Parenting

With the schools suspended, indefinitely for many kids, offices adjusted to online operation and the unprecedented panic created around the globe, little do we think about the effect of the situation on the brains of our little ones. 

Being the mother of a three-year-old, I understand how difficult it can be to implement social distancing on a child of his age. While he understands absolutely nothing about what the world is fighting against, the tantrums are heightening, and even the sleeping and eating routines are suffering as a result. So if you’re experiencing the same problems with your toddler or preschooler, know that you’re not alone in this. 

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Igglepiggle, Upsy Daisy and Makka Pakka are an important part of bedtime rituals for many preschoolers across the UK. As the clocks prepare to spring forward on Sunday 29^th March, In the Night Garden is once again teaming up with renowned sleep expert Mandy Gurney from the Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic to provide valuable tips that will help parents and carers manage the upcoming time change with their little ones.

Together with Mandy, In the Night Garden has created a short quiz to determine a child’s chronotype which describes the time of day they feel most alert and energetic – whether they are a morning lark a night owl, or somewhere between the two. Based on each of these three chronotypes, there will be tailored, easy-to-follow tips for parents and careers to help prepare their children for the clock change and ensure a good night’s sleep all round.

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“Being at home with the kids for two weeks need not feel like prison. Instead use those 14 days to create some family memories. Here are my top 10 ways kids can really enjoy being at home and learn something new”, states Guillaume Thevenot Founder of BabyBreaks.com.

1. Improve your drawing skills 

My daughter recently discovered this great YouTube channel Arts for Kids Hub. She spends hours drawing all of these cartoons. I’ve got the awesome pictures to prove it. 

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Parenting is a tough job. You will find yourself exhausted after a hard day’s work only to come home to your loved ones who can’t wait to play with you, tell you what they did that day and cuddle. Kids can be tough to manage but they can also inspire you to find that last ounce of energy somewhere in you and spend it with them. They can make you laugh in an instant and lift your mood momentarily if you had a bad day. It’s a fact that kids demand time and you have to spend some with them before spending some with yourself, and you can do this through several activities.

A Trip to the Park

The park is a great place to take your kids to. It can be a regular walk that doesn’t last more than 15-20 minutes. Short walks will give them a change of scenery and in the park, they’re free to explore anything they want. The park is the place where you can bond with your child by asking them how their day went and what they did. If you’re going to the park in winter on a snowy day then you and your children can make a snowman, snow angels and have other fun activities in the snow.

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When organising a birthday party for your child, one of the things to consider is what to put into the party bags. Giving a fun party bag is a great way to round off the perfect kids party, giving your guests something to remember the party by and enjoy once they get back home.

The first tip to consider when choosing party bag items is to keep it age appropriate. For toddler parties, its best to avoid some of the sweets and candy that are popular with school aged children in party bags, and once the guests are a little older, they may not appreciate some of the more babyish party bag toys so it’s important to strike that balance. For all ages, it’s always better to go with quality over quantity and avoid those tiny little plastic party bag toys that tend to be destined for landfill straight away…

If you’re looking for some ideas for your child’s birthday party bag fillers, here are a few suggestions:

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Children are naturally curious, and as such when they are young is the best time to encourage this curiosity and nurture their creative sides. Here we are going to look at 5 great ways to encourage your kids in this way.

Encourage Drawing & Painting 

Kids will do this on their own, of course, but sometimes it’s good for bonding between you and the little one and can encourage exploring, life, thoughts, and emotions through expression in art. You can discuss what they are drawing, why and what it means to them? It can be really lovely to see how they see the world and their place in it through their art.

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If you want to return to work after several years at home looking after your young children, you are going to find a huge difference in workplaces. They are now far more automated than ever before, and these changes have taken place in a very short time. There are very few jobs that do not involve computers and other technologies, and even if you have qualifications you could find they are now out of date with the modern working world. Here are a few tips to help parents in this situation.

Get Used to Technology

You need to get used to using technology so that you are not afraid of it. Most people have smartphones these days and these are a great first step in using the internet. If you can have access to a computer or laptop that is even better. Use the browser to read up any information you need and remember that the internet has the largest amount of academic material anywhere in the world. This could prove very useful in seeing what the latest innovations are in your line of work.

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Is Moving Abroad With Children a Good Idea?

Moving abroad with your whole family can be an exciting prospect, with the opportunity to start your life anew and indulge in all of the opportunities that a new country has to offer. However, moving abroad with a baby or small child can also present many other difficulties which you may need to combat in order to move successfully. 

In terms of education…

The future education of your child will be at the forefront of all parent’s minds. While countries such as the United States, Switzerland and Sweden traditionally have extremely good education rankings, others struggle with their schooling and education techniques.  If your children are already in school, you should try to find schools in the local area that have a similar curriculum to those at home. You should also move outside of term time in order to ensure that your children’s grades are not pushed back. You might also consider the homeschooling opportunities available if you intend to move around once you have travelled abroad, or if you believe that your child may need extra tutoring. 

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Your home is your sacred place. It’s where you get to relax and be yourself in a world where judgement is everywhere. It’s also a place where you get to chill out and be as a family. Your family matters more than anything in life, so getting a bit of R&R with is one of the greatest feelings in the world. If you have young kids, then you’re obviously going to want to make sure they’re safe in every aspect. Not a day goes by where you’re not thinking about them. 

In order for them to have a content and healthy time, you’re going to need to make sure that your home is completely safe for them to stay in. You never know what can happen in this life, and if you don’t keep the place in tip-top condition, then you might end up rueing your lack of preparation. Kids are naïve; they do silly stuff all the time without thinking it through. Whether it’s in the playroom, the lounge, or their bedroom, they’ll find a way to be clumsy! Fixing that little issue is no problem, however. Here are some things you can do:   

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Do you want to teach your child a foreign language, and do so on a budget? Starting from a young age, children are absorbing and learning so much new information that learning a new language can seem like ‘just one more thing’. If you introduce them to language learning at a young age, they have a greater ability to learn quickly and have a second (or more) language as more of a natural skill. 

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