Category — Quick Tips

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in NYC found that the more children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. “Frequent family dinners provide parents a perfect opportunity to connect with their children, to hear about concerns or issues when they arise, to send clear messages about expectations and rules,” said Lauren R. Duran, director of communications for the center. She invites families across the U.S. to participate on Monday, Sept. 27, in “Family Day-A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children.”
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My friend Jane told me about a cute and easy apron idea for your grandchildren. No sewing involved! It keeps them clean while you’re cooking and it can be washed and reused. You’ll need 1 dish towel for each child. Fold the towel in half then put ribbon or string across the inside fold. This becomes the waistband. Tie around the child’s waist. If you need your grandchild covered across the top just pin the towel at his shoulders and tie a ribbon or string at the waist.

When your grandbaby insists on stand-up soothing, but your back refuses, try this idea from a fellow grandma, Ronda Kay. She sits on her physioball. It soothes baby and saves her lower back. READ MORE
To find more grandparenting ideas from Ronda Kay go to GRANDGIFTING.
Do you have any grandparenting tips? Please share them.

Create a box full of fun things for your grandchildren to dress-up in when they come to visit. Fill it with old clothes, hats, shoes, and jewelry. I like to look for interesting things at thrift shops or yard sales. It’s easy to find some hilarious things that your grandchildren will love that are inexpensive. Children love to create funny outfits. Encourage your grandchildren to write a short play to act out or read a story and let them act it out. Be sure to take pictures to preserve the memories. I like to keep my dress-up items in a plastic box that I can slide under the couch, it’s easily accessible and also easy to put away.
Sagan didn’t need a dress-up box. He likes to dress himself in whatever he randomly pulls out of his drawer.

Great tips about safe ways to play with your children/grandchildren from Parent’s Magazine.
1. Don’t toss your baby in the air. Instead hold him/her close against your chest and jump up and down. It’s still exciting but there’s no risk of hurting baby.
2. Never tickle torture your child/grandchild, it is very painful.
3. Wrestle with your child/grandchild but make sure you are in a safe space.

Vince Lombardi is quoted as saying, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” However, according to his son, what he really said is “Winning isn’t everything, trying to win is.” I personally like the second statement better. You can’t always win and that’s a difficult concept for children to learn. Participating in sports has many advantages but it’s important to understand “stages of competition” when teaching children a sport.

At age 4, children like to cooperate.
At ages 5 & 6, children learn competition.
At ages 7 & 8, children compare their abilities with others’.
At age 12, children start to associate losing with personal failure.

Source: Child Centered Coaching by Dr. Steven Bavolek

Sometimes it’s hard to get children to tell you about their day. Talking sticks can get child talking. On craft sticks write different questions. Put the sticks in a cup and during dinner have each family member take turns drawing a stick and answering the question. You can also use strips of paper instead of sticks.

Suggestions:

Tell about something funny that happened to you.

Tell about something that made you nervous or scared.

Tell about something that made you happy.

Tell about something that made you feel proud.

Tell about something that made you feel angry.

Tell about something that you are excited about.

Tell about something that you look forward to.

5 Ideas for making excursions to museums or historical sites more fun for kids:

1. Realize that you may need to spend just a short time in each area. If your child seems interested stay longer, if not move on quickly.

2. Before you go, make a list of things for the children to look for (number of steps, the colors in a specific painting, number of clocks, etc.). Then they will be challenged to find all the answers.

3. Choose places to visit that have a child’s room and have them compare it to their room.

4. Be sure to get a brochure of the site or museum you visit and when you get home, make a game similar to Monopoly. Create a simple game board by cutting out pictures and gluing them on paper. You could also play a guessing game like “I’m thinking of….” If you have two brochures you can cut out duplicate pictures and make a matching game.

5. Take a photo of you and your child, glue on a paper and each of you write about the visit. You could put it in an inexpensive frame as a keepsake.

If you are wondering how to organize when you have too much clutter and ADD, understand first that this is not an impossible task. Here is a tried and true method to sift through the clutter.
I found this article at Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center.

The first thing to do is go to your local K-Mart, Target, Wal-Mart, Pier One… wherever you will find attractive containers. If you are slightly cluttered, buy three or four. If your home and office are wading in clutter, buy in bulk. Next, find a number of sturdy cardboard boxes, grab a Sharpee and buy a bunch of garbage bags.

Now you are ready to tackle your first area. This might be an entire room or just one closet. You decide and work at your own pace. You are going to divide items into five piles – and I mean, pull out everything out and physically sort it.
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Share some of your tips on getting organized.

How to Talk To Children About Stereotypes
by Dr. Susan Linn

Getting Past Generalizations
For Ages: Ten and under
The Scene
“It’s so annoying,” ten-year-old Joshua says between bites. “Linda Chan got another hundred on our math test. I’m not surprised. All those Asian American kids are good at math.”

It’s amazing how children absorb societal stereotypes, even if we avoid them at home. Children are aware of racial differences by the time they’re preschoolers. And by the age of 12, children have developed an image of most racial or ethnic groups in America.

Only by actively challenging stereotyping can we help our children overcome the lessons they may inadvertently learn from friends, television, and even textbooks.

The Words You Need
Here are some ideas to help you talk with your kids about stereotypes.
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