How to Take a Parent Time-Out with Small
Children Underfoot
One of the very best parenting tools is the Parent Time-Out. When parents are feeling
upset, angry, or frustrated over a parenting issue, or over their children’s behaviour, it
can help to diffuse the situation if the parent removes themselves to get calm and
centered, rather then force the isolation of their child into a Child Time-Out. After the
parent is calm, they are in a much better frame of mind to deal with the issue at hand
and they’ve avoided saying and doing things they might regret later. Sometimes, with
young children, this is easier said than done!
Many parents object to the parent time out because they complain that their toddlers and preschool children just follow them around the house, screaming, whining and crying.
How True!
Here are some tips to Mentally Time-Out when you can’t physically time yourself out:
Throw a CD on the stereo and dance hard!
Use an IPOD or MP3 player filled with your favorite songs to distract you.
Have earplugs everywhere. In the car, kitchen, purse, and bathroom. They take the edge off a child’s screaming that can damage your ears.
Lock yourself in the bathroom. Tell the children that you love them, and Mommy/Daddy is feeling angry, and needs to take a time-out for herself or himself. Turn on the fan or shower so you can’t hear the children, and breathe slowly. Visualize yourself in a calm place.
Do the Hokey-Pokey, and shake it out! Smile and make a funny noise and you will all be laughing.
Phone a friend to have a brief conversation. Tell her how you feel. Call from the closet or a bathroom if you have to.
Distract yourself with a magazine.
Drop everything, dress your children and yourself for the weather, and put them in the stroller. Go for a brief walk outside. Exercise, fresh air, peace and quiet! Children will be distracted by the sights and sounds and you can think out your anger in peace.
Put a children’s DVD or Mom’s movie on the player. It will either distract you or your child, and will give both of you time to calm down.
If you are in the car, pull over to a parking lot or some other safe place. Get out of the car, leave the children in there, and walk around the car 20 times. Cry, deep breathe, vent or stomp. Get back in the car when you have calmed down.
Imagine a soundproof, gentle, clear shell around yourself to protect you from screaming children.
Sit on the porch, find a closet, basement, or somewhere you can be alone. Make sure the children are in a safe place.
Tell your child that you both need a group hug. It can be very hard to hug someone that you feel angry with, but the touch is soothing and helps to heal the anger. It works well for some people.
Use “Self-Talk” Say over and over to yourself, “My child is not trying to bug me right now. She is only coping with her strong feelings in the only way she knows how. “But me first.”
Remember the phrase: “Get myself calm, Get my child calm, and then solve the problem.”
What skills do you use to calm down in situations other then parenting? Use some of those strategies if you can. Just as the oxygen masks in airplanes are meant to be used on adults first, so they can be in a position to help the children, you must take care of your needs first when you are angry. The bonus gift is that you are truly modeling for your child, how to take a calming time-out when situations become
overwhelming. Modeling by example, instead of forcing them in time-out, is the best way for children to learn self-calming tools.
FOR YOUR CHILDREN’S SAKE, TAKE A BREAK!
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and
Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without
Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out,
spanking, punishment or bribery” and a new DVD called “Plugged-In Parenting:
Connecting with the Digital Generation for Health, Safety and Love.”
www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friday, October 8, 2010
Child Proofing for Older Children Cuts Down Battles
CHILDPROOFING –It’s not just for toddlers!
By Judy Arnall
Two-year-old Kelsey is reaching for the wine glass on the coffee table at a baby shower. Her mom is constantly on guard, trying to move the guests’ purses, glasses and food plates out of the way so Kelsey doesn’t grab them. Kelsey’s mom is using a discipline technique called childproofing.Although childproofing is the number one recommended discipline tools for parents of children ages crawling to four, it is also a very handy tool for parenting older children that are school-aged or teenagers. It’s the same technique, but called “Change the Environment” rather than childproofing. In fact, many arguments have been avoided by using the “changing the environment” tool for partners too! Here are some ways to change the environment to gain more co-operative behaviour from school-aged and teen children.
Add to the Environment
Enrich – make things more stimulating. Add toys, games, movies, food, and activities to occupy bored children. Children who are engaged in a fun activity have their needs met and are less likely to fight or engage in risky behavior if they are busy. Examples of this are: having games available for a long car ride; having lots of physical recess breaks(five a day) for school children; and having movies for teens to watch while parents are visiting.
Enlarge – add space. Take the children out to the park, zoo, ball field, movie, or playground. Make an enclosed backyard. Add space to a teen’s bedroom by moving out furniture. Arrange a dedicated play space in the house or certain rooms.
Subtract from the Environment
Reduce – take away stimulation and enticing situations. Reduce light and turn off the stimulating TV, computer games or ipod if you want them to relax and sleep at bedtime. Put away art materials and markers if the child doesn’t clean up the mess. Only bring them out when you have time to supervise a cleanup. Have a video game shut down at least an hour away from bedtime to allow your child time to unwind from the action. Put away anything you don’t want to capture their attention if you want to get them out of the house. Don’t bring up tense topics or deliver your “No” verdict on a request as you and the child are running out the door. Avoid starting a long movie when there is only a half hour until bedtime or the time to leave the house.
Restrict – put limits on activities or areas. Avoid ball throwing, and chase games in the house, but direct to the yard or basement. Allow eating only at the kitchen table to reduce food encrusted plates shoved under the family room sofa or piling up next to the computer. Have designated places for water gun fights, craft materials, drum and band practice etc. Also putting pets away in back rooms before playmates or younger guests come over prevents damage to pets from young children’s rough handling. Avoid competitive games such as computer and board games that can cause fights. Pack them away for a few years until children can developmentally handle losing better. Avoid play places if they get frustrated and hit other children. Avoid shopping if you know your child can’t understand why he can’t have treats from the checkout. Avoid busy places,amusement parks, and indoor arcade places if your child can’t handle the restrictions and your limits on money, tokens etc. Keep in mind that you are not avoiding these places and activities forever. Your child’s development changes monthly and their ability to handle limits and frustration will improve.
Change things around
Simplify – make it easier for the child to do things himself. Put buckets and totes at easy access for storage of toys. Hang coat hooks at child level. Have designated places for backpacks and charging ipods and cellphones, preferably by the door so that it’s easier for the child to remember them the next day. Put dishes and lunch fixings in easy to reach and access places. Remove most toys and pack away in buckets that you can pull out and rotate for renewed interest. Have step stools in the kitchen and bathroom handy for young school-aged children. Have a basket for mitts, hats, and socks for each child, again, preferably by the door to catch those pesky socks that children remove as soon as they come in the house. Clip hair or nails while they are playing in the bath or sleeping. Buy socks all one color. Color code children’s belongings. Have a central basket for only library books and insist that library books never get shelved or they get lost in the house books.
Rearrange – arrange things to encourage or discourage behavior. Have a system for daily tasks such as feeding pets, taking phone messages, emptying the dishwasher. Have a system for handling school paperwork and information flow such as school notices, and letters that go back and forth from school to home. Have designated water glasses for each child. Put door guards on doors to prevent slamming door gouges in the walls. Move gaming consoles or drum sets to the garage or far away rooms to cut down on noise. Provide head phones for blocking offensive computer game language that younger children may hear.
Other common problem areas that can addressed this way are:
Pet care, household chores, noise, toys/play areas, kitchen/food/playtimes, T.V/computer/video use, dirty clothes/laundry, homework, bathroom use, telephone,breaking/damaging, weekends, bedtime/getting up, privacy/property, sharing tools/equipment and many more areas of conflict.
A common question posed in classes is, “Why do I have to try so hard to change the environment when sometimes kids just have to listen to my authority?” Of course there are times that kids just have to do as you tell them. But it’s more likely to get a good cooperative response when parents are not constantly nagging about daily situations.
Anticipating problems and planning ahead to avoid them just makes good relationship
sense. Try and ponder how changing the environment could solve a behavior problem.
Remember that changing the environment is always easier than trying to change another
person.
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and
Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without
Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out,
spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital
Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part,if the above credit is included in its entirety. Length may be edited for space
By Judy Arnall
Two-year-old Kelsey is reaching for the wine glass on the coffee table at a baby shower. Her mom is constantly on guard, trying to move the guests’ purses, glasses and food plates out of the way so Kelsey doesn’t grab them. Kelsey’s mom is using a discipline technique called childproofing.Although childproofing is the number one recommended discipline tools for parents of children ages crawling to four, it is also a very handy tool for parenting older children that are school-aged or teenagers. It’s the same technique, but called “Change the Environment” rather than childproofing. In fact, many arguments have been avoided by using the “changing the environment” tool for partners too! Here are some ways to change the environment to gain more co-operative behaviour from school-aged and teen children.
Add to the Environment
Enrich – make things more stimulating. Add toys, games, movies, food, and activities to occupy bored children. Children who are engaged in a fun activity have their needs met and are less likely to fight or engage in risky behavior if they are busy. Examples of this are: having games available for a long car ride; having lots of physical recess breaks(five a day) for school children; and having movies for teens to watch while parents are visiting.
Enlarge – add space. Take the children out to the park, zoo, ball field, movie, or playground. Make an enclosed backyard. Add space to a teen’s bedroom by moving out furniture. Arrange a dedicated play space in the house or certain rooms.
Subtract from the Environment
Reduce – take away stimulation and enticing situations. Reduce light and turn off the stimulating TV, computer games or ipod if you want them to relax and sleep at bedtime. Put away art materials and markers if the child doesn’t clean up the mess. Only bring them out when you have time to supervise a cleanup. Have a video game shut down at least an hour away from bedtime to allow your child time to unwind from the action. Put away anything you don’t want to capture their attention if you want to get them out of the house. Don’t bring up tense topics or deliver your “No” verdict on a request as you and the child are running out the door. Avoid starting a long movie when there is only a half hour until bedtime or the time to leave the house.
Restrict – put limits on activities or areas. Avoid ball throwing, and chase games in the house, but direct to the yard or basement. Allow eating only at the kitchen table to reduce food encrusted plates shoved under the family room sofa or piling up next to the computer. Have designated places for water gun fights, craft materials, drum and band practice etc. Also putting pets away in back rooms before playmates or younger guests come over prevents damage to pets from young children’s rough handling. Avoid competitive games such as computer and board games that can cause fights. Pack them away for a few years until children can developmentally handle losing better. Avoid play places if they get frustrated and hit other children. Avoid shopping if you know your child can’t understand why he can’t have treats from the checkout. Avoid busy places,amusement parks, and indoor arcade places if your child can’t handle the restrictions and your limits on money, tokens etc. Keep in mind that you are not avoiding these places and activities forever. Your child’s development changes monthly and their ability to handle limits and frustration will improve.
Change things around
Simplify – make it easier for the child to do things himself. Put buckets and totes at easy access for storage of toys. Hang coat hooks at child level. Have designated places for backpacks and charging ipods and cellphones, preferably by the door so that it’s easier for the child to remember them the next day. Put dishes and lunch fixings in easy to reach and access places. Remove most toys and pack away in buckets that you can pull out and rotate for renewed interest. Have step stools in the kitchen and bathroom handy for young school-aged children. Have a basket for mitts, hats, and socks for each child, again, preferably by the door to catch those pesky socks that children remove as soon as they come in the house. Clip hair or nails while they are playing in the bath or sleeping. Buy socks all one color. Color code children’s belongings. Have a central basket for only library books and insist that library books never get shelved or they get lost in the house books.
Rearrange – arrange things to encourage or discourage behavior. Have a system for daily tasks such as feeding pets, taking phone messages, emptying the dishwasher. Have a system for handling school paperwork and information flow such as school notices, and letters that go back and forth from school to home. Have designated water glasses for each child. Put door guards on doors to prevent slamming door gouges in the walls. Move gaming consoles or drum sets to the garage or far away rooms to cut down on noise. Provide head phones for blocking offensive computer game language that younger children may hear.
Other common problem areas that can addressed this way are:
Pet care, household chores, noise, toys/play areas, kitchen/food/playtimes, T.V/computer/video use, dirty clothes/laundry, homework, bathroom use, telephone,breaking/damaging, weekends, bedtime/getting up, privacy/property, sharing tools/equipment and many more areas of conflict.
A common question posed in classes is, “Why do I have to try so hard to change the environment when sometimes kids just have to listen to my authority?” Of course there are times that kids just have to do as you tell them. But it’s more likely to get a good cooperative response when parents are not constantly nagging about daily situations.
Anticipating problems and planning ahead to avoid them just makes good relationship
sense. Try and ponder how changing the environment could solve a behavior problem.
Remember that changing the environment is always easier than trying to change another
person.
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and
Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without
Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out,
spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital
Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part,if the above credit is included in its entirety. Length may be edited for space
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Homeschooling - How to Get Children to Do Their Work
“Help! My Child won’t do Homeschooling work!”
Suggestion and Ideas for Getting More Co-operation and Less Power Struggles
• Give choices in subject matter, time, or place of study. E.g. Would the child like to do Math or English today? When is their best, most alert time of day? Would they like to study in their rooms, outside, or on the couch?
• Alternate bookwork days with outing days. Consider helping the child learn in a different way with an outing or field trip instead of researching books.
• Consider giving tests first and if the concepts are mastered, eliminate the text material. Cuts down on boredom and busywork.
• Present the material in a fun way and geared to child’s learning style. Use learning aids such as movies, cookie fractions, board and action games such as multiplication tag. Children in elementary school love to learn through play.
• Follow interests as much as possible, if not in format, then in content. For example, if the child has to write essay or book report, perhaps he could choose the topic or book.
• Use rewards if they work for your child. Stickers, Passes for fun outings and computer time are some choices from parents. Have a jar of 200 dimes (one for each school day). Any day the child doesn’t whine about doing schoolwork, put in one dime. The child can keep the money at the end of the year.
• Avoid power struggles. Put your relationship building first. Try and approach learning another way. Listen to why your child doesn’t want to do the work.
• For those hesitant writers, try being the scribe while the child dictates ideas. Or try letting them write on the computer, which is easier on little hands. Remember that in school, children are taught to read and write early because most curriculums is delivered that way for mass distribution. At home, you have the time and resources to deliver the knowledge in other formats, so you can wait until the child is developmentally ready to use their fine motor skills.
• For those hesitant readers, try picking up an enticing children’s book and reading out loud. Your child might come join you if it’s not forced. Model reading yourself. Cuddle on the couch with a child and make reading a fun, cozy, exciting time. Use vocal variety and stop when the child is not longer interested.
• Keep a routine going when you figure out the best time of day for bookwork. This has to work for you and your child. Not all children are “morning people”. Be kind but firm in sticking to a routine. Children need some structure.
• Have a written contract each week, month or year that is signed and agreed to by the parent and child, about what work must be completed for that time period.
• Work with the child that is most interested in the topic (such as History or Science). Other siblings will join willingly if they are interested. If they are not, wait awhile. If the topic is forced, the retention of knowledge will be minimal. They may be more interested in a few months or years. Children often learn better by discovery than by being told.
• Some months are better than others. Children go through spurts and plateaus and most do not learn in tidy sequential steps. During a plateau, trust that the desire and motivation will come back.
• Assimilation of material takes time. Plan for playtime, down time and many breaks (minutes, days, weeks and even months).
• Create a learning environment of fun, curiosity and good feelings. Make sure everyone is fed, rested, comfortable and non-stressed!
• Never punish for not doing the work. You want to create a climate for lifelong learning and enjoyment of the pursuit of knowledge. Remember, your job is to facilitate learning. Nudge, but don’t force!
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
Suggestion and Ideas for Getting More Co-operation and Less Power Struggles
• Give choices in subject matter, time, or place of study. E.g. Would the child like to do Math or English today? When is their best, most alert time of day? Would they like to study in their rooms, outside, or on the couch?
• Alternate bookwork days with outing days. Consider helping the child learn in a different way with an outing or field trip instead of researching books.
• Consider giving tests first and if the concepts are mastered, eliminate the text material. Cuts down on boredom and busywork.
• Present the material in a fun way and geared to child’s learning style. Use learning aids such as movies, cookie fractions, board and action games such as multiplication tag. Children in elementary school love to learn through play.
• Follow interests as much as possible, if not in format, then in content. For example, if the child has to write essay or book report, perhaps he could choose the topic or book.
• Use rewards if they work for your child. Stickers, Passes for fun outings and computer time are some choices from parents. Have a jar of 200 dimes (one for each school day). Any day the child doesn’t whine about doing schoolwork, put in one dime. The child can keep the money at the end of the year.
• Avoid power struggles. Put your relationship building first. Try and approach learning another way. Listen to why your child doesn’t want to do the work.
• For those hesitant writers, try being the scribe while the child dictates ideas. Or try letting them write on the computer, which is easier on little hands. Remember that in school, children are taught to read and write early because most curriculums is delivered that way for mass distribution. At home, you have the time and resources to deliver the knowledge in other formats, so you can wait until the child is developmentally ready to use their fine motor skills.
• For those hesitant readers, try picking up an enticing children’s book and reading out loud. Your child might come join you if it’s not forced. Model reading yourself. Cuddle on the couch with a child and make reading a fun, cozy, exciting time. Use vocal variety and stop when the child is not longer interested.
• Keep a routine going when you figure out the best time of day for bookwork. This has to work for you and your child. Not all children are “morning people”. Be kind but firm in sticking to a routine. Children need some structure.
• Have a written contract each week, month or year that is signed and agreed to by the parent and child, about what work must be completed for that time period.
• Work with the child that is most interested in the topic (such as History or Science). Other siblings will join willingly if they are interested. If they are not, wait awhile. If the topic is forced, the retention of knowledge will be minimal. They may be more interested in a few months or years. Children often learn better by discovery than by being told.
• Some months are better than others. Children go through spurts and plateaus and most do not learn in tidy sequential steps. During a plateau, trust that the desire and motivation will come back.
• Assimilation of material takes time. Plan for playtime, down time and many breaks (minutes, days, weeks and even months).
• Create a learning environment of fun, curiosity and good feelings. Make sure everyone is fed, rested, comfortable and non-stressed!
• Never punish for not doing the work. You want to create a climate for lifelong learning and enjoyment of the pursuit of knowledge. Remember, your job is to facilitate learning. Nudge, but don’t force!
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
How to Get Kids to Do Their Homework
“Help! My Child won’t do Their Homework!”
Suggestion and Ideas for Getting More Co-operation and Less Power Struggles
• Give choices in subject matter, time, or place of study. E.g. Would the child like to do Math or English today? When is their best, most alert time of day? Would they like to study in their rooms, outside, or on the couch?
• Alternate bookwork days with outing days. Consider helping the child learn in a different way with an outing or field trip instead of researching books.
• Consider giving tests first and if the concepts are mastered, eliminate the text material. Cuts down on boredom and busywork. If you know your child knows the material, talk to the teacher and request less homework.
• Present the material in a fun way and geared to child’s learning style. Use learning aids such as movies, cookie fractions, board and action games such as multiplication tag. Children in elementary school love to learn through play.
• Follow interests as much as possible, if not in format, then in content. For example, if the child has to write essay or book report, perhaps he could choose the topic or book.
• Use rewards if they work for your child. Stickers, passes for fun outings and computer time are some choices from parents. Have a jar of 200 dimes (one for each school day). Any day the child does homework, put in one dime. The child can keep the money at the end of the year.
• Avoid power struggles. Put your relationship building first. Try and approach learning another way. Listen to why your child doesn’t want to do the work.
• For those hesitant writers, try being the scribe while the child dictates ideas. Or try letting them write on the computer, which is easier on little hands.
•
• For those hesitant readers, try picking up an enticing children’s book and reading out loud. Your child might come join you if it’s not forced. Model reading yourself. Cuddle on the couch with a child and make reading a fun, cozy, exciting time. Use vocal variety and stop when the child is not longer interested.
• Keep a routine going when you figure out the best time of day for bookwork. This has to work for you and your child. Not all children are “right after school” people”. Be kind but firm in sticking to a routine. Children need some structure.
• Have a written contract each week, month or year that is signed and agreed to by the parent and child, about what work must be completed for that time period.
• Children often learn better by discovery than by being told. Lead them to an experiential activity that would reinforce concepts.
• Some months are better than others. Children go through spurts and plateaus and most do not learn in tidy sequential steps. During a plateau, trust that the desire and motivation will come back.
• Assimilation of material takes time. Plan for playtime, down time and many breaks (minutes, days, weeks and even months).
• Create a learning environment of fun, curiosity and good feelings. Make sure everyone is fed, rested, comfortable and non-stressed!
• Never punish for not doing the work. You want to create a climate for lifelong learning and enjoyment of the pursuit of knowledge. Remember, your job is to facilitate learning. Nudge, but don’t force!
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
Suggestion and Ideas for Getting More Co-operation and Less Power Struggles
• Give choices in subject matter, time, or place of study. E.g. Would the child like to do Math or English today? When is their best, most alert time of day? Would they like to study in their rooms, outside, or on the couch?
• Alternate bookwork days with outing days. Consider helping the child learn in a different way with an outing or field trip instead of researching books.
• Consider giving tests first and if the concepts are mastered, eliminate the text material. Cuts down on boredom and busywork. If you know your child knows the material, talk to the teacher and request less homework.
• Present the material in a fun way and geared to child’s learning style. Use learning aids such as movies, cookie fractions, board and action games such as multiplication tag. Children in elementary school love to learn through play.
• Follow interests as much as possible, if not in format, then in content. For example, if the child has to write essay or book report, perhaps he could choose the topic or book.
• Use rewards if they work for your child. Stickers, passes for fun outings and computer time are some choices from parents. Have a jar of 200 dimes (one for each school day). Any day the child does homework, put in one dime. The child can keep the money at the end of the year.
• Avoid power struggles. Put your relationship building first. Try and approach learning another way. Listen to why your child doesn’t want to do the work.
• For those hesitant writers, try being the scribe while the child dictates ideas. Or try letting them write on the computer, which is easier on little hands.
•
• For those hesitant readers, try picking up an enticing children’s book and reading out loud. Your child might come join you if it’s not forced. Model reading yourself. Cuddle on the couch with a child and make reading a fun, cozy, exciting time. Use vocal variety and stop when the child is not longer interested.
• Keep a routine going when you figure out the best time of day for bookwork. This has to work for you and your child. Not all children are “right after school” people”. Be kind but firm in sticking to a routine. Children need some structure.
• Have a written contract each week, month or year that is signed and agreed to by the parent and child, about what work must be completed for that time period.
• Children often learn better by discovery than by being told. Lead them to an experiential activity that would reinforce concepts.
• Some months are better than others. Children go through spurts and plateaus and most do not learn in tidy sequential steps. During a plateau, trust that the desire and motivation will come back.
• Assimilation of material takes time. Plan for playtime, down time and many breaks (minutes, days, weeks and even months).
• Create a learning environment of fun, curiosity and good feelings. Make sure everyone is fed, rested, comfortable and non-stressed!
• Never punish for not doing the work. You want to create a climate for lifelong learning and enjoyment of the pursuit of knowledge. Remember, your job is to facilitate learning. Nudge, but don’t force!
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
How to Say No to Homework - "Opt out of homework" Letter to School
Many parents hate homework, but don't know how to approach the school. Here is a template of a letter that parents can use to send to school before the first fall parent-teacher interviews. It's a starting point for discussion.
LETTER TO SCHOOL FOR OPTING OUT OF HOMEWORK
Fall 20__
Dear Teacher
Thank you for teaching our child this year. We as a family strive to live a balanced life that includes a variety of activities. Those activities include volunteering in the community, family social time, rituals and celebrations, part-time jobs, music and art lessons, sports, fellowship clubs, church and much-needed downtime. We value those activities as much as learning academic subjects in school.
In order to make time for these activities; we need to establish boundaries that provide a fair division between school instructional time and homework that encroaches upon outside-school time. Therefore, our family homework policy is as follows:
_________(Your Family Name Here) Family Homework Policy:
The school assignments that are not given adequate instructional class time to complete in school hours, will not be completed at home.
We expect our children to give their best effort and concentration in the ___ hours of instructional class time that the government legislates and the school provides in order for our children to complete the required credits and marks. They can also use any school spares they have to complete school work between the hours of 9:00am and 3:30pm. I expect the school to provide adequate time and instruction in class for the student to complete the government requirements of the entire course.
We expect that our children will not be socially penalized within the classroom for our implementation of the Family Homework Policy, and will not be academically penalized in terms of marks for work that can’t be completed within the allotted school time. The current available research supports our belief that supplemental homework is not required for adequate mastery of the subject matter. We appreciate that you respect our decision on how to spend our time at home as much as we respect your decisions regarding your time/curriculum management at school.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Your Name
LETTER TO SCHOOL FOR OPTING OUT OF HOMEWORK
Fall 20__
Dear Teacher
Thank you for teaching our child this year. We as a family strive to live a balanced life that includes a variety of activities. Those activities include volunteering in the community, family social time, rituals and celebrations, part-time jobs, music and art lessons, sports, fellowship clubs, church and much-needed downtime. We value those activities as much as learning academic subjects in school.
In order to make time for these activities; we need to establish boundaries that provide a fair division between school instructional time and homework that encroaches upon outside-school time. Therefore, our family homework policy is as follows:
_________(Your Family Name Here) Family Homework Policy:
The school assignments that are not given adequate instructional class time to complete in school hours, will not be completed at home.
We expect our children to give their best effort and concentration in the ___ hours of instructional class time that the government legislates and the school provides in order for our children to complete the required credits and marks. They can also use any school spares they have to complete school work between the hours of 9:00am and 3:30pm. I expect the school to provide adequate time and instruction in class for the student to complete the government requirements of the entire course.
We expect that our children will not be socially penalized within the classroom for our implementation of the Family Homework Policy, and will not be academically penalized in terms of marks for work that can’t be completed within the allotted school time. The current available research supports our belief that supplemental homework is not required for adequate mastery of the subject matter. We appreciate that you respect our decision on how to spend our time at home as much as we respect your decisions regarding your time/curriculum management at school.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Getting Kids Ready for a New School Year
Getting Ready for a New School YearBy Judy Arnall
The last days of summer are closing in and thoughts turn to the start of school when that yellow leaves appear on the neighborhood trees. Parents often wonder how to smooth the transition from summer holidays to school. Here are some tips to make a new school year successfully smoother:
1. Don’t shop until the school supply list comes home. It’s tempting to get a heads up on sales and deals, but if you buy the wrong item, your child will refuse to use it.
2. When you shop, buy extras of the sale items. Your child will lose things by Christmas or may want extra supplies for homework tasks at home.
3. Get haircuts done early. Most school photos are taken the first week and you want to avoid that just-cut look.
4. Get the Doctor and Dentist appointments out of the way early.
5. Photos! Don’t forget to measure and weigh your child or take a photo of them next to the same object every year. You forget how quickly they grow.
6. Move back bedtimes. Change the lights out time 15 minutes per night for the two weeks before school.
7. Pack away old school work. Put in boxes and label.
8. New grade. New chores. Celebrate the addition of another year and how capable your child has grown.
9. The day before school officially opens, walk the halls with your child, get their timetable and map out the hallway and bathroom routes.
10. Arrange play dates with new buddies.
11. Draw up a homework contract. Include stipulations that meet both your child’s and your needs and both of you can sign it. Post on the wall for those inevitable whining moments.
12. Separation Anxiety – handover or stay. You must do whatever fits your parenting style. You know your child best.
13. After the initial sales, stock up on extra supplies, which can be marked down 80% by the end of September. Kids lose a lot of things.
14. Clean up rooms at the end of August. Pick up garbage, recycle old books, clothes and toys. Assess whether new furniture needs to be purchased.
Judy Arnall is a Professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
The last days of summer are closing in and thoughts turn to the start of school when that yellow leaves appear on the neighborhood trees. Parents often wonder how to smooth the transition from summer holidays to school. Here are some tips to make a new school year successfully smoother:
1. Don’t shop until the school supply list comes home. It’s tempting to get a heads up on sales and deals, but if you buy the wrong item, your child will refuse to use it.
2. When you shop, buy extras of the sale items. Your child will lose things by Christmas or may want extra supplies for homework tasks at home.
3. Get haircuts done early. Most school photos are taken the first week and you want to avoid that just-cut look.
4. Get the Doctor and Dentist appointments out of the way early.
5. Photos! Don’t forget to measure and weigh your child or take a photo of them next to the same object every year. You forget how quickly they grow.
6. Move back bedtimes. Change the lights out time 15 minutes per night for the two weeks before school.
7. Pack away old school work. Put in boxes and label.
8. New grade. New chores. Celebrate the addition of another year and how capable your child has grown.
9. The day before school officially opens, walk the halls with your child, get their timetable and map out the hallway and bathroom routes.
10. Arrange play dates with new buddies.
11. Draw up a homework contract. Include stipulations that meet both your child’s and your needs and both of you can sign it. Post on the wall for those inevitable whining moments.
12. Separation Anxiety – handover or stay. You must do whatever fits your parenting style. You know your child best.
13. After the initial sales, stock up on extra supplies, which can be marked down 80% by the end of September. Kids lose a lot of things.
14. Clean up rooms at the end of August. Pick up garbage, recycle old books, clothes and toys. Assess whether new furniture needs to be purchased.
Judy Arnall is a Professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Mid-Summer Play Ideas for Bored Children
*Play Ideas that Encourage Creativity, Imagination, Initiative, and Problem-solving
Toddlers 1-2 years
A big rubber bin filled with puffed wheat, rice, lentils, trucks and cars, measuring spoons and cups makes a great indoor/outdoor sandbox.
Place white paper over coins, or any etched surface and rub with crayons.
Spread sofa cushions over the floor for islands.
Put a plastic swimming pool under a slide.
Make white playdough and roll it out. Give the children markers to draw on the playdough and watch the colors squish into patterns.
Paint the house outside with water filled pails and paintbrushes or sponges. Let children wash the car, bikes, or bike trailer.
Blow bubbles from bubble solution on the kitchen floor. Use the excess soap to mop the floor after.
Use a shaker filled with cornstarch that they can sprinkle it outdoors.
Fill the baby bathtub or bowls with soapy water and pouring cups. Use a small stool as a play table in the bathtub and give them cups to pour from. Be sure to supervise water play.
Get a small trampoline to jump on. Or designate certain sofa cushions for jumping on and fort building.
Fill empty plastic soap/spray containers with colored water to squirt pavement or snow. Give a toddler a clean dustpan for a snow shovel. (Put rubber gloves over a child’s gloves so they won’t get wet when they play outside with wet snow days.)
Preschoolers 3-5 years
Darken the room and hang a sheet with tape across a corner from one wall to the other wall. Shine a flashlight over the sheet. Make shadow puppets out of hands or objects from behind the sheet.
Drape old sheets over the bunk-bed top for a puppet or stuffy theatre show.
Get big boxes from appliance shops for fort making.
Let them paint and decorate it.
Throw an old mattress on the basement floor and let the children jump. Old couch cushions work great for forts and old sheets for roofs, walls, and draping. Tables and chairs would also hold sheets for fort play.
Save junk mail, envelopes and stickers and let the children play post office.
Buy an old turntable at a garage sale. Put paper on the spindle and give markers and crayons for children to draw on while it is spinning.
Use a portable carpenter’s tray to carry markers, scissors, and rulers. Makes for easy cleanup and moving around the house.
Have a dedicated craft table if you have room. Sometimes building projects take more than a few days and will be out of the way.
Paint with toy car tires or anything with texture. Roll a marble or toy car in paint on a cookie sheet tray lined with paper for interesting pictures.
Melt broken crayons into foil lined muffin cups for mosaic crayons.
Pre-hammer some nails into wood scraps and let preschoolers hammer the rest in. They love real tools.
Have a decoy drawer of real, unused, broken items that are old cell phones and keyboards that they can play with.
Draw on an old shower curtain a number of roads, buildings and city features so they can customize a car play mat. Get a basic car track that you put together in a line. Then use pillows to make hills and valleys. See how far the cars will go.
In a bathtub with no water, put your child in naked or with just underpants and add a bowl of chocolate pudding. Allow finger painting on the walls. Just hose down the walls and your child with a little soap afterwards.
For children past the tasting stage, put small amounts of shaving cream in a muffin tin and tint with food color. Allow finger painting on the tub walls.
Spread the sheets out on the floor and have a picnic in the house.
Let the children ride bikes on the concrete basement floor.
Round up old toys and sell on a internet buy-sell site and scoop up real deals on used toys from the same sites. Or scour second hand toy stores for great bargains on “new-to-child” toys.
Have a bedroom dresser with drawers for storage of art materials: old bits of wrapping paper, string, tubes, egg cartons, paints, brushes, magazines, paper scraps. Or have an easy to reach craft box of odds and ends: ribbons, cards, paper, markers, scissors, glue or glue sticks, glitter, paint, rulers so the children can help themselves and create a craft that is unstructured and entirely of their own imagination.
School-Aged 6-12 years
Have a good old-fashioned lemonade or iced tea stand.
Give them a low-supervision job that can easily be fixed such as sanding decks, weeding the garden, or painting fences. You may have to pay them for those!
Help them set up a neighborhood lawn-mowing business with a hand mower.
Teach them how to cook, bake or assemble food.
Together, embark on the annual Halloween costume sewing project early and teach them to sew.
Bring out saved new toys and kits that were put away after birthday parties.
Consider drop-in day camps for just the day.
Allow the children to use your video camera to make Lego™ movies after you’ve given a care lesson and are supervising.
Have a video game swap among friends.
If you have a handheld GPS, take them Geocaching.
Paper Dolls are still fun. Give them white paper and markers and challenge them to make a house, zoo, store, pool, school, library out of each sheet of paper. They can also draw and cut out people, pets and items. Before long, children will be acting out roles and scenarios!
Egg drop test. Hard boil a dozen eggs and cool. Assemble lots of materials and packaging and challenge the kids to wrap the egg so that it won’t crack when dropped from six feet above the floor. Great for problem-solving and learning science.
Have a “Christmas in July” day – decorate a backyard tree with popcorn, and with pinecones dipped in peanut butter (for the birds to eat) and rolled in birdseed. Using newspaper, wrap “used, but loved” gifts taken from around the house and finish it off with a turkey dinner.
Have a board game day.
Any small gadget or appliance that is broken is wonderful to take apart and unscrew with parent supervision. Check out second hand shops and garage sales for free stuff.
Have a history theme day. For example, declare a “prehistoric” day and make cave paintings, eat with your hands, camp out in a tent in the back yard and wear draped sheets. Try to talk via writing instead of talking.
Have a backwards day where you have a bedtime story, bath, dinner, then lunch and breakfast last.
Play potions. Experiment in the kitchen by making different combos of liquids that are edible and see what tastes, properties and observations can be made from combining different mixtures.
Teenagers 13–19 years
Drop them off at the library for a day to immerse in reading books, trying out the computer terminals and use new software applications that libraries offer, but you may not have at home.
Teens love grown-up board games and especially old favourite card games.
Summer is a great time to volunteer at many worthwhile places.
Teach your teen how to drive.
Show them how to set up a few yard sales so they can earn cash to buy new play items.
Most teens would be interested in the school-aged play ideas also.
Organize a regular teen lunch at the mall or movie night and have all friends bus to the meeting place at a regular time each week.
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
Toddlers 1-2 years
A big rubber bin filled with puffed wheat, rice, lentils, trucks and cars, measuring spoons and cups makes a great indoor/outdoor sandbox.
Place white paper over coins, or any etched surface and rub with crayons.
Spread sofa cushions over the floor for islands.
Put a plastic swimming pool under a slide.
Make white playdough and roll it out. Give the children markers to draw on the playdough and watch the colors squish into patterns.
Paint the house outside with water filled pails and paintbrushes or sponges. Let children wash the car, bikes, or bike trailer.
Blow bubbles from bubble solution on the kitchen floor. Use the excess soap to mop the floor after.
Use a shaker filled with cornstarch that they can sprinkle it outdoors.
Fill the baby bathtub or bowls with soapy water and pouring cups. Use a small stool as a play table in the bathtub and give them cups to pour from. Be sure to supervise water play.
Get a small trampoline to jump on. Or designate certain sofa cushions for jumping on and fort building.
Fill empty plastic soap/spray containers with colored water to squirt pavement or snow. Give a toddler a clean dustpan for a snow shovel. (Put rubber gloves over a child’s gloves so they won’t get wet when they play outside with wet snow days.)
Preschoolers 3-5 years
Darken the room and hang a sheet with tape across a corner from one wall to the other wall. Shine a flashlight over the sheet. Make shadow puppets out of hands or objects from behind the sheet.
Drape old sheets over the bunk-bed top for a puppet or stuffy theatre show.
Get big boxes from appliance shops for fort making.
Let them paint and decorate it.
Throw an old mattress on the basement floor and let the children jump. Old couch cushions work great for forts and old sheets for roofs, walls, and draping. Tables and chairs would also hold sheets for fort play.
Save junk mail, envelopes and stickers and let the children play post office.
Buy an old turntable at a garage sale. Put paper on the spindle and give markers and crayons for children to draw on while it is spinning.
Use a portable carpenter’s tray to carry markers, scissors, and rulers. Makes for easy cleanup and moving around the house.
Have a dedicated craft table if you have room. Sometimes building projects take more than a few days and will be out of the way.
Paint with toy car tires or anything with texture. Roll a marble or toy car in paint on a cookie sheet tray lined with paper for interesting pictures.
Melt broken crayons into foil lined muffin cups for mosaic crayons.
Pre-hammer some nails into wood scraps and let preschoolers hammer the rest in. They love real tools.
Have a decoy drawer of real, unused, broken items that are old cell phones and keyboards that they can play with.
Draw on an old shower curtain a number of roads, buildings and city features so they can customize a car play mat. Get a basic car track that you put together in a line. Then use pillows to make hills and valleys. See how far the cars will go.
In a bathtub with no water, put your child in naked or with just underpants and add a bowl of chocolate pudding. Allow finger painting on the walls. Just hose down the walls and your child with a little soap afterwards.
For children past the tasting stage, put small amounts of shaving cream in a muffin tin and tint with food color. Allow finger painting on the tub walls.
Spread the sheets out on the floor and have a picnic in the house.
Let the children ride bikes on the concrete basement floor.
Round up old toys and sell on a internet buy-sell site and scoop up real deals on used toys from the same sites. Or scour second hand toy stores for great bargains on “new-to-child” toys.
Have a bedroom dresser with drawers for storage of art materials: old bits of wrapping paper, string, tubes, egg cartons, paints, brushes, magazines, paper scraps. Or have an easy to reach craft box of odds and ends: ribbons, cards, paper, markers, scissors, glue or glue sticks, glitter, paint, rulers so the children can help themselves and create a craft that is unstructured and entirely of their own imagination.
School-Aged 6-12 years
Have a good old-fashioned lemonade or iced tea stand.
Give them a low-supervision job that can easily be fixed such as sanding decks, weeding the garden, or painting fences. You may have to pay them for those!
Help them set up a neighborhood lawn-mowing business with a hand mower.
Teach them how to cook, bake or assemble food.
Together, embark on the annual Halloween costume sewing project early and teach them to sew.
Bring out saved new toys and kits that were put away after birthday parties.
Consider drop-in day camps for just the day.
Allow the children to use your video camera to make Lego™ movies after you’ve given a care lesson and are supervising.
Have a video game swap among friends.
If you have a handheld GPS, take them Geocaching.
Paper Dolls are still fun. Give them white paper and markers and challenge them to make a house, zoo, store, pool, school, library out of each sheet of paper. They can also draw and cut out people, pets and items. Before long, children will be acting out roles and scenarios!
Egg drop test. Hard boil a dozen eggs and cool. Assemble lots of materials and packaging and challenge the kids to wrap the egg so that it won’t crack when dropped from six feet above the floor. Great for problem-solving and learning science.
Have a “Christmas in July” day – decorate a backyard tree with popcorn, and with pinecones dipped in peanut butter (for the birds to eat) and rolled in birdseed. Using newspaper, wrap “used, but loved” gifts taken from around the house and finish it off with a turkey dinner.
Have a board game day.
Any small gadget or appliance that is broken is wonderful to take apart and unscrew with parent supervision. Check out second hand shops and garage sales for free stuff.
Have a history theme day. For example, declare a “prehistoric” day and make cave paintings, eat with your hands, camp out in a tent in the back yard and wear draped sheets. Try to talk via writing instead of talking.
Have a backwards day where you have a bedtime story, bath, dinner, then lunch and breakfast last.
Play potions. Experiment in the kitchen by making different combos of liquids that are edible and see what tastes, properties and observations can be made from combining different mixtures.
Teenagers 13–19 years
Drop them off at the library for a day to immerse in reading books, trying out the computer terminals and use new software applications that libraries offer, but you may not have at home.
Teens love grown-up board games and especially old favourite card games.
Summer is a great time to volunteer at many worthwhile places.
Teach your teen how to drive.
Show them how to set up a few yard sales so they can earn cash to buy new play items.
Most teens would be interested in the school-aged play ideas also.
Organize a regular teen lunch at the mall or movie night and have all friends bus to the meeting place at a regular time each week.
Judy Arnall is a professional international award-winning Parenting Speaker, and Trainer, Mom of five children, and author of the best-selling, “Discipline Without Distress: 135 tools for raising caring, responsible children without time-out, spanking, punishment or bribery” She specializes in “Parenting the Digital Generation” www.professionalparenting.ca (403) 714-6766 jarnall@shaw.ca
Copyright permission granted for “reproduction without permission” of this article in whole or part, if the above credit is included in its entirety.
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