Oral hygiene is a healthy habit that you should practice daily. Research reveals that dental issues could affect your kids’ daily activities, including talking and eating, with about 50% of children having cavity issues by age five. This makes it crucial to prioritize your kids’ dental health and keep their teeth in good condition. If you don’t know where to begin, here are some practical dental care tips for kids to help.
***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***
It’s best to start teaching your kids to brush their teeth regularly right away so that it becomes a habit. Brushing their teeth twice a day is ideal, so aim to brush when they wake up and again before bed. Doing this helps protect their teeth from cavities and tooth decay, and it keeps their teeth strong. Encourage them to brush their gums and tongue, too.
Make the routine fun by giving them colorful toothbrushes and letting them choose their favorite toothpaste flavor. You can develop a catchy song that you can sing with them together during their brushing routine, too. The song will help them easily remember the steps involved. Building this habit will help ensure that they can independently brush their teeth alone by age 7 or 8.
2. Schedule Regular Dental Visits
Health experts recommend that you visit the dentist at least twice a year. They also encourage parents to start taking their kids to the dentist by their first birthday. Additionally, it’s ideal for kids to visit the dentist at least once every six months.
This practice helps to identify issues early enough to be treated. It also helps them develop the habit of regular dental visits to continue even when they’re adults. Before taking them to their appointment, it’s best to sensitize them by letting them read a fun book about dentists. Or, spend time telling them what to expect to allay any fears or concerns they may have. Dental care service providers such as Comfort Family Dentistry are on hand to cater to your dental needs, including that of your kids.
3. Encourage a Healthy Diet
Although most kids love sugary foods, it’s not advisable to let them indulge all the time. Help them avoid too much sugar by encouraging more fruits and vegetables in their diet. Reduce carbonated drinks as much as possible, too. Foods rich in calcium will also help strengthen their teeth, while sugary foods and drinks can ruin their oral health.
Whenever they consume sugary stuff, they should brush their teeth right after to avoid decay. You can make this more convenient by having fruits and veggies already chopped up in the fridge. With this simple meal prep, you can easily give your kids healthy snacks when they’re hungry before dinner. Plus, fruits and veggies will help with reducing their craving for sugary snacks.
Helpful Dental Care Tips for Kids
Without help from an adult, kids will struggle to develop proper oral hygiene. It must be learned, so helping your child develop good habits now will make a huge difference. Try these dental care tips for kids to make the process a little easier on both of you.
There are many reasons for wanting to boost your mood and learn how to be happy. The meaning of happiness will vary from one person to another, but it is always good to see what makes others happy. You can find inspiration from others to apply to your life, and it can help you figure out how to be happy. Not only will you see your mood improve, but you can also use this to your advantage and work on other areas of self-improvement, such as building confidence.
Staying busy is a good way to build your self-worth and be happier in life. At the end of the day, looking back to see all you have achieved will make you happy.
However, if you are too busy and feel like you don’t have enough time, this can cause stress and unhappiness. The key is to find a middle ground. Stay busy enough to prevent boredom and dissatisfaction, but don’t overdo it by pushing yourself too much.
2. Smile More
Research shows that smiling releases chemicals in your brain that help you fight off stress. Even on the days when it feels a bit too much, force a smile. You will likely find that even a forced smile will turn into a genuine one, and even if it doesn’t, it will still make you feel happier.
Of course, if it is your smile that is a factor in your low mood, seeking regular dental assistance and checkups could be the answer. Practices such as Madison Ave Dental are there to help.
3. Work On Your Relationships
All relationships are important, including those with your friends and your significant other. But, all relationships require work.
Studies show that having quality trusting relationships in your life will boost your happiness. These relationships provide companionship, laughter, someone to talk to, someone to listen to, and someone to share the highs and lows of everyday life with.
You will find joy in taking care of others. So, be proactive with this because relationships are a two-way street. You will get as much out as you put in. Check-in with your loved ones, partake in celebrating their successes, and engage within their lives.
4. Treat Yourself
If you want to bring joy to someone else, it tends to be done through the concept of giving. You may give flowers, buy a gift, treat them to a day out, or any other small acts. Now, apply the same logic to yourself. You don’t need to rely on others to lift your mood.
If you are in a position to bring about your own happiness, do it. If buying flowers will lift your spirits, then buy them. You don’t need to wait around for someone else to do these kind things for you. If you treat yourself and take care of your desires, you will have figured out how to be happy.
How To Be Happy
You deserve happiness, and learning how to be happy can help you achieve it. Try implementing some of these tips in your daily life and see what happens. Do you have anything to add to the list? Leave a comment and let me know!
Don’t take your eyes for granted. You never know when the beautiful world around you may turn into a blurry, gloomy place because you didn’t make healthy eyes a priority.
Our eyes might be small compared to other animals, but they are highly complex. In fact, some say that we have the best eyesight of all because we have depth perception. We recognize up to 1 million different colors and we also have a very quick and sharp focus. Our eyes adapt to light much faster than other animals, despite our night vision not being so great.
Unfortunately, everyday life can bring some troubling issues for our eyes. This list of tips for healthy eyes can help abate the trouble, though, giving you a stronger, healthier, and sharper vision.
***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***
How to Ensure You Have Healthy Eyes
Eating for your eyes
Your eyes are just like any other organ, and certain food suits them best. For our intestines, we like to eat things like yogurt and fiber-rich foods like wholewheat. For our eyes, though, we need fatty acids that will give our eyes the nutrients they need to work at a high level.
Foods with fatty acids that will help with healthy eyes include (but are not limited to):
Salmon: smoked salmon for your dinner or lunchtime salad would be good
Other oily fish such as tuna: helps get those fatty acids and zinc into your diet
Fruit such as oranges, or any other citrus types of fruits
Pork
Leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale
If you are overweight, some of these foods will have less of an impact. In this case, focus on reaching a healthy weight to get the best out of the nutrients you are absorbing.
You should always carry a pair of sunglasses with you. Just like carrying an umbrella in the car in case of a rainy day, a pair of sunglasses is going to help you in everyday life, too.
The sun can damage your eyes, especially on bright days. Your eyes are just as at risk when it comes to the sun as your skin is. A pair of good sunglasses can protect your iris from UV light and prevent your eyes from becoming inflamed, dry, or itchy. Too much direct sunlight can result in a higher chance of getting macular degeneration, too.
Eye Safety
If you work in a production plant, then you need to always wear eye protection. Particularly for those who work in manufacturing, eye protection is a must-have. Buy yourself some workman glasses that are strong and can protect your eyes from wood chippings and metal debris.
One of the things you might be concerned about is dust. Fiber dust and other small but irritable dust particles found in production plants and facilities can get everywhere, including your eyes. It’s a good idea to buy protective glasses that fit your face, and you can even get them custom-made to fit your face better.
Eye Medicine
Whether it’s for allergies, an infection, or just a normal eye condition, you need to buy the right kind of eyedrops. For example, if you have blepharoptosis, make sure you have acquired ptosis eyedrop. It’s going to lift the eyelid, allowing you to see better and cause less disturbance.
If you have allergies to pollen or pets, then you should get a histamine blocker. These kinds of drops block the release of water, preventing your eyes from watering and becoming dry during allergic reactions.
Always do your research before you put anything into your eyes, including medicine and eye drops. Make sure that the reviews of the product explain what happened when someone else used it. A better option is to call your doctor and ask them which ones they recommend.
Computers and Overloading
It is essential that you take care of your eyes when on the computer. Many of us stare at a screen for hours on end. Staring for so long can cause you to have eye strain, blurred vision, headaches, neck pain, issues with focusing on faraway objects, and dry eyes.
To help with healthy eyes, ensure that you are wearing a good pair of glasses while looking at the computer. Modern glasses can give you a clearer vision without the need to absorb so much light in the lenses.
You should also take breaks from the screen and allow your eyes to settle. This can help your eyes relax and not be so fatigued at the end of the day. To avoid glare, try to buy an anti-glare screen or a screen protector with anti-glare properties that you can put over the top of your current monitor.
You should also periodically rest your eyes, by looking away at something 20 feet away, about every half hour. Hold this look for about 20-30 seconds.
Wash Your Hands
The number one way we get eye infections is through dirty hands touching our eyes. It’s quite common to touch something in a public space and then touch your eyes. An hour or so later you find that your eye is now red, itchy, and watering.
It’s highly advisable that you do not touch your eyes with the inside of your hand. Try to use the outside of your palm or your wrist to itch or clear your eyes of something. Additionally, never touch the surface of your eyes, and always use your own skin to rub the eyes.
Get Some Sleep
It cannot be advised enough to get plenty of sleep. You need to get good sleep if you want to have well-working eyes the following day. This means that you need to get about 6-8 hours of sleep.
Not only will your eyes look better (no bags and dark patches), but you will also be able to look at your screen for longer and not feel as much eye fatigue. Self-massage is a good way to relax your eyes before you go to sleep and it could help you nod off sooner.
Exercise Regularly for Healthy Eyes
To help improve your eyes, working out is a good idea. It will build up your respiratory system which you can use to pump fresh blood to the eyes. Fresh blood gives your eyes plenty of oxygen throughout the day.
By working out, you also raise your heart rate, which will wake up some of those muscles in the eyes too. It cannot be overstated how good fresh oxygen is for your eyes.
Stop Smoking
Smoking causing all sorts of problems, one of them being conditions that affect your eyes. Smoke will expose your eyes to oxidative stress which can cause long-lasting damage. The smoke can damage the surface layer, drying up your eyes and causing you to become reliant on hydrating eye drops.
Ensuring You Have Healthy Eyes
For healthy eyes, implement these steps into your lifestyle. Always have a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays. Give your eyes the nutrients they need, and make sure to rest your eyes periodically while working. Ensure you get a good night’s rest every day, and follow the rest of the tips included here.
If you follow these tips, you are sure to have healthier eyes. Do you have any other tips for healthy eyes? Leave a comment and let me know! 🙂
Typically, babies are known for having very smooth and soft skin. Many adult skincare products will advertise themselves as providing results to make your skin as soft as a baby’s, but that doesn’t mean it should be used on your baby’s skin.
There are some fundamental differences between your skin and your baby’s skin. It is essential that you know the differences to ensure that you’re looking after your newborn and taking care of their skin properly.
A newborn baby’s skin is significantly thinner than that of an adult. This is because the skin starts developing while they’re in the womb, but it doesn’t stop until around a year after birth. So, for that first year, your child has very thin skin, meaning their skin barrier is greatly reduced.
It is believed that their skin barrier is 30% thinner than that of an adult. This means that their skin is extremely sensitive and you have to be very delicate when treating it with anything. A lot of the best organic baby lotions are specifically designed for a baby’s thin skin. The natural and organic ingredients aren’t too abrasive, meaning they’re perfect for applying to such a thin skin barrier.
2. Baby Skin is Drier
As you are probably aware, there’s an abundance of products on the market to treat dry skin for babies. You’ll see all sorts of lotions and moisturizers for sale, and there’s a reason for this. Baby skin is significantly drier than adult skin.
Their drier skin is due to switching from the womb to the real world. In the womb, the baby is surrounded by fluids and moisture at all times. When they are born, they suddenly have to adapt to a much drier climate.
Their skin absorbs water much faster than adults and loses it even quicker. You also will notice a lack of natural moisturizers in a baby’s skin, further contributing to excessive dryness. So, be sure you always have some lotions or creams on hand to tackle the dry skin problem and avoid issues like eczema.
3. Baby Skin Loses Heat Quicker
This is actually a consequence of the first point. Due to the thinness of a baby’s skin, it contains fewer lipids, which means the skin doesn’t retain heat as well as an adult’s. As a result, this is one of the reasons that babies struggle to stay warm and can become cold very quickly.
You’ll see so many parents bundling their baby up in clothes and blankets, and for a good reason! Babies have a tougher time regulating their body temperature, and part of this is down to their skin. So, do what you can to keep your baby warm at all times, preventing serious problems like hypothermia.
Protecting Your Baby’s Skin
It’s so important that you know these facts about your baby’s skin. From here, you can make decisions that will target the problems and keep your baby healthy and comfortable. As they get older, their skin develops and becomes more ‘normal’, so you won’t have to worry about this forever.
What are some of your tips for protecting your baby’s skin? Leave a comment and let me know!
Seeing your child grow up is a beautiful thing, and watching them succeed in their endeavors is the cherry on top. Sometimes things get a bit bumpy down the road, though, especially when your child enters into their teen years. It can be hard, but there are ways to help your child through their teenage years.
The teenage years come with many new experiences for your child, and it may start to feel as if you hardly even know them. You know all too well that the teenage years are rough, so try being understanding along the way. There are things you can do as their parent to ensure they always feel supported and loved.
High school, popularity, peer pressure, first relationship, first heartbreak – these are all things that happen within the span of only a few years. Those things are also the reason teenagers have such a tough time coping with everything. You can help your teenager throughout these times so you can both get through it sane and happy.
Focus on Communication
Many teenagers feel like they can’t talk to their parents because they wouldn’t understand. This situation occurs because the communication between the parent and the child is lacking.
Being in constant contact with your child doesn’t mean texting them every 10 minutes. Instead, always ask them how their day was when they get home.
Reassure them that you’re always there if they need to talk to someone about things they may be struggling with. The key is to make them feel like they can talk to you about anything without judgment, which is what most teens are scared of when talking to their parents.
The right kind of help
Whenever things get a bit rough, parents tend to resort to drastic measures to deflate the situation. This is normal because you want your child to be okay and will do whatever it takes, even if it means not necessarily winning a popularity contest. But, there are ways to help your teenager in a way that will be beneficial for you both.
For example, finding illegal substances in your child’s bedroom may come as a massive shock initially. Still, instead of cutting them off, taking away all forms of technology, grounding them for life, and sending them far away to some boarding school, a drug intervention may be a more realistic way to go.
The goal is to find out more about why they were doing it, how often they did it and how they would like to approach the situation. Handling it this way doesn’t necessarily mean no consequences. However, at the end of the day, they need to make the big decisions themselves and accept that they need help.
Help Your Child Through Their Teenage Years
As a parent, it can sometimes be hard to loosen the reigns and know to what extent you should let go. There will be times that you should hold on a bit tighter, too. Recognizing which reaction you should have is hard, but follow your gut, and you will figure it out.
Only you can know, though, because no one in this world knows your child better than you do. The best thing you can do is trust your instincts and trust that your child will do the same.
*How to Improve Your Child’s Social Skills is a guest post written by Samidha Raj at PlanetSpark.*
We all think that children’s lives are easy. But are they really? With problems, such as teasing, bullying, unpopularity, fear, etc., their confidence may take a serious hit, which, in turn, affects social skills in kids. But with some simple and interesting activities, parents can turn that around and raise a confident child.
Read on for some very helpful tips to develop and improve social skills in kids.
Improve Your Child’s Social Skills
Encourage Eye Contact
Good eye contact shows the confidence of the speaker. Therefore, to improve communication skills in kids, encourage kids to look into people’s eyes while talking. Also, teach them how to interact with each person when addressing a group. This is especially a critical lesson in public speaking for kids.
You can try out games, such as a staring contest. You can also encourage play where they tell their dolls and toys stories looking into their eyes.
Leverage Their Interests
To improve social skills in kids, it’s important to first let them learn through activities they like instead of forcing them to be a part of social situations that may be uncomfortable for them. Find out what interests them and encourage socialization with like-minded people. For example, for kids who like singing, you can organize a Karaoke night and invite their friends over. Slowly, you can help your kids socialize with those of varying interests.
Create an Interactive Environment
It’s very important to develop interpersonal skills at an early age. So, create an interactive environment for your child and help them nurture their friendships. You can host playdates, take them to playgrounds, school events, and birthday parties, organize short trips with friends and their parents – basically things that would encourage your child to interact and have fun at the same time.
When kids mingle with others, they will naturally observe and learn, which is critical in laying a strong foundation for social skills in kids.
Engage Kids in Fun Activities
Kids love fun activities such as role-play conversations. So, take advantage of that and create make-believe situations where you can pretend to be someone else, for example, their class teacher or a kid in their gym class. This would help you understand how they behave in similar social situations and correct them wherever necessary.
You can also ask them to play a character and involve lessons on body language, such as making eye contact and smiling.
Teach Empathy
Empathy is very important for developing social skills in kids. But it is difficult for children to understand others’ perspectives and react correctly. So, begin with helping them expand their imagination. Ask them to put themselves in various scenarios and build a conversation around each. For example, if your child sees someone getting bullied at school, ask them to imagine how they would feel had they been in a similar situation.
You can also make good use of their screen time by asking them how a particular character in the show or movie is feeling.
While all these tips are very important for developing social skills in kids, it is important for parents to know when to stop. Do not force your child to learn so many things so fast. Allow them to enjoy the process and they will certainly give their best.
Improve Your Child’s Social Skills, Author Bio:
Samidha Raj works as part of the content marketing team at Planet Spark, a platform that provides online classes to K8 learners on “New Age Skills” like, English Communication, Public Speaking, Grammar, Creative Writing, Debating, etc. She is passionate about empowering the youth by educating parents about the importance of 21st-century skills. In her free time, you can find her watching documentaries or animated movies and organizing game nights (board games are her thing)!
COVID-19 quarantines and lockdowns have caused many disruptions to children’s education. It’s (hopefully) not going to be a regular occurrence because scientists have already developed Covid-19 vaccines, but in the meantime, it’s crucial that parents offer some form of home-based learning for their kids. With that in mind, you may be wondering what the best ways to engage with your children are. One answer is through the use of technology, and there are many helpful devices and tools your kids need for virtual learning.
***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***
Devices and Tools Your Kids Need for Virtual Learning
1. Virtual Reality (VR) Headset
A cursory look on YouTube will reveal many VR-ready videos that allow viewers to enjoy an immersive viewing experience. The available video content ranges from rollercoaster rides and views of Earth from space to close-up videos in wildlife reserves.
VR headsets allow children to feel like they are at the heart of the action and enjoy a truly interactive and immersive experience. One fact about VR headsets is they are affordable. Inexpensive VR headsets start from $10 and can range up to around $500 for an Oculus headset.
2. Noise-Canceling Headphones
When your child has virtual school lessons via Zoom or Skype, they can learn and focus better in an environment free of distractions. Setting up your child’s computer in a quiet room is one way to do that. Sometimes, especially if you have a large family like we do, there are no quiet areas in a family home, though.
In these cases, it’s better to equip your child with noise-canceling headphones. They’re available to suit various needs, and it’s also possible to get headphones for autistic children who find it hard to concentrate when there are noisy distractions around them.
3. Tablet
It’s no secret that we all live in a digital age. Most people, even kids, have several electronic devices they use for communication and productivity. Tablets are essential for kids these days, and they’re easier for little ones to use than other computers. It’s smaller, cheaper, and more interactive to use than a laptop.
Your kids can use tablets as part of their virtual learning as you can download apps for productivity, video conferencing, and more with ease. Of course, you should moderate each child’s time on the tablet, so they cannot access online content unrelated to their learning.
You will undoubtedly include creative learning as part of your child’s home learning curriculum. It’s for that reason touchscreen pens (also known as Stylus pens) make sense and are the perfect complementary accessories for their tablets.
With a touchscreen pen, each child can draw and color with ease on their tablet screen. Touchscreen pens help to foster your children’s creativity by letting them make artistic digital creations. Plus, if your child’s learning requires that they write words, sentences, or numbers, a touchscreen pen can help them do so neatly.
5. Activity Tracker
Finally, an activity tracker such as a smartwatch is ideal for kids who are taught physical education from home. Activity trackers are wearables that monitor a child’s physical exercise and give you and them an overview of their physical activity during a sports session.
Activity trackers are also useful for encouraging and motivating children during physical play as they can quickly check their progress. Plus, such progress can get reported via a linked fitness app on their tablet. It will help them get enough exercise and movement each day, and it can encourage them to set and meet goals.
If you choose a smartwatch as your child’s activity tracker, there are additional benefits, too. Many times, you can set up the watch to receive calls from recognized numbers (such as yours or a grandparent’s). Plus, you can track your child’s location in case you accidentally get separated from them.
Devices and Tools Your Kids Need for Virtual Learning
There are many devices and tools your kids need for virtual learning. You might already use some of these devices, and you can simply add the other tools to help your child out. This is an incredibly uncertain time and it is essential that we don’t let our children’s education suffer.
What devices and tools do you use for your kid’s virtual learning? Tell me in the comments and let me know if you recommend them!
As much of the world has employees working from home and children learning virtually, life seems to be a bit uncertain. Whether you are enjoying the remote lifestyle or you’re hating it, it is something we are all dealing with. Luckily, there are a few reasons that going remote is good for families.
Location is a primary concern when it comes to choosing workplaces and schools. In fact, it’s not uncommon for families to consider moving for work or school. Living closer to places of interest can give parents and children a better chance of finding high-quality education and employment. Now, however, location doesn’t seem to be so important.
Some parents were already familiar with the advantages of remote schooling by enrolling their children in online charter schools. Online charter schools have been integral to the homeschooling experience for many families, even before the pandemic.
Unlike the unexpected digital teaching approach that many traditional schools have had to implement in 2020, online charter schools have already mastered the art of providing high-quality digital education. They provide access to some of the best teachers in the world, making the location of staff and students irrelevant.
Consequently, they have become more popular during the covid crisis since safe and effective schooling methods have been essential. It has been a rocky road for most of us, but going remote isn’t all bad. There’s much to gain for families who choose to remain in digital work and school environments.
According to a survey, most Americans want to keep working from home. This includes even after covid vaccines are safely rolled out to the population.
Working at home makes employment and education an integral part of your lifestyle, without causing disruptions. For many parents, their kids’ school schedule is one of the major issues when it comes to maintaining a full-time job. When parents have to see their children off to school and then be there when they get home, it is hard to work full time.
With going remote, however, parents can work in the morning before their kids leave (or start their virtual school work). Plus, parents can continue working after they get the kids home for the day. This gives parents the opportunity to work more hours while still being an active, supportive parent.
Think about it this way – if you aren’t remote and have to go to the office every day, are you able to be there for your kids while still working full time? You may be able to, but the majority of Americans are struggling with this. Going remote can change that, however, because you can be there for your children WHILE bringing in a full-time income. Win-Win, for sure.
While flexible work arrangements are available in some places, it’s easy to see how digital technologies can eliminate disruptive schedules for parents and children.
2. It Helps Separate Households Share Custody Rights
When families do not live together, such as divorced or separated parents, it’s tricky to make everybody’s schedules fit. More often than not, one parent gets most of the custody rights, ensuring the safe continuation of education for their children.
However, when you replace physical schools with online institutions, both parents can share custody rights equally. It’s a new challenge for family lawyers, but many are willing to embrace it for the sake of families.
Additionally, it can also change the approach to the whole settlement process – you can see more about it here to understand how going remote can make the transition easier for children. In a remote world, there’s no need to worry about changing jobs or schools when one parent moves out.
3. Going Virtual Makes Time to Explore Together
Families that travel together stay together. It is a silly statement, but one that is true. Sharing memorable experiences with your partner and children strengthens your bonds.
In the past, traveling has been extremely limited for families due to time constraints. Children only get so much time off school, and adults get even less time off work. This makes it difficult to plan long trips or to truly explore the world.
With going remote, however, there is no need to plan trips around school breaks and week-long vacations from work. Plus, when you travel during school breaks, tourist areas tend to be expensive and crowded. If your family is remote, you can plan these trips anytime of the year.
Of course, you will still have to work, but if you can take a longer trip, it wouldn’t matter if you had to spend time working during it. So, in this case, going remote is a good thing! It doesn’t matter when you embark on a trip, which saves you money and unnecessary stress!
There is still a long way to go for families to get used to going remote for employment and education. We are only at the start of the path! But, there are already plenty of advantages that could improve our lifestyles and family lives.
We are on a learning curve to make our world safer and better for all, and perhaps digital workplaces and schools could play a significant role in that. If you have been against going remote, I hope these reasons that going remote is good for families will help change your mind!
What are some of the reasons you think going remote is good for families? Tell me about it in the comment section!
Playing board games with your kids can have many benefits. Board games can get your kids away from the screen and allow you to enjoy some family bonding time. On top of this, many board games can have educational benefits while still being very fun.
***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***
Best Educational Board Games to Play With Kids
Chess
Chess is one of the oldest board games that is still played today. It’s a great game for teaching problem solving and strategy skills. In order to win, you need to keep track of all the pieces on the board while planning your moves ahead.
On top of traditional chess boards, there are chess boards available in all different themes from Harry Potter chess boards to Disney chess boards. You can teach chess to kids as young as 6 as this guide explains, although older kids are likely to appreciate the game more. Chess is a 2 player game, making it better suited to one-on-one time.
Scrabble encourages players to earn points by forming words. On top of being a great game for expanding your child’s vocabulary, Scrabble helps kids to develop math skills through adding up points and forming patterns. Plus, it helps with teaching forward planning.
You can play Scrabble with up to four players. As with chess, older kids are likely to appreciate Scrabble more.
If you run out of word ideas, don’t worry. There are lots of tools online that can help you play scrabble better such as this word unscrambler tool.
Monopoly
Monopoly encourages players to buy property around a board until one person owns all the property. It’s a great game for teaching kids money management because in order to win, you need to be able to budget well and take calculated risks.
On top of the classic version of Monopoly, there are now many other versions themed around everything from Star Wars to Pokémon. You can play Monopoly with up to eight players, making it ideal for large families.
Qwirkle
Qwirkle is a game that involves matching colors and shapes using tiles. On top of helping to build logical skills through patterns, Qwirkle is a great game for teaching strategy much like chess or Scrabble (in fact, it’s a bit like a combination of chess and dominoes).
The game is easy to set up and can be played by all ages. Up to four players can play Qwirkle at a time.
The World Game
If you’re looking for a game to teach geography skills, The World Game is the perfect option. Players compete to find the strongest fact about a country and win.
In doing so, players learn trivia about various countries from capital cities to flags. The game also teaches map orientation, helping kids to work out exactly where countries are in the world. It’s suitable for players of all ages and can be played with up to five players.
Learning doesn’t have to be boring, and you don’t have to force it on your kids. By finding the right ways to help them learn, you can have fun and bond while doing it. Board games are the perfect thing for that because they are fun and educational.
What are your favorite educational board games to play with your kids? Tell me in the comments!
Encouraging your child to use their imagination is very important. After all, this is an essential step in their learning process as it helps them develop skills and learn. The best way to get your child’s imagination working is through imaginative play. After all, if something seems fun, then your child will instantly be more responsive and involved.
Luckily, there are quite a few imagination-based toys available in stores and on the internet. Even better, many toys for imaginative play are popular with young children. You’ll be able to find the perfect one for your kiddo that they will love.
***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***
Click these links for a few ideas for pretend play that your kids will love:
There are also online play options and virtual school assemblies. This means that you are not faced with a shortage of options to choose from.
This blog post aims to give you a helping hand with this by simply providing you with some tips and suggestions regarding the promotion of imaginative play.
Figure Out What Type of Imaginative Play Your Child Likes
The key is to try out a few different things to discover what type of imaginative play your child likes. Stick with things that let them use their mind to unlock the door of their imagination.
There are lots of great toys available that are based around role-playing. One of the most popular options to go for is a kid’s kitchen. This gives your child their very own area of space where they can pretend to cook and create different meals.
This helps them because they will be able to become more familiar with different kitchen activities. Plus, they can use their imagination to create different scenarios.
Buy a Dollhouse
Another good option is to buy a dollhouse. These are great because they promote creativity as well as imagination. Your child will be able to decorate the rooms in the house and think of different scenarios between the dolls. Plus, this helps the child learn about family dynamics, the roles of different individuals, and the makings of a household.
Encourage Imaginative Dress-Up
There are lots of different dress-up costumes available from toy stores, and it is another good option to go for. After all, what better way to let your imagination run wild and get into true character than dressing up as something? The choices for dress-up are never-ending, and it is a good idea to let your little one pick which outfit they likes best.
Consider Other Play Home Items
If you are looking for something which is smaller or more affordable than a play kitchen, then there are lots of scaled-down sets. These sets encourage kids to learn different life skills. You can get cake baking sets, laundry sets, coffee making sets, and much, much more.
As you can see, there are several different ways in which you can get your child’s imagination working. Hopefully, the tips to promote imaginative play given in this article will have provided you with some ideas and inspiration. What are some ways your kids enjoy imaginative play? Leave a comment and let me know!
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