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The Five Love Languages in Which Your Child Speaks

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Discovering Your Child’s Love Language: A Guide for Parents

February is the month of hearts and flowers — love is a superpower, even for children. Love is known to help heal wounds and right some wrongs, and given in the right way, it strengthens us for the world we face. Love is our most potent power as parents when paired with intelligence and wisdom.

An essential part of our mission at Creekside Kids is helping parents and caregivers understand and connect with their little ones. A great way to enhance these connections is to identify and understand your child’s love language. Love languages can be a beautiful tool in fostering strong, loving relationships.

What Are Love Languages?

Dr. Gary Chapman introduced the idea of love languages in his book, The Five Love Languages. According to Dr. Chapman, everyone has a primary love language—a way of expressing and receiving love that resonates deeply with them. Chapman wrote another book with the late Dr. Ross Campbell, The 5 Love Languages of Children, which focuses on how children communicate love – expressing and asking for love.

The five love languages are Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.

How to Identify Your Child’s Primary Love Language(s)

Communicating with your child is crucial to understanding their behavior, as behavior is often how children communicate (through words, actions, and behaviors) with us before they learn higher reasoning. Discovering your child’s primary love language(s) involves observing their behavior and considering the activities they most enjoy. Here are some strategies to help you identify and cultivate your child’s love language:

Observe Their Behavior

The best path to understanding your child’s love languages is to observe how they communicate their feelings through their behavior. Try to correlate their actions to the five love languages:

Words of Affirmation – this is about expressing love through words, praise, and compliments. Does your child light up when they receive praise or positive reinforcement from you? Do they often give compliments to others? Words of Affirmation are a social strength that we frequently remark as being ‘sensitive.’

Acts of Service – Acts of Service mean showing love through actions that help or serve others. Does your child frequently try to help you or others with tasks or chores? Do they express gratitude when you do things for them? 

Receiving Gifts – this is less about materialism and more about feeling loved through the giving and receiving of thoughtful gifts. Does your child cherish their possessions and enjoy receiving even the smallest gifts? Does she leave small tokens of her favorite things behind, knowing you will pick them up?

Quality Time – feeling valued when spending undivided attention with loved ones, which can be a premium for a busy parent. Does your child crave one-on-one time with you and feel most connected when engaging in activities together?

Physical Touch – Expressing and receiving love through physical affection. Does your child seek out hugs, cuddles, and other forms of physical affection?

Experiment with Different Expressions of Love

If you’re not sure which languages your child speaks in, don’t worry! Just try them all on for size. Try focusing on each of the five love languages and observe your child’s reaction to each. Over time, you will notice which love language makes them feel the most valued and loved.  It takes time for a child’s primary and secondary languages to appear.

Ask for Their Input

Depending on your child’s age, you can also have simple conversations about what makes them feel loved. Ask how they know that so-and-so loves them. Their answers can provide valuable insights.  

Exploring love languages further can enrich your understanding and application of this concept in your interactions with your child. Here are some additional resources:

By identifying and matching to your child’s love language, you are bonding with your child in a way that will support their emotional well-being and development. At Creekside Kids, we’re here to help you every step of this incredible journey. If you’d like to discuss a place at Creekside Kids for your kids, we invite you to click this embedded link to schedule an appointment. Let’s get to know each other! Like us on Facebook to follow our stories for news and updates. We’re located at 1201 W Cheyenne Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80906, and we can be reached at (719) 635-9111. Our new hours of operation are 6:45 a.m. until 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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Teaching Kids about New Years’ Resolutions

Image by Jupi Lu from Pixabay

And just like that… it’s 2025. 

2024 went by so quickly for so many of us! There’s hardly been any time to reflect on what a year we’ve had, let alone setting resolutions for the year ahead.   But, if you’re anything like me, you’re probably feeling slightly overwhelmed by the thought of setting goals for the next 365 days. It can be hard to know where to start and what to focus on when so many things are vying for our attention!

At Creekside Kids, we’re big believers in developing routines and rituals with children.  We believe children feel safe and secure when they have a predictable schedule. They know what to expect and can rely on their parents to provide for them. This is especially important during times of transition, like starting school or moving to a new home. But it’s also important in everyday life! When kids know what’s coming next, they’re less likely to get upset or frustrated when things don’t go as planned.

Introducing change to a child can sometimes be challenging. If you are establishing a change that will impact your children, consider introducing the ritual of New Year’s Resolutions to your child. It’s an excellent opportunity to teach the concept of setting, measuring, and achieving goals.

Why Do We Make Resolutions?

As you know, a New Year’s resolution is a tradition in which individuals set goals or promises to themselves to improve their lives or behavior in the coming year. These resolutions can relate to a variety of aspects of life, including health, personal development, and relationships. They spend their year milestoning benchmarks of their achievements related to their goal(s).

As adults, we often make New Year’s resolutions to foster positive change in our lives. According to a study published by the University of Scranton, 45% of Americans make resolutions yearly. Common resolutions include:

  • Improving health: such as eating healthier or exercising more
  • Managing finances: saving money or reducing debt
  • Personal growth: learning new skills or hobbies
  • Strengthening relationships: spending more quality time with family

These resolutions are goals we set to create happier, healthier lives for ourselves and our families.

Teaching Children About Resolutions

It’s important to introduce the concept of New Year’s resolutions to children in a positive, compassionate, and sensible way. Here are some tips on how to involve young children in the tradition of making resolutions:

  1. Use Simple Language

Start by explaining what a resolution is in simple terms. You might say, “A resolution is a promise you make to yourself to try to do something better or to help others more.”  You could ask your child if they have something they would like to do better or to help others and partner with your child in achieving a goal.

  1. Make it Fun and Relatable

Please help your child choose fun and appropriate resolutions for their age. For example:

Personal Responsibility: “I will make my bed every morning.”

Health-focused: “I will try to eat more colorful fruits and veggies.”

Learning New Skills: “I will practice drawing animals.”

  1. Model Positive Behavior

Children learn from observing others, especially adults, and most importantly, their parents. Share your resolutions with your child and let them see you work towards your goals. This helps them understand the importance of commitment and perseverance.  It is very helpful for them to see you make a mistake and then acknowledge it and move on with an intention to improve.

  1. Create a Family Tradition

Make setting resolutions a family activity. You could have a special family dinner where each member shares their resolutions. This makes it a bonding experience and reinforces a positive family culture around goal setting.

  1. Celebrate Small Wins

Please set up a reward system to celebrate when your child progresses on their resolutions. Positive reinforcement encourages ongoing effort and commitment.

  1. Be Compassionate About Changes

Change can sometimes be stressful for children. Reassure them that it’s okay to struggle and that making mistakes is a natural part of learning. Keep the atmosphere encouraging and stress-free.  Letting your child see you make mistakes, acknowledging them, and moving on is key.  They learn that no one is perfect and we all need a team.

  1. Keep it Consistent

Reviewing progress on resolutions can be a part of your routine. Whether it’s a weekly family meeting or a monthly check-in, consistency helps keep the resolutions on track.

Resources and References

Here are some helpful resources for making resolutions with your children:

American Psychological Association (APA): Offers tips for setting goals with children.

PBS Parents: Provides activities and advice on making resolutions with kids. 

Zero to Three: Explains the importance of routines and goals for young children. 

Involving your preschoolers in the New Year’s resolutions tradition can help them build essential life skills, such as goal setting and perseverance, while also developing a closer family bond. Remember, the goal is to keep it positive, fun, and age-appropriate. Here’s to a year filled with growth, love, and joyful learning!

Thank you for being a part of our Creekside Kids community, and we wish you and your family success on your resolutions this year! If you’d like to discuss a place at Creekside Kids for your kids, we invite you to click this embedded link to schedule an appointment. Let’s get to know each other! Like us on Facebook to follow our stories for news and updates. We’re located at 1201 W Cheyenne Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80906, and we can be reached at (719) 635-9111. Our new hours of operation are 6:45 a.m. until 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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Baking With Your Kids

Image by Couleur from Pixabay

 

As the Colorado air turns crisp and the days grow short, we spend more time indoors, creating opportunities for warm, memorable activities with our little ones. One timeless activity we wholeheartedly recommend is the baking of bread, together, parent and child. While one thinks of bread making taking a long time, we have a short cut for you if you are pressed for time!  There are myriad benefits to this simple yet joyful task, and we’d like to share them with you, drawing insights from the beautiful “Easy Crusty Bread” article published in Mother Earth News back in December of 2008 that Jennifer has held on to since her own children were small.  She never had time for the kneading and rising process and found this simple way to quickly bake fragrant fresh bread on demand.

A Holiday Helper

Baking bread at home can be convenient during the holiday season. A loaf of freshly baked bread creates a cozy, festive atmosphere as it wafts through the house. And homemade bread makes a personable, heartfelt gift for friends and neighbors, demonstrating the significance of sharing and giving.

Teaching Kitchen Safety

The kitchen is a hub of activity and a place to introduce essential safety lessons. While baking bread, you can teach your child about the dangers present in a kitchen, such as hot ovens and sharp utensils. With your guidance, they will learn to navigate these hazards responsibly, building both their confidence and awareness.

A Creative Project

Baking bread can also be part of creative projects. From measuring ingredients to kneading dough, it introduces children to basic math and science concepts in a hands-on manner. The transformation of ingredients to a finished loaf of warm bread can pique curiosity, wonder, and understanding about how things work. And, of course, baking bread is a creative outlet in itself. Your child can experiment with different flavors and textures, adding their own personal touch to the recipe. They may even come up with new ideas for other recipes!

Perfect for Snowy Days

When a heavy snowfall keeps you and your kids indoors, baking bread can turn such dull days into memorable occasions. It’s a productive way to spend time, and brings warmth and cheer to an otherwise gloomy day. Mixing, kneading, and waiting for the dough to rise teaches patience and rewards diligence. (And it’s a great moment for storytime and a reading of The Little Red Hen!)  This fresh bread recipe avoids the long rising times and can sit in the fridge for many days for a quick grab of fistful-sized custom loaves of bread that bake quickly!

Creating Cherished Rituals

Lastly, a baking bread day can transform bad weather’s disappointment into a delightful bonding experience. We’re big on rituals at Creekside Kids, and this ritual, repeated over time, becomes a cherished memory for both parent and child, turning a downtime day into a special event. It’s a moment to slow down, enjoy each other’s company, and make something delicious together.

At Creekside Kids, we’re dedicated to nurturing safe, fun, and educational experiences for our children, and we believe baking bread encompasses all these values. The “Easy Crusty Bread” recipe from Mother Earth News can be a fantastic starting point; its simplicity makes it perfect for little hands eager to help. Thank you for being part of the Creekside Kids community. We hope you enjoy this wholesome activity and the many benefits it brings. By sharing this blog, we invite all our caregivers to create warm memories and instill valuable lessons. If you’d like to discuss a place at Creekside Kids for your kids, we invite you to click this embedded link to schedule an appointment. Let’s get to know each other! Like us on Facebook to follow our stories for news and updates. We’re located at 1201 W Cheyenne Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80906, and we can be reached at (719) 635-9111. Our new hours of operation are 6:45 a.m. until 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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The Importance of Holiday Traditions

Image by KatrinDitrih from Pixabay

As the holiday season approaches, our hearts fill with joy, warmth, and anticipation. Autumn-Winter holidays like Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Ramadan, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve hold a special place in our lives and offer us opportunities to create core life memories with our children. 

Did you know that holiday traditions are more than just joy and celebrations? They play a significant role in your child’s early learning and development, providing a sense of structure, fostering emotional bonds, and instilling important values.

Building a Sense of Family Structure

As parents, you play a crucial role in building a sense of family structure through holiday traditions. Whether it’s baking cookies together, sharing a meal, or decorating the Christmas tree, these rituals provide a sense of continuity and belonging, helping your children understand their place within the family.

Developing Emotional Bonds

Participating in family traditions is not just about the activities, it’s about strengthening emotional bonds between family members. When children see their parents and caregivers engaging in these special activities with joy and enthusiasm, they learn the value of spending quality time together. These shared experiences foster love and security, which are fundamental to a child’s self-worth.

Instilling Values and Traditions

Holiday traditions are rich with opportunities to teach children important values such as gratitude, generosity, and compassion. For example, we can involve our little ones in activities emphasizing thankfulness and giving back to the community during Thanksgiving. These lessons, embedded in joyful occasions, leave a lasting impression on young minds.

Encouraging Lifelong Memories

The sights, sounds, and smells of holiday traditions often become cherished memories that children carry into adulthood. These positive recollections contribute to a child’s sense of identity and family heritage, offering comfort and connection across generations.

One of the most priceless gifts we can give our children is a treasure trove of joyful memories. The sights, sounds, and smells of holiday traditions often stick with us long into adulthood. These positive recollections contribute to a child’s sense of identity and family heritage, offering comfort and connection across generations.

Ideas for Meaningful Traditions

If you’re looking to start or enhance your family’s holiday traditions, here are a few simple ideas:

Family Storytime: Select a special story you read together every autumn and winter. Collect seasonal books your family loves and establish a cozy reading-time tradition, complete with blankets and hot cocoa. Over time, your child will look forward to revisiting the story and its familiar characters.

Crafting Together: Create homemade ornaments or decorations. It’s a beautiful way for children to express their creativity while contributing to the family’s festive atmosphere. Get crafty with your little ones by making homemade holiday decorations. From handprint turkeys for Thanksgiving to homemade ornaments for the winter holidays, these crafts can become annual keepsakes you’ll cherish for years. 

Exploring Nature: Take a family walk to admire seasonal changes. Bundle up and head outdoors for a nature walk. Collect leaves, acorns, and other natural treasures in the fall to create crafts or decorations. 

Holiday Light Tour: Take a scenic drive or walk around the neighborhood to appreciate the twinkling lights and decorations during the winter. You can even turn it into a scavenger hunt for added excitement! Make this an annual outing with hot chocolate and holiday music to enhance the experience.

Advent Calendars: Manufacturers make Advent calendars for multiple holidays– there’s even a Halloween one. Each new opening of a door brings excitement and anticipation to your child’s day.

Gratitude Jar: Create a gratitude jar where each family member writes down what they’re thankful for. Share these moments of gratitude during Thanksgiving, preventing the need for your guests to conjure up what they’re thankful for when they’re on the spot. Remembering to use this jar throughout the year will teach your children the importance of appreciation and mindfulness.

Family Cooking Day: Dedicate a day prior to your family’s favorite holidays solely to cooking and baking together as a family. Preparing traditional meals or trying out new recipes can be a fun way to bond and create delicious memories. Plus, little hands can help with simple tasks, fostering teamwork in the kitchen. Cooking is an especially good medium for creating memories, as it combines wonderful smells with delicious treats.

Community Service: Involve your family in giving back to the community. Volunteer at a local food bank, participate in a holiday toy drive or make cards for nursing home residents (or visit one with the staff’s permission). Teaching your children about kindness and generosity is a beautiful tradition that can grow year after year.

Outdoor Movie Night: Set up an outdoor movie night with warm blankets, popcorn, and a favorite holiday film. If it’s too chilly, transform your living room into a cozy movie theater instead. The magic of family movie night can become a cherished tradition.

Reflection and Goal Setting: Hold a reflective family meeting where everyone shares their highlights of the past year. Discuss goals and aspirations for the coming year, helping each family member set intentions together. This practice not only fosters communication but also strengthens family bonds.

At Creekside Kids, we believe in the profound impact of traditions and rituals on a child’s development. These practices help children learn about their family’s unique culture, create a sense of stability, and nurture loving relationships. As we celebrate this holiday season, let’s cherish these moments and the excellent learning opportunities they bring to our little ones.

Thank you for being a part of our Creekside Kids community. We wish you all a happy and heartwarming holiday season filled with love, joy, and cherished traditions. If you’d like to discuss a place at Creekside Kids for your kids, we invite you to click this embedded link to schedule an appointment. Let’s get to know each other! Like us on Facebook to follow our stories for news and updates. We’re located at 1201 W Cheyenne Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80906, and we can be reached at (719) 635-9111. Our new hours of operation are 6:45 a.m. until 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

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Keeping Halloween Fun and Safe for Our Little Ones

Image by Juliezimmi3 on Pixabay

Spooky Time Is Nearly Here!

Halloween is just around the corner, and it’s such a magical time for our preschoolers. Kids at that age know the markers of Halloween: black cat superstitions, pumpkins carved with creepy faces, darker evenings and chillier air, costumes both simple and grand, and, of course, lots of free candy.

Our children’s excitement is palpable, and as parents and caregivers, we want to ensure their adventure is both fun and safe. We also want to assure those who don’t celebrate it that the holiday is highly malleable to their own sensibilities. You can forgo spookiness and make it all about autumn if you like. You can dress up as historical heroes and villains or characters from books and movies. You can even make it a service day by helping others in your community.

We’re big proponents of Halloween here at Creekside Kids. We think dressing up and adopting new identities is essential for children to decide on the kind of adults they wish to be someday. We recognize that although Halloween was originally a pagan festival called Samhain (pronounced saa·wn), it was co-opted as a Christian observance called All Hallows Eve during the time when the pagans were being converted, allowing the end-of-harvest traditions to pass into Christianity. And, of course, North American children have long served to secularize the holiday into a fun night of ghosts, silliness and a few scares– an examination of our fear of death and the unknown.

We want you, your family, and all those that you encounter to be safe and have a memorable, wonderful time this Halloween. Here are some valuable tips and reminders for different aspects of our Halloween festivities in Colorado Springs.

Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips for Parents

Taking your preschoolers on their trick-or-treating adventure is such a joy! Here are a few pointers to keep the evening delightful and secure:

Hide a Handy Cheat: In cases where the children are still building their walking legs day-to-day, consider incorporating a stroller into their costume. This will allow you to keep an eye on them while they enjoy their trick-or-treating. If your child is old enough to walk but not quite ready for the full-on candy hunt, consider using a wagon or stroller with a handle that can be pushed by an adult. This way, you can keep tabs on your little one and ensure they don’t wander off into danger.

Bright and Reflective Costumes: Ensure your child’s costume is bright or has reflective elements to make them visible to drivers.

Stay Together: Always accompany your little one, holding hands as you walk from house to house.

Have a Plan: Stick to familiar neighborhoods and plan your route in advance. Consider neighborhoods like the Old North End, where Halloween is celebrated warmly, and the community comes together to share candy and fun.

Check Candy: Before letting your child enjoy their treats, check each piece for tampering or allergies.

Road Safety for Drivers

As drivers on Halloween night, we have a responsibility to ensure everyone’s safety:

Slow Down: Drive slower than usual in residential areas, where children may walk or cross streets.

Stay Alert: Be especially alert during peak trick-or-treating hours, typically from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Avoid Distractions: Keep distractions to a minimum and be ready for sudden movements from excited children.

Hosting Trick-or-Treaters Safely

For those of us hosting trick-or-treaters, making our homes safe and welcoming is essential:

Light the Way: Ensure your porch and walkways are well-lit to prevent trips and falls. 

Clear Obstacles: Remove any potential hazards from your yard or porch that could cause accidents. Make sure lighting effects or automaton scares will not send kids into an unsafe place. Beware of causings scares at the top of a set of steps.

Safe Treats: Offer sealed, store-bought treats to ensure safety and accommodate various dietary restrictions. Candy Apples and Rice Krispy treats are fun, but even in a safe environment, they are (at best) unsanitary in a kid’s treat bag and (at worst) potentially dangerous.

Celebrations in the ‘Springs

If your neighborhood isn’t keen on Halloween festivities, Colorado Springs offers particular locations where everyone is welcome. The Old North End is particularly famous for its Halloween spirit, with friendly homes that go all out to celebrate. It’s a beautiful place to create lasting memories with your little ones.

If you have kids in your area, time to devote to the project, and lots of imagination, consider hosting a haunted house with many creeps and monsters for neighborhood children to conquer with their bravery. Check out HauntPay’s Top 5 Safety Tips For Your Haunted House for how to make a spooky event into a safe event.

At Creekside Kids, we are committed to fostering a safe, fun, and educational environment for our children. We hope these tips help you create a Halloween filled with joy and safety. Have a magical Halloween, and enjoy every moment of this delightful season with your precious preschoolers! If you’d like to discuss a place at Creekside Kids for your kids, we invite you to click this embedded link to schedule an appointment. Let’s get to know each other! Like us on Facebook to follow our stories for news and updates. We’re located at 1201 W Cheyenne Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80906, and we can be reached at (719) 635-9111. Our new hours of operation are 6:45 a.m. until 5:45 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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creekside building
1201 W Cheyenne Rd
Colorado Springs, CO 80906  
 
6:30 am - 5:45 pm
Monday - Friday
(719) 635-9111

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