This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PlayWithPlaymobil #CollectiveBias
How to Teach Your Child To Swim
This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Amabssador Program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Because we are a family who loves the water, it is important to us that our kids learn how to swim at a young age. We have a neighborhood pool that we use often and we have family who lives at the beach that we love to visit throughout the summer months. In fact, we have a trip coming up very soon! Because we want to make sure to keep our kids stay safe near the water, it is important to us that we have done our job educating our kids about water safety and have the proper floats. When you teach your child to swim, it is important to know the proper techniques, and information on the latest safety tips and floats.
How to Handle Tantrums in a Positive Way
My third baby is almost 18 months old and has already started having tantrums. I remember this time with my older two. They literally go from being a sweet cuddly baby to throwing fits over night and you try to figure out what went wrong, but here is the truth: it is developmental. All kids go through it and it is part of how they learn. They are not good at controlling their emotions at this age and throwing fits is part of how they communicate to you. The good news is that you are not alone, and there are a few things you can do to help avoid tantrums and diffuse them in the moment.
6 Verses to Read to Your Child Struggling with Fear
It is very normal for children to experience fears. It is a part of life for everyone. Do you remember being afraid of the dark, or storms when you were a kid? I was afraid of both, but now I love storms. Funny how that happens…one minute it is a major fear and the next, you have faced and embraced it without even realizing it happened.
Both of my older kids have had issues with fear around the age of two. After a lot of research about the subject, I found that this is an age where they are developing fears and many of them are afraid of the dark, sleeping alone, etc. We solved a lot of this by letting them share a room. It is a temporary solution, but for now, it has worked perfectly! They have each other and they have both slept much better than before. If your kids are experiencing fear, just know it is normal and try to make them feel as safe and comfortable as possible (without giving in too much).
Easy Activities For Toddlers When They’re Sick
We have all been super sick for the last couple of weeks. One by one, we have all caught it and it doesn’t seem to want to go away. Unfortunately, this is the worst timing for sickness because Hampton’s birthday is tomorrow and we have the boy’s party this weekend. I’m also doing it solo this week, so theres that. Send lots of prayers over our way, friends! One thing I like to do when the kids are tired of resting but still obviously feel bad is think of easy activities for toddlers that won’t make them over do it.
How An Email Series Helped My Toddlers Sleep Better
Sleep. A word I am becoming more and more unfamiliar with. You know you are lacking sleep when you can’t respond to a question someone is asking you because you literally can’t remember the answer. You know you are lacking in sleep when you catch yourself sitting in the parking lot of your kid’s school unable to drive off because you are literally scared of falling asleep at the wheel. I’ve been there. Still am there, actually. My oldest (who is only three) has never slept. We have had sleep issues with him since birth. People told me it would get better with age. He just had his days and nights mixed up as a newborn. He is just afraid of the dark. He is going through “a phase.” No. He just really doesn’t sleep. I have never seen anything like it. It is so hard to explain to anyone who isn’t here and witnessing it night after night.
Fun Games that Teach Young Children Self-Control
This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Primrose Schools; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Parenting young children and toddlers can be so difficult. I am constantly questioning whether I am doing the right thing and teaching them correctly. With so many opinions and personal preferences out there, it can be tough to know what is right for me and my children. I think this is something all parents struggle with at some point. The first week of school, we dealt with serious self-control issues with our son and I had no idea what to do. I honestly wasn’t expecting that behavior now that he is almost 4. Luckily for me, I recently discovered a great resource for games that help you teach your children important Executive Function Skills – Primrose Schools.
Primrose Schools focus on these six key skills as part of their curriculum: Adaptability, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Self-Control and Memory. These skills are so important in life and the sooner we can teach them to our children, the better!
During our first week of school, we really struggled with my son pitching horrible fits every morning when I dropped him off. It was new for me because he has always loved school and done really well during drop-offs. I chalked it up to being a new school year and new transition – that is, until he absolutely lost it on me and his teacher one morning. He completely lost his cool and all self-control. It was awful. I was upset and humiliated. I immediately started doing research and reading what to do because this was new territory for us. I was so excited to read about the Executive Function Skills and self-control is one of the things that Primrose really emphasizes. I was especially happy to read about some of the activities: board games, obstacle courses, making a meal together and playing freeze dance – and how these would help him learn self-control. In addition, I talked to Hampton a lot about his behavior and how it was okay to be sad and upset, but that he had crossed a line when he pitched a fit like that. He really understood more than I gave him credit for. I’m happy to report that he has now had two perfect weeks with no fits or incidents!
Another Executive Function Skill that I try to work with my kids on is team-work! Hampton and Sophie are so close and they play really well together – most of the time. Sometimes, it is like having twins who bicker and fight all the time. They are precious, but let’s just say that teamwork is something we really need to work on them with. I like to do this by having them build blocks together or pick up their toys at the end of the day and I emphasize the team effort. Some other ways that Primrose Schools recommends building teamwork skills include having play dates and playing I-Spy.
Another skill I was excited to read all about was memory. While they definitely focus on remembering things, they also emphasize responsibility and the rewards and challenges that come along with it. Some games and ideas include: making up stories together (you start telling a story and the child finishes it), playing board games, reading out loud and letting the child recall a favorite story and helping with chores (my favorite)! I love including my kids in our house chores! They love it too! Sophie’s favorite chore is helping me with the laundry as we walk through all the steps (“first we sort the clothes…”) and Hampton loves to dust my baseboards and wipe up spilled messes. He is the first one to jump up and grab a paper towel when someone has an accident. He is such a big help!
Primrose Schools has so many wonderful ideas and games to play with your kids to help with these six key skills! I definitely recommend checking them out and while you do, be sure to subscribe to their newsletter so that you can be entered to win a Primrose Prize Pack that includes a $250 Barnes & Noble gift card and five children’s books! Enter the sweepstakes here!
5 Ways to Boost Your Child’s Self-Confidence
As parents I think we all want to raise confident children. Sometimes, I personally struggle with self-confidence (it is something I am always working on) and I don’t want any of my children to ever deal with it because it can be aggravating and tiring. I think self-confidence is something most people can achieve with age – for example, the older I get the less I care what people think, but I want my kids to feel confident as they grow and in school and the activities that they participate in. Here are a few ways I like to boost my kids self-confidence:
How to Maintain Peace at Home with Young Children
Since having Weston, and then moving a week after that, I feel like our lives have literally been turned upside down. We have had a lot of good days, but we’ve also had a lot of bad ones. Hampton is still having major sleep issues – meaning he doesn’t sleep. Ever. Weston is also not sleeping. Ryan has been traveling a lot. The list goes on and on. Life is anything but easy right now and I’ve honestly been a little down about it. One thing I keep coming back to in my readings is the word peace. Peace is not an easy state to maintain, but it is something worth fighting for and working hard to get to. As I continue to work hard to create peace in our home for my husband, our children and our marriage, I wanted to share some ideas that I have been bouncing around.
My Spring Cleaning Mom Hack
I received the bObi Pet in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Raise your hand if you have been spring cleaning! Raise your hand if you have a toddler (or two) who make messes faster than you can clean them? Right here! Lately, it has been a struggle to keep our house clean. Before kids, it was spotless. Now? Some days, I don’t know why I even try to clean it. But the truth is I have a hard time functioning in a big mess. When our house is a wreck, I can’t write, think, or do anything. I blame it on my slight O.C.D.
