Fall offers lots of opportunities to bond with your preschooler while having both an enjoyable and educational adventure. From apple orchards to local museums, there's plenty to do - just you two! Don't underestimate the value of one-on-one time with your child. He or she will appreciate having your full attention.
Apple
Halloween can be an overwhelming holiday for the littlest kids in the group. The dark atmosphere, scary costumes, and long walks all tend to keep toddlers from truly enjoying this awesome holiday. You can reinvent the holiday by embracing a month of fun activities that are geared toward the younger set. Here are some fun toddler friendly Halloween activities to enjoy.
Before you head down to the pumpkin patch to pick your future jack o' lanterns, try to find a location
As an involved teenager, my life has always been exceptionally busy. This past month or so, though, my life has become even busier than ever before. Currently, I am heavily involved in school (where I am taking four AP classes, in the middle of a high school football season, applying to colleges, and trying to balance a social life and a girlfriend in there). This fast-paced lifestyle has been hectic, but there are also some major upsides to it.
The first
Tween years usually mark the start of middle school. Many middle schools have a start time that is earlier than elementary school, which equals an even earlier start to the day. Depending on your child's sleep pattern, an earlier start also may equal a grouchier start. However, once the earlier start becomes routine, it will be easier.
By middle school, your tween's morning routine should be established. He's been following a school routine for many a year now, so it should be rote. Also,
Being able to relate to others is a skill set all children must develop. Basically, being sociable will enhance a child's life in many ways, including performing better in school. All parents, then, should assist their children with developing people skills. Read this post to learn four easy ways to increase a child's sociability.
Teaching social skills may seem difficult, but it doesn't have to be if you follow specific steps.
As kids reach their preschool years, they have the teeth and ability required to chew up their food into smaller pieces before swallowing. Kids also develop stronger tongue muscles for increased dexterity needed to push food into range of their teeth. As a result, you can start introducing foods that were previously off limits for being a serious choking hazard. Despite their improved physical abilities, young kids still require their parents' assistance and guidance to safely eat these new foods. Here are a few ways you can help.
As you eagerly await your baby's first movements, you may be surprised at the way the learning process transpires. Your child may throw you a curveball by inventing his or her own interesting ways to move
School is here, but no one wants to go. It seems to be this way every year. Of course, I am eager to go back. I start my senior year, but I am also dreading it. The thought of being a senior is exhilarating, but also terrifying. I feel as though I am not ready to apply to colleges, decide what I want to major in, or choose where I want to live for the next four years of my life. I do know one thing though, you need a
As a college English teacher, I often work with students who have trouble communicating through the written word. Most of these students have magnetic personalities, and they are highly verbal. However, they just can't seem to organize their thoughts into an effective essay. Why does this happen? From experience, I have learned that most of these students "dislike" reading and writing. They simply have no value for the written word - other than what is found on social media.
As the parent of a tween, you still have
Communication is the biggest problem in any organization. Elementary-aged children and parents are no exception to this. With some simple guidelines, you can eliminate most communication barriers.
Ask any CEO or General and they will tell the importance of communication and the dangers of barriers to communication. In our workplaces we see this all the time. Someone sends an email that the recipient misunderstands, and tempers begin to flare. We have the same issues in our homes, too. Most of the fights between my wife and me
Perhaps the title of this article should be, "How to Get Them Biking?" Many kids enjoy biking when they are elementary aged. It gives them a small amount of independence whether it is riding up and down the driveway, to the end of the street and back, or all the way to a friend's house. However, the middle school years arrive, and it seems that it isn't as fun to ride bikes. What's a parent to do?
The first and most difficult way is to do as you
Right now, I'm one week into football practices and dealing with a major cold at the same time. (When I say major cold, I'm not exaggerating. This might be the worst cold I've ever had.) This combination, while not tragic, is still quite troublesome. The cold isn't hindering my abilities to play, but there is a chance that I'm not getting enough rest to recover. As a student-athlete
Study after study tells parents that children spend too much time on electronic devices. The ramifications of doing so are many, including decreased social development. This summer, work with your tween to improve his or her social skills by moving
A day at the beach can be blissful...the crashing waves, the cool water, the endless sunshine...what could go wrong? A parent's first thought may be drowning. I agree. Children should be monitored at all times to prevent this from happening. However, another safety issue should be on one's mind: the possibility of sunburn.
The tricky thing about sunburn is that is doesn't show up for several hours after exposure. This leads to being lax about keeping the skin protected. And those who have dark skin may think that
In some ways it can be trickier to protect your preschooler from the sun than your little one, because they have a bit more independence. Here are a few tips to make sure your preschooler takes sun safety seriously. You can all work together to make sure your kid is covered and safe in the sun.
When you start adding sunscreen to your getting ready to go out ritual, make sure you talk to your
Eating a meal al fresco (AKA picnic) is fun for all ages. And, your baby or toddler will enjoy eating this new way outdoors amongst their teddy bears, just like in the book The Teddy Bears' Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy. There are quite a few teddy bears at the picnic, and the author tells you if you want to know what is happening, you'd better go in disguise.
As your kids get older vacations become harder and harder. Between conflicting schedules and cranky teens, they seem almost unenjoyable at this point. But fear not, vacations are not just some idea of the past, they can still be fun and family filled like they used to be. Every kid's ideal vacation is something like a cruise or a trip to Disney where they can take all
Family vacations rule! Why? They provide a much needed break from the daily grind, as there are no deadlines to meet, no school lunches to pack, and no fourth grade science projects to complete. Even more importantly, they have the
Summer weather can often be so hot and humid that no one wants to be very active. These no-sweat active indoor games for kids do not require high-energy output but are exciting and fun. Living in the south, these activities kept my kids engaged in easy competitive and skill games in the comfort of the cool air-conditioned house. "No Sweat Olympics" can be set up as a team competition or you can give each child a list of activities to do depending on the child's age
Vacation season is finally here. Summer is just around the corner, and many of us have or are starting to make plans for the family. What can you do to make the vacation fun for the whole family?
I noticed that most of our vacation plans have been
