Parents and Their School-Aged Children

The overbooked child: Do not overbook your child, supervised extracurricular activities are great for your school aged children, however parents need to avoid the “my child is busier than your child” syndrome.  Children need time to play in a natural creative way- They need unstructured time so that they can follow their own interests, express their own personalities, and learn ways to structure their own time.  Overbooking, or over scheduling of your childs time, can lead to childhood depression.

“Patience is a vertue, pass it on” ~ Author Unknown

 

•    Here is a nice website for back-to-school tips:  http://usa.gov/topics/parents_young.shtml
•   
•    Try this website for information on selecting childrens books for your child:  http://www.ucalgary/.ca/~dkbrown/

   Want to start a healthy routine for allowence earning, find it here!:  http://www.kidsmoney.org

 

   Want to get involved with your childs school PTA? Find it here!:  http://www.pta.org/

 

 

Heath, Phyllis. (2009). Parent-Child Relations. (2nd Edition). Chapter 7.

Parent-Preschooler Interactions

“We learned in Chapter 5 that infants and toddlers who are securely attached to their parents have parents who are consistently RESPONSIVE to them.  We also learned that secure attachment during those first few years is associated with a number of other POSITIVE developmental outcomes.  Secure attachment is not only central to the well being of infants and toddlers, it is also important for the OPTIMUM development of preschoolers.” 

 “If there must be trouble let it be in my day so my child may have peace.”  Thomas Paine

 

 

http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/cy/2004/fs0458.pdf  : I have added this link because I think it is very important that parents learn to recognize the warning signs of childhood bullying.  Take a moment to review this article and please let me know your thoughts on the issue.  Could your child turn into a bully if he/she is bullied?

 

Here is an educational website that will help you to better understand your pre-school children: http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/pipeline/p-parent.htm

Enjoy!

 

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/index.html  : I have included this web-link for you as well.  It is a Department of Health and Human Services site that shows amazing information on developmental milestones, positive parenting, and child safety. 

 

This is a link to a video clip that show what guided participation is all about! Enjoy! ;)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDwNGvprxhc

 

Remember, aggression is taught by aggression!  Lets keep our kids safe, smart, happy and healthy – DON’T let bullying go unchecked, whether it be through tremendous sibling conflict or through others at your childs day-care or school.  Do HELP your children through guided participation, it will keep you both happy!  Keep talking with your child/children and remember to listen to what they have to say as well.  Your cognitive support is extremely important in enhancing your child/children’s self-regulatory behaviors.  Help them understand life. ;)

 

Heath, Phyllis. (2009). Parent-Child Relations. (2nd Ed.) Chapter6.

Child Socialization Strategies and Techniques

It is important to encourage your childs good behavior and love them unconditionally in-order for them to develop a strong sense of self-worth.

The list below gives us an idea of things that will discourage your children from good behaviour.

• Negative Expectations
• Unusually High Standards
• Promoting Competition Between of among Siblings                                                                           
• Overly Ambitious Parenting
• The Double Standard

“Reinforcing good behavior is sometimes the most effective paycheck” – Unknown

On the flip side, the list below gives us an idea of things we can do to positively encourage our children.

• Appreciate Each Child’s Uniqueness
• Show Confidence in Children by Giving Them Responsibilities
• Show Confidence in Children by Asking for Their Advice
• Show Confidence in Children by Avoiding Rescuing Them ( only if it’s avoidable)  
• Build on a Childs Strengths to Promote Positive Behaviors
• Build on a Childs Strengths While Disapproving of other Behaviors
• Avoid Sending Mixed Messages
• Use Humor

Family First contains a variety of parenting advice:  http://www.family-first.org

The International Network for Children and Families for some good parental advice in both English and Spanish: http://www.incaf.com

Here is a nice article called “9 things to do instead of spanking” : http://www.incaf.com/articles/9_Things_to_Do_Instead_of_Spanking.pdf

=)Here’s a nice article called, “The art of avoiding power struggles” ” http://www.incaf.com/articles/Avoiding_Power_Struggles.pdf

Tufts University web-site has guides that help you understand information on child development:  http://www.cfw.tufts.edu

 

 

 

Heath, Phyllis. (2009). Parent-Child Relations. (2nd Ed.) Chapter4. (pg. 75-110)

Parenting Chunked! :)

Hello World.  My name is Crystal and I think that parenting is a very important skill to learn as early on as possible because our children are the future of the world, and they require a lot more of our patience time and understanding than we might think.  Rearing them positively and correctly will help them to reach their maximum potential in life, thus paving the way to a brighter future for all.  I am here to elaborate on a few select chapters out of my “Parenting Today”  text-book for a college course I am taking with University of Maryland University College.