Search Results for: blog teaching little ones to play together

Enforcing Family Togetherness on Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving get-togethers used to be so much easier when the kids were little. Well, not in the sense of getting them ready and carting them around. But you could always count on the little ones entertaining everyone. Now that my kids and my nephews are teenagers, what often happens is that everyone disappears. So I am purposing to keep everyone together as much as possible this year. It was kind of a last minute decision but my family has ended up with the joy of hosting Thanksgiving. Despite not being as prepared as I would like, I am going into … Continue reading →

Teaching Kids About Cancer

I’m not one of the lucky ones. Or maybe I am. I was forced to teach my daughter about cancer well before she could even spell the word… but with knowledge comes power. In 2004, I gave birth to my first child; a healthy baby girl with a mound of electrocuted jet-black hair. She was the first grandchild on my side of the family and instantly became the end-all, be-all of my parents’ existence. My mom especially doted on her first grandchild, spending every waking moment rocking, singing, hugging, kissing and cuddling the newest member of our family. My daughter … Continue reading →

What Are You Teaching Your Children?

Children can be cruel, especially to anyone who is different. I’m sure we all remember children from school that were bullied and picked on because they were different. Maybe some of us were even one of these children, subjected go torment and ridicule by others. Or maybe we were one of those who joined with the crowd in teasing the child who was perceived as different. As parents we need to teach our children what is acceptable behavior and what is not, e.g. many parents have to deal with a child who bites other children or hits them or kicks … Continue reading →

Dog Quirks: The Funny Little Things They Do

Murphy (with Mr. Meow’s help) digging in the snow… I got to thinking this morning what a funny dog Murphy has been when he started running all over the place like a wild maniac because he was so happy. (It was cold, something he loves, and he’d found a “treasure” on our walk to bring home, a stick, so he started his morning off right. That’s a lot to celebrate!) All of my dogs have exhibited this wild abandon where they race here and there at top speed in wild-eyed glee. I don’t know what it’s technically called, but I … Continue reading →

Just Do Something Together!

You’ll find that the activity isn’t nearly as important as the time spent together. Simply making time to do something, nearly anything, together as a family will make everyone feel closer. Hear are some ideas that don’t require tons of planning or expense, they’re just simple things that any family can do almost any time. Cook or Bake Together Making a meal together can be an enjoyable experience. Even little ones can help with simple tasks, such as handing you utensils or packages. They just want to be included. This is also a great time to start teaching bigger kids … Continue reading →

Thera Pea Dolls: At home Protective Play That Won’t Break the Bank.

Thera Pea Dolls are a tool I use to teach Protective Behaviors. In my role as a child therapist and Protective Behavior consultant, I am always on the look out for different ideas to present as teaching utensils for parents to use with their own children if they want to. I like to suggest protective play resources that are either free or take little expense to make. One of the favored resources I use is Thera Pea Dolls. The dolls are simply a stuffed body outline that can be written on, or drawn upon, for numerous at home psycho-educational purposes. … Continue reading →

iPad App for Preschoolers: Mibblio

At a Glance App:  Mibblio   Cost: FREE, includes one free Mibblet (additional Mibblets are $1.99) Wheels on the Bus$1.99 On Top of Spaghetti$1.99 Old MacDonald$1.99 Monkey Jamboree$1.99 Mashed Potato Monster Gang$1.99 Millie and Her Curling, Whirling Hair$1.99 Superhero Vacation$1.99 Sunny Side Up$1.99 Wibblesmacks$1.99   Age Recommendation: 3 to 8   Theme: Interactive musical/storybook   Uses: Children are fully engaged in reading, singing, and playing music to develop a sense of curiosity and fun about reading and music.   Synopsis: Mibblio is the first musically interactive storybook app of its kind. Inside Mibblio is a world of beautiful mibblets — … Continue reading →

Free Websites that Teach Your Kids about Money

Teaching kids about money, where it comes from, how to make it grow and how to use it responsibly is one of those things that many of us mean to get around to doing, but don’t often seem to complete. In fact, money lessons should never really come to an end. As society, the economy and technology changes, it is important for us all to keep up, and pass on the skills, knowledge and advice to our children. Fortunately, we don’t have to do this alone. There are a few really good websites out there that will help us teach … Continue reading →

Hands on Ways to Teach Place Value

So much depends on place value. Without place value, a number is just a number. With it, a number can become hundreds or thousands. In our numbering system, we usually begin with the numbers one to ten. These are fairly easy numbers for children to remember: after all, we have ten fingers (including thumbs!). We start by doing simple addition and subtraction. You have five apples, and you eat one. How many are left? But soon, we need to work with larger quantities as well. Numbers range into the hundreds, the thousands, and even the hundreds of thousands. Add more … Continue reading →

How to Teach Your Baby Table Manners

I think sometimes we forget that table manners are learned behavior. We’ve been eating our spaghetti with a fork for so long that when we’re confronted with the task of teaching our babies how to eat, it’s a little overwhelming. Sometimes it’s just easier to spoon feed them or limit them to “neat” foods. They’ll never learn, though, unless they practice on their own. Bring out the bibs, the miniature forks, and the spaghetti; it’s time to learn table manners! First of all, have a list of goals or milestones in mind and work towards just one at a time. … Continue reading →