Thinking of daily school snacks for kids can be a challenging task. Kids can easily get bored with the same type of snacks. To make snacks more appealing to kids, avoid repetition.
If you give your child pastries today, don’t give him pastries again the following day. Perhaps you can prepare a pasta dish (macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, lasagna, etc.) for your child the following day. Make your kid’s favorite sandwich on another day. For little kids, you can add a little fun to their sandwiches by using big cookie cutters to form cute sandwiches. Other snack suggestions that you can serve during the week are cookies, biscuits, fresh fruits and rice toppings.
Most of the kids are already enjoying their summer vacation. Television and video games are probably part of the kids’ routine nowadays. Instead of letting your children watch too much TV, why not let them do some educational activities at home? You can buy activity books suited for your child’s age. I bought my son a Spelling and Writing workbook and a Scissor Skills workbook. The first one will enhance his spelling skills and help improve his penmanship. The other book will help him practice cutting with scissors. You can also let your kids do some arts and crafts like drawing and painting.
Always keep the channels of communication at home open. If a child feels comfortable in sharing his thoughts and confiding his feelings to his parents, it creates a harmonious atmosphere at home. Taking time to genuinely listen to one another fosters honesty, respect and trust.
Remember that each day, your attitude shapes and molds your children. Your children see your attitude as a guideline which can greatly influence or mold their character and conduct as they grow older. Mold your children into individuals with good moral conduct by being one yourself.
I’m sure many parents with young children are bombarded with dozens and perhaps hundreds of questions almost everyday. Topic can be be so diverse. A child can be curious about an insect and in a few minutes his attention will turn towards the sky. There are times that we become too preoccupied with adult activities and responsibilities that we tend to consider our child’s question as petty and unimportant. However, we should realize that to our child that question is important. Taking time to answer our child’s question will have great long term benefits. Some things may be too complicated for a child to grasp yet. Just remember to answer your child geared towards his age and understanding. A child will appreciate the time you give him.
Let your child show his creativity through arts and crafts. Let your child draw freely on blank pieces of paper. Give your child paper, pencil, eraser and drawing materials (make sure they are non-toxic) such as crayons, colored pencils and colored pens. Closely supervise children 3 years old and below.
I love watching my son draw different kinds of pictures. He often loves drawing things he sees on TV. When he watched a cartoon program with a dragon, he was inspired to draw his own dragon. Below is Yohan’s drawing of a dragon.
Take time to celebrate small and big developmental milestones in your child’s life. Celebration can simply mean an action showing happiness or appreciation of a child’s accomplishments. It can be a form of verbal praise, a kiss, an embrace or a simple token of appreciation. Be careful of giving a child too many material rewards. Instead, try to focus more on verbal and physical actions.
From ages 0 to 2 years old, a child learns to explore his surroundings. The child begins to use his sense of touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. This is often the stage when the baby usually puts things inside his mouth as a way of learning. Parents should be extra careful during this stage. Parents or other caregivers at home should be extra attentive during this stage. 
Make sure the baby’s area is always kept sanitized and watch out for foreign objects that the baby might swallow accidentally.
Toddlers become curious about many things and puts his fingers or hands in peculiar places and sometimes dangerous places like holes or electrical sockets. It is best to keep dangerous objects out of harm’s way especially medicines, chemicals, laundry detergents, matches, lighters, etc. I strongly advise to put plastic covers on your electrical sockets to avoid any untoward incidents. Necessary precautions can help save your child’s life.
It is important for every home to have a basic First Aid Kit. It should be stored in places that are out of children’s reach but easily accessible for adults.
Here are the contents of my First Aid Kit at home:
- Hydrogen Peroxide (agua oxinada)
- Betadine Antiseptic
- Alcohol
- Band Aid Strips
- Gauze Pads
- Medical Tape
- Cotton Balls
- Cotton Buds
- Small Scissors
- Tweezers
- Thermometer
- Burnt Ointment
- Bactroban Ointment (antibiotic cream)
- Calamine Lotion
- Antiseptic Wipes
- Disposable Cold Pack
- Paracetamol, Analgesic, Antihistamine, Ibuprofen and Loperamide medicines
It is also advisable to bring a First Aid Kit during trips. First Aid Supplies are best placed in durable, easy to carry and simple to open containers such as a tackle box.
Parents should learn to accept and respect every child’s uniqueness. Children can show signs of excellence and increased interest in a particular subject than others.
Some children are linguistic learners while others excel as logical learners. Some children are more inclined as musical learners and others rely on their skilled motor skills making them kinesthetic learners. Spatial learners show high interest in creating things and naturalistic learners have great interest on outdoor activities. There are children who make good leaders because of their interpersonal skills. Children with high intrapersonal characteristics have strong sense of what is right or wrong.
Discover what aspect your child is more inclined to excel and learn how to develop and nurture that side of him.
