Make quality time with your child

But you’re asking yourself, “Where am I going to find the time? My schedule’s crazy enough as it is!” Well, for something as important as your child, you need to start digging around in that crazy schedule and find the time. Prioritizing is the key.

Here’s some helpful suggestions on how to make the most of your time and find quality time where you least expect it.

Look at your household chore list and decide which ones can be left undone or be done imperfectly in order to make more family time. You might also want to consider leaving certain things until after your child has gone to bed to make the most of your time together.

Turn some of your everyday routines together count. Sing some favorite silly songs on the way to daycare, or make that drive to and from school a great opportunity to discuss what’s happening in your child’s life.

If you have more than one child, realize that each of them needs your individual attention. You may really have to juggle things around to make this happen, but try to be flexible and creative when spending time with each of your kids. And no matter what, don’t skip those individual times with each child. By doing so you show them they’re lower down on the priority list than the dry cleaning or the grocery shopping.

Children thrive on stability and routines, so plan your quality times so that they can take place regularly. Maybe you can walk the dog together on weekend morning, take a shopping excursion together, have a scheduled night each week for a sit-down dinner together, or make a trip to the park.

Child Internet Protection

It can have adverse effects on the child. In fact such information may spoil the child. Today internet is easily accessible to children. Parents need to keep on what their children are doing when they are surfing the net.

The child internet protection act is a law that is passed by Congress to restrict children from accessing offensive content. This federal law was passed in December 2000 to address the problems that may arise due to precarious information that is available on the internet.

According to this law schools desiring internet connection through “E rate” program are required to satisfy some conditions. E rate programs make internet technology available to eligible libraries and schools in an affordable manner.

Under this act a school will get internet connection through E program if it has an internet safety policy and a technology protection measure such as internet software that blocks or filters pictures that are obscene and harmful to minors. The school is required to enforce a police for monitoring online activities of students. Schools need to implement a policy that addresses issues related to access of inappropriate internet mater.

The policy also needs to address issues about the security and safety of children when they are using chat rooms or any other form of electronic communication. The policy should also be aware of unauthorized access in the form of hacking and other illegal activities. The policy also needs to restrict access of minors from any kind of harmful material.

Schools wanting E rate funding are required to have a certificate stating that they are having safety internet policies. This act mentions that there is no need to keep a track of internet use as long as the school has installed the child internet protection software.

It is necessary to implement child internet protect in every school so as to protect children from unpleasant content. Future of the world lies in the hands of children. Hence, for a healthier environment in school, this law needs to be implemented. Child internet protection is possible by using child internet protection software. There are many companies offering child internet protection software. You can always take the help of internet to find the websites that provide list of companies offering child internet protection software.

Child internet protection software blocks successfully any garbage content. So if you have children in your house and you don’t want your kid to watch any precarious information on the internet then this can be achieved by installing child internet protection software. You can block offensive emails and instant messages with the help of child internet protection software.

You can also stop unauthorized access to your private information using this software. Generally, hackers try to access your private card number through the internet.

Happy Kids

Bob Weinberg, Senior Vice President of Merchandising for KB Toys, the nation’s largest mall-based toy store, offers a few fun ideas:

Burn Some Energy-Encourage children to bring the whole neighborhood together with a friendly sports game. Baseball, basketball, badminton and soccer are great team sports for children of any skill level. In addition to team sports, tennis is a great way to spend time with your children while teaching them coordination skills. Kids will benefit from the personal attention and everyone will benefit from the great workout.

Keep Cool-On a hot day of outdoor play, there is no better way to cool off than with water play. Spice up a game of Marco Polo by using squirt guns such as the Shield Blaster 1000 or add them to a game of capture the flag to add some excitement. Kids generally won’t mind being active on a hot day when a cool splash is in their future.

Take the Fun With You-If there’s a vacation in your plans, pack some entertaining travel toys to avoid hearing “are we there yet?” Minitravel games, such as electronic Sudoku puzzles, offer hours of fun with unlimited puzzles and millions of test questions. Video travel activities such as the Disney Dream Sketchers inspire creativity and allow kids to draw on the touch screen and create lines, shapes, colors and patterns.

Don’t Take a Vacation From Learning-Keep your child’s mind sharp with fun educational toys such as VTech’s V. Smile Learning Systems, which offer a combination of television and video games to create an educational experience for children ages 3 to 7. Tweens can enjoy LeapFrog’s Fly Pentop Computer that can do anything from solving math problems to recording your own tunes with a drum and keyboard.

Lastly, on a rainy day, visit a museum, nature center or even a toy store that encourages interactivity and a chance to try the newest toys of the season. Stores like KB Toys encourage kids (and kids at heart) to spend time playing with favorite toys, such as the popular Bubble Bellies Bubble Maker-Bubblesaurus. Store associates can be a great resource and can help direct you to unique and popular toys, as well as provide activity ideas to help prevent children’s boredom and parents’ headaches.

Kids can have a bubbly good time with some of today’s delightful toys-sometimes right in the store.

Teaching Kids about Money

My younger sister can’t save money for anything.  If she gets $20, she goes out and gets her nails done, without any idea how she will pay for the upkeep.  Watching her made me realize that I needed to teach my children about money.

Give your children an allowance that is age appropriate.  For our kids, they get half of their age in allowance.  So, on their birthday, they always get a 50 cent raise.  We provide chores during the summer and expect them to help out when needed during the school year.  Set some rules for earning the allowance and an amount for your children.

Now that they are earning some money, teach them about saving it.  Many banks have savings accounts for children.  Help them decide how much money they want to have to spend and how much to put away.  Make them a chart that keeps track of their money so they can watch it grow.

Let them spend some of it and be silly.  Part of the fun of having money is spending it.  I had a friend who would not allow their child to spend any of his money.  He had over $100 in the bank but couldn’t use it.  Letting your kids spend their money teaches them the value of things and how to use money wisely.      Make sure your kids only spend what they have.  Don’t loan money against the allowance they will receive.  Our boss doesn’t give a paycheck advance, kids need to learn this too.

Teaching your kids about money will provide them a valuable tool for when they are older and get their first job.  Make spending and saving money a success for them.

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Getting a Pet for your Child

I’ve never met a child that hasn’t wanted a pet of some type.  There are many different pets you can chose for your child, depending on their age and what you would like in your home.

Hermit crabs are an easy pet to begin with.  They aren’t messy, require little care, and still give your child a pet of their own that they can care for.  You can take them out of their cage and let them crawl around, and they can change to larger shells as they grow.

Hamsters or guinea pigs require a little more care.  Their cage must be cleaned every week, and they need fresh food and water every day.  They can be messy, and they are a nocturnal animal, which means they want to play while you are sleeping.  If you put a hamster wheel in their cage, they will get their exercise at night, which can be noisy.

Cats and dogs are less messy to care for, but require more care in other ways.  Dogs need regular baths and combing.  Both need food and water several times a day.  Dogs need to be walked and taught to be house trained.  If you decide to give your child a dog as a pet, be prepared to assist in the training, puppies are a lot of work.

There are several other types of pets you can choose.  Reptiles might be a good option if you want a pet with low maintenance.  Fish are a great pet to begin with, although they tend to die easily.

Giving your child a pet is a great way to teach them responsibility.  Make sure you choose a pet that is appropriate for your child’s age.

Learn How to talk to your kids

Every parent dreads being asked questions by their children that they aren’t ready to answer.  Learn how to talk to your kids and develop the relationship that you will need when they get older.

There are some basic guidelines that parents can follow to talk better to their children.  Here are a few.

When your child asks a question, find out why they are asking before you go into a long winded explanation.  Sometimes we misunderstand what they are asking.  I had a daughter ask me what a certain word meant.  I went on and tried to tactfully explain this word.  After I finished, she mentioned that she saw the word in the name of a lotion I had, and just wondered what it meant.  I could have come up with a much simpler answer if I would have understood the question.

Allow your kids to have an opinion and express it.  Try not to make them feel like their opinion is less valuable because you know more than they do.  Take the time to listen to them and understand where they are coming from.

Always talk to them at their age appropriate level.  Don’t talk down to them just because they are a child.  I had a nurse at the doctor’s office that talked baby talk to my two year old daughter, who just looked at the women with confusion.  Children are smarter than we give them credit for.

A big part of learning to talk to our children is learning how to listen.  Following these suggestions and paying attention to your kids will help you develop the relationship that you want.  When they are older, that open communication becomes essential.  Develop that relationship now.