Busy Board: DIY Ideas To Keep Your Busy Toddler... Busy
These fabulous toys will keep your toddler busy for five minutes... a miracle we know!
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These fabulous toys will keep your toddler busy for five minutes... a miracle we know!
This DIY Personalized Homework Station is a useful project that teens or tweens can customize to enhance their work space for back-to-school! There is plenty of room for memos and important notes.
It’s not just educational videos and gadgets.
Adorable video shows the 4-month-old, who has impaired vision due to a rare condition called oculocutaneous albinism, having glasses placed over his eyes. His response to the first sight of his mom is just heart-melting.
Although math skills are considered notoriously hard to change, Johns Hopkins University researchers improved preschoolers’ arithmetic performance simply by exercising their intuitive number sense with a quick computer game.
It is useful to understand why children prefer to sleep with you and will fight so hard to stay with you, night after night. The solution isn’t easy, but it’s doable.
Several times a month, Jessica Wen, a pediatrician specializing in liver diseases, has a teenager show up at her clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with an unexpected diagnosis: hepatitis C.
While each app might not be a big investment, no one wants to waste money or spend kids' limited screen time on low-quality content. To make good choices about the apps you download for your preschooler, use these criteria before you buy, and check out our list of preschool apps worth the money for more recommendations.
We decided to create our own DIY Treasure Chest for Toddlers using a baby wipes container and baby food lids to kick off our first activity. And I just happened to have some gold spray paint leftover from our Solomon’s Temple blocks to make our makeshift “treasure chest” and gold coins a little more authentic-looking.
A new study in the journal Science finds that a mobile app that prompts parents and kids to solve nightly number problems together greatly improves student achievement in math. The app, Bedtime Math, creates a kind of math story time.
New games that will make acquiring programming skills as simple as playing Lego for kids!
Children get cuts, scrapes and bruises. Curious and brave, kids are constantly playing and exploring. It’s part of growing up. But playtime that seems harmless can turn into something much more serious within seconds.
Using laser pointers to play pretend rocket ships or make the family pet run back and forth looks like fun. But an eight-year-old boy’s experience with laser pointers is proof of the serious damage they can cause. Johnny Marshall was at his sister’s school fair when he saw a laser pen at one of the vendor booths. After some begging and pleading, his parents gave in and bought him the toy. Johnny was playing with his new toy at home when he shone it into his eyes out of curiosity — something that many children might do. Within a quarter of a second, he was left with a thermal burn and permanent damage to his retina.
Toys are not merely playthings. Toys form the building blocks for our child’s future. They teach our children about the world and about themselves. They send messages and communicate values. And thus, wise parents think about what foundation is being laid by the toys that are given to their kids.
Wise parents also think about the number of toys that children are given. While most toy rooms and bedrooms today are filled to the ceiling with toys, intentional parents learn to limit the number of toys that kids have to play with.
Don’t stop reading aloud to your kids—even when they’re in their teens. It sounds weird and funny, but speech language therapist Anthony D. Koutsoftas, PhD., one of the speakers at “Beyond Borders,” the first convention by the Philippine Association of Speech Pathologists (PASP), insists it is one of the best ways to improve your child’s reading and language abilities.
Optical illusions can be super fun. They not only reveal a great deal about how the brain works – they can also reveal a great deal about one’s personality.
When he heard the kid screaming in the middle of a scene he knew exactly what was going on…
1. If you’ve ever wondered why their bread tastes so perfect, there’s your answer. It’s chemically engineered to taste a certain way, unlike healthy breads that contain far less science-produced ingredients.
2. Subway is just as unhealthy as McDonald’s.
3. People stop paying attention to what they’re eating when they assume they’re making a healthy choice. This leads to “treating” oneself by picking up higher calorie drinks and desserts.
This is the most delicious cauliflower recipe you’ll eat and on top of that it’s such an easy addition to include a roasted cauliflower in your family’s dinner plan or for a dinner party with friends.
For a child, everything is new. Refresh your view of a mundane day through the lens of a toddler!
You’ve probably heard the arguments in favor of early toilet training. They train early in Europe! Toddlers are more compliant than three-year-olds! Diapers are bad for the environment! Perhaps you’ve even read scientific studies concluding that children who train later are more likely to end up having accidents.
A Missouri mom has seen immense support online after she opened up about her battle with anxiety and depression and how it’s affected her as a mother.
Susan* bought her 6-year-old son John an iPad when he was in first grade. “I thought, ‘Why not let him get a jump on things?’ ” she told me during a therapy session. John’s school had begun using the devices with younger and younger grades — and his technology teacher had raved about their educational benefits — so Susan wanted to do what was best for her sandy-haired boy who loved reading and playing baseball.
Children or teens who are “revved up” and prone to rages or—alternatively—who are depressed and apathetic have become disturbingly commonplace. Chronically irritable children are often in a state of abnormally high arousal, and may seem “wired and tired.” That is, they’re agitated but exhausted. Because chronically high arousal levels impact memory and the ability to relate, these kids are also likely to struggle academically and socially.
So many children are dealing with major struggles in their everyday lives, and giving up or avoiding the issues altogether is not an option. Our students need to understand that struggling and failing are natural, and that the most important part of defeat is the determination to get back up, try again, and move forward.
We've somehow decided that little kids can't understand these complex topics, or we want to delay exposing them to injustices as long as possible (even though not all children have the luxury of being shielded from injustice).
However, young children have a keen awareness of and passion for fairness. They demand right over wrong, just over unjust. And they notice differences without apology or discomfort.
Racial identity and attitudes begin to develop in children at a young age. Two- and three-year-olds become aware of the differences between boys and girls, may begin noticing obvious physical disabilities, become curious about skin color and hair color/texture, and may also be aware of ethnic identity.
5 Elementary Strategies
1. Use children's literature: There's a wealth of children's books (check out here: http://www.adl.org/education-outreach/books-matter/#.VwQW3_krLcs) that can be read aloud and independently to approach the topic of bias, diversity, and social justice.
2. Use the news media: Find topics and news stories that bring forth these themes and discuss them in the classroom -- like the nine-year-old boy who was banned from bringing his My Little Pony backpack to school because it was the source of bullying.
3. Teach anti-bias lessons: Social and emotional skill development lessons are the foundation, and then teachers can move to lessons on identity, differences, bias, and how bias and bullying can be addressed individually and institutionally.
4. Give familiar examples.
Take advantage of children's interest in books, TV shows, toys, and video games, and use them as opportunities to explore diversity, bias, and social justice.
5. Explore solutions: Re-think the concept of "helping others" to include discussions about the inequities that contribute to the problem and consider actions that can address it. For example, while it's useful to provide food to homeless people, we want to deepen the conversation to convey a social justice perspective and a wider lens with children. Therefore, discuss the stigma and stereotypes of homeless people, learn about unfair housing policies, and reflect on solutions that will reverse the problem in a lasting way and encourage students to take action.
Parenting is a learning journey and although we try our best, we are always going to make mistakes. The important thing, is that we learn from them, and from those of others. From speaking to many parents who are raising bilingual or multilingual children, we have compiled a list of the most common mistakes:
Since my wife is a teacher, I have spent countless hours listening to teachers tell their stories. This has caused me to recognize some things I would like to share with my fellow parents.
Toddlers are true innovators who think outside the box, and they work quickly. By that, I mean, you can’t leave them alone for a second or they will bathe themselves in Vaseline or eat food from the dog’s bowl. Once, when I was trying to write an email, my toddler found a pair of scissors and decided to give herself bangs. The problem was that the bangs were on the side of her head and not the front, which was not a great look for her.
If parents start to encourage empathetic habits early, there’s still hope of them putting human kindness ahead of #kindness.
Screen time is an inescapable reality of modern childhood, with kids of every age spending hours upon hours in front of iPads, smartphones and televisions. That’s not always a bad thing: Educational apps and TV shows are great ways for children to sharpen their developing brains and hone their communication skills—not to mention the break these gadgets provide harried parents. But tread carefully: A number of troubling studies connect delayed cognitive development in kids with extended exposure to electronic media. The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that American children spend a whopping seven hours a day in front of electronic media. Other statistics reveal that kids as young as two regularly play iPad games and have playroom toys that involve touch screens.
No matter what their culture, or where they live, or whether they have toys, kids will always find ways to have fun. And happy childhood moments captured on camera make for truly magical photos.
Results showed that particles of the virus were still present 24 hours after the toy was contaminated with a humidity of up to 60 percent.
Unfortunately, people do not think that viruses can come from inanimate objects, according to Richard Bearden II, lead author of the study from Georgia State University. Bearden explains that the common notion is that viruses come from other people.
To me, the definition is simple. While most of the time I try to raise my kids in a nurturing, educationally rich, nutritiously sound environment, sometimes, the s*@# just hits the fan (or, more likely, my most expensive rug). And when temper tantrums, fevers, or general fussiness is the order of the day, all bets are off . . . and the cartoons come on. And I am totally, 100 percent OK with that. So how do you become a survivalist mom? Here's my handy guide to my "whatever gets you through the day" philosophy.
Obama can’t help but get really into it. Can you blame him?
Is clutter taking over your space? You can’t always take the “throw it out” approach to your belongings, but you can stash your stuff out of the way. We’ve found plenty of inspiration to motivate you to get organized (or at least appear that way). Check out these 17 ways to hide clutter in your home.
If you think your toddler is too young to understand what you’re saying, think again. Find out what he actually picks up from your words and actions.
The longest recorded case of hiccups lasted for 68 years … and was caused by a falling hog. While that level of severity is extremely uncommon, most of us are no stranger to an occasional case of the hiccups. But what causes these ‘hics’ in the first place? John Cameron takes us into the diaphragm to find out.
A sibling relationship is one of the most vital of all relationships we will have in this life. A best friend to grow up with, fight with, and fight for. Most days it feels like the “fight with” overshadows the fight for.
In this information age where communication is so crucial, our kids are reading less and less. How should you approach this problem? What can you do?
When tragedy strikes, most people think, I would love to help, but I’m just one person, what could I possibly do?
Well, three boys in New York City are showing the country just how much one person — not to mention three little people — can do with a generous heart and some hard work.
Brian Gordon is a cartoonist. He's also a dad, which means he's got plenty of inspiration for the parenting comics he creates for his website, Fowl Language (only a few of which actually feature any profanity). He covers many topics, but it's his hilarious parenting comics that are resonating with moms and dads everywhere.
Easy & Economical way of boosting your child's brain development:
A child needs a good partner in learning. Instead of telling our children to read more, maybe we can start putting aside our time to join them in this can't-emphasize-enough activity that will expand your child's potentials.
Need some fresh ideas for your next family movie night? Our editors help you choose the best movies for kids -- movies the whole family will love.
A Silicon Valley nerd offers an insight into when to introduce phone to your kids, what are the benefits, which apps to install/avoid, and what rules you need to put in agreement.