https://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2012/12/12/13-holiday-survival-tips-for-your-child-with-special-needs/