Kindergarten: Is Your Child Ready?

June 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Just because a child is turning five it does not mean they are necessarily ready to start kindergarten. There are some things you should look for in your child to make sure they are ready to make the transition to kindergarten. There are other options such as another year of preschool or a kindergarten readiness program for those kids who need some extra time.

This is one of the kindergarten rooms on the f...

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If you are trying to decide if your child is ready to make the jump into kindergarten, there are a few things you can look for. First, are they showing an interest in the letters of the alphabet, and are they happy about learning new things? Do they have an interest in books and reading?

Since there is much more to kindergarten than just the academics, it is also important to look for the social signs that your child is ready for kindergarten. If your child is ready they will not have a hard time separating from you or other members of your family. They should also be showing some signs on independence. Even though there is a lot of teacher involvement in kindergarten, it is also one of the first steps in their own independent world. Are they showing the ability to wait their turn and let others have their turn?

You should also look for signs that your child can work on an activity for more than just a few minutes. Can they finish a task that they start even if it takes them more than 10 or 15 minutes?

If your child is showing these abilities then they are more than likely ready to start kindergarten.

 

 

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Birthday Parties: Making the Best of your Child’s Amazing Day

May 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Shrieks and sobs, wails and worry: the afternoon is met with the saddest of parties. A birthday celebration — which was hastily cobbled together, offered no consideration — is a disaster. The guests are listless; the presents don’t please; and your child…is crying, wondering how his special moment shattered so spectacularly.You’re wondering that yourself.

Birthday parties are not simplicities. They can fail easily — and quickly — when improperly planned. It’s imperative therefore to offer strategy to the hours and gain the greatest rewards

birthday cake

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possible:

The Guest List

There is one rule to govern birthday events: they are defined by the ones who enjoy them. Success is earned by the arrival of guests; and these individuals must therefore be chosen carefully. You must be certain to invite your child’s closest friends to the party, shuffling schedules and activities to suit their demands. While this may seem to be too much of an effort, it is instead essential. The day will begin with low expectations if it’s revealed that too few guests can come. Plan carefully and try to compromise your desires for those of others.

Special Themes

Birthday celebrations are not shaped to mere cakes and cookies, the punch bowl splashes. They’re instead complicated affairs, demanding time, effort and consideration. A theme therefore is recommended to narrow the focus of a party and help to provide direction, such as games, decorations, menus, prizes and more. Choose a style that appeals to your child and then drench the day in it. Utilize clever accessories (like a Sesame Street centerpiece) to complete the design. This will spare you from weak activities and discontent among guests.

Professional Entertainment

The hours are soaked in sugar, the burst of calories and ice cream-fueled impulses. Little bodies quickly begin to roam, undone by their own excitement, and this can cause endless worries for an already harried chaperon. It’s vital therefore to provide your child and his guests with the appropriate entertainment — ensuring that all attentions are captured and no problems occur. Choose from magicians, clowns, comedians and more. These individuals will ensure that all youths are enraptured rather than restless (which could cause complaints and ruin the afternoon).

Games and Activities

Birthdays are centered around a singular moment: the opening of the gifts. This is what all children wait for; this is what all anticipation is offered to. There are countless seconds between the arrival of the guests and the reveal of the presents, however, and these must be filled accordingly (if only to ensure a party doesn’t lull). You must have games and activities prepared. Note the theme of an event and create amusements that complement it. You must be certain that all children can participate. Learn of any physical conditions — such as allergies — early to avoid any concerns.These suggestions can offer relief but you must first ask yourself a simple question: are you willing to earn it?

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Preparing Your Child for the Move

May 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Karen Lee dreads moving because her daughter, who is in second grade, reacts very badly to change. How can she tell her they are moving to be closer to Mommy’s new job? Penny stopped speaking for 3 weeks when she got a new babysitter, and actually hid in the coat closet when she had a substitute teacher at school.

Karen is computer savvy. After finding her dream home while browsing Atlanta apartments for rent, she must now find a way to make the transition as easy as possible for Penny and thus turns to the internet for ideas.

She finds that parents can try too hard to put a cheerful face on a move. They forget that it can also be a time of loss for their child – loss of friends, their room, maybe even their town. Parents need to give children time to mourn. Gather telephone numbers, email, and street addresses of friends. Give a farewell party if possible.

Kidstimes.org suggests telling your child about the move as soon as possible. Don’t let them overhear talk of the move and start to speculate. Take your child to the new neighborhood and explore – take photos of playgrounds, new stores, and schools. Let your child help pack his or her room and choose which boxes he or she will unpack first.

Very young children are least affected by a move as long as you remain calm and upbeat. Preschoolers often do not understand that your belongings are going with you, but their friends will not. Check online parenting resources for children’s books about moving, and read them with your child.

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Medical Complications after Childbirth

May 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
"Father gives attention to his newborn da...

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Medical complications after childbirth can have a significant impact on your child’s mental and physical development. In many cases, medical complications are easily treated. In others, though, you might need to make big adjustments in your lifestyle to accommodate the needs of your new child.

Lack of Oxygen or Blood after Childbirth

A lack of oxygen or blood during and after childbirth can lead to a number of neurological problems. For instance, if the umbilical cord gets wrapped around your baby’s neck, he or she can essentially suffocate. The longer that the brain goes without oxygen, the more likely it is that your child will experience developmental problems such as brain damage and cerebral palsy.

Most of the birth injury attorneys California provides can help parents seek compensation from developmental disorders that are the result of medical malpractice. Obviously, this won’t cure your child’s disorder, but it can help pay for treatment and living expenses.

Medical Concerns for Premature Babies

The risk of medical complications that could affect your child’s development increases when the child is born prematurely. In some cases, children are born without fully developed lungs. This can lead to several complications, including respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and rapid, shallow breathing. These issues can stunt growth and development, but there are effective treatments that can help premature babies recover.

Whether your child experiences developmental disorders from an injury inflicted during birth or a congenital issue, you will need to make sure that you find resources that can help your child learn coping skills that will allow him or her to lead a fulfilling life.

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Tips For Helping Your Child Do His or Her Math Homework

May 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Square root of x formula. Symbol of mathematics. 

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Many children find themselves frustrated and/or overwhelmed by math homework. The students can become anxious and stressed. How can you, as a parent help your child through this process? Here are a few ideas to help you and your student with math homework.

Do the first problem of the assignment with your student. As you go through the process, have your child explain the process. You can do a few more problems with your child if you feel they need more explanation.

Divide the total assignment into more manageable parts. For example, if there are 15 problems assigned, have your child do five problems, then take a break. You can use the break time to review his or her work. This will also allow you to not look over your child’s shoulders or hover while he or she is trying to work on the problems.

Make sure your child has visual tools such as number lines or multiplication tables available for use. This will let your student visualize the numbers during the memorization process. It will also help reduce his or her frustration level.

Make math homework out like game play. You can also use real life examples as a learning tool. You can also invent incentives that will help the process. For example, go on a real-life shopping trip to help them understand percentages. You can also have them help calculate the tip at a restaurant.

Math homework does not have to be either daunting or frustrating. With just a little patience and help from you, your child will soon overcome any issues with doing his or her homework.

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Choosing a Preschool for Your Child

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A day at a Kindergarten 

Image by amrufm via Flickr

The first two years of child’s life were relatively simple when you were choosing childcare. You probably chose between a daycare center, a licensed home care situation or even a nanny. Of course, many parents had the option of caring for the child themselves.

However, the preschool years present many more — and sometimes daunting — choices for you and your child. Not only is childcare involved in a preschool setting, but instruction and education as well. Therefore, when choosing a preschool for your child you want to be sure you understand and accept the type of instruction and care your child will be receiving. Here’s a quick look at the different types of preschool programs that are out there.

Montessori
These types of schools are available at all tuition levels and in most areas. There are even some public schools that are offering Montessori-type early childhood programs. This type of approach is structured and usually offers mixed-age classroom experiences.

Waldorf
The Waldorf approach is a more progressive education model, which is dedicated to the “whole” child experience. Imagination and creativity are emphasized in these programs.

Reggio-Emilia
Reggio-Emilia programs are very child-centric with teachers and children considered to be partners in the educational process.

Religious
You may be interested in providing a religious preschool experience for your child. Preschools operated by a religious organization include curriculums that include religious instruction. The level of that instruction can vary from school to school. If you wish your child to be instructed in a particular religious faith, these types of schools may be the solution.

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Routines for School Success

May 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Mathematics homework 

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Many reliable sources, including the Child Development Institute, tell parents that children with consistent routines will give those children an edge for a successful school experience.

Children should be encouraged early on to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle. This healthy lifestyle will help keep children’s’ brains alert and their bodies fit. Parents should take an active interest in their children’s school activities as well as helping them learn independence, social skills confidence and other such skills.

Parents should make sure that their children are eating a healthy diet. This diet should include foods that are high in anti-oxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids. These foods will help keep the brain and memory skills healthy. Complex carbohydrates are also beneficial to a healthy brain function.

Children should be encouraged to keep children organized and on a routine. Children can do this by keeping a record of assignments and homework. This will help children develop good homework and study habits. Parents should take an interest in school activities and homework. Parents should not do their children’s’ homework, but rather encourage them to find the solution to the problems.

Parents should act as examples to their children. Parents should exhibit the behaviors and attitudes that they want their children to embrace. For instance, parents should read on a regular basis, as this will lead to their children’s desire to read as well. Parents can help their children develop conversation skills by listening to what they have to say and letting them talk through their ideas.

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Praising Your Children

April 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Group of children in a primary school in Paris

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Almost everyone, especially parents, knows that offering praise and encouragement to children, regardless of age, is very conducive to increasing the self-esteem and self-image of the children. Some parents believe that it’s possible to harm their children with too much praise, but studies have been done that prove the opposite.

Older kids can, many times, see that some of the parental encouragement they’re receiving has been used as a way to get them (the kids) to do what the parents want. Patronization by parents or guardians is never a good idea because it almost always has negative effects on the children.

A reward system is always a good idea. Perhaps when your child does exceptionally well on an exam at school, you could buy him or her those new Nike clothes that he or she has been wanting. Nike offers an entire line of clothing, especially for the athletic-minded, and most students will participate in at least one sport in high school. Other rewards could be a weekend trip or new art supplies if your child of a budding artist.

Another good idea is to keep your praise focused when offering it to your children. Try to focus on efforts rather than abilities. The effort our child put into studying to get that A on a history exam is much more worth the praise than scoring twenty points in a recent basketball game. Giving praise for natural abilities can be detrimental to development because natural ability is out of child’s control.

Offer praise where it’s needed, and as often as it’s needed. Make sure your children know you care.

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The Most Dangerous Babysitter: Kids and Television

April 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Methods of raising children have been profoundly transformed over the last century.  Ways of caring for, disciplining, entertaining, and encouraging children have all evolved, and in some ways not for the best.  The circulation of widespread media, availability of unhealthy foods, and exposure to social disorder has made parenting more difficult than ever. Although there are a myriad of circumstances involved in raising a child effectively, the one that is constantly cited as the most influential is television.
Reports in the last decade have focused more and more on television as a source of problems in the upbringing of children—particularly toddlers.  Studies report that if children under the age of two watch television weekly, even if just briefly, it alters the way that their mind works.  Television is so rapid and interactive that the brain tends to diminish function while the T.V. is on.  For babies this is particularly dangerous, because it teaches their developing mind to cease functioning and can therefore disturb the healthy growth of cerebral response and basic thinking.
Also, according to   http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child.html, children that witness aggression via television are more likely to be fearful of the outside world or violent themselves.  Kids constantly watching more than four hours of television a day are far more likely to be overweight.  There is also the clearly negative consequence of behaviors witnessed on television—including racism and sexism—becoming subconsciously ingrained in a child’s mind.  Programs exist that encourage beneficial and appropriate behaviors in children, but like everything else, they should be used in moderation, constantly monitored, and not exist as the sole influence in a child’s upbringing.

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Making Room in the Budget for Charitable Donations with Children

April 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you are the parent of a small child it’s often difficult to make ends meet much less find a few extra dollars lying around for the purpose of charitable donations. But there are many rewards and benefits, even financial ones, for taking the time and making the effort to do so.

It may not exactly take a village to raise a child these days, but it seems to take enough money to fund a village at times. It’s often hard to cover all the necessities along with a few luxuries and have a little left over at the end of the day to save for college but did you know that you could actually do more good for your cause by donations than by traditional savings means?

Here’s why.

You can donate goods that are no longer of use or value to you for real dollar savings come tax time. That is money that you either will not owe as a result or get back in the form of a tax refund.The bigger the donation, say donating a car to Kars for Kids, the greater the reward might be. The really great news is that while there is an upper limit for deductible charitable donations, most people never reach it.

Not all the benefits though are a matter of dollars and cents. There is a huge reward for not only knowing that you’re doing the right thing by donating to charity but also by teaching your kids about charitable giving and its importance too.

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