Posts filed under ‘children’
Fostering Connection Through Creativity: A Lesson from My Childhood
Divorce can deeply impact children, altering their sense of stability. Through “Culture Night,” a creative weekly ritual, a mother fostered security and connection amidst family changes. This legacy highlights the importance of consistent, small creative moments in parenting. Join a LIVE Q&A on fostering family closeness after divorce for further insights.
Help Your Child Grow a Passion for Learning Using These Strategies
Photo via Pexels
Guest post by Gwen Payne, info@invisiblemoms.com
Encouraging a passion for learning in children is essential for helping them thrive in an ever-changing world. This passion not only equips them with the adaptability to face new challenges but also nurtures their curiosity and creativity. By fostering an environment that celebrates inquiry and discovery, parents can create the foundation for a lifelong love of exploration and growth. The strategies shared here can be applied year-round, including during school breaks, such as holidays and summer vacations, providing children with exciting opportunities to continue learning and growing outside the classroom.
Create a Balanced Learning Routine
Creating a routine that balances structured learning with regular breaks and varied activities is essential for fostering a child’s enthusiasm for education. By incorporating short breaks, such as 15-minute intervals, children can recharge, enhancing their focus and positivity when they return to their tasks. Integrating diverse activities throughout the day not only keeps children engaged but also prevents the monotony that can lead to burnout. Encouraging mindfulness practices, like breathing exercises, can further help children clear their minds and concentrate on what truly matters.
Lead by Example
Your own educational journey can be a powerful tool in inspiring a love for learning in your children. By demonstrating curiosity and enthusiasm for acquiring new knowledge, you set a valuable example. If you’ve been considering further education, completing an online psychology degree offers the flexibility to balance studies with other commitments. This pursuit not only enhances your understanding of human behavior but also showcases the importance of lifelong learning. Engaging in higher education can ignite a passion for knowledge within your family, creating an environment where learning is cherished and valued.
Explore Museums and Science Centers
Regular visits to museums, libraries, and science centers can play a crucial role in nurturing your child’s curiosity and love for learning. These environments provide hands-on and inquiry-based activities that are particularly effective for developing critical thinking and communication skills. Engaging with exhibits allows children to explore objects and discuss their characteristics, which can be especially beneficial for gifted children. By incorporating these visits into your routine, you not only support your child’s educational growth but also keep their passion for learning alive.
Discover Math and Science in the Kitchen
Engaging your children in cooking activities is a fantastic way to nurture their love for learning, especially in math and science. By involving them in measuring ingredients, you introduce concepts of volume and fractions, which are foundational in mathematics. As they follow recipes, they learn the importance of sequence and precision, skills crucial in both math and science. Additionally, cooking offers a practical demonstration of chemical reactions, such as how heat transforms ingredients like butter and syrup, making them more viscous. This hands-on approach not only makes learning enjoyable but also helps children understand and retain complex concepts more effectively.
Encourage Reading Through Choice
Encouraging children to choose their own reading materials can greatly enhance their enthusiasm for learning and sense of independence. When kids select books that resonate with their interests, they are more likely to engage deeply with the content, nurturing a lifelong passion for reading. This approach not only supports the development of independent reading habits but also boosts comprehension skills, as children are more motivated to understand texts they enjoy. Offering books that are appropriately challenging and promoting exploration across various genres can further cultivate this independence.
Embrace Interactive E-Books
To nurture a lifelong love of learning in your child, consider incorporating interactive e-books and audiobooks into their reading routine. These digital tools transform traditional reading into a more engaging and accessible experience, accommodating children across various reading levels. Interactive e-books often include features like animations and sound effects, which can captivate young readers and maintain their interest. Audiobooks, on the other hand, provide an auditory experience that can enhance comprehension and vocabulary, especially for auditory learners or those who struggle with traditional reading.
Engage in Community Service
Engaging your children in community service projects is a powerful way to nurture their love for learning while equipping them with essential life skills. By participating in activities that resonate with their interests, children can develop empathy, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities. These projects offer a unique opportunity for children to connect with diverse individuals, forming meaningful relationships that enhance their sense of belonging and happiness. Encouraging your children to explore community service projects that align with their passions helps them thrive in a collaborative and interconnected world.
Fostering a love for learning in children is a journey that requires patience, creativity, and commitment. By embracing diverse strategies and creating a supportive environment, parents can inspire their children to view learning as a lifelong adventure.
Discover transformative insights and resources for nurturing strong family relationships with parent coach, C. Lynn Williams. Visit clynnwilliams.com to explore her books, programs, and workshops today!
How to Help Your Child Develop Independence and Accountability
Helping children learn personal responsibility is one of the most important lessons they can carry into adulthood.
Continue Reading September 25, 2024 at 1:10 pm Leave a comment
Teaching Your Child to Respond Instead of Reacting
Temper tantrums in young children is expected, until that child grows up and still throws tantrums. Here are tips to help them respond instead of reacting.
Continue Reading January 12, 2024 at 2:33 pm Leave a comment
How to Motivate Our Kids
Did you ever take music lessons or practice a sport to become the best? It’s called deliberate practice and there are important life skills that children learn when they practice becoming better at something. One lesson that comes up for me is resilience. My daughter wanted to take dance lessons, and once she started attending the class, she decided she didn’t like it and wanted to quit. That happens often with children. They will like something because their friends like it. The challenge is getting them to stick it out until a natural ending like a concert or the season ends. Requiring them to finish at a natural ending point, teaches them tolerance.
You see it a lot in some cultures where practice is relentless, but the outcomes are amazing. I think about the Olympics and Russians gymnasts. They excel because of their over-the-top work ethic. I also think about Chinese students and music. Practice makes their performances better!
This deliberate practice requires us (as parents) to perform our show and tell. It’s one thing to tell your child to go and practice their clarinet. It’s quite a different feeling when you share with them that on your job or in your business, you have goals to attain and the better that you are at setting those goals, the better you are at mastering them and achieving them or smashing them!
We have an opportunity as parents, to build excellence no matter what your economic or social standing. When your kids are with you, get them to do more of what they like and practice it until it is amazing. You notice I’m not saying perfect because perfect means there’s no room to grow and be better and there’s always room to grow and be better. I’m also suggesting that you allow them to do something that they like, as opposed to what you like for them. It’s less of a struggle…
By the way, this is not just a skill for musically and sports inclined children. For the kids who love academics; who love reading; who love writing; who love tech; help them find tune that skill and motivate them to become outliers.
An outlier is a person that stands out from all other members of a particular group or set. They stand out! That’s a positive thing. Our children are born with gifts that require motivation, nurturing and fine-tuning to stand out. As parents, this is what we can offer our children:
- A safe home environment
- Food to eat
- Love
- Encouragement
- Structure
- Hope
Sometimes the gifts that live inside of our child, are quite different from ours or anyone within our family. It doesn’t make the gift wrong or strange… just different.
So practice motivating your child and that gift of theirs, while they are on summer break. If you haven’t already seen their brilliance peek out, keep watching.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Strategist, Author & Speaker
Wishing You A Merry Christmas
Christmas is the time of celebration and merry making for everyone. This holiday is known for the melodious Christmas carols, rhythmical Christmas poems and intoxicating Christmas songs. An occasion of togetherness and merriment with your family is what Christmas is all about.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays! Below is a poem I am sharing with you from theparentsday website.
C. Lynn
Home is With Parents
Home is where parents and memories live,
Full of the love only families can give,
It’s a place where you learn
and a place where you play,
It’s a cozy retreat on a cold winter’s day
It’s warm and familiar and yet always new,
A place where there’s always a welcome for you,
Home is where laughter and happiness grow,
A place you’ll remember wherever you go.
Merry Christmas to both of you
With love,
(insert your child’s name)
My Spouse and I Parent Very Differently
How is it possible that the person you fell in love with; who understands you perfectly and finishes your sentences… parents so differently from you?
Not only do they parent differently, it’s inconsistent, they show favorites with your kids and it’s ALL WRONG 😑
Well, I wonder if they feel the same way about you?
The funny thing about parenting, is this: how can someone else tell you how to raise your child? Yet, that’s exactly what has to happen when you coparent whether you are in the same household or in separate households.
Ideally you discuss things that are important to you to instill in your children before they are born. If it’s important that your son or daughter to speak candidly, then your spouse can’t be annoyed when your out-spoken child speaks at a family gathering (and the comment embarrasses you).
Parenting isn’t one of those “scripted” professions. You start out with the best intentions of raising your child together, until you hit a non-negotiable topic.
Here are 3 things to consider to help you resolve those sticky parenting issues:
- Take a moment to calm down (if you’re angry)
- Think about whether you can accept what your spouse is saying (lose the ego)
- Communicate your concerns with your spouse (outside of your child’s hearing)
Trying to talk while angry, is insanity. Once you calm down, you may feel differently and be willing to compromise. Marriage and raising children require compromise and patience from both of you. Acceptance of your spouse’s parenting style is important to your relationship, and the relationship of your spouse and child.
If you or your spouse are the bonus parent, and are new to the parent-child relationship, either one of you may have a difficult time, “allowing” the other parent to share in important decisions, behavior management and life issues. It’s a normal human emotion to be protective of your child. However, the blending takes place when you share your concerns and decide how to handle.
That was the challenge my husband and I faced when we married and blended our children of previous relationships together. It wasn’t easy when we started. It took a lot of conversations and a few arguments (when the kids were not around). It also took prayer and patience. Our children are adults now, and we are celebrating 20 years of marriage later this year.
You can do this!
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
How to Build Accountability In Your Child
Happy New Year and no… this is not a list of resolutions for better parenting!
Having talked to quite a few parents during the Holidays who wanted their child to do what they were asked; I’m reminded of two things:
- Keep it simple
- Hold your child accountable
As you tell your child for the 5th time to pick up his/her toys, clothes, etc. you might wonder what it will take for that delightful child of yours to become more accountable.
According to Century Dictionary, accountability is the state of being accountable or answerable; responsibility for the fulfilment of obligations; liability to account for conduct, meet or suffer consequences, etc.
The thing is, we want our kids to grow into accountable adults, which means that we want accountable teens, youths, toddlers.
So how do you get started?
Start now…ideally when your child is very young and impressionable. My daughter has been “guiding” our 2½ year old grandson with picking up his toys, since he could walk. He understands what picking up toys means, how to do it and the consequences of leaving them all over the floor.
Is she 100% successful? Nope, but she and her husband have a great start provided they stay consistent with their work with him. It gets more challenging, if you are starting to with children who are older and aren’t used to having to pick up after themselves.
Not impossible, but your work is cut out for you because your child won’t understand why all of a sudden, you are asking them to do something they’ve never had to do before.
3 tips for helping your child be more accountable:
- Model behavior (that you want to see repeated)
- Be as consistent as possible in holding your child responsible for what you’ve asked them to do
- Help your child see things from another person’s viewpoint
Modeling the behavior, you want to see, is one of the skills that a leader uses. It’s much easier to get your child to pick up their toys, clean their room, clean the bathroom, if they see you do the same.
Teaching your child to see things from another’s perspective builds empathy and compassion. If occasionally you have your daughter help her brother or sister clean their room, fold clothes or clean the kitchen, they may be less inclined to fight, argue and compete with each other.
Just a couple of thoughts as we enter 2022.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for Aging Parents, Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and their Sons, Fathers and Daughters or Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Parent Coach, Author & Speaker
The Voices Heard Before Suicide
Suicide is a profound tragedy…
My daughter was a young girl when my brother committed suicide. I was devastated. He had been suffering with a chronic illness and told us he was praying to die, while we prayed for him to live.
He had talked about dying years before that because he was so unhappy. Suicide is seldom unplanned, and victims leave clues.
It is up to us to pay attention to those clues and intervene. That’s easy to say, and harder to do. There are lots of external influences that will make it challenging to notice the clues.
These days children are dealing with life issues that they don’t want to talk about. Bullying. Sexual abuse. Peer pressure. Parental expectations. Excelling in school. These issues are further exacerbated by the separatism that technology provides. Many of these issues young people face without appropriate coping skills. When an unpleasant event occurs they feel that life can’t go on and so they attempt suicide or they are successful. 🤯
I recently heard the story of a good kid who received detention at school and then was reprimanded by his s parents at home. Concerned that he had jeopardized his chances to get into a Ivy League school for college; he committed suicide. Did he leave any clues that he was fragile?
What about the girl who can no longer face school or online bullies and decides that suicide is a better alternative to living. What behaviors did her parents notice before she took her life?
How do we stop this madness?
Suicide is beyond devastating! It’s really bad when it happens to a child that you think is safe; has a good life; and looks normal.
Are there warning signs? They’re probably aren’t many if any unless you are watching intently and you are in tune with your child; even then there’s no guarantee that you will be aware of what’s going on.
Here is what I can tell you:
• Watch for changes of behavior
• Mood swings
• Quiet and withdrawn in an otherwise outgoing joyous kid
There’s no guarantee that you’ll catch the clues then, but it least if you start a conversation beyond ‘how was your day’; if you talk about how to build resilience; if you let your child know that there is nothing worth taking their life over…
Have those hard conversations now when everything is good. Let your child know that correcting their behavior is your job, but that you are always proud of them and love them.
Interested in learning more about your family’s dynamics? Contact me – Ms. Parent Guru to receive information about my inspiring parenting programs for Aging Parents, Mothers and Daughters, Mothers and their Sons, Fathers and Daughters or Fathers and their Sons.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Strategist, Author & Speaker
How to Motivate Our Kids
Did you ever take music lessons or practice a sport to become the best? It’s called deliberate practice and there are important life skills that children learn when they practice becoming better at something. One lesson that comes up for me is resilience. My daughter wanted to take dance lessons, and once she started attending the class, she decided she didn’t like it and wanted to quit. That happens often with children. They will like something because their friends like it. The challenge is getting them to stick it out until a natural ending like a concert or the season ends. Requiring them to finish at a natural ending point, teaches tolerance.
You see it a lot in some cultures where practice is relentless, but the outcomes are amazing. I think about the Olympics and Russians gymnasts. I thought they excelled because of their over-the-top work ethic. I also think about Chinese students and music. Practice makes their performances better!
This deliberate practice requires us (as parents) to perform our show and tell. It’s one thing to tell your child to go and practice their clarinet. It’s quite a different feeling when you share with them that on your job or in your business, you have goals to attain and the better that you are at setting those goals, the better you are at mastering them and achieving them or smashing them!
Parents, we have an opportunity here to build excellence no matter what your economic or social standing. When your kids are with you, get them to do more of what they like and practice it until it is amazing. You notice I’m not saying perfect because perfect means there’s no room to grow and be better and there’s always room to grow and be better. I’m also suggesting that you allow them to do something that they like, as opposed to what you like for them. It’s less of a struggle…
By the way, this is not just a skill for musically and sports inclined children. For the kids who love academics; who love reading; who love writing; who love tech; help them find tune that skill and motivate them to become outliers.
An outlier is a person that stands out from all other members of a particular group or set. They stand out! That’s a positive thing. Our children are born with gifts that require motivation, nurturing and fine-tuning to stand out. As parents, this is what we can offer our children:
- A safe home environment
- Food to eat
- Love
- Encouragement
- Structure
Sometimes the gifts that live inside of our child, are quite different from ours or anyone within our family. It doesn’t make the gift wrong or strange… just different.
So practice motivating your child and that gift of theirs, while they are on summer break. If you haven’t already seen their brilliance peek out, keep watching.
Click Here to become a part of my parenting community.
C. Lynn Williams, #MsParentguru
Family Dynamics Strategist, Author & Speaker
Staying Sane While Raising Your Teens 
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