Children Archives - Page 31 of 39

Bringing Your Child to Work: Great Ways to Keep Them Busy and Out of Trouble

February 17, 2017 by admin

Oct. 30, 2015 "This is the first time the same child has made two appearances in the Year in Photos. But it was difficult to not again include Ella Rhodes, daughter of Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, after the President lifted her in her elephant costume that she was wearing for a Halloween event at the White House." (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House. — Source

Your child minder let you down, the kid’s school is closed due to bad weather; sometimes it’s necessary to bring small children to work with you. What you don’t need is for them to get bored and start whining or running around the office disturbing all your co-workers. What you do need is some ideas to keep them busy and out of trouble while you get through your workday. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

Inspire Their Creativity

Children love creative task so why not get your kid to color you a picture with the Coloring Book for Me & Mandala app? This app can be downloaded to any mobile device and provides hours of coloring fun without the need for paper and pens. The app has a great selection of pictures to color, including: people, places, birds, animals, flowers, geometric designs, and mandalas so kids won’t get bored. With more than 25 color plates to choose from, kids can really go to town. To color, just pick a shade and touch an area of the image. It’s than simple.

Get them Thinking

Kiko’s Thinking Time: Cognitive Training for Children’s Brains will give your kids a stimulating mental workout. This collection of games is designed for kids age 5 and under, to help them to develop concentration, reasoning skills and memory. They are encouraged to develop an eye for detail by matching colors, shapes, animals and objects. The free app allows children to complete one level per day. Parents can purchase unlimited access in one month, three month and annual time periods.

Stimulate Young Scientists

Designed for budding Einsteins, Thinkrolls 2 logic puzzles brings science concepts like electricity, force and density into play. With two settings, easy and hard, you can set levels for preschoolers and older children. You can also set accounts for up to six separate users with customized levels. Each time kids complete a level, they’ll have a new character to play with.

Explore with Robots

Tinybop’s Robot Factory is a unique app for early elementary school-age kids, which allows them to explore, design and interact with mazes, quirky characters, a rolling ball platform game and other thought provoking challenges. Kids will have to concentrate to keep their Thinkrolls gliding, rolling and teleporting using basic physics to guide them through themed levels.

Have Fun With Numbers

Motion Math: Cupcake! In this simulation game, kids are encouraged to build a cupcake delivery shop. They will need to design cupcakes, buy ingredients, set prices and deliver the goods to customers. Kids have to get used to being the boss, dealing with customers, handling word problems, helping the business grow and using match and strategy to make a profit.

Whether your office is at home or elsewhere, keeping children engaged when you have to take them to work with you will mean that they will be happy and you have a more productive day.

Samantha McLean is a working Mother who has 2 sons. She writes about parenting when you work and other family lifestyle topics.

Travelling with Kids? Here’s how you survive!

February 15, 2017 by admin

Hundreds of thousands of people went on holiday last year, and the bulk of them travelled with children. Parents had a wide range of problems: complicated travel arrangements, grumpy spouses and bored kids! It doesn’t have to be this way. Here are some tips on what to do when arranging a holiday with the whole family. Travelling with kids? Here’s how you survive!

1. Choose the Right Destination

You can’t please everyone. Always wanted to travel to a particular destination? It doesn’t mean your spouse does. Or your children. Why not do things differently next time and consult with the whole family? Brainstorm a list of destinations that everyone wants to visit and come to a compromise. Not only will everyone will be happy but children are less likely to get restless if they’re travelling to a destination that they want to go to. So, start planning and choose a place that everyone will love!

2. Brings Lots of Entertainment With You on Your Trip

Long car journeys and flights can be a chore for you and your little ones. Make the process more tolerable by bringing lots of things to keep them entertainedduring your trip. This might include books, games, toys and other activities which will interest them for a few hours. You might even want to create games that you can play as a whole family to make your journeys feel much quicker than they really are. If you’re bringing board games,keep them in a separate bag to your suitcase if you’re travelling by plane. This way, you can access them quickly if you need to.

3. Choose a Family-Friendly Hotel

Choosing a family-friendly hotel can make all the difference when travelling with the whole family, especially if you have young children. This type of accommodation will provide you with all the services you need when on your travels, including baby cots and even toys to keep your little ones entertained when you’re in your room. You can search the Internet and find family-friendly accommodation quickly. Once you’ve whittled down your list to two or three hotels that you might be interested in, contact the establishment directly and ask them what services they provide for children. This might include a children’s dining area, a children’s swimming pool or a kids club. Don’t forget to check out third-party review websites, too. These provide you with all the information you need about your hotel from guests who have stayed there in the past, so you know exactly what to expect before you hit that “book” button.

4. Arrange Activities Before You Travel

Finding something to do for the whole family can be difficult when you get to your destination. Why not arrange day trips at home before you travel instead? This way, you’ll be well-prepared for your trip and know exactly what you’re doing when you get there. There are loads of websites that offer excursions for the whole family and if you book early, you might be able to get a discount. Don’t forget to use a promotion code, too, which could entitle you to money off your trip!

Young Families and Travel: Top Tips to Share Your Adventurous Side with Your Kids

February 14, 2017 by admin

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With the average modern-day family having 2.4 children (basically, two kids!), life can be pretty hectic. Especially during your kids’ younger years if they’re very close in age, juggling the stresses of modern life in addition to looking after your children is likely to take up the majority of your time and money.

By the time children reach two years of age, parents spend an average of $12,500 per year. Therefore, traveling or taking family vacations are likely to be the last thing on your mind. But, if you yearn for adventure but feel held back by your kids, there’s no need to be! There are plenty of ways families can travel without earning a fortune; you just need to be sensible and follow the tips you’re about to read.

Budget and prioritize

When raising a family, your kids will always come first – and that’s totally normal. You should never prioritize traveling and vacations over your kids’ welfare, but there are plenty of other factors you can put aside to make saving more of a priority.

If you like to regularly go out for family meals, try planning meals at home and even encourage your kids to help out! Not only will this provide a perfect opportunity to save money, but will also get your kids involved too. Even if eating out isn’t your thing, there’s bound to be some form of luxury you and your family regularly do that isn’t wholly necessary – establish what your weakness is and come up with a cheaper alternative.

Many families also experience debt, especially if kids are born close together. If you’re victim of debt, it’s vital to accept it and take expert advice to help consolidate your debt as quickly as possible so you can fully focus on family travel.

Research deals

If money is still tight even after attempting to save, put some time aside to research vacation deals that suit your budget. The best way to identify whether something really is a good deal or not, is to figure out what the normal cost of your desired trip would cost. Then, if you spot a deal, you’ll know whether it’s worth taking or not!

Often, deals you may come across online aren’t all their cracked up to be so make sure you’re in-the-know before you hand over your money.

Be flexible

This may not be suitable for some families for obvious reasons but, when wanting to travel cheaply, being flexible is key. Typically, school holidays are the most expensive times to travel so, as long as you’re happy taking your kids out of school for the duration of your trip, you’re almost guaranteed to save serious money!

Just because you have kids, this doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to vacations and traveling forever. As long as you’re sensible with any existing debt and do the right research, there are plenty of methods you can start using right away to book your cheapest trip yet.

Master the Cash Class: Great Money Lessons Your Kids Will Never Forget

February 14, 2017 by admin

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Many of the lessons you learn in your formative years will often stay with you for the rest of your life, which is why it is so important to teach your kids about money so that they can become financially savvy adults.

Here are some insights and tips on the basics of financial management that you should be trying to instill within your child’s psyche from an early age. There is a look at the importance of teaching them financial lessons, ways to encourage a savings habit, and why what you do with money will shape their future habits.

No one wants to be financially illiterate

We are taught how to read and write at school as well as basic math skills but one thing that seems to be sadly lacking in the educational curriculum is some lessons on how to handle money when you are an adult.

The only way your children are going to find out about how bank accounts work, how to use credit cards and how to build a good credit profile, is if they find out for themselves or you take the trouble to teach them.

Teaching them early is the preferable option as it means that they have a better chance of avoiding some financial mistakes along the way as part of their learning curve.

There is a good chance that you have made some financial mistakes in your life that you learned from, so it makes a lot of sense to impart this wisdom to the next generation and give your kids the chance of a head start, by understanding what they are doing with their money from the get-go.

Get them into the savings habit

Starting kids off early with a piggy bank is a great way of teaching them the discipline of saving for something they want and understanding that you can’t always have everything straight away.

Most children feel really pleased with themselves when they see all those dollars they put away from gifts and doing chores, turn into a sizeable sum of money that is enough to buy what they have been saving up for.

Encourage your children from an early age to develop a savings habit and it there is a good chance that it will stick with them when they are adults.

Lead by example

Your children will learn a lot of their life skills from you and it is down to you to try and set a good example.

If your finances are a bit chaotic and you don’t often have any second thoughts about using your credit card to pay for meals out or the groceries, there is an increased risk that your children will copy this attitude and could result in them overspending and running into trouble.

If you have a stack of credit cards in your wallet, one solution could be to transfer all of your balances to one card to gain better control. Another good idea would be to try and show some restraint with your spending on these cards and talk to your kids about how interest rate charges work when you borrow money in this way and don’t pay it all back on the due date.

Money doesn’t grow on trees

How many times did you hear your parents say that to you?

The fundamental point to get across to your children is that money has to be earned and doesn’t just get given to them. If they grasp that concept and develop a healthy respect for money because they have had to earn it by doing some chores around the house, this can only be a good lesson for when they have to fend for themselves as an adult.

Sam Bentley has 3 kids; 2 sons and 1 daughter and he is intent on raising them to be honest, well-rounded individuals who can stand on their own 2 feet in life.

Changing the Clock: How to Help Your Baby Prepare for a Difference in Time Zones

February 1, 2017 by admin

With one in four families not taking vacations because they’re worried about stress and any issues that could arise, it would make sense to assume that jet lag symptoms are one of the primary reasons for this.

However, with only one in four families choosing to avoid vacations, that leaves three in four still opting to travel. Therefore, plenty of babies are likely to suffer from jet lag just as much as the rest of the family. So, if you have a baby and planning a family trip abroad, it’s essential to prepare your baby as much as possible for any time differences they may experience. Read on to discover how to make time adjustments a whole lot easier for both you and your baby.

Make your first day all about your baby

When you first arrive at your new destination, the only thing likely to be on your mind is exploring your new surroundings and getting stuck in with the fun activities on offer. But you might have to delay all that, as a great way to establish the most appropriate schedule for your baby is to make the first day all about your baby.

Slowly integrate them into your new place to help them become accommodated to their surroundings and become comfortable. Then, you can use this time to analyze their behavior and establish a new sleeping schedule that suits both their temperament and your new time zone. Once you’ve come up with the best routine possible, it’s vital to keep things consistent so you don’t confuse your baby.

Plan ahead

In addition to adapting your schedule when you arrive, it’s essential to get things started before you even go. Investigate what your new time zone will entail, and shift your baby’s routine to suit this at least a few days before you’re set to travel. This way, your baby’s schedule will already be tailored to your new time zone before you even get there, and is likely to make the whole adjustment period easier for everyone.

But, when doing this, it’s essential to adjust your baby’s schedule in small increments as opposed to all at once. Keeping your chosen increments consistent is vital, so utilizing the innovative features of this Android alarm clock app is guaranteed to keep your timings consistent and on-track.

Keep your baby active

Engaging your baby with fun activities in the fresh air is a sure-fire way to increase the likelihood of your baby sleeping when the time comes. Occupying your baby during the day will induce sleepiness – an active baby almost always ends up a tired baby!

Jet lag and time changes can be difficult for everyone of all ages but, for babies who are too young to understand what’s going on, it can wreak havoc on their routines. Therefore, to ensure your trip is as fun as possible, preparing beforehand and accommodating your baby’s new routine straight away are sure-fire methods for a hassle-free vacation.

Victoria Norris is an Army Wife who is completely used to the lifestyle after being raised an Army ‘Brat’ too! She is a Mother to a 6-month-old and a 6-year-old and enjoys showing her kids the cultures of the world.