A Parent's Guide To Early Childhood Education
More and more children under the age of six are now in school. The sweeping social, economic, and technological changes of the last decade have made school an increasingly important part of our childrens lives at ever-younger ages. We no longer see early childhood schools as the luxury our parents once did. For many parents it has become a necessity. As our society has become ever-more complex and our lives more fragmented, our needs and expectations for school have grown accordingly. We...
Boosting Your Childs Development
As your child's first and most important teacher, you will lay the foundation for all of his or her future learning. The things you can do to improve your child's chances of being happy, smart, and successful are simple and enjoyable-and many parents have always done them instinctively. For example, just talking to your child can increase his or her intelligence and improve his or her ability to learn language, to think, and, eventually, to do well in school. The most important things you can...
Changing Your Baby's Diaper
There are many different brands and types of disposable and cloth diapers. No matter which type you use, change them as soon as they are wet or soiled to avoid diaper rash. If you use cloth diapers, you might want to try diaper wraps, which are pieces of fabric shaped like disposable diapers that fit over a cloth diaper. Diaper wraps fasten with plastic hook and loop closures, eliminating the need for pins and rubber pants. Although most cloth diapers are pre-folded, you may need to fold them...
Children And Step Families
When a dating relationship turns serious and you make plans for marriage, you also face the prospect of forming a stepfamily. You may also be moving from single parenthood into step parenthood as well if your new spouse has his or her own children. A step- or blended family has its own set of unique advantages and problems and a stepparent enters into a new relationship with a child that is similar to yet greatly different from that of a parent. And, even though blended families are becoming...
Choosing A Baby Sitter For Your Child
Many parents prefer to choose a baby-sitter or nanny to care for their child if he or she is under age 3. This option can be the most convenient, because the caregiver comes to your home. Your child will also be in a familiar environment and will avoid exposure to colds and other infections from other children. Hiring a nanny is one of the most expensive child-care arrangements, but the biggest difficulty is finding a reliable, well-qualified person. Because in-home care is not regulated in...
Choosing A Day Care Center And Preschool For Your Child
Day-care centers-which are often called child-care centers, nursery schools, or early learning centers-can be operated by churches, schools, universities, social service agencies, the federal government (Early Head Start and Head Start), independent chains, and employers. Day-care centers care for children of all ages, although most are between ages 3 and 6. A major advantage of daycare centers is that parents don't have to worry about a particular caregiver's illness or vacation because...
Choosing A Day Care Home For Your Child
Many parents choose day-care homes for children under ages 3. This type of day care takes place in the home of the caregiver, who looks after a number of children, sometimes including his or her own. The children may be of different ages. Many parents prefer day-care homes to day-care centers because the atmosphere is more like home and their child has one consistent caregiver who is more likely to give individual attention. This situation generally offers more flexible hours than a center; a...
Discipline Strategies
Children need help to live within the limits you've established. Consequences that help your child understand his behavior and learn to control himself work best, beginning in toddler hood.
Young toddlers, kids from age 1 to 2, often need only consistent verbal reminders to discontinue a misbehavior or to follow a preferred behavior. Often, a firm, "No," along with a change of scene, is all it takes to get a toddler to understand what is expected. For instance, the 1-year-old who tosses sand...
Easing Your Preschooler's Fear Of Separation
Even children who have been used to being cared for by others may, as they enter school, develop a fear of being apart from their parents. Once again, this reaction is not necessarily a sign of regression but can be due to their increased awareness of the world's dangers. Children who have recently undergone major changes in their lives, such as the birth of a sibling or a move, may become even more clingy as they adjust to the change. Some of the ways you can help your preschool child deal...
Educational Toys By Age Group
Childhood is almost synonymous with toys. We grew up with them and now our children find joy and even education in the plethora of toys available in the market. Today, toys are customized for different age groups. Amongst them, educational toys stand out as a beacon. Apart from being a fun way to make your child learn, these toys are configured to teach a particular subject or skill. Educational toys are a creative way to encourage and promote learning through innovation!
Beating the...
Getting Your Child Ready For Preschool
When the time is right for your child to begin a nursery or preschool program, you want him to be ready. How can you help your child prepare? Put away the workbooks-there are no academic skills necessary for entering preschool. But that doesn't mean you can't help your child prepare for this experience in other ways.
Being part of a larger group takes some getting used to for children who are accustomed to being the center of your attention. You can help your child learn how to be social by...
Great Toy Gift Ideas For Kids
Buying gifts is tricky business. When you couple that with buying gifts for kids, it only gets more complicated. But this article should give you a couple of tricks to ease the process.
There is a wide range of toys available in the market. That's a fact. However, you cannot pull the first toy that you see on the shelf as it may not be age specific nor of any interest or value to the child. Therefore there are a couple of factors to be kept in mind before you make your choice.
When looking...
Guiding Your Child Through Teenage Years
Preteens and teens face numerous choices and decisions as they learn to become independent and express their individuality-often by exploring different clothes, hairstyles, friends, music, hobbies, religions, political issues, and social causes. They have an innate need to find things out for themselves-to test their feelings and ideas about life. They may reject their parents' values and challenge their rules, often pushing the limits placed on them by adults and society.
Teenagers change...
Helping Your Child Resist Cigarettes, Alcohol And Other Drugs
Drug use occurs among children of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. American children are bombarded by messages that subtly and often not-so-subtly encourage the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs. The most effective way to reduce your child's risk of using drugs is to be a good role model. Children get confused when they are presented with anti drug education and prevention programs in school but witness use of these substances at home. Children whose parents use alcohol...
Helping Your Child To Read And Write
In many elementary classrooms, opportunities to write more than a few sentences at a time are infrequent, so it is critical that you create an environment that encourages writing at home. Several elements need to be present. First, make sure there are plenty of pencils, pens, and paper around the house. If you have a computer, give your child access to its word processing program (or purchase a program designed for youngsters). If possible, give your child his own table or desk where he can...
Insurance And Financial Issues You May Encounter While Raising Your Child
Millions of Americans lack private or public health insurance for at least part of each year, and the number of uninsured continues to grow. Children under the age of 18 make up a large percentage of the uninsured, even though their parents work. Many families who do have health insurance face high out-of-pocket expenses for deductions and co-payments. Also they may have to pay for medical services that are not covered with the health insurance provider. Families with children who have special...
Leaving Your Child At Home Alone
An estimated 5 to 7 million American school-age children go home to an empty house after school and fend for themselves. Some people say that being alone promotes responsibility and independence; others argue that the lack of supervision fosters delinquent behavior and hampers emotional and social growth. It's impossible to make a general statement about when a child can be left home alone safely. Usually children are not mature enough to be considered for self-care until they are 11 or 12....
Looking For A Good Preschool For Your Child
The first rule of looking for a preschool is to start early. There are lots of other parents like you, trying to locate the best people to look and watch over their children. The supply of excellent preschools is limited. The best programs may have waiting lists, even selected admissions, so do not delay.
Naturally, you all have to consider some practical matters: must the preschool be near your home or workplace? How much time will I have to transport my child to and from preschool? How much...
Parent Tips For An Infant Ready To Walk
A child will begin to walk typically as soon as he's developmentally able to. For some children this will be at nine months; for others, eighteen months. The age at which a healthy child walks has no effect on or connection with his intelligence, yet parents often feel pressure if their child is a late walker. Friends and relatives may ask, "Are you sure he's all right? Why isn't he walking yet?" or say, "My daughter was walking when she as ten months old and your child's already seventeen...
Perfect Toys For Kids
You must be relieved that your child is just out of toddler-hood. Welcome to the `pre-teens'! It's a whole new ball game. So get ready to meet its challenges head on. `Pre-teens' is a time when your child wants to know more about the world around. At this stage in life, education gains paramount importance and competition is rife.
Though you may not want to accept it, your child is growing up. His/her needs are changing. You would need to recognize and keep up with what the child requires at...
Raising Siblings
Adjusting to life as a sibling is never without stress for a young child who has to learn to share his parents with a squirming, screaming stranger. Instead of the happy event that the birth of a second child signals to the parents, a first-born can be downright traumatized by the arrival of a sibling. Many child-development experts have described the impact of a new baby on the first-born as akin to how you would feel if your spouse suddenly announced that he likes being a husband so much...
Reducing Your Childs Risk Of Sids (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) is the death of an apparently healthy infant under 1 year of age (usually 6 months or younger) for which no cause can be found. Although there is no way to predict or prevent SIDS, you can substantially reduce your child's risk by always placing him or her to sleep on his or her back instead of the stomach. It's OK to place your child on his or her back even after a feeding. This will not increase the risk of the baby breathing in spit-up food. Placing your...
Toys That Improve Childrens Communication Skills
A baby begins to communicate right from the womb. It may be just a few kicks in every direction but it is a way of saying `Yes, I'm here'! When a child is born, parents wait for the baby's first words. There are many ways in which parents can enhance a child's communication skills from early childhood.
Communication is a very important aspect of our lives. Children will good communication skills stand to gain in school and even later in life. It is a wise parent that opts for toys that...
Why Your Child May Not Talk To You
"How was school today?" "Good." "What'd you do?" "Nothing." sound familiar? Sometimes it's tough to get children to talk about their day, and even the most persistent parent may give up after the third or fourth one- or two-word answer. Through a parent's eyes, the child may seem just not interested or even bothered by the same old daily questions. Readers might be surprised to find out what it's like from the child's perspective, which is the purpose of this chapter. The central premise is...
Your Child And Sibling Relationships
The arrival of a new baby can be difficult for an older sibling who now has to share his or her parents with another child. You can minimize your child's insecurity by encouraging him or her to help you care for the baby. A child who is 5 or 6 years old can learn to hold, feed, comfort, and play with an infant. As the baby grows and develops, he or she will look to the older child as a model.
Whenever a new child enters the family, he or she changes the dynamics of the family and the...
Your Child's Early Learning Years
Though all of childhood is an exciting learning experience, the beginning of formal education whether a part-time nursery school program or a full day of kindergarten-is a momentous occasion. The best preparation is emotional in nature. The child who feels secure and loved and who has had experiences with developing positive relationships with adults and other children is well equipped to venture forth.
Nursery school and preschool are educational environments for preschoolers from age 2% to...
Your Child's Rights
Since the 1 970s, numerous federal and state laws have been passed to ensure that children with chronic illnesses or disabilities have the same educational and developmental opportunities as other children. Many states have initiated programs to identify children with disabilities at a young age to help minimize developmental delays and reduce the long-term dependency that could other wise afflict a special-needs child.
Children with a chronic illness or disability deserve to live with their...
Your Child's Temper Tantrums
It's important at this point to remember that defiance generally comes from his feeling powerless over what happens in his world. Often, it helps to say calmly that you can't talk to him or do anything for him when he uses certain words or a certain tone of voice. By helping him see that he will have more control by using different words and tone, you will find his defiance lessening.
Destructive behavior Young children cannot be expected to handle others' possessions with great care and...
Your Toddler And Sexuality
Children develop their basic attitudes about sexuality during their early years, beginning at birth-from the way they are touched, caressed, cuddled, and cared for. As you hold and touch your baby, you are communicating and expressing love and acceptance and showing your baby how special he or she is. Toddlers are keen observers of how family members show affection for each other-and they quickly learn what is OK to do and what is not OK. Between ages 2 and 3, children become aware of being a...
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