Ages and Stages of Tweens: Part II

According to Scholastic Parent and Child magazine, October 2009 issue, you should gradually give your tween more freedom. Let him/her have some clearly defined personal space or redecorate their bedroom if they have outgrown the Star Wars or Barbie design. If they want to do homework after TV, and complete it well, allow it. If you refuse too much too often in order to stay in control, you could face far more difficulty, assertive challenges as retaliation. Most importantly, show your tween respect. When you support their point of view, they feel worthwhile and treated like an equal. Below are some tips for parents of tweens.

1. When your tween wants to ask or tell you something stop what you are doing and listen and make eye contact.

2. Let your tween make you laugh. Tweens love to entertain and impress parents by telling endless painful jokes, acting silly, or exaggerating. You may want to groan, but hide it.

3. Tweens are still kids inside and continue to need those beloved close moments like goodnight kisses or being read to.

4. Just try to enjoy your tween! It's not always easy, but when you lighten up they will share their feelings and experiences. Try not to take what they tell you as unimportant or silly. Many times they are sincerely concerned or worried about small matters.

5. Remember, you are setting the stages for the teenage relationship years. You want your tween to come to you and feel like you respect their feelings and will advise them wisely. It is not time to be a friend, but a strong influence and guiding light.

Ages and Stages of Tweens: Part I

According to Scholastic Parent and Child magazine, October 2009 issue, as carefree as it may seem, it's not easy being a tween. At this age, children need more than your unconditional love and appreciation; they need hands-on experience to discover who they are, what they like, and how they think. They need chances to become more competent and physically skilled.

Well-grounded self-esteem is based on real skills, a clear and positive sense of self, and relationship security. What is far less valuable is shallow self-esteem that is linked to fashion and material possessions. In these times, many pre-teens become dejected by their "imperfect" bodies and don't see how wonderful they are for their unique personality and qualities.

Your tweens will feel good about themselves when:

1. They feels valued as a person because you trust them, listen to them, and spend quality time with them.

2. They can see that you appreciate and encourage their growing skills.

3. Your tweens knows that they are special to you because you take the time to get to know what matter to them.

4. When they genuinely believe they can succeed when given new tasks and challenges.

5. Your tween should have good friends and feel well supported at school.

Read my blog tomorrow and get some good advice on ways to help your tween develop the self-esteem they need to be an independent and confident teen.

Fun Crafts for the Fourth

Happy Fourth of July. I hope you are enjoying this day with barbecue, potato salad, and fresh corn on the cob. If you would like some fun crafts to do with your kids check out the June/July 2010 issue of Working Mothers magazine. Below are some great suggestions.

Cool Container

As the weather gets warmer, kids will need to stay hydrated. So help your children personalize their own foam can hugs. Thy can decorate them with self-adhesive foam alphabet and star stickers in the colors they select. Add touches of glitter for festive sparkle. Then pop in a cool drink and enjoy! These form can hug will keep their drinks cool and have a personal touch all at the same time.

Holiday Hanger

Greet your guests with a flag-inspired welcome on your door. Have your kids cut out strips of blue and red paper and glue them onto a sheet of white card stock (make sure to measure strips to fit.) Glue on red, white, and blue foam stars and write "Happy 4Th of July" with paint pens. Hang by attaching ribbon.

Be sure to do something special with your family and have a fun filled 4Th!!!!

Parent-Teacher Relationships: Part III

In order for the teacher to do the best job for your child, he/she will need your cooperation and support. Lisa Capretto interviewed a Stacey Nelson, a third grade teacher from Tennessee and below are some tips for having a successful parent-teacher relationship throughout the school year.


Be Organized:

1. Establish a regular routine each night. This includes having children pack their backpacks the night before, to make sure they have everything they need for school the next day. "My number one thing my students tell me is, "My homework is done, but I left it sitting on the table," Nelson says. A simple evening routine can prevent this and prevent children from feeling rushed or disorganized in the morning.



2. Cut down on chaos and clutter at home. If your home life is disorganized, this can carry over into the classroom and make learning more difficult for the child. "When a child walks into my classroom, I can tell by the look on their face what kind of morning they had and what kind of day it will be," Nelson says.



3. Have an organized homework area. Simple things like paper, pencils, pens, rulers, crayons, and other materials in a designated area will help the child stay organized. A clean bedroom and home can help the child feel prepared and focused on the day ahead.

Summer Family Fitness

According to the June/July issue of Working Mother magazine, summer family fitness is easy and important to incorporate into the summer schedule. School's out, which means less interaction with peers and possible weight gain for some kids. A new study from the University of Buffalo found that children my resort to eating and other sedentary activities when there are no available alternatives. An example would be during the summer there are no kids to hang out with on a daily basis like in school. So make sure your child is social this summer. If he/she is not already signed up for summer activities, below are some ideas.

1. Community programs

2. Swimming teams or just swimming 1-3 times a week
3. Local library summer reading programs
4. Art museums may have classes
5. Sport camps
6. Local universities have programs for students
7. Summer camps with academic and physical activities included
8. Movies with friends, but make sure there are adults supervising.
9. Nature walks and hikes
10. Camping, fishing, and boating

Teaching Our Children: 6-8 Years Part II

From in-class worksheets to short stories for homework, your child will have a lot of writing to complete. "There school work is primarily written," says pediatric occupational therapist Jan Z. Olsen, founder of the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum program, in Cabin John, Maryland. "Teachers consider writing to be essential for learning to communicate effectively." According to Parents magazine, December 2009 issue, below are additional fun ways to get your child to write.

Mail Tale

Get a small notebook and have your child keep a simple journal for a week. Then send it to Grandma or another relative to add her comments on your child's week and a record a week in her life and mail it to another loved one. The last person can mail it back to your child and he/she will get reading practice too.

Pick a Winner

Designate one night a week as activity night. Help your child write down stuff he/she would like to do on a lip of paper and place them in jars. Suggest games (board, card, or parlor), movies, or whatever interest your child (building with Legos or baking muffins). When it's time, have your kids choose one and ask to them to add a fresh idea to keep the jar fun-filled.

Love Notes

Leave surprise messages for your child on their pillow, the bathroom mirror, or in their book bag. End each one with a question, and ask your child to write an answer on the back and leave it for you in a surprise location as well.

Minute Man

Get into the habit of asking your kids to write things for you. Dictate shopping list, have them address envelopes, and jot down reminders on the family calendar. The more practice the better.

Tolls of the Trade

Set up your own office-supply closet. Collect and keep awesome writing tools (gel pens, scented markers, funny-shaped pencils), and all sorts of paper (lined, sticky notes, doodle pads). Stow in strategic spots throughout the house. Your children will be more psyched to scrawl if their pencils have a cute eraser or the pen lights up when they write.

Teaching Our Children: 6-8 Years Part I

According to Parents magazine, December 2009 issue, penmanship still counts. Even in the age of word processing, your children will need to practice their penmanship. It is an age old skill that many students find easy, but others have difficulty mastering good handwriting. From ages 6-8 years good handwriting is critical. Kathleen Reily has some great tips for making learning to write letters fun.

1. Handwriting involves visual, motor, sensory,and perceptual skills. If your child is having a lot of trouble forming letters and struggles with written assignments, make sure you raise your concerns with the teacher to see if an evaluation by an occupational therapist is appropriate.

2. Most children need to be taught to write actively, lie the way you teach them to tie shoes or play the piano. Children who are given worksheets often make the same mistakes over and over. Parents can make up the gap at home.

Invisible Ink

Trace letters and simple words on your child's back and see if he/she can guess what you're writing. Then, swap and have your child "write" a letter or word on you.

Picture This

Get out the markers or crayons and draw a single capital letter on a piece of unlined paper. The challenge is to make the chosen letter part of a bigger picture. To start, capital I into a butterfly or transform an O into an octopus. As your child decorates the letters make sure he/she is focusing on the shapes.

Sweet Treat

Buy or bake some sugar cookies and assemble a bunch of icing in tubes. Call out letters and have your child write them on the cookies. Then have your child arrange the cookies into short words.

Outsider Art

Using sidewalk chalk, have your child write a giant not that could be seen in outer space, then have him/her make teeny-tiny one for ants to read.