have fun with reading

Parents at times feel uneasy reading to their children. It could be for numerous different reasons. Perhaps they don’t take to reading themselves. Possibly their reading skills are not the best. Or maybe they feel like they have to produce comical faces and make un-natural sounds in order to read a little one’s book. So for fear of embarrassment, they pass on the reading assignment.

There are numerous ways to share books with your little one. Your reading skills do not have to be top notch. Just the one-on-one time alongside your little one is making a difference to them. The closeness and sharing of stories will pay off for years to come.

You want to try and read to your little one every day. You need to radiate an excitement about reading a story together so that your child thinks of reading as fun. There are a few ways to make reading fun. You can talk or sing about the pictures in the book. You don’t have to read it word for word. Occasionally it is more intriguing to add your own twist to a story. Talk about your own relatives or friends and add their names to the story.

Ask questions about the pictures in the book. Let your little one create their own take on the story. They may see the pictures speaking to them a bit differently than what the words depict. This will open up a vast dialogue and a chance for you to elaborate on things in the pictures and assist your child in discovering the world we live in.

Show your children the cover of the book and let them recite to you what they believe the book is about. If they are too young to do so, point out certain items in the pictures to help them learn the names of the characters that might be in the pages that follow.

Let your little one turn the pages of the book for you. This will help them interact with the book and get familiar with how books are laid out.

Children have a short attention span, so don’t get discouraged if they lose interest before you are finished reading the book.

Remember to have fun with reading, and your child will pick up on this positive reinforcement of reading.

amount of games and fun

If you are about to organise a children’s party then balloons are normally as standard and this durable party idea has so many ways to make children and parents have fun.
There are literally endless ways to use balloons for parties but we here we look at four ideas to use balloons at a party. If the sun is shining then why not have the party outside but many of these games can also be played inside.
Balloon party game 1 – Toss the Water Balloon
Children stand face to face in pairs holding one water balloon per pair. The children toss it to each other. After each successful toss the kids take one step back. The pair of children whose tossing distance is the greatest, without dropping the balloon, is the winner
Balloon party game 2 – Have a Popping Balloon
Kids in pairs stand in a line, back to back. Each pair of children has a balloon held between their backs. On “go” they should try and pop the balloon using only their backs. First pair of kids whose balloon pops is the winner.
Balloon Game 3 – Catch the balloon
Kids stand in a circle all numbered from one onwards. The kid with the highest number goes in the center. He holds a balloon, shouts a number and throws the balloon up in the air. The kid whose number was called must catch the balloon before it touches the ground. He or she then repeats the process. Whoever fails to catch the balloon is out. Have a parent throw the balloon when only 2 kids are left.
Balloon game 4 – Water Balloon Relay
Divide kids into two teams. Provide each team with a number of water balloons. (At least one balloon per team member) The first one to go in each team must place a water balloon between its knees and hobble to the finish line, dropping the balloon in a bucket without using hands. He/she then runs back to the team, tags the next kid and the process is repeated. If the balloon is dropped the kid must grab it by hand, run back to the start and start all over. The winning team is the one who manages to get the most balloons in their bucket.
Making the most out of balloons can be a good idea if you have a tight budget and money is tight. Balloons are so versatile and there is endless amount of games and fun to have all that is required is your imagination!

behavior needs to be corrected

What’s wrong with kids today? Although every generation seems to ask the same question, the debate on children’s manners has heated up significantly with articles, Op-Eds and even TV shows like “Nanny 911” that paint an alarming picture of manners and misbehavior unparalleled since…well, since the last generation grew up.

To help desperate parents and frustrated onlookers, child development experts are pointing out clues-and perhaps cures-for the causes of what they say may be a publicly misdiagnosed epidemic.

“Manners are important,” says C.T. O’Donnell II, President and CEO of KidsPeace, a 124-year-old national charity that works to bring peace to the lives of children and families in crisis. “They are vital to social order, building mutual respect, tolerance and cooperation, without which conflict and chaos will prevail. And while most indicators on youth behavior are becoming more positive, with youth crime, teen pregnancy and drug use and smoking all dropping, we’re now discovering a number of commonsense reasons why children seem to listen less and sometimes act in ways that make us-and often, them-unhappy.”

Social Issues: Sociologists point out that children’s more challenging attitudes are, in part, a reflection of our own changing view of authority and authority figures. We openly question the motives of politicians, bankers, lawyers and other former authority figures in ways our parents did not. We may not be able to turn back the clock but the key seems to be to teach today’s Generation Y how to be “Generation Why?” in a way that still shows respect.

Family Issues: Parents work hard to do their best but with the rise of the dual-income household, time spent with kids teaching and behavior modeling is scarce. Even the best parents have a hard time providing enough meaningful time and instruction when, according to one study, the average American parent spends no more than seven minutes per day in uninterrupted, one-on-one time with each child.

“The world is a different place now than when we grew up and parents with less time need more resources, especially creative resources,” says David Bruce, author of “Manners I. Care” (Child Life Books, http://www.mannersicare. com), which aims to improve children’s manners by having kids and parents read together an amusing story of a child, his behavior, his loved ones’ frustration and the hidden reasons for kids’ actions. “By putting a child on your lap and experiencing together in a fun way a fictional character’s less-than-perfect behavior and the frustration it causes, the whole family builds caring and sharing, understanding and values.”

Medical Issues: Doctors note some behavioral issues can be traced to physical problems such as ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder) or related to emotions and stress. “It’s not well known but children, especially younger children, respond to stress differently than adults do,” says Dr. Herbert Mandell, medical director of the KidsPeace Children’s Hospital. “When children hear about terror attacks and school shootings or are bullied, they often show it through behavior rather than words. When kids are subjected to tremendous stress, in their home lives or through school or TV, things may happen that look like misbehavior but can be a sign they’re struggling with something. While bad behavior needs to be corrected, at the same time bad feelings need to be unearthed and dealt with.”

toy sits idly on the floor

There is a chore in my home that brings out the procrastinator in me. This particular chore is so big and so difficult, that I create new tasks just to avoid starting the dreaded job. What could be so bad: My toddler’s bedroom – a.k.a. fighting the battle of ‘too many toys!’

The problem doesn’t arrive from a lack of organization or space to put things, but from just too many toys in the first place. His room, when tidy, looks like a little toy store gone mad. My husband built custom shelving just for the toys and books, with varying shelf sizes to accommodate different types of toys and sizes of books. However, when I take a close look at the contents, it’s obvious that there’s lots of ‘stuff’, but little thought went into most of it.

How should you select and organize your child’s toys? Choosing quality kids’ toys, selected by their developmental stage and abilities, is the first step. Most toys have a recommended age on the package to let you know the appropriate age group. Take cues from your own child to guide you in whether he is ready for a certain toy.

Make sure that the toys you’re buying actually “do” what they are supposed to. If puzzle pieces aren’t cut correctly, your child will get angry and frustrated when they play with it. I’ve recently made the mistake of buying a puzzle that was supposed to be appropriate for ages 18 months to 3 years, only to find that the pieces were very difficult to place, and my son became upset every time he played with the puzzle.

Some suggestions for Toddler and Preschool Toys

• Puppets
• Activity tables/centers
• Sorting boxes
• Snap together Blocks – Leggos
• Puzzles – up to 5 wooden pieces
• Figures for dollhouse, farm, etc.
• Dress up clothes
• Trucks and wagons to haul things
• Housekeeping and shopping toys
• Sewing cards
• Buttoning, zipping, snapping dolls or boards
• Preschool age games like Memory and Candy land etc.

Most importantly, choose toys that stimulate your child’s mind and that create learning experiences. Provide an adequate amount of toys for your child. Don’t do as I have and overwhelm your child with too much ‘stuff’ causing both of you to become frustrated. As we all know, most little kids have a more fun playing with the box the toy came in while the new toy sits idly on the floor. Now it’s time for me to stop procrastinating and fight the battle of ‘too many toys.’

flexibility to be there for your children

Juggling children and work can be a challenge, whether you work outside the home or you are a work from home mom, but, in some ways, work from home moms face more challenges than moms who work outside the home. After all, when you’re in a traditional office, you don’t need to worry that a coworker will burst into the room and scream “Mommy, he took my doll,” just as you are beginning an important conference call.

So how does a work from home mom manage to keep her children happy and busy while she is trying to get her job done?

First, you need to let your children know when you are not to be disturbed. Set up a schedule that includes playtime and work time and remind them that if they don’t disturb you while you are working, you will be able to give them your complete attention during playtime. As a reminder, use a do not disturb sign on your office door when you absolutely cannot be interrupted.

Of course, it is easy for your children to behave while you are working if they have something to do. Fill a box with games and toys that can only be used while mom is working. Make sure you add a new puzzle, coloring book, or small toy on a frequent basis, to keep your children interested.

If you don’t work on the phone, it is a bit easier to keep your children content when you are working. Set up an office space just for them, complete with a small table and chairs. Fill a lunch box with some of their favorite snacks and a few juice boxes each morning, so you aren’t inundated with requests for food and drinks. Add a children’s magazine, simple puzzles, coloring books, and art supplies. When your children are able to work along side you, the number of interruptions should decrease drastically.

For moms who really need peace and quiet, but have small children, a mother’s helper can be a great solution. Since you will still be in the house, you do not need a fully trained baby sitter to help out. Instead, look for a teen who has little babysitting experience, but likes kids. She will probably be happy to watch your children while you work for the cost of a few good after school snacks and a few dollars.

Finally, sometimes it’s just not possible to keep your children quiet and content while you are working. If your child is ill, you may just need to decide to take the day off. After all, the reason you are working from home is to have the flexibility to be there for your children when they need you!

cost-savings measures

The kids love going to engaging activities in summer and meet new friends. Parents love having a few weeks of peace and quiet. It’s no wonder summer camps have retained their population for several decades. Summer camp may seem like a perfect move for your family, but there might be a problem: the cost.

Planning to have a childless summer on the cheap? Summer camp costs can make that very difficult. High-end specialty camps can cost as much as ten thousand dollars. Even general-interest camps of shorter durations often cost thousands. Finding a cheap summer camp with which you will be comfortable is very difficult.

There are a few solutions. One can approach the problem from two directions–they can search out the best possible deal among appropriate camps and they can take proactive steps to decrease the cost of almost any camp. Optimally, both strategies will be used in the quest for a cheap summer camp.

Finding a less expensive camp requires some research. The best advertised and marketed camps are probably the ones with which you are most familiar, and those operations are often among the most expensive options. Local summer camps, particularly those operated by charitable or non-profit organizations may not buy publicity, but that is one reason they can cost a lot less. If you really need to cut prices, consider a day-camp solution. A “days-only” operation is the thriftiest cheap summer camp plan.

Other savings steps include requesting a camp scholarship, sometimes referred to as a “campership.” Many camps will extend low-cots opportunities to children who would otherwise be unable to attend. Partial and full “camperships” are frequently available. Parents should also be aware that Uncle Sam can help turn their children’s summer break into a cheap summer camp experience. Those who have children in camp in order to maintain their gainful employment are eligible for a tax break related to the expense of the camp.

It may not be easy to create a cheap summer camp experience, but it is possible to hold down expenses. By finding the right camp and investigating cost-savings measures, your family can enjoy the advantages of a summer camp experience at a reduced price.

without fear of getting their computer

During vacation, kids often stay up late, sleep in late and play outside a lot. Today’s kids also spend more time online during the summer, playing video games, surfing the Internet, and meeting friends in chat rooms and social networking sites. Although these online activities can provide hours of entertainment and learning, they can also expose kids to inappropriate content or people who might want to take advantage of them.

Parents don’t have to unplug the computer or be Internet gurus to help protect their children online. “Even if parents can’t tell a blog from a wiki, new technology safeguards and online resources can help them take more control of their children’s Internet use and create a safer online experience for the entire family,” said Kristin Johnsen, senior director for security outreach at Microsoft Corp., which offers dozens of pages of online safety guidance and resources online for no charge, at http://www.microsoft.com/athome.

In addition, family safety settings in many popular products-such as Xbox 360, Windows Live and MSN Premium–provide security tools to help block objectionable Web sites, control who corresponds with children, and guard against online attacks.

Triva and Toby Hazelton looked to these online resources and the advice of friends to create strict Internet rules for their children. Courtney, 12 and Taylor, 10 can send and receive e-mail and instant messages but only with friends that the Hazeltons know. They can use the Internet, but only pre-approved sites–and only when Mom and Dad are home.

“We also talk openly and often with our kids about the threats on the Internet,” Triva said. “We want our kids to think independently and know we won’t always be able to control their Internet use, so we want them to feel comfortable telling us if something online makes them uncomfortable.”

Here are some other tips from Microsoft to consider:

• Set clear rules for Internet usage. Prepare children for the online world just as you would for the real world. Establish guidelines and know who they are communicating with and what they are seeing online.

• Keep personal information private. Don’t share personal information about yourself online -such as your name, address, age or gender–with people you don’t know in the real world.

• Consider PC proximity. It might make sense to place the family’s computer in a common room, especially for PCs that don’t have family safety software installed. Parents are able to provide supervision and guidelines more easily this way.

• Keep communication open between parents and children. When kids see something on the Internet that makes them feel uncomfortable, assure them they can talk to a parent or other trusted adult about it without fear of getting their computer privileges taken away.

Reading Movies

At school, reading is the essential tool for success in every subject, so it is vital that you lay the proper groundwork for your child.

According to Bernabe Feria, an expert in reading sciences who holds a doctorate from Oxford University, children learn to read in three stages. They are as follows:

* Stage 1: This stage typically lasts until children are 5 or 6 years old. Children in this stage learn to recognize and write the letters of the alphabet and to use punctuation, and also begin “sounding out” clusters of written letters that form short words.

* Stage 2: This stage continues until children reach age 6 or 7. They learn to immediately recognize a few hundred words on sight and to read in phrases and even whole sentences.

* Stage 3: Children reach this stage around age 8 and typically no later than 10. At this stage they learn how to read with the facility and fluency with which they use spoken language, and should be able to recognize, appreciate and emulate finely crafted language.

As a parent, you can help your children learn the value of reading at any stage through an innovative program called ReadEnt, developed by SFK Media Specially for Kids Corp.

The program’s Reading Movies seamlessly blend reading with interactive films that teach and improve vocabulary and comprehension. Each of the Reading Movies – “Trojan Horse,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Tales of Gulliver’s Travels” – exposes students to timeless children’s literature while helping them learn through a patented technology called “Action Captions.” As the movie character speaks, the words simultaneously appear on the screen, one at a time, with no disruption to the flow of the movie.

Reading experts and educators indicate that these “Action Captions” activate the cognitive elements of the brain so that the development of both reading and spoken language skills takes place naturally. The ReadEnt reading programs can be used over a period of years to develop different skill sets as children move from one stage to the next.

The program’s Reading Movies, which are interactive with fun quizzes and games, are available for use on the TV or the computer.

connection has an identifying

Kids Internet Safety – Be Careful!

The Internet and Computers are becoming a necessity in our homes. Nearly everything we do be it registering a new appliance, paying bills, finding a movie, restaurant or an amusement park for location and hours, is easy online. Why “let your fingers do the walking” in the yellow pages as the phone book companies used to say, when you can find it with a few keystrokes and click of the mouse online?

Becoming computer literate is a must say California education standards. Even the 1st through 6th Grade and Middle Schools have computer labs! As a research and learning tool the computer, with the Internet and it’s unlimited resources if used in a safe manner can make all the difference in how well your child does on homework and assignments.

There is temptation and danger Online

When kids sit down at the computer the temptation to venture out and surf away from homework into chat, blogs and MySpace is extremely high. What kid wouldn’t want to see what their friends are talking about, listen to music and make their own free webpage? MySpace.com is a good example of the most inviting of these temptations. Nearly every internet savvy kid knows about MySpace. Opening with “what’s your MySpace?” when they meet a new friend in person is very common as part of getting to know each other. A local English teacher who also works in the computer lab guestimates one in four of her 8th grade students has their own MySpace.

MySpace.com- Danger Danger Danger!

There are countless articles on how kids have gotten in trouble and endangered their lives by turning to MySpace as a way, initially to get to know other kids their age. Read your kids articles about teens who have really gotten in hot water with MySpace to help them understand how persistant and dangerous the preditors really can be.

For an example of a good kid in trouble read the New York Times story of Justin Berry, who at age 13, innocent, lonely and computer-wise, behind the closed door of his room quickly exposed himself to countless pedophiles in a matter of minutes on MySpace.com. The scariest part of this Report was the video interview with the then 18 year old where he warns others of how much his experience “messed him up”.

How do you keep your child interested in learning, doing productive things and away from the dangers online? That’s a good question because the way they see it all the other kids are interacting on MySpace, sharing their favorite music and expanding their circle of friends there.

Begin by Educating Yourself and Your Kids!

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Read this CBS News Report to see how to protect Kids on MySpace.
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Sit with your child when they are on their MySpace.
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If they switch screens or minimize the page and refuse to show you every time you try they are hiding something. This is when you have to either get software filters or a software program that tracks every keystroke, every page, every website they go to, to find out who they are chatting with and what they are saying.
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Visit a page we here at JerSooz made a few years ago for more information on Kids Safety. Towards the bottom you will find a table with links that are designed help you get the information you need to keep your kids safe on the Internet.
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Another option is to use your Browser History, Chat History, Cookies and Temporary Internet Files to figure out where they go yourself. See below on how to do this.

Use Cookies- From the Start button go to Search, then Files and Folders type in Cookies and Search Now. Usually they are found in the C Drive of our computer. There you can click on any of the files that have a suspicious name to see what websites they might have visited.

Check for saved images- Another thing most kids do is save pictures from the people they talk to and websites they enjoy. This is a way to get an idea of what they are really interested in when they are not telling you everything.

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported more than 2,600 incidents last year of adults using the Internet to entice children. With numbers like that, you’d think all parents would be hovering over their kids, demanding to know everything they’re doing online. Check out your kids’ and all their friends Chat and MySpace profiles.

Do yourself a favor and make sure their Login and Password are set on automatic when your child goes into chat and MySpace online. Even if you are accused of invading their privacy it is worth it to pretend you are them a few times and see what sort of conversations they have online and whom with.

You might be amazed and upset by who you find yourself chatting with and what is said but do not break your cover just yet! Above all things remember you are doing this to protect your kids safety. By doing this you will either find that your child is the perfect innocent kid just having fun online or…get enough proof that they need more strict guidelines, rules, parental controls, or to have the internet taken away until they can get a handle on it. It’s for their own good!

Did You Know How Easily Your Location Can Be Found Online?

You are not annonymous online and your address can easily be found. This, of course means your kids on the internet in your home can be found by outsiders. It also means that you are responsible for trouble they might get into on your internet connection!

It’s simple, really, every internet connection has an identifying number that shows where your internet connection is. IP or Internet Protocol addresses show in chats and when you send an email. Want to see how easy it is to find someone with their IP Address? Start with your own IP address, Visit GeoBytes IP Address Locater page, and see for yourself!

financial life for your children

As the name of our website suggests we help you in managing your finances when you think it is time that you had a baby but are worried about the cost and responsibility of a new life on your shoulders and pockets.

Expecting a baby soon? Worried how you’ll be able to manage in the limited finances after it’s born? Worried about your child’s higher education? Well, we have the solution to your problems. At teachmoneytochildren.com, not only do we help you sort out your financial problems but we also explain as to how to go about explaining to your child the need to save money for a rainy day!

Soon you may be incurring expenditure for diapers, baby soap, cradle, cots and the works. Within a few years you will be preparing for clothes, shoes, education, sports equipment, dates and bikes. We need to finance our children not only till the time they are in university but also until they start earning substantially. Therefore, the need for our intelligence in saving rises substantially.

Planning

Money does not grow on trees and we all require more than what we have. Therefore, it is essential we plan for our child’s education. It should be pre-planned so as to bear the cost of what our child chooses to do in the future. Planning helps in appropriate allocation of resources to the required areas.

Teaching the child

It is very essential to teach the child about managing finances. Giving the child pocket money and allowing them to make small personal expenses and then explaining the need to control expenditure and savings. And as a child grows up a bank account should also be opened so that he can learn the details of banking as well as managing his money.
Basically, two things need to be done simultaneously – the children should be taught the power of money and the things they can buy and at the same time also telling them to refrain from spending on whatever they desire. They have to be taught that a balance can lead to success and an imbalance otherwise.

Investing for the future

Certain investments should be made in the name of the child maturing with the child and ready-to-use at an age when required. Further, at an age when the child is in his late teens he should be allowed to make a responsible choice of taking financial loans for his needs whether educational or otherwise. Such efforts enable the child to realize the value for money making them more responsible and aware.

Exploring various options

While sending children to college it should be taken care that all colleges have been carefully explored and scanned and all benefits such as scholarships and needs-based grant monies should be taken advantage of.

To have a successful financial life for your children, make the right moves now and bear incredible benefits in the future.