7 Ways To Create A Wonderful Home Environment For Your Kids

 If you’re a parent, one of your biggest concerns will likely be creating an environment for your kids in which they can thrive. Adults often look back over their time at home as kids, but it’s down to you as to whether they reminisce positively or negatively. Below, we have 7 ways to create a wonderful home environment for your kids that will make it fun and memorable for all of the right reasons! 

1. Use Chalkboard Paint 

Using chalkboard paint, perhaps in their rooms or in a playroom, gives them a huge wall to get creative. Kids drawing on walls without chalkboard paint isn't unheard of, but this allows them to do it without ruining the wall! They can draw, make notes, and even write up a little schedule for the day, for it to be wiped off ready for the next day. It can be a good way to have fun and stay focused! 

2. Let Your Kids Have A Say Over Their Bedrooms 

Letting your kids have some say in their bedrooms gives them a little more responsibility, and also helps them to feel like their space is truly ‘theirs’. You could perhaps even let them help make decisions about other parts of the home, such as giving them a couple of paint choices to help you narrow down. Giving them more responsibility over the house makes them more likely to treat it with respect. 

3. Become More Mindful Of The Words You Use 

Becoming mindful of the words you use can have a big impact on your kids. Using positive language can go a long way to making them optimists with can-do attitudes. Mindset is everything in life, and doing this while your kids are young can help them in so many ways. Make sure you pay close attention to the way you praise them, too. Praising kids for their effort, rather than the finished result can go a long way and help them to see that practice makes perfect. The last thing you want is for them to grow up as perfectionists, avoiding any task that they aren't immediately amazing at. 

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4. Make Sure It’s Safe and Comfortable 

Your home should be safe and comfortable for kids - this could mean childproofing it to a degree, as well as quickly sorting out any AC humidity problems. You may also want to install alarm systems and CCTV for peace of mind. 

5. Model The Behaviour You Want To See

Kids will copy what you do, no matter what you tell them. Make sure you're modeling the behavior that you would like to see! 

6. Eat One Meal Together Each Day 

Eating one meal together as a family each day, whether breakfast, lunch, or dinner, can help to bring you closer as a family. Not only that, there are many other benefits. Studies have shown that kids who regularly eat with their families are less likely to succumb to peer pressure and more likely to do well in school. 

7. Avoid Technology In Certain Rooms 

Try to have rooms without technology, especially bedrooms. We need technology to live these days, but don’t allow your kids to become addicts! 

Healthy Development: The Medical Professionals A Baby Should See In Year One

 

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The first year of a person’s life is always one of their most important. This is the start of their development, making it have an impact on them throughout the rest of their lives. Of course, most new parents are well aware of this and will work hard to make sure that they are giving their children what they need to develop healthily. This process involves seeing a range of medical professionals, but who exactly should your baby be seeing in their first year on Earth? Let’s take a look.

Pediatrician

Pediatrics is a field of medicine that involves working with infants, toddlers, and young children. Doctors in this field are experts on infant development, making them a great place to go when you want to make sure that your baby is growing well. Seeing a doctor like this within the first 6 months of your baby’s life is a good idea, with at least one follow-up visit by the time they are one year old. Of course, your baby should also see a doctor like this if they seem to be unwell, but this is something that you will easily be able to see once you have had your baby at home for a week or two.

Doctor of Audiology

Hearing is one of the hardest senses to measure, especially when it comes to babies. Many of the most accurate audiology testing methods involve the patient giving responses, and it can be hard to tell whether or not a baby is reacting to sounds. Seeing a doctor of audiology within the first year of a baby’s life can be a good way to ensure that they don’t have any hearing problems that could stunt their development of language. Many regular doctors can perform basic hearing tests, but they will refer you to a specialist if they feel that your baby needs a closer look from an expert.

Dentist

Babies aren’t born with teeth, with a liquid diet sustaining them for their first few months. Their first set of teeth will start to emerge between the age of 6-months and a year, making this a good time to see a dentist. Teething can be a painful process, but this will be much more painful if there are additional problems in your baby’s mouth, and it can be hard to tell if these problems exist without an expert’s view. Taking a baby to this sort of appointment can be hard, but you can be there to comfort them as the doctor looks at their teeth. Thankfully, many dental issues can be solved entirely when they are caught nice and early.

Ensuring that your child develops as well as they can is easier than ever before. Not only do you have access to loads of different medical professionals, but you can also learn a lot around the web when you are trying to find new ways to approach this. There will still be more work to do once the first year is through, but this will only get easier for you.

Helping Your Kids Through the Pandemic

 

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We’re still in the midst of a pandemic and many of us are starting to consider how we can make this time as easy on our kids as possible. Here are a few suggestions that should help you to provide them with the best and to keep a smile on their faces!

Education

Many of us are finding that our main concern for our children during this pandemic is their education. At the end of the day, they’d usually be in school every weekday learning all the things they need to advance. But while many schools are closed, the responsibility of teaching has fallen harder on parents’ shoulders. While there may be video classes for little ones, many are finding that they want to educate their kids further. Try getting in touch with their school to find out the curriculum they would usually be studying or consider an online christian homeschool curriculum. Just make sure not to put pressure on yourself. All kids are in the same situation and all kids will be able to catch up together when schools reopen and teaching and learning recommence as usual.

Keeping Them Occupied

Of course, learning shouldn’t be the only thing your kids are doing at home. In usual times, they only spend a portion of their day at school. The rest of their days are usually filled with clubs, activities, and fun. Right now, hobbies and extracurricular activities are going to have to be home-based and away from others. So, you may find yourself looking for new things for your kids to do that they will enjoy. Here are a few suggestions that might help!

Arts and Crafts

The vast majority of kids love getting involved in arts and crafts. It helps them to express their creative side and - at the end of the day - is downright fun. Now, some ideas to get the ball rolling include helping them to make mosaics. Encouraging them to create sculptures with clay or plaster of Paris. Drawing. Supervised sewing or knitted. Painting. The list goes on. Simply provide them with the materials required to let their creative sides loose and they’ll be occupied for hours.

Baking

Another fun supervised activity for your kids is baking. So many little ones love getting involved in the kitchen and baking could be a fun and safe activity for you to all enjoy together. Plus, you all get a delicious treat at the end! Look up simple, child-friendly recipes or you could even consider pre-packaged and prepared baking kits specially targeted at kids. While you should take care of anything to do with the hob or oven, they can enjoy mixing, decorating, and all of the other fun and safe parts of the process.

Storybooks

When it comes to the evening, if you want to help your little ones wind down, try reading them a story. This will help them to drift off to sleep. You could also try out kids' audiobooks if you’re not great at reading out loud yourself.

Hopefully, some of this information will help to make the whole pandemic a little easier on you and your children. Each suggestion can really help to keep everyone engaged and occupied, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces on a daily basis!

The Importance of Counseling

 Have you been stressed as of late and want to reduce such stress? Counseling is the best way you can do so. The good news is that you can easily get a counselor. Thanks to the internet, you can access groups, such as Centennial counseling, to offer you the guidance you need in life. Below are some benefits you will get from counseling sessions.

Improve reflection in personal relationships

Sometimes, people can be caught up in challenging relationships and fail to know the best cause of their actions. For instance, an individual might find it challenging relating with their parents, siblings, or spouse. If such happens to you, groups such as Centennial counseling will offer you the necessary guidance on how to go about the situation. Once you have attended several counseling sessions, you will realize that you can reflect and make important decisions regarding the challenging relationship. People who attend counseling have reported a huge improvement in how they reflect on personal relationships.

Improves self-esteem

Counseling enables an individual to appreciate their flaws. This makes it easy for them to love and appreciate themselves more and hence, raising their self-esteem. However, through counseling, people can learn how to appreciate themselves, and this raises their self-esteem. According to Central Park Counseling, people living with low self-esteem deserve counseling regardless of what caused the low self-esteem.

Improves decision-making

The counseling process makes it easy for an individual to improve their decision-making abilities. Through the counseling process, an individual gets to learn important skills that enable them to view life from a clear perspective. It is such a perspective that enables an individual to make better decisions than they used to make before the counseling process. According to Central Park Counseling, people should seek counseling often, whenever they feel like they are not in a position to make the right decision. The counseling process gives someone the insight they require in making such decisions. 

Encourages self -awareness

Counseling helps an individual in understanding their feelings and character. A substantial number of people do not have self-awareness, and this affects the manner in which they react with other people. Some people tend to increase their self-awareness through yoga and meditation. However, counseling is considered to be the most effective strategy for improving self-awareness since the counselor helps you understand your character. Other methods of increasing self-awareness will only help you understand your feelings. If you are seeking better results, it is advisable to find a counselor near you, and you will not regret the results.

Enhances how you understand other people

The best part about counseling is that it enhances how you understand other people. If you had a certain perspective about an individual, counseling might make you understand their character better. It gives you a better understanding of other people’s behavior by changing your views about life. An example is a case where you tend to judge someone based on their actions. If you attend counseling, the chances are high that you might understand why they behave so.

Going for counseling is not a decision that other people can make for you. It comes to a situation where you feel the process is necessary since it will help you live a happier life. It is also advisable to seek counseling even when you feel that you do not need it. You might have issues that need resolving through counseling and fail to know it.

Online Parenting Journalists Conference March 12-13, 2021

 Do you want to:

• Connect with editors of top parenting publications,

• Discover a community of writers who make a good living doing what they love, and 

• Learn insider secrets to landing an agent and more? 

Register today for the live, online Parenting Journalists Conference on March 12-13 and unlock a package that includes interactive workshops and networking opportunities, roundtable conversations, master classes, and access to a private Facebook group.