Our Covid-19 Response Plan
The latest on our COVID-19 response plan. From providing masks and gloves to our team members to minimizing or eliminating any common spaces in our buildings.
13 Activities to Teach Children Self Control
Here are 13 Activities to help teach Children Self-Control
5 Ways to Bring Reading Alive
In Honor of National Reading Month, here are 5 fun ways to bring reading alive in your home!
Time-Outs and Other Discipline Alternatives
Time-outs can often be the go-to method for disciplining children, but are they really as effective as we think they are?
47 Positive Things to say to your Children
Children are affected by what and how we respond to their actions. Here are 47 positive things that you can practice saying to your children all the time to support your child’s social and emotional development and help you get through some of the more difficult situations without losing control of the situation.
What to look for in a Preschool
Selecting a preschool program for your child is an exciting milestone however, it may feel overwhelming. To help relieve some of the pressure of selecting a preschool program here are some key components to look for.
Teaching Children Honesty
Honesty is something we ask for and expect from our children, but it can be a challenge to teach the depth of it's value. Here are a few ideas to help you do just that.
February is Children's Dental Health Month
To celebrate Children's Dental Health Month here are seven child friendly tips for healthy teeth!
6 Tips to Managing the Morning Chaos
Mornings can be hectic. There is so much to do in a small amount of time. Here are a few tips to help get through the morning chaos.
6 Tips for Carseat Safety
January is National Carseat Safety Awareness Month. Here are 6 helpful tips.
4 Tips for Teaching Children Patience
Patience is a virtue, as they say, but it is not an easy one to learn or teach. Here are a few tips that may help.
Family Friendly New Years Resolutions
The New Year is upon us! Here are some ideas for the whole family for 2020.
Tips For Writing Thank You Cards With Children
There is a lot of power in a hand written note. Take some time with your child after the holidays to send a thank you to those who gave them a gift this holiday season.
Managing Your Child's Holiday Expectations
The holiday season can be a busy and difficult time. Here are a few tips to set expectations and help manage your child's expectations.
December is National Safe Toys and Gifts Month
With the holiday season approaching, your thoughts may be turning to shopping for toys and gifts. You’ll want to get the children in your life their favorite toys, and there are thousands of toys to choose from in stores and online. Before you make those purchases, remember to consider the safety and age-range of the toys.
How to Deal With a Biter
Biting is natural, but also frustrating. Here are a few tips to help you get through this phase.
Holiday Traditions from Around the World
Holiday traditions are unique and special to each family as they are celebrated and evolve over the years. Here are a list of traditions from around the world.
Manners Matter
Manners are the cornerstone of many positive character traits. Encouraging the use of please and thank you can be done in a variety of creative ways. Repetition is of course important, but bringing manners to life is also important when you are trying to teach your children exactly what manners are and how they will benefit their every day life.
20 Ways to Give Thanks
Spreading joy and doing something nice for others is fulfilling and can be a great lesson for the whole family.
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month
November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. If you are fortunate enough to not already be battling this disease, please take preventative steps to help your family stay healthy.
How to Make the Most of Parent-Teacher Conferences
Here are a few tips for your upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences!
The Teal Pumpkin
Halloween is fast approaching. Help keep Halloween safe and fun for all by considering taking part in the Teal Pumpkin Project.
How to Deal with a Public Meltdown
Meltdowns are inevitable. They can be trying, but we will get through them. Here are a few ideas on how you can help yourself and your child through these moments.
October is National Fire Prevention Month
House fires are the biggest disaster threat to families in this country. Here are a few important tips to consider in honor of National Fire Prevention Month.
Helping Your Child Develop Friendships
Have you ever wondered how you can encourage your child to make new friends? Developing the skills to make friends comes with time, however there are some things you can do to help your child establish and strengthen those skills.
How Art Can Influence Children's Learning
Young children learn by interacting with the world around them and creating. Art gives children the control and freedom to create what they want, how they want.
September is Safe Sleep Awareness Month
September is a month to bring awareness to safe sleep environments and habits. We support and respect your parenting decisions but want to make sure you take this opportunity to learn important information to help keep your infant safe.
Nurturing Meaningful Conversations with your Children
Do you ever ask your child a question only to get a one word response? Try these questions- they may help lead you to a meaningful conversation with your child!
How to Create a Bedtime Routine
Here are a few helpful tips to help establish an easy bedtime routine.
August is National Immunizations Month
Whether you choose to vaccinate your children or not, the CDC uses the month of August to encourage education on the topic.
End of Summer Family Bucket List
Embrace the sunscreen, bug spray, and beach for just a little bit longer with this family friendly bucket list to help you end Summer on a high note.
5 Creative Ways to Make Bath Time Fun
As a parent, we all know that sometimes bath time can be difficult. Even if you are one of the lucky ones with a child who loves a good bath, these tips are for you as well!
Back to School Tips
Sadly summer is slowly coming to a close and back to school time is coming. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for this transition!
Road Trip Boredom Busters
Summer is a time to travel and road trips are some of the best ways to see this beautiful country we live in! Here is a list of some road trip activities you can throw in a bag or have on hand to help keep your children occupied on that beautiful drive!
5 Tips on Bike Safety
Warmer weather means more time outside! Here are a few tips to help keep you and your children safe while enjoying a bike ride!
Water Fun With S.T.E.M.
Water is one of the six units of study covered in the S.T.E.M. curriculum offered at AppleTree and Gilden Woods. With the warm summer days it’s also a great way to stay cool and have fun!
7 Natural Remedies for Sun Burns
July is National UV Protection Month. Below are a few natural remedies to help ease the pain of a dreaded sunburn.
Teaching Children Respect
Respect for one another is an important value in our everyday lives. However, it is a challenge to find ways to teach this value to children. Let's dive a littler deeper and see how we can teach our children just that.
Fight the Bite
Summer is upon us, which means the mosquitoes and ticks are out! Here are a few reminders to help keep you and your children safe this summer.
June is National Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month
Fruits and vegetables are critical to promoting good health and possibly positive behavioral and mental health. Here are a few important tips!
7 Tips to Teach Children Teamwork
Here are 7 tips to teach children an important life skill... Teamwork!!
Tips for Camping With Children
Summer means camping! Here are a few tips to help make it a little easier and a lot more enjoyable
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month
Throughout the month of May, AppleTree & Gilden Woods focus on the importance of hearing and speech development. Here are a few tips to help protect your children's ears.
Easy Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Here are a few easy gift ideas to shower Mom with love this Mother's Day.
Teacher Appreciation Week!
Teacher appreciation is May 6th through May 10th and we’d like to share some cute and simple ways to shower your child’s teacher with love!
Age Appropriate Chores for Children
Developing a chore chart for children helps teach responsibility, helpfulness, and routine among many other beneficial skills. Here are a few ideas to get you started!
Teaching Children Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not always easy, but it is an important aspect of life. Here are a few ways that you can model and promote forgiveness in your life and in turn help your children learn what it means to forgive and be forgiven.
The Importance of Play
It has been said that play is children’s work. The best part about children’s play is that they learn a great deal while having fun.
Celebrating The Week of the Young Child
AppleTree & Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool is partnering with NAEYC to celebrate the Week of the Young Child April 8th-12th.
The Benefit of Puzzles for Children
Puzzles are fun for children but also very beneficial to their development!
10 Possible Signs of Stress in Children
Stress is a normal part of everyday life; however, excessive stress can become a problem. Children do not yet have the skills to understand how to manage their stress; therefore, adults need to identify causes and symptoms to be effective when helping their child manage stress. Here are 10 possible signs of stress in young children.
S.T.E.M. - Focused Fun For Preschoolers
AppleTree & Gilden Woods' S.T.E.M. program is featured by MetroParent, a Detroit based parent magazine!
Indoor Games for a Snow Day
Stuck inside because it's too cold to play outside? Here are a few fun games to play!!
AppleTree & Gilden Woods voted Best of GR 2018!
For the fourth consecutive year, AppleTree & Gilden Woods has been voted Best of GR Childcare Provider by GR Mag readers!p
20 Holiday Movies to Watch With Your Children
Find some time to slow down and enjoy the best parts of the Holiday. Here are some ideas for Holiday Movies to snuggle up with on the couch and watch with your children.
Fall Family Bucket List
Fall is upon us!! Here is a Fall Family Bucket List to help you and your family enjoy every aspect of fall.
Books to Help Teach Children Friendliness
Being kind and friendly are positive characteristics that we can start to cultivate in our children. Below are some book recommendations to help you along the way.
30 Date Night Ideas
It is important for our physical & mental health and well-being to find ways to implement self-care. A large part of that can be in finding time for not just ourselves, but for our significant others as well. So, call the sitter and pick one of these fun date night ideas for a relaxing night to reconnect!
7 Books to Help Children Learn Acceptance
Acceptance is a sense of belonging and appreciation. Being accepted is also accepting others for who they are. We are all different, and it is important to start instilling that ideal at a young age. Below are a few books that can help you open that conversation with your children.
July is National UV Safety Month
AppleTree & Gilden Woods are proud to participate in National UV Safety Month and help raise awareness of the risks of sun damage.
5 Books to Help Children Learn About Teamwork
Teamwork is supporting each other and working to achieve a common goal. But what does that mean to children, and how can we teach them from a young age to be team players? Here are a few books to help teach your child about teamwork.
What Does Fatherhood Mean to Millennial Dads?
Father's Day is this weekend! I took the opportunity to sit down with a few AppleTree & Gilden Woods Dads to talk about what it means to be a father in this day and age.
Child-friendly Kitchen Gadgets
Invite your children to join in preparing a meal, make it fun with these child-friendly kitchen gadgets!
AppleTree & Gilden Woods voted "Top Daycare" again for 2018 Grand Rapids Kids Grandtastic Awards
AppleTree & Gilden Woods have been named top daycare by the online community of parents through GRKids.com
5 Books to Promote Helpfulness in Children
Starting from a very young age it is important to focus on developing strong character traits in children. AppleTree & Gilden Woods focus on helpfulness for the month of May. Here are a few suggested books to share with your children about helpfulness.
Creative Lunch Ideas
Make lunch time exciting while encouraging creative growth with these fun lunch ideas!
Spring Family Bucket List
Spring is here! Now is the time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather with your family. Here are a few ideas for a Spring time family bucket list.
4 Books to Help Teach Children Forgiveness
Every month at AppleTree & Gilden Woods, we bring focus to important positive character traits through our C.O.R.E. Character Education Program. For the month of April, the C.O.R.E. character trait is forgiveness. Teaching forgiveness is integral to children developing empathy toward others and the overall development of emotional intelligence.
Spring on the Mind
Spring is just around the corner and we are excited and ready at AppleTree & Gilden Woods. As part of our C.O.R.E. curriculum, children in our toddler and preschool classes will learn all about bugs, bees, and butterflies.
8 Spring Break “Staycation” Destinations in Michigan
Here at AppleTree & Gilden Woods we are getting ready for Spring Break and are anxiously awaiting our Spring Explorer's Program! We will be taking fun, educational field trips throughout the program. Here are a few exciting ideas for a day trip that the whole family will love!
5 Books to Help Children Learn Self Control
Through the month of March at AppleTree & Gilden Woods, an area of focus is self control. Here are a five books you can read with your children to help them better understand what it means to have and exhibit self-control.
AppleTree & Gilden Woods Named Best of GR Childcare Provider
For the third consecutive year, AppleTree and Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool has been named "Best of GR Child Care Provider" by Grand Rapids Magazine.
Winter's End Family Bucket List
Winter is slowly winding down. Commemorate the changing of the seasons by making a winter’s end bucket list with your children.
Tips and Tricks for Promoting Good Oral Health Care with Children
Oral health care is an important aspect of your child’s health. Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits help children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.
10 Non-Candy Valentine's Your Children Will Love
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. This year keep it healthy and fresh with these 10 creative Valentine Ideas that you and your children can enjoy creating together.
Children's Books about Friendship
Here are some book recommendations that will help your child learn more about how to show friendship to others!
Computer Readiness for the Preschool Child
AppleTree & Gilden Woods is proud to offer Keyboarding Without Tears™! The award winning curriculum will be utilized during our weekly Tech Time with Terance enrichment program.
Eating Together as a Family
Take some time this week to eat dinner together as a family, you won’t regret it!
Embracing Mom Guilt
“Mom guilt” comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s because you’re working outside the home, working from home, or are a stay at home mom who needs some extra “me time,” it’s time to let go of the guilt.
Screen Time for Children
Children will inevitably be exposed to electronics and screen time, but it’s up to the parent to determine the context and parameters under which this is done.
Developing Empathy in Young Children
In honor of The Month of the Young Child® Week 2, focusing on Social Development, we wanted to point you in the direction of some insights that share how you can nurture empathy in your child.
5 Tips and Tricks for Picky Eaters
How to Encourage Children to Eat More Fruits and Veggies.
A Guide to Spring Cleaning with Kids
Including your child in age appropriate cleaning tasks is an important part of their growth and development.
A Fresh Take on Your Child's Favorite Book
Are you looking for a fresh take on your child's favorite book? How about trying a story extension?
Create a Life-Long Reader in Your Child
It is no secret that language and literacy skills are two key areas for children’s school and life success. Here are five ways you can help foster language and literacy skills while creating a life-long reader in your child.
Heart Stamps with Everyday Items
Make homemade valentines with your child by creating heart stamps with everyday items that you already have at home!
"Best Child Care Provider in Grand Rapids"
Grand Rapids Magazine readers have named AppleTree & Gilden Woods Early Care and Preschool the "Best Child Care Provider in Grand Rapids."
Making Friends
Your child's ability to make friends and work cooperatively will help make their school experience a positive one
The Importance of Extended Family - Especially Grandparents
“The relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is second in emotional importance only to the relationship between parent and child.”
Back-to-School with AppleTree & Gilden Woods
Now Enrolling After School Club for 2016 - 2017!
Snow Outside? Start Thinking SPRING Now!
What is your School Ager doing this Spring Break?
Making Thanksgiving a Family Affair
Bring everyone together & let your children help with prep
Why is Preschool Important?
"Healthy children do not come preassembled. Work is required." - Kathleen Gallagher
The Mystery of Hand Dominance in Children
Will he be left-handed? Will she be right-handed? These are questions that parents of children aged 4.5 - 6 years old may ask themselves with baited breath. The establishment of hand dominance is complex.
Jump Into June - 5 Ways to Start the Summer Off Right!
June is the start of summer vacation. School age children are excited to enjoy the "dog days of summer" and will be itching for activities to keep them busy and seeing the friends they have made during the previous school year.