Goal Setting for Kids

By James Robbins

Goal setting like many other valuable skills in life is usually not taught in school. This leaves parents the responsibility to pass on the great power of effective goal setting to their children. Of course one of the best way to teach goal setting to our children is to be modeling the process ourselves.

Children actually love to set goals. One time my family decided to do a little goal setting in order to make the house run more efficiently. We sat down and created some goals and the kids became contagiously excited. The key for kids, is that you need to make it into a game.

What we did to make the goal setting process fun for them was add a few important elements.
Here are a few tips for goal setting with kids.

1. Set measurable goals.

This is important for anyone setting goals, and it is a good thing to teach your children this lesson early. We had simple goals relating each week to completing chores around the house.

2. Create a fun way to measure.

Children need to visually see their progress. What we did was print out a large photo of a mountain and stuck it on our fridge. Our goal was to reach the top. Then we cut out little flag magnets so that as we completed our goals we moved higher and higher up the mountain. This made goal setting fun for the kids. You should have seen their excitement every evening, as we would update our mountain. We had kids running off to clean rooms, make beds, and sweep floors so they could move the flag higher up the mountain.

This tiny game we developed on our fridge eventually became the inspiration for building the online goal setting game The Summit.

3. Have a reward.

Rewards are important for goal setting. I cannot remember what the reward was but our kids were excited about it. We told them that if we reached the top we would get the reward as a family.

Day by day we moved up the mountain and our kids had a blast at the same time. It made our house cleaner, our children more motivated and it taught them some important principles of the goal setting process. You can make your own family goal game, just do what we did and cut out a picture of a mountain and tape it to your fridge, and you kids will have a blast. Goal setting can be a lot of fun.

And if you want to play the online goal setting game inspired by the events in this article then take the Summit Challenge. In addition to creating the Summit Challenge James Robbins also delivers keynotes on personal excellence and leadership. To find out more about the Summit Challenge, go to www.ontothesummit.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Robbins

Should Kids Wear Watches?

By Anyer Long

I know it might be an odd question but I have to ask. Should kids wear watches? Different people that come from different backgrounds may have different answers. Watches, since their first introduction, have been defined as necessity of time devices and ornaments of trend and fashion. My point that kids should wear watches are based on the three aspects listed bellow.

Watches help kids to form a good habit. One of the most valued characters that can determine a person's credibility, personal influence is his promise keeping ability. And that character is especially reflected in the practice of keeping his time. A watch perfectly helps this by reminding its wearer the time at the ease of a simple glance. Keeping a wrist watch, one could probably never miss meetings or some other important arrangements. Human are the creature of habits. To form a good time keeping habit, one need to establish the principle from his childhood. I think put a watch around a kid's wrist is a not a bad idea to do. A watch serves not only mere time device but also a symbol of mindset to keep his time.

Watches help parents save money and concerns otherwise they will receive big figures phone bills and other issues caused. Years ago, few people had cell phone. Today, walk outside and it seems like everyone has a cell phone glued to their ears - including elementary school kids. Are this all right? I mean give such a sophisticate device to a 10 years old or even less is really reasonable? Apart from the phone abuse or lost issue, the physical hurt of the early use of cell phone to a child has been reported. Cell phone causes eye pain, poor eye sight and sleeplessness.
Many children stay too late with their cell, just text or talk with friends through their cell. Other potential danger is still uncertain but surely it exist. I know the parental concerns of safety.
Their primary purposes of giving their kids a cell are keeping them in touch when needed and calling emergencies. But we can not rely on a cell and think nothing will happen to them and children also need independence to grow. From my part, cell phones should not give to kids until they can use them and understand well why they get them. As to the fact of many parents choose cells as the presents to their kids, my advice is save your money and the troubles by giving a watch instead!

A watch reflects history, fashion and the characters of its wearer. Each type of watch has hundreds years of history, and own a watch means own a piece of history. Tell your kids the history and culture behind the watch when you give them one. Watch represent fashion.
Watches have been marketed as a trendy accessory or a gadget in a variety of designs and colors. Though trend has nothing to do with kids, but they will find ones they like. Also a watch can reflect the characters of its wearer. Choose a watch has the proper type and style to your kids helps mode healthy and positive characters.

Anyer is a children-care advoca tor, see his recommended cheap watches, fashion watches and replica watches at http://www.sourcingmap.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anyer_Long

7 Reasons To Take Your Kids On A Road Trip

By Damaria Senne

Recently, I've impulsively taken my daughter on a couple of road trips. For simplicity's sake, I chose destinations which were new to her, far enough to make the venture worthwhile but close enough to travel about ten hours maximum.

To keep the costs down, we traveled by coach, rather than flying or driving. Here are some of the benefits I learnt to appreciate while we were on the road trips:

1. The trips add some new and fun to our lives -No longer are we restricted to being city-bound on weekends. If we don't have plans, we can pack up a large cooler bag, hop on a bus and see where it takes us.

2. Keeping in touch with family and friends - If we have friends or family at the other side of the trip, we make the time to visit with them for a while.

3. Time to bond - Travelling together in an enclosed space provides me with the oportunity to learn the details of my daughter's life that I miss in the hustle and bustle of normal life. Also, she can't run away to her room if she doesn't like the conversation, and I can't claim that I'm working when she wants attention. All this helps us grow closer together.

4. See the country on a budget - We choose a top of the line bus for comfort. Still, it's much cheaper than driving or catching a plane. Also, we keep to a strict budget on the trip, bringing some of the food and drinks we'll need, rather than buying along the way.

5. Getting to know the country - The trips have helped my daughter experience parts of South Africa that she would otherwise not have seen until she's grown. Hopefully, it will help with her geography lessons at school, and teach her to appreciate the various aspects of the country she was born to.

6. It's time to rest, recharge - Road trips give us both the time to rest and recharge our batteries. While we're on the trip, our life along with its assorted joys and challenges, is left behind. We need only worry about this trip, this moment. It's a very restful sensation.

7. There is entertainment - We also take along books to read and some electronic gadgets to play with if and when boredom seeps in. The bus line also plays a number of movies, keeping us entertained.

While planning your road trip, keep the following issues in mind:

Make sure the trip does not conflict with prior plans -You know you do not want to be trapped in a bus with a sulking child who is determined not to have fun, no matter what you do.

Small kids do not do well in enclosed spaces- If you have small children / active children who need space to move around, a trip on a bus may not be a good idea. Traveling by RV might be the better option, as it gives your family the space they need.

Keep the costs down - Unless you specifically budgeted for the trip, keep the costs (excluding the fare) to almost the same range as you would spend if you stayed home for the weekend.

Read about Damaria Senne's adventures as a parent and writer at
http://damariasenne.blogspot.com You can also read her take on how the mobile phone has impacted on the way South Africans work, play, learn and communicate at
http://www.mydigitallife.co.za/mobilelife Read her business articles at http://www.itweb.co.za

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Damaria_Senne

Parental Stress - Coping With Kids

By Margaret Tye

Rearing well adjusted children is a real accomplishment on the part of any parent and with today’s trend and lifestyle it is a hard task. Nowadays training kids begins at birth. There are lots of articles written on dealing with newborn babies or coping with toddlers, particularly for new moms, but surprisingly, there is little guidance on how to deal or cope with parental stress.

Several children under the age of five can be really troublesome and handling them is a tiring task. Parents really have to work hard as the kids at that age demand lot of time and attention.
This really stresses the parent and makes them feel trapped. Parents have to be magically equipped with patience, parental love and mothering instinct.

Growing children wreck a tidy room or scatter toys and cushions around the house. Potty training is other serious issue and you have to be geared to deal with accidents, while washing their hands is like playing in a swimming pool. Kids like to explore everything and they learn from such exploration. Hence stopping them would curb their inquisitiveness. As a parent you should tackle these issues with care and lot of patience, as love and patience builds a strong foundation in the parent and child relationship.

Due to a stressful lifestyle, many relationships break up and hence there are a lot of single parents around. Such single parents find parenting more difficult as compared to a couple.
Managing kids and a career is like walking on two rails. They are usually stressed by running around trying to manage things, and this sometimes leaves the kids neglected. Sometimes parents are not able to pursue their own dreams because they are busy tackling issues related to their kids.

Luckily nowadays there are some voluntary organizations where help can be sought. These organizations offer help for few hours each week like baby-sitting and this help can give the parents some hours of respite. Moms can get free time to mow the lawn, do some home decoration, pursue their passions or even shop. With kids growing and their demands increasing day by day, mothers lose their identity and get hassled under the pressure.

If you find yourself in this situation, don’t be depressed if you fail, as you are a normal human being. Mistakes can happen as there are limitations, hence accept them and do your best. Clean the rooms one by one and not like a superwoman. If you can, try and reduce the furniture or clear off the carpets as they are the things that delay cleaning.

It doesn't matter if the house isn't spotless. What matters is that you spend time playing and having fun with your kids. You will all benefit and at the end of the day you may feel more cheerful and capable of clearing some of the mess. Then give yourself half an hour to soak in the bath, or even do your nails.

Margaret Tye runs the From Tots 2 Teens - Parental Stress website.

5 Tips to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy

By Brandon Johnsonn

Kids are notoriously picky eaters. If it doesn't come in a box with a cute cartoon character promoting it, then they probably aren't interested. It's important to get your children to develop healthy eating habits early on, without having to force them to reluctantly choke down something they don't enjoy. In fact, making them eat certain foods could backfire, leading to binge snacking when you're not looking and/or having a bad association with a certain food for the rest of their life.

Here are 5 tips to ensure that your child is eating healthy because they know it's good for them. Teach them early on, and they will continue their nutritious eating habits for the rest of their lives.

Teach - First and foremost, talk to your kids and teach them that eating healthy will help them to "grow up and be big and strong". Just like talks about drugs or smoking, if they know why they should do things a certain way and how it could benefit them, they are much more likely to listen.

Variety - If they've been eating lots of unhealthy foods and snacks until now, ease them into their new eating habits. For the first few weeks, allow them to continue eating a few of their favorite foods, but mix in something nutritious with the same meal. Just mixing in a sliced apple or a bowl of corn with their dinner will help to widen their palette and develop tastes for new foods.

Schedule - Stick to an organized schedule for family meals. If you have breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time each day, your child will be hungry at the right times and less likely to fill up on snacks and junk food.

Tastes Change - As a child, and even into adulthood, our tastes and flavor preferences can change dramatically. So, just because junior despises the taste of broccoli now, he could develop a taste for it later on. If there's a specific healthy food your child refuses to eat, reintroduce it in new ways every few weeks. In the case of broccoli, for example, try mixing it in with a salad or chicken wrap to overcome the "ewww broccoli" stereotype.

Meal Environment - Try to have all meals in an organized setting with the entire family. If you're all eating and talking at a dining table without television or other distractions, your children will view mealtime as a pleasant social experience, rather than a minor annoyance they endure in between playtimes.

Put these tips to use starting with your next meal, and you can begin building the foundation for your child's healthy lifestyle. And, don't forget to lead by example Mom and Dad!

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X Games Parties Bring Extreme Fun to Kids Birthdays

By Gail Leino

Extreme sports are a popular twist to conventional team sports like basketball, baseball and football; celebrate your favorite trickster by throwing them an X Games Party!

The first step in throwing an X Games party is to decide whether or not to focus on one event or celebrate the entire category of X Games. Does the child prefer skateboarding to doing bike tricks? If so, use one event as the theme, and use the remaining games as a backdrop to support your theme.

One great spot for an X Games party is to hold it outside at a local park. If bikes or skateboards are your child’s forte then invite the other children and their parents to come to the park and to bring their boards and bikes. This way the kids can show off their latest tricks for everyone present. Plus if the party is outside there can be other activities such as games and playground equipment to keep those who are not interested in X Games occupied.

Party ware for X Games can be purchased pre-printed and is found all over the Internet and at local party stores. If the party’s budget doesn’t call for spending money on party ware, just use any colored plates and cups. A cake can easily be made at home and be decorated with bikes, skateboards and motocross figurines.

Anyway you slice it X Games parties are very popular and are enjoyed by kids of all ages. Consider using these tips for your next gathering.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for X-Games party supplies and fun party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Themes including X Games Party Supplies to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties.
Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.