Fun Rainy Day Activities With Your Kiddo

The weather these days can be very unpredictable. Even though it's officially summer, it could be raining for three to five days. Instances like this break the heart of kids especially when they have already planned their activities under the sun. You can help them feel better by organizing stuffs they can do under the rain or inside the house. It would be nicer if you can enjoy these stuffs with them. Here they are:

• Play out in the rain.
• Sing in the rain.
• Splish splash in mud puddles.
• Measure the rain with a rain catcher.
• Create clay figures using mud.
• Make paper boats and walnut boats.
• Getting busy origami and painting.
• Baking muffins together.
• Watching movies while eating popcorn.
• Play video games.
• Dance in the beat of the drums.
• Do a shadow play.
• Recite or sing nursery rhymes.
• Have an indoor treasure hunt.

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Surprising Benefits Of Video Games For Kids

Contrary to popular belief of most parents, playing video games for kids is not that bad. There are, of course, certain images or concepts which can be very difficult or inappropriate for children. These are the likes of images that promote sex and violence. Video games when played under the supervision of an adult can bring in a number of benefits which other sports cannot provide.

As your child plays the same video game over and over, he can improve mastery and spatial reasoning skills happen. Both are helpful in assisting him have high score in IQ tests. In truth, schools even use video games today to teach complex grammar and higher level math. With the aid of images, sounds and simplified instructions, kids can understand and apply complicated concepts.

AS many players are involved in a video game, the social skills of kids are also improved. Thanks to technology because people from around the world can now be connected wherever they may be. Friendships can spring from playing video games on a regular basis. More so, kids can have a first hand experience on relating well with someone who belongs to another country with all the adjustments as language barrier and cultural differences can cause difficulties in communication.

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How Can Your Child Cope With Bullying

Bullying is nothing new to all kids. It seems to be part of everybody's childhood. (In fact, even adults get bullied too.) Bullying is the main cause of depression and death among school kids. This is because kids who are being bullied usually do not know how to carry themselves in such a demeaning situation. That is why it is important that kids be taught of important ways to deal with bullying.

At the first instance of bullying, the bullied kid must not run even if he feels that he needs to in order to save his life.  He must look the attacker in the eyes and firmly say without crying "Leave me alone!" or "Don't you ever scare me!" Advice him though to first check whether it is safe to approach the attacker because attackers sometimes have deadly weapons with them. Then, he has to inform an adult about what happened because doing so can limit the bullying instances if not totally stop it.

There is also what you call emotional bullying. This has worsen these days especially now that the use of social media is rampant - cyber bullying as it is known today. It is quite difficult to know whether kids is suffering from this as they tend to hide it from their parents. You can only help your child cope up with this emotional bullying once you have known about it and once you have gained your child's trust regarding the issue. To help your child, start by letting him know that  nobody is perfect and that he can't please everybody. Assure him that whatever happens that you - his family - will be there for him.

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What Can Having Pets Teach Your Kids

Are you always rejecting your child's request to have a pet? If yes, do think about it again. Experts in the field of medicine and psychology often relate the wonders of pet ownership in kid's health and behaviors.

Pets of whatever kind can relieve kids of depression. If your child is bullied in school or is often alone, she can feel very sad and have a difficulty in sharing her feelings and thoughts. This is why some parents often choose  man's best friend as pet for their kids. The charm and warm personality of dog can urge children to lighten up and talk with things they cannot disclose  to their anyone even their parents. More so, a dog is a good companion it will tag along your child wherever she goes. She can feel safe with a canine friend always behind her back.

Pet ownership also teaches responsibility, care and love for animals and people alike. With a pet, your child would be thinking of its needs all the time. She will act as a parent who is there to support the needs of her pet every step of the way. In truth, she will just display whatever she sees you do for her.

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Dealing With An Almost Nine-Year-Old

It is still five months away from my son's ninth birthday but I could already feel the change in his attitude. Oh yes, there are still a few moments when he is sweet but more often than not he is challenging how far my patience would go.

I read from an article in a parenting magazine that most boys turn from sweet to rough when they turn nine years old. They start to exhibit foul behavior characterized by crude talk, potty humor, random screaming and pushing people around. I kind of notice the 'screaming' with my son particularly when he cannot have things his way. It  says there that such behavior has to be haunted down to its very root cause which could be heart issues that are difficult to deal with for boys.

 If it is not a heart issue, medical problems could be possible reasons. Mayo Clinic, in one of its articles, related that attention disorder is a primary cause of disruptive behavior among boys and this must be arrested through the help of some medications and psychological therapies.

Should the cause be neither of the two, boys of this age and behavior must be dealt with consistency and firm enforcement of rules. The goals: that they would know and follow authority.

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Effective Housekeeing In A Single Parent Home

When my son started schooling, I thought my household responsibilities would lessen. I was surprised when additional chores were placed on top of my existing ones. And yes, these news one included giving my son a hand in his homework and school projects. Since I wanted every thing to be neatly done, I did not allow my son to help me and make more mess (which was impossible). I did this for a month and the result was a squeaky clean house but a very tired and hot-headed me. A co-worker, who happens to be a single mom too, taught me that as early as my son's age he can now help with the chores. She just stressed that whatever I assigned to him must be age-appropriate. This advice sounded like common sense to me when I first hard it from my co-worker. But the obsessive compulsive in me must have kicked in and my senses repelled the idea instantly that I never thought of it in the first place :)

And so, the reformed me after that well-meant advised is now disciplining myself to breakdown the chores by area. And in every breakdown, I decipher which tasks may be assigned to my little help. Take a look at my short list of to-do tasks for him.

• Sorting and folding laundry
• Putting the dishes inside the dishwasher
• Sorting the garbage and taking it out
• Feeding the pets
• Dusting surfaces
  

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