Teaching Tips Daily

Tips for taking the children out to eat

2008-07-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Have you wanted to enjoy a nice meal out with your whole family? Have you tried it before but the experience turned into a nightmare? Were your children screaming and crying after the first ten minutes you were seated?

Trust me, most parents have experienced the exact same problem. Many parents want to know what they can do to make the restaurant experience much more enjoyable for the entire family.

Here are a few tips:

1. Create a bag of toys that you use only for restaurants. Keep this bag stored in the trunk of your car and only use it when you eat out. This way the toys will be like new for the children and help keep them entertained.

2. When your children are old enough to color keep a coloring book and some crayons handy and bring them with you. While some restaurants offer crayons many times they might be out. Bringing your own ensures that your child will have something to do.

3. Pick a family style restuarant. That way the wait staff are used to serving families and will understand your needs. Other customers in the restaurant will tend to understand what you are going through as well.

4. If your children are old enough play an "I spy" game. For example, I spy something that is white with a grey lid. The children guess, if they don't get it reveal your answer: a salt shaker. Keep giving them clues as needed though.

5. Go early. Avoid the rush. If you go early around 5 you will be served much more quickly. This will allow for less time your children have to be entertained.

6. Put the children's orders in first. Allow them to serve your children before your meals are ready. Children always eat much slower than adults so not only will this give them plenty of time to eat, it will also give them something to do.

Hope some of these tips help. EAting out can be an enjoyable experience when your children behave accordingly. Hopefully some of these tips will help!

7 ways to raise a happy child

2008-07-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

I read a great article on lifestyle msm that talked about ways to raise a happy child. The article talked about fostering connections, not trying to make your child happy, nuturing your own happiness, praising the right things, allowing for success and failure, and giving real responsibilities.

For those parents that may parent emotionally I really thought thier second tip on not trying to make your child happy was great advice. Of course we want to see our child happy but what are the long term outcomes of always providing ways to make our child happy. It is our job as parents to get our children ready for the real world and this advice really helps us to see why.

If you have a chance the article is a great read. Click here to read the article.

Giving choices helps your child feel in control

2008-06-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

Children always want to feel a sense of control. From an early age before we even realize it they are attempting to control their environment. Once they learn how to talk and interact it becomes more apparent. What can we do as parents to help them feel more control over their environment? We can give them choices.

Have you often wondered how to give them choices or what are appropriate choices to give your children? The answer isn't always easy and sometimes you just have to try and see what works best for your child and your family.

Here are some examples of ways to offer choices to your children:

"You can choose to clean up your toys or we will take your toys away."

"Would you like to share with your friends or play alone?"

"I see that you have all of the cars. Your friends would like to play with some cars too. Which cars can you share with your friends?"

"We do not color on the walls. Would you like to choose to color on paper or a coloring book?"

"I understand that you want to play soccer and your friend wants to play catch. You can play both and take turns. Would you like to choose to play catch first or soccer?"

Another area that your child can feel a sense of control over is dressing themselves and choosing their own outfit. For those of you that don't mind if your child matches let them have a go at picking out what they want to wear. For those of you that can't stand a coordinated outfit offer your child a choice: "Would you like to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt?" Would you like to wear the tan pants or the black pants?" Offering your child choices will make them feel a sense of pride in what they wear.

Potty Training Tips

2008-06-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Potty training for some parents can be an overdrawn out process that you just can't wait to end. For the lucky ones your child may be potty trained in a day or two without much effort at all. I have heard it all and experienced both.

With my first child I admit I absolutely did not know what I was doing. I knew I didn't want to force her and I knew I wanted it to happen when she was ready but I think in the whole process I ended up confusing her causing it to take me what could have been accomplished in a week, turning into a three month process. From her I learned:

1. When you feel your child is ready go for it! Don't turn back. Get his/her favorite character underwear and be prepared for a lot of clean up.

2. Don't confuse them with pull ups. Pull ups are just like diapers. They will pee in the pull ups and not really understand what the big deal is.

3. Give them lots of fluids. The more they drink the more opportunity they will have to go to the bathroom.

4. Set a timer if you need to for every 30 minutes and have them sit on the potty. Give them a reward such as a sticker or something else your child values each time they sit on the potty regardless of whether they go or not.

5. If you have trouble getting your child to stay on the potty long enough to pee or pass a bowl movement read a story to them. During this 2-5 minute time they may actually go.

6. When they do go on the potty do the potty dance! Give a reward then too. Some parents like to give one or more m&m's or something fun that your child doesn't get on a regular basis.

7. Be consistent. It will be a tiring few days but you have to keep on it. Remember, essentially you are changing a habit. It takes awhile to break a habit so you have to keep at it.

8. The most important thing I learned the first time around is don't put your child in pull ups when you go out in public. Keep them in underwear and bring 3 changes of clothes or more depending on how long you will be gone. Some people may choose to wait awhile before going in public once your child gets the potty training thing but for those of us who need to run that grocery store errand go for it and bring extra clothes!

9. If you live in a country type setting keep a potty chair in the back of your car for emergencies. Then you can pull over to the side of the road and let them do their business.

10. Sometimes letting them see the bigger picture can help to. Mention things they can do when they are potty trained like going to preschool. This really motivated my daughter. She wanted to go to preschool so bad and that helped her keep her goal in mind.

Lucky me my second child was a breeze. Partly because I learned from my mistakes and partly because she did not like the feeling of being wet or dirty. She was also totally stoked to buy some Dora Mermaid Kingdom underwear and wanted to wear them. Once she figured out how nice it felt to wear underwear instead of diapers she never looked back. She potty trained herself in one day and two and a half years old. Of course I knew not to look back either and we never used pull ups or diapers again!

Helping your child feel secure in the dark

2008-06-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

Have you wanted to go camping but were afraid of how your child would handle the dark without a night light? Have you wondered if there was a way to make your child feel more at ease during activities outside when it is dark?

The first time we went camping I was so nervous about how my daughter would handle being in the dark all night without the possibility of turning the light on if she needed it. So in order to cope I went to the dollar store and bought some glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. Both of my girls were thrilled and loved the glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. The important thing to remember though is to buy enough for a new one each night as they don't work past one day.

We also purchased animal flashlights from Walmart. They are really cute and come in many different kinds of animals. At some point we also bought the animal lanterns too which my children actually use and have on their nightstands in their bedroom. Aly's favorite time to use her lantern has been when she makes forts in our house and chooses to sleep in her fort all by herself instead of her bed.

If you are bringing your children to local firework shows my advice is to bring some glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. They will have a blast and it will give them something to wave around and have fun with while waiting for the show to begin!

Let your child feel a sense of control

2008-06-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Since my daughter was four I began letting her take part in going through the toys in the playroom and helping to decide what we could donate to the thrift store. Before when I would donate toys my daughter would be angry asking me what happened to this toy or what happened to that toy. So when I began letting her help everything went very smoothly. She felt in control of what she wanted to give to the thrift store and it made her feel good to give her toys away to children that didn't have very many.

Now that she is five I give her complete control. I take a bin of toys and place it on the floor. I dump the toys out and tell her to put the toys she wants to keep in the bin and the toys she no longer wants in the plastic bag. This works very well for both of us. Now I have her completely in charge of getting rid of the cluttered mess in the playroom. This definitely helps me out too because I sure have lots of other rooms around the house to clean.

Give it a try with your child. You will feel amazed at how empowered they are and you will feel good at the help you are getting around the house.

Is your child ready for kindergarten?

2008-06-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Covenant Home Curriculum has a great website with an actual exam for you to fill out to find out if your child is ready for kindergarten. The exam consists of forty questions and addresses topics such as letter identification, letter sounds, cutting with scissors, identifying numbers, counting, colors, gross motor skills, attentions span, etc. It is a great test to see where your child is at. If you want to take the exam or check it out click here.

Cutting practice

2008-06-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

One important skill for children entering kindergarten to know is how to use a pair of scissors and cut correctly. I know you are probably thinking that the thought of your child with a pair of scissors scares you! What will he do with them? Will he cut his hair? Will he cut his clothes? Will he cut my table cloth? The answer to all of those questions is, "well, yeah, probably." It is very natural for children to want to experiment with the use of scissors and see what type of things they can cut.

When my daughter started using scissors if I didn't keep a close eye on her she was cutting everything that came into her reach. The most frustrating moment was when she cut her clothes on the way to preschool. Don't ask my why I had a pair of scissors in the car at her reach as I have no clue, but she used them and cut her outfit. Since I didn't have a change of clothes for her and our house was a 25 minute drive away she had to go to school wearing clothes with cut marks all over them!

Now I have probably totally scared you into letting your child use scissors. That was actually not my intention. I just wanted to be real and let you know what children can and will do. But hey, with the proper supervision you can avoid all of the mishaps that I experienced!

When letting your child use scissors constantly reinforce that scissors are for cutting paper. Ask your child, "What do we cut with scissors?" Keep asking them until they know the response is paper only.

Only allow scissors to be in your child's reach while you are able to supervise them. Explain to them that they are a big girl/big boy now and they get to use scissors just like Mommy and Daddy. Let them know it is a privilege to use scissors.

Once you have established the rules there are some great websites that offer print ables that let your child practice cutting out lines and shapes. When they are first learning the best thing to do is let them cut out straight lines, then move on to curvy lines, and then allow them to attempt cutting out shapes.

Click here for printouts for cutting practice.

There is a great video teaching you how to help your child learn to cut at about.com. Check it out!

My Favorite book for preschooler's

2008-06-18T21:03:00.001-07:00

When my oldest daughter was two we joined a program called Brighter Vision Learning Adventures. The program was an educational program with a monthly theme where they would ship you an educational packet for you to do with your child that was at their level. The packet included a workbook where your child would place stickers on pages to practice counting, colors, grouping, sorting, etc. They also sent a hardcover story that was about that month's theme and a cd with many songs on it that went with the month's theme as well. My daughter loved it and so did we.

Our favorite book from this program which is available to buy through Amazon is Dog's Colorful Day. This is a really cute story that helps children with counting and colors. In the story the dog gets a different spot of color on him throughout the day until he has ten spots! Both of my daughter's still love this story and it is read almost every night. For those of you seeking a book to help support learning colors and counting this is a must have!

Excel Math

2008-06-17T19:59:00.003-07:00

While I was teaching second, third, and fourth grade our school adopted the Excel Math curriculum. I really liked it as it introduced a new concept everyday and kept reinforcing previously learned concepts by having them as practice problems on the daily lesson. The format was easy to teach and the children loved it. Once you reached the second grade curriculum it had a check answer so the children could make sure that they got their answers correct.

During those years I saved copies of second, third, and fourth grade for my children. Since I didn't have any of the other grade levels last year I purchased kindergarten and first grade. Over the past 6 month my eldest daughter has been doing the Kindergarten math and has a great time. I love watching her do it and when she completes a page I simply draw a star on it which makes her so happy. If I forget she tells me, "Aren't you going to put a star on it mommy?"

The best part is that a years worth of curriculum is only $17.00. That is a great price for an entire year. If you consider that most math workbooks are around $3.95 each and only touch on a couple of concepts, it is great to know that this curriculum will address all of the concepts needed for that entire grade level.

Whether you plan on homeschooling or are a stay at home mom looking to give your preschooler a head start, this is a great program that you won't regret trying.

Check out their web page at: http://www.excelmath.com/about.html

Easy, fun art project

2008-06-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

Marble painting is a popular method of painting for preschool aged children and up. The activity isn't too messy and the results are beufiful and always different.

AGE LEVEL: 2 years and up

MATERIALS NEEDED:
1. Cardboard box, with sides approximately 4 inches high. A copy paper box lid is perfect, but any other box would work great too. 2. Paint, 3-4 colors is preferred 3. Spoon 4. 1-3 marbles for each color of paint 5. Paper -- just about any kind of paper will work, however, it works best with paper that is thicker than traditional copy paper.
SET UP:
To protect your workspace, cover it with newspaper. Place a smock or old shirt on each child that will be particpating in this activity. Place each color of paint on its own plate, and then put 1-3 marbles in each color of paint. Put one spoon into each color of paint.

PROCEDURE:
Place a piece of paper in the bottom of the box. The better your paper fits the better. Have the child scoop the marbles out of each color and place them into the paper lined box. Next, have the child shake the box from side to side and tilt it up and down, creating a motion that has the marbles rolling all over the paper.
After the marble have distributed the paint on the paper, you will see a colorful display of lines and designs. Remove the marbles from the paper and place them back on the paint plates so that they are ready for the next child. Remove paper from box and allow to dry completely.
Marble painted artworks looks great on your refrigerator or bulletin board, but it can also be used for other purposes such as book covers or wrapping paper. Be creative!

Fun, Free Science Activity

2008-06-13T14:40:00.000-07:00

Do you know what a great activity for your toddler is that you can find for free? My children love collecting caterpillars and for the past two years we have let them keep them in their bug boxes. Within two to three days they begin spinning cocoons. Once they have spun their cocoons it takes about two weeks for them to turn into months. Here is a picture of the moth that hatched last week from our bug box.

There is a great website called Enchanted Learning that offers additional art activities and easy reader books explaining the cycle of a butterfly. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," by Eric Carle would be an excellent book to use for introducing the life cycle of a butterfly to your child.

We have also recently let our children explore part of the life cycle of a ladybug. We are lucky enough to be able to collect ladybug eggs from our cherry trees. Just a few days ago we saw the eggs hatch and out came the larva form. We let them go after that because we can't keep putting aphids in the bug box as they are small enough to get out. If you are interested in checking out the ladybug life cycle and other activities click here.

Counting activities to do with your toddler

2008-06-12T13:07:00.000-07:00

Incorporating counting into your child's life is easier than you think. You can actually use many of your daily activities and add counting as you do it. One of the easiest activities in a house is stair counting. Every time you go up or down the stairs, count the stairs with your child. If you do this every time the repetition will help them learn to count numbers in the correct order. The nice part is you are going about your normal activities but adding counting to them and helping your child learn with minimal effort.

If you don't have any stairs you can count how many steps it takes to go to their bedroom, or how many steps it takes to go out to the car, etc. As your child progresses they can start counting objects around the house. My daughter likes to help me unload the dishwasher and I have her count how many forks and spoons she puts away.

Some fun outdoor activities to do that include counting are pop the bubble, bean bag toss, jumping, and count down to swing. In the bubble game we simply count how many bubbles we pop as we are popping them. In the bean bag toss game you can count how many bean bags that you can throw into a bucket. For the jumping game you can challange your child to jump more times than you do and count each time you jump. Lastely the count down to swing game is great for infant and toddlers. You grab their swing and pull it up to your chest. If they are new to counting try counting to five and then pushing the swing. As they master counting 1-5 keep adding more numbers. They find this activity fun and love the anticipation of waiting for the swing to be pushed.

If you are interested in free websites that support counting and number recognition in young children I highly recommend Fisher Price. They have many different games and they make them simple enough to use so that young toddlers can do it themselves by pressing any key on the keyboard.

Helping your child learn to write

2008-06-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Learning how to write letters and numbers is a complicated process for many toddlers and preschoolers. First and most important is learning how to hold the pencil properly. Many children start out trying to hold the pencil with their fists, but this is a bad habit to let them get into. Check out Draw You World for detailed instruction on teaching your child how to hold a pencil correctly. For toddlers they recommend using a fat crayon to help them learn the correct grip.

If your child isn't interested in all at holding a pencil there are many tactile activities you can have them do with their finger. One of my favorites is to use shaving cream or colored bath foam soap. When they are first beginning have them draw squiggly lines in the shaving cream or foam. Once they are able to make circular motions you can have them start trying to draw letters. Model drawing the letters for them. Make the first letter of their name in the foam and model correct technique starting to draw the letter from the top down.

The picture on the left shows my five year old practicing her letters. The picture on the right is my three year old whom has sensory issues. She is not willing to touch the foam so I gave her a paint brush to practice squiggly lines and circles.

Practice makes perfect. Allow you child plenty of opportunities to practice writing but don't force it on them. Let them make progress at their own pace or they will give up and it will become a battle of the wits. I made a bin full of writing practice supplies and my oldest daughter would go to the bin and get supplies she wanted to use when she felt like doing it. I never had to worry about motivational issues with her. She was in control and liked it that way.

The best learning tools on a budget

2008-06-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

When my 3 year old daughter was nearing the age and became interested in learning her alphabet I was considering buying Hooked on Phonics. I had not personally had any experience with the program but had known many people that had success with it. I searched ebay and craigslist hoping to find it for less than the publishers asking price. I was actually hoping I could find a used set. I wasn't having any luck.

A friend of mine had theLeap Frog DVD Letters Factory and recommended it to me. So I purchased the video hoping that the introduction to my daughter might help a bit. I began playing it in the car on our DVD player for both my three year old and my one year old. They both absolutely loved the DVD. I know this sounds shocking but within a week my three year old had learned her entire alphabet both letter recognition and their sounds. For my one year old it actually helped her with her speech development. She would practice making the sounds and imitate each sound for each letter. I felt like this DVD was such a good investment for both of my girls. My youngest is now turning 3 and by the time she was just over two years old she knew her entire alphabet both letters and sounds from this DVD. Due to the success of this DVD I never got around to buying Hooked on Phonics. This DVD saved me potentially $100+ dollars which I am very happy about. Target and Walmart sell the Leap Frog Letter Factory DVD for $9.99 and when you are lucky Cosco will sell them for $6.99. It looks like Amazon is currently offering them for $8.99 with free shipping if you make an order of $25 or more.

Once your child has mastered this DVD there are three more in the series. They include Talking Words Factory, Talking Words Factory Code Word Caper, and Math Circus. I will review these on a later posting but I will say they are all good.