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As the parent of a toddler, your big adult mind is always trying to make sense of what’s going through their tiny kid one. “Why are you flopping on the ground?” “Why are you biting me for no particular reason?” “Why are you peeing yourself while maintaining eye contact?” The biggest issue is that you don’t know what they’re thinking, and they can’t tell you yet. But science can.
Munas Van Boonstra runs four businesses simultaneously, while gracefully juggling life as a single mother to two adorable children. Her businesses include an events planning company, Nasty Inc; an events furniture & props rental company, Event Rental Malaysia; Gingerbread Haus, a line of children’s clothing she’s started with her kids, and her latest venture being Supermumpreneur, a women & mum’s university where she teaches women how to do it all and entrepreneurship.
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...
Does your child get anxious or angry often or frustrated easily? In the moment it’s often best to err on the side of support rather than challenging or giving logic and reason as an answer to their emotion. It’s often helpful to acknowledge the emotion and provide empathy and give time and space to let a child calm down.
Those itchy, red eyes may be a common childhood ailment.
Check out this stellar photo records of 'Small Steps Are Giant Leaps' Project which is about reminding parents that to our kids this is a new and exciting world just waiting to be explored.
Imaginary friends make an appearance, as do inquisitive animals, demanding monsters, and curious children. If you want touching or funny or unusual or classic, there’s something here to pique your interest.
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.
My little kids love this Pokemon Sensory Bottle I made for when their older siblings are hunting for Pokemon on Pokemon Go! Now my littles can have their very own lure in a bottle, complete with pink confetti. Kids will have so much fun shaking the glittery sensory bottle trying to catch them all!
When our little ones are sleeping, their brains are busy building connections. Read about the benefits of sleep in early childhood.
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.
Parents, please take note: it's available on Android through their Telegram channel.
I have a secret. It is something I don’t really talk about, especially to other parents. If the topic ever comes up, I try my best to find ways to spin the situation to avoid judgmental glares. I downplay it and laugh it off. My secret: I still co-sleep with my 5-year-old daughter.
Wouldn't it be great for restaurants to hold a special hour of dining for special needs kids? A mom from South Florida is hoping that more restaurants would do this after her experience with her special needs child.
Toddlers are a unique species all of their own, complete with their own rules, commandments, and (a very flighty) moral code. Mothering a toddler is not for the faint of heart. One minute I feel like Mary Poppins, and the next minute I’m the chick from Game of Thrones — and frankly, neither are a good look for me.
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.
The year Sam started kindergarten, he turned 6 in October. He was one of the oldest children in his class, and he didn’t know how to read. When he started first grade he was almost 7, and he still didn’t know how to read. Fortunately for Sam, he entered first grade in 1999. And his teachers, Mrs. Gantt and Mrs. Floyd, didn’t panic if a child didn’t learn to read in kindergarten. In fact, they expected that most children would learn to read in first grade. (They also supported and encouraged children who learned to read easily in kindergarten, like Sam’s brother Ben.)
Dear father who won’t pay child support, I just want to know one thing. Do you know what you’re doing?
Like how to keep 'em optimistic when the world tries to crush their dreams
Educators face challenges, funding issues, and problems beyond their control. But for each student and family, it’s all about the relationship they will have with their child's teacher.
A college professor in Kentucky is getting a ton of online praise after a photo of him babysitting a student’s kids so she could take her final exam went viral.
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.
Daughter: What's love daddy?
Dad: You are.
When our kids get fussy with food, our go-to is a PB & J. And if desperate times call for desperate measures, maybe we’ll cut them into star shapes to spare us all the headache of a mealtime tantrum. But one mom who is putting our sandies to shame is Laleh Mohmedi.
Kids attempt to explain the secrets of life -- and it's hilarious!
Writing is a waterloo for many children. The act takes a lot of effort and deliberate movements which can be discouraging for some kids. Do not feel pressured for your child to develop good handwriting as soon as he can hold a pencil. Holding a pencil to paper and using deliberate movements of the hand to write letters and numbers is not as easy as it seems. It is a fine motor skill that only gets gradually developed with proper preparation and practice.
Playing with items on a lightbox is so simple, and yet it can be so intriguing to children of all ages. Familiar items become new again when you add light. Make that experience portable with your own easy DIY lightbox.
Stow some travel-friendly items inside and you’ve got an activity that’s perfect for evening car trips. Set up in the kitchen and use your lightbox for some messier sensory play or creating artwork.
Kids are genius imitators. And you may need to watch closely what they are learning from Internet.
I was sitting in a church meeting listening to a father of five discuss parenting with a group of fellow dads. He had children ranging in age from 7 to 21. He covered a few topics, but what really hit me was when he said, “Guys, when you get home you need to just put down your bag and let the kids climb on you. I can’t tell you how important that is.”
What are signs of pink eye in children? What are the remedies? Pink eyes are often commonly ignored, but improper treatment can lead to recurring pink eye cases that become increasingly resistant to treatment. NEWBORNS ARE PARTICULARLY AT RISKS for pink eye and ensuing complications that lead to serious health damage.
The other day, I reached out to a friend I hadn't spoken to in two years. "Where have you been, Jennifer? What have you been up to?" she asked. I thought about these questions long and hard. Physically, I had been in Colorado, and I had been working on my own business, but I couldn't tell her what I'd been doing. The truth was, the last year had been total, sleep-deprived blur.
This Adventure in Learning activity is for when the adventure gets to be too much. It’s an exercise for slowing down and tuning into our own bodies and awareness. Today, we’re going to learn about Diaphragmatic breathing, also known as belly breathing. It’s a great calming breathing exercise for kids.
Read more about the AAP's new guidelines on babies and toddlers' screen time
It's so simple, but a lot of people have no idea it's even a thing.
Who here is a parent to a toddler who has not given a smartphone to her child to keep him occupied? If that question were asked in a room full of parents, we'd be surprised if a lot of hands went up.
Logan Laplante is a 13 year-old boy who was taken out of the education system to be home schooled instead. As a result, he was given the opportunity to receive an education tailored to his interests and his unique style of learning – something traditional education is not always able to offer. In a pretty remarkable show of wisdom, particularly for someone so young, Logan has said that when he grows up he wants to be happy and healthy. At a TEDx talk in 2013, he discussed how hacking his education is helping him achieve that goal.
Those of us who grew up with siblings already know that there will inevitably come a time when we will not get along with one or more of them. (Perhaps this is why some people think being an only child has more benefits!)
However, even if conflict is part of every relationship, there are certain things we can do to make sure they are minimal at best. Here are a few ways we parents can help our children grow up as friends:
This sweet video of little boy sneaking into neighbor's garage to hug dog went viral as the owner went on searching for "the sweet little kid" 😍😍
Every parent has lost their temper with his or her child. In fact, researchers say there are signs parental yelling is on the rise. Sue Shellenbarger has the latest research on how to avoid blowing up, and mother of two Leigh Fransen shares her story.
Now that I have kids of my own and work really hard to create a positive home with honest communication, I am hopeful that will never feel the need to lie, at least not any worse than I had. Why do we want our children
to be honest and understand the value of truthfulness?
As early as possible, Leatherman says, elementary age kids “should learn what to do in the water, how to swim and how to float.” And as kids are getting comfortable in the water, parents can encourage them to think about safety at the beach. One place to start: what do kids themselves feel cautious about? Parents may be surprised to learn kids are feeling leery of sea creatures, or bothered by the sun, and take the opportunity to talk more about sharing the water with wildlife, or the importance of sunscreen—as well as getting across the absolute basics of beach safety: young kids shouldn’t go into deep water, and should always stay near their parents or a lifeguard.
When your toddler has a temper tantrum, it may send you into one, too! However, experts agree that it is crucial to keep your cool. With these coping strategies, you can head off two tantrums at once: yours and your child's.
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.
If you’re like me, then you’re always on the lookout for healthy, quick ways to eat your favorite whole foods. Throw your favorite whole grain, veggies, and lean protein in a casserole dish, pop it in the oven, and have an easy dinner that will most likely result in leftovers for the week!
Karen Katz, award-winning author and illustrator of children's books including the bestselling Where Is Baby's Belly Button?, answers your concerns about reading to babies and toddlers.
Fourth generation craftsman Masaaki Hiroi, 80, loves making traditional spinning tops and other wooden toys. This is his story, in his own words.
