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Month: January 2017

teach gratitude and respect
4 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Respectful

4 Ways To Teach Your Child To Be Respectful

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“Treat people the way you want to be treated.”

This is a powerful saying which sums up a lot in one sentence. Every parent wants his or her child to grow into a wonderful human being. One of the most important qualities a good human possesses is politeness. A person who respects his or her peers, colleagues, authority, elders and children, is a good human. Such a person is greatly admired by people of all ages. So if you’re a new parent, how do you ensure that your child shows respect and gratitude? Read on to know 4 simple ways to teach your child to be respectful.

how to teach respect to your child
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Lead by example.

Toddlers and preschoolers are growing and learning everything they know from what they see and hear around them. A child observes the behavior of his own parent and emulates it. If you’re a respectful person yourself, your child will effectively start practicing it himself. No matter who you talk to – be it a waiter at a restaurant or the old neighbor you see every day – be polite to each and every one. This is how your child will learn from your example.

teaching children respect and manners
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Talk about it.

If your preschooler says some disrespectful words or phrases in anger, sit down and talk to them about it. Explain to your child, calmly, why such words and the tone of saying they can be hurtful to the other person. Teach them that kindness and politeness are some of the best qualities a person can have. If your child speaks rudely to you or the elders of the family, you can try saying this – “That is not a good thing to say. We must respect one another.” Avoid yelling or using harsh words yourself.

 

teach respect to kids
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Appreciate when your child is polite.

Disciplining your child with a firm voice when they’re being disrespectful is important. But what’s also equally important is appreciating him when he shows gratitude. Teach empathy to your child by using words such as ‘thank you’, ‘please’ and ‘excuse me’ in your daily lives. Be respectful to your child and your child will respect you too. Again, don’t yell at your child, especially in a public place. Doing this can result in him feeling embarrassed and hurt.

teaching toddler respect
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Teach your kids to help.

Encourage your child to lend a helping hand, at home and at her preschool as well. Teach her those good manners and good behavior helps her to become a wonderful human being. A caring heart and kind words will make sure that your child grows up to be a good person overall. Teach her that even if she wants to say ‘no’, she can do it politely. Show her how to frame sentences so that it’s respectful.

Summing up

Respect means you care to think about the other person’s feelings before you act. Getting angry is natural but how you deal with it is important. If your growing child learns about being compassionate, kind and respectful to others, it’s half the battle won.

lunchbox tips preschoolers
5 Tips For A Healthy & Interesting Lunchbox For Preschoolers

5 Tips For A Healthy & Interesting Lunchbox For Preschoolers

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Kids, especially the ones under the age of 6, are picky eaters and making a lunchbox for them can be quite a daunting task. If you’ve only been packing sandwiches in your preschooler’s lunchbox, it is time to switch it up and make it interesting for you and your little one! It’s essential that your child’s lunchbox is healthy and also gets him excited for lunch time. Here are some simple and easy ways to make your child’s lunchbox more fun!

1. Get creative.

Cut out vegetables and fruits such as carrots and oranges into fun shapes. You can use various cutters or even cut it out yourself. Make funny faces by including various veggies and set your inner creative artist free. This will not only make the lunchbox fun, but it will also make your preschooler giggle. Try to keep it exciting by choosing a different vegetable every single day.

toddler lunchbox picky eaters
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2. Keep your child hydrated.

A bottle of homemade orange juice or a yummy smoothie will surely liven up your child’s lunchbox even more. Include fruits such as bananas and strawberries, which will be a nutritious addition to the lunchbox. You can also buy colorful and attractive water bottles, so that your child drinks a lot of water throughout the day and stays hydrated.

healthy lunchbox ideas kids
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3. Think outside the sandwich.

Instead of the same old sandwich, how about preparing some wraps, rolls, or even some pasta? Including these food items will ensure that your child’s lunchbox is never boring. Increase the health quotient of these recipes by adding some broccoli, peas, and corn. You can even add some chicken and various sauces to ramp up their flavor. Your preschooler will thank you for it.

healthy school lunch ideas
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4. Pack the power trio.

Healthy eating is a must, no matter what your age is! Make sure that you add the power trio to your preschooler’s lunchbox. The power trio consists of fiber, protein & healthy fat. Whole grain oatmeal, fruits like apples, pears, oranges, are all rich in fiber. Eggs, poultry, fish, dairy products are all great sources of protein. Avocados and hummus are sources of healthy fat.

lunch ideas for 2 year old
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5. Make it fun!

Whatever you do, just make it fun! Kids love different shapes and colors. So, work with that in mind and make the lunchbox very colorful. A wonderful and healthy lunchbox is nothing less than artwork. Make pinwheel snacks, veggie dips, heart-shaped cookies to keep your little one super excited for lunch time! Happy eating!

Tips to Pack a Healthy Lunch

How To Deal With Toddler's Tantrums
How To Deal With Your Toddler’s Tantrums

How To Deal With Your Toddler’s Tantrums

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Every parent of a toddler will agree that the dreaded temper tantrums are a complete nightmare. Your adorable and sweet little child turns into a screaming and bawling one. Raising a child is not easy and handling a crying toddler is definitely one of the tougher tasks involved in parenting. So how do you manage your little munchkin’s massive temper tantrum? Here are some simple ways:

Stay calm.

This might seem like a no-brainer but it is the most important thing to do. If you start panicking or start yelling at your already distressed child, things will only get worse. Your toddler’s fit of anger will recede slowly if he sees you being calm about the situation. Toddlers are still growing and they will end up getting angry about trivial things. Make sure that you take a deep breath and handle the whole outburst calmly.

Give her time.

When your child is overcome with emotions and gets really frustrated, she will throw a tantrum. In this case, one of the things you can do is leave her alone. That doesn’t mean that you should abandon her. Just let her sit in a safe space all by herself and you stay nearby. Once she has calmed down a little, you can come back and talk to her in a soothing voice. Avoid saying things like, “You’re a bad kid!” or “You annoy me!” Be gentle and help her to feel better.

how to stop temper tantrums
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Change your surroundings.

Sometimes, toddlers find the worst places to throw a tantrum. It can be a restaurant, a supermarket, or the Doctor’s office. It can be very difficult to pacify your child when he is crying his eyes out about something, especially in public. In such situations, get out of where you are and go somewhere you can be alone with your child. A change of surroundings or some kind of diversion can help to take his mind off the original reason for frustration.

toddler tantrums 2 years old
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Hug!

Reasoning with your toddler will not work, so just go ahead and hug! When a child hugs his mom, it releases a hormone called oxytocin in his body which results in him feeling good. It helps to calm down his flared up emotions. Some soothing words and a comforting hug will surely benefit your toddler and make him feel happy.

Be funny.

Making the situation funny for your child can help her see the brighter side of things. With the help of any nearby objects, try to say and do something funny to distract her. You can also make funny faces to make her laugh! Even if it doesn’t completely calm her down, it will definitely help in some way to ease her frustration. Also, don’t forget to appreciate your child when she successfully calms down.

toddler temper tantrums
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Try to avoid future tantrums.

If your child is freaking out so that he can make you buy something that he really doesn’t need, like some candy or a certain toy, politely refuse. Don’t give in. If you do, your child will realize that throwing a tantrum can give him whatever he wants. In order to avoid future tantrums, make sure that you always carry some snacks, in case your little one gets cranky due to hunger. Figure out whether your toddler gets out of control when he’s hungry, bored, angry or sad. Be prepared and tackle the situation before the storm arrives.

Bottom line

Handling your toddler’s temper tantrum is all about some patience and some clever strategies. If your child gets too hysterical and you feel like you cannot handle it, don’t be afraid to contact a child health care professional.

Toddler Tantrums

early literacy for toddlers
How To Encourage Early Literacy In Toddlers

How To Encourage Early Literacy In Toddlers

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It’s no secret that children of all ages love reading and listening to stories. But why is it really important to start reading and interacting with your child at an early age? How does it help your little one? The answer is simple. Early literacy in children is an important aspect of their overall development. A strong foundation of reading, writing, drawing, and communicating makes sure that your child does well in school and even in the future. It also opens up a whole new world of creative and imaginative ideas which can enhance your child’s thinking and social skills. You can make this whole process really fun for your toddler or preschooler by following the tips given below.

early literacy toddlers
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Keep it exciting

Join a library which has a wide array of books ranging from bedtime storybooks, fairy tales, fables, early reading stories and more. Your little one can choose whichever storybook she likes the best and you can read it to her or read along with her. Use voice modulation and give funny voices to different characters in every story. Not only does this strengthen your parent-child bond, but it also develops language and vocabulary as they learn new words every single day.

early literacy activities
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Teach poetry and rhymes

Apart from storybooks, another great form of reading is reading poetry! You can introduce your child to the fun world of rhymes with classic nursery rhymes as well as other children’s poems. As an early learner, they will be fascinated with how words work and rhyme with one another. Emphasize the phonics and rhyming words, and ask your child to repeat them as well. Once your child gets used to rhyming words, ask them to write tiny poems on their own. This will surely create some wonderful moments for you and your child.

literacy development toddlers
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Read, read, read!

Reading doesn’t have to stop at books! Whenever you go outside with your toddler, ask them to read out the various labels, signs, names of restaurants, shops, streets etc. Take her to the supermarket and ask her to read everything around her. This will keep her mind alert and inculcate a habit of reading everything she sees. Don’t forget to ask her questions like ‘which shops did you see today?’ or ‘which sign did you see today?’ which will develop her memory skills too.

importance of early literacy
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Communicate

Asking and answering questions is an integral part of every little one’s early literacy skills. Good communication skills ensure that your toddler will successfully communicate his feelings, thoughts, ideas, and opinions! If your child gets nervous about speaking in front of multiple people, slowly ease her into it by supporting her, cheering for her and appreciating her when she does it well.

preschooler language development
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Draw & write!

Motivate your preschooler to write each letter, short words, and draw simple objects. Introducing your child to picture books with simple stories is another great idea! Your toddler will look at the colorful illustrations, point out different objects and characters, and repeat the dialogues of the characters which are all beneficial in the long run. This will improve his understanding and will make reading so much fun for him.

As parents, you need to actively work towards the development of your child’s early literacy skills. Children imitate parents in every way and being excited about reading will make them excited too! If you follow these ways to build your children’s early literacy skills, they will surely have a strong base for their future academic life.