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The merits of arts and crafts for children
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Paula

The merits of arts and crafts such as drawing and coloring  for kids are regularly argued by child development experts, educators and parents alike… especially so for the real impact they have on child development. However, it is difficult to disagree with the top three reasons why we should all encourage the children in our care to take part in arts and crafts.

Creativity – Ask anyone what the first personality characteristic arts and crafts develop in a young child and most will answer ‘creativity’. And they are  correct.  Everyone has natural talents and skills and it is possible to improve and boost them… even if you only have a tiny amount of natural talent. Creativity enables your child to try out and benefit from new ideas, options and alternatives in a future career. Kids learn to do things in new and alternate ways and literally profit from thinking “out of the box”.

Perseverance -  Perseverance is  perhaps the single most important quality for any successful business person, sportsman, professional or  individual.  In fact, most well-known breakthroughs in life have been attributed to perseverance alone. Arts and crafts improve everyone’s level of perseverance.  For instance, children learn to keep trying until they complete the task, be it a sculpture or a coloring in sheet. If something goes wrong… they are encouraged to perservere by trying different ways and means and the outcome is a wonderful piece of art that they have created.

Concentration – Akin to having perseverance, developing concentration is another quality well-worth having as an individual.Drawing, coloring, sculpting, finger or normal painting and even doodling will definitely teach your child to focus on one specific task at hand… ignoring other distractions. In short – their overall concentration will definitely improve.

Even from a young age kids can draw and color – therefore give them blank pieces of paper or coloring in sheets so that they can scribble away to their hearts content whilst also improving their fine motor skills.

For example at sites like Spiderman Coloring you’ll find Spiderman colouring as well as coloring pages, funny pics and more.

Little girls on the other hand tend to prefer images of fairies and princesses – however, favorite characters such as those from Disney movies  are also hits.

Give your child many opportunities to experience being creative, concentrating and perservering through the fun medium of arts and crafts. Provide them with materials as well as resources and the occasional canvas so that they can be creative and feel pride in what they create. 

 

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Teaching toddlers about colors
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Paula

Toddlers are interested in the world around them. They are inquisitive and eager to learn. Teaching a toddler something new is not always easy however because their  attention spans are short and not all of them are ready for a 'lesson' just yet. If you plan teach your toddler all about the different colors, here is the best way to start.

The first activity  you do together should be very simple and basic.Get out your crayons and a coloring book or some plain white paper. Start with the  primary colors: red, yellow and blue.

Show your toddler each colored crayon, say the color to him, then together. If he does not want to say it, that’s okay – he is still learning by looking at the color and listening to you.

Together, chose a picture to color.  Little boys enjoy coloring pictures of cars and trucks while little girls usually enjoy coloring images from fairy tales and princesses  -  at sites like Barbie Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Barbie colouring

If you are using white paper, let your toddler choose something to draw and color together. Now it’s coloring time!

As he colors, tell him what color he is using. Then attempt to say the name of the color together. Do not force him or her to tell you the color. This should be a fun activity for your child not a drill! Make sure to compliment his efforts by commenting as he colors, "What a pretty blue flower!” or “I love the way you colored the blue car.”

After you have colored together, make sure to put his picture on display somewhere prominent where visitors to your home can comment on it.This will give your child confidence and boost his or her self esteem – which is great for you because s/he will want to color and draw with you again – and you will have yet another opportunity to talk about colors together.

Once your toddler has mastered the basic red, ble and yellow – you can move on to other colors – don’t overwhelm him/her with the rainbow just yet!

Remember that crayons are a choking hazard - always supervise your child while he draws and colors.

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Do You Have Problems With Getting Your Kids To Go To Bed?
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Paula

Some children even though they know that they are tired, do not want to miss out on any of the action or excitement. They want to spend as much time with mom and dad as possible. They can even see the fact that they have to go to bed before their parents as unjust and even cruel. These types of children will want to disrupt and even avoid going to bed at all cost.

When I was a child I had a speech impediment known as stuttering. I was desperate to find out how to stop stammering and was aware that I would stutter more if I had had a lack of sleep the night before.

I myself have two young children and have been through this experience myself. My daughter especially needs her sleep and can be very moody in the mornings, if she has not had a particular amount of hours of it. As a parent it can become very frustrating as well as upsetting when you see your child crying because they do not want to go to bed. Comments like, please dad just one more program on the television, were far too regular, and at times I felt like backing down.

I have now learnt via reading many books on parenting, how to best deal with this situation. The children each have a specific time when they have to get into bed. This is a time that they have both agreed to!

They get changed into their pyjamas around half an hour before this time, and then can either spend that period of time playing with their toys or watching the television. If they want to play, we ensure that the games are relaxing ones and not too energetic.

You may well be wondering why I am so eager to get my kids to bed. Well it is because I need my own rest other wise I am a moody person at work the next day where I sell external doors as well as cheap hotel deals on a part time basis.

If there is a program that is on later than their agreed bedtimes, I agree to video it for them, this way they know that they are not missing out etc.

Both myself and the wife have stated that we are more than happy to read the kids a book when they are safely tucked in their beds. This is something they both love and helps them to wind down and relax. They are also given a drink to go to bed with, therefore there is no need for them to keep coming downstairs. This drink is always a juice and should not be fizzy.

 

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Buying Twin Beds for Your Children
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Paula

When considering what kind of bed that would be great for our little one that has grown big that their toddler bed is not suitable anymore, a twin bed is the best solution. Twin Bed Dimensions are perfect as they are not that big for the transition from toddler bed, and yet big enough that it doesn’t require another bigger bed at least for the next few couples years.

While helping our kid to move from their comfort bed to a grown-up bed, it would be better if we ask for their opinion on what kind of bed that they want.

need different bed dimensions? check our Bed Dimensions article

 

Picking a Twin Bed

To help us better size-up the space that we will be reserving for our twin bed, it would be good to know that Twin Bed Dimensions are thirty-nine inches in width and seventy-five inches in length.

If we are placing this in our children’s old nursery, it won’t cause much trouble as the toddler and twin bed dimensions are pretty much the same.

There are several twin bed frames that are available in the market today, and we can once again ask for our child’s opinion regarding this to make them feel they are part of the decision-making when it comes to where they will be sleeping.

For the bed frame, there are several materials posibilities, such as brass, wood, metal, or wrought iron. To make our new twin bed more personal for our child, we can add some fixtures such as a canopy if our child is a girl, or simply use beddings with special character designs for both boys and girls.

Twin bed mattress is another factor that we have to pay more attention to. To find which bed that is most comfortable for our child, we should let them try them out. On the other hand, it would help if we know some different kinds of foam that are used for twin beds.

There is the usual memory foam that has been used for many years now by bed mattress manufacturers, and then there is the recent addition of organic foam material used nowadays for people who are advocates of greening the earth.

To ensure that no health risks will be present on the bed that our child will use, the mattress must be made from hypoallergenic material.

Twin Bed Hunting on The Internet

We should check on the internet for some info about different twin beds to help our child visualize what kind of bed that they would prefer. Online, we can pick several twin beds, and help our children to decide which bed that they will enjoy sleeping on.

We can also start to look on some bed sheets, pillow cases (read more about Pillow Dimensions) and comforters that we can put on the bed once we have put in our child’s bedroom. This selection process will excite our child, therefore making them eager to try out their new and bigger “grown-up” bed.

 

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How A Woman Balances Work, Parenting, And Health
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Paula

Being a woman is a hard job, all women will agree to this. Being a mom and having a full time job will only add to this. Women have tried for years to balance their roles as employee, and parent. We can sometimes forget to take care of our health in the rush of our daily lives. When it is your job to take care of other people you can sometimes forget to take care of yourself.

It can be hard to remember to drink your orange juice when you. ‘re running out the door in the mornings trying to get the kids to school and you to work. It’s a miracle that you remembered your laptop bag this morning, much less your orange juice am I right? After rushing into work to find that you are on time you can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Does this sound like your mornings?

Of course this will happen on occasion to the best of us, but it does not have to be like this every day. If you always seem to be rushing in the mornings, you can try getting up half an hour earlier. You should also have the clothes for you and your kids laid out the night before. If after trying these tips and you find it does not help, you may want to try to make a morning schedule and following it.

Your life can become more balanced, it is just a matter of figuring out how. After working all day, taking kids to and from soccer practice, cleaning the house and cooking dinner you probably do not want to look at a schedule much less make one. Making a schedule for your home may help with that balance you have been looking for.

While making your family schedule you should give yourself at least an hour every night to take care of your needs. You will find that having your needs met make it easier to meet everyone else’s needs. Tell your family that during your hour each night that you are not to be disturbed.

Grab a great book and a glass of your favorite wine and climb into a hot bath tub. This is something you have earned so do not feel guilty about taking this time. The restless nights will become a thing of the past. Retiring for the night will be something you look forward to, not something you dread anymore. You will be surprised how much better you can sleep when you are not climbing into bed stressed. When you relax, you life will become more relaxed.

This may not seem possible but trust me that old saying ‘if moms not happy no one is’ is a very true statement. Try giving yourself an hour each night to pamper yourself and I assure you that you will be able to toss the hair loss vitamin bottle you have under your cabinet.

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Kids Party Ideas – Should We Use Them?
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Paula

If the family is not on holiday at some of the vacation spots or the child is not in any of the camps, why do not organize kids party for them instead of letting the kid/kids watching TV even if you have the best plasma TV? Then you probably will be needing kids party ideas that would help you get the perfect ideas so your child and the friends that you have invited to come would enjoy the party, right?

With the right research, you will be able to obtain kids party ideas that would be beneficial on your end. Knowing that these kids party, especially those birthday celebrations, don’t have to be that much extravagant. The good thing about kids is that even a simple party is a big thing for them. So, from here you can be rest assured that you don’t have to worry about the expenses, because your child can surely appreciate almost everything.

One of the best kids party ideas when it comes to birthday celebrations hare themed parties. More often these themed parties are based on a cartoon character, Disney characters and other characters that the kids love. You will have to select the character that your child wants the most, and then, that would be your theme for the party.

Like for exampleif it’s a Disney character that your child wants most, then you have to have Disney party hats, plates, balloons, paper cups and most especially the cake. It’s easy to find these characters. You can even go to a supermarket to buy these themed party accessories, you’ll see them all available at the kids section.

Since we mentioned about party bags, one more thing that you can look into in terms of kids party ideas are these goody bags, you shouldn’t forget about that. Sometimes these bags are more known as loot bags. The children love this part because this is where they get some goodies, treats and toys. For the kids, loot bags are something that one should look forward to.

If you can afford to have other forms of entertainment like magicians, clowns or even, mascots, that would be one of the great kids party ideas that you can make use of. This is something that you should consider to make sure that your child and the guests enjoys the party. Or probably you can just turn it into a fun-filled type of party where you can have the kids enjoy different games that they would enjoy.

And finally, you should consider the food that you’ll serve. You don’t have to cook too much. These are kids that you have as guests, they would enjoy eating pasta, finger foods, fries, hot dogs and baked goodies, so this would not be a problem for you.

Having all these kids party ideas at hand, it should be easier for you to set up the best birthday party that your child will relish. This would be easier for you as a parent because you already know what your child want.

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Little Tykes Play Houses
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Paula

You’ve got kids right?.  If the answer’s yes, then you are surely mindful of how much of your time they require.  Notice that I did not say desire, but require instead.  The fact is that with children comes a mammoth responsibility.  One which will last you a whole life since you may never want to quit acting like a parent.  Heck, my mum still does this and I’m thirty years old.  With no regard for how much attention children need, one single aspect of having them is certain.  I am speaking about toys.  There is not any escaping the toy issue.  And when I say no escaping, I’m talking about ever.  They will hector, agitate and just plain pester you to death about toys, toys, and more toys.  It is a everlasting cycle.  The more they get, the more they need.  There’s no escape.  Well, since this is an undisputed fact, the secret is to buy them toys that they will enjoy to the fullest and stay interested in it.  This in trade lets you get things done.  Furthermore, you want to get your money’s worth.  That being said, some of the most useful toys I have ever come across is the little tikes playhouse.  These creations are a life-saver. 

Do your kids spend every waking hour playing in little tykes playhouses?  We acquired one of these back when our girl was three years old and it has definitely proved to be a sound investment.  Now our girl is seven years old and still playing with that play house almost every day.  Now that is’s getting your money’s worth if you ask me.  I can’t think about one other toy that she has owned from age three.  The truth is they just out-grow many of them.  However, when it comes to the little tikes play houses, my tiny girl plans to keep and utilize hers till she physically no longer fits in it.  I can’t say that I do not appreciate this actual toy.  It has proved to be very durable and it keeps her occupied while I work and / or clean.  Don’t we all need some of that time?  If you’re in pursuit of little tikes toys, one of the best places to shop is the World-Wide-Web.  Though your local home and toy stores typically carry some little tykes playhouses, there’s a much greater selection online .  So dive into cyberspace and check out all that is’s now available.  Those little tykes play houses will surely make your small one content camper.

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Keeping Your Children Out of Mischief
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Paula

As the summer break comes to an end and children start heading back to school, many parents think that they no longer have to worry about finding things to keep their little ones entertained. They can’t possibly have any more energy left after spending a hard day at school learning, can they? This is a misconception that is made each year, but the memories of last year soon come flooding back as the children display seemingly heroic levels of energy long into the evening. Below are some tips on things you can suggest to your kids to keep them occupied and not causing mischief

Toys. Kids love toys, that much is known. But toys have evolved so much over the past decade and it is often hard to know what children like these days. The best way to find this out of course is ask them, but this is not always possible if you want to give them a toy as a gift. Choose something that they will get a lot of use out of and can play with for a long time. A RC helicopter is a great choice for boys and they come pretty cheap these days. For the girls, dolls have come on a long way and they are more entertaining and interactive than ever, meaning their entertainment lifespan is much longer.


Shows. If it wasn’t so hard on your wallet, taking the children out to see a show each time they were bored would be a very popular choice. A much better option is to have your children produce a show for you. They will spend time planning and practicing it and it will help develop their self confidence performing it in front of adults. Set up a couple of wireless speakers and microphones to make the show even more real.

Sport. If you don’t want your kids spending all of their time indoors, take them down to the park or play some sport with them in the garden. Short tennis is a very easy game to pick up, but you can always just take a ball or frisbee along for some light-hearted exercise.

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Toys That Make Bathing Fun
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Paula

Bath times sometimes be a point of real friction between parents and children. You’d be surprised just how many children hate being washed so it is imperative that bath times are made to be enjoyable and stress free. There are some brilliant bath toys that can supplement bathing perfectly and get everyone enjoying themselves, here are the best 3.

The rubber duck. The iconic rubber duck should be a staple toy for any bath. Its not too hard to see why it is consistently the best selling bath toy in shops. Having a animal in the bath is always great fun for children and especially one that can squirt water and bop up to the surface time and again. They will go down so well with children that they will soon want a whole family.

Squirters.If your rubber duck comes without a water squirter then its worth getting a separate one. Its great fun for kids to be able to spurt water in the bath and they can do so without doing any damage or getting anything wet that shouldn’t be. On top of this, if your struggling to get your child to wash themselves in the bath, a squirter is a fun way to get them wet and get them clean. Just keep filling it up and soaking them down using it.

Stick on numbers. Bath toys don’t have to simply be for fun. Kids learn best when they are relaxed and enjoying themselves so it’s good to have some learning toys or educational toys to use in the bath as well. There are a number of such toys that are suitable for water such as the box of shapes that teaches children how to select the right hole for individually shaped block. The best however are the sticky foam numbers.Children are able to brush up on their math whist also learning about the physical qualities of water and the notion of friction.

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TV and your children - knowing when to switch off!
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Paula

The average child spends 900 hours in school per year and nearly 1,023 hours in front of a television. In fact, most children plug into the world of television long before they even enter school and when they do, statistics show that 70% of child-care centers use television during a typical day.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children watch around four hours of television a day. The AAP guidelines however, state that children older than 2 should watch no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming. Further, children under age 2 should have no ‘screen time’ whatsoever (that’s no TV, DVDs, computers or video games) at all. During the first 2 years, a critical time for brain development, television can get in the way of exploring, learning and spending time interacting and playing with parents and others, which helps the young develop the skills they need to grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally.

While there are many entertaining and educational experiences for children to have on ‘screens’, it is important to keep in mind what children need at different ages for their healthy development. So, how much time is okay?

  • Children under 2 years – very little time, preferably none.
  • Preschoolers – an hour of age-appropriate programmes a day is plenty.
  • Children 5 to 8 years – an hour a day maximum.
  • Children over 8 years – an hour and a half to two hours a day is acceptable.

To follow these guidelines means that your children have the time and opportunity to build strong bonds with real and caring people, have time for active physical play and ‘hands-on’ activities of all kinds.

Therefore, plan what you watch and limit your child to the amount watched each day. Decide together which programs will be watched and only have ‘the box’ on then, rather than just on all the time. This teaches children to think, plan, make choices and allows time for them to do other things important for their development.

Other issues to be aware of or implement include:

  • Remember to lead by example – your child’s viewing habits may be copied from yours.
  • Television viewing for a very young child should be in your company.
  • Record programs so they can be played at a time that suits your family.
  • Encourage children to talk about how they feel after watching a program.
  • Play ‘spot the gimmicks and tricks’ when watching commercials.
  • Decide on bedtime based on your child’s age, rather than the time a certain programme ends.
  • Children need to relax and unwind between television and sleep, so turn the volume down or off before bedtime.
  • Make television one of many activities your children do – so organise outings, play-dates and activities for them that don’t involve ‘screens’. Fun arts and crafts such as coloring and drawing are always well received – especially if you join in – and especially if you choose coloring pages of a favourite character – so for example at sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Spongebob colouring

Television has its advantages. It can be educational and entertaining. It can open up new worlds for kids, giving them the opportunity to virtually travel the globe and learn about different cultures. However, many pitfalls also exist; many children are exposed to violence, advertising and adult material that is not age appropriate.

Like maintaining a balanced diet or regular bedtime, establishing healthy television habits is one of the most important things you can do for your family.

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