Category — Family Routine

Looking for something fun to do today?

Draw pictures of members of your family.
Then mail them to grandma or another person in the child’s life who would love to hang on them on their fridge.

Looking for something to do today?

Make a family cook book.

Looking for something fun to do today?

Have a family dance. Everyone can bring partners.

Invite friend’s over, make it a potluck dance party!

In this month of Thanksgiving, it seems only fitting that we remind ourselves of the power of gratitude. If you haven’t been in the habit of mentally and verbally giving thanks for the wonderful things you already have, now’s a good time to begin.

Why would anyone want to spend time thanking the universe for what he or she has? First, the act of being grateful brings more good things your way, in a very practical sense. Giving thanks for what you already have (even though you may not have everything you want) will put in motion additional energy to attract more positive things and events to you.

When you are thankful for the people and abundance in your life, it adds to your feelings of optimism and joy. When you are at peace with your life, events tend to flow more easily and you draw beneficial circumstances to you because of your good cheer.

Imagine a person who goes through his day grumbling and criticizing everything he sees (I think we all know at least one person like that!) He’s oblivious to the great things he already has, and sees no real reason to give thanks for anything at all. With his attitude, do you think he would be a person who would attract wonderful new opportunities or special gifts from the universe? Probably not - because he has neglected to open his heart and let gratitude in.

We tend to see exactly what we believe, for better or worse. If you can give thanks for your bowl of soup and crust of bread while others are dining on a meal of turkey with all the trimmings, you have the right idea about gratitude.

Circumstances can change overnight for the better. The practice of being grateful actually can help you to improve your situation in a dramatic fashion. The key is to be grateful for the small things, and to believe in your own abundant destiny.

1. The Wake-Up

It is important for a child to have some parent-love in the first conscious moment of his or her day.

2. The Send-Off

Horses, Olympians, and children run a good race when they get off to a good start.  As often as possible, you should be there for breakfast and for your child’s departure to school.

3. The Reception

If you want to get a real reading on how the “game” went, you have to be there when the “player” comes off the field.  Your presence when your child comes in the door says “I love you.” Your responsibility at the reception is mostly to hug, to listen without judgment, to notice your child is home, and to be available.

4. The Debriefing

This may come right after the reception.  Kids need to debrief their day–not to be interrogated but to report, celebrate, evaluate, or explode.  Again, your role is to listen.  Your undivided attention communicates that you care.

5. The Happy Ending

If “all’s well that ends well,” it’s good for a parent to be there at the end of the day.  It’s a time for an “I love you,” an “I’m sorry,” or a “thank you.” It puts a period on the end of the day.

By Ronald Hutchcraft from Five Needs Your Child Must Have Met at Home

• Hold hands during mealtime prayers.
• Walk one-on-one with each child.  Swing hands and talk.  Tell jokes.  Sing.
• Bad day?  Sigh dramatically and say, “I sure could use a great big hug from someone special.”
• Wonderful day?  Shout, “Hey, everybody!  Come hug me!  I had the best day!”
• Make Hug Sandwiches.  With your spouse, gently surprise unsuspecting children–no matter what age!
• Declare a 100 Hugs Day among your family.  Count them as you go.
• Do four-direction kisses: north (foreheads), south (chins), east/west (cheeks).
• Wrap your arms around your children during church and while waiting together or watching TV.
• APply the Pat Principle: “When in doubt, pat.” God made lots of patting places–heads, cheeks, knees, hands, shoulders, backs.

–By Lorri Cardwell-Casey, From HomeLife Magazine

Determination.  ”Stick with it, regardless.”

Honesty.  “Speak and live the truth–always.”

Responsibility. “Be dependable, be trustworthy.”

Thoughtfulness. “Think of others before yourself.”

Confidentiality. “Don’t tell secrets.  Seal your lips.”

Punctuality. “Be on time.”

Self-control. “When under stress, stay calm.”

Patience. “Fight irritability.  Be willing to wait.”

Purity. “Reject anything that lowers your standards.”

Compassion. “When another hurts, feel it with him”

Diligence. “Work hard.  Tough it out.”

by Charles R. Swindoll from Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life

The week of March 1 is the annual Read Across America celebration. Many families feel a vast amount of pressure to prepare their young children for school. The market reflects our fear that our children will not be able to compete at- or above-level, with products like Your Baby Can Read and Baby Einstein grossing big dollars from concerned and well-intentioned parents.

But what about the tremendous value inherent in sharing good quality children’s books every day? Our hectic schedules and extra-curricular overload of activities and organizations often prevent us from stopping in our tracks, grabbing a good book and reading with our child sitting in our lap or by our side.

Reading with your child enables measurable leaps in their cognitive and language development. It develops a love for reading, an enthusiasm for learning and it hones the pre-reading skills they will need in their scholastic and personal life. The neurological connections young children develop during shared reading do much to prepare them for later academic performance and skill mastery. And the social-emotional foundation you’re already building with your child is vastly strengthened and supported by shared time with you enjoying a good book together.

I know that sounds too simple. In our fear, we expect to find out that we need DVD trainings, special worksheets and community experts to “hardwire” our children. We hope, in a bit of desperation, that sitting the toddler in front of a video or providing our preschooler with a “point and click” computer game will offer us a quick fix and deliver us (on time and under budget) a child who is reading fluently, doing long division and on the fast track to the Nobel prize.

Unfortunately, it is a longer track to the Nobel and the way is paved with good books and shared experiences. No DVD video can do what you accomplish when you visit your local public library and select some fun and varied books with your child to share over the coming week. You convey to them how truly important, and fun, reading is when you share a commitment to read to them for about 15-20 minutes every single day.

Once you’ve made the decision to read to your child every day, you may be wondering what books to choose and what kinds of purposeful things you can do to teach pre-reading skills as you go. For a start, there are literally hundreds of good books for each developmental age and stage. The most helpful advice is to visit your local library and speak with the children’s librarian about your child, their age and interests. Let the librarian guide you to great selections that are age appropriate.

As for good tips on sharing the books, most importantly, always share books you have enjoy. If you’re not enthused, they may not be, either. Try to read with voice inflections, emphasis on important words and passion. Point left to right at the words across the page as you read the story to help children learn reading orientation. Spend a lot of time with your child, just looking at the pictures. Ask them, when age appropriate, what they think is happening in the story, what they think might happen next and how the characters might feel. Also, talk about the setting of the story and the action of the plot. This helps introduce them to story elements.

Above all else, enjoy this time with your child. Soccer, boy- and girl-scouts and all other extracurricular activities are fun and important to social and emotional development. But nothing is more important than the relationship you build with and education you provide to your child by sharing books and reading together.

In this first installment of age appropriate reading lists by age, we will share 10 books for ages 2, 3, and 4.  Check back often for more recommendations!

Milks and Cookies - Asch, Frank
What Spot? - Bronsall, Crosby
Goldilocks and the Three Bears - Brett, Jan
Choo Choo - Burton, Virginia Lee
Two Dog Biscuits - Clearly, Beverly
Empty Pot - Demi
Are You My Mother? - Eastman, P.D.
The Best Nest - Eastman, P.D.
Flap Your Wings - Eastman, P.D.
Go, Dog, Go! - Eastman, P.D.

1. You don’t have to wait for your baby to get to a certain age to begin reading to him.  Start now!
2. Continue reading aloud to your child until he is at least 10 years old.  Children continue to benefit from listening to others read long after they themselves have learned to read.
3. For young children, books with rhythm, and repetition are excellent.
4. Be consistent about reading aloud to your child.  Do it daily and, if possible, about the same time.  Reading right before bedtime often works well.
5. If you have several small children, you can read to them together.  Picture books work well for this situation.
6. Don’t be surprised if your children want to hear a favorite book again and again.  That’s fine.  As they get to really know the story well, have them fill in words for you.
7. Make sure you select books that are at the child’s interest level.
8. Some children love reading about the same characters.  If that’s what your child likes, choose several books in a series.
9. Vary the subject matter of what you read as well as the type.  In addition to fiction, you might also read poetry, magazine articles, and non-fiction.
10. As your child gets older and gains in reading ability, occasionally pick a book right at his reading level and take turns reading to one another.

Tips:

When reading a chapter of a book each night, always review what happened in the previous night’s chapter before starting a new chapter.

When you begin reading aloud to a baby, you will only be able to keep your baby’s attention to a few minutes.  This is to be expected.

As children mature, so do their attention spans.