Category: Parenting

With social media taking over our children’s lives, it can sometimes feel like they spend all their time in front of a screen. While the internet can be a creative place, more often than not it’s a pretty passive one. Kids watch and look at all sorts of stimulation, but are not necessarily challenged to do anything themselves. In reality, most children love the opportunity to think and create – whether through visual arts, in song, dance, or anything else.

Our job as parents is to try and help them find a way to express their creativity and develop their skills. We’ve put together some top tips on getting your youngsters to find their inner Picasso, from encouraging a creative environment at home, to creating easy origami animals for kids.

One of the most important parts of being a creative person is learning creativity as a habit from a young age and for that, children need creative role models. A great thing you can do for your child’s artistic development is to show your own expressive side. This might be doing art projects around the house or simply being involved in a music group and inviting your children to come along to performances. Kids love it when they see their parents making something new or doing things they love. There’s nothing more inspiring than that, so start by tapping into your own creative potential.

Next, have a think about the environment your children is in. Is it one that excites their imagination? Or is it a bit functional? Kids who grow up in homes that look interesting and colourful are going to take that approach to life more broadly; they’ll see art as an everyday necessity, not just a subject at school. Try brightening up your home with funky wallpaper or interesting objects that you’ve collected on your travels. Pick art works with your children that you both love, and make sure there’s always music in the background when you’re relaxing together.

Finally, give some thought to the kind of activities you do with your children. Sometimes it’s easy to pigeonhole little ones early on thinking some are more academic or sporty than creative. But in fact we all have an expressive side and to grow up into healthy human beings we need to know how to develop it. Start on a rainy day with indoor activities like easy origami animals for kids, making potato stamps, sock puppets, or even spoon people. Ensure you give children a range of different arts and craft ideas to try; eventually they’ll find something they really love.

There are whole ranges of things you can do to encourage little ones to grow up into expressive, artistic adults. Whether it’s easy origami animals for kids, piano playing, potato stamps or anything else you can think of – creativity is an important characteristic, so remember to nurture the instinct as much as possible while they’re young.

Creating a good family home requires the house to fill a lot of different roles. Parents want the house to be beautiful and functional, and kids want it to be comfortable and fun. Meeting all of these requirements can be a challenge for any home owner.

Even though it can be a struggle at times, there are some ways anyone can meet in the middle and create a home that pleases everyone. Parents can create options that will maintain the style of the house, but still create fun and exciting space for the kids. Here are some ways parents can make their home more fun for kids.

Give them more selection

Often times, kids will get bored easily of the same old toys, TV shows and other items around the house that they usually have to entertain themselves with. Parents can give a few more options without spending a lot more money to make the house a more entertaining place to be. Anyone can click to see other options that they can add easily without spending more money.

Make daily chores more fun

Doing chores around the home is something that no child or parent looks forward too. However, these chores still need to get done every day. Parents can help make the process more fun by creating some little games to go with everyday chores in their house. One example is to give children small rewards for each chore completed.

Let them break some of the rules

Every family has their own set of rules that everyone needs to follow. These rules are often in place to protect the home, but some of the rules can be broken on occasion to switch things up. Parents can let their kids write on the walls with a chalkboard wall or color on the windows with glass markers for a creative way to bend the rules.

Build in some backyard toys

Going outside is a great escape for many children. However, few kids feel that there is enough to do outside that can keep them entertained for long periods of time. Every home should have a backyard with a few toys built in to maintain the function and appeal of the entire house. Parents can build things like a sandbox or a water fountain that the kids can play in.

Make meal times fun and playful

Daily meals and snacks do not have to be all about business. Every mother or father can make mealtime fun, which not only breaks up the monotony for the children, but also makes eating regular and healthy meals something they want to do. Host an indoor picnic or let them make faces and designs with their food before they eat it.

Don’t keep breakable things in reach or in an unsecure spot

One of the best things parents can do to make their home more fun for kids is to give them freedom to play as they want, wherever they want to. Most homes will have some spaces off limits because of the fragile items in that space. Parents can place these items high up or secure them away to create a fun and welcoming atmosphere.

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According to OK Bail Bonds (www.okbailbonds.net), expecting your kids to respect the law without observing the same rules yourself is futile. So, the first rule to instilling respect in your kids is to show it yourself. Beyond that, there are ways you can inform your children on how to show proper respect to the officers and other law enforcement professionals that work hard to protect them, along with teachers and yourselves as parents.

Don’t Fudge on the Little Things

We all do it. Sneaking a grape or two or ten in the supermarket while no one’s looking. Rushing to get to an appointment. Going over the speed limit and ignoring simple road signs. Texting while driving. Downloading music illegally. These things may seem benign, but in fact they are examples of the way we break the law in little ways every day. And your children are watching, observing, and learning. Adjust your behaviors to show your little ones that even popping a harmless grape in the grocery store is considered stealing. If your child is the one stealing, such as taking gum from a store without paying, take him or her back to the store to either pay for the item or leave it there. Explaining clearly why that was wrong and aligning yourself on their side without making them feel like a common thief will drive the point home and teach them what’s right.

Teach Often and Early

Kids are sponges, especially from a very early age. You may not realize it but they are learning from everything you do. Make every day a teachable moment to respect authority. Don’t threaten your child with calling the police for bad behavior. This may work in the short term, but you’re only teaching your child to respect police officers out of fear and not trust. In addition, this only works so many times before it is ineffective.

Basic Social Skills

Teaching your kids basic social skills and manners will help them out as they begin their own interactions at school and in the company of authority figures such as police officers. Instilling respect for others helps them acknowledge their impact on other people, says Empowering Parents.

Talk About Consequences

Explaining what the laws are, both in society and in the home, is the first step to a healthy respect for authority. The next step is to explain the consequences of breaking the law so that your children are aware of what will happen to them if they disobey. Explain that consequences are not so much a punishment but an assurance of safety as well. What happens if you disregard roadway signs and fail to stop at a red light? You could get in an accident and get hurt or hurt others. Same with crossing at designated crosswalks only. This also goes for laws of the classroom and the home. For example, why does your child have to listen to the teacher quietly without interrupting? Why do they have to stand quietly in line at lunch? Why do they have to do their chores at home? These are all rules that they must obey in order to comply with the laws of each circumstance.

Teaching your kids to respect the law isn’t easy. As said above, you have to teach by example, so you may have to look inside yourself to find the answer first. In the end, if you do your job right, you can ensure you’re raising a respectful person who is mindful of the laws of society.

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It’s not easy to find the right words to say to a family member who is obviously struggling with alcohol addiction. Concerns for their well being can be tempered by the desire to avoid upsetting them, and often family members will ignore the problem before acknowledging and confronting the person with the issue.  When a loved one is dealing with alcoholism everyone feels the burden of the sickness.

Feelings of shame and guilt often surround the battle with alcoholism.  This is perhaps why many families ignore the problem for a long period of time.  These feelings are present because a spouse or parent may feel responsible, at least in part, for not being able to prevent or protect the child and/or the person with the problem from the effects of the addiction.  These feelings of responsibility can often lead to behaviors that may condone the actions of the family member with the problem.

Starting the process

The first step is realizing the person who is abusing alcohol needs to be confronted.  Instead of ignoring the problem, make the choice to verbalize it.  Gathering other family members as support and deciding on a spokesperson is generally a good plan.

Once the decision has been made to say something, conversation which doesn’t point fingers and place blame but instead impresses upon the person the inherent dangers to their health and well being is generally best.

It might be helpful to try to discuss the full scope of the addiction in terms of the impact on every aspect of the person’s life.  Creating a visual picture of how alcohol is destroying  the life of the person with the sickness is necessary in terms of building a platform to encourage them to get help.

What to expect

According to Bay Area Recovery (www.bayarearecovery.com), regardless of what a family may say to try to encourage sobriety and the possibility of getting professional help, opposition should be expected. Frequently, a person with a substance abuse problem has turned to drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism.

According to Bay Area Recovery (www.bayarearecovery.com), although the behavior is the target in terms of change, there is always an underlying reason that a person will reach for the bottle.  More often than not valuable clues lay hidden in a person’s lifestyle in terms of how they respond to the pressures that they are forced to deal with.  As a family unit, tough love is in order.  Although it’s easy to ignore the problem or walk around on eggshells, as not to offend the person, it’s not beneficial to the family or the person wrestling with the disease.

When family intervention fails

Unfortunately, even the best efforts made by family members may yield little in terms of results. Professional help may be the only avenue available. This perhaps is the most difficult conclusion a family may be faced with. However, in order to help the sick family member, they may have to make that a necessary process.

It is natural for a family to have feelings of remorse, responsibility and shame when trying to figure out how to help a family member battle the disease of alcoholism. Seeking professional intervention may be required if efforts by family members are unsuccessful.  Regardless of the methods, it is important that the addiction is addressed and handled in a way that is proactive for all members of the family.

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of being a parent is keeping your children fit: physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and intellectually. With all the demands parents contend with, especially single parents, raising a healthy, well rounded child is a quite a challenge, but it’s doable. With a little planning and a lot of love, parents can steer their little ones toward life’s healthy path. It is important to note that it is never too early to start.

Physical Health

Parents of newborns are normally taught how much and how often to feed their infant, either at the hospital or birthing center, or at home with a doula. Continue to feed your baby carefully as he/she grows up, and you have half the battle won in keeping your child physically fit. Don’t avoid feeding your baby a veggie that you may dislike, it very well may become their favorite. The other half of puzzle is to help them develop their physicality. It all begins with balance. Once a baby has found their center of gravity, and learns to balance on two feet, they eagerly begin to explore their new upright position, wobbling around their environment and learning about the world. By focusing on balance as they continue to grow, parents help their children develop core strength, which is why the experts at Balance at an Early Age.com focus on helping children develop and master balancing skills. Once children have this foundation, other skills such as maintaining a good posture, developing coordination, and gaining command of their physical being will adhere more readily.

Emotional Health

Doctor Roy Menninger, of the Menninger Foundation, supports the theory that in order to raise an emotionally healthy child, five critical needs must be met. These include: Being respected, feeling important, feeling accepted, and feeling secure and included. Although it sounds simple, sometimes grown ups need to remember that children are small people. Helping families raise emotionally health children is so important that emotionallyhealthychildren.org, a non-profit, is dedicated to assisting parents achieve this goal.

Social Health

Allowing children to interact with their peers helps them to develop social skills important for social health. Eileen Kennedy-Moore, Ph.D., helps parents understand how children develop by breaking social interaction into its key components: seeing, thinking and doing. In other words, “Monkey see, Monkey do.” Her article, What are Social Skills?, which appeared in Psychology Today, helps parents understand what social skills are. Once parents have a clear understanding of what social skills are, they can help build them. Any social setting becomes a classroom.

Spiritual Health

Spiritual health can be achieved, even if one doesn’t believe in God, Buddha or any higher power. By having a deep respect for humanity, one can instill in their child this aspect. Parents with a religious preference have a leg up as most religions have a road map that leads to spiritual well being.

Intellectual Health

Stimulating children’s intellectual health is fun and easy. Teaching using song is one of the most common methods parents use. The ABC song is one that most households have enjoyed. Some parents use flash cards, some use videos. While experts will tout some methods over others, parents seem to have a natural affinity to teach their children language skills. Sometimes maintaining their intellectual health means hiring a tutor.

Parents that work to raise their children in healthy environments and to live healthy lives will be rewarded with children that are naturally good stewards. Raising healthy children doesn’t have to be difficult. As one area becomes healthy, others are encouraged and over all health will be achieved.