He has been showing signs of being ready to read for quite awhile. He knew all his letters and the sounds they make when he was two years old. Back then, he was even able to write some basic letters. It was so cute! But I didn’t know what I could do to help him read, until I was told about this book.

Features of the Book

Here are some of the book features:

• 100 lessons
• Uses Distar® orthography, which initiates early instruction
• Appropriate for preschool children and children in school but who have not learned to read yet
• Parent script provided, expected student responses mentioned, and ways to correct if necessary
• Parent’s guide (about 22 pages at the beginning) that explains system and how to correctly follow it, pronunciation guide, and writing chart.
• Includes story and picture comprehension and writing

Benefits of the Book

Here are some of the benefits of the book, from my perspective as a mom:

• Little time required: I love that each lesson only takes about 20 minutes. This is very doable for me in my busy life; and great for my son. (We finished some of the early lessons in five minutes.)
• No thinking of what to say: I love that they actually provide a script of exact wording the parent should use to present the material, and it’s printed in red ink. This takes away any extra work I might need to do.
• Anyone can do it: I am not a teacher yet it’s been easy for me to sit down and work through these lessons with my son. Logical and structured lessons make it easy.
• It really works: It’s been amazing to me to see how the lessons progress from such basic beginnings to actually provide results. You can see how far my son came by lesson 33 – and we still have a ways to go!

Here is a video of our son reading the story from lesson 33:

If you can’t see the video, click here.

We are currently on lesson 56 and it’s been such a great experience that I wish we would have started sooner! We do one lesson every day; they recommend not skipping any days. Over the Christmas break we did skip a few days here and there and I could tell it was a bit harder to come back to it.

To provide a little extra motivation on the second half of lessons, I put a few stickers on random lessons. When we get to a lesson that has a sticker, my son gets to pick a new book (that I already purchased). I found some reader books on his current favorite topic: sharks.

I will be providing follow-up videos and updates as we progress. I can say that it’s been so rewarding to see him actually read, and to know that I helped him!

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This guest post comes from a good personal friend of mine named Pamela who blogs at The Ripple.

Mom! Dad! Don’t Forget!

Remember what it felt like the first time you were out after dark without your parents? How it exciting it was when you had your first hit in tee-ball? What about how absolutely terrifying your nightmares were? The feeling you had when you first drove the family car all by yourself, legally? The butterflies in your belly on your first date? That crazy bike crash when you broke your arm and that incredible pain? Being so excited for Santa to come that you couldn’t sleep?

No? Not until I just reminded you? You’re not alone.

So many of those firsts, so amazing and alive when we experienced them, are faded and dim. They’re there, for sure, but they’re buried deep under all the stuff we’ve experienced and learned and endured as we’ve done what Peter Pan never wanted to do. Grow up.

As parents, we recognize how very fragile and vulnerable our children are, how absolutely in our care they are. We nurture and guide them, teach them and hope for them. We protect them fiercely, knowing what we do about the dangers of this world. But to some degree we do them a substantial disservice.

We have forgotten. As we have grown and begun our own families, a mild amnesia has set in and we have forgotten those magical, horrible, painful, blissful memories of our own childhoods.

When your child is creating art on his own and wants to show you each and every line and color, do you lose your patience? Or do you remember when you were doing the very same thing, desperate for the approval of the people you revered above all else, your Mom and Dad? When your child is freshly pressed and dressed, ready for the important family occasion, and suddenly notices how completely irresistible the puddle in the driveway is, do you see a delay in the outing or do you remember the countless rainy days you spent puddle-jumping? When your teenager is doing her hair for the fourth time in preparation for her first real date, are you exasperated or are you sitting in your favorite chair with a glass of wine, reliving the exciting nervous promise of your first date? So many examples!

I think, as Moms and Dads, we have such responsibility for our children’s well-being and safety that we no longer allow ourselves the luxury of remembering our firsts. I think too that we remember much more clearly the painful hurts of growing up and we want above all else to shield our children from those experiences. Trouble is, forgetting so much of what we went though takes away a tool that we can use to help our children navigate the tricky waters of growing up.

It takes a lot of faith, strength and love to keep those memories close at hand in order to share them with your kids. And of course, the brain knows what it’s doing when it helps you bury memories. But keeping those events of your youth close at hand, and having the faith to let go a little, is a gift your children will appreciate throughout their entire lives, especially as they become parents themselves someday.

Photo copyright Natalie Harding (www.natalieharding.com)

The next time your son or daughter comes flying into the freshly cleaned house covered in mud, dying to show you the frog in their grimy hands, hit the pause button. Just for a second, think about how you may have done that very thing. Think, just for a split second, about the fact that your child is so excited to show you this treasure and how in the not-too-distant-future that won’t be the case. Maybe spare a few minutes to really check that froggy out while you gently steer your muddy kid back outside. Kiss him or her on the sweaty, stinky head and remember your first slimy treasure.

When your child gets their heart broken in two, whether it’s by their first love or the coach who cut them from the basketball team, spare a few minutes. Sit near them, hug them if they’ll let you, share a snack and your memories with them. Although it means reliving something difficult, the bond you strengthen with them is something they’ll always remember, especially when their children have a similar experience.

When your young adult gets into trouble, as they often do while they’re learning and growing, think back to your wild youth. Just because you are in a position of power or responsibility now doesn’t mean you never stole a street sign or had a beer before you were legally allowed to. Be strong, be firm, but be honest and share the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

Remembering our childhood can be beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. Having the strength, honesty and faith to share our memories with our kids and help them along the way can be a powerful way of demonstrating just how much we truly love and care for them. It’s a ripple you can begin today, and watch spread through the next generations.

Pamela is the mother of two grown children. She is also a massage therapist and artist. Her new creative ripple, as she says, is designing and creating unique zombie dolls. You can check them out on her Facebook page, Fiddleheads and Chaos. And don’t forget to check out her blog The Ripple.

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As parents, we want to teach these values to our children but are often so busy with daily life that finding time for it remains low on a priority list and often doesn’t happen. We also desire deeper connections, perhaps spiritual connections, with our family and that also can get put on the back burner.

Are you needing a little nudge in the right direction? I was in the same boat as you – until recently.

Soul to Soul Parenting

For awhile I’ve  been wanting to do *something* to create deeper bonds within my family, but I felt overwhelmed and didn’t know how to go about it. Out of the blue, I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the book Soul to Soul Parenting: A Guide to Raising a Spiritually Conscious Family by Annie Burnside. This was the sign I needed. After reading the book I came away not only motivated to start creating deeper connections with my family, but armed with some solid ideas, tools, and skills.

What is “Soul to Soul” Parenting?

Annie encourages us to interact with everyone (including our children) “soul to soul” instead of “role to role”. For example:

• Instead of “parent to child”, it’s “soul to soul”
• Instead of “teacher to student”, it’s “soul to soul”
• Instead of “doctor to patient”, it’s “soul to soul”

By seeing others as souls first the nature of your interaction changes, becoming more loving, compassionate, and joyful. To me, the concept of “soul to soul” reminds me of namaste: ‘the light in me sees the light in you’.

What is a “Spiritually Conscious” Family?

According to the book, a spiritually conscious family is not a perfect one but rather a wide-awake family; one that is fully aware of each individual’s capacity to shape their reality.

OK, but what does that mean?

To me, being ‘conscious’ in daily life means not going about our lives on auto pilot. When situations occur, if you are conscious/present/mindful you will react with some thought and purpose, keeping the concept of “soul to soul” in the forefront and choosing your actions accordingly – instead going with an automatic reaction without thought.

Conscious parenting involves bringing your children to a deeper understanding of large universal concepts such as self-love, true joy, authenticity, free will, and compassion.

No matter your family’s current religious affiliation, Soul to Soul Parenting hopes to model what it means to live mindfully and consciously in a hectic world. Annie provides many ways to incorporate spirituality into family life, so that we can start to see beyond appearances and words and truly acknowledge another’s validity. What a great way to see our children – and how great to start teaching them at a young age to see others this way as well.

What’s Inside the Book?

Soul to Soul Parenting encourages us, as parents, to take ownership and become the spiritual leaders of our family. Using principles learned from her own journey of self discovery, her family, and her professional experience providing spiritual insight and support, Annie provides the following techniques in her book:

• Soul to Soul Parenting Vehicles: Used to integrate spirituality into daily family life, there are 22 Parenting Vehicles listed for you to reshape and use how you choose in order to invite a new awareness into your family’s life. A few of the vehicles are: family discussions, visual cues, family rituals, intuitive-gratitude journal, meditation, exploring music, art, books, showing your spirit, and utilizing nature.

• Soul to Soul Parenting Spiritual Themes: There are 15 Spiritual Themes which are meant to broaden perspectives so that life can be viewed from multiple angles, allowing the interconnectedness of all things to be felt and observed. A few of the themes are: connectedness and boundaries, presence and openness, authenticity and joy, forgiveness, self-love, truth and perception, gratitude and appreciation, and trust and faith.

After each Spiritual Theme there are some tools for integrating it into your family, such as:

• parent contemplation questions
• specific activities
• a list of related books for all ages (picture books, chapter books, and adult books)
• a list of related movies
• a list of related songs

To get a greater sense of the book, watch this short two minute trailer featuring author Annie Burnside discussing what the book is about:

If you can’t view the video, click here.

I also encourage you to visit her website www.annieburnside.com where you will find some great information such as another description of the book, family discussion topics, and many of her published articles.

My Thoughts

This book came into my life at the right time. Its messages were just what I wanted to hear and were written in my kind of language. While initially expecting it to be strictly geared towards how to impart this wisdom to children, I was pleasantly surprised to realize that a lot of the book was teaching me these concepts. After all, I will need to know about these ideas if I want to share them with my family. She explains each concept in depth, and then shares ways to teach it to your children.

I really loved the reminders to live with authenticity and joy. I think that’s what I need most in my life right now – to crank up the JOY! And not that I needed it, but I feel Annie gave me permission to do just that. What a great new way to see my life!

As a Unitarian Universalist, I was thrilled with how much this book spoke my language of the interconnectedness of all things and acceptance of everyone’s own spiritual journey. And I know that other Unitarian Universalist parents out there would feel the same way.

What Age to Start?

After reading the book and getting fired up to start this new spiritual journey, I became confused about how to start with my own family. My son is only 4 years old and I didn’t really know how to even begin to talk about some of the themes mentioned in the book. I asked Annie for some advice and she was kind enough to share even more pearls of wisdom – and I want to share some of that with you as well.

Any age is fine to start. With young children, Annie suggests using picture books and kid’s songs a lot by sharing together during family discussion and choosing one theme. Keep in mind that at this age discussions might be only three minutes long. Also, visual cues can be started very early; for example a cute note that says “I Love Myself” on a closet door.

Annie reminded me that in the beginning a big part of this journey is simply making time together for this purpose a priority. Eventually you just begin infusing a little bit here and there as the whole family becomes comfortable with the language. The biggest step is the parents making a conscious choice to engage in personal growth and spiritual development and then it evolves rather naturally for the whole family in tandem.

Non-Denominational

Soul to Soul Parenting is not designed for one specific religious group. While the spiritual themes are non-denominational, some of them might not resonate with certain religious groups. With all the themes, Annie encourages you to explore the ones that fit your family’s evolving spirituality. I think the themes and the overall message of the book can be applied in any family of any faith tradition, adapting them to your specific beliefs if necessary.

Who Would Most Benefit From Soul to Soul Parenting?

• Parents wanting to create deeper family bonds
• Parents who want ideas for teaching these themes to their children
• Parents with a world view who want guidance as they create spiritual connections with their family

Where to Buy the Book?

You can find Soul to Soul Parenting on Amazon.com. I’ve also added it to my Amazon.com store in the ‘Books for Parents’ category.

Annie Burnside, M.Ed., is a soul nurturer, author, public speaker, and teacher specializing in conscious relationships and spiritual development. She also writes a family consciousness column for Evolving Your Spirit Magazine and blogs for the Chicago Tribune Media Company under Soul to Soul Perspective: A Little Bit of Soul Goes a Long Way. Annie also hosts a radio show for the “I’m Thankful Network.” She received her Masters degree in Education from DePaul University and lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and three children. www.annieburnside.com

[Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author. With that being said, the comments and opinions above are purely my own.]

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Are you looking for some quality videos for your kids when you are stuck inside due to weather (be it extreme heat of the summer, like here in Texas right now, or the bitter cold of deep winter)? I wanted to share a couple videos I like that I feel bring a little more exposure to other areas of life, sort of expanding my son’s horizons so to speak.

Classical Baby: The Poetry Show

Since we don’t have cable or satellite, I wasn’t even aware of the Classical Baby shows on HBO until one day when I saw the Classical Baby: The Poetry Show video at our local library. I decided to check it out for our then 2 year old son.

The Poetry Show is a compilation of favorite poems from William Shakespeare, Robert Louis Stevenson, John Keats, Robert Frost, Woodie Guthrie, Gertrude Stein, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Langston Hughes. Most of the poems are recited by famous personalities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Susan Sarandon, Andy Garcia, John Lithgow, and others; William Carlos Williams reads his own poem “This is Just to Say”. Adding to the greatness is colorful animation and music as well as footage of real elementary age children discussing poetry. I was amazed by these children and the depth of their thoughts!

Not being a big poetry fan myself, I was curious what the show would be like for our young son. I was pleasantly surprised when he was GLUED to it and absolutely loved it! After watching it several times, he could almost recite the entire poem “Grassy Grass Grass” by Woodie Guthrie (which happened to be my favorite one on the show). He loved it when he was 2 and he still likes watching it now (he’s 4).

This is definitely a recommended video to introduce your child to the world of poetry and all it offers. I know if left to me, my son would not have had this preliminary knowledge about poetry. And I have to admit that I developed a new respect and appreciation for poetry and I really liked all of it! If poetry was presented this way when I was in school, I might have had a different appreciation for it all my life.

My only complaint is that I wish the video were longer, or that they made more volumes of “Poetry Shows” featuring more poems and poets.

Although I have not seem them, there are other videos in the series: Classical Baby 3-Pack – Music, Art & Dance.

• The Music Show features an animal orchestra playing Tchaikovsky, Bach, Mozart and Copland, plus many other great classical composers.
• The Art Show features some of the world’s greatest works of art accompanied by some great classical music. The exhibit features works by Monet, Degas, Pollock, Van Gogh, plus many other masterpieces.
• The Dance Show features animals dancers showing impressive moves inspired by George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Pilobolus, plus many other great choreographers.

YogaKids Ages 3-6 (Vol. 2 ABCs)

Having heard great things about this video and wanting to bring some form of exercise to our son, I bought this Yoga Kids video a few years ago.

The video features the instructor, Marsha Wenig, and a group of children outside in various scenic locations with their yoga mats. Starting with the letter ‘A’, a topic is introduced (often with additional information) and then the related pose is demonstrated and performed. You get to see the instructor do the pose as well as the children. For example, A is Alligator and there is a very brief intro showing an alligator followed by instructions and demonstration on how to do the “alligator” pose.

The instructor’s voice is very calm and soothing and her manner of speaking to the children is perfect (she does not “talk down” to them). The overall vibe is very positive throughout the video, as would be expected in a yoga video. The pace is just right, the poses are child-friendly (of course) and creative and vary between standing, sitting, and laying down poses. My son is all about cars so he loves the “D” move: driving! I was super impressed by the entire video.

My son was not quite 3 when we first tried this and he didn’t take to it right away. So I put it away for a few months and tried it later. He enjoyed it and got maybe halfway through it before his short attention span overcame him. Now that he’s older he can make it even farther through the video. He likes it and attempts most of the moves. We do it together and that makes it more fun for him – and great for me, too!

Depending on your child, they may not be ready for this right at age 3, or they may be ready at age 2 – you never know! Keep trying and I’m sure you will one day find them loving this, too! What a great family activity for promoting exercise.

Although we only have Volume 2 (ABCs) here are all the videos in the series:

• Yoga Kids: For Ages 3-6
• Yoga Kids, Vol. 2: ABC’s for Ages 3-6
• YogaKids, Vol. 3: Silly to Calm

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What other videos do you like that would “expand horizons”? Leave a comment and share!

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• Indoor Activities for Toddlers: What to do on a Cold or Rainy Day

Well look no further; I’ve found a couple books that will provide great information to your older child about home birth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, and co-sleeping.

Welcome With Love

Welcome With Love by Jenni Overend and Julie Vivas tells the story of a family on birthing day, awaiting the home birth of their newest member. This book will be a welcome addition to read to your older children to prepare them for the sights and words that accompany a home birth.

Included throughout the story are many aspects of birth that are common with home birth and that are probably not shown in books depicting birth in a hospital.

• What you might see during labor (mom going for a walk to help labor along, mom leaning on dad during labor)
• What you might hear during labor (mom making loud noises every few minutes)
• A midwife comes to the house to assist the birth
• Mention of items that midwife brings (oxygen in case it’s needed)
• Illustration of birth scene which involves nude mother standing and leaning on dad, baby’s head emerging from mom with midwife ready to receive the baby, other children looking on behind midwife
• Illustration of mom on knees (nude) holding baby, umbilical cord still attached and placenta not delivered
• Illustration and discussion of breastfeeding
• Whole family co-sleeping by fire

What Baby Needs

What Baby Needs by William Sears, M.D., Martha Sear, R.N., and Christie Watts Kelly shares information meant for older siblings about what the new baby will need when they arrive, which are the same things that child needed as a baby. The book provides a page of notes at the beginning for parents and caregivers which I found very helpful. One helpful tip was to refer to the child as the “older brother/sister” instead of “big brother/sister”.

The book also has a page at the end of the book that contains information about attachment parenting as well as several resources (websites and books).

Here’s how the book shares the “Five Baby Bs” of attachment parenting tools:

• Birth bonding: Skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding are mentioned as well as illustrated.
• Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding is mentioned as the way babies eat and is shown with a lovely illustration. They also mention baby getting mommy’s milk from a bottle if mommy is away.
• Baby wearing: Also discussed is how babies need to be held and one way is by using a baby carrier. There are three illustrations showing baby wearing and two of them show the dad wearing the baby!
• Be flexible with sleeping arrangements: The book illustrates a baby sleeping in a co-sleeper near the bed because they need to be close to Mommy’s heartbeat.
• Belief in value of crying: A baby’s language is crying and it’s mentioned how important it is to respond quickly to a baby’s cries.

The book also has small boxes on some pages that share ways for the older child to become involved and help or that help the older child bond with the baby.

What I personally really loved was that there was no mention of feeding the baby formula at all! This was important to me since we exclusively breastfeed and I wanted a book that exclusively shows breastfeeding/breast milk. As you know, this is hard to find in most baby books. (In the notes section at the beginning of the book the author encourages you to change the text to fit the choices you make in your family.)

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What home birth, natural birth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, co sleeping books have you found? Please leave a comment and share with us!

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“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

- James Baldwin

Most of us know that kids will repeat things we say, which is why many people try to watch their language when kids are around. But kids learn more from us than just a few choice words; they learn how to behave in certain situations, as well as learning positive (and negative) attributes and skills. Every day you are teaching your children by example how to react to situations, and if you are not conscious of what you are doing you may be teaching them something you don’t want them to learn.

Modeling

The process of teaching by example is called modeling and it affects behavior far more than telling your children what to do (and far more than punishing them, too).

Modeling can teach a child how to:

• handle conflict
• react to stress or fear
• interact with others

There is a fabulous article on Teaching Children Respect by Pam Leo on the Natural Child Project website. Here are a couple of powerful messages from that article:

• 95% of everything children learn, they learn from what is modeled for them. Only 5% of all they learn is from direct instruction.
• The language children grow up hearing is the language they will speak.

If we expect children to have manners, to share, to apologize, to be honest, kind, respectful, and loving, we must do and be those things so they will have that model to imitate. For example:

• If we expect children to always say please and thank you, we must always say please and thank you to them and to each other, otherwise we are modeling that sometimes you say it and sometimes you don’t.
• If we want to teach them gratitude, we need to practice gratitude every day in many situations.

It may sound silly, but in our house we say thank you to everyone all the time.

• Thank you daddy for making breakfast.
• Thanks for doing the dishes, hon.
• Thanks for helping me with ____.
• Thanks for picking up your toys.
• Thanks for watching him so I could go for a run.

And on and on and on. We try to live gratitude for everything so that it becomes a normal part of life.

Kids are Kids

Modeling does not always dictate a child’s behavior; your kids won’t inevitably do everything you do. But it is an important and underappreciated way to transmit information, experiences, skills, beliefs, values, and large segments of behavior.

My Story

This finally clicked for me when I started hearing my 3-year-old son say things and seeing him do things that I know I have done (yes, both positive and negative). I am immensely proud of the positive things he has said and done and I inwardly cringe at the negative things he did. It was both a great reward and another reminder to think before I react.

I’d like to share a couple of the positive things I’ve seen him say and do, ones that actually kind of shocked me:

• When I showed him a card I made he said, “Oh wow. It’s neat. I like it. Good job.” He was naturally supportive because he has heard the same thing from me in the same type of situation.
• When I get hurt he says, “Are you OK mama? Don’t worry. It will feel better in a few minutes.” And gives me kisses. He responds with genuine concern because he’s seen it many times from us.
• We have taught him to express his feelings and one time when we were having issues he said, “Are you mad at me? I still love you.” This comes from other times he knows I am upset with him, but I always make it a point to say that I love him.
• Whenever I pick him up from pre-school he always asks me, “So what did you do today? Did you have fun at home? How was your coffee?” He has picked up this habit from me always asking him about his day when we’ve been apart.
• When we came home after an evening out, he was in our bed sleeping. He stirred when we came in and said, “I’m so glad you’re back. Did you have fun?” He has heard us say this to him whenever we have been apart.
• After having a discussion about him yelling at me he said (completely without prompting), “I’m sorry for yelling at you.” He has learned this from me. I am not a perfect parent; I’m also not afraid of apologizing to my son when I have been wrong. Since he has watched me apologize to him, he knows how and when to do it also.

Why Practice Positive Modeling? It’s About Respecting Children

The old saying “Do as I say, don’t do as I do” not only doesn’t work, it also brings mistrust into the relationship.

Children have all the same feelings we do. The same kind of treatment that would embarrass, humiliate or hurt us, embarrasses, humiliates, and hurts children. When adults try to “teach” children by criticizing, lecturing, shaming, ridiculing, giving orders, screaming, threatening, and hitting, it shuts down their thinking so they can’t learn what the adult intended to teach them to do or not to do; they can only record what is being modeled.

Learning to treat children with respect will require a change of heart that can come only from a major shift in consciousness of how we view children and how we define respect. But once we start treating children with respect, they will learn how to treat others with respect.

However we treat the child, the child will treat the world. -Pam Leo

Treat Friends, Kids the Same

There is a neat article written by Erma Bombeck titled “Treat Friends, Kids the Same” in which she imagines having friends over for dinner and saying to them all those things that most of us heard growing up and therefore, say to children:

• “Shut the door. Were you born in a barn?”
• “I didn’t work over a hot stove all day to have you nibble like some bird.”
• “Sit up straight or your spine will grow that way.”

(In case you want to read it, I found the entire article here.) We all would probably get a good chuckle at the thought of speaking to our friends that way, but it’s just as disrespectful to say those things to children. Let’s stop and think about it the next time we talk to our children. Are we talking to our children as we should?

Think about it. We don’t say, “What do you say?” or “What’s the magic word?” to our friends but children hear it all the time. But what should we say in those situations? That’s where some thought must come into play.

Many Models in Child’s Life

You are not the only model in your child’s life. Children imitate parents, family members, friends, caregivers, teachers, and television characters. In two-parent households, the two adults will model different behaviors and ways of being in the world. Sometimes the discrepancies are large, but this is a normal level of inconsistency for family life. Children have to cope, and they usually do.

Art of Apologizing

Modeling is unforgiving in that it teaches your best and worst behaviors, the ones you’re most careful to practice and others you’re barely conscious of. Kids may be resilient but that doesn’t mean we can take them for granted. If we have modeled disrespect to them, we must then model apologizing. Thankfully kids are very forgiving, also.

Whenever I mess up as a parent, I apologize to my son. I have probably been doing this since he was too little to completely understand. Most of my apologizing is around the theme of me not being patient enough with him.

How do you apologize to a child? The same way you would apologize to anyone else. For me, it usually takes the form of me apologizing for my action, then guessing how that made him feel, saying how I should have acted, and then offering that I will work on being better (at whatever issue is at hand), and of course lots of hugs and kisses. (I also don’t offer excuses for my behavior.) For example:

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t very patient with you this morning before school. I bet that hurt your feelings. Did you feel sad? Mama should have let you take your time putting your shoes on. Mama will work on being more patient with you.”

What Can We Do?

Has anyone else noticed that when trying to figure out how to best parent your child, it often comes down to learning how to change your own thoughts and behavior? When certain stressful situations happen, we all have automatic responses that we learned as a child. In order to be the best parent we can be, we need to deprogram all our negative automatic responses, relearn new positive responses, and practice them until they become our new automatic responses. Here are a few thoughts on how to do this:

• Train yourself to stop and think before you speak or react, remembering that everything you say will be recorded and imitated. We can then intentionally model the kind of behavior we expect and will accept from our children.

• Follow Erma Bombeck’s advice and treat your kids the same way you would treat your friends. Ask yourself, “Would I say those words, in that tone of voice, to my good friend?” If not, it was probably disrespectful.

• Read a few good books. Some of my all-time favorite parenting books are Respectful Parents, Respectful Kids: 7 Keys to Turn Family Conflict into Cooperation and How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, both of which offer practical alternatives to yelling, nagging, threatening, and criticizing.

Closing Thoughts

What things have you been trying to “teach” your child lately? Have you been trying to “teach” gratitude by just talking about it? Have you been trying to “teach” cooperation by yelling when it doesn’t happen?

Take this time to think about the past few days with your children, what you want them to learn, and how a different approach might be useful.

I’ll leave you with this popular poem that hung on the wall in my sister’s room when we were children. It’s called Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte.

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[Photo credits: Vivek Chugh (parent/child), Andrew C. (girl), Nara Vieira da Silva Osga (boy)]

©2012 Parenting Tips 365. All Rights Reserved. This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

Related Articles:

• My Favorite Parenting Book: How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk

Common Food Challenges With Kids

Are you currently dealing with any of the following common food challenges with your children? Chances are you are dealing with several of these issues at the same time!

• Picky eaters
• Introducing unfamiliar foods
• Food allergies and intolerance
• Finding healthy snacks
• Ideas for healthy meals
• Knowing and meeting nutritional recommendations
• Making green lunches
• Healthy vegetarian eating
• Ideas for school lunches
• Packing a safe lunch

Our Picky Eater

Our son is 3 1/2 and is going through a (somewhat) picky eating phase. I have a feeling that I need to provide more variety to his diet, both for his interest and for nutrition. Knowing this and doing something about it are two different things, however. That is, until I came across a book that got me excited about change! (Yes, can you believe that? Me – excited for change!)

Better Food For Kids: Your Essential Guide to Nutrition for All Children from Age 2 to 10

Better Food for Kids: Your Essential Guide to Nutrition for All Children from Age 2 to 10, written by Joanne Saab, RD, and Daina Kalnins, MSc, RD, is a complete guidebook for children’s nutritional information and is really three books in one: Feeding your child (by age), Nutritional and health information, and a Cookbook.

Feeding Your Child

Better Food for Kids has a chapter dedicated to three age groups, and in each chapter discusses common feeding issues, concerns, and challenges with that age group. There are also many tips provided for each age group as well as top 10 nutrition questions (with answers) for each age group. The authors also share ways to encourage children to participate in choosing and preparing food.

• Feeding Your 2- to 4- Year Old: This section discusses feeding milestones, provides a sample menu, provides ideas for picky eaters (including a sample menu for a picky eater), daycare nutrition, and dental care. The tips in this section include tips for introducing unfamiliar foods, tips for preventing choking, great snack ideas for kids (and adults), tips for boosting energy, and tips for monitoring daycare meals. For example, one of their tips for introducing unfamiliar food is:

Don’t force children to keep trying a new food the first time they taste it. Instead, try again at another meal. It may take several tries. … Research indicates that it can take kids between 15 and 30 exposures to a specific food before they are willing to try it.¹

• Feeding Your 4- to 6- Year Old: This section discusses feeding milestones, suggested serving sizes, provides a sample menu, and lists tools for packing child’s lunch. The tips in this section include 16 tips for packing some punch into your child’s lunch (great ideas) and tips for making ‘green’ lunches. For example, one of their tips for packing punch in your child’s lunch is:

Purchase a small stainless steel Thermos and fill it with hot soups or leftover stews and pastas. It can also be used to help keep milk or other beverages cold.¹

• Feeding Your 6- to 10- Year Old: This section discusses healthy breakfast ideas, amount of fluids needed each day, caffeine and kids, school meals, and providing meals and snacks while participating in sports activities. The tips in this section include tips for managing the evening meal and tips for eating while traveling. For example, some ideas for “fast” food while on the move between soccer and hockey games are:

Quinoa mixed with edamame and yellow peppers, hummus with pita bread, feta cheese and tomatoes, and smoothies made with berries and yogurt.¹

Nutritional and Health Information

Better Food for Kids includes several chapters on nutritional and health information, each of which contains a list of favorite corresponding recipes:

• Essential Foods and Nutrients looks at the basic components of food and how each is important to your child’s well-being. It discusses food as fuel, fats and essential fatty acids, carbohydrates, reducing sodium, how much daily protein and fiber a child needs (depending on age), probiotics, the food guides (Canada’s and the US’s), and understanding food labels.
• Important Vitamins and Minerals takes an in-depth look at the most critical of these substances (iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc) and how they relate to children’s nutrition. For each substance, information is shared regarding how much your child needs and food sources of it.
• Vegetarian Diets discusses ways to ensure children’s special nutritional needs are met if following a vegetarian diet. Key vegetarian nutrients and their food sources are discussed as well as complete protein and seven tips for healthy vegetarian eating for kids.
• Avoiding Food Contamination discusses ways to minimize risk of food-borne illness, shares a guide for storing and thawing frozen foods, tips for packing a safe lunch, pesticides, environmental contaminants, hormones, bisphenol A, organic food, genetically modified food (or novel food), irradiation, artificial sweeteners, and enriched or fortified food (functional foods).
• Food Allergy and Intolerance discusses common food allergies, testing methods, hidden sources of allergens, and alternatives to certain foods.
• Disturbances in Bowel Function provides information on causes of constipation, tips for treating childhood constipation, and dealing with childhood diarrhea.
• Childhood Obesity discusses this global epidemic, prevention, healthy eating habits, physical activity, limiting television, and promoting a positive body image. Also included are tips for preparing homemade meals, tips for increasing family physical activity, and tips for watching television.

Cookbook

Beef Satay

The cookbook section includes more than 200 recipes that are thoroughly tested and analyzed. This new, revised version of Better Food for Kids includes updates and modifications to all of the recipes so they reflect the latest guidelines for salt and sugar intake. Each recipe includes the nutritional analysis as well as measurements in English units and metric.

The recipes are not just for kids but are meant to be enjoyed by the whole family. While they are healthy recipes, they are also fun and include a variety of foods. The recipes are divided into the following groups: breakfast, lunch, dinner, salads and sides, snacks, and desserts. Here is a list of just a few of the recipes that I am excited to try:

• Baked Vegetable Frittata


Oatmeal Cereal Cookies

• Make-Ahead Breakfast Granola*
• Sweet Potato Soup
• Creamy Vegetable Soup
• Lunchtime Burritos
• Lentil Patties
• Maria’s Colorful French Fries
• Zucchini Sticks
• Speedy Fettuccine Alfredo
• Eva’s Simple Chicken Fingers
• Parmesan Quinoa*
• Edamame and Bean Salad
• Broccoli and Quinoa Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Simple Parmesan Zucchini
• Italian Vegetable Risotto
• Tasty Potato Pancakes
• Rice and Broccoli Casserole
• Creamy Spinach Dip
• Oatmeal Cereal Cookies
• Soft Pumpkin Cookies*

*I tried these recipes; they were great!

Soft Pumpkin Cookies that I made!

My Overall Thoughts

I was really happy to see color photos in this book; it’s always nice to have a few pictures to look at. It helps me choose a recipe and it helps me see what it should look like when it’s done. But my small gripe about the photos included is that out of the 16 photos, only half of them are photos of the food (recipes). The other half are photos of children eating food, which didn’t really do anything for me.

In the first age-specific chapters I really liked all the tips on various topics, especially the snack ideas, school lunch ideas, and introducing unfamiliar foods.

My ‘Crunchy’ Thoughts

Broccoli Quinoa Salad

Since I am passionate about green, natural, eco-friendly living, I thought I would share specific thoughts to my readers from that angle.

As you can probably tell by my previous articles, some of my views on what constitutes healthy eating differ from the commonly held ‘healthy food’ ideas put forth by the government and some nutritionists. That means in most cookbooks and food articles I usually don’t agree with everything stated; I will just ignore what I don’t agree with and go with my own (researched) information. I wasn’t surprised when this was also the case with Better Food for Kids.

There were several places that I was very impressed with the information they shared. For example, I was very pleased to see the authors discuss probiotics, mention quinoa as a good protein source (as well as share several recipes), and also recommend against constant juice drinking and recommend water instead (as I previously mentioned in an article I wrote).

I also liked that there was a chapter dedicated to vegetarian nutrition as well as tips for making green lunches.

But there were also a few places I disagreed with the information shared. For example, recommending margarine (instead of butter) in a sample menu (as well as mentioning it in recipes) and their soft positions on organic vs. non-organic food, artificial sweeteners, and genetically modified food (novel food).

Who Would Love This Book?

I really think everyone with young children would benefit from Better Food for Kids for various reasons. I will benefit from all the fabulous tips, snack ideas, and recipes – I am needing variety in our meals and what better way to do that than with 200 new recipes! Perhaps you would like knowing how much of each vitamin and mineral your child needs and help finding foods to match that. Or maybe you need help with a picky eater and introducing unfamiliar foods. You can find Better Food for Kids in my Amazon.com store in the ‘Books for Parents’ category.

[Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher Robert Rose Inc.  With that being said, the comments and opinions above are purely my own.]

¹Text excerpted from Better Food for Kids: Your Essential Guide to Nutrition for all Children Age 2 to 10 by Daina Kalnins and Joanne Saab. Copyright © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.robertrose.ca/book/better-food-kids-second-edition

Book cover image and food images (except pumpkin cookies) excerpted from Better Food for Kids: Your Essential Guide to Nutrition for all Children Age 2 to 10 by Daina Kalnins and Joanne Saab. Copyright © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.robertrose.ca/book/better-food-kids-second-edition

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• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies five of the top nine pesticides used on cotton crops as the most dangerous; they are cyanide, dicofol, naled, propargite, and trifluralin – and they are probable carcinogens.
• As cotton becomes clothing, it is exposed to more toxic chemicals – silicone waxes, harsh petroleum scours, softeners, heavy metals, flame and soil retardants, ammonia, and formaldehyde.

When it’s been time to purchase new cloth items for our family we’ve been trying to buy items made from organic cotton, especially bedding. With your face and body touching those sheets for many hours a day, it seems logical to want the purest cotton. And with the green movement becoming more mainstream, it’s becoming easier to find organic cotton items. We purchased organic cotton sheets for our bed from Macy’s online. (I’ve since seen cheaper ones at WalMart.)

Then came time to buy a few things for our son. He needed a toddler pillow, nap mat for school, and a blanket. I was happy with the products I found – and even happier when I saw how much more available (and cheaper) organic cotton items for babies and kids are.

Here are a few ways you can green your child’s sleep:

Toddler Pillow and Pillow Case

There were several online stores that had organic toddler pillows (small pillows or travel pillows), including Amazon.com and kidbean.com. But I ended up getting our son’s pillow and pillow case from a seller (SK Naturals) on Etsy.com, a great place to buy and sell handmade items.

Nap Mat

Our son needed a nap mat for his preschool and we didn’t want the plastic ones that are so common. I looked all over and besides buying the materials and making it myself, the only organic one I found was also on Etsy. I love that site! The seller I purchased from is baby momo and here is the organic nap mat. And I just saw another vendor on Etsy have an organic nap mat as well. If there is demand, they will make it!

our son posing for me on his new organic nap mat

Crib Sheets

Organic cotton crib sheets are more available now than ever. When my son was born almost 2.5 years ago, I don’t remember seeing many organic cotton choices. Just last week I went into my local Babies R Us store and saw a whole section (albeit in the back of the store) for organic bedding items, such as crib sheets, blankets, changing pads, etc. I thought that was great! And they were a great price, too. Of course, you can find many organic crib sheets (at varying prices) on Amazon.com and Pottery Barn Kids has more to choose from as well. Target has organic crib sheets as well as crib sets.

Mattress

Many parents want to know why you should buy an organic crib mattress. They wonder if it’s worth the extra money. According to Absolutely Organic Baby, the mattress layer just under the top vinyl layer in most regular (not organic) mattresses contains a fire blocker.

That fire blocker is actually 7.5% boric acid, which is used for killing roaches, and 2.4 % antimony, which is most similar to arsenic. In Europe, researchers have found that antimony actually leaches through the vinyl and can be absorbed by a baby’s body. They have directly related high antimony levels to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The price of organic cotton crib mattresses has gone down a bit and they seem to be more available in more places. Amazon.com has a great selection and you can also find a few at Babies R Us. If you do a search online you can also find stores like The Organic Mattress Store, Savvy Rest, The Organic Mattress,

And don’t forget organic mattresses in other sizes, like twin and bassinet.

Stuffed Animals and Lovies

Don’t forget those blanket lovies and stuffed animals that become your child’s security item. They chew on them and snuggle with them and they spend many hours next to their faces. It makes sense to have some organic options.

MiYim has a good assortment of organic stuffed animals, lovies, rattles, and other toys. Under the Nile is another good brand, too.

Laundry Detergent

Now that you’ve purchased organic cotton bedding items, don’t forget to wash them with eco-friendly options! Amazon.com has many organic laundry detergent options. We use soap nuts, which is a super eco-friendly option, and great for those with skin sensitivities like eczema (like me and my son).

Please leave a comment and share your good finds for greening your child’s sleep! Sweet dreams!

-Wendy – ParentingTips365.com

©2012 Parenting Tips 365. All Rights Reserved. This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Activity Books

Here are a list of some books that contain several different types of activities, from mini-mysteries, mazes, and crossword puzzles to coloring pages, connect-the-dot, jokes, and car bingo:

• Miles of Smiles: 101 Great Car Games and Activities
• Best Travel Activity Book Ever
• Are We There Yet?
• The Everything Kids’ Travel Activity Book

Free Games

Here are some common car games that don’t require anything but players!

• License plate game: See how many states’ license plates from you can find on your trip.
• ABC game, take 1: Starting with the letter “A”, look around and find a letter on a sign, truck, building, or license plate, say the letter (and where you saw it) and then move on to the next letter. The first one to get to the letter “Z” is the winner!
• ABC game, take 2: My family still plays this game in the car! Someone thinks of a topic (like names of cities, countries, types of fruit, animals, movies, TV shows, celebrities, etc). The first person to start has to name something corresponding to the topic starting with ‘A’, the next person gets the next letter of the alphabet, and so on around and around the car. If it’s your turn and you can’t think of anything for your letter, you are out. If you get to ‘Z’ and play is still going, go back to ‘A’ and keep going – but no repeats are allowed. Play continues until there is one person left – the winner! (My sisters and I are huge fans of the TV show Friends and so one time our topic was “anything related to Friends”!)
• I Spy: One person picks an object they can see either in the car or along the road. They give others a clue such as, “I spy with my little eye… something blue.” The person keeps giving more clues until they can guess what it is.
• 20 Questions: One person thinks of something and the other person gets to ask 20 yes/no questions to try to figure it out.
• Fortunately-Unfortunately: Neat game described in full on Momsminivan.com. (Scroll down 2/3 of the page.)

Travel Games

Here are some of your favorite games that come in a travel size:

• Memory
• Hangman
• Bingo
• I Spy Memory Game
• Connect Four
• Battleship
• Perfection
• Sorry
• Candy Land
• Trouble
• Guess Who?
• Bingo

Card Games

Here are various card games:

• Scavenger Hunt For Kids – Travel Game
• Rubberneckers: Everyone’s Favorite Travel Game
• Rubberneckers Jr: Fun for Backseat Travelers
• For the Car Brain Quest Card Deck
• Zobmondo!! Would You Rather…?
• Namits Travel Game
• Regular deck of cards
• Card games (such as Uno, Go Fish, Old Maid, Crazy Eights, Slap Jack)
• Wiz Kidz (from Discovery Toys): I had this game when I was younger. It features two stacks of cards, letter cards and answer cards. You draw one card from each pile and find a corresponding answer. For example, if you draw a “P” and “Something cold” you need to think of something cold that starts with a ‘p’ (maybe popsicle).

Books

Here are many types of books to keep kids entertained:

• Puzzle, Sudoku, or maze books
• New paperback books to read
• Magnet books (like this Tree Fort one or this Fire Station one)
• Hidden picture books
• Picture puzzle book or Picture Puzzles
• Sticker books
• Mad Libs
• Kumon workbooks
• Kids Travel: A Backseat Survival Kit

Creative Activities

Here are a few creative activities suitable for travel:

• Pipe cleaners (how to make pipe cleaner creatures)
• Play Doh, silly putty, or Crayola Model Magic (bring cookie cutters for added fun)
• Wikki Stix (similar to pipe cleaners but are made of wax so they stick to surfaces)
• Sticky mosaics
• Peel and stick by number
• Lacing cards (while the wooden ones are sturdier, it might be a good idea to bring the cardboard ones on a trip as they are lighter)
• Origami book and paper
• Rub on transfers (and something to rub them onto)
• Fashion Designer plates
• Twirled Paper
• Make a Cootie catcher

Small Toys

Here is a list of small toys your kids might have that would be easy to bring along:

• Cars
• Rubik’s Cube
• I spy bags (found on etsy)
• Finger puppets
• Colorforms (I wonder if they stick to airplane or car windows?)
• Magnetic paper dolls
• Magnetic puzzles

Drawing and Coloring

Here are some travel-friendly items for drawing and coloring:

• Crayola Color Wonder markers and paper
• Crayola Color Wonder fingerpaint
• New coloring books
• New crayons
• Crayola Dry Erase Activity Center
• Travel Etch-A-Sketch
• Magna Doodle
• SpinDoodles
• Scratch and Sketch books

Educational Activities

Here are a few educational activities:

• Kumon workbooks
• Brain Quest Cards
• Learning wrap ups

Personal Comforts

Don’t forget your child’s personal comforts:

• Favorite stuffed animal or blankie
• Music player (MP3 player or iPOD type device with headphones) Disney Mix Sticks is one brand

Accessories

Here are a few other things you might want to consider bringing:

• Travel Tray
• Travel Pal
• SippiGrip

Tips

• Use pencil bag or box to store crayons and markers to keep them from going everywhere.
• Bring triangular crayons as they can lay flat on a tray and not roll around like regular crayons.
• Give each child their own suitcase (on wheels) that they are responsible for packing and carrying.
• Check their toys and veto anything that may annoy yourself or other passengers.
• Find inexpensive items at the dollor store or Target’s dollar spot (post it notes, calculators, etc. can be great fun).
• Bring out a “new” item every half hour or so to keep things interesting.

Other Sources

Here are some other places for you to find travel tips and information:

• Mom’s Minivan: Neat site filled with printable car games, ideas for toddlers and babies, and articles.
• Family Fun
• Activities for Kids

Wendy – Parenting Tips 365

©2012 Parenting Tips 365. All Rights Reserved. This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

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I’ve done some searching and found some great ideas that not only work in the summertime, but anytime your kids are bored. I’ve grouped the ideas by inside ideas and outside ideas, creative, crafty, and educational ideas, as well as ideas for groups of people.

Boredom Buster Can

I’ve seen several variations of this idea, which involves writing activities on pieces of paper and then putting them into a can, box, jar, or something. When the child complains of being bored, suggest they go pull an idea out of the can. Ideas written neatly on paper and put into an attractive container might have better odds of working – rather than mom or dad just spouting ideas off the top of their heads. This lets the kids be in control (reaching in and choosing an idea).

This idea is meant for fun activities that are non-TV related and it can work for any age; simply write age-appropriate activities on the pieces of paper. Be sure that each child has his or her own jar, with activities for their age, interests, and toys.

For an example of what you can do, check out the can Shannon over at Of Cabbages and Kings made for her daughter. Using a new paint can, which you can purchase from Home Depot or Lowe’s for about $2, and her own scrapbooking supplies, she and her daughter worked together to create this idea can. Having your child involved in this process might help create “buy in” – and is a great activity itself!

Another idea I’ve seen is to simply decorate a shoe box with some wrapping paper and anything else that might be interesting to your child.

Ideas From Their Own Toys

To find some ideas for your child, go through their toys and think of the things they like to play with – and start there.

• Build something with your Legos, blocks, etc.
• Create roads for your cars and trucks using (blocks, cards, etc.)
• Play with your Barbies, ponies, Strawberry Shortcake, dinosaurs, cars, trains, etc.
• Have a tea party
• Cook in the Easy Bake Oven
• Play with Playdoh
• Make a Lite Brite picture
• Play with your construction kit
• Play school with your animals
• Build something with your gears
• Play house with your dolls
• Play a board game
• Play cards
• Do a puzzle
• Do Mad Libs

Arts and Crafts

Here are a few crafty ideas:

• Make sock puppets. Glue or sew on fabric, felt, hair, buttons, sequins, and other materials to finish your puppet. Then have your own puppet show.
• Draw a picture
• Create something with pipe cleaners (try creating animals using clean shampoo, dish soap, chocolate syrup containers)
• Cross stitch and finger knit
• Make a birthday card
• Draw on your chalkboard
• Make something with stickers
• Paint a picture
• Play with craft sticks
• Make a collage. Use pictures cut out of magazines, brightly colored swatches of paper and fabric, and objects from around the house such as popsicle sticks, feathers, wallpaper remnants, ad flyers, old sewing patterns, and miscellaneous kid-friendly treasures.
• Make some bracelets and necklaces with string and beads
• Make a latch hook kit
• Origami
• Make your own jigsaw puzzle out of a thick piece of cardboard. Or buy a pre-cut jigsaw puzzle kit at your local craft store. You can also find puzzle template online that turn your photos into puzzles.
• Make Sun Prints. Cut shapes from paper, spread restickable glue on the back of the shapes, and then stick them to construction paper. Tape the paper to a sunny window, facing out, and leave for at least a week (longer for higher contrast), and then peel off cutouts.
• Create swirly stones (all you need are rocks, crayons, and adult assistance)
• Make face masks out of paper plates

Creative

Here are some creative ideas:

• Make up a play
• Listen to music & dance
• Make a tent
• Make a book
• Design your own board game
• Make up a song
• Play dress up
• Have a scavenger hunt
• Make a map of your house, your backyard, or your neighborhood
• Play architect.  Turn an old shoe box into a miniature dream home (the lid makes an ideal ‘roof’).
• Make your own musical instruments.  An old coffee tin makes an ideal drum, provided you file off any rough edges and glue the lid on tightly. An unsharpened pencil with an eraser on the end makes a great drumstick!
• Organize a treasure hunt, complete with treasure map
• Take photos, download to computer, and make up story
• Create a newsletter or newspaper about your family and life and write articles for it
• Play ‘museum’ by displaying their favorite collections—miniature cars, rocks, seashells, vacation memorabilia, etc. Have them label all items and write a description of the item and set it up on display. When complete, your child can invite friends, neighbors, and relatives to tour the museum.
• Mold a sheet or two of aluminum foil into whatever they want (try a mask, jewelry, animals, or anything else you can think of)
• Build a fort. Add a challenge to build the biggest one, one with only one entrance, the darkest fort, or using only what they can find in their bedrooms. Or, you can provide several blankets and have them make a family room fort using the furniture cushions.
• Build something with toothpicks and miniature marshmallows
• Make a city using discarded cereal boxes, paper, glue stick and markers

Educational

Here are a few ideas to keep the mind sharp:

• Read a book
• Practice spelling words
• Practice math facts
• Practice handwriting
• Work on a workbook
• Write a letter to a friend or family member
• Make a chart or graph to find out something
• Show younger siblings how to do something (colors, numbers, words etc.)
• Do your Brain Quest
• Read book aloud to mom
• Write a story about a fun place you’ve visited

Exercise

• Jump rope
• Practice dance
• Ride your bike
• Take a walk
• Play hopscotch
• Hula hoop
• Practice throwing a ball up and catching it
• Practice t-ball, soccer kicks, etc.
• Make an obstacle course. Time yourself and friends.

Other

• Sort through your toys to donate some to children without toys
• Work on tying knots, braiding, shoe lacing
• Bake cookies
• Plan and serve a meal
• Look at things with a magnifying glass
• Make sock beanbags then toss into a bucket or laundry basket
• Play with flashlights (maybe make shadow creatures)
• Make fossils: Press an object (e.g. a shell with ridges) into a piece of clay and then spoon plaster of paris on top of the clay mould. Once the plaster of paris is fully hardened, simply peel away the clay to reveal the fossil.
• Vinegar water spray bottles: This idea is especially good for younger kids. Give them their own spray bottle filled with a weak vinegar water solution (safe for kids and most household surfaces) and a rag. It might be a good idea to make a rule or two, though (one spray, then wipe-otherwise, the kids would be happy to just spray and spray).
• Show your kids how to write “backwards” messages by printing letters and words backwards so that the messages can be read when they’re held up to a mirror. Older kids will find the activity more challenging if they try using handwriting rather than printing.
• Memory box: Put several objects (toys) in a box. One person closes his eyes while the other removes an object and hides it behind his back. The 1st person then tries to remember what was in the box and guess what was taken out.

Outdoor Ideas

• Draw outside with chalk
• Blow bubbles
• Play with the sand table
• Go to the park
• Have a picnic
• Have a scavenger hunt
• Look at things with a magnifying glass.
• Paint with water (water, paint brushes, and a fence)
• Drawing with chalk on the fence
• Help with the gardening
• Play with sand and water table
• Dump buckets of ice in yard and scoop it with shovels
• Decorate clay flowerpots
• Bathe your dolls or trucks (fill a bucket outside with soapy water and give Barbies or other water tolerant toys a “bath”)
• Have a picnic lunch under a tree in the backyard
• Wash the car and have some water fun
• Run through sprinkler (or other water fun)
• Catch some bugs, perhaps have a bug race (who has the fastest roly-poly or caterpiller?)
• Paint outside: Posterboard or cardboard works best, but you can also tape paper down on the sidewalk or you can even fasten an old sheet or piece of canvas on the wall for your kids to paint on. Bring out standard paint brushes, or to add even more interest, have your kids find some nature items with which to paint. Children can dip sticks or small branches into the paint, or they can try using a sturdy leaf or a piece of mulch–whatever they can find nearby.

Activities with Friends

Here are some activities that are fun to do with a group of friends:

• Wheelbarrow race, three-legged race, or sack race
• Bean bag toss game (or the Toss Across game). My dad actually made one that’s similar to this.
• Play croquet
• Play Frisbee, or make your own Frisbee golf (or disc golf) course at home
• Play colored eggs (this was a favorite of mine when I was little)
• Play kick the can (another neighborhood favorite when I was younger)
• Play freeze tag (yet another favorite of mine)
• Organize a treasure hunt, complete with treasure map
• Play kick ball, dodge ball, baseball, softball
• Play BlongoBall
• Play a game of road hockey using pool noodles and a beach ball

Advanced Planning Activities

Here are a few activities that require more advanced planning or could be ongoing throughout the summer, like creating a garden and having a reading contest.

Other Resources

Here are a few sites that have many, many more ideas!

• Family Fun
• Homeschool Creations
• Creative Kids at Home
• ABC and 123
• Totally Tots
• No Time for Flash Cards
• Preschool Playbook
• Toddler Toddler

And don’t forget an article I wrote about Indoor Activities for Toddlers.

Here are some books:

• The Toddler’s Busy Book
• Preschooler’s Busy Book
• The Little Hands Big Fun Craft Book
• 501 Tv-free Activities For Kids
• The 2,000 Best Games and Activities

I hope this helps you and your family escape the boredoms!

Wendy – Parenting Tips 365

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