Teaching Kids the Right Chores for their Age

It is really important to teach our children some light household chores. We may assign them to some specific tasks according to their capacity to handle it. Like for 5 to 7 years old, they can already sweep the floor, arrange her bed, clean the room, hang up her towel, feed the pets, set the table and even help in clearing the dishes after a meal. And as they grow, like age 8 to 10 years they can be assign to a more bigger task like unloading the groceries from the bag, do laundry, help prepare foods for a certain meal or snacks, brushing the bathroom and prepare her own breakfast, lunch and snacks into a container. As a general rule, these kids must be supervised and be guided so they can perform it well. Try also to accompany them during shopping for groceries, as this can be an opportunity to teach them about making healthy food choices and also you can teach them about budgeting. By training them at an early age, they will grow up responsible and will be able to value the worth of every task they accomplished.

Tips  for Parents in assigning task

1.      Kids wants to help. Sometimes when kids saw you working on something and wanted to help you, take advantage of her desire and encourage her excitement about doing kid chores.

2.      When she says she’s bored. This happen very often it’s because young kids have a short attention span, or she could be having problem in doing the task or she doesn’t like to do the task. You could ask her to do the task with you or let her do something else.

3.      Make chores more fun. It can be done by switching on dance music while sweeping the floor, dusting the sofa, windows and dividers in order for them to get motivated and will not feel tired.

4.      Praise her a lot. At first, she performed with mess but as she go through for a long time she will be able to do it right, don’t forget to praise her achievements.

By taking the time to teach you kid gets into the habit of helping around the house, you’re setting her the pattern that will benefit you as a parent and your kids as they grow up.

Building Healthy Eating Habits for Kids

When it comes to healthy eating habits and food preferences of kids differ in some ways. Some are picky eaters while others may become adventuresome gourmands. But no matter what kind of habits they have, you can help your kids develop and shape his food preferences and attitudes toward food by guiding him toward healthy eating habits.

1. Accompany him during food shopping – show to your child how to choose healthy foods and explain to him the health benefits that you can get from the food. Instead for processed foods, go for fresh vegetables and fruits.

 

2. Let your kids help during cooking – whatever age your children are, invite them to help you during cooking, they may not be able to cook but certainly they can perform simple preparation. In this way your child will be able to know how to cook on their own as they grow up.

3. Promote smart snacking -  even if you served her favorite dishes during meal time but if he just taken his snacks too close to mealtime he will likely not eat it. That is why don’t let her take his snack at least an hour before mealtime, and if he wants make it light by serving a slice of fruits.

4. Avoid bribery – most parents certainly do this trick in order for their kids to eat by saying no to TV, computer or whatever he wants to do unless he eats his meal. But this idea can create an uneasy relationship with food in your child. Instead of pressuring him to eat which he doesn’t feel like, give him choices that are more likely to go down easy.

5. Don’t ban junk food – allowing him to eat such food doesn’t mean good for him but if you try to forbid even a piece of lollipop in your home will more likely to make him feel ignorant. A better way to handle sugary snacks is to let him take a piece of it once a while and if he wants for more, try to steer him toward healthy snacks like nuts.

6. Set a good example – examine yourself first, if you try to ban your kids from drinking soda and eating sugary foods, be a model to them by setting them good example.

Say No To Sweety Foods

Kids really love to eat sweet foods. You cannot say no when they want it, even adults likes to savor processed foods, soda, and other food beverages which found out to contain high fructose corn syrup. A new study from Medical College of Georgia at Georgia health Science University examined the 559 teens between the ages of 14 and 18 and found a link between diets that are high in fructose and increased risk for health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases. The researchers emphasize the importance of a healthy diet and exercise and urge parents to keep an eye on the amount of high fructose corn syrup that is being eaten by kids at home and at school. So the next time your child ask for a soda or junk foods, always consider the effects of the foods that he intake on his body. It’s better to say no them at once than to suffer the effects later.

Why Play Is Important for Your Child?

Play is a normal part of a happy childhood development. It is one of the child’s rights. In fact, studies show that play is actually a way for your child to prepare their brains for the challenge of adulthood which is derived whether through games, music or puzzles. Play reinforces the bonding and interaction between the parent and child. Play will give your child the following benefits:

1.      it lets him to assert his independence

2.      allows him to explore his capabilities at his own pace

3.      develops their imagination

4.      encourages socialization with peers

5.      promotes good health

6.      lengthen their attention span

7.      it makes them relax and release any form of stress or anxiety

8.      strengthens the bond between parents

9.      it helps them have fun on their own

Simple Ways To Prepare Your Child For School

Though we are conquered with the latest gadgets and fast evolving technology, it is still good to know that traditional ways of imparting knowledge to your child are still effective. There are several ways that parents should know to unlock the academic potential of their child without spending too much. Below are some of the basic steps to optimize the development of your child in order him to prepare for school.

1.      Read to your child everyday and expose him to books. Reading a book together with your child not only helps practice reading comprehension, it also helps foster a bond between the parent and the child. It is recommended that you set aside at least 20 minutes a day reading to your child. There are benefits that your child can get from reading: It promotes longer attention span. Develops listening skills. Stimulate the imagination. Build vocabulary. Develops a love for books as well as love for reading.

2. Talk with your child as much as you can. Talking to your child not only develops open communication between you and your child, but it also help him express his feelings and interests and boost intelligence.

3. Increase his playtime. Play reinforces the bonding and interaction between parents and child. It develops his imagination, explore his capabilities, encourages socialization and become independent.

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How To Handle Talking Back in Kids

One of the biggest problems of parents about child discipline is on how to handle with a child who is talking back to them. I think parents experienced this kind of problem. Back talk happens in almost any age at the most when the child started to say a word “No”. Well that’s a normal part of child development. But talking back can be triggered by a variety of causes. It happen when a child is trying to exert control over his own life such as what he wears, eats or does. Or it could be his way of testing his boundaries or simply be resentment from being hungry or tired. This behavior must be address effectively and immediately by parents and take necessary measures to stop it. As parents, it is our job to teach our kids how to express their wishes and opinions in a respectful and constructive manner.

Tips:

1.      Get calm and stay calm. Set a good example of behavior to your child. How you respond to your child’s angry reply can set the tone for your interactions but when you show calmness in yourself and in control of yourself then your child will behave as you are.

2.      Don’t get into a war of words. If you want to control talking back in your child, do not feed the back talk beast. Because if you exchange words with your child then they are inadvertently saying that this is an acceptable way to handle conflict. Do not respond until you can speak in a calm and controlled manner.

3.      Remind yourself that this is a natural part of development. Talking back is something all kids do as they grow independently and assertively. It’s frustrating to know as this behavior maybe, but just remind yourself that your child is not talking back because you did something wrong or because they do not respect you.

4.      Keep track when back talk happens. Try to keep track or observe the time when your child talks back so that you can take necessary steps to change or eliminate those that triggers his behavior. Like for instance, is he irritable after school or after any activities or does he talks back when he doesn’t get enough sleep?

5.      Give and ask for respect. It’s a good thing that children are given the freedom to express their opinions about something and that parents should know how to listen to it. But be sure to emphasize that you will not listen to what they say unless they have to speak to you in a calm and respectful manner. That is why it is important for parents to balance understanding with a requirement for respect.

6.      Show your child that you are listening. Once both of you have calm down, give your child your full attention. Let him express his opinions in a respectful manner and you will have to listen, it does not mean that you agree all what he said but it will teach him that you respect his opinion.

7.            Look at what your child is watching. Watch out for TV shows they are watching. Many shows today depict children talking back to adults and often display sarcasm and sassy attitude.

       

Though it's really a frustrating and upsetting behavior, but you just have to keep in mind that your positive response will keep this behavior in control. The calmer you are, the more your child will learn to use positive ways to express his opinions too.