Countless activities compete for our time and attention today.
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Showing posts with label family time. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family time. Show all posts
Rainy Day Fun For Preschoolers
Two great resources for moms who are stumped on how to entertain their preschoolers:
- General Indoor Activities for Young Children (organized by topic)
Streamlining The Morning Routine
(found in September 2009 issue of Parents magazine)
Here are some ways to help make mornings before school (or preschool) run much smoother, without chaos following you out the door:
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THE NIGHT BEFORE
Make sure homework is done and all papers are signed.
Have the backpack ready to go and sitting next to the door.
Choose an outfit, all the way down to socks and shoes. Let your kids get involved with this.
Get the next day's "gear" ready to go (piano lesson materials, soccer gear, etc) so that you can just grab it and go.
Pack lunches (refrigerate over night if necessary).
Have a calming bedtime routine. Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
Plan a nutritious breakfast for the next morning (set everything you will need out).
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IN THE MORNING
Be the first one up so that your head will be on right when your kids get up.
Allow time for the slow riser or poky eater.
Have a "no electronics" rule before school. Turning things on like TVs, video games or computers only will add to the frenzy.
Stick to a routine every morning, but keep it simple.
Make sure the last moments with your kid are loving ones - give attention, a big hug, a kiss, a smile.
Turn Off Week 2009 (9/20-9/26)
September 20-26 marks Turn Off Your Television Week. People everywhere are accepting the challenge to unplug for one week and discover new avenues of entertainment, be it solo or family-oriented.
Up for the challenge? Wonder what you could possibly do without TV all week? Check out this resource found at SimpleKids.com (click link or image to left).
Stay-At-Home Moms Need A Schedule, Too
A common area overlooked by stay-at-home moms is not having a schedule on which to operate. For a preschoolers, not having anything "definite" to look forward to in any given day or week can result in the discipline issues or just sheer-out boredom. Moms suffer from lack of a schedule or routine as well. It's easy to become stressed or unmotivated without some skeleton of what a day or week is going to look like. Having a routine in place helps everything run smoother and more efficiently, and your family will appreciate knowing what to expect.
If you don't have a routine, or are struggling with your current schedule below are some examples of real moms who live by a routine to get your started:
- Routine With Kids (includes 20 practical pointers for having a routine for your kids)
Does something work especially well for your family? Share with us!
Hosting Overnight Guests: How To Create A Welcoming Environment
You don't have to have a gigantic house, or even a perfectly-decorated one to have overnight guests feel welcome and comfortable in your home. Check out these 10 tips for preparing and hosting visitors in your home:
- Be yourself. Truly. Most house guests aren’t expecting a perfectly immaculate house, and if they are, there’s no point in loading your shoulders with the pressure to try. The best kind of guests are there to see you, not you on stage.
- Let your guests be themselves. Really mean it when you say, “make yourself at home.” If you’re willing to have guests, be willing to let them put their feet up on your coffee table ... {click here to read more}
The Importance of Family Rituals
"Kids love traditions and family rituals, because it fosters a sense of belonging and security. They also thrive on routine, so rituals only add to that need." (quote from The Importance of Family Rituals by SimpleMom)
Highlights of the article (to read entire article click here)
- Rituals are what make your home "home."
- Family traditions need not be tied to a holiday on the calendar.
- Family rituals don't have to be elaborate or expensive.
To read more of why family rituals are so important and how to start creating some in your family go the SimpleMom website or click here.
Teaching Toddlers God's Word
The main principles
- Let your children see God's Word open.
- Less is more.
- Be animated in expression and tone.
- Incorporate movement.
- Create a routine.
- Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
- Keep it short and sweet.
For more detail on each one you can visit the Desiring God blog site or click here to view the article.
Do You Remember?
Kids have an amazing capacity to remember things. Now, while they are young, is the time to harness that ability and help fill their minds with things worth remembering. Below is a list of ideas on how to help your child remember Scripture:
- Books of Bible
- The 10 Commandments: Exodus 20:1-17 (click here to read passage)
- The Beatitudes: Matthew 5:3-12 (click here to read passage)
- Psalm 23 (click here to read)
- The "Love" Chapter: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (click here to read all 13 verses of the chapter)
- ABC Scripture Memory (click here for more detail)
Family Nights
Here is a great resource for creating memorable family nights with your family. This mom has three children - two biological and one adopted - and is married to the worship pastor at Buckhead Church in the Atlanta suburbs.
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Check out this amazing woman's ideas and perhaps use one in the next week!
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Kids Eat Free (Or Almost Free)
Below are some chains that offer free or discounted meals for kids. Meals are free unless otherwise noted. And as always, call ahead to confirm that things have not changed first.
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Sundays
Sundays
Souper Salad (kids 0-4 eat free, 5-12 eat for $2)
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Mondays
CiCi's Pizza
Fuddruckers ($0.99, from 5-9 pm)
Texas Roadhouse
TGI Fridays
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Tuesdays
Chic-fil-A
Denny's (4-10 pm)
Fuddruckers ($0.99, from 5-9 pm)
Lonestar Steakhouse
Perkins
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Wednesdays
Applebee's ($0.99)
Rainforest Cafe
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Saturdays
Joe's Crab Shack ($0.99)
Lonestar Steakhouse (11-4 pm)
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Everyday
IHOP ($0.99, from 3-9 pm)
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Do you have something you want to add to the list? Leave a comment!
10 Daily Committments
Parenting is an each day activity- each day is a new opportunity to positively impact your child’s life in a profound way.
- Each day I will spend at least as much time with my child as with the TV.
- Each day I will share at least one fun-filled learning experience with my child.
- Each day I will affirm my child as a person.
- Each day I will affirm my spouse in the presence of my child.
- Each day I will affirm my Lord (praise him, thank him, honor him) in the presence of my child.
- Each day I will say “I love you” to my child.
- Each day I will make one truth from God’s Word the delight of my child’s life.
- Each day I will pray for my child by name.
- Each day I will read something to my child that will build his/her love for the Lord.
- Each day I will help my child feel the warmth of my personal presence, be it in a hug, a kiss, sitting on my lap, etc.
Author Unknown, but these are some powerful tips! If the whole list seems too overwhelming, pick one or two items to work on this week.
10 Simple Ways to Have a Happier Family
Wish you could slow down and take the time to really connect with your kids? Here’s how to slip small moments of love and closeness into the busiest days. By Ron Taffel, Ph.D.
- Snuggle time Take advantage of Saturday mornings to have all the kids come in bed with you for a fifteen-minute cuddle. One day a week, try not to schedule anything early so you can just hang out and feel close to each other.
- Mood music Here’s a tip from the folks who make TV shows and commercials: Use background music to set the mood. When cabin fever strikes and the atmosphere around the house gets tense, pop some lively music in the CD player and watch the emotional barometer rise.
- Indirect compliments When you want to praise your child, occasionally let her overhear you say something good about her to someone else. Sometimes kids discount direct praise as empty or embarrassing. An overheard compliment can be a powerful boost to self-esteem because your child knows that it’s from the heart.
- The never-ending game Set aside ten minutes at the same time each day to play a game with your child, one you can return to daily. Some families play a round of backgammon. Others work on a 100-piece jigsaw puzzle. Reading a couple of pages of a story is popular with younger kids. The ritual aspect of the activity and brief time-out from stressful demands help kids and parents calm down and connect with each other.
- One at a time Once a week, allow each of your children to have you all to himself for an hour, doing anything that the child wants to do (dress-up, computer time, art, etc). When your kids know they’ll each have a long turn to get your undivided attention, they learn to respect each other’s special times as well.
- Counting blessings Take some moments in the evening, at dinner or bedtime to acknowledge the good things in your life. Don’t be heavy-handed about it. Just say, “You know, the nicest thing happened today…” and ask your child and other family members to share any good things that happened to them. Counting blessings is a way to end the day on a positive note.
- A very merry half-birthday Mark this mid-year milestone in a lighthearted, inexpensive way. For instance, it’s fun to bake half a cake, give half a pair of socks as a present, and put up half a birthday sign. Any reason to celebrate, no matter how small, lifts the spirits and breaks up the ordinary routine.
- Sunday-night soiree I’m sure that, like most families, you have experienced the letdown that occurs as the weekend draws to a close. You also probably have a refrigerator full of leftovers. On Sunday evening, invite a few neighbors with kids over for dinner and have them bring along their leftovers. The food may be an eclectic mix of cold turkey, ham, Chinese food, and parts of pies served on paper plates. This low-key but festive gathering takes the edge off the end-of-weekend blues.
- Media blackouts For one night each week, declare that no one in the house will turn on televisions, computers, or stereos. The uninterrupted downtime means there’s more of an opportunity to play truly interactive games, the old-fashioned kind in which two people actually communicate. Think of a variety of ways to have low-tech fun, such as playing musical instruments and singing, reading aloud, telling jokes, or just talking.
- Think small Remember the bumper sticker that read HUG A TREE? Why not make some time to help your child appreciate the natural world around him? Let him try to wrap his arms around a tree, stop and smell the roses, or go outside and gaze at the stars in the evening sky. Think of these activities not as educational but as ways to let your child feel part of something greater than himself. So much in our society and child-raising practices tends to encourage kids to feel too big, powerful, exceptional and alone. The truth is, children are less worried and more secure when they know they’re not the center of the universe but a small part of the whole.
Ron Taffel, Ph.D., is the author of Nurturing Good Children Now and a well-known author and speaker on raising children with values in today’s world. He is a contributing editor of Parents magazine, from which this article was excerpted.
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