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Effective Methods for Helping Your Child Study

Great Ways to Teach your Children the Value of Money

7 Great Activities for your Family to Enjoy Post Lockdown

How to Fully Prepare your Kids for Going Back to School

Spoiling your Children: When to Reward them and When Not To

How to Make Sure Your Kids Aren’t Gaming too Much

Latest Posts

Effective Methods for Helping Your Child Study

Karen | September 6, 2021September 10, 2021

Helping your child to put the most effort into their studies is one of the best ways that you can help them to boost their grades as well as showing your child that you support them through these stressful moments in their education. Many parents make the mistake of putting extra pressure on their children which in some cases can be motivating but it is not necessarily effective when it comes to showing them that you are being supportive and that you recognize the efforts that they are making to do well. Helping your children through their intense studies is very important and there are many ways that this can be achieved if you are not the most experienced with the education system.

Resources In The Home

One of the most important things to remember when it comes to helping your child study for their big exams or assessments would be to ensure that they have access to all of the necessary resources that they require. If they do not have what they need then it is more likely that their stress will build as they are not able to find out what they want to know and develop within their research.

Educational resources in the home are very important for your children’s school work and studies to be as successful as possible. If you do not already have a wide range of books or computer access in your home then I would recommend that you do so. Although your child’s school will provide you with many resources it can be frustrating when you are trying to study when you are limited to a select few resources. If you wish to improve this in your own home then I would suggest that you try sitting down with your child and going through all of the topics that they have to study, once you have found this out you are then aware of the things your child needs to work on and can find extra resources for them as they are required.

Variation On The Syllabus

It is often the case with your children that they would benefit from being given a new approach to their studies that is different from what is taught at their school, this can be very refreshing for them and can improve the effectiveness of their research. As a parent, it is not necessarily your job to directly teach your children but by making a suggestion like this you could really help them feel more at ease with the work they have to do. If your child is struggling with their studies then it may be down to a lack of engagement or enthusiasm with the school and the way that they are teaching certain subjects, this is why a fresh approach and variation in the resources you have in your home could be a real help that could boost your child’s results significantly.

Time To Relax

A big thing to remember when it comes to studying and helping your child to be the best that they can be in terms of their educational results is that you must find time to relax and take time away from work. As parents, it is your job to make sure your children are not just studying twenty-four hours a day as this could have significant mental and physical effects on their health. Getting a balance between rest time and study time will help your child to feel more at ease and on top of the work they need to do which can really help in the long run. Another way to help your children relax and switch off during the evenings would be to use cbd oil, this product is safe for children and can easily be added to meals and drinks to help relax the mind and give your children the break from their studies that they need.

Timetabling

A final way that you can help your child to study in a more effective way would be to encourage them to set up some form of timetable to help them better manage their time and find the time to study and relax. This is something that many schools and educational establishments would recommend as it is best to avoid unstructured periods of study time where you have not decided on the topic or area you are going to work on.

Timetabling the weeks in the run-up to a big exam or assessment is the most effective way that your child can ensure they do not forget about any important areas that they need to revise. It will also help take a lot of the stress of figuring out what you need to work on as it has been pre-organized with breaks scheduled so that your child has a nice balance of work and rest time.

Great Ways to Teach your Children the Value of Money

Karen | August 13, 2021August 11, 2021

Though we don’t like to admit it, unfortunately, it is true that the world depends on money. Without having the right financial setup, you are instantly at a disadvantage in the world and so as a parent your main priority should be ensuring that your child is at the highest possible advantage in the world, as this will mean that they are ready to take anything on and pursue your dreams,

As a parent, you are responsible for teaching your child the value of money, but wanting to do this, in theory, is a lot easier than actually setting out to do it. Here are some great ways to teach your children the value of money.

Set an allowance

As a parent, it can be tempting to give your child money whenever they ask for it as all that you want is to ensure that your child is happy. Doing this can be detrimental to their understanding of the value of money and so instead you should give them a set weekly allowance. Don’t be afraid to make this allowance low as it will teach them valuable life skills like making sure that they understand how to make their money last and how to budget.

If your child runs out of their set allowance, then we recommend that you stay tough on them and do not give them any more money. This will teach them that once their money is gone it is gone, which will only increase their understanding of the value of money, and easily it can be lost if not invested well.

Share your own money struggles

One of the best ways that you can really let your child know the potential risks that come with not having enough money is by sharing any money troubles that you may have had in the past. At some point or another, we have all struggled to stay on top of bills and that is just a part of life.

Tell your child when you last had money issues and explain to them what you had to do in order to deal with it and what sacrifices had to be made. By doing this your child will be able to relate these potential future money issues to themselves and will take steps to avoid them.

If you are sharing your money troubles with your child, the last thing that you will want to do is make them scared of potentially failing in the future. So as well as recommending that they don’t get into difficult money situations, you have to also make sure that they know that there are ways to fix it. Let them know that things like second chance credit cards exist for when they may need it or that they can come to you in times of need.

Let them play games

If you are a parent, then you have probably been asked hundreds of times if you can purchase some in-game currency for your child’s favorite game. Our recommendation is that you actually purchase their in-game currency, but very rarely. By setting them allowances and how much they can have, they will become better at budgeting their money and reserving it for things that they really need. Much like in life, having a lot of in-game currency to play around with makes the game a lot easier and opens your children up to a number of different advantages and so they will want to hold onto their money for as long as they possibly can.

7 Great Activities for your Family to Enjoy Post Lockdown

Karen | July 30, 2021July 30, 2021

For a lot of us, it would have been some time since we last saw our family, and so understandably, you may be excited to see them. If you haven’t done anything socially in some time, you may not have an idea of what you can do with your family. Here are 7 great activities for your family to enjoy post lockdown.

Family Quiz Night

A great way to reconnect with your family after not seeing them for some time is by having a family quiz night. A quiz night is a great way to bring people closer, as it brings out everyone’s competitive side and forces people to work in teams to succeed. You can attend a quiz that is already being hosted or think up your own quiz. If you love family feuds, you will be glad to know that you can pick out 50 family feud questions and get the ball rolling if you look online.

Escape Room

Another great way to bring your family together after some time apart is to do an escape room. Escape rooms can be a great way to bond with the family that you may not have seen for some time, and it challenges you to be able to complete challenges and use your brain to get yourself out of a sticky situation.

Picnic in the Park

If you want an inexpensive way to spend time with your family, then there is nothing better than heading for a picnic in the park. You can prepare all of the food you can eat at home, which means that you can save a lot of money by not buying food out. Food prep time is another way to bond with your family by making sandwiches and other foods.

Waterpark

Now that the world has opened back up, many places that we thought we wouldn’t be able to go to again have started to open back up. The waterpark is one of the best places to take your family for an exciting day out. It is also a great way to get in some much-needed exercise without even realizing that you are. There are plenty of water parks to choose from, so you will likely find one close to you.

Meal

If you cannot find something to do that all of your family enjoys, you really can’t go wrong with going out for a meal. A meal is a great way to catch up after so much time apart, as all you have is each other’s company and some delicious food to share. Make sure that you pick a restaurant with many options, as it is likely that not everyone you will be seeing will have the same taste in food, so be sure to ask around and see what people like.

Zoo

Absolutely everybody loves the zoo. What isn’t there to love about being surrounded by hundreds of cute animals? If your family has some younger members, they will love the zoo as much as the older people. Most zoos have cafes and other activities that you can participate in, so if you struggle to walk around too much, you may find it easier to do other things. It is also hard to deny that zoo gift shops aren’t amazing, as they are full of plenty of stuffed toys and other fun items.

Shopping

If you haven’t seen your family for some time now, then we recommend that you head out on a fun shopping trip together. Shopping is a great way to see your family while also picking up some things you actually need. We have all fallen into our lockdown wardrobes for many of us, so the nice items that we usually wear have started to dwindle. Going on a shopping trip with your loved ones is a great way to restock your wardrobe and catch up with your loved ones.

How to Fully Prepare your Kids for Going Back to School

Karen | June 16, 2021June 13, 2021

It’s that time of the year again. Your kids are going back to school and you need to get ready for it. It was stressful last time. It will be stressful this time. But don’t worry. This article has got your back. All the information you need is in this article. This will be a big help and you’ll be amazed and how smooth and easy the process will be after reading this. First up, uniform.

Uniform

You need to dress your kids in uniform because school’s like it when everyone dresses the same. But some schools don’t have uniforms so in that case, you should be fine. I wish my school didn’t have uniforms. It was an absolute nightmare outgrowing it and having to get more and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. But if your kids are in uniform, make sure you get it early so they’re prepared. There’s nothing worse than being the only one in school in regular clothes while everyone else is in uniform.

Calendars

The older I get, the more I realize how important a calendar is. They’re so useful for knowing what you’re doing in a day. I always forget constantly what plans I’ve made. Luckily, there’s a place you can get a really solid calendar that will cater to all your organizational needs. Especially November, arguably the biggest and busiest month. 123 calendars have a november 2021 calendar template that will help so much. I highly recommend it so you know what club your kid’s at on what day. That way, if they don’t show up for dinner, you can check the calendar and realize where they are. They haven’t run away, they’re just at chess.

Stationary

I love stationery. It really is the pinnacle of our society. We need pens to write and pencils to draw with. It’s an absolute necessity in any office, so why should it be any different in school? Kids need to have the right tools to perform the best they can early on. How will they be able to take notes if they haven’t got a nice fountain pen or draw pictures of the sun with a smiley face if they don’t have pencils? Rulers are important too, for measuring things. When I was younger, I would measure everything available* to me. It was my way of understanding the world. We can’t deprive kids of that.

Give them the longest and most impressive ruler possible. Kids are always wanting to borrow them so make sure they put the property of — on them. That way, they can always get them back and you haven’t got to buy another ruler. A good compass is also important. Every pencil case should have one. That way, your child can draw the perfect circle every single time. Pencil cases should also feature an eraser, to correct any mistakes. You can include tips but honestly, I can take it or leave it. It doesn’t really make the work look neater. It’s just a white splodge on the paper and it’s incredibly obvious you’ve used it. I think you’re much better off just drawing a line through the mistake. It’s much neater. And the last and most important thing a pencil case should have is a sharpener. You want your kid to have the sharpest, most precise pencils possible so that they can draw the best pictures. It’s all about giving them a little boost at that edge and believe me, a sharpener is the best way to do that.

Spoiling your Children: When to Reward them and When Not To

Karen | June 10, 2021June 9, 2021

Being a parent is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding jobs there is- your child, in your eyes, is the most precious being. However, one of the most common struggles is the notion of rewards- when you should reward your child and when you shouldn’t, you may not realize that certain things you are doing are rewarding your child for negative behaviors and therefore reinforcing them. Of course, this does not mean that you should not reward your child for fear of spoiling them, as you want to reinforce positive behaviors and rewards can be a great way of doing this.

When to reward?

Encourage completion of tasks

You should be rewarding your child when they do something that is good- sounds simple and easy right? Wrong. Many people believe that their child should just display those behaviors because it’s just what’s right, not for a reward, which of course will eventually be the case, but for young children, rewards are a very important thing. For example, if you teach your child that whenever they do chores such as tidy their room, they earn more time in the evening to watch TV or play on the games console, the child will at first only do as you say to receive the reward (which isn’t such a bad thing- the chore still gets done!) but will eventually carry on this behavior as they realize it is what is expected of them and avoids them getting told off.

Encourage good social skills

Another important time to reward is when the child spontaneously goes out their way to do something kind and caring, such as helping a friend who has fallen over, or hugging their sister when they are crying- while these may seem like obvious things to do and societal norms, a child can be very egocentric and only think about themselves, so teaching them that being kind to others by reward, is always a good idea.

When not to reward?

Tantrums/Begging

As previously mentioned, being a parent is a very difficult job and I’m sure all parents can relate to those days where you would do anything for a nap yourself! However, this encourages many parents to give in to their child’s moaning and tantrums by giving them what they want and this can spiral into a bigger issue and cause the child to become spoilt. While you may be tired and fed up, you must stand your ground and it will make everything easier in the future and create a nicer kid!

For the sake of it!

As much as you love your child and as cute as they may be… stop buying all those unnecessary toys! While it is nice to buy them things and as much as you love them and want them to be happy, you need to take a step back and ask yourself if you are teaching them that they can have whatever they want before you buy it, or ask yourself if they really do need it. Plus, when you aren’t continually buying them things, they will appreciate it more when they do receive a gift. Of course, if it is an occasion or they were brave at the dentist- treat them! You can ontdek geweldige cadeaus voor een 3-jarige jongen hier but in other cases… give your bank account rest and let your child appreciate the toys they already have!

How to Make Sure Your Kids Aren’t Gaming too Much

Karen | March 8, 2021March 9, 2021

Gaming is a huge part of many children’s lives but with the harmful effects of spending too much time in front of a screen, it can be hard as a parent to keep your children happy whilst making sure they are fit and healthy. With all of the new developments in the gaming world such as the release of new consoles and boosting your account, (this makes it easier to win at apex legends) it is now harder than ever to encourage your kids to come away from their consoles and games and spend their time doing some more beneficial activities.

Schedule Breaks and Gaming Time

Now I am absolutely not saying that you should ban your children from using their games completely, but with a structured timetable of time where your children can play their games but also do other things would definitely be a good idea. This allows you as a parent to make sure that your child has a balance in their life of the thing that could help with mental stimulation and reward activities like gaming. You should see a huge turnaround in your child’s behavior when they have to work at something to be able to be rewarded with console time and they will learn to appreciate these expensive commodities much more than if they were given free rein on how much time they are allowed to spend on games.

Offer Alternative Activities

Another great way to help keep your children from spending too much time gaming would have to be offering alternative activities that keep them distracted from wanting to sit in front of the screen all day. For example, on a weekend you could spend the day doing a craft project that helps with mental stimulation and creativity and then allow your children time on their games in the evening, it is all about creating a balance between doing the things that your children enjoy as well as implementing some educationally beneficial activities that could keep them occupied for most of the day.

Monitor Their Gaming With Parental Controls

One of the most effective means to check up on your children’s gaming routine would be to add parental controls to their console, in some cases this allows you to see what games your children are playing, who they are playing with and for how long. With this data, you can then decide if they are being responsible or not and carry out any punishments or rewards accordingly. As a parent, it can be hard to keep track of what your children are getting up to especially on an online platform, so being able to connect your phone to the console and look at these statistics can only be a positive aspect when it comes to being a good but fair parent. Parental controls also allow you to make sure that your child cannot make any unauthorized purchases on their games.

Outdoor Time

As previously mentioned, balance between gaming time and time for other activities is very important when it comes to making sure your child is not spending too much time on their games. Spending time outdoors has been proven to be beneficial for both the mind and body and you should be considering how much time your child spends outdoors in relation to e time spent gaming. If you feel that your child is not getting the time they should outside I would highly encourage you to be a bit stricter and make outdoor time a compulsory part of your child’s leisure time so that they are not being affected by rigorous gameplay.

How to Ensure your Children are Cared for After You’re Gone

Karen | February 12, 2021

One of the most difficult but one of the most important conversations you can have with your loved ones is making preparations to make sure that they are looked after in the event of your death. Although it may be something you want to avoid talking about and there are a lot of emotions attached to this process, making sure that your children are looked after when you are gone can provide peace of mind for yourself and your loved ones.

There are many things that can be done to prepare for your death that can take some of the emotional strain off of your children as well as ensuring that their needs will be met during this emotional period. One of the biggest issues when it comes to the death of a relative is working out a way to divide things like possessions and money between their loved ones, if you can put measures in place to organize this and provide clarity with what you want when it comes to sharing out your possessions then you can seriously reduce the strain that is put on your children when you die.

Finances

One of the most important factors to consider when making arrangements for when you are gone would have to be your finances, it would be advisable to put together a will and testament clearly stating what should be done with your money. This not only makes dividing your resources easier but takes a lot of the stress off your children as they do not have to decide themselves where your money goes as you have left clear instructions. Making the decision yourself also helps to avoid any family conflicts that usually come when money is being discussed.

Possessions

Within your will you should also think about any possessions you have and whether or not you would like to leave any particular items to a certain family member or child. This provides the opportunity to leave behind a significant memory or meaningful item to your loved ones and the fact that you can control who gets what means that you can send your prized possessions to places where you know they will be respected and looked after. Your children may be going through one of their first experiences of loss so being able to leave behind a meaningful memory or possession can provide real comfort.

Making Sure You Have Certain Measures in Place

It would be a bad idea to avoid putting these measures in place as you are going to make it harder for your loved ones to grieve and mourn their loss, coming to terms with death is very hard so making the process easier for your family by making sure you have left behind a will of some kind can really help your children in what will be a very emotionally traumatic time for them.

Funeral Preparation

The final way that you can help to make sure that your children are cared for when you die is to put some form of funeral preparations in place, you don’t have to book everything but leaving behind some general wishes in regards to the type of service you would like can be a great help. There is a lot to remember when planning a funeral and leaving the responsibility to your children can cause unnecessary stress. Within your will you could provide some general ideas as to what you would like in your funeral and how you want your life to be celebrated, this can be a huge help to your children and loved ones as it takes away from the stresses of planning a good funeral.

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