Errands

[adaycarelady]

You can't be doing learning activities from open to close. As long as a provider does learning activities on a regular basis, it's not going to ruin a child's future if a provider runs errands, cleans the house or plays farmville. Kids want variety too. There is nothing wrong with taking a child out into the fresh air and sun and driving into the real world where they will learn about the world they will grow up in. Yes, they can have these experiences with their parents but alot of my parents drop their kids off and go run their errands so things get done quicker. Providers can easily run their errands after hours in peace too, but they choose to bring their daycare children along during their work hours to add variety to their program. Life skills are very valuable. When these children turn into adults they are not going to be doing learning activities all day, they are going to be running errands so why not teach them how things get done since some parents don't. I play farmville everyday, do my laundry, get all my house cleaning done, pay bills, menu plan, run errands, give the dog a bath and even watch netflicks during naptime. I also have a very educational program and themes. I am not a robot and the perk of working from home is being able to do stuff around the house. I like to get things done during work hours to increase my relaxation time during my off hours. If I didn't do things during my work hours, I'd be doing chores non-stop in the evenings and weekends and would burnout quickly. The kids in my care are very happy and need time as well to interact with each other. They do not want to be listening to me teach all day. Just let kids be kids and let them play!