Are We There Yet? 10 Travel Activities for Kids

As we enter this final month of summer, there are still plenty opportunities to take trips with the kids. Many parents cringe when they think of spending hours in the car with the kids asking “are we there yet?” Parents.com asked their readers to offer suggestions on keeping family Travel fun. Click here to read the article

Tattling

All children tattle. Most children tattle for attention. They want to feel important to the family dynamic. The act of tattling isn’t all bad. It does help kids develop observation and reporting skills. A child has to see what happened and report it to the parent adding critical details.

Tattling can become excessive and disruptive to the family dynamic. It then becomes important to teach your child when they should tell on others. Issues involving safety of a sibling are examples of good tattling.

Tips to Reduce Tattling

• Stress that the impact of an action is very important.  One example you can ask your child to consider is “is anyone in danger”.
• Make sure you don’t reinforce tattling. Rewarding the tattler, or punishing the sibling in front of the tattler could reinforce tattling behavior.
• Balance the good with the bad. Ask your child to report good behavior from their siblings along with the bad.
• Give your children all the attention you can. More attention may reduce tattling.

Tattling is a normal part of child development. However, if you feel you need to control this behavior try the tips above.

Staying Fit in Mind and Body

This article talks about great ways to stimulate development and learning in your young child.  I like the easy everyday ways they suggest.

For instance reading, singing and dancing are great ways to stimulate your baby’s mind and interact with them. Click here to read the whole article.

The Perks of Daycare

Parents often feel guilty when they drop their child off at daycare. But here are some reasons you may not have thought of to feel good about your choice:

Long-Term Health Benefits - Children who attend daycare are exposed to illness more frequently which serves to boost their immune system. Some research indicates that this boost to the immune system can help reduce the effects of allergies, asthma and other childhood diseases.

Better Prepared for School – Your child benefits from a strong curriculum at Goddard that teaches the basics such as the alphabet, numbers, and vocabulary. By the time school starts your child has had exposure to the concept of a learning environment. They understand what is expected of them when they go to kindergarten. This can provide a valuable head start that other children may not be getting.

A Social Network – Since your child has an established group of friends from daycare who will be joining them in Kindergarten the first day of school might not be as scary. You and your child have a connection to the other parents and children through your daycare experience. In addition skills like cooperation and making friends may be more advanced as a result of the daycare experience.

Inside the Preschooler's Brain

As parents of preschoolers we often wonder what they are thinking.  This article offers some insight into what a preschooler’s think and why the do the things they do. Click here to read the whole article.

How Much Sleep Is Enough?

Sometimes parents don’t know how much sleep their children need. Here are some estimates on total sleep time you can expect from your child. However, remember that all kids are different and these are just estimates.

Babies

Newborns can spend around 16 - 20 total hours of the day sleeping. But since babies need to eat a lot, expect them to wake often to eat.

From 3 to 6 months, babies can sleep up to 5 hours all together during the day and 10 at night.

From 6 - 12 months, a baby should sleep around 3 hours during the day and 11 at night time.

You can expect more hours of consecutive sleep as they grow older.

Kids Ages 1 - 3

Kids ages 1 - 3 should sleep around 10 -13 hours. If you find that your child is having difficulty falling asleep at night, you might consider gradually reducing their total nap time until you reach the proper balance.

Kids Ages 4 – 5

Kids ages 4 – 5 should get 10 -12 hours of sleep on average. Naps are phasing out at this point, but quite time can still be a good idea.

Kids Ages 6 - 10

School-aged kids need about 9 or 10 hours of sleep. At this point, total sleep time can vary greatly. Observe your child's behavior to make sure they aren’t overly sleepy or lacking energy and adjust bedtime accordingly.

Keep in mind these are guidelines and only you know what works best for your child. If your child is waking up throughout the night or having problems falling asleep or staying asleep you may want to consult your pediatrician.

I Did it All By Myself! An Age-by-Age Guide to Teaching Your Child Life Skills

You want your child to learn how to be independent, but you're not sure what skills to teach when. The article below offers a list of what skills children should learn to do independently and when. Click here to read the whole story

Backyard Fun

Are you looking for fun outdoor activities to do with the kids this summer? Here are a few ideas:

Magical Garden
Head to your local dollar store to find some inexpensive lawn decorations. Then have your child gather other items around the yard like sticks, wood, rocks, leaves, etc., to make a magical garden. This is a great activity that you can add to throughout the summer.

Bugs are always fun
Make a homemade terrarium out of an old shoebox with dirt and rocks with holes punched in the top. Have the little ones search for bugs in the back yard and collect them in their homemade terrarium.

Scavenger hunt in the park

Make a list of things that you find in the park. Determine how simple or difficult the list of items will be based on your children’s ages. Have them find a flower or a type of rock. You can also use this opportunity to teach children about nature, science and history.

Create your own Water Park
Get the sprinklers out, baby pools, water slides, plastic toys and gym sets and have the kids create their own water obstacle course. Through in some water balloons and water toys and your kids can cool off on a hot summer day.

Make sure to supervise your kids activities to keep the safe and happy this summer.

Summer Safety Tips

Now that summer is in full swing I thought it was a good time to share an article with you about Summer Safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers some great tips on keeping kids safe in the water, around those pesky bugs, fireworks and many other tips. Click here to read the full article.