Kids need chores. Chores teach skills necessary for life, responsibility to do what we need to do, to realize everyone in the family participates in making a good home. The earlier you start your children doing chores, the easier it is to continue to habit. Alessia Santoro created a list of chores appropriate for each age group of children.
See Alessia’s list of chores your child is able to do, check out: PopSugar
To download a pdf of the chore list click: Chores by Age
By Marian Wilde
As the lazy days of summer slip away, it will soon be time to put away the beach chairs and corner lemonade stands and prepare your kindergartner for school. Here are some tips for making the transition easier.
Adjust to the new routine
Ease into the school-year schedule. Getting into a school routine can be a challenge for everyone in the family. To make adjusting to the new routine easier, start early.
Books help ease the transition
Reading books together about the first days of school is a good way to start conversations about the excitement and fears. To get you started, here are some suggestions for your kindergartner:
For more ideas: GreatSchools.org
“Picky Eaters” Will Not Starve Themselves, but Problem or Resistant Eaters Might
by ISA MARRS
I spend a lot of time writing and speaking about picky eating. When I say “picky eater” I am referring to a child who has picky behaviors but can learn to eat a broader diet and change the bad habits that are negatively impacting themselves and their families. However, when it comes to feeding disorders there is a continuum of severity. And many of you have children with more severe food aversions.
Approximately two-thirds of children on the autistic spectrum have severe food aversions which can impact their growth and development. While this population of children often has feeding aversions it is in no way limited to them.
Read more at SpeechLanguageFeeding.com
Ten Nutrients Every Child Needs]
Most modern parents are frustrated that they cannot spend more time with their children. We wonder how we can make the most of the time we do have.
Ellen Mady recently wrote about how she is taking advantage of the time she has with her child. Every evening she asks three questions of her three year old. His answers give her a window into his thoughts, experiences, and feelings. She really listens and responds to what she hears. Her two year old also listens to these conversations and is beginning to be really interested too. Her three questions:
She says, “I want our kids to feel comfortable coming to us later on in their life when they find something challenging, need a shoulder to lean on or just want to share a success. That won’t come out of nowhere. Teaching our children when they are very young that sharing as a family is something good and normal builds a sense of security and trust that will help keep communication pathways open later on.”
Are you going into debt to give gifts? How long will the things you buy satisfy and please your children? What are your children learning through these gifts?
Consider these ideas about gift giving:
My most memorable childhood Christmases were when we brought an orphan girl to share a few days with us during the holiday season. We each made gifts for her as we did for each other. Other years we helped mom shop for food baskets to take to poor families who lived near-by. We often went as a family to visit older family members and took them homemade cookies or other treats we helped to make.