Develop Your Childs Genius: Training Your Child for Success
November 28, 2006
This time, I would like to talk about a subject that is appropriate for every age group out there. Even we, parents, can benefit from this, we can develop success skills together with our children.
Sometimes you see people (of all ages) that are successful at everything they do. Whatever they touch, whatever they attempt, success is theirs. Others, who are also successful, have to struggle and work much harder to achieve success, and yet others, even though they are smart and hard workers, don’t achieve success. What is it that the “always successful” people have, that the others don’t?
I often have conversations with children about their goals and objectives, and often I hear young children say to me, “I am not very smart”, or “I don’t think that I can achieve this”. How did a young child get to this opinion of themselves, so early in life? A child that has low self esteem, stands the chance of failing. SELF CONFIDENCE! a “can do” approach - that’s what we want our children to develop, so that they succeed in life.
Best Baby Shower Invitation Ideas
November 28, 2006
The best baby shower invitation ideas help everyone to have fun without adding stress on the expectant mother. Planning for a newborn can be overwhelming to each family member, so providing the best baby shower invitation ideas with fun and little effort on Mom helps to give the baby shower lasting feelings of friendship and love.
Many baby showers focus on one or two fun areas that make the shower a party, but the best baby shower invitation ideas also create cherished memories as a gift that lasts for years after the celebration. These baby shower invitation wording ideas can help you get your messages across best - http://www.invitingsmiles.com/baby-shower-invitation-wording.html
One of the Best Baby Shower Invitation Ideas is the Children’s Book Theme. Ask each guest to include her favorite child’s book for the new baby’s library-to-be. Most guests usually bring more than one book and it’s a great way for everyone to reminisce about special memories at the party. Include a separate note in the invitation reminding each guest to write a short message for the new baby to eventually read why that book was your guest’s favorite.
Develop Your Childs Genius: One Step Farther
November 27, 2006
When is a person brilliant? When does a person show his genius? When he goes beyond the usual, beyond the obvious. When he goes one step farther in his thinking, understanding and creativity. For example, when you play chess, you plan ahead. You study the moves that are optional to you, and then the moves your opponent can make. You go a few steps deep. My son’s chess teacher once said: “Usual players plan 2 to 3 moves ahead. A grandmaster can plan 6 to 7 moves deep, and that makes grandmasters - grandmasters”. The teacher suggested to my son to look at the chess board, analyze the moves ahead, and then - put a conscious effort into analyzing one more move. Put conscious effort into going one step farther.
When applied to all areas of life - this habit alone can differentiate between the everyday smart person, and an unusually creative, brilliant genius.
How can we teach our children this exceptional practice - as early as possible? This truly takes only a few minutes at a time! Whenever you do an activity with your child, whenever you have a conversation with your child, whatever your child’s age is, encourage him to go one step farther in his thinking and in his playing or working.
Teaching Reading: Part One
November 27, 2006
One of the biggest milestones in our children’s education is when they learn how to read. You’ve probably asked yourself, "When is the best time to teach my child to read?" You can research this until you are blue in the face, but the answer is really very simple. You’ve already started, because from the moment your child is born, you are teaching him. We talk to our babies. We read to them. We sing to them. We recite silly little verses while we change their diapers or put them in their car seat. We hug and cuddle our children. We play with them. We laugh with them. We read to them.
The key to becoming a good reader is an early and varied exposure to language. What does this mean? Basically, the more you can expose your child to language, the better. How can you do this?
How to Read to Your Baby
November 27, 2006
How to Read to Your Baby
by: Rachel Paxton
When my twin boys were born, I was very excited to read to them.
They had received a lot of neat books as gifts, and I was looking
forward to sharing their books with them.
What I wasn’t expecting was them not focusing on a book for more
than a second or two so I could read to them! Reading to babies
can be challenging when there are so many things in the world to
explore, but here are some tips that have worked for me.
There are many different types of books available for babies.
Board books and cloth books work best for babies so they can
handle them and drool on them without doing much damage to them.
If your baby isn’t interested in one type of book, keep
introducing different books until you find one he is interested
in. One of my sons loves books with pictures of real babies in
them. He loves to look at their smiling faces. For Christmas he
received a board book called “Tom Arma’s Paw Print Parade”. Tom
How to Silence Your Childs Inner Critic
November 27, 2006
Children do what feels good to them and follow their natural instincts. Well meaning parents teach children that it is not socially acceptable to behave in certain ways, thus going against a child’s natural inclinations. Children internalize the voices from their parents, teachers and other adults in their lives and start to criticize themselves. Although parents are being helpful, this often contributes to the birth of the inner critic.
Who is the Inner Critic?
The inner critic is the voice inside everyone’s head who periodically points out our failures, inadequacies, and our shortcomings. Although disguised as a friend, confidante, this inner critic sabotages our best interest. The inner critic undermines our belief in our abilities.
In children, the inner critic tells the child that they are not smart enough, good enough, or talented enough to accomplish their goals. Children start to use their inner dialog as a defense mechanism against the world. The inner critic criticizes the child before the world can. The inner critic gets the child to believe that it is helping the child by offering “constructive criticism”. The truth is that criticism can never be constructive. According to Merriam -Webster dictionary, the definition of constructive is: promoting improvement or development, while the definition of criticize is: to find fault with: point out the faults of. Since the inner critic is so powerful and convincing, how can parents help their children deal with their inner critic?
What To Do When You Think Your Child Might Have AD/HD
November 26, 2006
AD/HD (attention deficit disorder) is one of the most common mental health disorders seen in childhood. Studies estimate that between 3-7% of all children have AD/HD: approximately 2 million children in the USA alone, or one child in every classroom.
The main symptoms seen in this condition are inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, however, it’s important to note that not all children with AD/HD have hyperactivity. Many have the inattentive sub-type; these are the children who are often over-looked because they rarely present with behavioral problems. Rather, they are the dreamers who find it difficult to pay attention and who may instead, seem withdrawn or even depressed. It is far more likely that the hyperactive, impulsive children are identified in school for their acting out behaviors. Often times, teachers will report to the families that an evaluation for AD/HD may be indicated.
What should you do if you think your child might have AD/HD?
? Have your pediatrician give your child a complete physical to rule out any possible medical condition that can mimic AD/HD symptoms. Some children with chronic allergies, for example, simply cannot focus.
How To Avoid Swelling When Pregnant
November 26, 2006
Edema, otherwise known as swelling, will affect almost all women at some point during their pregnancy. Swelling or Edema is most often the result of excessive levels of hormones coursing through your body.
Really, the best thing you can do to combat swelling is to drink far more fluid. It may seem counter intuitive, but the more juice and water you drink the less water your body will hold onto and the less puffy you will be. You should be working to drink at least 10 eight ounce glasses of water per day. Also try to avoid diuretic beverages such as tea and coffee, which contain caffeine. These are more likely to dehydrate you than invigorate you during your pregnancy.
You might also consider wearing some support stockings during your pregnancy. These will not only help combat swelling, but may help prevent or minimize the effects of varicose veins later in pregnancy. Most medical care suppliers carry support hosiery that works well for women during pregnancy.
You should look for support hose with a medium grading minimum, meaning they provide firm support. Compression hose can often be purchased online. You can also ask your healthcare provider where you might purchase a pair or two.
Baby Expense: What To Do When Baby
November 26, 2006
As you probably know, baby expense should be high on your list of things to plan for, before the baby comes. There is no cheap way to have and raise a baby: it takes sweat, work, lots of cash, patience, and more to have a happy, healthy baby. Some studies suggest that you will spend anywhere between $150,000 and $200,000 for your kids by the time they are 18 years old, not including private schools, special lessons, or college.
But if you waited until you had enough money, time and energy to have your baby, you would probably end up without any children. Here you*ll find a few ways to ease the finances, so that you can enjoy your new bundle of joy.
1. Get health assistance - if you don*t have health insurance, and can*t afford it, doctor*s bills can ad up really easy. But there are options out there for people just like you. This baby expense will probably be one of your biggest, so don*t be afraid to ask for assistance if your family needs it.
2. Breastfeed your baby, if possible. It*s free, it*s convenient, and it might help against breast cancer. It*s recommended as being the best form of nutrition for baby.
Why Creativity and Self-Expression are Important to Little Kids
November 26, 2006
Can you draw a straight line? Most adults don’t consider themselves artistic. Parents do, however, worry about their toddler’s art abilities. As a child care provider for the past 10 years, I’ve had many discussions with parents about ‘how their toddler is doing’ as far as getting ready for preschool or kindergarten. They worry a lot about the final product of their toddler’s art projects. I try to explain to them that art is not just knowing how to draw a flower or a puppy, or whether or not little Jason colors in the lines. Little kids need to experience self-expression and the ‘doing of art’ more than having a page from a coloring book to hang on the refrigerator.
When a two-year old puts his chubby little hand in a tub of finger paint and happily smears all of the colors together on the paper or when he makes yet another ’snowman’ out of play-doh, he’s creating. Granted, he will certainly tell you that his painting is his dad’s truck even though you ‘just can’t see it.’ The important thing to remember is that by allowing our little kids to experience art in their own way, we let them show us how they see the world around them, how they feel and think.
