Thursday Video: I Love Monkey!
Share
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Parent TOG: Geek Dad review of some classic books
This article from Wired's GeekDad column reviews two classic children's books about self-esteem:Liking Myself and The Mouse, The Monster, and Me, both by Pat Palmer.
Share
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
I Like Myself! Placemat
This cute placemat is a great reminder at mealtimes throughout the day!
Available for $4.95 at Measure Up.
Share
Monday, September 27, 2010
10 Ways to Let Your Greatness Shine Through
In Dr. Dyer's very first children's book, Incredible You!, he has taken the ten concepts from his book for adults 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace and interpreted them for children. Dr. Dyer believes that it is never too early for children to know that they are unique and powerful beings, and that they have everything they need within themselves to create happy, successful lives...
Friday, September 24, 2010
Weekend Fun Activity: What do your children like to share?
All you need is:1. Ten minutes each day this week.
2. Markers and Construction paper.
On the top of each sheet of construction paper, write down the names of family/friends participating in the activity. Along the length of the paper, write the days of the week.
Each day this week, after dinner, set aside 10 minutes for “Sharing and Caring.” First tell the child what it is you are sharing for the day and write it down on your sheet alongside the day of the week. Next, do the same for your children. If they are old enough to write, they can write it themselves or they can simply tell you and you can write it for them. Sharing tasks can be as simple as sharing your time to help Mom/Dad in clearing the table or sharing your toy with your brother/sister or friend. By the end of the week, the chart will look something like this:
HARRIS WATSON’S
SHARING AND CARING LIST
Monday: Sharing Time: Clearing dishes after dinner.Tuesday: Sharing Toy: My new lego set with my little brother.
Wednesday: Caring for my Dog: Putting dog biscuits in his bowl.
Thursday: Caring for Grammy: Calling her to see how she’s feeling.
Friday: Caring for Mommy : Giving her a hug to make her ankle feel better.
Make sure you post your Sharing and Caring charts on the refrigerator so that everyone can enjoy them! This is a great TOG that can help you to teach and learn: Teach them how wonderful it feels to share and care and learn about what they value most!
Share
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Parent TOG: Quick Tips For Teaching Kids to Share
The following article, taken from Parents.com, gives some easy tips for teaching kids how to share. And, below that, if you prefer a video format, a video from Kimberly Clayton Blaine, The Go-To Mom, summarizes most of the same points.Creative Ways to Teach Sharing
Start Off Small
A child does not truly understand the concept of sharing until about age 5, says Sara Lise Raff, an educational consultant and mom of three. "However, a child can be taught to understand some basic rules. such as waiting your turn ('she goes, then you go'), if you walk away from a toy it is open for anyone else to play with, and if you bring your toy to a playdate, then everyone there gets to play with it."
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Photo Tuesday: What is even better than licking frosting off a spoon?
Sharing it with your brother!
Share
Monday, September 20, 2010
What is the Secret to Making People Smile?
Even toddlers and preschoolers can learn how to positively affect others: by sharing and caring. The abstract concept of caring can (and should!) be simplified and presented to children in ways that are related to their everyday lives in order to make it more concrete. One book that does a wonderful job at this is Emily's Sharing and Caring Book.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday Fun: The Feelings Game
We are borrowing today's activity from Teach Preschool, a wonderful resource for preschool activities of all kinds!All you need is a mirror - either give the child a hand mirror or have him or her stand in front of any mirror.
Have the child look at themselves in the mirror while singing the following (to the tune of Frere Jacques):
I am Special
I am Special
Look at me!
Look at me!
I am very special.
I am very special.
Look at me,
Look at me!
You can then add feeling words and have your child make the different faces of the feelings as they look in the mirror ("I am sad," "I am happy," "I am mad," etc.).
This will probably end in giggling, but it is a great way to encourage early steps in emotional literacy, such as the ability to recognize emotions.
See our other posts this week about feelings!
Share
Thursday, September 16, 2010
How can you help your children express their feelings?
"Everybody has feelings! If we can learn to express them, we can understand each other better."This is the message Ruby sends in "The Feelings Show," a production by The Mother Company.
Children are born with body language as a tool of expression for their feelings; for example, infants cry when they are sad, mad or hungry. It is our responsibility to teach children how to put those feelings into words so that those around them can understand them and help them feel better. This in turn helps children feel confident in their own power to communicate and get others to respond to them. Understanding feelings and expressing them in words is the most powerful tool we can give our children. It helps them to learn how to release negative energy and build their communication skills.
This highly recommended TOG will assist us in teaching our children to do just that. With a great flow of animation, song, dance and colors, "The Feelings Show" is an enjoyable and light hearted DVD that can help us in Raising Happy and Caring Kids.
Share
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
What is the Greatest Gift a Parent Can Give a Child?
John Gottman talks about the importance of families having open communications about emotions.See our Feelings section to see our recommendations for books and activities to increase communication about emotions in your own family!
Share
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Video Tuesday: A Little Lesson on Feelings
A Little Lesson on Feelings from The Mother Company on Vimeo.
Share
Monday, September 13, 2010
If You Like More Interactivity in Your Feelings Books...
Another great way to discuss feelings is to "try on" a variety of emotions and talk about how they feel and what causes them. Glad Monster, Sad Monster is a book for toddlers and preschoolers that gives kids just such an opportunity.Looking for a Book on a Specific Emotion?
If you are looking for a book about a specific emotion, Cornelia Maude Spelman has a number of books in The Way I Feel Series, including
When I Care About OthersWhen I Feel Good About Myself
When I Feel Angry
When I Feel Jealous
When I Feel Sad
When I Feel Scared
When I Miss You
This well-written series features simple sentences and illustrations of animals interacting with each other. Each book opens with a note to parents and teachers and ends with a page of exercises to help bring the lesson to life.The messages in these books are at just the right level for preschoolers, and help them understand what these feelings are like and how to deal with them.
See the rest of our Feelings recommendations, too!
Share
Need a Feelings Book for Toddlers?
The Feelings Book by Todd Parr introduces a number of emotions and emotional states for the youngest child, with simple text and the author's signature vibrant style of artwork.Want a Fun Book That Explores Emotions?
Because understanding emotions is so important, we are always on the lookout for clear and entertaining TOGs that present and allow discussions of feelings. Books are a great resource for learning about emotions, since they give the chid more distance from the emotions than they have when experiencing the emotions themselves.
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain is one of these useful TOGs; it is a bright and quirky book about feelings, where each page echoes the character's moods in colors, the rhyming couplet, and even the writing on the page...
Friday, September 10, 2010
"Kindness is in the Air"...This Weekend's Fun Activity!
"No act of kindness, no matter how small,
is ever wasted."
-Aesop
What you will need:
1. Calendar
2. Enthusiasm
- First, pick an act of kindness and inspire your children to accomplish it by the end of the day. Challenges should be very simple. For example, a child can say "thank you" to a teacher or can "help" mommy clear the table. Doing this in the morning can help set a positive tone for the rest of the day.
- Next, record both the act and how it made you feel on a calendar. Be sure to display the calendar in a place where you can share it with friends and family. Displaying the calendar will promote a feeling of well-being and happiness in your home...guaranteed!
- Review the calendar often, maybe even daily, as it is a great tool for starting valuable family conversation. Also, if you download the Do Good iPhone application, this Wednesday's Parent TOG of the Week, you could certainly apply the themes presented each day to your children!
Share
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
BONUS: Parent TOG - a Kindness app
There are lots of ways to incorporate kind acts into our everyday lives, but sometimes it's difficult to be mindful of all the possible occasions to do them. There is an app for that, though. DoGood, a simple (and free!) app gives one small way each day that you can make a difference by, well, doing good.
Not all of the suggestions are based on kindness towards other; some are more about the environment ("Turn off some lights" or "Say no to plastic bags") and some are about just being kind to YOURSELF ("Reflect" or "Appreciate beauty"). The majority, though, are simple things that you might be doing anyway, but sometimes it is nice to have a conscious goal for the day.
Share
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Photo Tuesday: Kindness and Siblings
Along with our theme of siblings being kind to each other, here is our photo of the week. (And as a bonus, it's from my very own sibling - thanks, sis!) It is of my nephew helping his sister (without any prompting) zip up her wetsuit. These are the moments that parents hope will be displayed when they spend all that time setting examples, sharing lessons on kindness, and saying "Be nice to your brother/sister!"
Share
Monday, September 6, 2010
Kindness and Siblings
After a long weekend in our house, I've been thinking a lot about sibling kindness (what I like to think of as the reverse side of the more popular term "sibling rivalry") and how to encourage it. As usual in our house, I turn first to books with good sibling relationships.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Friday Fun: Dinosaur Feet
In a recent blog post, House of Baby Piranha shared an activity for making dinosaur feet. All you need is two empty tissue boxes and some decorations - she used paint on hers, but you could use anything! They don't even have to be dinosaurs - make monster feet, gorilla feet, whatever strikes the fancy of your own kids and whatever encourages their pretend play!Share
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Six Steps for Boosting Kid's Creativity, Christine Carter Phd.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
~Pablo Picasso
As parents, one of our most important responsibilities in Raising Happy and Caring Kids, is to nurture our children and their innate talents.
If we paid a little more attention to their imaginative play, we could perhaps guide them in the direction of their passion early on. Often, we try to mould our children to what we think they should be interested in instead of helping them explore their creativity.
In addition, as we wrote earlier this week, expressing creativity through imaginative and pretend play helps children with the important task of understanding others.
In this great article, Christine Carter, Phd., Executive Director of The Greater Good Science Center at U.C. Berkeley, gives us six steps for "Boosting Kid's Creativity."
Carter is also the author of Raising Happiness, one of our favorite Parent TOGs.
Share
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
