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3 Ways to Achieve the Best Homeschooling Environment for Kids

August 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image by isafmedia via Flickr

Homeschooling is a big commitment but one that can bring your family closer and keep you in touch with your children’s interests and passions.

Staying organized right from the beginning will alleviate a lot of stress for everyone involved. Here are three suggestions that can help make your homeschooling adventure something to look forward to every day.

Stay organized by planning daily lessons and gathering all the materials and books required for each lesson. One good method is to put everything needed for the day in a large plastic tub labeled with the child’s name. Kids love having a tub full of fun looking stuff to get into every day.
Neatness counts and is important when you’re dealing with a lot of expensive learning materials. Teach your children to clean up after each activity and put things away. Schedule a half hour at the end of your homeschooling day when everyone pitches in and straightens the house for the evening. For peace of mind, arrange for contents insurance if you decide to invest in a lot of tools and materials such as microscopes, musical instruments and books.
Be flexible with your schedule and let your homeschooling day evolve with your children’s interests and needs. Sometimes the most memorable learning adventures are unscheduled.

If you plan to invite other children to visit for play dates or to attend lessons with your kids, you should consider consulting a policy expert to make sure you’re covered in the event a child is injured while at your home.

Taking the time to arrange and plan for your homeschooling environment will insure that teaching your children is an experience your entire family will remember and treasure for the rest of their lives.

Filed Under: Child Development, Discipline Tagged With: Child, Education, homeschool

Building Strong Family Relationships

June 16, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

DALLAS - JUNE 18: Brian and Julie Morris sit ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The development of a child often hinges on the family unit. While the typical family unit of a mother, father and children is no longer as clearly defined, that does not mean that children should not have some type of family makeup. Children need people around them to learn from and to hold onto in rough times.

Making Families Work

No matter who is part of the family, from step-parents to uncles to family friends, children should form a healthy bond with those around them and regularly part of their lives. Developing a strong family is not always easy, but if you work towards it, you can make it a success.

Communicate openly. This is one of the biggest factors in the development of families. The ability to communicate about anything, without the fear of repercussion is critical. If you tell a child, for example, he or she should not voice opinions, you are breaking an important communication link.
Time is another factor. In order to have a strong family unit, your family needs to have time together. Turn off the television or skip the baseball game to just talk or to do something fun. He or she will remember those things.
Encourage closeness. Be sure that your family members know it is okay to share emotions and concerns. Hug each other. These types of interactions build bonds that last a lifetime.

Families can become stronger units if parents and children are able to work together towards this goal. Take the time to focus on this and you may find that your children will come to you for any concerns and needs.

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Family, Parent

Who Is at Risk for Peer Pressure?

June 15, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

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You may be wondering why your child is rebelling against you. He or she may be lashing out or simply withdrawing. These are common signs that children, even those that are just entering school, are facing peer pressure.

Battling Peer Pressure

If you think your child is facing situations in which he or she is unable to make key decisions because of influence from other children, it is critical that you do something about it. Learn what you can do to overcome peer pressure situations your child is experiencing. To do that, you need to understand the risk factors for becoming a victim.

Children who have a low self-esteem often are more at risk. They are less confident in their own decisions.
Children who are not sure if they fit in with a group of friends, or may not be confident in who friends are, could be more at risk.
Those children who feel, in some way, isolated from family members or friends are more at risk. These children may simply be unable to communicate with their friends, leaving them more vulnerable.
Those children who develop a close bond with a bully, for any reason, are more likely to be at risk of becoming victims themselves.
In some cases, a lack of strong ties to friends is the underlying concern. They simply not have a best friend.

For those who have these risk factors, it can be very difficult to avoid peer pressure situations. Each child’s personality traits are likely to influence the child’s overall reaction to peer pressure situations. However, parents should monitor the child’s well being in these situations carefully.

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Peer pressure, Self-esteem

Positive Parenting of Middle Childhood Children

June 13, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Children in middle childhood, which is the ages of six to eight years of age, are often the most enjoyable. However, that is not to say that these children are not testing the boundaries and learning how to get away with anything from their parents. Still, it is important for parents to know what to expect of children at this age.

What to Expect

If you have a young child, know what to expect of his or her development during middle childhood. You may find that having this insight helps you communicate better with the child.

Children at this age know right from wrong better. In other words, they cannot pull the “I didn’t know” card as much. Learn how to discipline a child at this age.
Many children at this age are developing very rapidly in terms of mental and cognitive growth. The child is learning faster now than he or she will in the future. Schooling is critical and should be a focus for this age.
Children at this age are already thinking about their future. They may not be ready to plan for their career just yet, but they are thinking about things that they like to do. Talk about your child’s goals so that he or she feels comfortable doing so.
These children are more independent. It may be necessary to set ground rules, but they will want some independency.
Children of this age are also hoping for acceptance by friends. You should monitor peer pressure situations, too.

Middle childhood can be an excellent time for growth and development. Your child may be more interesting. Allow their interests to grow now.

Filed Under: Child Development, Education Tagged With: Child, Home, Learning

Disciplining Small Children

June 11, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

For children who are around the age of two, discipline can be one of the more challenging of subjects not only for the child but also for the adult in his life. The problem is simple – a child this young does not have the ability to understand why he should not do something. He is also testing the boundaries in every direction he can as he naturally explores the world.

Tips for Success

During this early time, it is never a good idea to spank the child, as it is not okay to do that at any time, experts say. The following are some tips to help you with the toddle age discipline.

Consider timeouts, especially for children who are closer to three. This is a good option because it allows the child to calm down and to relate doing the bad thing to sitting in timeout.
Initially, when the child begins to do something you do not want him to do, it is a good idea for you simply to distract the child after telling him no. It does not have to be a screaming match.
Removing the child from the problem area may be necessary. This is especially true whenever there is a tantrum brewing. Calming the child and then telling him why you did so is important.

Every child’s needs are different, but it is a good idea simply to stay calm and collected yourself when you are trying to discipline. The child is most likely to mimic your behavior now and down the road as well. The key to being successful, too, is to be consistent when disciplining the child.

Filed Under: Child Development, Discipline, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Child discipline, Parent