Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/caring-for-the-little-ones-end-of-the-day-doldrums/5012135/
A common problem is that time in the late afternoon just before the parents start to arrive, when all the children seem to break down and cry, or at least get cranky. Here are some ideas gathered from experienced teachers to make this time easier on everyone.A late afternoon juice snack
Some of the crankiness exhibited in the late afternoon may be caused by an energy ebb and dehydration. When children are dehydrated or hungry, they automatically think of Mommy, the traditional fountain of relief. Giving them a carbohydrate rich snack of fruit juice and perhaps a graham cracker an hour or two after your regular afternoon snack can do wonders to improve everyone's mood, including the caregivers'!
Here are some other things to try:
_ Activities that focus on the sense of touch are often soothing to children feeling stress. Play dough, sand, and water play are good choices. If you prefer something cleaner because you have bussed up the room, you might put two colors of thick tempera paint in zip lock bags and let children push the paint around to make new colors. Or squirt some shaving cream and food coloring into a zip close bag and let children squeeze it.
_ Make the ...