Kids should enjoy their summer, but often they waste a lot of time claiming they are bored.

Here are a few places that offer free or low cost programs:

1. The library has their own summer reading program. Kids of any age can participate and be rewarded for their efforts. The library is also a source of free activities: book clubs, art classes, visits from groups in the area. This is a great way to spend a few hours every week to escape the heat.
2. Local cinema. Most movie theaters once a week - usually pretty early in the A.M. - offer a free or reduced cost kids movie. The kids snack packs are usually at a reduced cost as well.
3. Park. A great way to get a bit of sun and some exercise before the day gets too hot. This is a great morning or late afternoon activity. If you go in the morning, bring you lunch for a picnic.
4. Story time. Chain books stores - like Barnes and Noble - has story time at least once a week for various ages. A lot of these stores hold a story night for a wider age range if you can not make the day performances or have kids of varying ages.
5. Art time at home. Have some crayons, colored paper, scissors and a printer? You can print out art projects, coloring sheets and get ideas of additional are projects online.

Another tip: keep a steady schedule. Have you day planned so in the morning you can tell your kids what is going on. This not only give them an idea of how their day will be, but gives them something to look forward to.

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As every parent knows children going through a terrifying dream during night can be inconsolable. Children usually continue with their normal sleep once the nightmare is over, unless woken up. This happens even if they make loud noises and cries for help while the dream is in progress, and even if in some cases appear to open their eyes. Usually children do not have any recollection of the dream in the morning.

Parents cannot but be deeply affected by observing their child going through terror. They feel powerless to help. What can they do?

Most often night terrors occur in children aged between three to five years, when they change from taking naps at various times during day, to a regular sleeping period. It has been theorized by psychologists, that nightmares occur when the child who has fallen into a deep sleep after a tiring day without naps, try to transition from deep sleep to light sleep while going through the sleep cycle.

What parents can do
As a start, parents can help by not overtiring the child, thus cutting the need for a prolonged period of deep sleep at the end of the day. If the child is exhausted, let him or her have a nap during the day.

Take note of the time child goes to sleep and the occurrence of the nightmares. If the child goes to sleep at the same time the nightmare is likely to occur at predictable times. Parents can waken the child half an hour or so before that time to break the child’s sleep cycle. Spend few minutes with child talking and perhaps reading a story and then let him or her go back to sleep.

Children should not be cuddled when undergoing a nightmare since this may enhance child’s feeling of being trapped. Talk to the child in a consoling soft voice and play soothing music. You can do this regardless of whether the child has fully woken up or not.

Unless child wants to talk about it on their own will, no purpose will be served by discussing the content of the dream with the child, who as stated, would in all probability, have already forgotten about it. Take steps to prevent any reference to the subject especially teasing, in the presence of the child.

With time these nightmares will pass.

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These days, children have to absorb huge amount of information at school. Depending on the school and teaching methods of the teachers, your child may have to complete varying amounts of homework.

Educationalists recommend a maximum of half an hour of homework per day for children aged nine to eleven, and a maximum of one and half hours and minimum of half an hour for children up to thirteen. If your child seems to get excessive amount of homework regularly take the issue up with school and teachers.

There are several things you can do to encourage your child to complete the homework without straining your relationship with her or him.

Always allow the child some relaxation time after returning from school. Create a non-distracting, clean, and well lit, place of study so that child can fully concentrate on homework once started. TV in particular must not be allowed to distract the child.

Keep yourself interested in the homework but not excessively so. You should bring yourself up to date on the subjects studied, so that you can be helpful if needed. You should not complete the homework for the child while trying to help.

Never make your child feel as if they cannot complete the homework successfully through their own inability. Always take a positive attitude instead of a negative one.

Plan rewards for the child when the homework is completed, such as more time for doing something child enjoys.

By taking these simple steps both your child and you will find the homework a rewarding activity instead of a chore.

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While backpacks are an essential, parents must remember that regular use of heavily loaded backpacks can cause several long lasting problems.

These unwelcome side effects are confirmed by several studies including one by American Academy of Orthopedic Studies or AAOS. According to the studies, heavy backpacks stress and strain, spine and shoulder muscles. These strains in turn, in addition to fatigue, lead children to droop and to assume unattractive postures.

So how heavy is too heavy? That depends on the child’s weight and his or her fitness. According to AAOS guidelines, backpacks should not weigh more than 15 to 20 percent of the child’s weight. To illustrate, 100 pound child should not carry a backpack weighing 20 pounds. However this is just a guideline, if a child is very fit, he or she may carry a little more, and if not, must carry less.

Observe your child’s actual reactions when carrying the backpack to decide. If the child seems to droop, has difficulty in mounting the backpack to shoulders, complains of pain afterwards, and has marks on the skin, then you must immediately act to change the backpack and its weight.

You can also take some steps when selecting backpacks and later, to preempt problems that may arise. Select wide padded backpacks with padded straps to reduce strain. Buy backpacks with hip straps in addition to shoulder straps. Similarly try backpacks that can run on wheels when floor conditions allow. Encourage your child to correctly use and mount backpack and straps, in order to distribute weight evenly. When packing, tell your child to so place heavy items, in a way that they end up next to the spine. Encourage child to lift the backpack by bending and straightening legs at knees, instead of using hands alone. Finally encourage your child to make full use of school lockers and discourage carrying useless books.

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One of the things that parents find hardest to do is saying “no” to their children. We as parents must realize the difference between entitlements and privileges of children.

Some things are children’s rights, and should never be taken away or even threatened. Some of these rights include children’s education, food, shelter, and clothing, among others. On the other hand, there are many things that should be treated as privileges. Extra play time, television, toys, expensive sneakers, movies, and other extra curricular activities, are some of the things that can fall under this category. Those things can be held back if required to assist child’s overall development.

Parents should not only be clear about this on their own mind, but also explain the difference to their children. They must make sure that their children realize that privileged activities are dependent upon their own behavior and actions.

This granting and withholding of privileges to encourage good behavior and to discourage bad behavior is a respected and effective parenting technique. Studies by educational psychologists have shown that this positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment of children, which can result in simmering resentment and even psychological scars.

However, parents must be consistent and open in order to be effective. For example, if they cut the child’s television time for not doing home work, they should have made this clear to the child beforehand, and they should stick to similar policy at all times and with all their children, especially child’s siblings, if any. Any changes to the policy should be discussed with the child.

Parents should guard against peer pressure to provide various extra things to children just because other parents do. As already stated, explain the situation to the child and what he or she should do to earn the privilege.

Keep in mind that sometimes saying “no” is the duty of a responsible parent.

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There are several things you can do in that regard.

• Most children are apprehensive about their first day. You should talk to them. Get them to express their fears to you. Let them ask any question they like about school and answer them patiently. Tell them about school experience, what they will get to do there, and about other children they will meet. Lay stress on activities they will learn to enjoy at school. Give an explanation about the time they will be spending, and routines they will have to follow, at school every day.

• In addition to allaying their fears, you should try give them some experience with the kind of things they will be dong at school. Encourage your child to play with other children in a group to develop their social skills. Teach them about taking turns and sharing. Give your child opportunities to speak or recite in front of others. Allow them to practice drawing and painting, and to play with other toys found in school settings.
• You can also role-play with your child about going to school and engaging in learning activates there.
• Choose his or her school uniform and bag, with child’s active participation in those decisions.
• Visit the school with child if that is possible, and make use of any transition programs school may have. Such familiarity will significantly reduce the initial stress child will feel on first day

All in all you can do a lot to reduce your child’s anxiety to great extent, and to make that first day an enjoyable and memorable experience.

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There have been several chilling stories in the media about pedophile predators using the Internet to lure children. Yes, Internet can be a dangerous place for children but it is primarily a place of knowledge and entertainment. As such aim of the parents, like you, should be to guide and supervise the children’s use of internet and not to hinder its use altogether.

There are few things that parents can do to make internet a safe entertaining and educational source for children.

• Talk to your child about what they can access and cannot access openly. Articulate your concerns and why you are taking steps to supervise his or her internet use. Get your child to talk openly about what they did and are going to do online. Always keep the channels of communication open
• Be firm if you want to forbid something they have been doing, but always have good reasons and explain them to your children.
• Examine history of your child’s Web and email usage with their consent. See if there are any patterns.
• Use a software filter to block unwanted content. In addition you can restrict the sites that can be accessed by the children. However do not be dogmatic, because some of these filters can be crude in the way they block content; blocking breast cancer websites because they contain the word breast for instance. So be ready to open up content on need, say if the child needs to do research on cancer for a school project.
• Teach your child about things they can reveal about themselves online. Nothing personal should ever be revealed.
• Do not allow your child to make friends online with anyone without your first getting an opportunity to check them out. Ask your child to speak to you if someone is trying to make friends with them.
• Familiarize yourself with the websites your children visit.
• Google your child’s name or names. This will give you an idea about the overall web profile of the child.

These are only pointers, you should tailor them to your circumstances, your child’s nature, and the relationship you have with her or him.

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Your kids, spouse and pets are pulling you to pieces. All you want to do it get away as you realize this is your life. What if you want more? Should you want more? Do you feel bad for wanting more?

Yes, it is okay to want a break. It is okay to have your own identity and life away from your family. No, you shouldn’t feel bad for wanting more with your life!

Looking to get some “me” time? Try the following:

1. Delegate tasks. Yes, you work hard and other people need to help out, they live in the house too

2. During the summer find a day camp that your children can attend so that you can get tasks like getting your hair cut without interruption

3. Form a schedule that includes down time. This is great for those hot summer days. For the hottest part of the day have your children work on their summer work, read a book to themselves or play with each other. You can super vise and do a hobby of your own.

4. Dedicate a few hours on the weekend to yourself. Get up early one morning or ask your spouse to take over for a few hours.

5. Do activities for yourself after the kids bedtime.

6. Keep in touch with current friends and plan activities with them

7. Make a date night with hubby. Trade off baby sitting with other friends with children so everyone gets a night off.

8. Have a night for takeout food or to go out to eat.

Looking for a change?

1. Take a night class one a day a week

2. Pick up online jobs to get back into the work force

3. Play an online game to meeting new people

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