Children Archives - Page 2 of 19

How Parents Can Help Their Children Succeed at School

April 23, 2018 by Mandy

Even the brightest children will need a little help to achieve the best grades at school. Parents must, therefore, find ways to harness their children’s talents and help them reach their potential. Learn how parents can help their children succeed at school.

A Healthy Lifestyle

Children who feel tired and sluggish do not perform well in school. The food they eat can consequently affect how their brain and body performs. If you want your child to listen, engage, and learn, you need to ensure they regularly consume a healthy diet and enjoy plenty of exercise. Brain foods filled with omega-3 fatty acids are ideal, as the likes of salmon and walnuts can improve a child’s memory, which can support their education.

An Early Bedtime

Sleep is essential for a good education. If your child hasn’t experienced enough sleep, they will fail to listen, work hard, and engage with a subject. According to one recent US study, high school students who achieved A and B grades experienced 25 minutes more sleep each night in comparison to those who achieved C, D and F grades. You could support your child’s education by simply moving their bedtime forward.

Pick the Best School

The school you choose will determine your child’s academic success. Only consider establishments that have built a reputation for helping their children exceed national expectations in every age group, such as Colchester High School. Thanks to passionate teachers and a safe environment, your children will leave school with fantastic qualifications that can help them secure their dream career.

Read Together

Recent research has found that kids who read for pleasure are more likely to progress in spelling, vocabulary, and math between 10 to 16 years of age. In fact, it’s reportedly more important than either wealth or social class for education. So, aim to make your child fall in love with reading by setting some time aside to read a good book with your son or daughter.

Allow Your Child to Experience Consequences

Children must learn there are consequences for their actions. For instance, many children will want to avoid doing their homework after school. Rather than forcing them to do it, allow your daughter or son to experience the repercussions at school. While you might not like the thought of them getting into trouble with their teacher, it will be a steep learning curve for your child, as they’ll realize the importance of hard work. As a result, they will be more likely to complete their homework on time in the future. If you attempt to shield your son or daughter from their mistakes, they’ll turn into a dependent learner, so they will be less likely to use their initiative.

An Organized Home

Research has found that a dirty, cluttered, and noisy home can lead to poor health in children, which can affect their education. Parents must, therefore, provide an organized, structured home that helps to clear a child’s mind and easily manage their tasks. So, ensure you provide them with a clean, clutter-free home, regular mealtimes, and a daily schedule for the family to follow.

Secrets To A Happy & Healthy Family

April 18, 2018 by Mandy

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Every mother wants her whole family to be happy and healthy, but this can be a challenge and particularly if you are a relatively new mom. It may seem like the luck of the draw, and this certainly does factor in, but there are also a few things that you can do to increase the chances of your family feeling happy and healthy at all times. This can have a huge impact on everybody’s lives and also teaches your children good habits that they will carry through to adulthood, and pass down another generation. So, here are a few steps to take for a happy and healthy family.

Exercise Together

Encouraging your kids to exercise regularly will put them in good stead for the future, and hopefully, fitness will always be an important part of their life. Try doing some form of exercise together so that you can show them the value of exercise whilst also having fun together. You should also encourage kids to find a sport that they enjoy and then you can encourage them to pursue this, whether it is joining the local team or practicing regularly.

Diet

A good diet is a cornerstone of good health, so make sure that you are eating healthily as a family and that they are getting all of the required nutrients for growth. Kids tend to love sugar, and this can be included in a diet in moderation, but their daily meals should always be healthy, and it is important to educate them on how to eat well. When they are old enough, encouraging them to help cook can create positive practices so that they can continue to eat well when they move out. Additionally, make sure that they are getting enough water, as active kids can easily become dehydrated.

Healthcare

Set a good example for your little ones by making healthcare a priority. You can do this through standard visits to the doctor and by having regular checkups with a dentist. Identifying and responding to health issues promptly is crucial to prognosis and recovery, so show them that they need to listen to their body and take action when something is wrong. Many children find visiting a doctor or dentist scary, but you can find friendly healthcare professionals that make appointments a positive experience, and by building a relationship it can make these trips much easier. You can find these in your area by searching online and finding appropriate practices, such as family dentist West Columbia.

Communication

Your family is always there for you through the highs and the lows, so encourage regular communication with your kids so that they can tell you what is happening in their lives. There is a stigma attached to mental health problems, yet they are incredibly common amongst the youth of today, so show that it is good to talk about your problems and provide a supportive environment for your kids. This allows you to take action if needed to improve your child’s happiness.

These are the secrets to a happy and healthy family. There will always be ups and downs in life, but the above are all the pillars you need to feel good, and they can develop positive practices that your brood will carry through to adulthood.

How To Help Your Kids To Choose Their Future College

April 17, 2018 by Mandy

It comes around all too quickly: your kids are now all grown up and are beginning to read into the various colleges and schools that are open to them across the US, or even beyond. It can be a daunting decision to make as a teenager, with several thousand institutions on offer with a range of courses and programs to meet with different interests and career requirements. If your kids are reaching this vital stage, then it is important that you begin to do your homework too to help them to make the right decision. Keep key factors in mind such as course length, costs and even distance from home, as these can all be make or break when your teens are making that all-important decision.

Visit schools

It might sound fairly obvious, but if your kids are looking to attend a school that is the other side of the country, then you need to make sure that you have visited it with them at least once before freshman year. Visiting a college during term time is a whole different experience to during the first few weeks of the semester, as lessons will now be underway and sports clubs in full swing. Take time to spend a few days at your teen’s chosen school, eat in the dining hall and chat to a variety of professors or other first-year students so that you can get a better feel for the place. Make sure that your kids ask as many questions as possible, as this will aid their decision.

Work/life balance

Will your kids be able to carry on playing their favorite sports? Will the course that your kids are interested in offer them enough challenges and opportunities to learn and test themselves? These are all vital questions that you and your teens should be asking when visiting any potential schools. It can be nice to cruise along for a short period of time, but remind your kids that they are also investing in their future – so they will appreciate being tried and pushed at certain times. If you feel there is no work/life balance, then chances are that this is not the school for your child.

Costs and loans

Finally, make sure that you take time with your kids to sit down and discuss the costs and options open to them as a freshman student. Remind them that their future will cost money, so they need to be prepared to borrow or take out a loan if needed. You can find more information about commonbond reviews online, so that your kids can better understand why and how student loans work. Remember that a college education is expensive, but it is worth it.

Choosing the right college can be a stressful and unsettling time for any teen. Be sure to provide them with the support and guidance that they need. Make sure that you visit any schools of interest and consider factors such as work-life balance and the course elements. Finally, make sure to discuss costs and loan options.

Who Really Pays the High Cost of Child Abuse?

April 16, 2018 by Mandy

Millions of children are the victims of child abuse every year and if you stop to think about it, what is the cost? Not in terms of money for medical attention, but in the very future of those poor innocents? Yes, the cost of treating them is high, but that is negligible in terms of what their futures will hold for them. Wouldn’t you hate to be responsible for medical claims processing? How could you even code that, if there is such a code for child abuse! Would an insurer refuse payment? Probably not, but still, it is the child who pays the high cost and it is time society took a stronger stance and really did something about it.

The Fright Doesn’t End with Adolescence

Even when children are removed from abusive homes and/or caregivers, the fright they experience doesn’t end there. These children will carry that with them for the rest of their lives and the impact can have significant consequences later in life. According to the U.S. Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, the long-term outcomes for adult survivors can be serious. Not only do many of these adults still suffer emotional or psychological problems but their physical health may have been impacted as well. Who should pay the cost for this? Certainly not the children or the adult survivors!

Child Abuse Hides in the Darkness

Unfortunately, this is the problem. It seems as though society has become immune to abuse. You hear story after story of multiple children being locked away, rarely seen by neighbors who knew they were living there. Why doesn’t someone speak up? Child abuse hides in darkness but in the light of day, it should be seen. Much is being written on this, but in many cases, you will hear neighbors say they “thought something was off” or the opposite extreme, “they seemed like such a nice, normal family.”

Fear of Repercussions

Many times, people see and suspect something but are afraid to act for fear of repercussions. What if they are wrong and the children are okay? What if they are right and the abusers redirect their anger towards them? Should you, or shouldn’t you call the authorities if you suspect abuse in a home? The answer is, yes you most certainly should speak with someone. If not the police or CPS, perhaps the school guidance counselor or a neighborhood church would be able to do a bit of investigating.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Also, you should know that the law protects you as a witness. Your name will not be used when the authorities gain entry to the home. In fact, they don’t even need to mention anyone at all. Police departments across the country are entitled to do “wellness checks” and they often do if someone calls in concern. Many of these children can be given safe harbor if someone would take the initiative to make that phone call. Don’t let your fear of being wrong stand in the way of letting your voice be heard. In fact, lending your voice to the voiceless is the right thing to do. Those children have had their voices taken from them by their abusers.

Don’t let them pay the high cost of child abuse. You can play a role in giving them a brighter future, but you must act to do so. Isn’t it time someone took a stand?

How To Be A Role Model For Your Kids

April 14, 2018 by Mandy

Being a parent is definitely one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences out there. Even though there are a lot of unexpected challenges that parents face when raising their kids, nothing compares to the ability of seeing you kids become young, independent and powerful individuals. Everyone knows the importance of the early stages of education. Kids can definitely learn a lot of useful information by going to kindergarten or school, but learning life lessons from their parents is even more critical. In order to teach your kids how to become good people in society and know how to react in certain situations, you need to become a role model.

Physiologists compare small kids to little imitators who learn how to tackle certain life challenges directly from their parents or other relevant adults in their life. Adults and parents tend to easily get overwhelmed by the great amount of tasks that they need to complete, but every once in a while they need to remember that family comes first. As the greater role model sits across kids at the table, there are certain ways of becoming a role model for your kids.

Healthy Living

One of the first lessons that you need to teach your kids is how to eat better. Eating healthy foods has a lot of benefits. First and foremost, in order to have a healthy mind, it is critical to eat healthy foods at all times. On the other hand, those who eat better foods feel more energized, happy and live longer. Even though eating healthy is considered quite expensive these days, this is definitely a misconception that people have. For example, you can start planting vegetables and fruit in your garden and prepare delicious meals at home. Unfortunately, childhood obesity has become a widely spread problem that is closely related to depression. A simple way of avoiding that problem is by learning the importance of moderation. Keep yourself and your kids on the healthy range for a better, longer life.

Self-Improvement

The only way that kids can learn how to become better individuals and aim to constantly work on improving themselves is by seeing their parents do the same. Self-improvements should be a major part of everyone’s life. You can encourage your kids to broaden their horizons by learning books in different fields, but also by trying new experiences. There are a lot of great ways of doing that. Your role, in this case, is to push them and to encourage them constantly. They need to become aware of the fact that no one is perfect, but by practicing and working hard, they will eventually make their dreams come true. This lesson doesn’t have to be a chore. Have fun exploring new cultures or set goals when starting new activities.

Be Kind to Others

Kids are not born racist, and they are not hateful toward others, but the society makes them become bad people. Being kind costs nothing. Kindness is taken for granted these days, but it will definitely never go unnoticed. As a parent, you need to teach your kids that life is short and they need to be kind to people around them. When talking about this aspect, you don’t have to be very straightforward because that may shock them. Nonetheless, as they grow up, kids understand that life is limited and eventually everyone departs. Losing someone close is difficult, but there are ways of remembering them forever. Memories play an important role in people’s life, and it is nice to know that once they depart you can get a memorial portrait and keep that close memory close to your heart. You can learn more about this subject matter by checking out this website.

Celebrate Gratitude

Kids can be hard to please at times. Every parent wants what’s best for their children and often that can do more harm than good. Rewarding kids for good work is good enough but finding a balance between encouragement and excess is truly important. Celebrating small victories and being grateful for what they already have is essential. You can ask your family to think of three aspects which make them grateful early in the morning or just before going to bed. This can be as small or big as they wish. Sometimes even a nice outfit and a warm cup of tea deserve recognition.

Positive Attitude

There is a lot of negativity and bad news surrounding people these days. This does not add any value to life. Even though it is virtually impossible to keep a straight face or be happy and smiling every second of people’s life, kids need to learn that having a positive attitude goes a long way. A reassuring attitude and optimism help people take a step back in certain situations and see things from a different perspective. Try to be a believer and not a cynic and kids will grow up people optimistic people. Not many people know that the way they think has a direct impact on their whole life. It has been proven that positive thinking can heal different illnesses and chance life for the better.

Be Honest

Lastly, it is important to emphasize that there are some traits that all people need to have. Some of these are drive, self-acceptance, willpower, patience, integrity, optimism and last but not least, honesty. Tell your kids the truth at all times and encourage them to do the same. This is not only a perfect way of consolidating relationships, but also a good way of becoming better people. Telling lies gives you short-term satisfaction but the truth will always find its way out. When you are honest with yourself, you are honest with others too.

One of the main jobs that parents have is to be a great role model for their kids. This factor is not the most simple and it often takes a lot of time to perfection. There is no wrong or right way of raising kids or being a good role model for them as every individual is different. However, the advice given above might open your eyes about the most important life lessons that kids need to learn from their parents.