Did you know that your pet might cause your child to get sick? Are you aware of zoonotic diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans? These maladies range from bacteria to viruses and internal and external parasites to fungal infections. Since having a pet (dogs and cats are the most popular)
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Teaching Toddlers About Sharing and Caring
by Tania Cowling April 15th, 2024 | Infants/Toddlers, SocialToddlers aren't born with the knowledge of sharing and caring about others; it's acquired as they grow. To egocentric toddlers the world revolves around them, and yes, they are in the MINE stage. I think the awareness of sharing and caring begins with the sense of self and the ability to identify and describe feelings. When your little one is aware of how he feels, he may begin to realize that others have the same feelings. For example, if your child has a toy snatched from him by another child, he
Teen’s Perspective on Family Dinners
by Sam P. April 8th, 2024 | Seasonal, TeensI have always considered family dinners a sort of magical thing. It gives the appearance of being the perfect family and has this wonderful feeling when you're there. Something about crowding around the table and asking for people to "pass the mashed potatoes" or "toss me a roll" has this sense of wonder to it, your family almost never feels so close and together. Apparently, there is a reason for this. And that reason has a lot of good reactions from your brain and your body.
Family dinners
Home Alone: A New Experience
by Michele April 1st, 2024 | Safety, TweensSomewhere during the middle school years your child may want to stay home alone. Whether it be while you run a quick trip to the grocery store or for a short period of time between the end of the school day and an adult coming home from work, your tween may ask to stay at home unsupervised. Like everything else in parenting, there are a variety of things to consider.
First, the maturity of your tween needs to be considered. Can he stay home
How to Foster Effective Communication in Children
by Lori Sciame March 25th, 2024 | Communication, Elementary
Every person has strengths and weaknesses. For example, some people are born communicators, while others struggle to connect with their peers. As a parent, you must assist your child with becoming an effective communicator, even if he or she can be classified as "shy" or as an "introvert." This does not mean you should change your child's given temperament- introverts are great thinkers! It just means you should assist your child in understanding both verbal and non-verbal communication, and to use it to his or her advantage.
3 Steps to Changing Your Preschooler’s Behavior
by Joe Lawrence March 18th, 2024 | Behavior, Preschool
When it comes to our preschoolers, there are so many things to discover. They are mingling with like-minded children and really becoming who they will be in terms of behavior. That is why it is so important to help set the right foundation today.
I watch my five year old interact with my 21-month old and am usually very proud. She is the sweetest and most caring big sis. However, there are the times when she decides to push or yell at her
Bubbles Are Entertaining For Young Children
by Tania Cowling March 11th, 2024 | Entertainment, Infants/ToddlersRemember the joy of blowing bubbles when you were a child? Now that the weather is getting warmer take this opportunity to share some bubble blowing with your little one. Along with blowing bubbles outdoors I'm going to share some fun
What Teens Aren’t Learning, What Parents Can Do
by Jane Wangersky March 4th, 2024 | School, TeensIn 2012, a Gallup Poll found that "for too many American students, high school is a time of disengagement that fails to put them on a path to college and career success." In numerical terms, while nearly 80% of elementary students said they were highly engaged in school, only 44% of high school students said the same. Many parents will have noticed a falloff in enthusiasm as their kids settle into high school and may have put it down to teen angst -- but may have suspected there's more to the
Family Activities to Keep Your Tween Healthy
by Kimberly Hays February 26th, 2024 | Seasonal, TweensIt can be difficult to get your tween to disconnect from technology and move to get some exercise. Most often, they'd rather play a video game, watch a movie, or chat with friends on social media. Having at least one activity that you do as a family will assure that your tween, and you, stay healthy and get exercise, all while enjoying time together.
Hiking - Hiking as a family can be a lot of fun for everyone. Be sure to take some photos so you can document
4 Truths to Communicating with Our Children
by Joe Lawrence February 19th, 2024 | Communication, ElementaryCommunication is the most important part of any relationship. When we communicate well, things run smoothly. When we do not, there is much frustration. Most people would agree with this; however, most of us (me included) are very intentional with making our children better communicators.
We practice communication from the moment we are born. All parents know the frustration of trying to relay a message to a child that simply does not understand and even worse is the feeling when watching our child try to communicate a message
4 Ways to Help Kids Reach Activity Milestones
by Marnie Bii February 12th, 2024 | Development, PreschoolDuring the preschool years, the timing of hitting movement milestones tends to spread out across the peer group. Some preschoolers may exhibit a strong ability to run, climb and jump, while others are a bit clumsier. Most kids' abilities tend to even out upon approaching kindergarten, which is important due to the increase in group activities during PE, music and recess. You can help your preschooler hit movement milestones faster while having fun by enjoying these activities together on a regular basis.
Hopscotch
Helping Toddlers Develop a Sense Of Time
by Marnie Bii February 5th, 2024 | Development, Infants/ToddlersFor toddlers, every minute seems to last a lifetime. Therefore, the phrase "just one more minute" is a highly dreaded thing to hear. You can help your toddler develop a sense of time, and a lick of patience, by utilizing a few key strategies. This task will keep you incredibly honest about timing, so be prepared for an eye opening experience. Here's how to get started
Teen’s Perspective on Schedules
by Sam P. January 29th, 2024 | Seasonal, TeensSchedules are everything. They are so important in my life and many of my friends' lives, simply because they keep us organized. My friends and I all keep fairly busy schedules, so having a way to lay out our day and
Middle School and the Art of Friendship
by Ronald A. Rowe January 22nd, 2024 | Social, Tweens
There are the friends we choose and the friends that are chosen for us. Sometimes relationships aren't quite so simple as we'd like. Middle school is a hornet's nest of new feelings, experiences, and social hierarchies. Jill may be friends with Julie because they like each other and have similar interests. But maybe Jill isn't so fond of Julie's BFF Jillian. Jill and Jillian still have to find a way to get along “or at least coexist peacefully“ if they are both going to be in Julie's sphere of friendship.
How to Schedule; It’s Elementary
by Michele January 15th, 2024 | Elementary, SeasonalYour child has entered elementary school, and a good portion of her day is consumed by school. This might make scheduling easier than the preschool days that filled only a few hours a couple days a week, or so you thought. However, even though a large portion of her day consists of school and the bus ride there and home, there still are many other pieces to be juggled.
Morning
Your child's day should begin at the same time to get him used to waking up at the
Preschoolers Should Enjoy Learning
by Joe Lawrence January 8th, 2024 | Preschool, SchoolGetting your preschooler ready for school is not as hard as you may think. Just by doing some simple things at home you can get your little one all ready for school and give them a leg up on the others.
Preschool is a strange concept to me. I think it is because I did not go to one. My preschool was going to my grandma's house or spending time with my parents.
5 Tips for Creating a Healthy Toddler Schedule
by Marnie Bii January 1st, 2024 | Infants/Toddlers, SeasonalToddlers of all personality types, from outgoing to reserved, thrive on routine. A stable daily routine helps eliminate constant anxiety from expecting the unexpected. Toddlers are taking in new information a mile a minute, so it is important to keep some areas of life stable and calm. You do not have to create a rigid routine to have success with this tactic either. Simply creating a loose daily schedule gives toddlers anchor points to rely on
Teen’s Perspective: Making it Through the Holidays
by Sam P. December 25th, 2023 | Seasonal, Teens
For as much as I love Christmas, I understand it can be very stressful. All those family visits are fun and lovable at first, but can get a tad annoying very quickly. Having gone through it for the past seventeen
5 Tips on Handling the Holidays: Tweens
by Lori Sciame December 18th, 2023 | Seasonal, TweensPresents...food...concerts...decorations...religious observances...parties...pageants...and STRESS. The hype surrounding the holidays begins around November 1, and the frenzy doesn't end until after January 1. This makes for a LONG holiday season. Adults have experience dealing with the holiday blitz; however, children have a more difficult time handling the pressures surrounding this fun, yet emotionally exhausting, time of the year.
As a parent/guardian, you can assist your tween with battling the emotional upsets that may erupt during the holiday season. Read this informative posts for five tips on how to assist tweens
