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As children learn by exploring through play, our role is to help them navigate a healthy and safe environment.  I have had the privilege to encourage and observe children as they overcome the pitfalls associated with growing from early childhood to adolescence, with a confidence that allows them to stand against any challenging millstones. 

  One of the best ways to support children is to provide parents with tools to empower their children while creating healthy boundaries and structures in their homes.  I strive for Excellence with all the kids I coach, and it has been rewarding watching as they strive for that same Excellence within him/herself. 

I am holding a free two-hour online webinar "Control the Environment, Help Your Child" Saturday March 19th, 2022.  

This webinar will be a safe place and judgement free zone where we will learn new to strategies and techniques to de-escalate unwanted behaviors, learn about child developmental stages, tools to prevent unwanted behaviors, insight on social emotional development, understanding early childhood development millstones, and learn how to engage and communicate appropriately when disciplining, how to identify developmental behavioral millstones and gain problem-solving skills.

Topics: Impulsive behavior, Defiant Behavior, Disrespectful Behavior, Lying, Whining, Temper Tantrums, Biting, Bedtime Struggles. and Unsafe Behaviors 

Click the link REGISTER NOW! Limited space.
https://crafty-architect-4891.ck.page/671e4c8765

How do I help my child when he/ she has temper tantrums? First, you must understand the difference between your child's typical cry vs. temper tantrums. (meltdowns)

Define normal behavior. (Crying child)

Normal' behavior is usual, expected, typical, or conforms to a pre-existing standard. There are several different reasons why our babies, toddlers, and children cry. We have four common emotions we all share. Anger, fear, happiness, and sadness no matter the age. Keep in - mind we all can benefit from a good cry. It releases stress and eases anxiety. When our children are babies and toddlers, it's is their way of communication. However, there are times when our children demonstrate inconsolable meltdowns and crying.

1. They are identifying when your child has a temper tantrum.

Tantrums a normally an emotional outburst, usually associated with two or more and not limited to all;

• emotional distress

• stubbornness

• crying

• creaming

• violence

• defiance

• angry ranting

• resistance to attempts at pacification

• Inconsolable

• Other unwanted behaviors

How do I help my child when having a temper tantrum?

 

The most challenging way to help our children is to sometimes leave them to themselves. Make sure your child is in a safe place where they can't hurt themselves. You may want to place a pillow around the area. Unfortunately, our children can sometimes be inconsolable, and we have to let them work themselves out once your child is calm, then you can attempt to assist by doing the following.

1. You stay calm and get at their eye level.

2. Avoid talking to the front across the room

3. Ask open-end questions. How do you feel? How can I help you? What can I do to help you feel better?

4. Listen to their words or what they're saying.

5. Help them identify why their crying

6. Validate their feeling when appropriate

7. Use this time to learn about their emotions and how it makes their body feel.

Most important is to know you can't fix everything your child may be experiencing.

 

For more information visit website listed below:

A Field Guide to Taming Tantrums in Toddlers - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

How do I help my child when he/ she is in phase one of potting training.  First, you must understand that girls and boys may differ from on their progress and their response to potty training. So prepare yourself that their potty training may look different. 

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How do I know my child is ready for potty training?

Looking for signs they are ready is most important.

Keep in mind there is no set age to potty training your child.

 

1. If your child is showing interest in sitting on the toilet or potty chair.

2. No longer want to be in his/her diaper.

3. Pulling off wet or soil diapers.

4. When indicating they need to potty.

5. Squatting while bopping 

6. Hiding during potty times. 

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How do I help them be successful with potty training?

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1. Let your child be a part of picking their potty chair

2. Remodel who to use the toilet or potty chair.

3. Use incentives. You can create a fun box to take the bathroom or potty chair to help encourage them to potty and help  with any anxiety.

4. Be patience with them

5. Give lots of affirmation when trying and successful use of the potty. 

6. Prepare them for the change, have fun conversation about no more diapers.  You want to have a small reward in place once your child is completely potty trained. 

7. Celebrate them transitioning from diapers to pullups to underwear.

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For more ideas and help visit:

 Potty Training Consistency with Toddlers | Pull-Ups®

If you're experiencing some pull back visit;

Potty Training Resistance | Pull-Ups®

Cooking with child can help your child learn many developing skills.

Science, math, sensory, fine and large motor skills, eye - hand coordination language development, visual discrimination, listening skills, and sense of taste and smell. And help with unwanted behaviors. Here are some seasonal cooking recipes.

 

winter

Snowman Cookies

Supplies you will need:

• Cookie mix

• Cookie Cutters

• White icing

• Raisins

• Carob chip or chocolate

• Baking sheet(s)

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Preparing the ingredients:

1. Using a simple basic butter cookie mix or prepared dough, Have your child assist in measuring the ingredients, mixing and pouring the ingredients as well as rolling and cutting the dough into circles with the cookie cutter.

2. Line up the dough circles to form a snowmen shapes on the baking sheets, and follow the baking instruction.

3. After the cookies have cool down, decorate the snowmen with the icing, raisins and chocolate chips.

Spring

Making Pizza

Supplies you will need:

• Wheat English Muffins

• Tomato sauce

• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

• An oven

• Parmesan Cheese

• Oregano and basil

• Paper plates and spoons.

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Preparing the pizza:

1. Let your child place their muffins on a plate to prepare the own personal pizza.

2. Add tomato sauce on top, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and a little parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of basil and oregano to each pizza.

3. Bake in the oven at 360 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts.

(Please be careful the oven is HOT)

For more seasonal cooking recipes visit website:

75 Cooking with Kids ideas in 2021 | seasonal cooking, cooking with kids, recipes (pinterest.com)

Sensory play can help your child build their fine motor skills, language skills social skills and eye - hand coordination when playing with children. There are more benefit your child also develop when their exploring sensory alone.

 

More benefits of sensory play

• It helps to build nerve connections in the brain.

• It encourages the development of motor skills.

• It supports language development.

• It encourages 'scientific thinking' and problem solving.

• It can involve mindful activities which are beneficial for all children.

Here's a few items you can use during dry sensory play. Not limited to how many items you use.

• Small beans or rice (both)

• Oatmeal

• Shovels

• Rakes

• Small containers

When exploring water sensory you use: Keep in mind water sensory play can be explored in bathtub.

• Small containers or bowls

• scoopers

• Water toys (small water slide toys

• small floating water toys (ducks and boats)

For more information visit website: Why Sensory Play is Important for Development - Educational Playcare

 

You can also, do others activities for sensory. Such as;

• Sand

• Bubble

• Rice

• small rocks

• Paint

• cooked noodle

• ice cubes

For more sensory activities visit the two suggested websites.

20 Sensory Activities for Kids (thesprucecrafts.com)

List of Sensory Play Activities & Ideas | Learning 4 Kids

Environmental modification is defined as changes you make in your children's world that make it easier for them to achieve success or avoid problems. It promotes your children's learning, growth, and self-control.

Here are eight ways to modify your children's environment to help insure success:

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1. Enrich: Bored children can be troublesome children. Provide them with interesting things to do such as puzzles, games, and fun tasks like baking cookies. Allow them to do as they please (when reasonable) at certain times and places, like having water balloon fights in the back yard or playing their music after school.

2. Impoverish: Remove the source of stimulation or irritation that is causing problems. Don't play energetic games with your children just before bedtime. Try to avoid having them start a ball game or an interesting TV show just as dinner is about to begin.

3. Simplify: Make the environment less complicated. Have plastic dishes for small children on shelves at their level. Provide food children can easily prepare for themselves. Provide a stool for small children to wash their hands.

4. Restrict: Define special areas for certain activities. You can set these up in advance to help your children succeed instead of waiting for problems to develop. They can wrestle in the yard, do homework in the kitchen, nap in their bedroom, and fix their bicycles in the garage. Similarly, certain objects can be restricted to special places. Power tools are used in the shop, cooking utensils stay in the kitchen, and the comforter belongs in the bedroom.

5. Substitute: Replace unacceptable items with acceptable ones. When you take the matches out of the pup tent, give them a flashlight. If they are making mud pies with a glass bowl, give them a plastic bucket.

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For more information please read the complete article on the reference website:

Modifying the Environment: Eight Ways to Modify Your Children's Environment (washington.edu)