Cutting Down Your Kids’ Screen Time
Using electronics can be great for your kids, it'a a source of both entertainment and education. However, like all good things, they should be used in moderation. Too much screen time can contribute to a whole host of problems, so here are a couple of ideas for alternative activities.
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Books
Books are a brilliant alternative to using screens before bedtime. The blue light from screens can interfere with the sleep hormone melanin, which can hinder sleep and keep your kids awake. Switching to a book not only helps them relax but comes with a long list of other benefits. Staring at screens for extended periods of time can put a lot of strain and stress on your child's eyes, leading to problems such as dry eye, which is uncomfortable and irritating. Making small changes to your child’s routine can help minimize the risk of these issues developing, while still keeping them entertained.
Dress Up Games
Activities that stimulate imagination and creativity are essential for children. The younger they start, the better. Besides the usual arts and crafts projects, activities such as dress-up games are good for kids to exercise their creative mind. Provide your kids with tools and supplies to play dress-up. They can use old clothes and refashion them with various embellishments. Or you can get costumes and pieces online that they can modify according to a theme or design. Of course, they have to have a venue where they can show off their creations. Organize a mini fashion show at home with the entire family or make it a community event and invite their friends to join in on the fun!
Arts and Crafts
Being creative is another great way to entertain and educate your child. There are so many activities to choose from, so you will be able to find something your child loves, regardless of age and ability. Painting and coloring are easy options that don’t require lots of room or equipment, as sets are readily available in many places. This is also a great chance for your child to grow their imagination and just have fun, without feeling as though they have to create a masterpiece! You can find coloring sheets online that can be printed off, as well as instructions on creating items out of things you already have in your home.
Outdoors
Exercise and fresh air are incredibly important for your child, so turning off the screens and taking them for a walk can have huge benefits. Spending time in nature will help nurture their curiosity and teach them about the world. Even just being in the backyard can be a lot of fun, and there are plenty of outdoor activities and games that you can play. Sports clubs are great for building teamwork skills while getting exercise, and they allow your child to make friends, let off some steam and learn a new sport. Exercise strengthens muscle and bones and helps prevent weight gain and other issues that can occur in later life.
Cooking
Depending on their age, your child may enjoy helping with the cooking or baking. You can find lots of child friendly recipes online, and they can have the feeling of accomplishment at having created something. There are plenty of baking kits available that are aimed at children and parents, with easy-to-follow instructions and basic ingredients, which are a great introduction to the kitchen. Baking can provide your child with many useful skills, such as reading, collaboration, creativity, and fine motor skills, and is also a lovely opportunity to spend time together. It doesn’t matter if you’re not a great cook yourself, as you can find and adapt recipes to work for you and learn and make mistakes together!
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5 Snow Day Activities to Keep Your Kids Entertained
Snow days are basically the best thing ever for kids. What’s not to love about a random day off from school? For parents, though, seeing their child’s school scroll by on the list of closures during the morning news isn’t always such an exciting experience. Having the kids home on short notice can be stressful for lots of reasons. For some parents, arranging childcare is a huge challenge. Even for stay-at-home parents, having the little ones home unexpectedly isn’t always easy. Don’t let the next snow day get you down. Prepare yourself by checking out these snow day activities to keep your kids entertained.
After a heavy snow, your kids will likely want to spend their morning sled riding or building snowmen. Once the chill sets in and they get tired of being outside, though, you can expect to listen to a chorus of “I’m bored” all afternoon. That is, unless you plan ahead and come up with some indoor activities in advance.
Activities for Snow Days
Bake Up Some Tasty Treats
Baking is always a fun way to warm up and pass the time when you are stuck indoors. Most kids love helping in the kitchen, and with proper supervision, baking is an activity that is fun (and rewarding) for kids of all ages.
There are all sorts of kid-friendly recipes for things like cookies, breads, cupcakes, etc. Pick out a few options and stock up on the supplies necessary to make them. Keep everything on hand and you’ll be prepared for the next snow day.
Baking with your kids is a great way to work on your holiday gift list, too. If a snow day falls prior to the holidays, spend the day making cookies and other goodies to share with your loved ones. The kids will have fun and you’ll get to check something off your holiday to-do list. Talk about a win-win!
Customize Clothing
Arts and crafts projects are the standard go-to when it comes to keeping kids entertained when they are stuck indoors. If you want to try something a bit different from the usual drawing, painting or stringing beads activities, though, consider stocking up on wholesale clothing. There are many ways to customize blank t-shirts and other apparel, and kids of all ages enjoy making their own wearable art.
Wholesale kids’ t-shirts are the perfect foundation for tie-dyeing, drawing, painting and much, much more. You can dye cotton t-shirts with food, use readily available dye kits, customize them with iron-on decals… The options are virtually endless.
Older tweens and teens can also use blank t-shirts and sweatshirts to make entirely new garments and accessories. They can transform t-shirts into purses, skirts, headbands and all sorts of other fun things. There are plenty of ways to give sweatshirts a makeover, too.
Build a Fort
Sometimes, the best activities are the tried and true classics. Chances are, you have your own happy memories of building a fort in your living room or bedroom when you were a kid. Why not help create those memories for your little ones, too?
You can keep things old school by building a fort by draping blankets over chairs and tables or making one out of a large cardboard box for a nostalgic feel. Or, if you want to be a bit more modern, there are now fort building kits that make things much easier. Whichever option you prefer, you and your kids will have a great time building and playing in a fort. You’ll also have a blast getting to see your little one’s imagination at work as they design their creation.
Read a Book Together
When the weather is cold and snowy and you are trapped indoors, you can escape to a place where the weather is a lot more pleasant (or simply doesn’t matter) by getting lost in a book. Consider picking up a few adventure books and tucking them away for the next snow day. Any genre works, but adventure books are great when you want to help your kids mentally escape for a little while.
Cuddle up on the couch with a soft, cozy blanket and read together. Put on your best performance to help your child feel like they are really in the story rather than just listening to it. You may find yourself getting lost in the book, too!
Have a Treasure Hunt
Keep a special toy or treat on hand to surprise your child with when they are home on a snow day. Hide it and then create clues that they need to follow in order to solve it. Riddles are great for older kids. For younger kids, each clue can be something simple, like a picture of where they need to go next.
Putting together this type of scavenger hunt does take a bit of time and planning. If you are running short on time, you can make it a simple game of “hot” and “cold” instead. Tell your child that you have hidden a surprise, and when they are getting closer to it, tell them that they’re getting “warmer.” Tell them they’re getting “colder” if they move farther away from it.
If you have older and younger kids, ask your older child to hide the prize and draw a map that their sibling will then use to find it. As you can tell, there are all sorts of ways to have an indoor treasure hunt. Get creative with it!
The Bottom Line
Keeping your kids entertained when they are stuck at home doesn’t have to be difficult. With a little bit of creativity, you can come up with all sorts of snow day activities that will pass the time and keep you from having to listen to whining, arguing, etc. Look at a snow day as an opportunity for making family memories instead of as a burden. Changing your perspective will make it way easier to have fun with these unexpected days off rather than dreading them.
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Mom Self Care Ideas
Although you might believe that every second of your day has to be focused on your kids for you to be a good mom, this is not the case. To be the best mom possible for your family, you must learn how to put yourself first and feel good. Read on for self care ideas for moms.
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Indulge and Treat Yourself to Little Luxuries
You might believe that it is only your kids who should be treated when you go on a day out or when the summer vacation hits. However, this is not the case, and you should make sure that you spend some of your hard-earned cash on the person who worked for it: you! One of the best luxuries you may want to consider indulging in is cologne for women. This can help you feel good about yourself and add that extra spark of magic to every day of the year. At scentmagic.com, they offer a cologne subscription that allows you to receive a box filled with lovely scents every single month. Indulge!
Take Time for Yourself
When you have kids, you don't' have to spend every moment of the day with them, and it is just as important to take some time for yourself to protect your mental and physical health. For instance, many moms indulge in a relaxing bath or shower, as this helps them to pamper themselves while taking a little me time away from the kids. You should also make time to do the hobbies that you enjoy and to attend social groups and activities in your local area. If you are unable to find a close relative or friend to take your kids off your hands, there is also no shame in calling a babysitter to care for your kids while you are focusing on yourself. Remember, don't neglect your friends. They need me time too! Spend it together and stay connected.
Build a Support Network
No matter how of a good mom you are, everyone needs support at some time throughout their parenting journey, and the best source that you can get this from is other moms. Consider joining a mom’s group in your local area that will allow you to meet other parents who are in the same boat as you, and who you can rely on for emotional, and even practical, support when times get tough.
Update Your Wardrobe
You may feel as if you're constantly updating your kid’s wardrobes as they go through constant growth spurts. However, to feel good and to boost your confidence, you should also update your own wardrobe. Mom style is not only loungewear and baggy clothing, you should try to hit the balance between comfort and feeling good with items such as day dresses, tunics, and patterned jumpers- anything that makes you feel good on the inside and the outside!
Chase Your Own Goals and Dreams
As a mom, it's easy to put all of your energy into your kid’s dreams and end up forgetting your own. Instead, you should make sure that you chase your own goals and objectives too! Whether these dreams are heading off to college or training to run a marathon, don't put them off. By doing this, you can maintain your own sense of identity and ensure that you still have something to focus on when your kids eventually leave home to chase their own desires.
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Traffic at a Standstill?
I've been working the 30 day challenge in this book by Russell Brunson, Traffic Secrets: The Underground Playbook for Filling Your Websites and Funnels with Your Dream Customers. Let me just say, it may feel overwhelming, but that's what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the crowd. The past few years, I've slowed down on my personal endeavors. They've taken a backseat to the digital marketing that I do for other brands and businesses. I've got a keen eye for what needs to get done, but when it comes to doing it for myself, I don't always accomplish those goals. Reading this book has been the kick in the pants I needed to get motivated.
#RussellBrunson
How do you Get Kids to Enjoy Nature?
There’s no refuting that encouraging our kids to get out in nature and engage in outdoor play will result in your family reaping a myriad of benefits, spanning from improved physical and emotional health to providing your children with a ton of fun opportunities for both learning and family bonding. But we also know how difficult it can be to get your kids genuinely excited about outdoor time in this age of screens, screens, and more screens. So, how can you get kids to enjoy nature? Here are a few quick tips!
NATURE APPRECIATION TIPS
1. Plan regular outings
Hands down, the best way to get your kids excited about being out in nature is to make sure that you take regular family trips to beautiful places. Make full use of your local hiking trails on weekends, and set some time aside every week to go on a nice, long (and maybe even educational) bushwalk! If you’ve got younger kids with you, be sure to come equipped with a sturdy Joolz stroller, or another kind of stroller that you’re certain can handle off-road terrain if you plan to stray from the beaten path.
2. Watch nature documentaries
It’s safe to say that young children have very few opportunities to engage with the wonders of the wider world, especially if your family has no upcoming travel plans. But you don’t need to go to Africa to see the lions of the Serengeti or to the Arctic Circle to see polar bears! If you have an allocated family movie night, be sure to flick on some David Attenborough and other nature documentaries every now and then to keep your kids in absolute awe of the natural world. Not only this, but documentaries can also be a great tool when it comes to teaching your kids about the effects of climate change and the importance of decreasing your household’s carbon footprint. Putting these complex issues into real-world contexts can really help your kids develop and maintain healthy living habits.
3. Grow your own garden
Speaking of healthy living habits, did you know that even the pickiest kids are more likely to eat veggies that they’ve grown themselves? And that not only is gardening a natural stress reliever, but it’s also been proven to boost our immune systems and strengthen our fine motor skills? Both suburban and city-dwelling families alike, are jumping on the gardening bandwagon and using any free outdoor space to cultivate their own little veggie patches. And you don’t need to go all-out here to reap the benefits either! Even families living in apartment buildings can utilise balcony space to nurture their own herbs and potted produce like tomato plants. If you’re uncertain of where to start, here are five low-maintenance plants that will be sure to get your kids excited about flexing their green thumbs for years to come.
4. Play some outdoor games
Some of our strongest memories from childhood are made during outdoor play, whether we’re bouncing on a trampoline in the backyard or swinging from the monkey bars of our nearest playground. For this reason alone, it’s highly recommended that you take any and all opportunities to play some outdoor games with your kids and to encourage your kids to play sports and other outdoor activities with their peers. Even younger kids can join in on the fun with some inclusive activities like a sandcastle-building competition, and older kids will have a whale of a time with age-old classics like ‘Tag’ and ‘Capture the Flag.’
Finally, it’s a good rule of thumb to always have a small debrief with your little ones after any outdoor activity, just so you can gauge what interests them and what you can do to nurture those interests. If you listen well, you’ll be sure to have some very avid little hikers, bikers, and gardeners on your hands who will only find more ways to keep themselves learning and developing new skills as they grow up!
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Nature Based Circle Time Activity
Kids can only learn so much from traditional education, which is why it is vital that they also get involved in a host of extracurricular activities. These recreational pastimes for children aid their development and help them discover their passions. Extra curricular activities also can help kids to make friends and find positive role models. You want your child to become a well-rounded adult with much to contribute to society. You can help give kids a kickstart by sparking a passion for any one or more of these extracurricular activities that help give your child a holistic education.
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1) Music
Studying music has shown to improve test scores and help students do better in school. Music also can provide kids with a new way to express themselves. Additionally, the study of music helps kids to concentrate and can give them a sense of accomplishment as they learn to achieve their goals.
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There are many different instruments with which kids can start. One popular option is the drums. If you think this might be a good fit for your child, then you can learn more here.
2) Sports
Sports are an excellent outlet for getting exercise and building teamwork skills. Many kids even find themselves meeting some of their best friends through sports.
With so many different sports to choose from, your child will find something that works for them. If your kid has a hard time staying active, then participating in sports may provide the perfect fun way to get regular physical activity.
3) Art
Art is a fantastic way for children to express themselves and let their creative sides run wild. Many kids get a great sense of accomplishment when they create a beautiful piece of art.
There are many ways to get your child involved with art. While you can have your child take lessons, you could also involve them in crafts at home. The process of making things is essential to childhood development, no matter how you go about it.
4) Drama
Participating in performing arts can help kids to boost confidence. Drama also increases empathy because it requires your child to walk around in someone else’s shoes. Learning to play a character can help kids to see things from a different perspective and be more understanding.
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Drama can help kids build trust and learn to rely on each other. When they are on stage, they need to trust that their scene partner will always have their back if they forget a line or something goes wrong. Even if your child never becomes a star, the performing arts can significantly change their life.
5) Writing
Writing is a pastime that has many professional advantages. One of the most sought-after skills in the professional world is strong writing. Starting young can help your child to succeed in their career.
Writing can help children to process their thoughts and express themselves. It also may assist kids in their overall communication skills. Encourage your child to write short stories, poems, or to keep a journal.
The Bottom Line
Childhood is the perfect time for people to explore a plethora of different activities to find the things that they enjoy. Hopefully, these suggestions will give you some ideas about what your children might like to do in their free time. It's great to open their minds to all sorts of possibilities. Something may spark a career choice.
However, it is essential not to force your child to do anything that does not interest them. While encouragement is helpful, pressure can be counterproductive and may cause resentment. You need to strike a careful balance. Remember that your kids are just kids, and they may not become the next Olympic athlete or musical prodigy, and that is okay, just let them enjoy their extra curricular activities.
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