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Whether you consider yourself to be a technology "geek" or the news of the unveiling of the latest electronic gadget makes you cringe, it is difficult to deny their abundance. According to a 2011 Pew Internet study, for instance, 83 percent of American adults indicated they owned a cell phone. The proliferation of these gadgets can influence lives in both positive and negative ways.
Parents can enhance and expedite the cognitive development of their children by hosting stimulating, age-appropriate activities. Getting kids involved in interactive activities that force them to practice analyzing, memorizing or problem-solving is an effective way to help them develop their cognitive skills. According to the U.S. Department of Education, research shows that early childhood cognitive development affects how prepared kids are for school when they enter preschool or kindergarten.
You might think your toddler is too young for school, but it's never too early to start at least thinking about education for your child. Your preschool choice can affect how your child learns to see the world, so you need to look for a school that will back up your home child-rearing philosophies. Remember, toddlers need to play and socialize more than they need to memorize worksheets and grasp intricate concepts. Try to find a place with the right mix of traditional education and active learning through play.
Math concepts build on top of each other. If your child has trouble understanding a basic concept like addition or subtraction, she will struggle even more with multiplication and division. Fortunately, there are many ways for parents to teach these ideas, beginning with preschoolers who are just learning to count, on up through eighth graders who must add and subtract much larger numbers.
Dorothy the Dinosaur is the "rosasaurus" made famous by the popular television show "The Wiggles." Dorothy is a friendly dinosaur who enjoys gardening and eating roses. This lively and engaging character is geared toward preschool-aged children and teaches them to dance and have fun. There are many activities for children that involve this special dinosaur to get their minds engaged and their little hands busy. Best of all, children will learn while helping adults to create these hands-on craft projects.
How divorce affects a child depends on the age of the child during the divorce, how the parents handle the divorce, the level of stability that the child feels in the household and various other factors. Parents can take steps to ensure that the divorce does not have a negative impact on the child's development.
Parents often wish to pass their faith on to children by encouraging participation in church activities. However, children may resist these efforts because they have chosen to rebel against their family's religion, or they do not connect with the activities available at their church. In these circumstances, parents can step in to encourage children to participate without using force and eliciting additional resistance.
A journal offers a way to chronicle your parenting experiences, engender memories for both you and your children years from now and create an heirloom that they may use to pass down to their children, in case they never get to know you personally as their grandparent. Your journaling may lead to a family tradition as your child decides to record his parenting experiences by keeping a journal for each child as he rears them.
Long before children become adept at verbal communication, they fine tune body language, are capable of expressing and receiving ideas through sign language, and use coos, squawks and screams to make their needs and wishes known. Because art is a language all its own and even the tiniest babies respond to contrasts in light and color, painting benefits children emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physiologically.
Becoming the legal guardian of a sibling is never an easy task. In addition to being stressful emotionally and possibly financially, legality is often an issue. Guardianship of a minor or vulnerable adult can be granted to siblings, but the process may involve more work than gaining custody of one's child.
Pre-K programs introduce children to a school environment before they arrive at elementary school. Depending on your school district's guidelines and your child's birth date, pre-K programs are designed for children between the ages of 3 and 5. Children enrolled in an early education program benefit not only during their school years, studies show they are more successful as adults as well.
Children love to play games, and almost every game has a communication lesson hidden within. From learning to take turns to understanding how nonverbal cues work, children can learn many communication lessons from games played with peers and family.
As babies grow to toddlers, parents start to wonder about preschool. Parents must decide if preschool is right for their child and family situation. Many things play a part in that choice. Some parents choose to keep their child at home instead of attending preschool for many reasons.
For many grandparents, the arrival of a grandchild means the chance to step into a new role -- that of a spoiling and advice-giving grandparent. If your child's grandparents insist on inserting themselves into your life more often than you would like, intervention may be necessary. Not dealing with the issue at hand will likely lead to damage to your relationship with your parents. Instead of allowing yourself to become gradually more upset by the just-a-bit-too-pushy grandparents in your life, take the reigns and steer the relationship back in the right direction.
If you have a child involved in sports, being a team mom is a great opportunity for you to bond with your child and support the team. Although being a team mom is fun and means more time with your child, it is important to understand all of the responsibilities before signing on for the job.
The Internet is a useful tool that allows kids to learn, play games and keep in touch with distant loved ones. Unfortunately there are also many inappropriate websites that kids can stumble upon. These sites contain disturbing information, photos or videos, and some may allow children to be contacted by people who would do them harm. This leaves many parents unsure of what to do, but there are concrete and sensible ways to protect your kids from harmful websites while allowing them to reap the benefits of the Internet.
Minnesota's probate courts arrange new supervision for children or incapacitated adults by assigning legal guardians to make life decisions and conservators to handle the finances of an estate. The individuals in these positions are authorized by the state of Minnesota to make decisions that supersede parental rights after a petition has been filed and adjudicated by interested parties -- be they relatives, caregivers or friends.
Pet a stingray with your daughter or take to the stage with your son to perform in a live play. Southern New Jersey is full of opportunities for family fun. The area offers water tunnels, arcades and other family-oriented entertainment venues that are sure to fit into any day out or weekend getaway.
Sooner or later, every daycare provider must share unpleasant news with a parent -- a daunting task. Parents are usually just as nervous to hear bad news as you are to give it. Before talking with parents, try to take your own opinions and emotions out of the situation. Your job is to create a safe, nurturing environment for the children in your daycare, and although some conflict is normal, you can't tolerate biting, hitting and kicking. Understand that the parent might seem defensive or emotional at first, and allow time for them to process the information.
When your child turns 18, he will legally become an adult in the eyes of the law. This marks an important transition in your child's life and presents some parenting challenges that are different that when your child was growing up. Legal adulthood for your child does not mean that your job as a parent is over, but turning 18 does mark a new phase in your relationship with your child.
Some might joke that what goes around comes around, and now it's your turn to take care of your parents, who took care of you when you were young. Taking care of elderly parents is becoming the norm. People who are old, frail and have physical and cognitive problems can no longer work and are considered unemployable. Unemployable means "unsuitable for employment"; some adults, however, are taking care of parents who aren't necessarily elderly, but who are nevertheless unemployable. This is a challenging and often frustrating and overwhelming situation, and it can wreak havoc on a person's health, marriage and…
According to Pew Research Center, 55 percent of children ages 12 to 17 use online social networking sites. In addition, children play games online, conduct research and look at merchandise. Parents can control what children view online by downloading software that blocks certain websites. It is a parent's responsibility to monitor online content and make decisions about what is acceptable viewing for their children.
Children may roll their eyes or cross their arms, but they do appreciate their parents' efforts at participating in activities together. Activities allow parents to create bonds, model appropriate behavior and build memories with their children. Activities can be physical or relaxed, but they should connect different generations in fun ways.
Some families demand a unique type of structure in which a child is forced to take care of his parent. A variety of reasons exist for such a situation, including parental physical illness, mental illness or substance abuse. Children who are thrown into these situations may not be ready for such responsibilities, or they may feel as though they have lost a sense of their youth. Many children seek the counsel of support groups.
There was a time when the extended family, such as grandparents and other relatives, would pass on traditional child-rearing strategies and learned wisdom to new parents. In today's society, however, this is not often feasible. Today's parents often both work and are rushed for time. Since there is no owner's manual that comes with children, parents learn child-rearing strategies through many other avenues such as information found on the internet, through books and through television.
Pushy parents pressure their children to always do better and strive for more than what is to be accepted as average. This type of dynamic can cause concerns as children are expected to do better than others. Finding activities for children who have such parents often times means steering clear of highly competitive situations where winners and losers are chosen.
From very early in a child's life, his teachers will likely be taking him on field trips. While such highly anticipated outings are educational and enjoyable for the students, field trips can be a daunting prospect for the teacher. Lining up transportation, sending home lists of instructions and finding some adventurous parents to help chaperone are just a few of the headaches for teachers who dare to take their classes off campus. Finding the right parents to come along and instructing them as to their roles are two critical steps in planning a successful field trip.
Sight words improve a child's reading ability. The more children practice sight words, the faster they recognize the words in context. Because the child doesn't have to stop to figure out a word, she keeps the flow of her reading. Home activities can support the sight word learning children do in the classroom for greater retention.
As a baby you doted on him, but now this sullen preadolescent or elementary-age child seems like a stranger. If your relationship with your child has been shaky at best lately, you need to open the lines of communication and reconnect. By talking, spending time together and interacting in positive ways, you can rebuild the precious connection with your child.
Parent support groups can help parents deal with special challenges their families are facing. Just knowing others are going through the same situation lends emotional support, and they can give each other valuable advice. Parents of mentally or physically challenged kids, single parents or parents of teens with drug or alcohol problems, for instance, can benefit from support groups. Well-planned activities will keep the group strong.
Parents and guardians of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered kids may need help supporting their children for various reasons. Parents may feel they need to be educated on how to cope with societal attitudes and issues of equality. Several organizations have programs and resources for parents of gay youth to help them cope with issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and anti-gay discrimination.
Finding a healthy balance of extracurricular activities for your children takes keeping a close eye on their overall behavior. Children can become stressed out if they are overly involved and feel pressured to keep up the pace of an extracurricular activity as well as maintaining good grades. There is no doubt that extracurricular activities are a good thing and that they help a student's resume when applying for college. Just keep an eye out for warning signs of stress and keep the communication open between you and your child.
Families play an integral role of developing literacy skills in children. Though schools are an important component in teaching reading and writing, parents and other family members can lay a foundation for lifetime literacy through actively including literacy in their daily lives. Family literacy activities help develop an appreciation for, and comfort with, reading and writing in the entire household.
Having a new baby is a life-changing experience and an introduction to the completely new world of parenting. Many activities can help you with the first year of your new child's life. You may need to find a new support system. In addition, you will want to provide as much stimulation to be sure your child is developing normally and happily.
Television usage can be abused by children and teenagers when parents do not vigilantly monitor activities. Parents who set expectations, define outcomes, use appropriate tools and maintain open communication can more easily monitor TV use for their children.
Activities during cold months can make for long hours while babysitting, as it may not be possible for children to play outside. With a few ideas and tools, you can create exciting holiday babysitting activities. Modify the activity dependent upon your charge's ages and the time you have with them, and start creating memories with youngsters.
For most parents, having the "talk" is a dreadful time in raising their children. When children start to wonder about changes in their bodies, it's usually time for them to have "the talk." A parent should do several things to explain properly the changes that are occurring, including being completely honest, communicating their own values and starting early. When children aren't told early on, they start to become curious and that can often lead to disaster.
Parents play an important role in their children's activities by choosing to be more involved in the activity than watching from the sidelines. The American Youth Soccer Organization encourages parental participation in its Team Parent program. Parents who are already serving as cheerleaders, snack providers, and coach's assistants, can take it a step further and being an official part of the coaching team. This involvement allows the parent to help and encourage not only her child, but the whole team. It creates a win-win situation for all involved and provides many opportunities.
Getting a picture of your child on Santa's lap is a traditional holiday event in most families. However, Santa pictures have become big business for many photography studios and companies, and the days of the $5 Polaroid in the mall food court are a thing of the past. Santa photos now come with sitting fees and can be purchased as portrait packages. If you're planning on sending your Santa photos to every member of your family and all of your friends, these photo packages may be just the thing you're looking for. On the other hand, if you just want…
Even though TV can be of educational value, it is often used as a substitute for real-life entertainment. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of TV programming a day for kids over 2 years old.
Teenage violence is a major problem in today's society. To be effective parents and to prevent teen violence, maintain an active role in your child's life. As your children enter their adolescent years and strive for independence, it will be crucial to maintain that involvement. Your teenager requires support and constant communication even though it appears he does not want to talk.
There's no doubt that being a separated dad can be extremely challenging. It's hard enough to parent when you see your kids all the time--it can be doubly difficult if you're trying to pick up the threads after a week or two apart. Plan your weekends with your children carefully to get the most out of your time together, but remember that what your children want most is your time and attention--expensive outings and frenetic activity don't always make for the best quality time together.
Whether the parents are minors---under the age of 18---or not, they have the sole custody and guardianship over their children. However, if the minor is irresponsible, exercising bad behavior, is on drugs and alcohol or neglecting the child, parents or grandparents to the baby---as well as an adult sibling, aunt/uncle or family friend--can file for legal guardianship of the baby until the child turns 18, becomes emancipated or the birth parents become responsible parents to their child. There are several different places where you gain information on Indiana law regarding children and guardianship.
Many parents are interested in incorporating cut-up journal sentences into children's at-home writing routines. As a way to motivate youth and give direction, parents can create and provide daily sentence starters that help children form journal entries around the initial writing prompt. The perfect sentence starters will vary from child to child, which is something parents should take into account when developing cut-up sentences for their kids.
The University of Hawaii produced a series called "Tidbits on Raising Children," in which chapter 20 discusses "The Family Dinner Table." It says "the simple family dinner brings everyone together in a relaxed atmosphere that promotes family unity and communication." Dining together provides an open forum to help you stay involved in your kids lives, talking about everything from daily occurrences to more serious discussions on issues such as peer pressure, drinking and drugs. Parents can use many additional activities to continue the bonding and communication opportunities necessary for a strong relationship with their children.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), researchers have found that children who are raised by parents in healthy marriages are more likely to succeed academically and attend college and less likely to have behavior problems, abuse drugs, and commit delinquent behaviors.
Face painting for children is a common activity parents do with their children, but if you're a Christian parent you want to make sure that the design you choose for your child is inspiring, uplifting, and communicates what you believe about Christ. With a little planning, your child will have a face painting they love and which you know is appropriate.
Situated in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest in Lake Hughes, CA, the Painted Turtle is the only multidisease camp and family-care center on the West Coast, according to The Painted Turtle website. Part of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps association, The Painted Turtle Foundation provides a summer camp experience not traditionally afforded to seriously ill children.
Communication between parents and children has been a subject of concern since the dawn of time. Bible stories that relate the trials and tribulations of righteous religious figures have a strong emphasis on communication difficulties -- Isaac and Jacob and Jacob and his sons, for example. These days, there are more resources for parents who want to strengthen their communication with their children. Older parents often have particular difficulties developing good communication patterns with their children. Professionals have developed strategies to assist these parents.
Kids with Internet access often use it to chat with people they have not met in person, or they might view explicit items they should not. As a parent, you should know what your child is doing on the computer, especially with cyber predators at large. Your child may be savvy enough to delete the browser history, but there are other methods to keep track of your child's computer activities.
We all want our children to grow up healthy and strong. Knowledge is essential for helping our children make healthy lifestyle choices. A number of organizations now offer free, online child health-assessment tests for parents and caregivers. These tools provide parents with the information needed to evaluate and improve the health of their children.
Parenting a child with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and general anxiety disorder (GAD) is challenging. While other children appear carefree, your child may withdraw and cling to you in desperation. Don't despair, help is available and there steps you can take to maintain your own and your child's sanity.
All children can be hyperactive at one time or another. Sometimes children are hyperactive because they are tired or have had too much excitement, but sometimes consistent hyperactivity indicates that children have a disorder like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But certain strategies can help calm hyperactive children no matter what the situation.
Parenting can be a tough job, especially parenting a child who is violent or even has violent tendencies. Depending on the situation, therapy may be needed for children in order to control the violence and help learn what is causing this type of behavior with the child. As frustrating as the situation may be and as easy as it may be to give up on certain parenting strategies, it is important to follow a few guidelines when raising violent children.
The PBS television series "Sesame Street" has provided educational programming for children since 1969. This critically acclaimed children's show features a unique combination of puppets (called Muppets), animation, live characters and celebrity guests while infusing music into storytelling and teachable moments. Because most of the show's songs are about letters, numbers, people, problem solving and safety issues, there are many ways for children to learn through Sesame Street music.
The purpose of baby bouncers and baby gyms is to keep your child entertained in a safe, educational manner while you go about your business. They provide physical interaction as well as visual and sometimes auditory stimulation for the baby.
Children of deployed parents need support to help maintain structure and stability when Mom and Dad are away serving the country. Thankfully, Uncle Sam and a number of government-supported organizations have scholarships and grants available to help with extracurricular activities, college and more.
Parents should start researching options to help offset college costs prior to their child selecting a college to be certain they meet application and funding deadlines. If they start doing their homework from the start, including when their child is a high school junior, once a college is selected, they will be better informed of their options regarding federal, private funding and any funding available through the selected college. See Resources for comprehensive websites that list loan options.
Children need mentoring, structure, discipline and guidance, but that doesn't mean parents can't have a whole lot of fun with them as well. Follow these steps to connect and bond with your kids while creating lifetime memories.
Every age that ends with "teen" can be difficult for both parents and children. A common point of contention in many households is by what time a teenager needs to be home. With a little (or in some cases, a lot) of patience, courtesy and common sense from both the parent and the teen, a compromise can be reached.
Children with Asperger's syndrome have difficulty finding and maintaining friendships. With at least two out of every 10,000 children exhibiting characteristics consistent with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome, there are many parents in need of a support network. Fortunately, various support networks exist to help parents navigate through the maze of medical services most children with Asperger's syndrome need.
