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6 Hobbies For All The Family To Enjoy

January 28, 2013 By A Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

(Written by Rob Perkins) The best thing about having kids is spending time with them. Of course, life can’t be one long holiday but those weekends and evenings after work are brilliant for doing stuff together and really bonding as friends. If you’re thinking of ways to spend time with your nearest and dearest then why not consider a hobby that you can both start together or that you can teach your offspring to love like you do?

Below are six of my favourites that I’ve got my little ones into or that my parents used to do with me. As mentioned, doing things together can be great fun and really rewarding and as soon as you start to lay the foundations you’ll have a friend and companion for years to come.

Fishing

Peaceful and contemplative, this is one of the all-time greats for parent and child bonding. The two of you sat on a riverbank, sharing a flask and some soggy sandwiches waiting for a bite. Until they’re old enough of course, then you can send them out for the day on their own, while you spend the day relaxing on the sofa in front of the football. Then come six o’clock there’s a ring on the doorbell and there’s your delightful offspring, holding the evening meal in his hand. Lovely. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tips Tagged With: children, childrens activities, family activities, family bonding, family fun, hobbies, hobbies and leisure

How Do Toys Help Emotional Development In Children?

January 12, 2013 By A Guest Blogger

(Written by Robert Reeve) Children love to play with their toys. Most adults still remember and have fond memories of what their favourite toy was when they were young. Some even get nostalgic and perhaps a touch emotional whenever they encounter their former favourite plaything years later.

While children have fun creating their own games and playing with their toys, they don’t realise how this quality time will serve them well as they move through life. Again, many adults don’t really understand this, which is why millions of kids around the world sit in front of a games console or the television, at the direction of their parents, instead of playing with a toy.

We looked at the importance of toys for social and emotional development in children, and the specific skills they help hone. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Advice Tagged With: activities, childhood development, children, emotions, family, parenting, personal development, social emotional activities, social emotional development, social emotional learning, toys

Healthy Eating Habits For Kids

January 9, 2013 By A Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

(Written by Emily Rayhonds) Teaching your children healthy eating habits might be the most important thing you do as a parent. However, it might be one of the biggest challenges you undertake too!

If healthy eating habits are learned early, your children will have normal, healthy relationships with food as they mature. If nutritious foods are routinely passed up for unhealthy alternatives, your children might have a lifetime struggle with health concerns, eating disorders or weigh management issues.

Most parents acknowledge the benefits of healthy eating. However, many falter when it comes time to actually enforce those rules. Mealtimes become warzones and even the most determined parent loses the will to fight.

It doesn’t have to be that way though. You can enjoy a relaxing, healthy meal without temper tantrums and crying – from either the child or parent!

1. The first thing you need to do is be a good example. Young children have a strong impulse to emulate. Don’t expect your child to munch on a carrot while you munch on potato chips. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tips Tagged With: children, children eating habits, food habits, good eating habits, healthy eating, healthy food habits, kids, kids eating habits, nutrition, parenting, parenting advice, parenting tips

What Determines A Child’s Personality

December 26, 2012 By A Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

(Written by Heather Nosworth) Every child is born with certain traits that will help to determine his or her personality down the road. Some kids are negative, some are pleasant and flexible, and some are tough to figure out.

Understanding exactly what your child’s personality type is can help keep your life from becoming battle after battle with your child.

Personality Types: A Quick Guide

There are almost as many personality types floating around as there are theoretical psychologists. In the early days of personality research, Hippocrates suggested there were four basic personalities: Choleric, Sanguine, Melancholy, and Phlegmatic.

Later, the idea of Type A and Type B personalities were developed. The idea here is that achievement-oriented individuals are typically Type A personalities while the creative types fall into the Type B category.

While much work has been done to help flesh out the differences in personality types, including the Myers-Briggs research that helps to define sixteen different personality types, the reality is that your child will probably fall into one of four different categories. One of these lists probably defines your child quite well: [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Advice Tagged With: child development, Child's Personality, children, family, kids, parenting, parenting advice

Why It’s So Important For Children To Be Active

November 9, 2012 By A Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

(Posted by a Guest Blogger, Eilidh MacRae) As a parent I’m sure almost all of you know the difficulty caused by trying to keep your children active. In this day and age it is just too easy to let them sit in front of the TV all day or on the computer. There are so many benefits for children through playing sport and keeping active. Now is the time to try and instil this healthy habit into your children to help them stay healthy in their adult lives.

What Are The Benefits?

Lifelong habits develop during childhood, such as eating and exercise habits. Introducing exercise as a normal way of life and something that must be done regularly will encourage your children to continue with this habit in their adult lives. It also helps them maintain a healthy weight as a child, making maintaining a healthy weight as an adult easier too. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Advice Tagged With: activities for kids, children, childrens activities, fitness, health, health and fitness, sport, sports, sports and leisure

Treat Your Children to A Disney Halloween

September 26, 2012 By A Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

Treat Your Children to A Disney Halloween

(Posted by a Guest Blogger, Mercedes Potter) If you’re looking for a great way to make this Halloween special for the whole family, consider making the trip to Disney World for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

This is a special event at Magic Kingdom Park, and since it is off season, it’s a great time to stay at one of the renowned Orlando resorts. The party starts on September 11th and lasts every night until November 2nd, so you can plan your trip when it’s convenient for you.

All of Mickey’s party guests are invited to wear their favorite costume, no matter what it is. Adults can also take their kids trick or treating safely in the park to collect candy.

All of the Disney characters will be there, even the villains, for this special event. Watching your child meeting their favorite character is sure to be a memorable experience for everyone in the family. While you may see many people dressed as Mickey Mouse for Halloween in your own neighborhood, it’s not every Halloween that your kids get to see the real thing! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tips Tagged With: children, disney channel halloween, disney costumes, disney halloween costumes, disney halloween costumes for kids, disney world, halloween, kids, orlando resorts

Back To School – Tips For Parents And Kids

September 17, 2012 By A Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

(Posted by a Guest Blogger, Liz Strawford in UK) It’s that time of year again- the summer air is starting to cool, there is a crispness creeping into the mornings and soon the leaves will be beginning to change colour. If you have children, that can only mean one thing – back to school time!

After a busy summer, perhaps filled with holidays or plenty out days out to keep the kids entertained, it might be a relief for you that they will be back into a normal routine. However, the kids are likely to be less excited that their summer of fun is over. Here are some ways to make the transition slightly more enjoyable for everyone.

Thinking About Going Back

Kids: There are going to be lots of fun activities to keep you busy at school, which will also help you learn. Have fun until then by doing plenty of colouring, painting and baking with Mom and Dad. Don’t forget about playtime at school too – why not practice football, skipping rope games and hopscotch so that you can show off your skills to your friends? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Tips Tagged With: back to school, back to school stress, children, childrens activities, family, family activities, funny stories

The Importance Of Play In Children’s Development

August 29, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

There are few things in life more enchanting than watching a small child chat away to an imaginary friend, race their pedal cars around the garden or create their own magical world out of Lego.

But whilst watching children of all ages enjoy themselves is every parent’s delight, play actually serves a very important purpose in their development. And depriving children of the ability to relax and play can be a barrier to them reaching their full potential.

It isn’t just humans

Play is not just crucial for humans, it also plays a vital role in the animal kingdom too. Whilst you are unlikely to see a lion focussed on a Lego tower any time soon, their cubs nevertheless have their own way of playing.

The sight of a puppy chasing its own tail is really rather comical whilst a kitten batting at a ball of wool is just endearing. However, these are all ways which animals practice their skills indirectly and learn the limits of their own body. Research in animals has also shown that brain connections develop rapidly during periods of play and experts believe the same process occurs in humans.

Play isn’t a waste of time

It is easy to dismiss play as a frivolous waste of time and encourage children to pursue more meaningful endeavours. Whilst educational play, such as flash cards, have their place, it is also crucial to allow the child to organise their leisure time as it allows them to develop a number of interpersonal skills which are difficult to attain elsewhere.

When a child decides what they are going to play with and how the game will go, he or she is using her imagination and experiencing what it is like to be in charge. In every other aspect of their life, children have few choices so play provides them with the freedom to build their self esteem and experiment in a way which is comfortable for them.

It is particularly helpful to encourage your child to explore their creativity by providing them with supplies which don’t directly tell them how to play. Cardboard boxes, dressing up clothes and craft materials are all great tools – and you could well be surprised what your child comes up with!

The Importance Of Play In Childrens Development [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting Advice Tagged With: child development, children, family, importance of games, importance of play, Kids Playroom Ideas, Learn Through Play, learning through play, play, play and development, Playroom Design Ideas, playroom ideas, playrooms, symbolic play

Top 5 Baby Names From The World of Sport

July 27, 2012 By A Guest Blogger Leave a Comment

(Posted by a Guest Blogger, Rhian Brighton) Much like the world of pop, the world of sport and in particular football has given birth to some rather peculiar names. Whether this has something to do with the continuation of celebrity status, creating a young star out of the unforgettable named baby, or purely to give their children a name so different that it could almost be copywrited, here we have a shortlist of some of the best names from the world of sport. All of these names are of course a matter or personal preference, some may absolutely love the names that their favourite sport star has called their child, others may wonder what they were thinking but in the end it all leads up to what we consider the top five baby names from the world of sport.

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