The advantages of private schools vs public schools

Is public school really good enough for your child? Take a look at what private schools have to offer and make an informed decision.

There is a growing controversy in our country regarding education in private schools vs. public schools. What is the difference really? Private schools have a great deal to offer and are able to implement more programs and hire better teachers due to the fact that they have more money in their school systems garnered by student tuitions. Should every child go to private school? Probably not, but your child might benefit if he seems to be getting lost in the shuffle of public schools.

Private schools can offer a smaller student to teacher ratio than public schools simply because of the fact that there are less students in these schools. The majority of students attend local public schools. As the public schools become more and more crowded, many families are choosing the smaller private schools to gain more one on one attention for their children from the teachers. Private schools also offer more accelerated, college focused courses and are more intent on honing their students to go to college. Public schools often have the philosophy that each student is different and college isn’t for everyone, and students are not pushed in that direction, though they may choose to strive for it on their own. Many public schools which are located in affluent areas can be just as focused and have just as much money as private schools, it is in the city areas where the most difference can be seen. It is necessary to judge for yourself: look carefully at your public school and your child. If your child is one that seems to need more attention from teachers or is floundering in a class that is too large, you may want to consider private school simply for the attention that he needs. Private schools also generally have lower incidences of drugs, violence and drop outs, most likely due to the increased level of dedication of parents who send their child to private schools to have every advantage.

Though private schools can be quite costly, there is more and more legislation moving towards school vouchers where families could take the tax dollars that would be directed toward a public school education and use it for private school tuition. Not everyone can afford private school and so families who have lost faith in public schools are beginning to homeschool. There has been a great surge towards homeschooling in recent years as families begin to take control and refuse to let their children be ruined by the ‘veal farm’ that many public schools have become, turning out children who are just scraping by or simply dropping out.

In general, private schools are more focused and dedicated to the education of children. Teachers in private schools often earn more and can be more dedicated when working with parents who are as equally dedicated to their children. Study the schools in your area carefully and decide if you can afford a private school. Your school is an investment in your child’s future and not a decision to be made lightly.

How to help your child study

Parents can assist their children’s learning by not taking over but rather supporting kids’ homework assignments, projects, and study habits.

If your child comes home from school complaining that he doesn’t understand a particular lesson, you may need to offer a few pointers. But there is a fine line between a parent who jumps in and takes control of a learning assignment and one who remains on the sidelines but offers encouragement, guidance, or support.

1. Discuss the lesson with your child. Ask him or her to explain what needs to be done. Then ask which parts are not clear. If necessary, read over the instructions and paraphrase them to your son or daughter. Then try to answer any questions that still remain about what needs to be done. It is always a good idea to let kids do as much on their own as possible, because that prepares them for real-life situations when similar uncertainties will arise, sometimes while working on a deadline.

2. Stay close by but uninvolved. Your presence alone may reassure a child that you are available if needed. But it also may encouragement him or her to work alone to show that he can master the material or she is independent enough to figure out the guidelines for herself. Look in on your child periodically to be sure that he stays focused or doesn’t get distracted. Adjust lighting as the evening wears on and perhaps consider offering a healthy snack that won’t interfere with dinner. 3. Help with major study projects. For example, you can work with your son to learn basic math facts or your daughter’s preparation for the spelling bee. Help her pick out supplies for an upcoming art project or guide him through instructions for a science experiment. But provide plenty of time and space for your kids to remain responsible for their own work. 4. Assist with organizational tasks. Scheduling study time, arranging social plans around homework activities, and providing quiet home space for things to get done teaches a child how to make these decisions in conjunction with a long-term commitment like homework. Kids need to realize at an early age that homework just doesn’t get done automatically. They need to collect supplies, understand the guidelines, and make time to do the work. Parents can help to facilitate these coordinating tasks without taking charge of the entire process. 5. Don’t let them give up or take shortcuts. When your child begs to watch another half-hour of television or keep playing outside instead of doing homework, you have to be firm in teaching him to balance playtime with homework. While some outside play is a good idea to promote exposure to fresh air and exercise, it is also important to instill respect for completing homework accurately and on time. Likewise, don’t allow your children to cheat by copying another student’s homework or looking up answers on the Internet that they are supposed to learn for themselves. Remember to set a good example in your own life, as well. Homework may not seem like a big deal to many adults, but completing these frequent school-related tasks is a major step toward maturity for young students. Become your child’s supporter and guide as she learns how to handle this task effectively.

How to choose the right private school for your child

Thinking about sending your child to private school? Here are some things to consider as you look for a good match.

Today more Americans than ever before are choosing private school for their children’s education. Many reasons have led to this phenomenon, among them concern about public school safety, a desire for quality standards, and religious values.

If you are thinking about enrolling your child in public school, here are some things to consider:

1. Do a thorough search of local private institutions. Some of the smaller or more elite schools are not widely advertised. In addition to checking the phone book, public school system, and board of education, you also may want to make personal inquiries of neighbors, friends, and coworkers. Try a Web search for private schools in your area.

2. When you’ve compiled a list, start making phone calls or check the Web to eliminate those that won’t work for your family. Reasons may include transportation distance, school hours that conflict with job schedules, tuition fees, curriculum concerns, and personal values.

3. After whittling your list to those that meet your initial criteria as indicated in Number 2 above, make a telephone inquiry to ask more detailed questions like the following:

-Which curriculum is followed?

-How does student performance compare to public school student performance?

-What are the grading criteria?

-How many children are enrolled?

-What is the teacher to student ratio?

-Are there volunteers or teacher aides that help?

-Which extracurricular activities are provided or are available for individual students? (Music, art, foreign languages, creative writing, etc.)

-What is the school’s discipline policy?

-Are parents required to volunteer a certain amount of time each month?

-What happens if tuition payments fall behind?

-Are uniforms required?

4. Reviewing your list of responses with spouse and child (if applicable), schedule visits to the top three or four schools for a tour and to meet with the administrator. Try to go when school is in session. As you go through the school tour, consider these points:

-Is the facility functional, neat, and attractive?

-Are students respectful and well behaved?

-Do teachers appear to be confident and in control?

-Is the setting conducive to learning?

-Is student work posted for display?

-Are honors, awards, and trophies in evidence?

5. During your meeting with the administrator, be prepared with focused and open-ended questions:

-What is the drop-out rate?

-What is the average grade point accumulation of a graduating student?

-What percentage of students go on to college after graduation and successfully complete a degree or commence a career training program at the vocational school level or as an apprentice?

-What is the communication network between teachers and parents or the school and families like? Is there a monthly newsletter or Website in addition to take-home handouts?

-Are there field trips or other off campus outings?

-Are values taught or practiced? If so, what are they?

-What advantages does this school offer to public school or other private institutions?

5. Follow your instincts. Try to observe students at lunch, on break, and in the classrooms. Get a sense of how well this system seems to work. If you have doubts, visit other schools until you find one that you feel good about. If possible, bring your child for a visit before making the decision to enroll.

Private school can offer an attractive alternative to public school these days. But take time to find one that meshes with your family’s academic goals.

How to improve reading skill

This article contains tips for helping a reluctant reader improve his reading skills and learn to love books.

Reading skill is one of the best determiners for school success, and yet, many children read poorly or simply do not seem to enjoy reading. How can parents help reluctant readers enjoy reading more? Here are some parent-tested tips for helping your child develop a love for reading.

· Don’t nag. The very best way to make a child NOT want to do something is to nag. So abandon all those subtle, and not so subtle suggestions that your child go read a book instead of playing Nintendo, watching TV or following you around singing the “I’m bored” song. Relax…pressure just turns reluctance into stubborn resistance.

· Be a book lover. Why should a child think reading is fun if neither mom nor dad ever picks up a book? Is your home rich in reading material or are all the books relegated to your child’s room? Let your child “catch” you reading for pleasure or squeezing book time into your busy day and he will begin to get the idea that reading can be fun.

· Read to your kids and with your kids. Let your kids read aloud to you while you do simple chores. Many children will be willing to read just for the extra “together time” with mom or dad.

· Make reading part of bedtime. Many parents allow kids to stay up past bedtime as long as they are reading.

· Make buying books into an event. Let your child choose what he wants to read and go to bookstores that have a pleasant atmosphere and knowledgeable staff – independent book stores are often excellent for this. After book buying, consider stopping off for a treat and a chance to discuss the chosen books, thus building excitement for reading them.

· Enlarge your definition of reading. Your child may prefer not to read the classics, but would be happy to read non-fiction, especially about topics or celebrities that interest him. Even comic books can increase a child’s enjoyment for reading. You might also try clipping articles of interest from the newspaper or magazine – a clipping seems far less intimidating than a whole book.

· Consider some of the “picture book” nonfiction for older readers. Reading the caption paragraphs seems far less like work than tackling huge blocks of text. Also try books with semi-independent chapters so that your child isn’t likely to lose interest if they put the book down for a while.

· Encourage your child to give books a chance. One parent gave her daughter a prize if she would read a “quality” book. However, if a child reads a chapter or two of a particular book and discovers he really doesn’t like it, respect his tastes. We don’t all like every book.

· Encourage reading as part of a vacation or day trip. Your child can read pamphlets on the destination, and plan the route on a map. After the outing, books about the things he saw will probably have more appeal.

· With a group of kids, consider helping the children create a role-playing game based on a favorite book or series. Creating a role-playing game requires writing and research, math skills and good verbal skills – all developed in a fun and exciting atmosphere.

· Try a project where your child writes his own illustrated book. Not only is this a fun introduction to reading and writing, but also the books make great gifts for friends and relatives.

Get your child a reading buddy. One grandmother sends a new book periodically to her reluctant reading granddaughter. Then they read the book together and discuss it during regular phone calls.

10 tips to help your child learn to read

These ten activities will help parents to start a young child on the road to learning to read and enjoying books.

Many children are starting to read earlier than ever in today’s fast paced environment. Instilling the love of reading into children is an important gift for parents to offer, and there are many ways to assist the process of learning to read for a child.

These ten tips will help parents or even older siblings know what to do to lead a younger child along the path to reading enjoyment for a lifetime. Many of the activities will also be beneficial for an older child who may be having a problem with reading or reading comprehension.

1.Read to the child from the earliest possible moment. This is perhaps the most important element in whether a child grows up to enjoy reading. Some experts suggest starting this activity from the moment the child is born. Be sure to spend some time, when the child is old enough, talking about the illustrations in picture books. It will be one of the fundamentals that will allow creativity to start building in the child. 2. Read grocery store ads and sale flyers from the newspaper with preschool or young elementary aged children. This works especially well if the flyer contains some graphics as well as words. Point out the words and the child can help to choose the menu for the family while learning letters and sounds at the same time. You may want to take this a step further and work on the numbers (i.e. prices) at the same time for number recognition. 3. It is fun for a child to see and hear themselves reading a favorite story. Have him or her read into a cassette recorder or take a video movie of the activity. Often the child will point out places where they made mistakes in the reading, and will, in that way, improve the reading for the next time the story is read. 4. Make name tags for items around the house. Ask the child to place the correct tags with the items on which they belong. Post It notes work well for this activity. When the child sees the tags, the name of the item will become more easily recognized as the child masters the letters and sounds that are put together to form words. 5. Take the name tag game a step further and make tags for all of the family members, family pets, friends, etc. The child, of course, will not be putting Post It notes on the family dog or his siblings, but these tags can be pulled out to play a game of “whose name is this?” 6. As often as the family budget will allow, buy a book or two to start building a library for the child. Be sure to add nonfiction books as well as fiction stories. One good source for building a very inexpensive library is to search yard and garage sales. Books for children are usually priced very reasonably. When you buy a new book for the child, be sure to go through the book and point to the words as you are reading it for the first few times. This, too, will help with word and sound recognition. 7. Plan a family game night for once a week. The game should be something word or reading related. Older children might enjoy doing things like crossword puzzles or word searches, and younger children may enjoy creating their own games for these nights. It can also be made into a writing activity. Allow the children to decide what to write about if it is a writing night. The main idea for this activity should be that reading is pleasurable and even children just beginning to learn to read can join in by illustrating stories that other family members write. 8. Have the child design a chart on which to list books that are read. The chart should include title, author, and the number of pages in the book. Plan some kind of small incentive or “prize” when certain goals are reached. These goals can be planned for when a certain number of books or a certain number of pages is reached. 9. Give the child tools needed for writing and illustrating a book to keep in a special “memory box” or to give as a gift to grandparents. Materials needed will be the paper for the book, writing tools, and whatever the child will be using to color the illustrations. This would include crayons or colored pencils most likely. Special accents such as glitter may be appreciated by the young author. It will become obvious very early on to the child that writing and reading are closely connected. 10. To assure that a child comprehends the level of reading you are doing with him or her, read a story aloud that is not illustrated. Ask the child to draw a picture that shows what is happening in the story. You can also draw a picture or have an older sibling do it and have the beginning reader write (or dictate to you) and then read a short story about the picture. If the stories are too advanced, try books that are closer to the child’s level so that the desire to learn to read the book himself remains strong. Remember that the more often a child is exposed to the joys of stories being read aloud, the quicker he will want to learn to read stories by himself.

How to Motivate Your child to Study a Foreign Language

Some kids aren’t interested in learning a foreign language at school. Here’s how parents can help to motivate them to success.

 

A hundred years ago students learned Latin and Greek in high school or college. When modern languages came into vogue as an academic discipline, high school and college students were introduced to Spanish, French, and other languages used in the Old World.

Today many students complain that studying a foreign language is irrelevant. But more than ever before, children and young adults are traveling abroad to visit the lands that speak languages they haven’t learned.

If your child is balking at learning a foreign tongue, here are some tips that may get him or her more interested:

1. Rent a video dubbed in the language your child is studying. Sometimes a popular kids’ program or cartoon is available in Spanish or with Spanish subtitles, for example. Your child will be amused to see favorite characters speaking unintelligible words, and may be sparked to pick up a few phrases and share a report of the film with classmates in Spanish class.

2. Learn some expressions in the studied language to practice with your kids. They will love it when you call them to dinner or ask where the bathroom is, in French. Use a marker and post-it notes to label major appliances or fixtures in the language of study. When the kids get home from school, make a game of having them race to find the most labels. Reward all participants with cookies and milk. Another version is to scramble the post-it labels by placing them with the wrong object. Then ask your kids to place the labels in their correct locations. Use two sets for two kids, with the one who makes corrections fastest named the winner.

3. Buy, rent, or borrow a foreign music CD. Play songs in the studied language at dinner or in the car. Kids will enjoy picking out the words they know and learning new ones as they sing along. You can also try popping in disks that teach language phrases and structure for practice at home.

4. Shop for products in other languages. Many grocery store items have Spanish or French names and instructions or descriptions. The next time you go shopping, ask the kids to find and correctly interpret three products each, guessing at words they don’t know. This will help them see the value of knowing another language while shopping in the “real world” of everyday life, and they will appreciate the fun of playing a game, too.

5. Look for foreign language drama performances or other events. Take the kids to a church service, concert, or other event that is conducted in the language they are studying. As they listen to others speak it, they will witness the language in context and develop a greater appreciation for language study and ethnicity.

6. Turn on a television program dubbed in their language of study. Many shows are broadcast in languages other than English. The kids may enjoy watching the show on a regular basis, and as they become familiar with characters and plots, they will pick up more of the language vocabulary and syntax. Many immigrants that come to the United States report learning English this way.

Studying a language need not be confined to a dry textbook or repetitive exercises. Use creativity and ingenuity to find ways of bringing the language to life for children who are not interested in studying it. They may develop a while new awareness of and interest in our multicultural society.

Parenting Education

Parenting Education

Resources for Parent Educators

Parent education has evolved from a didactic teaching model to a relationship and support model. In my work as an Intensive Family Services counselor, I am able to design an individualized parenting skills training for each client. To enhance the effectiveness of group training, parent educators may include support elements in their program.

Three Elements of an Effective Parent Education Program

1. Direct InstructionWho is your audience? What are your goals for the program? With these questions in mind, take a look at the various structured programs. There are some good-looking programs available. Order some demo packs or introductory materials to assess the content. Is is research-based? Does it fit your audience? Does it strike a chord with you so that you can be enthusiastic and convincing with the material?
2. Small Group SupportTraditional small group activities are a natural fit and often included in parenting education programs. To maximise the effectiveness of your small groups, implement techniques from a support group model.
3. Outreach and Follow-UpParenting education is often part of a coordinated family intervention. I like to keep a sign-up sheet on my office door that parents can sign to see me individually after the group session. It is helpful to include paraprofessionals in the group. These important team members provide transportation, home visits, and informal support to parents. Cultural similarities between professionals, paraprofessionals and the families can mean the difference in an effective, supportive program and one that is distant and irrelevant to families.

3 Steps to Improve Your Child’s Behavior

3 Steps to Improve Your Child’s Behavior

All children have episodes of bad behavior, some more frequently and severely and others less. Using these three steps will improve your child’s behavior and reduce the frequency and severity of any child behavior problem.

1) Relationship

A loving, stable relationship between parents and children is the basis for the child’s healthy social development. Tell your child you love him and show your love by taking time to listen, to play, and to teach. The parent-child relationship is built on the words you say and the tone of your voice. It is strengthened by the laughter you share and the games you play together. It is forever bonded by the values and skills you pass on to your child every day.

2) Planning

Planning is the secret of good parenting. Watch your expectations so that you plan for good behavior rather than dread the bad.

Most children’s behavior problems occur during times of transition and adjustment. Since childhood is by its nature a continual process of transition, and adjustment to rapid development, it’s easy to see that bad behavior is a natural reaction to challenges that the the child doesn’t yet have the skills to accomplish.

Planning involves knowing your child, her temperament and skills, and knowing the challenges of her environment. Use direct instruction, guidance, and practice opportunities to teach the skills she will need to cope with new challenges in the journey of childhood.

3) Response

Attentiveness and response are the tools for improving your child’s behavior. An understanding of behavior modification principles will help you plan your responses to improve behavior. It all comes down to actions and consequences. When a child’s action elicits positive reinforcement, it will be repeated over time. When an action elicits punishment, it will eventually be extinguished.

Children learn to make the connection between an action and its consequence when the reinforcement or punishment is immediate and logically related to the action. Parents don’t always have to provide the consequence; most consequences occur naturally. Parents can help make the connection by talking to the child about what they did and why it lead to a certain consequence. But, as parents, our responses to our child’s actions are powerful consequences, either rewarding or punishing and therefore, shaping his behavior. In the context of a positive parent-child relationship, your approval or disapproval is usually enough of a response to reinforce or punish a behavior. When more intensive rewards or punishments are needed, parents should choose those that work for their family.

The key is to attend to your child’s attitude, moods, and behavior; and then, respond to both good and bad behavior quickly. Learn to recognize when bad behavior is being reinforced or good behavior is being extinguished, and adjust the consequences to turn it around. This requires that we be attentive to our child and make the right response.

Learn more about effective child discipline and subscribe to the About Family Change E-Course.

How To The Optimistic Child: Raise Your Children To Be Optimistics

How To The Optimistic Child: Raise Your Children To Be Optimists

The benefits of optimism have been proven many times over by research. Optimists enjoy better health and increased longevity over pessimists, experience less stress, and achieve more in life. While much of our personality traits are inborn, you can influence your child’s tendency toward optimistic or pessimistic thinking: optimism can be taught! Here are some ways you can help instill this valuable trait and raise the optimistic child:
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 18 Years
Here’s How:
1. Help Them Experience Success: Children develop self-esteem and optimism by experiencing success, even in the face of some challenges. So, starting young, let your child do things for themselves (with you in a supporting role rather than doing for them), and acknowledge their success. For example, even if it takes more work on your part, allow small children to take on household responsibilities like sorting socks, putting their toys away, etc., and acknowledge their efforts.
2. Give Credit For Success: When your child faces a success, help them see how they contributed to it, and label those actions as strengths. For example, “You did well on your test. You’re really smart!” or “You’re a hard worker to have been so prepared!” You don’t need to tell them something’s great when it isn’t (children can sense false praise), but giving them credit for their own accomplishments builds self-efficacy and contributes to optimism.
3. Look For Future Success: When dealing with successes, focus on what traits in the child made the success possible, and examine other successes that can come from these traits. Going back to the example of the high test score, you may mention that the strong work ethic and intelligence that went into the successful test can help them reach other goals. You might explore what some of their goals for the future could be, whether it’s to be an astronaut or to do well in college.
4. Don’t Praise Indiscriminately: Optimism researcher Martin Seligman believes that telling a child that everything they do is great—rather than helping them experience real successes and persist in the face of reasonable obstacles—puts the child at a disadvantage, creating an overly strong self-focus and actually making them more vulnerable to depression! So validate that success, but do acknowledge when their efforts aren’t successful as well. Children learn to see through empty praise.
5. Validate, But Question: When your child faces failure or negative situations, validate your child’s feelings, but ask questions that can cause them to see things more optimistically. For example, if another child doesn’t want to play with them, talk about their hurt feelings and let them express themselves. Then ask what other friends they may want to play with. This helps them process (rather than deny) their emotions, but puts the situation in perspective.
6. Remember Success in the Face of Failure: When things go wrong, acknowledge your child’s feelings, but also help them focus on other successes they’ve had, look at how things can go better in the future or under different circumstances, and move on. For example, “I see you feel disappointed in your score. Maybe you’re having an ‘off’ day. You usually do better, and I’m sure you’ll do great next time.” And then get involved in another activity, or practice for future success.
7. Look For “Opportunities To Improve”: One tenet of optimistic thinking that parents may take issue with is where optimists downplay their responsibility where failure is concerned. While it does instill optimism to look at external circumstances that may have contributed to things going awry, it’s okay to also assess what your child can personally do in the future to do better next time. Just approach it as ‘looking for opportunities to improve’ rather than a self-blame session for your child.
8. Look For The Bright Side: Help your child see that there is good and bad in every situation, and make a game of looking for the silver linings in seemingly negative situations. For example, if your child can’t play outside because it’s raining, look at the positives of indoor play, or project what success may come from having extra time to study. Even a broken leg can bring the fun of having friends sign the cast! The game can get silly, and that’s okay, but it’s a good practice to get into.
9. Don’t Use Negative Labels: Correct unacceptable behavior, but don’t label your child with negative labels—ever! Children tend to live up—or down—to our expectations, so if you say, “Jack’s our whiner,” or “Lucy’s our shy child,” what may have been a passing phase becomes a more permanent identity. This is much more damaging to a child’s self-concept than some parents realize, and it perpetuates the very behavior you find so objectionable!
10. Make an Example of Yourself: Children watch us and see us as constant examples, whether we like it or not. The good news about this is that we can teach by doing. Practice optimistic thinking yourself. When you achieve success, don’t downplay it with false modesty, but give yourself credit for a job well done. When things go wrong, don’t catastrophize; put things in perspective.

Tips:
As you’re teaching your child optimism, it may help if you know whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist. This quiz can help you assess that.
It’s never too late to become more of an optimist! Learn how to be more of an optimist and you can better model that thinking style for your family.
Have fun with it!

10 Tips For Enhancing That Lovin’ Feeling Between Parents and Their Children

Just like with any relationship, building a positive relationship between parent and child is one that requires work and effort to make it strong and successful. Parenting is a tough job, and maintaining close relationships and open communications helps to ensure parents and their children stay connected through all ages of their upbringing. Here are 10 simple tips for enhancing the bond between parent and child.

1. Say I Love You

Tell your child you love him every day — no matter his age. Even on trying days or after a parent-child disagreement, when you don’t exactly “like your child” at that moment, it is more important than ever to express your love. A simple “I love you” goes a long way toward developing and then strengthening a relationship.

2. Teach Your Faith

Teach your child about your faith and beliefs. Tell him what you believe and why. Allow time for your child to ask questions and answer them honestly. Reinforce those teachings often.

3. Establish A Special Name Or Code Word

Create a special name for your child that is positive and special or a secret code word that you can use between each other. Use the name as a simple reinforcement of your love. The code word can be established to have special meaning between your child and you that only you two understand. This code word can even be used to extract a child from an uncomfortable situation (such as a sleepover that is not going well) without causing undue embarrassment to the child.

4. Develop And Maintain A Special Bedtime Ritual

For younger children, reading a favorite bedtime book or telling stories is a ritual that will be remembered most likely throughout their life. Older children should not be neglected either. Once children start reading, have them read a page, chapter, or short book to you. Even most teenagers still enjoy the ritual of being told goodnight in a special way by a parent–even if they don’t act like it!

5. Let Your Children Help You

Parents sometimes inadvertently miss out on opportunities to forge closer relationships by not allowing their child to help them with various tasks and chores. Unloading groceries after going to the store is a good example of something that children of most ages can and should assist with. Choosing which shoes look better with your dress lets a child know you value her opinion. Of course, if you ask, be prepared to accept and live with the choice made!

6. Play With Your Children

The key is to really play with your children. Play with dolls, ball, make believe, checkers, sing songs, or whatever is fun and interesting. It doesn’t matter what you play, just enjoy each other! Let kids see your silly side. Older kids enjoy cards, chess, computer games, while younger ones will have fun playing about anything…as long as it involves you!

7. Eat Meals As A Family

You’ve heard this before, and it really is important! Eating together sets the stage for conversation and sharing. Turn the TV off, and don’t rush through a meal. When schedules permit, really talk and enjoy one another. It can become a quality time most remembered by young and old alike.

8. Seek Out One-On-One Opportunities Often

Some parents have special nights or “standing dates” with their children to create that one-on-one opportunity. Whether it is a walk around the neighborhood, a special trip to a playground, or just a movie night with just the two of you, it is important to celebrate each child individually. Although it is more of a challenge the more children in a family, it is really achievable! Think creatively and the opportunities created will be ones that you remember in the future.

9. Respect Their Choices

You don’t have to like their mismatched shirt and shorts or love how a child has placed pictures in his room. However, it is important to respect those choices. Children reach out for independence at a young age, and parents can help to foster those decision-making skills by being supportive and even looking the other way on occasion. After all, it really is okay if a child goes to daycare with a striped green shirt and pink shorts.

10. Make Them A Priority In Your Life

Your children need to know that you believe they are a priority in your life. Children can observe excessive stress and notice when they feel you are not paying them attention. Sometimes, part of being a parent is not worrying about the small stuff and enjoying your children. They grow up so fast, and every day is special. Take advantage of your precious time together while you have it!