Indoor Baseball

Toddler Activities from Familyeducation.com http://ift.tt/1dFHhFv Baseball helps your toddler develop eye-body coordination, and is suitable for both indoor and outdoor play.

A Sample Weekly Plan of Art Projects

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Every weekend I try to make a plan of activities for the coming week to start on Monday.

I start with the gauging what my child is interested in (using the “My Child This Week” sheet of the free weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly.

With each of my kids’ interests, I brainstorm 7 activities to do that week. I jot them down on the simple ‘Activities To Do This Week’ planner.

Below is a sample week of art projects for kids.

5 weekly plans of activities for each one year olds, two year olds, and preschoolers (plus a learning one too!)

Monday: Use Q-tips, instead of a paintbrush, to paint a masterpiece. Supplies: q-tips, paper, paint

Tuesday: Combine art and sensory with contact (sticky) paper taped to the floor, sticky side up. Decorate with small decorative items such as buttons and sequins. Supplies: contact (sticky) paper, small craft items, painter’s tape

Wednesday: Use unusual objects to paint! Make textures with combs, roll on the paint with a rolling pin, and try tape resist! Supplies: paper, paint, rolling pin, comb, painter’s tape

Thursday: Cover the table (or coffee table) with butcher paper completely and draw, draw, draw! Supplies: butcher paper, markers or crayons

Friday: Paint with cookie cutters! Pour paint into a dish and dip cookie cutters to cover and stamp onto paper. Supplies: cookie cutters, paint, paper

Saturday: Write any number on a piece of paper. Trace the number with a paintbrush and glue. Play with sand on the paper and shake it off! It’ll stick to the number to create a texture! Supplies: paper, pencil, school glue, paintbrush, sand

Sunday: Make window paint using dish soap, corn starch and food coloring. Paint the window with brushes and sponges. Supplies: dish soap, corn starch, food coloring, sponges or paintbrushes, window, dishes

5 weekly plans of activities for each one year olds, two year olds, and preschoolers (plus a learning one too!)

The DISCOVER + PLAY + ENGAGE + LEARN eBooks have a combined 20 weeks of activities that are perfect for the early years. Fun ways to get kids moving, work on fine motor, do arts and craft projects and have fun as a family! Each weekly plan includes a handy supply list and activities broken down to know exactly what to do in a simple sentence or two.

Get your weekly activity plans here.

A Sample Weekly Plan of Art Projects on handsonaswegrow.com

A Sample Weekly Plan of Art Projects

hands on : as we grow http://ift.tt/1PXHxRd

Every weekend I try to make a plan of activities for the coming week to start on Monday.

I start with the gauging what my child is interested in (using the “My Child This Week” sheet of the free weekly planner). I fill one out for each of my kids and what they’re into at the moment. I use this as my guide to plan our activities accordingly.

With each of my kids’ interests, I brainstorm 7 activities to do that week. I jot them down on the simple ‘Activities To Do This Week’ planner.

Below is a sample week of art projects for kids.

5 weekly plans of activities for each one year olds, two year olds, and preschoolers (plus a learning one too!)

Monday: Use Q-tips, instead of a paintbrush, to paint a masterpiece. Supplies: q-tips, paper, paint

Tuesday: Combine art and sensory with contact (sticky) paper taped to the floor, sticky side up. Decorate with small decorative items such as buttons and sequins. Supplies: contact (sticky) paper, small craft items, painter’s tape

Wednesday: Use unusual objects to paint! Make textures with combs, roll on the paint with a rolling pin, and try tape resist! Supplies: paper, paint, rolling pin, comb, painter’s tape

Thursday: Cover the table (or coffee table) with butcher paper completely and draw, draw, draw! Supplies: butcher paper, markers or crayons

Friday: Paint with cookie cutters! Pour paint into a dish and dip cookie cutters to cover and stamp onto paper. Supplies: cookie cutters, paint, paper

Saturday: Write any number on a piece of paper. Trace the number with a paintbrush and glue. Play with sand on the paper and shake it off! It’ll stick to the number to create a texture! Supplies: paper, pencil, school glue, paintbrush, sand

Sunday: Make window paint using dish soap, corn starch and food coloring. Paint the window with brushes and sponges. Supplies: dish soap, corn starch, food coloring, sponges or paintbrushes, window, dishes

5 weekly plans of activities for each one year olds, two year olds, and preschoolers (plus a learning one too!)

The DISCOVER + PLAY + ENGAGE + LEARN eBooks have a combined 20 weeks of activities that are perfect for the early years. Fun ways to get kids moving, work on fine motor, do arts and craft projects and have fun as a family! Each weekly plan includes a handy supply list and activities broken down to know exactly what to do in a simple sentence or two.

Get your weekly activity plans here.

A Sample Weekly Plan of Art Projects on handsonaswegrow.com

Preschool activities that are quick to set up

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Sometimes you just need a minute to yourself, to get some things done (I’ve been there… I AM there!), so that is where these Preschooler activities come into play.  They can buy you a little quiet time,  even if its just thirty minutes.

One time I read that having a house with kids is like always living in the lobby of your college dorm, and I can totally see that, so use these activities to steal a little time to yourself (clean, read or just relax!).

Lego Preschool Activities

Let your kids go crazy with any of these 20+ activities involving legos.  They will certainly keep a child busy!

Your children can be engineers with these Goldiblox building kits (they come with plans!)

Toilet Paper Roll Activities

Any of these ideas will let your child explore and play with their imaginations…  (or at least get you a few minutes to go to the bathroom alone! haha!  (via beautythroughimperfection)

Let them make Toilet Roll Ninjas  and play with them.

Or  let them dress up with these Superhero Cuffs made from toilet paper rolls.  It is adorable!  Pair it with a cape and your kids are all set for 30 minutes of ‘pretend play’.

Make little vehicles like a Toilet Paper Roll Train Craft or even this Airplane (so easy to make!)
(via YourModernFamily).

Be scientists!  If you have a  lot of toilet paper rolls, let your kids build a dinosaur skeleton. (via YourModernFamily).  Just print out a picture for them to copy.

Our son would love making this Toilet Paper Snake!

Pretend Play Activities

Dramatic Play Time! Make a Pretend City with Paper Bags – your kids are going to love this activity!

Grab a few trains or matchbox cars, a $1 shower curtain and a Sharpie and Make a racetrack – your kids will love helping and they will love playing with it even more!

Our kids love to use our DIY water table  with some measuring cups, spoons and straws.  They mix, pour, create, “make recipes” and more!   (Ps- in the winter, I keep this in our garage because the cold weather isn’t going to stop our creative juices from flowing!)

I would have loved this when I was little- a Dress Up Dolls Free Kids Printable.   Wouldn’t you?   I think any child would love it, too!

Fine Motor Play

Fine Motor Play with straws is always easy to set up and fun for the kids to play!  If you have straws, you are all set!

Use those straws to Build a (Jumbo) Marshmallow Tower – this reminds me of an episode of Curious George- I can see him doing this! 

Here 3 Fun, Fall Busy Bags (I would personally use them for quiet time AND I would take these with me when we were going out… like to church!)

This next one is awesome, too.  I have used the Felt Face Game for my play therapy clients.

When you need an activity that is ready to go, you could always grab this Portable Activity Binder – it is perfect to use at home or when you are going out (restaurant, church, grandma’s house)

This little early math lesson is so easy to put together- you just need those little pom-poms and a muffin tin.
(via beautythroughimperfection)

Creative Preschool Activities

This DIY Invention Box is a huge hit in our house.  We use this almost daily and we just add little things to it whenever we see something that would be a great fit!

Make your own abstract coloring pages for endless ways to color and to create.

Let the kids make an apple out of paper…  (just stay in the room because kids + glue = mess… but remember that kids+ mess= fun!)
(via beautythroughimperfection)

Make a Fun Activity Box and let your kids play with it- it will entertain your preschoolers for hours!

Check out these closet toys– sure to get you 30 minutes of uninterrupted playtime!
(via Beautythroughimperfection)

Give them this quiet book and just let them decide what they are going to do- don’t offer suggestions, just let them create. (via The Realistic Mama)

My sister-in-law made this Coloring Book with our Pictures for me last Christmas and the kids LOVED it!  Make one for your kids & it will keep them busy for quite a while!
(via beautythroughimperfection)

Free Printable Preschool Activities 

You can always print out these 4 {Crazy} Funky Monster Coloring Pages – this is fun & keeps them busy!

These Printable Animal Puzzles are adorable and perfect for your kiddos (they might need a little help at first, but then you can let them try it on their own!)  (via ItsyBitsyFun)

These File Folder Games are great, too.  I used to use them all of the time when I was a teacher. (via itsybitsyfun)

You can make your own 3D shape sorter and let your kids play with it during their quiet time.  (Teach them a little Shape song, too.  I love to find new ones on YouTube.)

Print out a picture of your child and let them color themselves – our kids like to turn themselves into Ninjas or add cotton balls & turn themselves into Santa!

Play Recipes for Preschoolers

I like to use this Edible Play Dough Recipe with Only 3 Ingredients because you know that even if they take a bite, it is not going to harm them at all.

I keep all of my play dough (even my pumpkin pie scented play dough) in this play-doh box .
(via yourmodernfamily)

Our softest play dough ever is something you shouldn’t miss!

Electronics:
While I do love to take an electronic break for a week, there are times when electronics come to the rescue!  If I have an important phone call to make or if I really need to get something done, I know that electronics are going to be my best friend.

Here is a great list of Apps for Kids to get you started.

If you are looking for educational apps, I would go with these ones.

Of course, there is always my top Netflix picks that are all kid-friendly.    When you aren’t busy, make sure that you are keeping your kids engaged while they watch TV.

Sometimes I just need an hour to myself, so all of these activities are quick-set-up activities that give your kids time to play alone.   I hope that you enjoyed this today…

We all need quiet time now & then.   Thank you for sharing these and thank you for remembering to take a minute for you.  Ok…  go ahead, Mama… enjoy your quiet time & when you are done, you will be more refreshed & ready to play! 

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Mango Chicken Wraps

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Along with this Pot Roast Recipe, this delicious recipe for Mango Chicken Wraps is hands down my one of my very favorite recipes.

It’s super easy, healthy and uses ingredients like jicama that I rarely know what to do with. Best of all – it requires ZERO COOKING!

Mango Chicken Wrap Recipe

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup(s) finely chopped jicama
• 1/2 cup(s) packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup(s) fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoon(s) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) Asian chili sauce (sriracha), plus more to taste
• Salt
• 3 cup(s) coarsely shredded chicken meat (from 1/2 rotisserie chicken)
• Tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
1. In large bowl, combine mango, jicama, mint, lime juice, oil, chili sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. If making ahead, cover bowl and refrigerate mixture up to overnight.

2. To serve, add chicken to mango mixture; toss to combine. Place 1/3 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla.

** If you make this recipe for children I’d suggest you skip the hot sauce. If it’s just for adults- I suggest you double the hot sauce:)

ENJOY!

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Cloud Spotting on the Easel

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Cloud Spotting on the Easel is a fun and engaging activity that involves searching for clouds with the letter C and placing a magnetic cotton wool ball cloud on top. It involves recognising which letters are the letter C and which letters are not.

 

What you will need?

You will need cotton wool balls, free printable clouds, self-adhesive magnets, an easel and Blu-tac or sticky tape.

 

I have laminated our letter clouds for more durability and also as I plan to use them in another activity, Cloud Theme Sensory Bin.

 

Download and print here: Printable Clouds

 

Let’s Play

Some Ideas:

• Place the magnetic cotton wool balls onto the clouds that have the letter C only. C is for Cloud. You could sing as you play, change the words from “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” to “We’re Going on a CLOUD Hunt”.
• Extend this activity by adding a white board marker to provide children with the opportunity to write the letter C next to each cloud.

 

Let’s Learn

Learning Opportunities

• Concentration
• Letter recognition
• Oral language development – hearing the sound and saying it out loud.
• Development of fine motor skills
• Eye & hand coordination – watching and doing and coordinating these actions.
• Sensory- Development of the sense of touch. Feeling and manipulating objects.
• Learning alphabet letter names and letter sounds.

 

Click here for more CLOUD activities & play ideas

Click here for more ALPHABET activities & play ideas

 

Available in our online shop:

Please click on the product name to view products.

Self-Adhesive Magnets Pack of 75

Plui Rain Cloud: The Rain Cloud beautifully illustrates the cycle of water and magically turns kids into little rain makers. This smart bath toy works like a pipette and makes simple physics tangible and fun. The Rain Cloud delights, surprises and becomes a favourite during bath time. A hidden mechanism allows parent to open the Rain Cloud for cleaning.

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Toddler Pouch

Toddler Activities from Familyeducation.com http://ift.tt/1KFm0sT This art project results in a pouch that can hold all of your toddler's interesting discoveries.

How To Get Your Child To Stop Lying

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 At some point in every child’s life they figure out how to lie. From there on out it is a struggle to teach them the importance of telling the truth and get them to stop lying.

We asked a question on our Facebook page, to see how other parents handled lying in their homes. Here are some of our best answers from our Facebook community:

• Don’t give your daughter an opportunity to lie if you don’t have to.  If you KNOW she did something, just be straightforward, instead of trapping her in a lie to “catch” her in the act. – This is so true! Have you ever noticed how many times we say things like “did you hit your sister?” or “who took candy from this dish?”, when we already know the answer. Instead of giving them an opportunity to lie, we can skip to the chase and deal with the other behavior first of all and save every one a lot of trouble and stress. 

• My father also used an analogy of their trust in us (my sister & me) was like a bank savings account and every time we lied we made a withdrawal from that account. If we kept making withdrawals without making any deposits (telling the truth) then pretty soon we would be in the negative and it would take a long time & lots of deposits to be in the positive again. – We love this analogy. Breaking it down into a picture or story that kids can relate to and understand is a great way to teach them a concept that is otherwise a bit complex and hard to grasp. While this bank account idea might be a bit beyond a smaller child, you can brainstorm another object lesson that they might be able to understand instead. 

• My mother always said “if you always tell the truth, we will back you up on anything, because we know you aren’t a liar. But if you lie to us, we can’t defend you, because we can’t trust you, and we aren’t sticking our necks out for you because we can’t be sure you’re telling the truth.” 

• Put her “story telling” energy into story telling. Give her paper, let her write her fictitious world. Have her illustrate.  Help her turn something negative into something positive.

• My mom works in a school and how she says she handles kids who are lying is to say something like: that’s a good story, you are so creative, now can you tell me what actually happened ( in a friendly way)?  It lets the kids know that you know they are lying, but also gives them a way to tell the truth without fear of being in trouble.

Here are some more articles about kids and lying:

For a more in depth look at lying in kids you can try one of these amazing resources.

• I love this article that talks about different ages and lying – from toddlerhood to tweens here’s Why Kids Lie – Age by Age from Parenting.com
• These are great suggestions and ideas for planning ahead. How to get my child to stop lying from Positive Discipline

Here are some books about kids and lying:

It can be hard to discuss big concepts like lying with little kids. Sometimes they simply won’t sit still long enough to discuss it, and truly don’t even know what the word “lying” means. We’ve found that children’s books are a great way to introduce them to the topic and it’s definition, so that when you call them out for lying to you, they know what you are talking about!

• Children’s Book: The Berenstain Bears and the Truth
• Parent Resource: Why Kids Lie – How Parents Can Encourage Thoughtfulness by Paul Ekman
• Just for Fun: Download this true/false scanner on your phone! <—psst…you decide if it shows up true or false!

Have your kids hit a lying stage yet? How have you handled it? We hope these resources and ideas for helping kids to stop lying will help your family grow stronger together in a truthful way!

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How To Deal With Step Parent Jealousy

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Divorce is hard on any family, but then what happens when step parents enter the equation? It’s so hard not to feel step parent jealousy because of the new man or woman in your child’s life. Finding the balance as both families change and grow can be a difficult task.

We talked to our Facebook community about dealing with jealous step parents. There were so many good ideas and stories shared from all different perspectives that we wanted to share them with you too!

-My oldest son has a stepmom. She calls him her son, and he calls her Mom. In my eyes, she deserves that title. I can see how much she loves my son, and how good she has been to him. I feel lucky that my son has so many people that love him and want to support him. You have to put your own feelings aside and think of your child(ren) first. That is a big part of what being a parent means.

–My ex got remarried before I did and his wife took to my kids.  She was all over Facebook with the “my” boys, and posting pictures and gushing about how she loved her family. It hurt for a while….to see MY kids love on another woman, and take to her. But then, I started to realize this was a good thing. There are so many step parents that want nothing to do with their step kids, hateful people, I was actually lucky to have this woman. I made her my ally, she would always come to me first before making any decisions.

–I completely understand that this must be very hard for you, but don’t think of it like she is trying to steal your son – a mummy can never be replaced.  But how lucky he is to have 3 parents who care for him!

-I am a stepmom and a bio mom. I refer to my step kids as my kids and occasionally they call me mom. I love all of the kids the same. My bio kids have a stepmom too and I would have no issue with them calling her mom. We should want our kids to know as much love as possible, not be worried about who’s feelings they are going to hurt.

Here are some great books for step-parents:

If you are the “other” parent in the family, these resources might help you find your footing as a step parent and related to every one else in the situation a bit better!

Blended Families by Lilli Morgan

Happy Step Mother: Stay Sane, Empower Yourself, Thrive in your new Family by Rachelle Katz

Here are even more great articles about step-parent jealousy:

I love how they describe the basic root of jealousy in this article about blended family jealousy from Blended Family Focus

This is an interesting perspective on the role that the other Mom plays in your blended family: What Divorced Moms Should Know About Step-Moms from No One’s the Bitch

Not sure where you fit into the family?  This is all about What Role Should a Step-Parent Play? by Dr. Phil

Blended families are a beautiful thing, but finding the strength to work together and figuring out how that looks in your families is definitely a trick! We’d love to hear your advice on our Facebook page!

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Pancake Sandwiches

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In our house, a breakfast favorite is pancake sandwiches! We are totally in love with pancakes in every way, but these are some of our favorite!

My son was so proud that “he made breakfast”.  He loves cooking, and helping in any way!  His favorite part is mixing the batter!

We used some of the batter to spell our names with pancake letters and made mini-pancakes with the rest of the batter.  These were the perfect size for little hands to grab!

A tip we use to keep the mess to a minimum, especially when my two-year old is the one cooking:  Put the batter into ziplock bags, cut a corner out of the bag, and pipe the batter onto your griddle.

When I let Z pour the batter my stove is covered!  Using bags of pancake batter lets him participate more in the cooking process.

How To Make Pancake Sandwiches

Grab two pancakes, lather on the peanut butter, add slices of bananas and you have a hit with kids and mommy alike!

I can see us making variations in the future with eggs and bacon, or with breakfast sausage patties.

These would be great to make for road-trips or other out-and-about mornings!

Have you ever made a pancake sandwich before? Tell us all about it over on our Facebook page!

Check out another one of our favorite breakfast foods – Freezable Breakfast Burritos.  We love the convenience!

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Technology Use and Your Toddler's Communication Development

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One of my favorite tools to use during speech therapy sessions is the iPad.  There are many apps that can emphasize the activities we do during a particular session.  However, the majority of the session is spent interacting with the child through good old fashioned play.  We play with toys, sing songs, talk, blow bubbles.  The list goes on and on. 

One thing I find fascinating is how a 2 year old can work an iPad or iPhone.  Sometimes I think the toddler can make it work better than I can!  It’s also a little disturbing because some children use technology devices more than interacting with parents, other children, friends, etc.  Keep in mind that the more time a child interacts with another person the more he or she builds his or her communication skills. 

A new survey of U.S. parents commissioned by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) published their results and found significant percentages reporting technology use by children ages 0-8.  More than half of the parents surveyed were also concerned with the negative impacts of technology use and its impact on communication as well.   You can read more about the survey results here:  New ASHA Survey of U.S. Parents:  Significant Percentages Report That Very Young Children Are Using Technology.     
While technology does have its time and place, try to limit technology use to a few minutes per day.  Turn off access to tablets, computers, phones, and televisions, and interact with your little ones.  Read to your child, play with your child, talk to your child, go outside and talk a walk with your child.  Make it fun and interactive.  This is how your young child learns to talk and communicate, plus you get to spend that important one on one time with your child.  They’re only little for a very short time, so enjoy it while you can!   

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Tube Ball

Toddler Activities from Familyeducation.com http://ift.tt/1ADJhrC Your toddler will enjoy watching the ball zoom down the tube and into the basket in this rainy day activity.

50 Homemade Popsicle Recipes

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Making popsicles is one of our favorite things to do in the summer. There are so many incredible popsicle recipes to make with your kids. Some of them are even healthy!

The cool thing about popsicles, is that you can create so many different options because there is almost no ingredient that won’t work. You can keep concocting and testing all summer!

50 Homemade Popsicle Recipes

For an extra special treat, put candy and lemonade in a popsicle mold for a candy surprise!

Want your popsicles to stop dripping?  Add jello!  Here’s how.

These healthy kiwi pops only take three ingredients! From Tasty Homemade Popsicles.

Perfect for toddlers, these fruit and honey yogurt popsicles are healthy and delicious.  From Mama Papa Bubba.

This one ingredient popsicle recipe is totally kid-friendly – they can even make it themselves!

Banana ice cream pops are perfect for picky eaters and really easy to make.  From My Life and Kids.

Banana pops are another really fun summer treat.  All you need is bananas, chocolate and lollipop sticks.

These Ninja Turtle popsicles look just like Raphael!  Plus, they’re super healthy.  From Love and Marriage.

Try this sleepytime pop for your little ones that have trouble sleeping.  A little bit of chamomile tea, yogurt and a banana is the perfect evening popsicle.

Kids love these healthy blueberry and coconut popsicles.  They’ll never know they’re good for them!  From Raising Generation Nourished.

These are possibly the easiest popsicles you’ll ever make and kids absolutely adore them.

Use a popsicle mold to mix ice cream and candy and turn it into a fun summer treat.

Mix three of your favorite fruits and some milk in a blender, freeze in a popsicle mold and you have a super healthy summer treat.

Turn your favorite orange julius recipe into a popsicle! These taste so good.  From A Night Owl Blog.

If you have a sick one in the house, you can make these homemade electrolyte pops to help rehydrate them.  From Don’t Mess with Mama.

Do your kids love Monster High? Make Draculaura popsicles!

Greek yogurt popsicles are a perfect way to sneak protein in your kids diet!  From Your Modern Family.

Chocoloate covered straweberry popsicles are so good!  Such a fun twist on a classic treat.

Our favorite popsicle makers

 Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Kitchen Einstein Popsicle Mold

Fresh Baby Silicone Popsicle Maker

Tovolo Groovy Ice Pop Maker

Here are the rest of the popsicle recipes. You can even add your own!  By linking up, you give other blogs permission to link back to your site and use one photo in a roundup post.  Family friendly links only, please.

An InLinkz Link-up

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5 Conversations to Increase Confidence in Teens

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Whew.  Being a teenager is complicated.  You are stuck between kid-dom and adulthood…and sometimes that isn’t the most comfortable of places!

These ideas for teen confidence were inspired by our sponsor, Invisalign Teen® clear aligners, who recently completed a survey on the subject.  They are sharing what they learned by launching a Teen Confidence Campaign to help parents navigate through tough issues around peer pressure, teasing and appearance that they are dealing with everyday.

I look back on my teenage years with a bit of cringing, but overall I weathered it well.  I think there were some key conversations I had that set me in the right path.  The bottom line is that we want to equip our kids with the ability to make an informed decision and then feel confident in it.

5 Conversations to Increase Confidence in Teens

#1:  I will back you up – It was my first date and my dad took me aside and said that whatever crazy story I made up to get home by curfew {or anytime}, he would back me up.  He played out a silly scenario of a ridiculous situation and how if I came home with that story or any other, he would be nodding and confirming in front of my date.  It gave me freedom to know that I didn’t have to be the bad guy, my parents would take that role if it was easier for me at the time.

#2:  Practice saying “no” – This is something many adults have such a difficult time with…no wonder it is hard for teens.  I am not just talking about serious situations where a “no” is needed, but also small decisions that can help teens get confident in using the word.  It is freeing to know that you can say no without a disclaimer, excuse or explanation.  Encouraging teens to try the word no without justification can free them to choose it when it is even more important.

#3:  It is OK to fail – So much importance is put on achievement these days, but often life teaches the best lessons in the middle of a failure.  Sports give the perfect example of learning through consistent mistakes.  But if you have a non-sports-inclined child, grab a board game and host a family game night!  Gracefully losing is a skill that may take more than a few tries to perfect…but that is part of the process!

#4:  Active listening – As adults, we often perfect the preaching/teaching component of a conversation and forget the listening part.  That is particularly difficult for teens who need to be heard.  If active listening is a problem for you, then start by thinking about it as tossing a ball back and forth – the one with the ball has the floor.  This visualization can start making the process a habit.  When adults model this behavior, it is much easier for teens to follow.

#5:  Play the “how would you” game – Teens {like us all} love to give their opinion.  Feeding into this can be a really strong role-playing strategy that can be a fun and natural part of conversation.  Whether it is a news story, hypothetical situation or a conversation sparked by a friend’s predicament, following some facts with the question “how would you” handle the problem can be a lot of fun!  Take the answer with a judgment-free tone and ask leading questions to get the whole story.  Start with lighter, sillier conversations if a teen is hesitant to give their opinion.

Teen Confidence Survey Results

The makers of Invisalign Teen clear aligners commissioned a Teen Confidence Survey that pinpointed data around self-esteem and peer pressure.  The results show that while kids face many of the same issues that teens have for generations, the world is a different place today!  Here are a few things they learned:

• 54 percent of teens felt their life would be better without social media.
• 40 percent feel their appearance is being judged more closely on social media than in person.
• 90 percent of teens think their appearance influences their popularity.

While it is a major goal to help kids build inner-strength and self-esteem, ignoring a teen’s appearance can cause a lot of issues.  For many kids, braces are a big and often negative part of their teen years:

• 57 percent of teens are embarrassed to have crooked teeth vs. only 23 percent of moms {thought the same thing}.
• 41 percent of teens feel wearing traditional braces is embarrassing: only 18 percent of moms agree.

Teens straightening their teeth with Invisalign Teen clear aligners say their self-esteem was boosted while in treatment.

Free Interactive Pocket Guide to “Unbrace Teen Confidence”

The Invisalign Teen brand collaborated with top parenting expert and author, Erika Katz, to use this survey data to assist parents.

It is free!  You can get it by clicking here:  Invisalign Unbrace Teen Confidence

Oh!  Also, as a part of the campaign, Invisalign Teen is making a donation to DoSomething.org – an organization that builds teen confidence by creating opportunities for them to drive positive change in the world.  Click here to learn how you can help.

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Kids Activities Blog is excited to be working with the maker’s of Invisalign Teen clear aligners again this year.  Holly Homer is an Invisalign Teen brand spokesperson and thrilled to be talking about her Invisalign treatment experience as well as starting a new Invisalign Teen clear aligners journey with one of her boys.  This is a paid position.  All opinions expressed are her own.  Full disclosure.

 

 

 

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