Why Creativity and Self-Expression are Important to Little Kids

Can you draw a straight line? Most adults don’t consider themselves artistic. Parents do, however, worry about their toddler’s art abilities. As a child care provider for the past 10 years, I’ve had many discussions with parents about ‘how their toddler is doing’ as far as getting ready for preschool or kindergarten. They worry a lot about the final product of their toddler’s art projects. I try to explain to them that art is not just knowing how to draw a flower or a puppy, or whether or not little Jason colors in the lines. Little kids need to experience self-expression and the ‘doing of art’ more than having a page from a coloring book to hang on the refrigerator.

When a two-year old puts his chubby little hand in a tub of finger paint and happily smears all of the colors together on the paper or when he makes yet another ‘snowman’ out of play-doh, he’s creating. Granted, he will certainly tell you that his painting is his dad’s truck even though you ‘just can’t see it.’ The important thing to remember is that by allowing our little kids to experience art in their own way, we let them show us how they see the world around them, how they feel and think.

Why Should Kids Get Allowances - The Top 7 Reasons

The question of whether allowances are right or wrong, is one that has been argued for many generations. Now it’s your turn, as a parent, to decide whether or not an allowance is the best way to educate your child about financial responsibility. There are many reasons given on why a regular payment of money to a child should or shouldn’t be done – ultimately I believe there is no right answer, it is up to each individual family to decide what is the best option for them. Through many years of working with parents and educators, these are the top seven reasons I keep hearing on the question of why should kids get allowances.

1. They learn to be wise with how they spend their money. It may help to teach them how to prioritise their spending, & learn from an early age what things are a waste of money.

Do you know when to begin teaching your child to read ?

It is never too early to begin teaching your child to read, or at least laying the foundation for early literacy skills, and it can definitely be left too late!

If you are not sure then think about this. Statistically, more American children suffer long-term life-long harm from the process of learning to read than from parental abuse, accidents, and all other childhood diseases and disorders combined.  In purely economic terms, reading related difficulties cost our nation more than the war on terrorism, crime, and drugs combined.

Reading problems are a further challenge to our world by contribute significantly to the perpetuation of socio-economic, racial and ethnic inequities. However it is not just poor and minority children who struggle with reading. According to the 2002 national report card on reading by the National Assessment of  Educational Progress (NAEP), most of our children (64%) are less than proficient in reading even after 12 years of our attempts to teach them.

Even without knowing these worrisome statistics we are aware that reading proficiency is essential to success--not only academically but in life. As the American Federal of Teachers states: "No other skill taught in school and learned by school children is more important than reading. It is the gateway to all other knowledge. Teaching students to read by the end of third grade is the single most important task assigned to

Dealing With The Stress Of Being A Parent

Parenting can be a stressful experience at times, and you might not have the chance to indulge in traditional stress-busting activities because you need to look after your children. There are, however, plenty of ways you can reduce your stress levels with activities that actively involve your kids.

Becoming a parent is a life changing event, and while bringing up children certainly can be a joyful experience there's no denying that it can also place huge stresses on you as a mother or father. Commonly recommended ways of dealing with stress in other areas of life tend to involve 'getting away from it all', such as visits to the gym or a game of squash to release the tension. However, being a parent is a full time job and it's not always possible to take time out in this way.

Luckily, there are several ways of dealing with your stress that actively involve your children, and so are much easier to apply to your day to day life. You'll also probably find that enjoying time with your children while simultaneously lowering your stress levels will deepen your mutual bonds and strengthen your relationship -

Baby Parenting - Guide Your Baby Everyday

Be a Good Teacher for Your Baby

Babies learn by exploring the things around them. Show your baby how to look at, listen to, touch or smell something new or different. Hold your baby so she (or he) can see things. Help her hold objects like her socks or a rattle. As she grows, give her safe objects to feel, shake or put into her mouth.

·       Be your baby’s teacher. She (or he) will see how you react to things. When you get excited about a toy or object, she’ll get excited too. As she grows, show her how things work—for example, how doors open and close. Talk about what you are doing. For example, “I am putting the food in the pot to cook it.” 

·      When a baby is learning something new, it helps her to try it again and again. With your help and support this can be fun, and your baby will like trying new things.

·      Protect your baby from harsh disapproval, teasing or punishment. A baby doesn’t understand right from wrong. She doesn’t know what things are dangerous for her to do. Watch her to keep her safe. Remove her from situations where she can be hurt or injured.

8 Ways To Focus Your Child On Learning - Parenting Tips

Parenting Tips - 8 Ways To Focus Your Child On Learning :

1. Dress for Success

As tempting as it may be in the homeschool setting to roll out of bed, pour a bowl of cereal, and begin instruction in your bathrobe, it is important that you dress for success. Your children need to know the importance of the education they are receiving. There is no quicker way to give your at-home classroom an aura of respect, than by dressing the part. Clothing does not have to be formal, but it can't be sloppy either.  Similarly, your students should get ready for school in the morning by grooming and dressing appropriately to set the tone for the days work. Expectation is one of the greatest factors in student learning, and your dress reflects your expectations.

2. Eliminate Distractions

Learning time should be focused and efficient. It is important, therefore, to eliminate as many distractions as possible. As a homeschool teacher it may seem impossible to get rid of all the daily interruptions that take place, from phone calls to door-to-door salesmen. However, with a little bit of effort and preplanning

The Most Common Parenting Mistake Of All

It seems there are all kinds of rules to follow to make a success of parenting, but there's one mistake which is more common than any other: not trusting in your own ability to do the job. Find out why we're all perfectly qualified to make great parents.

Becoming a parent, especially for the first time, is an exciting but scary experience. You'll be entering a whole new world where different rules apply, and no matter how prepared you think you are, there's usually little you've experienced before which you can draw on when making the choices and snap decisions that will become a major part of your life once the little one arrives.

It's for this reason that there's an abundance of parenting advice available which you can use to inform your decisions. There are print magazines packed with useful advice, web sites with tons of articles to peruse, not to mention the well meaning but sometimes irritating advice and opinions of family and friends. Despite all this

5 Great Ways To Enrich Your Children’s Conscience

Children are living with curiosity. They learn lots of things in life, gifted naturally with intuition, and open toward everything they find.

Everything seems to be interesting to them. That’s why they want to know about many things. It’s indeed a sign of good development.

Parents need to help children develop their conscience, which will be a great means of getting spiritual experiences. Through these, they’ll learn about self-esteem and moral values.

Of course parents want children have and familiar with good values in life. As parents, what can you do then? Here are 5 ways you can do to enrich their conscience :

• Give good examples. What you say and do everyday reflect what you think about

5 Parenting Tips To Help Your Child Get More Exercise

Was parenting easier forty years ago? As a mom in the new millennium, I dream about the idea of parenting in a world where streets are safe and parents can let their children run freely through the neighborhood, their bodies naturally challenged with the exercise of play.

Instead today, before the slam of the car door fades and the backpack drops on the floor, the TV is switched on and the last few hours of daylight disappear in a haze of video games and over processed snack foods.

Even the concerned, well-meaning parent can often stand helpless, wondering how to compete against marketing genius and instant gratification. Exercise and carrot sticks have a hard time competing with Xboxes, SpongeBob and potato chips.

The proof is all around us. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health of too many North Americans is in danger because of unhealthy lifestyles.

Actively Listening to your Child

Communicating with our children can be a difficult task at times.  We feel like they're not listening to us; they feel like we're not listening to them.  Good listening and communications skills are essential to successful parenting.  Your child's feelings, views and opinions have worth, and you should make sure you take the time to sit down and listen openly and discuss them honestly.

It seems to be a natural tendency to react rather than to respond.  We pass judgment based on our own feelings and experiences.  However, responding means being receptive to our child's feelings and emotions and allowing them to express themselves openly and honestly without fear of repercussion from us.  By reacting, we send our child the message that their feelings and opinions are invalid.  But by responding and asking questions about why the child feels that way, it opens a dialog that allows them to discuss their feelings further, and allows you a better understanding of where they're coming from.  Responding also gives you an opportunity to work out a solution or a plan of action with your child that perhaps they would not have come up with on their own.  Your child will also appreciate the fact that maybe you do indeed understand how they feel.