Aha! Parenting - Dr. Laura Markham & Parenting Your Strong-Willed Child Have a strong-willed child? You're lucky! Strong willed children can be a challenge when they’re young, but if sensitively parented, they become terrific teens and young adults. What exactly is a strong-willed child? Often, strong-willed kids are prone to power-struggles with their parents. No one likes being told what to do, but strong-willed kids find it unbearable. Strong-willed kids aren't just being difficult. Morality is doing what's right, no matter what you're told. So of course you want your child to do what you say. Breaking a child's will leaves him open to the influence of others who often will not serve his highest interests. That said, strong-willed kids can be a handful -- high energy, challenging, persistent. Ten Tips for Positive Parenting Your Strong-Willed, Spirited Child 1. That way, you aren't the bad guy bossing them around, it’s just that "The rule is we use the potty after every meal and snack," or "The schedule is that lights-out is at 8pm. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
MetroDad: The Rules: 25 Life lessons for my daughter My father has never given me any advice. The one time I remember him even trying was when I was 18 and on my way out of the house for the evening. As I recall, he briefly looked up from his newspaper and said, "You know about condoms, right?" End of conversation. Thank you, Obi Wan Kenobi. In all seriousness, it always deeply wounded me that we never had any of those father-son conversations where he would counsel me about life and give me lessons of an admonitory or hortative nature that might provide a road map for how to live my life. Needless to say, ever since my daughter was born, I've been bombarding her with advice on a near-daily basis. My list of lessons that I want to pass down to her is virtually endless and constantly changing but I thought I'd write some of those lessons down here. Some of these lessons are humorous. However, all of them are true... (2) Lennon, not McCartney. (3) Life is too short not to order the fries. (6) Don't worry about being popular. (9) Never cheat.
Start Signing! Why Kids Should Learn Sign Language Baby Sign Language: Alphabet My son, Jonah, came home from preschool one afternoon in a fidgety mood, wiggling his fingers wildly and whispering to himself. I was trying to figure out why he was so restless (Too much sleep? Too little time on the playground?) when he proudly announced that he was practicing a new skill he was learning at school: sign language. It's not news that signing with babies can help them communicate before they can talk, but it's a more recent trend to use sign language with older kids. Giving sign language a try at home shouldn't be too tricky. Why it Helps: It Increases Kids' Vocabulary Studies of preschoolers in Maryland found that those who were introduced to American Sign Language (ASL) words, such as signs for the weather, colors, numbers, and feelings, did better on vocabulary tests than their peers who weren't taught to sign.
7 Things Every Parent Should Discuss with Their Children and 3 Things They Absolutely Should Not Image via John Cave Osborne To be an effective parent, you must also be an effective communicator. Yet being an effective communicator doesn’t necessarily make you an effective parent. After all, there’s the little issue of what, exactly, it is that you should be communicating to your children. And, perhaps even more importantly, what it is that you shouldn’t be communicating to them. Here are seven things that definitely need to be covered: 1. Image: DamienHR’s photostream via Creative Commons Parents owe it to their children to have a discussion about God, whether they’re believers or not. 2. Image: je@an’s photostream via Creative Commons A lot of people have a hard time talking about sex with their spouse, much less with their children, but it’s imperative to tackle this issue early and often. 3. Image: Marion Doss’s photostream via Creative Commons You don’t exactly have to keep your eyes peeled for tragic stories involving fatalities due to underage drinking and drug use. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Childrens Story Posters | Square Inch Design Blog Classic Children’s Stories Vol. 1 Also available without text Related Work / Peter Pan Beauty & the Beast Jack & the Beanstalk Gulliver’s Travels The Little Mermaid Sleeping Beauty Chicken Little The Frog Prince Cinderella The Emperor’s New Clothes Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Follow me on Twitter My Tweets Recent Posts © 2014 Sinch Art & Design. ©2013 SInch - All Rights Reserved - Sinch is the intellectual property of Square Inch Design. 25 Ways to Talk So Children Will Listen A major part of discipline is learning how to talk with children. The way you talk to your child teaches him how to talk to others. Here are some talking tips we have learned with our children: 1. Before giving your child directions, squat to your child’s eye level and engage your child in eye-to-eye contact to get his attention. 2. Open your request with the child’s name, “Lauren, will you please…” 3. We use the one-sentence rule: Put the main directive in the opening sentence. 4. Use short sentences with one-syllable words. 5. If he can’t, it’s too long or too complicated. 6. You can reason with a two or three-year-old, especially to avoid power struggles. 7. Instead of “no running,” try: “Inside we walk, outside you may run.” 8. Instead of “Get down,” say “I want you to get down.” 9. “When you get your teeth brushed, then we’ll begin the story.” 10. Instead of hollering, “Turn off the TV, it’s time for dinner!” 11. “Do you want to put your pajamas on or brush your teeth first?” 12. 13.
All for the Boys - All for the Boys - Thanksgiving Crafts + Activities My boys get all into the holidays and if we have any extra craft time they love doing seasonal activities. Apparently Thanksgiving means lots of turkey crafts but I tried to find the best ones with a mix of some other fun activities. 1. and my favorite Thanksgiving boat races from One Charming Party. A big welcome to all our new readers! Home | Young Parents - The valuable and trusted resource for young parents How To Make Play Dough—Peppermint Sorry about not getting this up sooner. Things have been crazy around here with that wind storm. I just finally found some time to sit down and get this typed up. Peppermint Play Dough Recipe 1 cup flour 1/4 cup salt 2 tablespoons cream of tartar 1 Tablespoon Peppermint Oil Extract 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup water 1. A great way to entertain the kids during Christmas break. And, in the spirit of giving, I have provided you with a free printable Peppermint Play Dough label for the tops of your jars or Tupperware containers to label it for a gift. {Download Peppermint Play Dough Label} I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 1585stumbleupon
Activekidsclub.com Baby fear of strangers, separation anxiety I don't know you Kari is eight months old, and she’s been a cheerful and outgoing baby. She’s always smiled at people and delighted in experiencing the world around her. But not today. When her mother brings in a new babysitter, she’s surprised by Kari’s reaction. A few minutes later, Mum tries to leave the room. I'm scared Kari’s reactions to the new babysitter are normal. Babies also begin to show fear when their parents or caregivers leave them with others, even if it is at home or some other familiar place. Although separation anxiety and stranger anxiety can seem troubling, don’t worry. Why she's frightened now Why does fear develop around 7-9 months? In other words, as children get better at knowing the difference between familiar and unfamiliar faces, they may become more fearful of faces they don’t know. Others believe that fear is more biologically ‘programmed’. What we know Each month, researchers watched the babies’ reactions as they were approached by someone they didn’t know.