Break down the job into different areas. For example, have your child pick up all the books in the room. When that is done, have them put all the clothes in a pile. Breaking down the mess into small messes helps make the job more manageable.

Make a game out of cleaning. Set a time limit for different items and see what they can clean up the fastest. Write down the times and find out which items was the easiest to clean.

Pull everything together in one big pile. Have your child pick out the biggest item from the pile and put that away first. Or find everything that is the color red and put that away. Sometimes just cleaning up in a different way is all it takes to get the job done.

Setting rewards and punishments can work sometimes, but helping your child learn how to manage the mess and get it cleaned timely is the key to success every time. Teaching them how to clean their room saves you from harassing them every day to get it cleaned. And it can give your child a great sense of accomplishment once they are done.

Assigning chores with children is a great way to teach them the value of work and belonging to a family. In the summer when school is out, we give our children an allowance with the chores and a chore chart with specific jobs each day. During the school year, we take away the chore chart and the allowance, but they are still required to help out around the house when asked. We explain that helping out with the house is part of being a family.

Other families handle chores in different ways. Each family is different, and the children in the family are different as well. It is important to find a system that works with you and your kids, and is easy to manage. No one wants to spend all day harassing their kids to get their work done. And in the real work, a boss wouldn’t do this either, they would lose their job.

Starting chores is a good way to prepare your children for life. It gives them a sense of purpose and accomplishment, shows the importance of working together as a family, and teaches them that work can be rewarding. Kids are never too young to start with age appropriate jobs.

Start collecting objects that can be reused. Small baby food containers, empty toilet rolls, twist ties from bread bags, small cardboard boxes, and old birthday cards are some ideas. Put them in a box with some markers, glue, scissors, and heavy cardstock and let your child’s imagination flow.

Teach them about volcanoes and then make a volcano from clay or playdough. You can make a playdough that you can dry, or simply reuse when finished. Or get some paint and paper and create a volcano through painting. Volcanoes are just one idea; you could use any subject to teach through crafts.

Scrapbooking is a fun activity with kids and can be really simple. Find some items that they can add to a scrapbook, like the confetti from their birthday party, the cards they received, and a balloon. Use these objects to decorate the scrapbook page and include the pictures from their party. Show them how to journal to help them record their thoughts from that event.

Make a craft box with different types of crafts they can use. Include paper, markers, crayons, paints, glues, tape, wood sticks, and other items. Back to school sales are a great time to stock up on some of these supplies.

Allowing your kids to create with crafts gives them an outlet for the creativity that we want to bloom inside. Make sure you marvel at their creation, and they will love you for it.

First, help your children understand that seeing something on the internet doesn’t make it real. Friends that they meet might not really be children. Help them to understand how the internet makes everyone anonymous. Anyone can create a web site and make their information appear as fact.

Help them set up an email account that you can control. Limit the emails they send out, make sure they are to friends that they know. Set up an email filter so that unwanted email isn’t viewable to them. Decide on rules regarding registering for things on web sites, you may not want them doing this.

Set a limit on computer time. Experts advise that children have no more than two hours of television, electronic games, or computer use in a day. Monitor their time on the computer to try to keep within these guidelines.

Show them how to search for things they are looking for. There are several great search engines for kids. Some popular search engines that cater to children include www.yahooligans.com and www.ajkids.com. If you allow them to search for information through a search engine, monitor their web browsing to make sure they don’t end up where you don’t want them.

The internet can be a great tool for children, and provided a wealth of information, games, and other fun activities. Monitor their computer time, and watch where they are surfing. Always make sure that your kids are following safety rules when on the internet.

Monitor how many snacks your children eat in a day. The rule at our house is a snack at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. I don’t have whiny kids wanting treats all day, because they know when they can have them. However, if they want something healthy like an apple, a bagel, or some fruit, they can have it without asking.

Add more vegetables to the dinner table. Try a variety of vegetables, and keep trying them even when your kids say they don’t like them. Taste buds change over time. Have them try one bite each time you serve something they don’t like.

Make food more fun. Serving dinner that your kids can adapt to their own tastes makes dinner more fun, and gets them to eat better. Try taco soup with a base to include tomatoes and pinto beans and let them add their own ingredients: cheese, sour cream, chips, olives, corn, etc. They probably won’t notice that there were tomatoes in there.

Healthy eating takes time but is worth it in the end. Your kids will adjust and eventually won’t miss the candy and chips that they used to munch on. And everyone will benefit from the change.

There are many books with varying opinions on how you should discipline your children. However, I believe that the person that knows your child best is you. Articles and books can give advice, but it is important to understand your child and what will work for them.

Not all children are the same, and this applies to children in the same family. Using time out for one child may not work for another. It’s important to understand this and not try to force the same discipline on a child that it won’t work for.

A friend of mine has a child who defies all the rules of discipline and parenting. He had a problem biting and she asked me for advice. I told her every method I have ever heard of to stop a child from biting, and she had tried them all. She had to take the time to understand him and find out what works for him.

Disciplining children is important. They need to understand that there are rules, and when they break the rules, there are consequences. However, understandably, the discipline should not use force that could be harmful to the child. When properly disciplined, a child will learn tools that will help them throughout their lives.

The discipline should also relate to the act. If a child colors all over a wall, they should have to clean up the mess. If they are too small, give them some time to try alone and then help them. Make sure it isn’t a game to them, they need to understand that they are in trouble.

Understanding your child and finding out what discipline works for them will help them become well adjusted as they get older, and help your household to run smoother.

Creating an independent child has a lot more to do with the parent than with the child. As a parent, we have to be able to let go and allow our children to try and fail. Sometimes this is too difficult for a parent, who will step in and assist. Unfortunately, our human nature often requires that we fail at something before we can learn how to succeed. When a mother or father steps in for the child, they are taking away that learning opportunity.

Start out small. Teach your child something simple that they can try for themselves. Even children just learning to walk can be taught to do things for themselves. Give them a box to put toys in. Little kids love to put things in boxes. Show them how to clean up their toys, and give them a big smile and lots of praise when they do it. Two year olds can learn to make their beds. Resist the urge to go fix the bedspread when they are done. Let them do it themselves, and tell them how great they are when they do it.

Creating independence is a lot about letting go of our own fears and having faith in our children. It’s an important part of growing up, and one we shouldn’t deny our children of learning.

We just finished the Fourth of July celebration at our house, and my five year old was told all about the parade and carnival, and fireworks to follow that evening. As we walked to the parade, he asked me why there were flags on a lot of the lawns. I realized that I didn’t teach him about what the holiday meant.

It doesn’t matter what the holiday is, or what your beliefs are. If we don’t teach our children what the holidays really mean, they are going to get a different idea than what we want. Often we get so caught up in preparing for the holidays that we don’t spend the time that we should in teaching our children what the holiday means.

Before the holiday, take a half hour to spend teaching about the holiday. Give a brief overview of what the holiday is about, and find an activity that you can do with your children to reinforce their understanding. If you are teaching about Halloween, you can talk about the holiday before you carve pumpkins.

We celebrate Christ’s resurrection for Easter. One year I wanted to teach my children more about what Easter is really about. I found a recipe on the internet that makes a hollow cookie. Each ingredient symbolized something to do with the Easter holiday and Christ’s resurrection. My kids and I made the cookies and then put them in the oven overnight. When we woke up the next morning, the cookies were done, and they were hollow inside, representing an empty tomb.

Whether you have a religious belief or just celebrate the commercial beliefs about holidays, there are meanings behind each holiday. Before we get caught up in the holiday itself, make sure your children understand that it is more than getting together with family, or dressing up in costumes.

Give them something to do with the new friend. Asking another child to play in the sprinklers is less intimidating than just asking them to play. Your child will not have to worry about thinking of something to do when the friend comes over.

Find instances when your child can talk to other children. When you go to the park, help your child say hi and be friendly to other kids. This will help them get over the shyness that can come when talking to someone they don’t know.

Make friends with the parents of new neighbors, and invite them and their children over. This can be less stressful for your kids and give them the confidence they need. You are close by, and they can watch you make new friends as well. Your example can teach them.

Start out by having cousins come play if possible. If your child hasn’t played with a lot of children, this can be an easy way to learn the social skills to get along with others. Family members are easier because you already know them, and they are less forgiving if your child decides to bite their child.

Helping your child learn to make new friends is a great way to give them the confidence they need in school and throughout life. Using these tips and others can help make finding new friends easier.

My younger sister can’t save money for anything. If she gets $20, she goes out and gets her nails done, without any idea how she will pay for the upkeep. Watching her made me realize that I needed to teach my children about money.

Give your children an allowance that is age appropriate. For our kids, they get half of their age in allowance. So, on their birthday, they always get a 50 cent raise. We provide chores during the summer and expect them to help out when needed during the school year. Set some rules for earning the allowance and an amount for your children.

Now that they are earning some money, teach them about saving it. Many banks have savings accounts for children. Help them decide how much money they want to have to spend and how much to put away. Make them a chart that keeps track of their money so they can watch it grow.

Let them spend some of it and be silly. Part of the fun of having money is spending it. I had a friend who would not allow their child to spend any of his money. He had over $100 in the bank but couldn’t use it. Letting your kids spend their money teaches them the value of things and how to use money wisely. Make sure your kids only spend what they have. Don’t loan money against the allowance they will receive. Our boss doesn’t give a paycheck advance, kids need to learn this too.

Teaching your kids about money will provide them a valuable tool for when they are older and get their first job. Make spending and saving money a success for them.