Lane Olinghouse said it best when she stated: "The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable."
In other words, as parents we have to plug in and look approachable if we want our children to respond to us. So many time we give orders or ask our children to do something while we are in a hurry to get out of the house or from the other room. If we are not engaged then how do we expect our children to engage in what we have to say.
Here are some tips on engaging your children:
1. Get down on their level and look them in the eye.
2. Make the request fun and engaging.
3. Start small.
4. Keep your expectations realistic.
5. Change it up.
Here are some tips to do this when things feel hectic and need to be done in a timely fashion:
1. Remember to breathe.
2. Distract yourself to help you calm down: count backwards from ten, describe to yourself different things in the room, anything to bring your frustration down so that you can deliver the request in a calm manner.
3.Self Talk: Tell yourself that it is going to be okay and this time will pass.
4. Give yourself a timeout. Walk away and give your child the time to do the request without you hovering over them or asking them to do it faster.
Good luck trying some of these tips. I would love to hear how they worked out for you or what tips you use that help you stay in the moment and engage your children successfully.
The word moving is very close to my heart right now since my family will be making a big move into a new house at the end of July. For my eight year old, Brianna, this is her first big move and we wanted to try to make is as positive as possible. This is what I have learned along the way....
Parents, check out this website http://www.squidoo.com/yourbabycanreadkit for important information about how to get your baby reading before he or she enters school! A baby's brain craves stimulation, which is needed for him or her to learn. The sooner a child is exposed to language, the sooner he or she will be able to speak and recognize words. The earlier your child learns, the better he or she will preform in school!
Parents, it is very important to keep your child's mind active over the summer. What better way than to encourage them to read?! Reading is an easy way to keep their minds active, their imagination flowing, and their vocabulary development soaring!
