When you think of the most influential person in your life, who do you think of?

If it’s not a family member or close friend, then the chances are that they’re someone who had an impact on you when you were young. And what they did was model good habits for how to behave.

This means that if you want to set an excellent example for your child, one way is by teaching them foundational skills like personal hygiene and manners. This article will give some tips on how to teach these essential skills at the park!

What are foundational skills in Children?

One example of foundational skills in children is their use of manners. Manners are an essential skill for children because they teach them how to interact politely with other people. When you’re teaching them these skills, it’s important to use positive reinforcement and be patient. This way, you’re able to teach them the right way of doing things without being too pushy or dominating.

As well as teaching your child good manners, it’s also vital that you set a good example by having strong foundational skills yourself. This includes everything from personal hygiene to being prepared in case of emergencies.

The primary skills your children will learn from you are through role modeling, which means they learn by watching and imitating their parent’s actions.

For example, if you want to teach your child the importance of brushing their teeth daily, you should be sure to brush yours. Likewise, if you want them to put away their toys when they’re done playing, you should do the same. When you set a good example, your children will follow suit and imitate these habits as well. And that’s how they learn to take care of themselves.

Arriving at Ronald Reagan Park off Weir Canyon Rd in Anaheim CA

Whether you are looking to improve your child’s body awareness, coordination, overall strengthening, an opportunity to release some of their extra energy, or simply getting out and enjoy the sunshine, Ronald Reagan Park, previously referred to as Toyon Park, is a great place to do it all. 

When arriving at the play structure, which is on wood chips, you will see two different areas. The first one is geared towards younger children, and the other is taller and more catered to older kids. So if you have two children who prefer the different structures, they are only feet apart, and a parent can keep a watchful eye on both simultaneously.

How to model foundational skills at the park?

We can model foundational skills at the park by engaging in conversations with our children, playing games together, and balancing on the available play structures. It’s also important to keep up with personal hygiene for yourself by washing your hands before eating, making sure that you are wearing clean clothes, and staying away from sick people.

Suppose your child struggles with proprioceptive input, or knowing where their body is in space. In that case, Ronald Reagan Park is an excellent location to provide the input they are seeking with many things to climb on. There is a rope web type structure, a rock wall, and monkey bars. Through climbing, children improve their overall strength, and they must learn to plan their movements.

Swinging your child provides them with passive vestibular input that gives them feedback about their balance and movement. Ronald Reagan Park provides three different kinds of swing depending on your child’s core strength or ability to support themselves while propelled forward and backward. 

• Two bucket swings provide support around your child.
• Two chair swings that provide your child with full back and head support. 
• Two flat swings for those kids who are more independent. 
• Finally, one disc rope swing seat is attached to a zip line for those who are more proficient in muscle tone, righting reactions, and postural security.

Investigating textures is also a great way to incorporate sensory play into your trip to the park. There are wood chips, sand, grass, and dirt all available to explore. Touching and describing the different textures is a fun way to help your child build neural pathways, develop motor skills, and encourage exploration.

Always be prepared for emergencies by ensuring that you have a first-aid kit and know how to use it before taking your child out into public spaces.

Conclusion 

There are several ways that you can model foundational skills at the park. One way is to engage in conversations with your child, play games together, and balance available play structures. 

Another option is to make sure you have clean clothes on and maintain personal hygiene by washing your hands before eating or touching other people’s children.