We bought this for my niece’s fourth birthday and it’s the best present we’ve ever given to her.  In fact her mum says that it’s the best gift ever.  At her birthday party all the other kids wanted to have a go, and in fact some other mums asked me the price and where we bought it.

She takes it everywhere and loves it when they’re in the car.  She sings along to all her favorite songs – note to parents, change the tunes regularly before they drive you round the bend – there’s always one that she keeps repeating, so her mum downloads other tunes every few days.

It’s really well-made and even though it’s been dropped a few times (oops) and the microphone is often used for carrying.  The buttons are nice and large so it’s really easy for her to operate and the volume is able to be turned too high.  The battery lasts for a long time too, particularly considering how much of the day she plays with it.

She really loves this music player and her mum reckons that it’ll have to go on holiday with them.   

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.  

We bought this for my nephew’s second birthday and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him laugh so much.  This isn’t just one item as it converts from being a rocker, to a sit on ride so that mum can push it along, and when he is a little older then the handle at the back can be removed so that it will be his first trike. 

He started off by trying the rocker and the base locks which makes it extremely safe.  His mum then took to pushing him around using the long handle at the back.  I don’t think that it will be long before he’ll be able to push his feet on the floor and get around that way.  He can’t use the pedals yet – I think that may be a good few months away.

His older brother who’s four tried pedaling it round and did just fine, until little brother screamed that it was his, and he wanted it back!  

I must say that as with all Fisher-Price toys it is really sturdily made and I think that it will be useful for a good couple of years.

This is a super add on to the Castle Heroica or can be played as a standalone game.  We had bought this for my son who is eight but his six year old sister was able to join in.  They sorted out the hundreds of pieces in the hero pack and dad helped with building the caverns.

This kit is really wonderful for the amount of detailed pieces involved.  The game is based around the Lego Dice and then attempting to find the way through the caves to defeat the monsters and retrieve the Sceptre of Summoning! 

Whilst dad spent ages recreating the dungeons and then he and the kids couldn’t leave the game alone.  What with the monsters and treasure and many other little pieces which are picked up along the way this makes for a really close game. 

The beauty, as with all Lego sets, is that all the rules can change depending on whichever way the kids want to play – it’s all down to imagination.

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.

The first time I lay my eyes on  Paris Goes To Los Angeles, I was already attracted to the colourful and cute illustrations. I cannot emphasize enough the importance  of attractive illustrations when it comes to children’s books as it helps increase their attention span. 15 year old author, Jenna Conwisar writes about Paris and her sisters who went exploring in Southern California while attending Uncle Phil’s birthday with her cousins.

The story is pretty short and simple to understand. Paris and the twins’ journey include visiting Hearst Castle, Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, San Diego Zoo and many more interesting places. For those who have never been to LA, this book could even be used as a travel guide! You will surely not run out of ideas on where to bring the kids exploring the next time you visit LA.

Paris Goes To Los Angeles is the 6th book in the My Friend Paris series. You can check out the other titles here.

Disclosure :  The above ebook is courtesy of New Year Publishing. However, I was not compensated for this book review and all opinions expressed are solely my own.

The list is virtually endless when it comes to adolescent or the ‘tween years’ behavior problems. If a parent thought the ‘terrible twos’ were difficult, stand by, you ‘aint’ seen nothing yet! The difference is that the two year old is trying to exert individuality and self awareness, but where adolescent behavior problems may indicate a much deeper problem.

These teens are experiencing a huge amount of growth in every way. This includes physical changes, emotional changes and changes in moral attitudes and beliefs. The confusion can be very disturbing for this age child and it will manifest itself in true behavioral problems. As the teen begins to develop their own ideals and beliefs, it will often bring rise to periods of huge conflict between them and their parents. The teen is trying to break out and begin to determine exactly who he is and how he is different or what makes him a distinct individual.

Try to keep the line of communication open. Remember when it happened to you and what you would have liked from your parents. Help them to understand that what is going on with their bodies and their minds is normal. Help them to understand that they are starting to feel different mood changes such as sadness and that you will always be there to listen to them no matter what they are feeling inside.

This age group will constantly be pushing their parent’s buttons so to choose your battles with care. The tests will come fast and furiously from your teen and if you battle them at every crossroads, for instance you don’t like their clothes choices but you can live with it. However, you will have to set expectations, rules and guidelines when it comes to sex, drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Look at what truly matters and determine what thing deserves upheaval.