Category: Parenting

This will be a brief guide to ensuring your children are keeping healthy and safe habits while at school. Starting with their eating habits and how you can strike a deal with them so they eat a healthy lunch most days but still get to enjoy an occasional treat, we will look at keeping a balanced diet.

Next, we will explore taking precautions to ensure they are not smoking and vaping at school, including asking the school to install vape detectors.

Finally, we will look at managing their motor vehicle use and deterring reckless driving.

Eating

Do you send your child to school with money for food or a healthy packed lunch made at home? You might think that the latter is clearly the more healthy option, and ensures that your son or daughter is maintaining a balanced diet. However, this may not be the case. Your child could well be swapping or binning their carefully packed lunch in favor of tasty treats from the store or someone else’s food.

If this is a concern for you, one option would be to strike a deal with your child that they can pick whatever they want to eat on Fridays, whether that is a packed lunch of their choosing or money for their favorite shop-bought meal. Monday to Thursday, you can ask that they eat the food you pack or use the money they have to buy a school-approved lunch.

Alternately, you could include both healthy snacks and one guilty-pleasure treat in each day’s lunch.

Smoking and Vaping

It is no secret that teenagers love to smoke and vape, even if they are under the legally required age to purchase these products. If you are concerned for your children’s lung health, you can keep an eye out for tell-tale signs of smoking and vaping. These signs include a stained front tooth, stained fingers, smoke smells on their clothes or in their cars, and their money depleting more quickly than expected.

However, there is more to be done. If your kid’s chosen method is vaping, rather than smoking, you might miss the smells and there won’t be teeth staining as signs. There is a smarter backup: vape detector devices. Now, we are not suggesting that every household with concerned parents splashes out for vape detectors. First, this would be expensive and impractical, but moreover, it would likely lead to fights between teens and their parents.

Instead, we ask: do schools need vape detectors? All school buildings will already be fitted with smoke detectors, which is enough to put teens off from smoking in the school bathrooms, but vaping can still go largely unnoticed. So, to prevent this unhealthy habit from continuing, school bathrooms can install vape detectors so any kid vaping during school time can be detected easily. If you think this is a good idea, contact your local schools and set a meeting to discuss the prospect of vape detector installation.

Driving

Allowing your sons and daughters out of your sight in their automobiles can be a scary thing, especially as we know that teenage car crashes are not uncommon in the US. If you are concerned about your kids going to school in their cars and how they drive when they are with their friends, you can do more than just issue words of caution.

You can get a Black Box installed in their cars. These contraptions collect data that can be useful in insurance cases following accidents but also serve as deterrents for drivers when it comes to speeding, driving recklessly, and not wearing a seatbelt. They can also encourage safe driving habits when your teen is aware that their driving is being monitored.

The Black Box collects and shows data such as the speed of the vehicle, the throttle position, how the brakes were used, airbag deployment, the use  of seat belts, angles, and many other factors as they were about 20 seconds before, during and 20 seconds after a crash. You can use this data to help your kids if they were in an accident that was not their fault but also use this tool to deter them from driving in a negligent or dangerous manner.

Phone and Device Monitoring

Another way to track driving habits is by installing a parental control app.  However, the data collected may not be as thorough or consistent.  Besides, the use of these apps are most often selected because of the myriad of additional features they offer.  The activity that you are able to monitor will depend on choosing the right app or software application.  You will be able to restrict access to chat rooms and even monitor texts and phone calls. Not all phone tracker and monitoring apps are created equal.

If you want to expand your monitoring to additional devices, such as laps tops and computers, you will need a software program that handles all devices. Parental controls allow you to set the level of phone usage in accordance with your child’s age.  For younger kids you can block access to harmful website outright, while increasing trust levels as they grow older.

You can only do so much to control what your kids are doing at school.  Parents put a lot of faith in school teachers and administrators to provide supervision and implement proper fail safes when students are alone.  Whether it’s daily nutrition, harmful substances, driving or the use of phones, every tool is a valuable defense to ensure you’re kids are behaving appropriately.

Even though kids have plenty of fun, they can still face stressful situations where they need to relieve those feelings. For example, they may get stressed out at school, with their siblings, and in various other situations. Because of this, you need to figure out which physical activities your kids can participate in to relieve stress and help them feel happy.

Playing Sports

Many kids enjoy playing sports since they can spend time with other people while they also exercise. You also have multiple options for sports including football, baseball, and anything else your kids want to try out. Even if these sports don’t appeal to them, you have more options including swimming, running, and kids friendly sports like pickellball.

See what your kid wants to try and offer some options to them. As they participate in sports, they can run around and remain healthy while having fun. Your kids can also make some friends while they play sports and interact with others, so you can also help them socially relieve stress as they enjoy some sports.

Trying Yoga

Most people associate yoga with adults, but kids can also participate in yoga. Yoga allows them to try different stances, relieve stress, and have an easy way to clear their minds. With this in mind, you can either have your kids learn some kids yoga poses or even have them attend classes to learn about yoga.

Some kids may not know too much about yoga, so you may want to talk with them before you have them attend the classes. From there, you can have them try out yoga and enjoy the experience while they also exercise. Yoga works well since your kids can learn various positions based on their skill level.

Going Outside With Friends

Sometimes, the best physical activities involve just spending some time with friends. If your kids have others around their ages in the neighborhood, they can spend some time outside and play games together. From there, some kids may play tag, hide and seek and even games they make up on their own.

You can encourage your children to go outside at least once a day even if they enjoy indoor activities such as video games, shows, and movies. If they have friends in the area, it’ll be easier for them to go outside and have fun. They may even develop strong friendships and learn to enjoy the time they spend outside.

If your family has a garden, you can encourage your kids to plant a flower or their favorite vegetable that they can water daily.  It’s an excellent way for children to get in touch with nature and care for a living thing.

Enjoying Bike or Scooter Rides

If your kids don’t want to run around, they can enjoy other activities to have fun while they relieve some stress. For example, they could ride bikes or scooters to pick up some speed and have fun while outside. They can easily ride around the neighborhood and even go biking with their friends in the area.

However, if you plan to let your children do this, make sure you have them follow some safety rules. For example, they should wear their helmets while they ride their bikes to avoid injuries. They also need to watch out for cars and avoid going on the road if they see any approaching from either side.

Getting Involved With Gymnastics

Some kids want a place where they can run around, jump and participate in activities. For example, you could have your kids go to gymnastics, so they have plenty of places to run around and enjoy themselves. Not only will it let them have fun, but they can meet others during gymnastic classes and focus on the activity in front of them.

Focusing on the activity will allow them to forget about their stresses at the moment. You can even let them learn how to do flips and develop their flexibility while they enjoy gymnastic classes regularly. Otherwise, going to a gymnastics location allows them to do whatever they feel like doing.

Conclusion

Kids need a way to minimize their stress and feel comfortable with their lives. With that in mind, you need to take some time to identify ways for your kids to have fun and relieve stress. Since physical activities will help them remain healthy and happy, make sure you see which ones interest your kids and let them have some fun while outside.

Kids fear many things, including a visit to the dentist. A mere mention of a dental checkup freaks them out, making them anxious and nervous. As parents, you are responsible for easing the minds of your children. A proactive approach is necessary. Take note of the things mentioned below to eliminate dentophobia.

The Importance of Dental Health

Proper dental health through oral care is a must-have for children. It impacts their overall health. Poor dental conditions can result in other problems, such as those related to breathing, feeding, and speaking. It can also cause low self-confidence, discomfort, pain, and embarrassment. Not to mention, it is also linked to poor school performance and attendance.

Tips and Tricks to Overcome Dentophobia

Unfortunately, a lot of kids are immediately frightful once they learn that they will be seeing a dentist. Ideally, the first dental visit should happen on the eruption of the first tooth, according to the American Dental Association. When they grow up, kids will get used to the feeling of seeing a dentist, so there can be a lesser chance that they will be scared.

But if you missed that chance, there’s no need to worry. Help them overcome their phobia by doing the following.

1.  Choose the Right Provider

Children have strong perceptions regarding dentists. So, finding the right dental professional is a must. Looking at the credentials is crucial, making sure that you will bring your child only to a qualified professional to care for your child’s dental health.

Aside from experience and expertise, the dentist must also be able to establish a good and friendly relationship to deliver effective treatments while combating fear. Find one who is great with children, such as a pediatric dentist or a family dentist.  When looking for professional pediatric dentistry services in your area, consider checking reviews and asking for recommendations from family and friends. In most cases, word-of-mouth can be your best resource.

2.  Role Play

Role-playing is one of the most effective ways to teach children. You can also take advantage of such in eliminating their dental anxiety and phobia. Act as the dentist and your child will be the patient. Mimic the procedures that happen during a dental visit. Take this as an opportunity to explain what happens during a checkup or treatment. Talk about how important these treatments are for oral care and dental emergencies. In turn, it can make them more comfortable during the actual visit.

3.  Talk to Your Child

Take the time to talk to your kids about the importance of oral care. This way, they will know why visiting the dentist is essential and they should never fear such. Be careful with your choice of words, making sure that they are assuring instead of frightening. Avoid using words like painful and other terms that can scare kids. Be open and prepare to answer questions that they might have. The more they know about the importance of dental health, the more you can encourage them to see a dentist.

4.  Accompany Your Child to the Dentist

Provide moral support by accompanying your child to the dentist. Take the time out of your busy schedule to be with your kids during the checkup or treatment. When you are there, stay calm. Kids can pick up your anxiety. So, if you are nervous, it is likely that your kids will be nervous as well.

5. Play Music

Music and mood are related. It is effective in the reduction of anxiety and stress, including dental phobia. It helps in regulating their emotions and making them calm. Before or even during a dental visit, play your child’s favorite music. This can be effective in relaxing the body and calming the mind.

6.  Reward Your Kid

Reward kids for their bravery. If they are afraid of seeing a dentist, replace their fear with anticipation. Give them something to look forward to. For instance, you can offer a visit to the museum or a nice meal once they are done. They will think of what comes after, which can help make them feel at ease once they are at the dentist.

7.  Consider Sedation

In some instances, sedation will help in calming children, which can help eliminate dental phobia. Knowing that they won’t feel the pain can be encouraging. It uses different types of medication to calm the patient without being asleep. It is especially common during arduous and painful treatments. More so, it is often done on patients with special needs or those with high fear of dental care.

The Bottom Line

Dentophobia is common in children. As parents, you must be proactive in eliminating such fear. To help promote proper dental health, oral care is critical. As such, a regular dental visit should not be something that they are anxious about. From finding the right professional to offering rewards, consider the things mentioned above to calm the minds of kids when seeing a dentist.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222359/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3075993/

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/emotional-wellness/Pages/Music-and-Mood.aspx

Whether you are a parent assisting kids for the first time at home in a distance learning situation, or a regular homeschooler, home classroom management strategies plays a major role in a students success.  Or you may be a parent who simply wants to supplement what your kids are already learning in a regular school classroom.

Whatever your situation, here are some valuable tips to help you enhance your child’s “at home” learning experience. We will cover home schooling structure to ensure kids stay engaged, as well as teaching ideas for parents which can be implemented on a daily basis. Throughout the article you will find helpful resources to equip your home school with the latest educational resources available to ensure an effective learning environment.

Learning Strategies at Home

Some learning strategies happen naturally at home.  Providing quiet areas for independent older students who need to work on a paper is important, especially when younger siblings are being loud.  Enhancing the learning environment and making it more conducive to study can also help.  Using music, games, role playing or charts to present information are excellent ways to engage students.

You can take it one step further by having them help create the games or make the charts to further engage through in active learning while teaching at home.

Breaking up the lesson into twenty-minute segments can help.  Before returning to the lesson, review what was learned before moving on to new material.  And of course, one should always give prompt specific feedback about a student’s work.

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Allow for Flexibility Within Structured Learning

Interacting with adults is much easier to do at home, but teachers in classroom have also seen success in allowing students to move away from their desks and interact with classmates.  This can be done in a form of activity or allowing the student to freely go for a drink of water throughout the day.  At home, this is a good example of keeping things free flowing within a structure.  Getting up and moving around allows for blood to flow and keep the mind alert.

This brings up another important point about exercise. While you may not be able to have structured sports daily, make sure to include some kind of exercise routine throughout the day. It can be simple floor exercises or going for a walk.  If you find that your kids are having trouble paying attention, it may be a good time to stop the lesson and so some kind of physical activity for five minutes. It also brings additional benefits such as reducing screen time to ensure more balanced life.

The Importance of Asking Questions

There are other strategies that might not occur so naturally at home, such as allowing three to five seconds of wait time after asking questions throughout the presentation.  These pauses allow students to process the information before, during and after the presentation of the new concept.  It will also help you determine what the student knows and correct any misunderstandings.  Don’t be afraid to adjusting your presentation to re-teach anything that needs clarifying.

As kids get older be sure to ask questions that involve critical thinking, such as…

Do you agree with why or how something happened or is the way it is?”

How would you prove is there a better solution?

How would you rank the importance of various situations or options?

This helps students develop critical thinking skills.  Using words like “evaluate, justify, support and critique” when discussing material can help them make judgments about reality.

Remember too that the high school student is naturally interested in questions that challenge the status quo. In subjects such as Social Studies, kids care about whether a proposed course of action was expedient or inexpedient.   They care about whether someone deserves praise or blame.

If any of these suggestions are making you feel overwhelmed by the sheer notion of having to supplement or replace the teaching your child was receiving in school, start with the fundamentals; Language, Reading and ways to homeschool math.

Educational Games

Educational games play an important role in helping kids get a grasp of their subject, help them see how things actually work through gameplay, and enable them to learn subjects at their own pace. Moreover, educational games help kids feel rewarded after completing a task / exercise as in-game rewards serve as gratification after they finish games and score well in after-game questions, which encourages them to think critically and try to find the right solutions. These games also help them keep a track of their lessons and mistakes, and help them assess where they need improvements. Such games do not bore kids and keep them interested for long without making studies feel like a burden.

There may be innovative educational resources that are already in your home.  This is a great benefit to parents working hard to bring new teaching ideas and techniques into the homeschooling experience. Consider opportunities outside of daily teaching routines, such as the introduction of educational video games.   For your children who already play online for entertainment purposes, you can engage their interest during “school hours” by allowing game play during the day with an educational focus.  

The Importance of Continuous Discussion

Whether or not asking questions leads to a discussion about a topic, creating an environment for open discussion throughout any lesson is vital to keep students engaged and even excited about what they are learning.   Discussions can help participant learn and stay interested in a way listening to a lecture doesn’t.

A focus on starting a discussion can also be what it takes get the ball rolling into kids asking the questions they may not even be thinking about.  While this is going on, students are working out what they believe about ideas and concepts while being an active participant in learning.

Whether kids are receiving online teaching or tutoring through distance learning, parents can always enhance the education of their children.  After all, the most important reason we educate our children at home is to form their minds and hearts. This can’t be done without conversation, so the best learning strategy is to talk to your children.  It can often be easier to begin any discussion within an educational framework as simple as when you are helping them with homework. 

A Word About Online Jobs in Teaching

If you are a parent with teaching credentials you may want to consider exploring online jobs in teaching.   Let’s face it, your consistent presence at home with your kids prevents you from working in a traditional teaching job.  However, there are various opportunities to teach online.  These include teaching English as a second language (ESL), as well as seeking out educational jobs in an administrative role.