Child

Understanding the 4 Child Development Stages

May 15, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The stages of child development can help you track your child’s progress in major areas. While these stages can vary depending on the age of your child, they may be placed into four major stages. Here is some information and advice on the stages:

Physical: This is highly dependent on the age of your child, and there may be differences individually. Ensure that your child eats a healthy diet, including fruits, vegetables, and other important food groups.
Motor Development: Fine and major motor skills are important. Use activities that will help promote these areas. Coloring, cutting, and writing are three important examples that can be found in this major development stage.
Language: Vocabulary and forming sentences will hopefully grow as your child ages. Work on building your child’s vocabulary and working on important aspects. For instance, many preschool and “older” (relatively) children have trouble with past/present tenses in speech.
Social and Emotional: This broad category will enable your child to interact with others, and encompasses emotional issues that appear in childhood. Do your best to understand difficulties to work on in this area.

Look for activities and toys to help your child. For instance, your child may be unwilling to share her favorite doll shoes and clothes with others. Items like this, such as sharing and emotional concepts, can be a common sight with children.

Stay in close contact with any applicable caretakers. With a positive and careful approach you can do your best for your child in these incredibly important areas.

An Understanding About Child Development Stages

May 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Image via Wikipedia

What child development stage is your child in? And what can you expect from that stage? Realistic expectations of your child in a particular stage will not only relieve your mind but will allow you to further develop your child within the specific area.

Here’s what to expect:

1. In the Sensorimotor Stage (0-24 months) expect that your child will only be thinking of him/herself. Your child is at the center of the universe and they will be interested in exploring objects and what they do. Think color, shape, and sound when you consider toys for your baby.

2. At the Preoperational Stage (2-7 years) you’re growing child will be surprised to learn that cars really don’t have brains and that they can’t think for themselves or feel bad if they get hurt. The way your child thinks is the way everyone else thinks; the way they play is the way everyone else plays, etc. Consider playing up imagination; give your child opportunities to draw and color. Give them opportunities to learn through variation in play.

3. Between (7-11 years) you’re pre-teen is at the Concrete Operational Stage. This means he/she is interested is shifting into adult thought and action. Interest from self is directed to others. Service is “key” during this stage. Helping someone out will be fun for your child.

4. At the Formal Operational Stage (11-15 years) reasoning increases; including the ability to reason without comparing his/her reasoning to something happening in the world. Questions asked can bring up fantastic, thought provoking answers. Make writing, reading and discussion important.

Filed Under: Teen Development Tagged With: Child, Child development, Piaget's theory of cognitive development

The Importance of Children’s Literacy

April 17, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Those who are truly interested in helping their children reach their fullest potential in life need to start the minute their kids are born. Actually, you can begin before your children are born. “Great”, you say, but what do you do? You focus on raising literate children. Obviously, to do this you have to actually read to your little ones. Studies have shown that unborn babies have the ability to hear their mother’s voices while still in the womb, which means that reading to unborn babies will not only create a stronger bond between mother and child, but will also improve the chances of raising literate children.

Sadly, there are many children whose families can’t afford reading materials for them. However, there are many ways in which you can help promote children’s literacy. You can do this by donating to charities that give new books to underprivileged children such as First Book and Lima Junior Service League. You and your children can directly make a difference by donating books that your family no longer reads. If you are looking for something unique to do, donate a car with Kars 4 Kids to help with child literacy expenses.

Reading to young children helps them develop their language and comprehension skills as they’re constantly being exposed to new words. Children who have parents who read to them on a regular basis have been shown to do better academically in school than those who didn’t receive this. Playing reading games with your kids or rewarding them for every book they read are great ways to encourage your children to continue reading.

Filed Under: Teen Development Tagged With: Child, First Book, Literacy

Insight Into Your Child’s Mind

March 26, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Being a child and being a mother are two completely different roles. We were all young at one point in our lives and probably remember what it was like before we were on our own, before we became a mother. Now, looking at our children, we can’t seem to understand their behavior. If you look back on your childhood, it may help you see into the reasoning behind your child’s behavior.

Many people act the same in certain situations. True, we all react slightly differently, but chances are, your child will react similar to you in different situations. You can use your knowledge of your past to your advantage.

We may not enjoy looking back on our past, but sometimes, if we want to understand our children, this is necessary. The situations they go through will be similar to ours. If we can remember how we were at our child’s age, we may learn to understand them better, to not unnecessarily punish them.

If you can’t remember what you were like, you may want to interview your parents. Ask them what you were like at your child’s age and how they dealt with it and if they understood you. If they have scrapbooks, journals, or other evidence of your childhood, you may want to look through them to help you remember your childhood.

It’s difficult to understand our children, especially when they hit their teens, but when we look back on how we were at their age, we may understand them just a little bit more and lighten up. We know that they just want to have fun, and, if you can remember your childhood, you may want to respect that.

Filed Under: Teen Development Tagged With: Child, Childhood, Understanding

Preparing for Motherhood

March 19, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There is a lot of preparation that goes into becoming a mom. Just because you have a baby doesn’t mean you can become a mom. Being a mom is almost an art. It takes talent and skill. You can begin preparing for becoming a mom before you are even pregnant with your first child.

If you are going to become a parent, it is a lot easier when you are settled down before you become pregnant. Find a place to live and a steady job before you try for your first child. Make sure that you have a steady income to be able to take care of your child. Make sure your life is easy for you at the time before you try to get pregnant. A child is a lot of work and you have to know that you can handle it.

Know what type of mother you want to be. Take note of the women around you that are mothers. Know how you want to treat your children and how you aren’t going to treat them. If you set these goals now, you will be able to follow them once you have your first child.

Once you become pregnant, prepare for the coming of your child by making a room for them, buying necessary items, and know what to do before they arrive. It’s always good to take classes for your first child so that you can prepare before they arrive.

It takes a lot of preparation to have a child, but even more to become a mom. Learn what you can do to give your child the best life. Being a mom takes years of preparation, not just nine months.

Filed Under: Family Support, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Mother, Parent

How to Brighten Your Child’s Day

March 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

There are a thousand things that can go wrong in your child’s day. What if they trip getting on the bus? What if they get bullied during recess? What if they get sick during school? What if they just have a bad day? You may worry about your child a lot and count how many things could go wrong in one day, but there are plenty of things you can do to help may your child’s day just a little bit better.

Be there before they leave for school and help them get ready. You can help by making sure they have all their homework together, helping them not forget anything, and even cooking them breakfast. Even if your child is old enough to make their own breakfast, it will save them time if you are able to make breakfast for them before they leave for school.

Leave them notes in their backpacks or pockets. This way, when they find it, they will at least crack a smile knowing you are thinking of them. It’s always nice to receive an unexpected note from someone who you know loves you.

Talk to them when they get home from school and you get home from work. Make sure they had a good day, and if they didn’t, try to spend a little extra time with them to help them feel better. You can do anything with them, just try to spend time with them.

It is hard to brighten your child’s day when you can’t be there all the time either because you need to work or they have to go to school or for both reasons. Try the subtle things to help brighten their day.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Breakfast, Child, Overtime (sports), Parent

Time to Yourself

March 5, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

As a mother, it is difficult to juggle your time between your children’s activities, work, and time for yourself. Once you become a mother, you don’t have the time that you used to have. Your children require much of your attention, but it’s okay to take a few hours a week for yourself.

If you need a break, try to set time aside for you and your husband to go out on a date every now and then. This doesn’t have to be that often, but it will give you both time to relax. You don’t have to take a long date, either. Just a few hours will give you time to talk to each other. Hire a babysitter for a few hours while you and your husband are out so you don’t have to worry about your children while you’re on your date.

Relax for a few hours watching a movie. It’s okay to take an hour or two every Friday night to have time to yourself in order to relax. Find a movie that you will enjoy and have fun with it. You may want to wait until your children are asleep so that you can have freedom while watching your movie.

Don’t be afraid to take a girl’s night out. Have someone watch your children for a few hours while you spend some time with your friends. You can do whatever you want, but try to do an activity that is relaxing and will get your mind off other things.

Everyone needs some time to himself or herself every once in a while. Just because your children need so much of your attention doesn’t mean that you have to stop giving yourself attention. There are plenty of other activities that you can do to relax. Find something that you enjoy doing and spend a few hours doing it.

Filed Under: Family Support Tagged With: Child, Every Friday, Parent

How a New Relationship Can Benefit Both You and Your Children

March 3, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

Life as a single parent can be difficult, as the dating process itself is time-consuming and often challenging. As a single mother or father, the process of finding a partner can almost seem impossible. Your children are your priority, and you may have concerns over how your children will deal with you seeing other people.

This is especially more challenging if your children are older. Putting yourself back out there is intimidating enough without worrying about your children. However, there’s good news: your relationship with a new partner can be beneficial for your children.

Most single parents are single because they left a bad relationship. Others are widowed, making the dating process even more emotional. It is wrong to assume that you shouldn’t date because of your children. Face it; your children will grow up quickly and start to date, too.

While you are seeing other people, you can potentially set a good example as far as how the relationship process should work. It is a good thing to be in a healthy relationship, and your children can pick up on this and make sound decisions in the future.

It is vital that you maintain discretion, particularly when the relationship is new. A young child will have difficulty understanding that Mom or Dad is holding hands with someone new and hugging other people. The situation becomes more confusing if a particular date does not progress into a relationship.

The cuddling stage is more appropriate as your relationship progresses; but keep your child’s feelings in mind. With that being said, this doesn’t mean you should make-out in front of your children or let them know about the intimate details of your relationships.

To ensure that you enjoy the social life while sparing your children’s feelings, you should remain open about who you are seeing and why. As your relationship blossoms, involve your children by having group activities so they can get to know your new partner.

Filed Under: Parenting, Teen Development Tagged With: Child, Mother, Single-parent

Finding the Best Life Insurance Plans

February 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It’s very important that all parents have life insurance, so that their children will be financially protected if the parent should pass away. When you’re ready to find life insurance to protect your children and family in the event of your death, there are several ways you can accomplish that. One of the easiest, best, and most convenient is to use the Internet to find quotes. It’s fast, and you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home. You can get quotes anytime, day or night, so you can fit it into your schedule and be sure that it gets done. Don’t neglect it, because your children are counting on you to take care of them.

When you get an online insurance quote, you’ll have all of the information you need to compare that quote and the accompanying policy with what other companies are offering you. You don’t want to assume that every company is the same in price and in coverage, because that’s definitely not the case. There are plenty of differences in coverage, and some companies charge more for the same thing that you can get for less at other companies. It’s a good idea to choose a company that you’ve heard of and/or that has a good reputation, but you don’t have to choose the most expensive option in order to get good life insurance coverage.

Be sure you take the time to find out how the insurance works, what exclusions it has, and how much it will pay out. If you don’t pay close attention to that, you could end up with a serious problem in that you won’t have the right coverage if something happens to you. At that point, it’s far too late for your family to make changes, and they will be stuck, possibly without any coverage for your death expenses. Be sure you know what you’re getting when you buy a life insurance policy.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Insurance, Insurance policy

Your Child’s First Sleepover

February 12, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

It’s natural to be scared of your child’s first sleepover. This is the first night they haven’t slept in the same building as you since — literally — the day they were born. There are probably many questions and worries going through your head. You may just be nervous about the fact that you know they won’t be in their bed that night. What can you do to make sure your child is safe and feel a little better about their first sleepover?

Talk to the parents of the child hosting the sleepover. Most people already know the parents of their child’s first sleepover friend. Children begin sleeping over at friend’s houses at a young age, and usually your friends children are your child’s friend. But if you don’t know the parents, you should meet them first.

Once you talk to the parents, you should be a little bit more comfortable allowing your child to go over to this person’s house. Talk to the parent about what the children will be doing and if they will have adult supervision. If you are uncertain about the parents, you may not want your child spending the night at their house and should consider declining the offer.

Many children get homesick their first night away from home and want to come home. Make sure you leave a number so that you can be reached if your child wants to come home or if they get injured, etc.

Make sure your child is equip with all their sleepover essentials such as their sleeping bag, toothbrush, clean socks and underwear, pajamas, etc. Help them pack before they go so they don’t forget anything. Don’t forget to pack their favorite teddy bear or blanket if they have one.

After the sleepover, talk to the parents once again. Make sure your child had fun in case they are every invited over again.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Bernard Waber, Child, Sleepover