It is always useful for children to be organized – completing homework assignments on time, making sure that they have the sports kit ready for the next day, there are many reasons to encourage them whilst they are young.

Children learn the most when they are young, even before they start to attend school.  It is even a case of teaching them to put things away when they have finished playing with them. Once they know that certain things need to be ready for specific times and they learn this from an early age, as they become older it will become second nature.

Being organized can start with, before they go to bed, putting out their clothes for the next day.  Even at age three they will be able to manage – with a little help – to dress themselves, particularly if everything is laid out in the order in which they put the clothes on.  Don’t expect them to fasten buttons on their own at this age, and they may struggle with socks.  Nevertheless it makes a start and they will get better.

Learning to clean their teeth is another skill which will need a little supervision.  It is good to ask them in the morning and evening what they need to remember – to clean teeth.  If you say it often enough then when they are able to manage on their own, this is something else which will have been achieved.

The main problem when it comes to children being organized is with homework.  Even in first schools they are given a little reading to do with mum or dad and some letters to practice printing.  As they become older and start junior school there will be more homework, but the child needs to be taught that they need to organize their own homework timetable.  

There really shouldn’t be any reason for a child to become bored; however we all know that sometimes it is said – usually when the parent has something they specifically need to do!

A child shouldn’t be left with computer games to play for hour after hour.  These should be limited to short periods in any day. 

If possible try to take children out during school holidays.  Depending on the age of the child regular trips should help to keep any child amused, particularly if you ask them to do some research before the trips.

Younger children become bored when left to their own device, so during time at home it is useful if you can spend time with them.  Have some treats handy which can be brought out when necessary.  These don’t need to be expensive.  A sticker book, coloring books and crayons are still favorites for younger children.  Painting, although it can become messy, is something particularly popular, and on a fine day can be taken into the garden.

Planning a picnic in the garden is another good idea, and children who would normally turn their nose up at sandwiches will suddenly become enthusiastic when sitting on a rug in the back garden.

Another really good idea is by crafting items, papier mache is simply torn up paper which is stuck over an item, even a balloon (but be gentle) and wallpaper paste is then messily daubed over the paper.  This can provide hours of fun, and once the children get the hang of it they may be able to move on to creating masks!

Another crafty idea is to make birthday cards for friends.  Simply by spending a few pounds on a basic children’s craft kit will provide hours of fun over several weeks.  Join in with them – you may even enjoy it!

Birthdays and their associated parties seem to be coming round every few weeks for our children or our various relatives and friends. The simplest way to deal with any upcoming party which needs to be organized is to plan carefully.

Always make a checklist of everything which needs to be done and then allocate a note of how long you think that that each item may take to do. Do remember that everything always takes about twice as long as expected.

Careful planning beforehand prevents any problems happening at the last minute. Delegate as many items from the list as possible, and then get the people to confirm back to you that they know which items they are doing (you don’t want to end up with two people duplicating the same things) – it has been known to happen!

Depending on the age of the birthday boy or girl there are venues which, for those parents who are short of time, but have a little extra money, will organize the whole party for you. They will suggest a theme and once that is agreed, they will arrange it from start to finish. Particularly successful for children above about eight years, are circus skills parties, and pampering parties are favored for girls aged approximately ten and over. Both girls and boys enjoy the outdoor assault courses, and adventure parties with kayaking etc.

If you are throwing the birthday party at home, don’t worry, with other friends helping to arrange food – via an outside caterer which isn’t too expensive, the main thing left to be sorted is the party favor bags which now appear to be compulsory. Place the same items in every bag apart from one small gift specific to each child.
In this way all parties should be able to be arranged without any problem.

As a baby grows into new stages, he or she begins to test the waters on individuality and power.  The need to make certain the world continues to revolve solely around their wants becomes overwhelmingly important and if those wants are not recognized they will use their temper to make certain they will be. Often times the child does not have the capacity to verbalize what is wanted and the frustration that is created causes them to use what they do know and that would be to use their motor skills to ‘throw a tantrum’. If the tantrum is not born from frustration, believe it is purely born from manipulation. ‘I want it and I want it NOW’. Sounds familiar?

Once a child is born to you, things look a little bit differently in many ways.  This child, the one you brought into the world knows it is incumbent on him to push as many of your buttons as humanly possible.   So, it is going to depend solely on your reaction to his button pushing. Unfortunately, this will tap into how you were raised, how your parents were raised and so on.  We all have the capacity to cope with stress and ‘button pushing’ but when it gets too arduous for us, we regrettably fall back into learned behaviors ourselves. If our Mother was a screamer and quite volatile then when we react to our own child’s tantrum’s we might possible react in the same manner.  The child will be ecstatic to generate an explosion from you and get you into a screaming match with him. 

Ultimately, the parent will have to take control by shutting down the tantrum ‘tool’ and showing the child verbally and by using body language to make the statement ‘manipulation tantrums will not be allowed’.   It is important for the parent to teach the child what is acceptable and what is not.  It is all part of many, many years of discipline training. 

In the past few decades attacks on women and girls have escalated to an alarming number. Attacks in parking lots, deserted roads, at school and even at home have become almost the norm. Prosecuting assailants is also very difficult due to a lack of evidence or the victim being intimidated so much that she withdraws her charges.

It is therefore essential that women – and specifically girls – learn how to protect themselves. There are a myriad of ways that girls can prevent attacks but, more importantly, there are many things they can do when an attack is inevitable.

Learning self defence has a number of advantages. The first advantage is that it teaches the girl how to defend herself when under attack. It teaches her the skill to remain as calm as possible and think about what her options are and how to maximise any advantages that she may have. Being able to protect yourself, also leads to a higher sense of confidence in one’s own abilities which, in turn, leads to higher self esteem. The most important aspect of self defence is that the girl can leave an attack virtually unharmed.

When a girl knows how to handle herself in threatening situations, her parents can also feel more relaxed about her health and safety when she goes out for a party, on a date or late-night work. Self defence knowledge will take a lot of stress out of these situations and she can still enjoy life – safely.

It’s your child’s birthday and the ritual of receiving gifts and presents is an exciting moment. The atmosphere, friendships, laughter, the cake, the ‘blowing out of candles’ and birthday songs are all fundamental ingredients of the simplest Birthday party. Whilst inwardly glowing at your child’s happiness on the day, it is also important to teach them about the necessities of ‘giving’ after ‘receiving’ a plethora of presents. As the birthday guests begin to leave, one little gesture goes a long way ~ a party bag! Light up the little mites’ faces as they say “Goodbye” after such an amazing day! A party bag is the perfect gift to illustrate the importance of the words ‘thank you’. As a parent, you should teach your child the reasons behind these customs. Explain why it is polite and courteous to send ‘thank you’ cards and other reciprocal gifts of ‘thanks’. You will be paving strong foundations towards your child’s future development. You will be instilling manners at an early age. These manners will go a long way during your child’s upbringing. They will serve your child through time and time again; through their troublesome adolescence and into adulthood. It could help them flower into a well grounded personality. You, yourselves will feel pride for your child’s achievements and their natural kindness; their apparent innate ability to be sensitive enough to understand and respect other people’s feelings – where warranted of course!

In the days leading up to your child’s birthday, invite them to assist with the preparation for their special day. Kids love to be useful and love to help. Take advantage of this innocent aspect – it keeps them out of trouble, trust me! This is one way that you can give your full undivided attention to your child whilst dealing with the domestic duties.

Let them help you prepare the food for THEIR Birthday! Pass on a sense of wonderment and achievement. Get them excited about the ’surprise’ Birthday cake. Let them be creative and write (or scribble) the names on invitation cards. Let them have ownership of THEIR birthday.

Explain to them that it is their special day. You don’t have to go into any deep metaphysical conversation as to why, keep it simple and explain that because iof the time of year, they will be receiving presents from their friends, and that because they will be receiving presents it is very polite to ‘give’ something back in return.
If the child asks “why?” – try and give them an example of a situation – one which could have been a prior experience – or perhaps a hypothetical role play scenario would be more appropriate? Play out a scene – paint the picture of an innocent misunderstanding whereby your child was not included in a given situation. Help them understand and reason how that situation would make them feel. Stress how important it is to be thankful for THEIR friends / guests arrival, to make them feel welcome, happy and appreciative and that sometimes, the best way to show this is with a physical gift. Explain to your child that the simplest gift like these party bag toys can be a perfect gesture for this. Let them reflect about how excited they were when they went to their friend’s party and received a surprise ‘party bag’. Get your child thinking generously…ask them “What do you think your friends would like?”.

Involve them in making the decisions as to what toys and sweets fill these party bags. Your toddler quite possibly has no concept of the value of money. They could ask for something totally impractical for their friends’ party bags. Perhaps they suggested a “space ship for Harry” or a “talking Lightening McQueen for everyone!” – some suggestions might surprise the parent, but this is pure innocence and should warrant a light hearted response. With the right guidance and direction from the parent, your child will soon be contributing a wealth of affordable ideas such as sweets, stickers, marbles, whistles and balloons etc. Let them contribute and put time and effort into the party bag. Take them to the shop. Let them choose penny sweets. If you have a really hectic lifestyle and work life then order pre-filled party bags online! Just make sure that when they arrive you let your child individualise these with name tags or by some other form of involvement. Maybe ask them to choose a really unique cheap toy to add to each individual’s party bag. Let them think about their friends ‘likes’ and dislikes’ Doing this can only help your child understand the personal needs of others. They will be thinking about their friends ‘likes’ (and as we are innately quite selfish beings – their own!) This could help your child associate with others in more depth and build more foundation to existing friendships. Let them discover and understand who they are associating with. Let them uncover the boundaries and various forms of etiquette that differ so vastly from person to person.

Kids love the summer because it means no school and plenty of fun outdoors. Parents also usually love this extra time with their children, but often struggle for ideas about how to keep them entertained.

Here are a few activities to keep the kids busy this summer; most of these will cost little or no money.

• If you own a conservatory then why not turn this into a kids play area. This is a great way to keep them entertained for hours and enjoy the outdoors no matter what the weather. You don’t even need to spend any extra money; have a look in your attic and you are sure to find many old toys which they can once again rediscover and enjoy.
• Get together with some other parents and arrange some outings. This will not only mean that the children get to do something different but you will also have adults to keep you company. You can do this so that parents take turns accompanying the children and this way you will get a break some of the time.
• Buy some summer games. There really are some great games for children to enjoy playing in the garden during the summer months. Old favourites like swing-ball always entertain or you might want to set up some football nets.
• An inflatable swimming pool can be bought and these are always a favourite for kids. These days you can pick up a really large pool for a reasonable price. The only disadvantage is that you will need to keep a close eye on them when they are in the water; remember that children can drown in only a few inches.
• Check online for nearby attractions. You may be amazed at some of the places that are just on your doorstep but you have never thought to visit. These trips can not only keep the kids entertained, but also introduce you to parts of your local area where you have never known previously.
• Don’t forget books. There is no reason why children can’t enjoy reading even though they are outdoors. An hour or so in the garden with a good story will appeal to a lot of kids.

So there you have just a few activities to keep the kids entertained this summer. There really are endless possibilities and the web is a great resource for ideas.

Whether they are infants, toddlers, teens or just-about-adult, decorating your kid’s bedroom can either be a creative expression of your love, or a source of self-doubting despair. The decisions are endless – as are the costs – and the demand for the perfect bedroom is implacable.

Where to start slaying this beast?

The first step is to decide what the budget for this project is going to be – and promise yourself that you will stay within that budget. Next you need to decide whether you (and your child / children) are going to go with the traditional pink for girls and blue for boy’s colour schemes, or are you a progressive parent that allows other colours into the scheme as well. Will this decision be influenced by the theme of the room? Of course, if it’s a Barbie theme pink will be very appropriate. Then again, a cars (or Cars – the Disney version) will allow for multiple colours, including blue and red.

The theme is also very important. Not only does it help determine the colour scheme, it also needs to be age appropriate to prevent your child seeing monsters under the bed or in the closet. There is also evidence that certain themes stimulate brain activity and others depress the child’s development.

Do some research on the internet to find the most appropriate (and affordable) supplier of the bed, dressing table, wardrobe etc. that suits your theme.

A fun thing to do together is to paint the room together as a family, or let your child paint his / her own pictures on the walls to give it a customized look.

All-in-all, decorating your kid’s bedroom should allow for the child to feel safe, treasured and allow him / her to be able to express themselves.