few suggestions on how to help kids learn to control their behavior: ...

Tantrums and outbursts from kids with no self-control can rile even the most patient parents.
Whether kids melt down in the middle of a crowded grocery store, at a holiday dinner with extended family, or at home, these fits can be extremely frustrating. But parents can help kids learn self-control and teach them how to respond to situations without just acting on impulse.
Helping Kids Learn Self-Control
By learning self-control, kids can make appropriate decisions and respond to stressful situations in ways that can yield positive outcomes.
For example, if you say that you're not serving ice cream until after dinner, your child may cry, plead, or even scream in the hopes that you will give in. But with self-control, your child can understand that a temper tantrum means you'll take away the ice cream for good and that it's wiser to wait patiently.
Here are a few suggestions on how to help kids learn to control their behavior:
Up to age 2: Infants and toddlers get frustrated by the large gap between the things they want to do and what they're able to do. They often respond with temper tantrums. Try to prevent outbursts by distracting your little one with toys or other activities. For kids reaching the 2-year-old mark, try a brief timeout in a designated area — like a kitchen chair or bottom stair — to show the consequences for outbursts and teach that it's better to take some time alone instead of throwing a tantrum.
Ages 3 to 5: You can continue to use timeouts, but rather than enforcing a specific time limit, end timeouts once your child has calmed down. This helps kids improve their sense of self-control. And praise your child for not losing control in frustrating or difficult situations.
Ages 6 to 9: As kids enter school, they're better able to understand the idea of consequences and that they can choose good or bad behavior. It may help your child to imagine a stop sign that must be obeyed and think about a situation before responding. Encourage your child to walk away from a frustrating situation for a few minutes to cool off instead of having an outburst.
Ages 10 to 12: Older kids usually better understand their feelings. Encourage them to think about what's causing them to lose control and then analyze it. Explain that sometimes the situations that are upsetting at first don't end up being so awful. Urge kids to take time to think before responding to a situation.
Ages 13 to 17: By now kids should be able to control most of their actions. But remind teens to think about long-term consequences. Urge them to pause to evaluate upsetting situations before responding and talk through problems rather than losing control, slamming doors, or yelling. If necessary, discipline your teen by taking away certain privileges to reinforce the message that self-control is an important skill.
When Kids Are Out of Control
Set a good example for your kids by demonstrating healthy ways to react to stressful situations. As difficult as it may be, resist the urge to yell when you're disciplining your child. Instead, try to be firm and matter of fact.
During your child's meltdown, stay calm and explain that yelling, throwing a tantrum, and slamming doors are unacceptable behaviors that have consequences — and say what those consequences are.
Your actions can show that tantrums aren't viable ways for kids to get the upper hand. For example, if your child gets upset in the grocery store after you've explained why you won't buy candy, don't give in — thus demonstrating that the tantrum was both unacceptable and ineffective.
If your child frequently loses control and is continually argumentative, antisocial, or impulsive or if tantrums last for more than 10 minutes, talk to your child's doctor. And talk to the doctor if your school-age child's tantrums are accompanied by:
restlessness
impulsiveness
defiance
difficulty in concentrating
low self-esteem
declining performance in school
Consider speaking to your child's teachers about classroom settings and appropriate behavioral expectations. Also, look at your own actions to see if you are managing stressful situations as well as you can. If not, you might want to ask your doctor about whether family counseling sessions may help.

Make a Family Tree

Make a Family Tree!

“Where did I come from?” Think fast. Don’t panic. In fact, you don’t even have to dodge the question. When your child asks you this, take it as an opportunity to talk with him about his genealogy, his ancestry and his heritage. Whew, that was a close one.Learning about ancestors doesn’t have to be boring. It can be fascinating for your child. You just need to make it fun. Here’s how. First, go through the photo albums and choose pictures of your parents, your spouse’s parents, as well as aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides. Then, pick out some of the immediate family and throw in a snapshot of the family pet for fun.
Once you have your small stack of pictures, you’ll need a large piece of cardstock or heavy construction paper. Then gather up some markers, a glue stick or double-sided tape, a single hole-puncher, and some string. Ask her to draw a tree in the middle of the page, wide enough to fit a picture of herself. Then, working from her photo, help her draw two ‘branches’ coming out of the top of her photo (for you and your spouse) and a few branches at the sides of her picture for any siblings or pets. Glue down the photos of the extended family at the edge of the branches.
When you’ve completed the photo tree, it’s time to talk about the countries the family members came from. If your child is half Irish, a quarter Spanish and a quarter Nepalese, talk about what makes each country famous. Encourage your child to draw representative pictures around the tree. A shamrock here, some bulls running there, a Buddha in the corner. Then punch two holes, one in each top corner of the paper, and tie the string through it. You’ve got an instant hanging family tree.Give this classic activity a multi-media twist. Go to the local library or on-line to find some traditional music from your family's country of origin, be it mariachi, polka or opera. If your child has a mix of music in their heritage, they can have fun playing DJ.
Nothing says culture like food. You can extend the fun into the kitchen by cooking up some delicious recipes from the countries represented in the family tree. Perhaps, you could even try your hand at the hot new trend in culinary--ethnic fusion. Corned beef pad-thai, anyone?
Your child will have learned something important about who he is and where he comes from, and you’ve managed to avoid the birds and bees talk -- at least temporarily. Job well done.

Parent and Child activities

The Challenge of Spending Quality Time with Your Kids If you have young children , you know that the thing they want most is YOU!

If you have young children, you know that the thing they want most is YOU! They want your attention. They want your teaching. And they want to play with YOU! How flattering! The love is awesome!
But here’s the hard part. Finding the time amidst all your work, home, and personal tasks on your to-do list. Then when your child finally gets your attention, you say, “OK I’m going to drop everything right now. Let’s play!” Then what happens? You probably end up doing the same things over and over again, wishing you could remember “What was that cool thing I thought of to do with the kids?”
Ok, so here is the answer to your your question “What Should I Do with the Kids Today?”

Here’s the List:
101 Quality-Time Parent Child Activities
Older Kids
Fly a Kite - Kites are cheap and kids love them. Stay clear of power lines and enjoy.
Hangman - this is a fun way to work on spelling with kids without them realizing it.
House of Cards - This isn’t easy, but it can be fun. It offers a good opportunity to talk with your child to get them to open up and tell you about their day at school, etc.
Beading - both boys and girls can have fun with stringing beads.
Macrame - knotting, weaving, etc crafts are always fun. Search for Macrame on Google.
Play 500 - Use any kind of ball. The thrower says “I have 50 points up for grabs.” or any number he/she wants. Then the person who catches the ball wins those points. First person to 500 wins.
Pickle - Set up the two bases about 20 feet apart. Select two kids to be “it”, one at each base. The other kids would divide and go to the bases. The game starts by two kids tossing the ball to each other. The object of the game is to time running from one base to the other without being tagged by the ball. If tagged then that new person is it. Any kind of ball is fine.
Marco Polo - water/swimming game. One person is “It.” They keep their eyes closed. They shout “Marco” and then everyone else shouts “Polo.” The person who is it tries to tag the other players by hearing where they are. Lots of fun!
The ABC Game - Great for in cars. Start with finding something that begins with the letter A. First person to shout out an answer get a point. Go all the way to Z. The person with the most points wins.
I Spy - Another car game. “I spy something Red.” Then everyone has to guess what it is.
Name that Tune - Hum a song and see if others can guess the name of the song. You can add this variation too: “I can name that song in 5 notes.”
Mad-Libs! - these are so much fun. Rainy day or in a car. This is a great one for learning nouns, verbs, and so on. And it is a riot! You can find free ones online in a pinch.
Conflict Games - Have children act out with you the difficulties they run into at school. By making it fun you can help kids overcome some of the conflicts that they face. Be creative.
Musical Glasses - fill glasses with different levels of water. Either tap with a spoon or rub the rim with a wet finger to make sounds. See if you can play some tunes.
Make a Soap Pal - use needle, thread and a face cloth to sew a soap holder. If you have more fabric you can sew on eyes, nose and smiley mouth too.
Board Games - Trivial Pursuit for Kids, Life, Clue, Yatzee, Monopoly, Checkers, and Chess are great. Remember how much fun they were? Enjoy them again today with your kids!
Charades - Think of a word and then act it out to have the rest of the group guess what the word it.
Pictionary - You don’t need the board game. Just divide into two groups. Even two people could play. You pick a word from the dictionary and then draw pictures and the others try to guess what the word it.
Younger Kids
Pattern Play - take different shaped and/or colored objects and line them up in a pattern. (blue block, red block, Blue, red) Then have your child figure out what comes next. Any objects will do. You can also try sound patterns like clapping, tapping, funny noises, and have your child repeat them back. If they can have them make up patterns and you repeat them back.
Sorting Play - 2 WAYS: 1) Gather some different objects like blocks, toy cars, stuffed animals, coins, spoons, and ask “How should we sort these?” Then ask if they could be sorted another way. 2) Have children help you with sorting real household items such as sorting laundry, silverware, toys, etc.
Feel and Guess - Get a bag that you can’t see through and put about 10 different objects into it. Anything will do. (spoon, keys, yarn, toys, crayon, watch, remote control, etc.) Each person closes their eyes and takes out one object. They feel it and try to guess what it is.
Ramp Play - make a simple ramp with a piece of cardboard or even a large book, what ever is handy. Take different objects to see how they go down the ramp. Toy cars, plastic cups, a sock, small toys. Ask child what they think will happen with each. Test it. Talk about why they are different. Have races.
Letter Play & Number Play - Take index cards and draw the letter. On the back you draw something that begins with that letter. Let the child color it in all the while talking about the letter and the sound it makes. For numbers write the number on one side and then that number of objects on the back such as stars, smiley faces, anything. Let child color. You can do this a few each day. It’s hard to do all in one day.
Tic-Tac-Toe - little kids love this!
Reading Books - You read. Then let the child “read” to you with the pictures. Lots of praise. Your child will be learning to love reading.
Sing kiddie songs -Bingo, Intsy Wintsy Spider, Five Little monkeys, Mary Had a Little Lamb, London Bridge, My Bonnie, Old MacDonald, Row Row Row Your Boat, You know all the ones. Use hand signals. Make them up if you need to. Have fun.
Learning About Money - teach about the different coins. Ask them what they think. Talk about the difference between spending and saving, and also how we get money.
Properties of Objects - discuss the properties of different objects: soft, furry, hard, rough, round, cold, warm, etc. Then go on hunts around the house for things with those specific properties.
Role Play - pretend games are a young child’s favorite. Pirates, Firemen, Fairy Princess, etc. You can also use this as a way to start teaching about what to say when confronted with strangers and peer pressure for things like smoking. It’s best to start when they are young, not when the peer pressure starts. Take turns playing the “bad guy” or the “tempter.” Keep it light hearted and positive.
Silly questions - take turns asking each other things like “Would you rather be a cat or a dog?” And don’t forget to ask why.
What am I? - For instance you might say “I am big and gray. I have a long trunk and I live in Africa. Who am I?” And so on. It’s like 20 questions but easier for little kids.
It Felt Like -after reading books to your child take it a step further and ask how they think certain characters felt in certain situations. Explore the world of feelings.
Bath Party - bath paints, bath toys, what could be more fun. Let your child lead the way in this playing adventure.
Bubbles! - make your own with water and a small amount of dishsoap and/or glycerin. Use straws or funnels for blowing the bubbles.
ALL AGES
Fun with Cleaning - Choose either windows (Kids love to squirt spray bottles), dusting, or tidying up. Make it fun with music, incentives (such as hiding money to be found when tidying) or prizes for getting all the windows cleaned.
Goopy Fun - mix 1 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup water in a big bowl. Squish it and it become solid. Let it sit and it turns back into a liquid.
Bean Bag Toss - mark out squares with masking tape on the floor and make different points for each box. You can used small stuffed animals instead.
Baking - even young kids can help with pouring or mixing. It might be messier, but that’s part of the fun. Kids look cute in aprons too. Get a picture of your little chefs! Search Google for cookie recipes.
Make Jack-o-Lanterns - In season, search Google for Jack-o-lantern patterns. You cut the pumpkin. Be careful!!! Kids can help gut the inside and help draw the face pattern. You do the carving. After search Google for pumpkin seed recipe, and yum, you’ll have a healthy treat for afterwards.
Play with Blocks - It is the one toy that kids never outgrow. Join in for the fun. See where your child’s imagination will lead.
Let’s play cards - Games like Go Fish, War, and Concentration are easy and fun. For young kids use a small amount of cards when playing concentration. You might want to make up your own with pictures. Just use simple symbols like yellow star, red circle, blue square, etc. For older kids you could try out Rummy. Or search google for more ideas.
Nature Exploration - Head to the beach, woods, a field, the mountains, whatever is close to you and begin with “Let’s listen and explore the mysteries here!” Listen, what do you hear? Look, what do you see? Smallest things, biggest things? Ask lots of questions. Be curious about Everything! Have fun. When you get home lookup things online that were burning questions for you and your kids.
Tent City - Grab some pillows and sheets and set up a tent in your living room. Bring snacks, play pretend (let child lead the way), play 20 questions, Sing songs, tell stories.
Star Gazing at Night - ask what patterns they see. Tell them about the constellations you know. What do they think of the stars. What do you think? What’s out there? How big is it? Aren’t we lucky to have these stars!
Visit the Zoo - The opportunities for fun, learning, and bonding are endless. Make it fun. Bring snacks and drinks and as always with outings, keep a watch on the kids’ and your own energy level. When energy starts to fade, it’s time to finish off on a good note and get home to rest.
Collage with Nature - go outside and collect leaves and flowers from nature that can be made into a collage. Use paint too.
Collage with Magazines - cut out pictures from old magazines and make some cool collages. Hang them up when done. For older kids you could try doing mosaic collages with pictures of different colors. For creative ideas search google for “collage ideas” or “mosaic collage crafts.”
Painting! - finger paints, brush paints, any kind. The only key here is to completely let your child express his/herself freely. Don’t guide too much except for instruction on how to use the paints. Have fun!
Coloring - both crayons and magic markers are so much fun. Both free drawing and coloring books. The possibilities are endless.
Sidewalk Chalk - pictures, letters, numbers, hopscotch games, tracing hands etc. Lots of fun!
Visit the Library - Suggestion: stay clear of the computers. Explain ahead of time that the visit is about finding some great books. You can read to your child right there in the library and let them pick out a ton of books to borrow. Try to go once a week or every other week.
Go to the Park - to make this different you might want to try a new park for a change. Take a drive and explore a new park. Bring healthy snack and water.
Go to the Beach - sandcastles, swimming, playing ball or frisbee, taking a walk. The beach or a lake is a wonderful place to bond and chat the day away with your kids.
Crafts - some fun projects to look up on Google: paper mache projects, cut & paste with construction paper, etc. Search for others based upon the materials you know you have already.
Create a Chart - Use this method for encouraging any behavior you’re trying to work on with a child from potty training to (older kids) putting on their seatbelts when they get in the car. Let the child make the chart with you. Let them decorate it. Their involvement raises the excitement level and ensures success.
Play Catch - with little kids, you can start with catching stuffed animals that are easier for them to grab onto, then graduate to an actual ball.
Jumping games - jumping jacks, jumprope, hopscotch, etc.
Mother May I - an old favorite. Everyone asks “Mother� may they take so many steps. The idea is to take big steps. The first person to touch Mother wins.
Tag/Chase Games - always fun and good exercise for everyone involved! Try this website for several variations of chasing games: http://www.gameskidsplay.net/games/chasing_games/index.htm
Hide and Seek - (indoors for little kids)
Stamping - use all kinds of objects with paint to make different patterns, like sponges, string, leaves, forks, and more. Or you can make stamps with potatoes. Older kids can use a spoon or other non-sharp object to carve out a picture on the potato. Never let a child use a knife even with supervision.
Tea Party - cookies and decaf tea! What fun! Maybe the kids can even dress up in mommy and daddy’s clothes!
Dress Up - Let’s put on mommy and daddy’s clothes! You be the kid. Let your kid show you how they see you! See what it’s like to be them. This can be really funny and eye opening!
Dance Fever - have a mini dance party.
Put on a Mini Play - either use a story you all know or make one up.
Volunteer - How about a visit to a local nursing home? Or maybe you could take an elderly neighbor on an outing with you, say to a bookstore or coffeeshop. Helping others is always a positive experience.
Visit a museum - science, natural history, art. Go for a drive and enjoy the day together learning.
Painting Rocks - Find some nice rocks. Paint with acrylic paints. Paint pictures and let them dry. If you want a shiny surface you can put a coat of clear acrylic nail polish over the paint once it has dried.
Have a Limbo Dance - This is best if you have a few people. Get a rope or a bar that two people can hold and each person has a chance dancing under it. Keep lowering the bar and see who wins. Play some fun steel drum or Caribbean music if you can find it. Or any kind of dancy music will do.
Make Me Smile - Players form a circle with one player in the middle. The middle person approaches each player in the circle and ask, “Honey, do you love me?” The person being questioned must answer, “Honey, I love you but I just can’t smile.” If s/he does smile or laugh, s/he becomes “it” and the previous middle person joins the circle. Decide whether you want to allow light tickling or just funny faces.
Red Light Green Light 123 - Person who is “it” says “Red Light Green Light 123″ with their back to the rest of the players. “Itâ€? person then turns around and everyone has to FREEZE. Anyone who is caught still moving by It person has to go back to the start. First person to tag It person wins.
Write a Story - Use any combination of paper, pens, crayons, photos, collage, to write and draw a simple story. This is something you can build on over time. It doesn’t have to all be done in one setting. Who knows maybe you can even publish this story. How about on a website?! Just use free blogging platform Blogger.com to post a new page each day.
Plant some flowers, vegetables or herbs - you can use an empty egg carton to start or buy some little starter containers. Once they are big enough, transplant them outside. It’s fun to grow your own plants!

Please Share!
Please share your comments and tips on Kid Activities All comments big and small are very welcomed!

Discipline Your Child

How do you keep a 1-year-old from heading toward the DVD player? What should you do when your preschooler throws a fit? How can you get a teenager to respect your authority?
Whatever the age of your child, it's important to be consistent when it comes to discipline. If parents don't stick to the rules and consequences they set up, their kids aren't likely to either.
Here are some ideas about how to vary your approach to discipline to best fit your family.
Ages 0 to 2
Babies and toddlers are naturally curious. So it's wise to eliminate temptations and no-nos — items such as TVs and video equipment, stereos, jewelry, and especially cleaning supplies and medications should be kept well out of reach.
When your crawling baby or roving toddler heads toward an unacceptable or dangerous play object, calmly say "No" and either remove your child from the area or distract him or her with an appropriate activity.
Timeouts can be effective discipline for toddlers. A child who has been hitting, biting, or throwing food, for example, should be told why the behavior is unacceptable and taken to a designated timeout area — a kitchen chair or bottom stair — for a minute or two to calm down (longer timeouts are not effective for toddlers).
It's important to not spank, hit, or slap a child of any age. Babies and toddlers are especially unlikely to be able to make any connection between their behavior and physical punishment. They will only feel the pain of the hit.
And don't forget that kids learn by watching adults, particularly their parents. Make sure your behavior is role-model material. You'll make a much stronger impression by putting your own belongings away rather than just issuing orders to your child to pick up toys while your stuff is left strewn around.
Ages 3 to 5
As your child grows and begins to understand the connection between actions and consequences, make sure you start communicating the rules of your family's home.
Explain to kids what you expect of them before you punish them for a certain behavior. For instance, the first time your 3-year-old uses crayons to decorate the living room wall, discuss why that's not allowed and what will happen if your child does it again (for instance, your child will have to help clean the wall and will not be able to use the crayons for the rest of the day). If the wall gets decorated again a few days later, issue a reminder that crayons are for paper only and then enforce the consequences.
The earlier that parents establish this kind of "I set the rules and you're expected to listen or accept the consequences" standard, the better for everyone. Although it's sometimes easier for parents to ignore occasional bad behavior or not follow through on some threatened punishment, this sets a bad precedent. Consistency is the key to effective discipline, and it's important for parents to decide (together, if you are not a single parent) what the rules are and then uphold them.
While you become clear on what behaviors will be punished, don't forget to reward good behaviors. Don't underestimate the positive effect that your praise can have — discipline is not just about punishment but also about recognizing good behavior. For example, saying "I'm proud of you for sharing your toys at playgroup" is usually more effective than punishing a child for the opposite behavior — not sharing. And be specific when doling out praise; don't just say, "Good job!"
If your child continues an unacceptable behavior no matter what you do, try making a chart with a box for each day of the week. Decide how many times your child can misbehave before a punishment kicks in or how long the proper behavior must be displayed before it is rewarded. Post the chart on the refrigerator and then track the good and unacceptable behaviors every day. This will give your child (and you) a concrete look at how it's going. Once this begins to work, praise your child for learning to control misbehavior and, especially, for overcoming any stubborn problem.
Timeouts also can work well for kids at this age. Establish a suitable timeout place that's free of distractions and will force your child to think about how he or she has behaved. Remember, getting sent to your room doesn't have an impact if a computer, TV, and video games are there. Don't forget to consider the length of time that will best suit your child. Experts say 1 minute for each year of age is a good rule of thumb; others recommend using the timeout until the child is calmed down (to teach self-regulation).
It's important to tell kids what the right thing to do is, not just to say what the wrong thing is. For example, instead of saying "Don't jump on the couch," try "Please sit on the furniture and put your feet on the floor."
Ages 6 to 8
Timeouts and consequences are also effective discipline strategies for this age group.
Again, consistency is crucial, as is follow-through. Make good on any promises of discipline or else you risk undermining your authority. Kids have to believe that you mean what you say. This is not to say you can't give second chances or allow a certain margin of error, but for the most part, you should act on what you say.
Be careful not to make unrealistic threats of punishment ("Slam that door and you'll never watch TV again!") in anger, since not following through could weaken all your threats. If you threaten to turn the car around and go home if the squabbling in the backseat doesn't stop, make sure you do exactly that. The credibility you'll gain with your kids is much more valuable than a lost beach day.
Huge punishments may take away your power as a parent. If you ground your son or daughter for a month, your child may not feel motivated to change behaviors because everything has already been taken away.
Ages 9 to 12
Kids in this age group — just as with all ages — can be disciplined with natural consequences. As they mature and request more independence and responsibility, teaching them to deal with the consequences of their behavior is an effective and appropriate method of discipline.
For example, if your fifth grader's homework isn't done before bedtime, should you make him or her stay up to do it or even lend a hand yourself? Probably not — you'll miss an opportunity to teach a key life lesson. If homework is incomplete, your child will go to school the next day without it and suffer the resulting bad grade.
It's natural for parents to want to rescue kids from mistakes, but in the long run they do kids a favor by letting them fail sometimes. Kids see what behaving improperly can mean and probably won't make those mistakes again. However, if your child does not seem to be learning from natural consequences, set up some of your own to help modify the behavior.
Ages 13 and Up
By now you've laid the groundwork. Your child knows what's expected and that you mean what you say about the penalties for bad behavior. Don't let down your guard now — discipline is just as important for teens as it is for younger kids. Just as with the 4-year-old who needs you to set a bedtime and enforce it, your teen needs boundaries, too.
Set up rules regarding homework, visits by friends, curfews, and dating and discuss them beforehand with your teenager so there will be no misunderstandings. Your teen will probably complain from time to time, but also will realize that you're in control. Believe it or not, teens still want and need you to set limits and enforce order in their lives, even as you grant them greater freedom and responsibility.
When your teen does break a rule, taking away privileges may seem the best plan of action. While it's fine to take away the car for a week, for example, be sure to also discuss why coming home an hour past curfew is unacceptable and worrisome.
Remember to give a teenager some control over things. Not only will this limit the number of power struggles you have, it will help your teen respect the decisions that you do need to make. You could allow a younger teen to make decisions concerning school clothes, hair styles, or even the condition of his or her room. As your teen gets older, that realm of control might be extended to include an occasional relaxed curfew.
It's also important to focus on the positives. For example, have your teen earn a later curfew by demonstrating positive behavior instead of setting an earlier curfew as punishment for irresponsible behavior.

Online Games for your infant

Pick a Boo Game

Tap and Color

Cute Baby Pictures

HERE ARE THE SERIES OF CUTE BABY PICTURES