It's always important to convince your child that they can succeed. Children often have a lot of self-doubts, due to the many challenges of childhood, such as peer pressure and competitiveness at school. As a result, as a parent we should try to find ways to not only encourage our children, but actually inspire them to find ways to reach their own personal best.
At the core of a child's ability to do their best is their sense of self-confidence, self-worth, and self-esteem. While it's important to have a certain amount of discipline in the household, we should take care to approach this more from the aspect of reinforcing good behavior, and less from a standpoint of calling attention to bad behavior. When children receive praise and encouragement, they often become inspired to achieve more. A good way of doing this is to make an effort to notice and compliment the things that your child is doing, even if they are small actions. READ More on Inspiring Kids to Do Their Best
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by Jennifer Shakeel
Kids Helping Kids
KIDS CAN and DO Make a DIFFERENCE! Each and every day kids are learning ways to make a difference in the world that they live in. At my son's school, the sign outside of the schools says "Be the change you want to see in the world." One of the most popular clubs at the school is the Junior Optimist club. To me, that is just awesome. This gave us here at more4kids.info the idea of putting together the names of a few inspirational kids that have and are being the change they want to see in the world.
The first child is Tyler Page who started a charity through KidsHelpingKids. He was inspired to save the life of a child he would never meet in Ghana. After seeing an Oprah show where the topic was child trafficking, Tyler decided that he had to do something so that children like him were not bought and sold for physical labor. He had been learning in school about Positive Action, which is where children reach out and help others by picking up trash, paying it forward, and doing other activities in their community to make it better. Tyler figured out that he could save the life of 1 child for $240 a year (or $20 a month). He decided to have a car wash. This was so successful he decided to raise his goal from one child to 200 children. He is asking for us all to pitch in and donate to his charity. This can be done at the link above.
Kids Making a Difference
The next child I want to talk about is a young lady by the name of Stephanie. In June 2000 Stephanie ( a then 8 year old) started a charity called "Kids Making a Difference." Stephanie was inspired after reading an article about an injured baby manatee in her local paper. She knew that she had to do something to help manatee. She started by making manatee pins and selling them to her friends and family to help raise money to increase the public awareness about manatees. The wonderful thing was that not only did she raise money, and increase awareness, she also got other kids excited and they wanted to join in. That is how Kids Making a Difference was created. Today Stephanie is 17, and she still heads up the charity. It is an organization run by kids for kids: READ More on Inspirational Kids: Kids Who Have Achieved Great Things
Filed under Amazing Kids, News by More4kids
How to Teach Kids to Learn From Their Mistakes without Getting Frustrated
by Jennifer Shakeel
Turn a "can't do it" into a "can do it" learning opportunity
Although we as parents often wish to shield our child from the frustration and disappointment of making mistakes, it's important to realize that making mistakes is part of an important learning process in life. No matter how hard we might try to always do things right, making mistakes is one thing that is always part of life, regardless of whether we are young or old. It is important to teach a child that making a mistake isn't fatal, and that they can use mistakes as a way of learning to find better ways to be successful.
Children often become very disappointed and discouraged when they fail at something or make a mistake. For example, if a child doesn't do well at a school play audition or makes errors that prevent them for being selected for the baseball team, they sometimes can interpret the mistakes they made as failure, or as a sign that they aren't any good at these types of activities. As parents, we need to be able to show a child that when they make a mistake, this is simply an opportunity to learn. READ More on Teaching Kids to Learn From Their Mistakes
Advent Wreath
by Stacey Schifferdecker
The month before Christmas has got to be the longest time of year for kids! Not renowned for their patience anyway, kids have to wait and wait for the big day. It doesn't help that Christmas decorations go on sale in September now and that radio stations begin playing Christmas songs on Halloween. Help you kids make it through the long days of December by celebrating Advent. Even better, Advent also helps you keep the focus of Christmas on Jesus rather than Santa Claus, presents, and other commercial aspects of Christmas.
Advent is a Latin word that actually means "coming." In the Christian church, advent is time of preparation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. Advent officially begins four Sundays before Christmas, which means it often begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
So how can you celebrate Advent? One way is to buy or make an Advent wreath to lay on your table. An Advent wreath typically consists of greenery with four candles, three purple and one pink. Each candle has a specific meaning: READ More on Celebrating Advent with Children
"To the World you might be just one person … but to one person you might be the world"
It does not always take a lot to make a difference in someones lives. To some people, to some children even a dollar or two can make a world of difference. One of the hardest things for me is seeing a child that is hurting, lonely or sick. One organization that is helping make a difference through almost all volunteer activity is Love without Boundaries. You can learn more about them through our recent interview we did with them: Hope for a Child.
Here are some current needs that will really make a difference in the life of a child:
Margaret
Margaret was found abandoned by the gate of an orphanage last month. She was a bit jaundiced the first few days at her orphanage but her color is pink now. Margaret has a very large teratoma on her lower back area that needs to be surgically removed as soon as possible before it becomes cancerous. The teratoma is so large that she is forced to sleep on her side to get comfortable. Aside from the teratoma, Margaret is developing really well and is a very alert baby. She follows people around the room with her eyes and she likes listening to people talk to her. She has learned to stretch her little body every morning when she wakes up and after a diaper change. Would you please consider helping this little girl receive a much needed surgery? To learn more and help this child visit Love Without Boundaries.
Haley
Haley is a sweet 10 month old who has been getting stronger every day after her cleft lip and palate repair. She is beginning to walk with assistance and is described as "trying to take each step with the precision of a dancer." She also likes to get the attention of her caregivers whenever they attend to another baby. Won't you consider sponsoring little Haley so she can grow up with the one to one attention of a foster family? To learn more and help this child visit Love Without Boundaries. READ More on Making a Difference this Holiday Season
by Stacey Schifferdecker
It's Not Fair!
With Thanksgiving approaching, I am struck by thoughts of fairness and gratitude. I never really thought of these two concepts being related, but we are currently in a phase of "That's not fair!" at my house. W, the middle school boy, says it isn't fair that his friend B has a cell phone and he doesn't. J, the elementary school girl, says it isn't fair that W gets to eat pizza at the church youth group meeting and that everyone has a later bed time than she does. And K doesn't think it's fair that he has so darn many math problems to do every night.
So why does all this whining make me think of gratitude? I sure don't feel grateful for the kids' bad attitudes! Unfortunately, many times a cry of "It's not fair!" is a symptom of an ungrateful heart. W, for example, should be grateful that he gets picked up from school instead of walking home like B does. J at least has food to eat and a warm, safe bed to sleep in. And K has a nice graphing calculator to speed up his Algebra II homework.
All of this reminds me of the Bible parable that my Sunday school class seems to have a hard time grasping. As Jesus told the story, a man sent workers into the vineyard in the morning, after agreeing to pay them a denarius for their day's work. A few hours later, he sent more workers to join them, and a few hours later even more workers. The end of the day came and all the workers received the same payment, whether they had worked one hour or the whole day. The workers who had been there all day protested with the classic cry of "It's not fair!" And the response of the master? "But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matthew 20:13-16). READ More on Its Not Fair! - Thanksgiving Thoughts on Fairness and Gratitude
Interview by Jennifer Shakeel
Parenting Tips for a happier healthier family
This week I had the absolute fortune of interviewing Dr. Sylvia Rimm. I am sure that many of you have heard of Dr. Rimm. She had a regular segment on the Today Show for nine years. She is also a best-selling author of books such as "See Jane Win," "How Jane Won," "Rescuing the Emotional Lives of Overweight Children," and "How to Parent So Children Will Learn" to name a few. Dr. Rimm is also a clinical professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and she is the director of the Family Achievement Clinic in Cleveland, OH. I was very grateful that she was able to give me an interview.
Dr. Rimm has done extensive research on children that are gifted, children that are underachievers and overweight children and is considered among the top elite when it comes to many different parenting issues, families and issues that trouble tweens and teens. As you can imagine along with be grateful for her time I was overwhelmed with questions I wanted to ask. If you visit her website you will have access to more information then I could cover here, as well as you have the opportunity send Dr. Rimm your question about parenting and have her answer it.
For our talk what she and focused on were really ground rules for parenting. The reason is because in her research she has found there are certain things that parents of happy, successful and achieving children do to help make sure that their children excel, that other parents aren't doing when it comes to parenting their children. After talking with Dr. Rimm, I was relieved to know that my husband and I were doing most of them… and that I found out the areas we need to tweak alittle to get better results.
The first "pillar" we will call it has to do with the words you use. The words that you use with your child to discuss that child, as well as the words you use about that child to other people are what helps to mold that child. Your words are actually the building blocks to the identity you child has. Dr. Rimm says that it is important that we are using positive words when we are talking to our children or when we are talking about them. READ More on Parenting Advice from the Best
Filed under Parenting, Parenting Tips by More4kids
by Dr. Michele Borba
Do you feel as though your child is tuning you out?
"Why don't you listen?" "That's the fourth time I told you!" "Didn't you hear anything I just said?"
If you're frustrated in trying to get your kid to listen, take heart: you're not alone. Parents magazine polled moms and dads about their toughest discipline challenge, and the hands-down winner was "My kid doesn't listen to me."
The fact is, learning to give directions so kids will listen takes practice. But improving your kid's listening skills will benefit every arena of his life-from improving his school performance, relations with friends, job performance, as well as family harmony.
Here are a few solutions adapted from my new book, The Big Book of Parenting Solutions: 101 Answers to Your Everyday Challenges and Wildest Worries to help improve your child's listening skills:
• Attention first, then talk. If your kid is not listening, first get her attention and make sure she's looking at you before you speak. "Please, look at me and listen to what I have to say." Give your request when you're eyeball to eyeball. You're more likely to have your child's full attention. READ More on Parenting Solutions That Get Kids to Listen
Filed under Parenting, Parenting Tips by More4kids
Homeless Child in need
America is the greatest country in the world. I was born here, live here, and love it dearly. Our Statue of Liberty tells the world to ""Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" Yet, there are people and children, right here in our country that are struggling… homeless… helpless… and in need. The economy over the last year has made things even worse, and even more desperate for some. And it is children who are homeless that need a voice, and need our help.
There is not a child in this world that asked to be born, yet there are 1.4 million of these blessings (homelesschildrenamerica.org) are walking the streets… sleeping in cardboard boxes and going without food. Hunger and poverty exists around the world. As Americans we have a big heart and try to help out wherever there is need. We have such a big heart sometimes we forget about some of our neighbors that may be suffering too. My heart breaks everytime I see or hear of a homeless family, and even though our family is struggling in this economy, I know there are people and children a lot worse off.
It is easy (as a society) to look at an adult that is down on their luck, possibly losing everything here in America and say that it is their own fault for where they are at. It happens every day, the person on the side of the street that is holding up a sign asking for food or money that you drive by with your windows rolled up looking the other way pretending not to see them. What do you say to the child that has nothing? I am not talking about not having an XBOX, but the essentials… clean clothes, warm food, a roof over their head.
Each and every year 1 out of every 50 kids will become homeless here in our wonderful country of America. That is on an average year; now add into that the very tough economic times our country is going through. Consider the number of parents that have or are losing their jobs… their homes… It can happen to any of us at any time. We can no longer just look at our own children and be thankful that it "isn't us," we need to do something now to help these kids. READ More on Homeless in America - Children in Need
Mom writing a letter to her child
by Stephanie Partridge
It started out as a simple project, write letters to the people I love. It ended up becoming a cherished heirloom for my children. I had a writing project and, after writing the article explaining the process, I wrote a few letters to include as examples. It was supposed to be very cut and dry, get in and get out then move on to the next project. But I could not move on. The words kept swirling in my head, tugging at me heart. I have lived with this need to write. It isn't as if I have a choice, there is something deep inside me that drives me. I have to write.
But something was moving inside me this time, something different. I sat down, pen in hand (yes, I still use a pen and paper for recording many of my thoughts) and began to write. At first they were thoughts, impressions. Soon, however, they became letters. They became letters to my children.
When I started, it was a rather generic letter that I could send to all three of my children. But as I wrote, the letters became unique for each child. It was as if they had taken on a life of their own. I first wrote to my daughter, Micah, a sweet, loving girl. She would do anything for you, never complaining. She is always smiling and likes to make others smile as well. She loves animals and is in a special program at school for animal sciences. She wants to be a veterinarian. READ More on Letters to your Child: A Gift of Love from the Heart
