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by Stacey Schifferdecker
This young lady is in the Christmas spirit
I remember watching a Sesame Street Christmas special a few years ago when Elmo wishes it could be Christmas every day. Of course, he soon realizes that Christmas every day really wouldn't be a good idea: people need to work, sing other songs, celebrate other holidays, and generally have a break from the whirlwind that Christmas often becomes. But how about the Christmas spirit - the love, kindness, and generosity we often find overflowing at Christmas? Can we help keep that Christmas spirit alive for our children all year long? Absolutely! And it may be easier than you think. The key is to model the Christmas spirit to our children every day in our own behavior.
Practice kindness
I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.
William Penn
Kindness is easy to practice all year long. If you have a big cart of groceries, let the person with just a few items go ahead of you. Hold a door open for the people behind you. Speak politely to everyone and refrain from gossip. READ More on Christmas Every Day
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
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
Little Girl Pretending She is a Fairy Princess
by Jennifer Shakeel
When you were little didn't you have an imaginary friend, or maybe your bedroom was a huge fortress where your bed was the castle surrounded by a moat and you battled the evil king from another castle… or maybe saved a princess… or maybe you were the princess. The point is that you played and you would use your imagination. Today, not as many children play as much or use their imagination as much as when we were kids… and that may cripple them in the long run.
I know that I am not the only parent that has said to their kids that "When I was little we didn't have cable… or the internet or Play Stations. We were thrown outside when we woke up and weren't allowed back in until dinner." I have said that very thing… more than once… and it is 100% true. We were expected to play, and play meant outside. When you played you were suppose to use your imagination because toys 30 and 40 years ago were nowhere near as animated as they are today. You had to make Barbie talk, and if Barbie had a baby chances are pretty good that you used a tiny little doll or a Play School toy to be the baby. GI Joe's didn't talk, they were tiny little figures, which again is different than when my dad was little and the GI Joe doll was as big (size wise) as Barbie. But to play you had to make it up. READ More on The Essentialness of Play and Make Believe
Filed under Activities, Parenting, Playtime by More4kids
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 Patricia Hughes
Teen Spending the Afternoon with her Dad
Most parents understand that their influence is important for their children, which is why so many parents spend time reading and thinking about parenting. Most of the research and news focuses on the importance of a stable family for children, but new studies have focused on the role Dad plays in his teenage daughter's life.
A study conducted at the University of Illinois was published in Child Development journal. This study looked at the correlation between sexual activity and parent-child relationships. Researchers interviewed over 3200 teens and their parents. The questions centered on interaction with parents.
Parents were asked questions regarding their knowledge of their kids' friends and how they spent their time. The answers were scored based on how much the parents knew about their teens and friends. Researchers compared this score with the rate of sexual activity in the teens. READ More on Importance of Dad for Teen Girls
by Stephanie Partridge
Great Family Experience: Hiking and Climbing together
For my son's 18th birthday, one of the presents I gave him was tickets to a concert featuring several of his favorite artists. For my daughter's 13th birthday, one of her presents was a local dog parade and Louisiana State University Veterinarian School open house. There have been many times that I have given my kids "experience gifts" instead of the traditional present. These gifts are more than new clothing or a new CD, they are creating memories. Kids can take photos or buy souvenirs to remember the event or experience, but the main present is the experience such as a concert or special show. Try one of these experience gifts for your child's next birthday or special occasion.
1. Concerts
Older kids love concerts. Before you choose a concert and purchase tickets, though, check out the band and fond out about as much of the show as possible to make sure that is appropriate for your child. For younger teens, you can go with them to the show. Older teens can usually do OK attending independently with a couple of friends. If you want to give them something to remember the event, purchase a souvenir t-shirt or some other item that they can keep and be reminded of their special day.
2. Play
A stage play is an excellent gift for the thespian in your family. If you are in an area that has local playhouses, you can easily find plays there just about any time. If plays tour to your city, you can find a good one that will be near you and take your child. Keep a program from the event and the ticket stub if you can. That way, they can have a keepsake from the event. The key with experience gifts is to get a keepsake to commemorate the event.
3. Touring Show
A touring show such as The Wiggles, Icecapades or a wrestling event can also be a great experience gift. Watch your newspapers and sign up for sites like Eventful and Ticketmaster to keep up with what shows are coming to your area. READ More on Giving More Experiences Instead of Toys
