Category: Blog

While summer camp is about getting outside and playing and broadening your children’s horizons, there’s a whole other way to broaden their outlook—getting inside a great book! However, so many parents we talk to struggle to keep their children engaged in reading when screen time has become such a popular (and frankly, often easier) go-to pastime. Reading, however, is directly related to children’s literacy, academic development, and most importantly, positively impacts children’s development. For example, reading directly impacts cognitive development and emotional performance. So how do you develop literacy at home?

If you can, start early.
If you are a parent of one of our Little Friends, it’s an amazing time to engage in reading together. Have a book as a nightly bedtime ritual.

Get silly with it.
Don’t be afraid to change your voice, pantomime, and act out playful or dramatic parts of a story. Build engagement by showing your child how much you’re enjoying the process, too.

Pause as you read.
Reading stories with your child is an opportunity to pause, check in, and learn together. You may want to rush through it and get the story “done” as another chore, but that would be a missed opportunity! Check in with your child (“What did you think of that part?”), Look at pictures, and ask about them, if they’re still part of your child’s book adventure.

Branch out from books.
No one said you have to read a book. What if you find a magazine you both enjoy? Maybe there’s a blog that you and your tween or teen can keep up with you and discuss. Reading is not limited to hard copy texts.

Model, model, model.
Readers come from readers. If your children see you only watching TV, they’re going to do the same. Have designated reading time at night as a family, even if it’s just for half an hour.

Let your child be the author.
Creativity abounds at all ages, so let your children be the author or playwright and get involved in their stories.

Tie books to movies.
Have a stubborn kid who doesn’t want to read? Have him/her read the story or you read along, too; then watch the movie together. Harry Potter is a great place to start for so many ages!

Building literacy is a life-long skill and a journey you’ll take together with your child. Open their minds to the world of reading and watch their imaginations flourish, their vocabulary expand, and their problem-solving blossom.

Looking forward to seeing your readers soon!

Successful children aren’t lucky; they’re efficient, and their parents know the tips and tricks to help keep them on track. You don’t need to have worn green last month to win the luck of the Irish!

Here are 17 of our best executive functioning tips and strategies to ensure your child’s “luck.”

1. Get physical: Children aren’t made to sit still all day, every day, and their bodies benefit from movement breaks. See your child getting frustrated or antsy? Get them up and moving- try 20 jumping jacks or a quick Vinyasa cycle to downward dog to get their brains reactivated and ready to go.
2. Be present: Try mindfulness when your kiddo’s brain is wandering. Help them stop and notice where they are, what they’re doing, and what they need to do next to get them back in the present moment.
3. Meditation: Try guided meditation (whether it’s an app, an audio meditation, or a read-aloud meditation you do yourself) or just practicing recognizing breathing to re-center.
4. Timelines: You know how to plan long-term, but your kids generally don’t. Set up timelines for success. Work with your child to identify the steps they will need to do daily and weekly to achieve monthly and yearly goals.
5. Set up routines: Chaos is no one’s friend. Daily and weekly routines help your child’s brain stay unburdened and able to keep track of new activities.
6. Organize their home space: Bins, buckets, and more! Label frequent usage items and keep them where they’re easily grabbed.
7. NAAG them: No, not nag, NAAG. Try a Night At A Glance chart! For each time, label what task they’ll be doing and have them identify if they’ll need help (and by who) at that time window. It’ll help you organize both their time and yours!
8. Memory mnemonics:  Just like we’ll always remember PEMDAS, teach your child memory strategies to help them keep track of pertinent information in useful chunks.
9. Ready, Set, Achieve: Use a timer! This is one of the best tools that every parent has on their phone. Get your kids ready with language such as “You have ten minutes until it’s time to get in the car. I’m setting the timer now!” and let them keep track of the timer to encourage self-monitoring.
10. Repetition, repetition, repetition: Focus on developing habits over the long-term by repeating positive behaviors over and over again. Repetition is your friend!
11. Use real life skills to teach tasks: Children are more engaged when tasks are transferable to real life skills. Teach your child to count coins by giving them an allowance at the store to buy a treat and letting them do the math; for your older kids, help them create and stick to a budget.
12. Avoid procrastination: The best investment you can make (so long as you use it!) is a planner. Teach them how to use it and stay on top of tasks rather than fall behind.
13. Don’t overschedule: Yes, it may look good for college to have a bunch of activities, but the worst thing you can do for young minds is to overburden them with a packed schedule. Leave room for fun and play! (Might we recommend a summer break for play, as well?)
14. Create a focus zone: Having a designated space for learning away from distractions is key.
15. Silence is golden: Finding your child distractible? Headphones with white noise or “chill” music can help kids focus in.
16. Take frequent breaks: With younger kids, try 15 minutes in, five minutes off. For your older children, try 30 on, ten off with approved break activities.
17. Build Independence: You can’t and shouldn’t do it all for your kids. Foster independence in your child by modeling these skills, and then letting them practice on their own. 

Remember, these skills are transferable not just during the school year but over the summer, too. S@SS works hard to keep your kids engaged, invested, and growing with strategies just like these used daily in our toolbox. See you soon!

Gina Christiano
M.A., Educational Psychology, specialization in School Psychology

Like you, we have been thoughtfully watching and paying attention to the devastation and violence occurring as war has broken out in Eastern Europe. However young or old your child may be, it is likely that they are hearing about it, too. They may have uncomfortable questions or may just be flummoxed by what’s going on, and as a parent, it’s your job to guide them through it. 

This is easier said than done; most of us are struggling to find the words to explain it to ourselves. How do you talk to your child about violence and war? How do you help them feel safe? We’re going to walk you through some strategies for your child to address these difficult topics.

For All Ages:

First, and most importantly, reassure your child that they are safe, that you are safe, and that others in their lives are safe (if applicable). 

Second, let your children know you’re always available to talk. One conversation is likely not enough to encompass the confusion around what is going on, and they will hear rumors at school, from friends, and snippets from the news. Make sure you’re around to clarify so things stay digestible and in proportion. 

Third, keep an eye on your child’s emotional state. Depending on age, maturity, and preference, many children will not express their concerns verbally. Keep an eye out for traumatic reactions like regressive behaviors (bedwetting, for example), but also for simple cues like changes in behavior, appetite, and how they’re sleeping.

Fourth, limit your child’s exposure to TV or the news. Even a channel you may view as “safe” may have breaking news alerts that could alarm your child. Play it safe by monitoring what channels they’re on and the timing they’re viewing these channels so they can avoid being scared.

Below are tips for developmentally appropriate language usage and format to use with your children to explain the current crisis:

Early Elementary:

1. Keep information brief and simple.
2. Balance providing information with providing reassurances. An example would be “Yes, there are schools that are being targeted in Ukraine. However, your school here is safe, and you will be safe at school when you go tomorrow.”
3. Give tangible safety tasks for anxious children, like checking the doors at night. Note: Do not continue if this causes an increase in obsessive concern or checking. 
4. Recount the positives at the end of the day.

Upper Elementary/Early Middle:

1. Reassurances may need to be more complex. You may need to provide concrete examples of what is being done to keep them safe.
2. Separate reality from fantasy. At this age, imaginations can go wild on “what if’s” and “what else could happen.” Make sure you manage these expectations, especially as talk on the news is usually catastrophic and that might be what your child is hearing.
3. Maintain routine. Even older children benefit from a routine to keep them calm and establish normalcy in a time of crisis.

Upper Middle/High School:

1. This is the stage where your child will have strong opinions and complex questions about what is going on. Be prepared for questions about context (“How did this start?”) and ramifications (“Where is it going? Who else could be harmed?”). 
2. Engage them in dialogue about solutions. Granted, we may not have any, but a discourse into what could go right does wonders for calming anxiety and feeling productive in a time of helplessness.
3. Be prepared to discuss tragedy and war in society. You may be asked to dive into philosophical arguments and you may be surprised by your teen’s thought processes. Accept these with an open mind and keep calm as you engage them in conversation.

In times like these, it’s also important to remember the positives. Remind your children that they are blessed to be safe and that they are loved. You can even remind them that fun is coming (hey, summer camp isn’t that far away!). We aren’t above using distraction! 

With these tips for communication and comfort, your child should be on the mend from dealing with this crisis and able to focus on what matters: being a kid, and at S@SS, that’s what we’re all about.

Gina Christiano
M.A., Educational Psychology, specialization in School Psychology

Cues and Phrases to Start Them on the Right Path

As we speed along (is it already the end of January!), you may be wondering how to best prepare your children, and our favorite campers, for the new year. Mindfulness is a research- and evidence-based intervention that prepares children psychologically, emotionally, and mentally to cope with struggle, improve their outcomes, and learn self-awareness. Affirmations are a great and simple strategy in the mindfulness toolbox. Below, we’ve compiled a list of 22 affirmations for building a growth mindset, expressing gratitude, reaffirming self-esteem, bolstering resilience, and choosing joy in 2022.

To Build a Growth Mindset

What is a growth mindset? When your S@SSer learns this way of thought, they learn that intelligence isn’t fixed and that their talents can be developed through hard work. In short, they learn to view challenges as opportunities to improve.  According to “Mindset Theory and School Psychology”, “the mindset a student holds can influence important psychological and behavioral factors, including reaction to failure, persistence, and level of effort, and expectations of success…”, all of which lead to enjoyment of learning and a lifelong desire to improve. 

Here are some excellent growth mindset affirmations for your young ones:

1. When I put forth the effort, I can improve.
2. Every mistake is a chance to learn.
3. My best effort is enough for today.
4. I learn new things every day.
5. I strive for progress, not perfection.(Alternatively, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good)

To Affirm and Find Gratitude

Research indicates that implementing daily gratitude practice as a parent is directly correlated with increased happiness and gratitude in children. Gratitude in and of itself is a proactive intervention that forces children to think positively and with an appreciation for all that they already have.

Try using these affirmations: 

6. I am grateful for the life I have.
7. My parents are thankful for who I am.
8. I am thankful for my family and friends.
9. I am appreciative of this new day.

Want to go a step further in gratitude practice? Try a gratitude walk, where you point out things you are grateful for (for example: “I am grateful for the sun for its light and warmth”), donate old toys to charity, or teach your kiddo to say thank you to someone each day. Remember, gratitude isn’t about the big things, but the little ones that make each day worth living. 

To Bolster Self-Esteem

Here’s a cool fact: people who use self-affirmation (aka, these phrases about self-esteem) are able to restore their sense of self-competence by reflecting on their own sources of worth. What does that mean for your kiddo? Better executive functioning, more feelings of self-efficacy, and improved cognitive functioning, all of which improve their outcomes across the board.

Give these self-esteem primers a go:

10. I get better every single day.
11. I choose my attitude.
12. I am worthy of love.
13. I have the courage to believe in myself.
14. It is enough to do my best. 

To Build a Sense of Resilience

Resilience is tricky, as it’s both innate and learned. Resilience can mean your child’s ability to adapt to difficult circumstances and improve their outcomes, and a large preponderance of data points to resilience as a main factor in mitigating stress and trauma throughout development.  While some kids are born with a hardy sense of resiliency, others need help building up the skill, like using the affirmations below.

Key affirmations to improve resiliency: 

15. I am in charge of my life. 
16. I can get through anything.
17. I will take care of my feelings. 
18. Challenges help me grow. 
19. The best leaders know when to ask for help. 

To Find Joyfulness in Life and Play

Naturally, as a camp that focuses on joy, we have to close out with the most positive of affirmations. You can help your child make a happier life by training them to think positively with these affirmations. By helping them choose happiness (affirmation 20), find joy despite the outcome of their activities (affirmation 21), and recognize their ability to form positivity with their own thoughts (affirmation 22), you’ll set them on the path to success. We can’t wait for that path to lead back to us this summer!

Affirmations for joy and play: 

20. Today I choose happiness.
21. I am a good sport.
22. My positive thoughts create positive feelings. 

We’ll be chiming in over the next few months with more tips for your S@SSer and implementing these strategies ourselves come summer. Let’s see the overlap; you try these at home, and we’ll see who recognizes the phrases when we use them at camp this year! Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Gina Christiano
M.A., Educational Psychology, specialization in School Psychology

Oh there’s no place like SASS for the holidays…

As we merrily roll into the holiday season, don’t forget to plan for fabulous life experiences when you’re considering what to get your children. Even the pickiest of recipients will be excited about eight weeks of rejuvenation, play, and fun! Early registration is just early preparation: it’s never too early to be thinking about coming home to Summer at Sandy Spring for the holidays.

Cause no matter how far you roam…

It doesn’t matter how far apart the year may take us; there’s a reason why so many of our families return year after year! With over 140 acres of land for your children to explore, a multitude of activities and sports, and this year, even more fresh offerings like sewing, dance, and theatre, your family will always find new ways to roam at SASS.

When you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze…

Beyond our amenities, you can’t beat the genuine, welcoming, and joyful faces of our staff as they welcome your kids back to the area’s best camp. The friendly gazes of SASS’ team of enthusiastic and dedicated camp counselors, educators, and administrators are sure to bring that holiday feeling year-round. Christmas in July, anyone?  

For the holidays you can’t beat camp, sweet camp!

You get the gist! For the holidays, nothing really beats the joy of coming back home to us at Summer at Sandy Spring. Here’s our biggest secret of all though: the gift is really for us. We ho-ho-hope to see you next year! 

Click below to sign up today!

(There’s a limited time 15% discount)

… and introducing our Subject Matter Expert on child development and education, Gina Cristiano, M.A.

We know you count on us, not just for your child’s fun and physical development, but for their overall enrichment as well. In order for us to continue to give you what you so crucially need, we are committed to going above and beyond the camp experience of only one season. Our on-site staff of college-educated and masters level teachers, camp counselors and assistants, provide your child with educated leadership that prioritizes growth from a whole-child approach. These professionals enthusiastically strive to help your child reach their developmental goals in the “off” months of summer.

However, it’s not just our on-site staff that has a wealth of expertise to share with SASS families. We also have secret weapons behind the scenes, helping to inform best practices and make SASS better, not just every year, but every day. To keep growing, information has to be shared; whether that’s parent education, psychoeducation, cognitive and academic development, learning emotions, or teachers’ tips for school skills and more, we don’t want to keep this information siloed away to ourselves! From now on, you’ll be getting insight, recommendations, research, and best practices straight from our subject matter expert, Gina Cristiano.

Gina received her master’s degree from the top-ranked University of Texas at Austin in Educational Psychology with a specialization in School Psychology and worked in schools across Texas and Virginia before starting her own psychoeducational intervention business. Prior to her graduate-level training, Gina completed her undergraduate degree at Chapman University in California and graduated with departmental honors in Psychology with an emphasis on Child Development.

According to the National Association of School Psychologists, school psychologists improve academic achievement, promote positive behavior and mental health, support diverse learners, create safe, positive school climates, and strengthen family-school partnerships. Gina’s training included:

• Practices that promote learning
• How to boost children’s resilience and what risk factors exist
• Academic and learning interventions
• Mental health and behavioral interventions and best practices
• Instructional support and the needs of special learners
• Family, school, and community collaboration
• Diversity in development and learning

In addition, Gina has worked with children from diverse backgrounds and those with special needs since middle school. What does her expertise mean for you, parents and readers? Well, Gina is an expert on a multitude of topics, which believe it or not, are not just fancy buzz words from a parenting magazine. Furthermore, her background in education, psychology, and the psychology of learning will help inform our practices going forward.

Going forward, you’ll be reading articles from her sharing expertise on Parent Education, Social Competency, Emotional Skills, and Friendship, and Cognitive Development and Executive Functioning.

These are all vital subject areas that SASS emphasizes throughout our Friends’ journey that are also vital to a child’s healthy development year-round. Our goal is to be a reliable, data-based and current resource to you, parents and readers, while still making things fun to read and easy to absorb. You trust us with your children for two months out of the year, and we thank you. Now you can trust us to have your back for the other ten months (and to help keep you sane on this crazy parenting journey!).

Look for us weekly, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to see information on a certain topic. In the meantime, look for our themed posts, just as you look forward to our themed weeks every year. Same style, new content. Welcome to the new SASS blog!