Your Child's Journey

wisdom for the big steps little children take

Raising a Bilingual Child

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Language learning always fascinates me, so I took a fresh look at language learning and bilingual learning. As usual, I found some very interesting information to share with you.

The New York Times, on March 17, 2012, published an article titled, Why Bilinguals Are Smarter¹. They say, “Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.” Those are pretty sweeping claims. [Read more…]

TV and Kids

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This month I decided to do some investigation into the effects of TV and other electronic media on children and their development. How much TV is too much TV? and What kinds of TV are detrimental and if any of it is helpful to children’s growth?

It seems there is general agreement that a child’s exposure to TV of any type should be limited. The American Academy of Pediatrics even said children two years and younger should not watch any TV whatsoever. Yet, there is also general agreement that we are completely ignoring this advice. Most parents lobby for and seek TV programs with appropriate content as a matter of convenience, since TV clearly serves as a babysitter of sorts for parents feeling time-constraints.

In many homes the TV is turned on early and stays on late. The programs viewed shows less actual choice and more habit. There are TVs in several rooms of most homes. Many children not only have their own TV, but electronic games, a computer, a DVD player for the car, and the list goes on.

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Getting Your Family to Help

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Wow 2012 got off to a tough start for my husband and me. I hope yours was much, much better. We have been down with a flu bug and it’s after effects. Broken night’s sleep has robbed us of strength for the day. We’re both on the mend, but needless to say, we are almost a month behind in our internet work.

So this month I’m going to share some ideas from a newsletter that I get regularly called Mamapedia. You may like to join the list or just browse through the web site.

Many of you receiving this letter have children too young to begin doing chores, but keep these ideas in mind and hopefully chore time won’t become fight time in your home. For those of you with children old enough to help with chores, don’t be afraid to try something new. If what you have been doing hasn’t worked well, January is a good time to try a new scheme, learn new habits, and see big improvements.

Here’s to a better 2012! [Read more…]

An Attack of Wonder

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With Christmas this month, it is a great time to wake to the wonder all around us. A friend wrote an article about learning from the Book of God’s Word (The Bible) and the Book of God’s Work (Creation and all around us). Don’t let this be an ordinary Christmas, take time and quiet enough to have an attack of wonder.

We can be sitting at home in our ordinary, undramatic life, when suddenly we are struck with an attack of wonder. It can begin in a moment as you watch your little one sleeping peacefully or when you stop to watch the pattern of raindrops on your window. A simple thought or the flash of a half-remembered dream may be the spark. Whatever it is, the effects can ripple throughout your lifetime.

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Tantrum Tamers

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This month I had some questions about temper tantrums or meltdowns. I found this article from Parenting Magazine, but couldn’t find a link for others to read it. It seemed to hit most of the points I’ve found in other places, so I’m going to quote it.

Overview of Tantrums
Little kids sure can create big scenes! No matter how sweet your child is or how good a parent you are, meltdowns are a fact of toddler life. So try to remember that your child’s tantrums aren’t a reflection of your parenting skills: They simply mean you’ve got a frustrated little kid on your hands. Here’s how to handle them without losing your cool.

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