3 Kids and Us

How to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

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Kindergarten is a big stepping stone for a child, as it marks their entrance into the education system—aside from possibly Pre-K. So while you and the whole family are flying back from summer vacation on your Access Jet Group flight, they’ll know that their break is coming to an end and that their first day of school will be here soon. 

They might be scared, nervous, excited, or all of the above, but there are a few things you can do to get them ready.

Create a Routine

Creating a routine will help your child be ready to go when their first day of kindergarten arrives. Start by putting them to bed at the same time for a week or so, this way they will be used to getting up bright and early at the same time every morning. Be sure to get them up when you want them to begin getting ready for school so that it’s not as hard for them to do so come the first day.

Once they’ve done this for a week or so, getting up and going to bed will be a piece of cake for them.

Tell them What to Expect

If your child has an idea of what to expect when they start their first day of kindergarten, it will help them feel more comfortable and confident throughout the day. This might include what the day will probably look like, what their teacher’s name is and what to call them, how many students will be in their class, what kinds of activities they might be doing, and so on. Let them know how lunch will work, to have fun, and make friends. 

It’s kindergarten, after all, so make sure they know to have a good time.

Give them a Head Start

Just because they haven’t started kindergarten yet doesn’t mean they can’t start learning. You don’t have to have them doing the quadratic formula on day one, but getting them introduced to reading and basic math in a comfortable way will help them out once they start learning it in class.

There’s nothing wrong with a little head start!

Let them Pick Out their Supplies

While kids may begin to dread back-to-school shopping once they get older, it can be exciting and even fun those first couple of years. If it’s their first time, let them pick out the little things, like their folders, what color scissors and pencil boxes they want, what kind of backpack they will use, and everything else they’ll need on their first day. They’ll also like being able to pick out their back-to-school clothes and shoes to show off to the other kids.

Letting them choose some things for themselves can get them excited for their first day of school.

First Day Jitters

Even after preparing your child for the first day of kindergarten, they’re still likely to be a bit nervous but reassure them that they’ll do great and that it’s going to be the start of a long journey where they’ll make plenty of friends and memories along the way.

3 Unique Ways to Celebrate Mom

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If you are lucky, you have a mom that deserves to be celebrated! Take a moment to think back to your childhood classroom around Mother’s Day: I’m sure you can recall crafting with glue and cotton balls and markers to make a “masterpiece” for her that she proudly displayed on the refrigerator for years after. Why did this creativity have to stop in second grade? 

We have listed a few ways to unearth that uniqueness for you and your mom. Here are some different ideas to help you share something special and personal with one of the most important women in your life.

Get Your Van Gogh On

Picture this: wine, blank canvases, and you and mom sprawled on the floor crafting something special. You can buy all the materials you need (canvas, acrylic paint, and brushes) for under $30 from most craft stores or box stores like Wal-Mart. You can even find kits like this online that have all you need in one purchase.

No need to be intimidated by what to paint either. If you can’t think of what to create or where to start, you can always find tutorials online. There are thousands of options on YouTube if you do a quick search!

After your masterpieces and memories are created, you and your mom can swap paintings! You have a memory and a gift, all in one. 

Create a 5-Star Dining Experience

You don’t have to be a Michelin chef to create a good meal. Get creative in the kitchen with your mom. The two of you can sit down and start with the basics: do you want to create something sweet or savory? Breakfast or dinner? Vegetarian or meat? After answering some basic questions, head off to the grocery store and get to coming up with ideas together for the perfect meal!

After you craft your meal, you can sit down and enjoy a fine dining experience in the comfort of home. You could light some candles, turn on some Frank Sinatra, and share a bottle of wine or sparkling water. Finish your fancy meal with a movie and popcorn for an extra touch!

Everlasting Memory: Tattoo Date

What better way to create a lasting memory with mom than to get tattoos together? There are a lot of great options for tattoo shops that are highly rated for specialized tattoos like Certified Tattoo Studios. You can get your mom’s handwriting on your wrist or matching images on your ankle. The options are endless and Pinterest and other websites offer great ideas for mother/child tattoos.

Spend some time talking about what both you and your mom want for a tattoo. You can decide where on the body you want it, what color, and the detail behind it. Whatever it is, we suggest you don’t rush this one! 

Have Fun

A great mom is someone to not take for granted, and if you are here – you want to give her something special. Now it’s time to get painting, cooking, and booking that appointment at your local tattoo shop. Have fun!

Gifts to Get Your Child that Aren’t Electronic

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Our children are the light of our lives, whether they were brought into this world naturally, with the help of tuboplasty, or if you adopted your bundle of joy because you knew they were meant to come home with you. It’s for this reason that we as parents can sometimes go a little overboard in getting them presents, whether that’s for their birthdays, Christmas, or just for a celebration. And in the modern age, many of those gifts end up being electronics.

But there are so many other great gifts that your children can get use or joy out of other than those that require an electrical outlet or batteries. Here are some great presents to get them that aren’t electronic.

Books

Getting a book might not be at the top of your child’s wishlist, but instilling a passion for reading early on could benefit them in the future, and they might even find they actually enjoy reading—who would have guessed!

That being said, your nine-year-old likely won’t find much enjoyment in reading Pride and Prejudice, so you should get them a book or genre that you think they would enjoy. This might include a popular read like Harry Potter or something that they’ve never even heard of before.

Instruments

While it takes dedication and hard work to learn, getting your child an instrument can do wonders for them. Not only will it provide them with a new hobby, but it can also turn into a passion that they can continue to pursue for the rest of their lives if they are interested enough.

They might take interest in the drums, guitar, violin, piano, or just about any other instrument. Getting them their very own instrument could open the doorway for a whole lifetime of enjoyment!

Games for the Family

Contrary to popular belief, according to kids, there are actually lots of fun games that don’t include video games. Board games are a great way for the entire family to get together or for them to have fun with their friends, along with tabletop games like ping pong, air hockey, foosball, and more.

Something for Outside

The opposite of an electronic gift for your kids is pretty much one that requires them to go outside, and as bad as that might sound to them in the modern world, there are lots of fun things they can do outside.

You could get them a bike, a scooter, roller skates, or even a trampoline. If they are into sports, they might enjoy a basketball hoop or a new football with their favorite team on it. Even something as simple as sidewalk chalk or as elaborate as a swingset can be a great gift.!

Aww, You Shouldn’t Have!

No matter what you decide to get your child for the next special occasion, they’re guaranteed to have a blast with it! And if you decide to get them an electronic, even if they already have plenty, there’s no doubt they’ll love it.

5 Things You Absolutely Have to do With Your Kids at Universal Studios

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If your kids are fans of amusement parks, they’ve likely heard of Universal Studios, and if by chance they haven’t, they’re in for a real treat. Taking your kids to Universal is sure to put a smile on their faces, but there are a few things that you absolutely have to do with them while the whole group is there.

Character Encounters

Young kids will have an absolute blast interacting with and meeting their favorite characters in person. Some of the characters they might see include Spongebob Squarepants, Spiderman, the minions, Transformers, Shrek, The Simpsons, The Cat in the Hat, Popeye, Captain America, and more. There’s nothing quite like meeting your heroes!

Ride in the Front

While you won’t be able to wait in every single line for the front of rides, you need to do so on at least one with your kids. Maybe that means snagging the front seat of Transformers: the Ride, or sitting in the front of The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. There’s nothing wrong with other seats, but there’s something special about getting to sit in front that your kids will appreciate.

Explore Harry Potter World

What kid didn’t dream of going to Hogwarts? Well, at Universal, they can. You could practically spend an entire day exploring both of the Wizarding parks, including Diagon Ally and Hogsmead. They’ll be in awe as you ride alongside Harry and the gang on several rides, drink butterbeer from the movies, and explore shops that are filled with cool treats and merchandise. Plus, they can even visit Olivander’s Wand Shop to get their very own wand and become a wizard themselves!

Get a Frozen Treat

Walking around Orlando can be hot, so you’ll need to get your child a frozen treat at some point. Universal just so happens to have a wide variety of ice cream shops to dine on, like The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium, Cold Stone Creamery, Chill Ice Cream, Cathay’s Ice Cream, Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour, Haagen Dazs, Hop on Pop Ice Cream Shop, Menchies Frozen Yogurt, and more!

Capture the Moment

Going home without taking a picture of your kids’ first time at Universal Studio would be criminal, so make sure to take lots of photos throughout the park. Get ones with characters, in front of interesting shops or rides, and maybe even purchase the photos that are taken while the whole family is on a ride. And if you want to get artistic, have your kids get caricatures drawn. Once it’s in a frame on your wall back home, it will make for the perfect conversation starter.

The Time of Their Lives

Whether you’ve just had a successful bunion surgery recovery, are overdue for a vacation, or want to celebrate being a family, any excuse you have to visit Universal Studios is a good one, and your kids—as well as yourself—will be all the happier because of it.

Kids and Technology: How to Handle it

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Technology can be extremely useful and convenient, and as time goes on, it seems like it is getting more and more innovative. We’ve gotten inventions like electric cars, instant customer services such as the kind at Votacall, smartwatches, and much more. Our kids are no strangers to these technological advancements, but the line between restricting their access and allowing full control can be blurry in these regards.

Here are some popular pieces of technology with today’s children and teens and how you might want to go about handling them.

Phones

Because most kids these days can’t go a minute without being by their phones, it’s natural that parents would be concerned about their screen time. Depending on their age and level of maturity, you may even want to wait until getting them a phone in the first place. This will depend on your personal opinion, but most experts agree that waiting to get a smartphone for your child until they reach the ages of eleven and thirteen is appropriate.

Then you have to remain aware of just how often they use it and what they’re using it for. You may want to set restrictions such as no phones at the table, past a certain evening hour, or using parental restrictions on certain apps for younger kids. As long as you’re paying the phone bill, it’s all up to you, but conveying a certain amount of trust in them while also being aware that they are still a child will go a long way.

Video Games

Kids love video games. It’s a way for them to unwind after a long day at school, play online with their friends, and engage in an interactive hobby like no other. However, gaming, just like anything else, can turn into an addiction like being on your phone, eating junk food, or watching TV. It is completely fine to let them play games with their friends or alone, but limiting the amount they play within a single day or week—within reason—might be required if you find them shut up in their room for hours at a time each day.

For younger kids, you also need to be aware of the type of game their playing. Some games may be inappropriate for their age group, as is indicated on the front cover’s rating. Other games may be filled with spammy microtransactions that take advantage of players and get them to pay ludicrous amounts of money for digital goods. If they want a new game, take the time to do a quick search and see if it’s something you’re comfortable with them playing.

Television

Even if your child doesn’t have a phone yet or isn’t really into video games, they’ll likely be watching television at some point. There’s nothing wrong with letting your child watch cartoons and movies, but if that’s all they’re doing, you might have a problem. It can be easy for kids to want to wake up on Saturdays and just watch TV all day, or for teenagers after school to retreat to their rooms each night and binge Netflix or Hulu for hours on end.

Making sure they are actually engaging in something other than television is the main concern, not so much that they are actually watching TV. As long as they are spending some time outside, hanging out with their friends and the family, doing their homework, and taking on additional hobbies, letting them watch the occasional show isn’t a big deal.

Mutual Understandings

At the end of the day, how you raise your kids in regards to technology is completely up to you, and reaching a reasonable, mutual understanding with your child is important. You may want to play it a little stricter, a little looser, or somewhere in the middle, but as long as your kids are growing up into good people and you are happy with it, that’s all that matters.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!