If you're concerned your young child's dining habits resemble those of a zoo animal, it may be time to instill some basic manners. While you may find spaghetti hanging out his mouth endearing, your family members and friends likely will not. Give your kid plenty of etiquette practice at home so he will be prepped when he eats dinner at someone else's home.
Role playing games have great parallels to real world lessons like courage and respect. Get a list of role playing games that you can use to teach kids about respect with help from a former family case worker for CPS in this free video clip.
Studying geometry at the kindergarten level provides some of the first building blocks toward a fruitful mathematical education. Beyond mastering shapes, geometry lessons can enrich a kindergartner's entire curriculum, from developing awareness of the world around him to creating avenues to incorporate art and science into his studies.
The population of English language learner (ELL) students is on the rise, according to the National Clearing House for English Language Acquisition at George Washington University, and finding ways to teach these students is growing increasingly important. Any students learning English as a second language, either as an immigrant or because English is not the primary language spoken in their home, could be categorized as ELL students. Education Week reports that in the decade between the 1997-98 school year to the 2008-09 school year, the number of ELL students enrolled in public schools grew from 3.5 million to 5.3 million…
The first method for teaching a child how to tie his or her shoes is commonly referred to as "bunny ears." Teach children how to tie shoes with help from a former family case worker for CPS in this free video clip.
Most people face fears or social anxiety: public speaking, heights, spiders or rejection. Helping preschoolers understand and use courage to overcome their fears and the adversities they will face involves communication, play and other interactive activities. And, they will learn that fear can prevent them from making the wrong decisions in some situations, such as climbing too high in a tree. While courage sometimes means overcoming fears, it can also mean listening to fear.
Just one preschool classroom has enough energy to light up an entire town. Add to that liveliness the increasing number of children whose home language is other than English, and the preschool teacher is faced with not one but two rewarding challenges. The most important steps to creating successful classes for preschoolers whose first language is not English is to put all of that natural childhood energy to use through music, games and art, all of which reinforce language skills.
The expressions "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" and "look through someone else's eyes" are asking people to focus outside themselves, and adults understand their meaning. Teaching your child to be mindful of other involves taking time during the day for teachable moments. Asking your child to focus on others also means modeling a broad view of life and exposing your child to perspectives that don't necessarily match his world or your family views. The ability to see the perspectives of others helps your child understand the important role diversity plays in life.
Empathy is a keystone emotional skill on which many altruistic emotions are built. Compassion, kindness, selflessness, understanding and other human-based social skills platform on the ability to empathize. Empirical research pegs a causal relationship in youth between high levels of empathy, adequate emotion management and positive peer connections. This higher order emotion seems innate in some youngsters, less so in others. Sociology organizes empathy into two arenas -- cognitive and affective. There are certain factors in each of these areas that can influence empathy, for better or worse, in children of all ages.
Teach your child about weights and measures by using familiar items such as groceries, cell phones and grapes. Let him do a little hands-on experimentation, and have paper and pencil ready for him to record his findings. Find an entertaining book or two on the subject and read it with him.
Children are ready to read at a variety of ages. Reading readiness depends on a lot of factors, including visual maturity, mental maturity and exposure to books and other literacy materials. This means that the best time to teach formal reading can vary from child to child. However, on the average, age five to age six is usually optimal, especially if the child has had literacy experiences such as listening to books read aloud to her.
Love it or hate it, media has woven its way into our culture and demanded that parents address its presence in the lives of their children. As though parenting weren't already complicated enough! However, because television, movies, video games, computers and all the ads that go along with them can have a significant role in shaping children, it is important to teach kids media literacy. Help your child understand media safety, develop critical thinking skills, distinguish between fantasy and reality, and remember the world outside of media to ultimately engage with it in a smart, healthy way.
Even if your child can put on her clothes with ease, she might still struggle with zippers. Fastening and pulling up a zipper requires manual dexterity and good hand-eye coordination. Without these skills, this task can cause children considerable frustration. When you're running late for work and your child is about to miss the school bus, you may think it's faster and more convenient to zip up her jacket yourself. Teaching your child to zip her own zippers, though, helps her build confidence as she develops her fine motor skills.
Helping a toddler identify colors is really fun and is a natural part of the development process. Learn how to teach a toddler to identify colors with help from a former family case worker in this free video clip.
While eating with hands and fingers is suitable for the youngest crowd, there comes a time when a child needs to master the use of a spoon and fork. These may slow him down, however, and make eating more laborious at first. With encouragement, most little ones are eager to eat the way everyone else does by the time they reach 3 or 4 years of age, states the Bright Futures website.
Your community is a source of entertainment, education, support and fulfillment for your entire family. Children are naturally curious about the world around them and yours might have questions about different people and traditions within the community. By responding honestly and exposing your children to all of the benefits a community has to offer, you can teach him to respect differences, care for the community and better appreciate the world around him.
Kids are little feeling machines. Sometimes their feelings are big and exuberant while at other times they are big and intensely angry. Resulting behaviors can either support or derail the child and family's overall sense of well being. Teaching kids about how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors all work together can help them learn about themselves and appropriate ways of dealing with how they feel.
All children, regardless of their needs, should be well-versed in the subject of fire safety. According to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services in Maryland, nearly 13 percent of all children in the U.S. require special needs, which make them more susceptible to accidental injury. As the parent of a special-needs child -- or any child, for that matter -- your job is to ensure your child’s safety at all times, and that requires repeatedly discussing the importance of fire safety.
If your kids seem to think that breaking stuff isn’t that big of a deal because you can simply replace it, it’s time to start teaching them a little money management, which you can easily do with chores. It’s not uncommon for your child to assume that you are the only thing standing between her and everything she wants, without realizing that finances even exist. To children without any sense of money management or financial sense, money does grow on trees. To prevent this attitude from creating a future full of financial faux pas, taking on a little household responsibility…
Children benefit from having a variety of loving adults caring about them and serving as role models, according to Michigan State University extension specialist Suzanne Pish. If you need to intervene to ensure that your kids respect their grandparents properly, work proactively to ensure a healthy and positive intergenerational relationship.
Your curious, insightful 3-year-old is changing and growing daily. Aside from the many fine-motor skills your tot already possesses, according to the University of Tennessee Extension, your 3- or 4-year-old is ready to take on the task of dressing himself. This involves buttoning the button on his pants, which might seem too daunting of a task -- at first. When it comes to the art of buttoning buttons, lead by example and comfort your toddler through all the frustration because eventually, he will triumph.
Toddlers love to imagine that they're fearless knights or beautiful princesses, and that's an important part of how they learn about the world around them. The same imagination that encourages entertaining play can also spark fear in your toddler when he thinks about monsters under his bed or goblins in his closet. Teaching your child the difference between what's real and what's imaginary will help ease his fears, but won't get in the way of creative play.
Teaching table manners to kids is going to require a great deal of a few important things, including patience. Teach table manners to kids with help from the author of the award-winning parenting book series, "Love, Limits, & Lessons," and the executive producer and host of the television show, "Creating Cooperative Kids" in this free video clip.
Teaching high-income children always requires you to keep a few very important things in mind. Teach high-income children with help from the author of the award-winning parenting book series, "Love, Limits, & Lessons," and the executive producer and host of the television show, "Creating Cooperative Kids" in this free video clip.
Teaching children how to self-monitor is a very important lesson for their developing lives. Teach children how to self-monitor with help from the director of CHALK Preschool of Venice in this free video clip.
Teaching the ballet positions to young or preschool children is a great way to get those kids interested in the art of dance. Teach the ballet positions to young or preschool children with help from a longtime and distinguished ballet professional in this free video clip.
Teaching kids to stop laughing at inappropriate times is sometimes a whole lot easier said than done. Teach your kids to stop laughing at inappropriate times with help from an experienced parent coach in this free video clip.
When teaching a toddler about money, you're always going to want to keep a few very important things in mind. Teach a toddler about money with help from an experienced parent coach in this free video clip.
"Contentment" is one of the most important words that a child can learn. Get tips on teaching your children about contentment with help from an experienced parent coach in this free video clip.
Sometimes the best way to teach young children about the concept of giving is through a nicely made game. Find out about games that you can use to efficiently teach young children about the concept of giving with help from an experienced parent coach in this free video clip.
One great way to teach kids money management is through the careful use of the right types of chores. Teach kids money management with chores with help from an experienced parent coach in this free video clip.
Enforcing good dinner table habits in children is a lesson you want to instill in your kids early. Enforce good dinner table habits in children with help from a practicing therapist in this free video clip.
Teaching children to describe their senses can help make them more well-rounded individuals. Teach children to describe their senses with help from a practicing therapist in this free video clip.
Using the Internet is one thing - using the Internet wisely is something else entirely. Teach children how to use the Internet wisely with help from a practicing therapist in this free video clip.
Teaching children to finish a task is an important trait to instill in them at an early age. Teach children to finish a task with help from a practicing therapist in this free video clip.
Thriftiness is a great value to instill in your children from an early age. Learn about teaching thriftiness to children with help from an educational consultant in this free video clip.
Tricycles can teach children a number of fun and interesting things if you approach the lesson in the right way. Learn about what tricycles teach children with help from a family case worker in this free video clip.
Teaching a toddler not to throw food is an important step in teaching that child about proper behavior. Teach a toddler not to throw food with help from a family therapist and child development specialist in this free video clip.
Teaching children to use words instead of hands is a big first step towards properly communicating with a little one. Learn about teaching children to use words instead of hands with help from a family therapist and child development specialist in this free video clip.
Teaching kids to Hula is a great, fun way to get your children active. Teach kids to Hula with help from a personal trainer and group fitness director in this free video clip.
The number one most important thing to do when teaching cameras to children is to let them get comfortable. Get tips about teaching cameras to children with help from a director of photography in this free video clip.
Teaching lattice multiplication instructions for kids requires you to go about programming your lesson plan in a very specific way. Learn about lattice multiplication instructions for kids with help from a professional math and physics tutor in this free video clip.
Teaching kids things like pitch frequency and volume requires you to keep a few key things in mind. Learn about teaching kids pitch frequency and volume with help from a producer and professional performer in this free video clip.
You can teach a wide variety of different mathematical concepts using individually colored tiles. Find out about mathematical concepts to teach with color tiles with help from an experienced mathematics educator in this free video clip.
Alliteration, personification and onomatopoeia are three very important aspects of poetry. Teach children about poetry including alliteration, personification and onomatopoeia with help from a professional development expert in this free video clip.
Alliteration is a very important part of many different types of poetry. Learn about teaching alliteration poems for kids with help from a professional development expert in this free video clip.
Teaching children acronyms and abbreviations is something that you can do in a few key ways depending on the age of the child. Learn about teaching children acronyms and abbreviations with help from a professional development expert in this free video clip.
Teaching surrealism to children requires you to touch on a few very important concepts and ideas. Learn about teaching surrealism to children with help from an experienced visual artist in this free video clip.
Teaching your child to bear up under the death of a beloved pet may be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. Watching your child's emotions take over and knowing there is little you can do to alleviate her pain is heart-wrenching. Most likely, you are also feeling the pain of the loss, making it that much more challenging. Honesty is the best policy in this situation.
Many different kinds of violence can have a negative affect on the life of a child. Learn about five kinds of violence that affect children with help from a psychologist, speaker and writer in this free video clip.