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Nanny to the Rescue
America's nanny offers a large dose of healthy parenting advice with secrets for raising happy, secure, and well-balanced babies and toddlers.
Babies don't come with instructions. And since today's parents are so overwhelmed with schedules and demands, they have little time to bone up on their parenting skills. Often removed from grandparents and relatives who in times past lived next door or just down the street, they have no one to guide them through the disorienting world of raising children. Enter Nanny to the Rescue! Michelle LaRowe, 2004 International Nanny Association "Nanny of the Year," gives her tried and true solutions to childcare. Her expertise with chapters titled "Who's the boss?" and "Discipline is not a four letter word" gives confidence to parents who need specific ideas for real day-to-day problems. A proud member of Christian Nannies, Michelle offers foundational truths sure to help encourage moms and dads.
Nanny To the Rescue Again
Faced with multiple choices regarding school, friends, and activities coupled with the ever-widening influence of the outside world, parents of 6-12 year olds need help. America's nanny is back to offer a large dose of healthy parenting advice with secrets for raising happy, secure, and well-balanced children.
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Ten Tips for a Great First Day of School!
Many children are jittery on the first day of school. Listed are ways to prepare your child for the big day! -Read books about school. -Talk to other children about school, especially siblings or neighborhood friends. These "experts" can help answer any questions your child might ask. -Visit the school and the classroom prior to the first day. -Introduce your child to the new teacher before the first day of school. -Use structure to foster independence. *Establish a regular bedtime at least two weeks before the start of school. *Establish an unhurried morning routine to help your child get ready- and feel ready-to take on the school day. -Practice the school drop-off and pick-up procedure with your child. -Play school! Role play imagined school scenes, such as asking restroom permission or walking quietly in the hall. -Transitional objects encourage and support the child through the school day. *Select school supplies together, such as backpacks or lunchboxes. *Place a family photo or special note inside your child's lunchbox. -Plan to say good-bye quickly. Children are quick to "pick up" signs of hesitation by parents and may become upset. MAKE THE SEPARATION CLEAN." -Take a short time out at the end of the day and discuss your child's big adventure! Congratulations! You made it through Day One! Even the most prepared child may have second thoughts about crossing the threshold of the classroom. He or she may become shy,clingy, or tearful. If a parent anticipates the child may need extra support, discuss your concerns with the teacher BEFORE the first day. Short term support arrangements can be developed between parent, teacher, and other school support personnel, such as the school counselor,should separation difficulties continue beyond the first days of school. Such arrangements might include: -Allow the child to bring a "parent surrogate" to school, an object that provides security to the child, such as a stuffed animal or favorite blanket. -Arrange to have a friendly face meet your child at the school entrance and escort the student to class. Praise your child for entering the class independently! Should your child demonstrate distress at separation, keep in mind, most departure behavior ends shortly after the parent departs. Contact your child's teacher later in the day to confirm the length of time your child continues to cry or refuse join the classroom activities. If your child settles down quickly, the chances that departure behavior will improve each day is good, if the parent sticks by the established good-bye routine. If the teacher reports your child continues to demonstrate distress in ways that impacts your child's participation and enjoyment of the day or is disruptive to the academic environment of fellow classmates, ask for advice from the school on what you ALL can do, as a team, to establish a positive entry into school. One year or more at school will leave most children feeling more at ease with predictable separations and more confident in their own budding social an cognitive skills. Believe it or not, a week or so into summer vacation, don't be surprised when your child says, "I'm really miss going to school!" Sheree S. Marty has worked with elementary school children as a school counselor for the past nine years. A physical education teacher for thirteen years, Ms. Marty earned her Master degree in Counseling in 2000. Ms. Marty is the author and owner of "Chinese Jump Rope", a childrens games book and website. For more information, visit http://chinesejumprope.tripod.com
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Parenting advice and family fun resource. Expert
parenting advice for babes to teens from doctors, teachers,
psychologists, nutritionists, Special Need Children and Child
Development Specialists and a Nanny. Family Fun includes crafts,
games, party ideas and family vacation travel. Families Online
Magazine also provides answers to those important questions, What's
for dinner and Are We There yet?
Kids and Sports: Fundamentals First
Would you hand a child calculus problems once she was able to count to ten? A geometry text when he began to recognize shapes? War and Peace as soon as she could recite her ABCs? Of course not! Not only is it preposterous to have such expectations of a child, but also it sets up the child for failure - and, most likely, a dread of and distaste for calculus, geometry, and reading.
Naming Your Baby Is Part of The Challenge of Being a Parent
Baby names are as diverse as the people to whom they are given. Choosing the right name for your baby can be a very challenging yet fun exercise! This is my story.
Promoting Your Childs Heart Health
Cardiovascular endurance is one of the five health-related components of physical fitness. It refers to the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen and nutrients to the muscles. In simple terms, someone with great cardiovascular endurance has a strong heart ? one that actually grows in size and pumps more blood with every beat, resulting in a lower heart rate.
What is Child Sexual Abuse?
What is child sexual abuse? Any sexual activity that is imposed on a child by an adult or an adolescent is a sexual assault and abuse of the power of one person over another. This also includes experiences of child to child, teen to child, teen to teen, if there is an age difference of four or more years.
Assume Personal Responsibility? Who, Me?
As thinking, acting human beings we have the ability to choose our response to events, people and circumstances. We do not become responsible when we mature; we mature when we become responsible.
Give Your Child the Gift of Self-Esteem
Much has been said about the "gifted child" but in truth every child is born with unlimited potential. As expressed so well by Orison Marden:
Summer Survival
A kiddy pool and sandbox can be a great investment for the summer as well for the younger kids. My son spends hours playing in his sandbox and kiddy pool and the investment was small compared to the hours of enjoyment he can get from these. If a family member is looking for a gift this summer for a birthday or just because, suggest buying one of these items so that you don't have to pay for these yourself. We asked for these items for our son's birthday and also used our anniversary money to put towards a family zoo pass for the summer.
Don't forget to stock up on all of those fun summer toys for the kids to play with outside. You can stock up on a lot of your fun summer items over at the local Dollar Store. We purchase sidewalk chalk, sandbox tools and toys, bubbles, and water guns. They offer a wide variety of fun summer toys that won't break the bank. You can also make a couple of these yourself with these recipes.
Teaching Reading: Part 3, Whole Language Vs. Phonics
There are two methods for teaching children to read; whole language and phonics. Whole language is a "whole - part" method of teaching children to read, while phonics is a "part - whole" reading method. These terms will be explained more fully in the article. The advantages and disadvantages of both of these methods have been debated for decades. School systems have switched from one method to another and back again countless times over the years. The debate continues. In the meantime, we as parents are still left asking the question, "What is the best way to teach my child to read?" My answer is an unequivocal combination of both methods, with a stronger emphasis on the phonics approach.
Top 10 Ways to Motivate Your Student
As the new school year begins, parents play a pivotal role in their child's success. Here are 10 tips for motivating your student from GoalSettingforStudents.com.1. Stress "I'll Make It Happen" words. Encourage your child to use positive, motivating words like yes, I can, and I will. 2. Minimize "Bummer Words." Avoid using negative or limiting language in discussions with your children. Some of the most common bummer words include no, can't, won't, never, maybe, and if. 3. Do the Basketball Shuffle with your child. Play the Basketball Shuffle to encourage independence and responsibility. Write "It's in your court NOW" on a basketball, and place it in the kitchen or family room to emphasize how the entire family gets the school year off to a good start. Then "pass" the ball to your child to show how he or she is now responsible. Your child can "pass" it back when they need help. The basketball becomes a fun, visual and practical way to emphasize your child's role in his or her education.4. Thank You, Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin used the following process week after week for fifty-seven years and claimed it made him a better and happier man. Develop thirteen character traits you and your child want to work on together. Consider honesty, fairness, self-control, order, sincerity, responsibility, self-respect, and kindness to others. Each week select one character trait, and, as a family, work to improve this trait. Provide rewards to the family member who shows the most improvement. Continue the process until you complete all thirteen weeks of character traits. 5. Stress the Importance of Goal Setting. Sit down with your child and set goals for the school year. According to John Bishop, author of the workbook, Goal Setting for StudentsŪ, "Students will take more personal ownership for their education when they learn how to set and achieve goals and how to use these principles in the classroom. They will embrace your efforts to help them succeed." 6. Accountability is a Two-Way Street. Both parents and students need to be accountable for a child's success in school. As adults, parents have to model responsible behavior for their children. Did you promise to volunteer at school, or help with the latest class project? Make sure you follow through. 7. Answer the "BIG" Question. At least three times per week have your child write down the following question, "Did I give my best effort to today's activities?" and record their answer. If their answer is "yes," reward them. If their answer is "no," have them list two things they will do tomorrow to improve their effort. Writing this question on paper (instead of just discussing it) will imprint the words in their minds. 8. Help Them Manage Their Time. Have a family meeting to discuss the weekly schedule. At the beginning of the school year, it is easy to sign up for too many activities, events and committees. How many activities will each child participate in? When will you have dinner together as a family? When will homework be done? What chores are each family member responsible for and when will they be done? Create a family calendar in a centralized location to keep everyone aware of the day's activities.9. Make it easy to study. Create a study area that fits your child's personality. Do they work best at a desk in a quiet area of their room? Or is the dining room table a better place to work? Does music distract them, or help them focus? Help your child determine the best way to study. Fill a tackle box with commonly used school supplies and keep it stocked. Prevent last-minute runs to the discount store by keeping poster board, extra notebooks, paper and other supplies on hand.10. Define success-in your child's eyes. Help your child define what success means to them. Bishop says, "Children need to know that success takes time; success takes planning and a strong desire; success takes setting and achieving goals; success involves helping others. Students need to know it's their achievement, not ours." With a few simple steps, parents can get their children off to a good start for the new school year.
Build Character with this Delicious Triple A Recipe!
Vinegar or honey, what do kids really want? "Toys, candy, and their own way," answer millions of parents.
Discipline
Discipline is a necessary part of parenting yet it makes most parents feel uncomfortable. Some of those old disciplinary phrases such as 'spare the rod and spoil the child', 'teach them a lesson' or 'set children straight' are enough to send shivers up the spine of any reasonable-minded parent.
Diana, Princess of Whales
Younger generations unfortunately will not understand how larger than life Diana really was and it would be difficult to describe. If you will read the book about her or go buy the audiotape you can play it for your children. Even having shared part of the human history with her in this period, I learned quite a bit about the real Diana and all the good she bought to the world. You will learn more and be able to pass on a true account of a larger than life character of the human endeavor. So I recommend to you:
How to End the Misery of Bedwetting
When a child wets the bed they worry. Children tend to become dry
during the day more easily than at night. During the day they are
awake and aware of their feelings and can go to the toilet normally.
However, at night, when they are asleep, the usual feelings of a full
bladder aren't sufficiently strong to wake them. The result is a wet
bed. Or, young children have to continue wearing diapers at night.
Tips for the Classroom Teachers with ADHD Students
Thank you for all that you do in the classroom! It is hard enough being a classroom teacher today, but when you add to the difficulties two or three children with either Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or minor head injuries from FAS, managing a classroom can be a real challenge!
Mommy, I Can?t Sleep! Sleep Disturbance in Children
"Just turn the lights off and go to sleep"
The Free Ride In Public Schools
To protect children's self-esteem or deflect complaints by parents, many public schools today automatically advance failing students to the next grade level. In other schools, some students are left back a maximum of one year, then promoted again regardless of their academic skills.
Three Sure-Fire Ways to Teach Your Child About Safety
Levels of Safety
The Secret of Understanding Children
It was a day that I will forever be etched into my being. My husband was out of town visiting his mother and I was parenting my two extraordinary children solo. After three days of embracing high drama, soothing explosive emotions, and relaxing righteous indignation, I was exhausted.
A Child Can Make a Difference
Sometimes dreams really can come true! May 8th - 11th, 2000, my daughter and I traveled to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, because of a dream my daughter, Amanda, has to make a difference in this world. Amanda (then a 6th grader) entered McDonald's Millennium Dreamer contest and told them about her contributions to the humane society and her dream of making the world a better place for animals. Amanda's dream is to help homeless pets find homes, and she makes this dream a reality by writing a newsletter and donating all her profits to the humane society. Her entry won her and a parent an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World to meet with other Millennium Dreamers from all over the world. 2,000 kids were chosen in all--1,000 from the U.S., and 1,000 from 90 other countries.
Classic Parenting: Encouragement, Praise, Acceptance, and Responsibility
Encouragement comes when you focus on your child's assets and strengths in order to build his/her self-confidence. It comes from seeing the positive. Even failures can be outstanding learning experiences. Encouragement sounds like this, "I like the way that you did that," or "I know that you can do it," or, "It looks like you worked very hard at that."
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