‘Hot Brands, Cool Places’ is a vibrant lifestyle magazine and definitive collection of the hottest brands and the coolest places, From home and gardens through to fashion and food, including book reviews and a weekly newsletter, HBCP covers everything, including a fantastic parents and children area.
Find out more through the following link: : http://www.hotbrandscoolplaces.com/
The following article has been kindly contributed by MyFamily UK. My Family UK are dedicated to helping people get the best out of family life and there are many more great articles available on its website; www.myfamilyuk.com
The problem
Processed sugar simply tastes better to children, so adults need to develop ways of getting around the taste barrier, and promoting healthy food. A child will not know what’s healthy and what’s not. They will simply pick the food that tastes best to them. As a parent, it is your job to control this blind urge: you need to teach them what is good for them. Your greatest tool here is will-power, but there is more to it than persistence.
The solution
Try the following techniques, and see if they work for you.
1) Start from the beginning
One of the hardest tasks to get a child to do is break routine. If they’ve started their life with five years of eating what they wanted, their reaction to a slice of wholemeal toast or a serving of greens is likely to make you want to give up trying to change their diet. Start them eating healthy young and you will set them up for a healthier life.
2) Avoid bad habits
Whatever you do, if your child won’t eat something healthy, don’t then give them something sweet. This cycle can start from as early as babyhood. The conclusion they will draw is that if they refuse something, they will be rewarded.
3) Your dentist is your greatest weapon
When your child goes to the dentist, get them to explain to your child (even using pictures which prove to be most effective) what will happen to their teeth if they eat or drink too many sugary things. If their teeth are in good nick, lots of praise will make them proud of that fact and they will begin to take pride in keeping them that way. Next time your child demands something sugary, reiterate what the dentist said to them and remind them of the ‘dreaded pictures’.
4) Set a healthy example
It is said that 80 per cent of children’s food preferences rely on an adult’s food preferences. They are hugely influenced by what they see their elders doing and so in this sense, if they see you eating a well-balanced, healthy diet they will assume that this in turn is the correct thing to do. Lead by example, not by words.
5) If you diet, your children will too
If, every time your child opens up the fridge, they find nothing but diet products, they will begin to assume that this is the norm, and therefore what they should do. Not only will this reduce a child’s self-esteem and self-image, but it will reinforce a negative idea of ‘healthy eating’. To be “on a diet” implies that you will come off it at some point. This indicates to your children that one need only eat healthily occasionally – but it should be a constant.
And don’t forget, the following games on the ChooChooGames website are a great way of re-enforcing the importance of good oral hygiene!
http://www.choochoogames.co.uk/games-for-young-children/the-body/the-dentist
http://www.choochoogames.co.uk/games-for-young-children/the-body/brushing-our-teeth
The following article has been contributed by Carla van Heerden from ToddleBabes.co.uk – a great source for information on raising babies and toddlers. To view further articles such as this, please visit the website at www.toddlebabes.co.uk
Summer is here and with it comes the school holidays. Children are home and most likely getting bored. So, what do you do for those weeks that are not planned as the annual family holiday? How do you keep them busy and yourself sane?
My first bit of advice is to sit down with all the family and make a list of activities that everyone would like to do. The list can be as long or as short as you like-just make sure that everyone has a chance to contribute. Stick this list up somewhere prominent so that when everyone is having a “bored” moment, you can easily refer to it. Here are some ideas to get your list started.
And remember “If you’re bored, you’re boring,”
1. Go to “new places” as my daughter calls them. In other words, vary the routine. Go to a different park, group or activity centre. Try ones that you have been meaning to go to but have just not gotten round to. It could be anything from visiting an amusement park to a public paddling pool.
2. Water fun: set up outside with water balloons, water tables, slip and slides…the possibilities are endless. Stick to the water theme and they will be happily occupied for hours! Get some inexpensive bubble mixture an a few bubble wands and let them blow and chase bubbles. If you can afford one, a bubble machine can keep them squealing and giggling for ages. Don’t forget though that if you are providing water, that you supervise!
3. Picnic time: Make a basket or cooler bag of finger foods. Get the kids to help make the food if possible. Throw some outdoor toys into a bag; a frisbee and a bat and ball are always popular choices. If you don’t want to travel far or have no parks nearby, try picnicking at a friends house or even in your own back garden.
4. Make icy treats: Use moulds (easily available at the supermarket) and make your own ice lolly. Pour your favourite juice into the moulds and leave them in the freezer overnight. These are fun, cheaper than store bought and healthier too!
5. Pretend camping in your garden: Erect your tent in the garden, eat supper outside and do all the things you would do if you were really camping. Look at the stars-if you can see them! Play torch games, tell stories and roast marshmallows…
6. Make use of your outdoor space: Set up your regular activities outside on picnic blankets or patio furniture under an umbrella for shade. You might put out paints, colouring books, board games, and favourite books.
7. Do some gardening: Kit your little ones out with gardening tools and seeds. Help them plant in pots or into flower beds and make it a daily activity to care for the emerging seedlings.
8. Sandpit action: Bury some of your child’s plastic animals in the sandpit. Give them a spade and other toy archaeological tools to help them unearth these “fossils”.
9. Visit a pick-your-own farm with your child. A great activity and you get to eat the fresh goods later too!
10. Go on a scavenger hunt: make a list of things you might be able to find in your local park or in your garden or even in town . Give them a magnifying glass to add some extra interest, especially to smaller items. Tick off the items as you spot them.
Even with your list of activities, some Summer days can be too hot to be outdoors for long. Health advisors suggest that it is safest for young children and adults to stay out of the sun between 11 and 3pm.
With that in mind you could enjoy craft and art activities, cooking and baking, paint and colouring or try out free online computer activities like those on Choo Choo Games which are designed to be played by parents and children together to help aid communication. I specifically support ChooChooGames as it encourages collaboration between child and parent whereas a lot of online games for younger children are intended just to be played alone-which is something I don’t support.
We are delighted that you are able to join us for the ride!
I am Rafal Han, creator of ChooChooGames. But how did we get here?
Well, a little over two years ago I started having a real problem with answering the questions my then, four-year-old son started asking me about such as: where does water in a tap come from?; why do I have to share things with others?; why do we have to brush our teeth?
I therefore looked to the internet for assistance to find some form of illustration, metaphor or games to help answer these questions, but was dissatisfied with the possibilities the online world presented for my children. I found many games sites, but they appeared to offer little benefit to the children playing them and on some, the content worried me. I didn’t have too much trouble finding educational sites either, but they tended to promote solitary working.
I wanted to enjoy the online world with my children in the same way we enjoy reading a book together or doing a puzzle. I wanted a website intended for parents and children to play and enjoy together and that would help them communicate and strengthen their relationship with each other.
I decided to actually create this site that I was envisaging, and along with the educational aspect, I felt right from the start that it was important to include a moral element and communicate positive social messages. I wanted the site to be a place of inspiration and ideas for parents and children, enabling them to discover things online that exist in the real world which they can then go and explore in more detail in the context of real life situations.
In terms of specific developmental and educational value, ChooChooGames can help children with literacy and numeracy skills; with their hand-eye coordination and fine motor-neurone skills; and help them to discover the consequences of certain actions. Collaborating with their parents on the games helps them express themselves and increase their communication skills.
We are very proud of the site we have created, but we are also extremely lucky to have some of the best games testers around – children. Every game has to pass their test, and this ensures only the most enjoyable and engaging games make the cut.
ChooChooGames is designed to engage children and is a great family website. I sincerely hope you enjoy playing these games with your children as much as I do, and that they will bring a smile to both of your faces. Make sure you check out this blog regularly to read posts from our resident expert in mind, brain and learning – Bernadette Tynan – along with well-respected parent bloggers.
We really hope you enjoy using ChooChooGames as much as we have enjoyed creating it.
Best wishes,
Rafal Han
Please check back soon to find posts and articles from some of the best parenting bloggers and childcare professionals around.