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Teach Kids How to Take Care of Their Toys

Teach Kids How to Take Care of Their Toys

When kids are still younger, they do not usually care about their belongings. At that age, they still have no idea about the importance of each object. Toys for children are almost expected to scatter all over the house, but as they grow older, we need to teach them about the idea of orderliness. Although most of us think that following our kids’ mess is really no big deal, but this lesson teaches them about responsibility and accountability.

Teach Kids How to Take Care of Their Toys

Where Do You Start

Designate a play area and time for your child to play in. This will keep their toys within the play area and will condition them to follow instructions. Show them what to do and where to keep their toys. When they have learned, supervise their playtime. Every time they forget about their toy, tell them to pick the toy up and keep it in the designated area.

Designated Play Area

Your play area needs something that you can keep the toys in. Have shelves installed if you have the extra cash, but if you don’t you can use large boxes that are about the same height as your kids so they can reach the toy easily. You can use a playpen to set the limit where the play area starts and ends. For older children, you can use a rug so any area within the rug is considered part of the play area.

Setting an Example

Taking care of toys for children always start with an example. Make your kids realize the worth of their toys and set good examples in keeping the toy in the right place. Take out the toys and then set them down in the storage space carefully so they will also follow the manner on how you set down the toy with care. Also, let them see how clean the storage is and how you handled the toy as you took it out and placed it back in.

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Introducing Safety Signs in the Classroom

Safety Signs

Introducing safety in the classroom is vital to children’s learning. As early as their age, they need to develop a sense of responsibility for their physical well-being. Since they live in a community, walk along pathways, cross the street and take a bus, they must be aware of visual reminders that keep them away from vehicular accidents and other untoward incidents.

Safety Signs

Although safety is a serious topic, the concept can be made more interactive, fun and meaningful for children. By showing safety signs to them, you can do one of the following activities:

  • Classify signs based on color and figure out what each color conveys. As they sort them out, they will realize that red means prohibition, yellow suggests caution and blue implies mandatory obligations.
  • Categorize signs based on their shape. What does a red circle with a diagonal line tell them? How about blue circles? What message do they get from yellow triangles and green rectangles?
  • Group the signs that contain only words, only pictures and both words and pictures. With proper and enthusiastic guidance, preschoolers would love to try identifying the letters, reading the words and interpreting the symbols.

Safety signs need not be taught at one time in the classroom. They can be simply integrated in a context where children will understand why they have to be placed here or there.

  • Traffic signs can be taught before the class goes on a field trip. This way, they’d understand why their bus has to stop at red and go at green lights.
  • Emergency signs can be introduced as you bring the entire class to the gym for their PE class. You can intentionally pass along the hallway with the exit or fire extinguisher sign so they’d know what it is for.
  • When you introduce different means of transportation, you can prepare a parking lot with helpful signs, and let the children identify where the bus should stop, where the vehicles must enter and where the bicycles should be.

To sum up your safety lesson in the classroom, let the kids remember the simple procedure, “Stop, look, listen and think.” The best illustration for this is when they cross the street. They need to stop at one end of the pedestrian lane, take a look at the vehicles and cues around, listen to sound engines, and think of the right thing to do.

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When Kids Ask Questions

When Kids Ask Questions

Toddlers have a battery of questions prepared for adults. They may suddenly ask, “Why does corned beef have no corn?” “Why is the blue sky so high and the ocean so deep?” or “What do ants do during winter?” Their genuine, never-ending inquisition is charming, but adults run out of answers and they get exhausted, too.

When Kids Ask Questions

The Bottom Line

The reason why kids ask questions is very simple – they need answers. As they cultivate awareness, they get curious of movements, structures, colors, of the mere existence of things around them.

This reaction can be considered a natural human tendency. When people see something new, they raise questions until they are cognitively satisfied. This principle is applicable to toddlers, too. For them, the sound of an electric fan, the sight of a rainbow and the concept of heaven are simple wonders worth investigating. Adults may consider them trite, but since kids have just started to explore the world on their own, everything appeals to their senses.

Dealing with Questions

Asking questions is a form of communication. Hence, when tots start to get inquisitive, take it as an opportunity to explore what’s in their mind. If the questions have underlying implications, don’t just let them slip away. Do they seem too preoccupied with the cartoon characters they see on television? Perhaps their attention can be diverted to games that promote social interaction. If they ask, “Why does Daddy always come home late?” evaluate the time you and your spouse spend with the kids.

Patience in providing truthful answers is another good way of dealing with curiosity. The University of Michigan researchers had found out that kids who hear a good explanation would most likely agree or make a follow-up question. Those who feel dissatisfied repeat their original question or provide an alternative answer. This finding suggests that adults must not deprive kids with the process of active learning.

The next time kids ask you a question, stay cool and answer it in a manner they will understand. Your effort and gentleness will be greatly appreciated.

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The Value of Toys for Kids

The Value of Toys for Kids

A toy can serve as a great medium for learning. Most people assume it’s meant to entertain kids, but the not-so-emphasized fact is, it supports the idea of make-believe. With toys as props, kids imagine an actual scenario and build a conversation from it. This is a great way of preparing them for their life ahead because they get to develop the qualities or abilities listed below.

The Value of Toys for Kids

Empathy

Using toys in a dramatic play allows kids to put themselves in the shoes of the people around them. For instance, when they play with a cooking set, they take the role of a mother preparing dinner for the family. When they frolic with attractive flowers, they can pretend they are gardening in the yard or selling bouquets at a shop. When they play with cars, they pretend to be drivers caught in the midst of a traffic jam.

This paves way for the development of empathy, a very important quality in enriching the emotional intelligence of a child. When they understand the importance of a role, they develop a sense of respect, and they learn how to deal with people in a courteous way.

Expression

Children are still in the process of building their vocabulary and constructing sentences. To minimize this communication barrier, kids can utilize toys to let them express their thoughts and emotions. When a girl hugs a doll or a life-sized stuffed bear, it’s a clear indicator of affection. When a boy imagines a Titanic-like ship sinking in the sea and comes up with an idea of lifeguards swimming to rescue passengers, it helps him convey the concept of survival. They may not eloquently express what they think and feel but with the assistance of toys, they can arrange their thoughts and manifest what’s going on inside them.

Creativity

Children also have the potential to think outside the box. If you give them a toy monkey, they can imagine it climbing a tree, eating a banana, twirling, riding a cloud, taking a shower, playing with a dog, etc. If you give them blocks, they can arrange them to form a house, a robot, a train, a table, a spaceship or anything that comes into their mind.

This implies that experimenting with toys is a great exercise for enhancing their creativity. It stimulates their brain and brings out their amazing ideas. As a positive consequence, kids will be more prepared to face challenges, adjust with the environment and make future decisions. They will gradually acquire self-confidence and control over the things happening around them.

In a nutshell, using toys that support active learning lets kids explore reality in their own manner. This forms part of their emotional, verbal and cognitive development. Enough time must be spent for make-believing and playing around with toys for they bring not only fun but also awareness of the complexities of life.

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Teaching Children How to Eat Healthy Food

Teaching Children How to Eat Healthy Food

Children are very picky eaters and it is often hard to convince them to stay away from junk food. Preventing them from munching candy bars is often a challenge for every parent. Some parents tend to tirelessly remind their kids to eat right. While it is effective to some cases, at times this strategy just doesn’t work.

Teaching Children How to Eat Healthy Food

Age Matters

Teaching your kids to eat healthy food will depend on your kid’s age. Older children can be taught about the food pyramid, but younger children like preschoolers do not have a concrete idea of how it really works. Take advantage of the fact that these children are very visual. If they are very picky with food,  catch their eye with a very attractive food plate or fun place mat.

Eating Is Fun

Every meal should be fun for the child or else they will lose their appetite. Besides presenting them a very attractive plate, you also have to make the experience enjoyable. Forcing the child to eat will only make them dreading every meal. This pushes them towards the idea of sweet, enjoyable snacks. Entertain them with a story about the food that they are about to eat. Tell them food facts to stir their interest.

Create a Meal Plan Together

Just because kids cannot fathom the food pyramid doesn’t mean you can’t introduce the recommended daily diet to them. Create a meal plan for your kid involving all different food groups and the required amount for every group. Introduce healthy food for children slowly but creatively.

It’s also a great practice to set an example for them. When you spend time eating healthy food with them, it gives them a sense of approval and encouragement.

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