5 Must Ask Questions For Anyone Potty Training A Toddler

If you are thinking about starting to potty train your toddler, there are a few questions you should ask yourself before you begin potty training. Being well prepared for this challenging transition from diapers to potty is one of the best things you can do to make this as easy as possible on your child.

1. Is My Child Ready?
You want to start potty training at just the right time. You will know that your child is ready when he or she gets more interested in you going to the potty, tells you right away when the diaper is wet or pulls on it and seems uncomfortable with it. Give potty training a try, if your child doesn’t seem ready despite the signs, wait a few weeks and try again.

2. Am I Ready?
Just as important as your child being ready is that you are ready. Prepare yourself mentally for the transition from diaper to potty for your child. You will need a lot of patience and understanding. There are going to be resentment, tears and the occasional accident. Make sure you are prepared for this so you can stay calm and supportive for your child.

3. Do We Need A Potty Chair?
A regular toilet is very intimidating for a child. The seat is rather large and your child will have to hold on to avoid falling in. In addition “things” vanish in there when you flash – which can be a pretty scary thought for your child. Many kids are more comfortable with a potty chair at first. After a few weeks you should be able to move on to a potty seat insert that fits on your regular toilet eliminating the potty cleanup.

4. Should We Use A Potty Doll?
A potty doll is not a necessity when it comes to potty training, but can be a great tool. A potty doll will pee like an actual child and usually comes with diapers, panties and a potty chair. The doll can help tremendously during the pre-potty training phase when you are getting your child used to the idea of going in the potty instead of the diaper. You can illustrate what’s supposed to happen on the doll and let your child warm up to the idea by playing with the doll in the same fashion. When you are ready to potty train, put the doll on the potty right next to your child.

5. Should We Use Potty Training Rewards?
Before you start potty training, you should decide if you are going to use some sort of rewards as encouragement for your child, or if you will simply make your child feel great about his successes by being his cheer leader. Simple potty training rewards can include stickers, candy like a few jellybeans or M&M’s, or you can use some sort of tracking chart for bigger rewards (i.e. If you use the potty for an entire week without accident, you get a small toy). Using simple rewards can be a great potty training tool, but it isn’t by any means necessary as long as you get the message across to your child that you are proud of him.

Take a few minutes to answer these potty training questions for yourself and go over them with your spouse as well to ensure you are on the same page before you start potty training your child. It will help you give your child a clear picture of what you are both trying to accomplish and will cut down on any confusion.

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3 Reasons Mom Should Have A Hobby

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Moms these days are so very busy, but we're more stressed than ever before and in need of lifestyle choices that help us be happier. Pursuing a hobby may be just the ticket.

Here are a few reasons why a hobby is a great idea, even for a busy Mom.

Having a hobby relieves stress and tension

Spending time with a hobby replaces negative thoughts and replaces them with positive thoughts and feelings. Having a hobby or creative outlet can lift your spirits and help with depression.

Unlike passive activities like television viewing, a hobby provides intellectual stimulation while simultaneously relaxing you. Repetitive actions like those used in knitting are especially calming.

Hobbies help you parent better

We are so good at signing our children up for lessons and classes and encouraging them to have hobbies, even paying for these classes and driving them to and fro! But we forget that we also need to learn new things and grow as people. Hobbies also connect you with other people who share your interests.

A hobby can help you maintain your separate identity as a real person and not just as Mom. This models healthy habits and boundaries for our kids.

Hobbies provide a refreshing change from your daily routine

If you're a stay at home Mom, you may be frustrated because at the end of the day you can hardly point to anything you've "done". This is because of the repetitive nature of housework and childcare.

In generations past, women pursued hobbies like quilting, sewing, knitting, crochet and embroidery not only because they were enjoyable but because they provided tangible value to the family, either providing clothing for their backs or much needed income.

Some hobbies like tennis, gardening or belly dancing can even provide great exercise with all of its accompanying benefits. The best exercise activity is one that combines mind and body and is enjoyable to pursue.

Why not carve out some time to pursue your hobby Mom? Don't let a shortage of time stop you. Rearrange your schedule and put YOU back in it, and start carving out time for your favorite pastime.

"Parenting Tip: 7 Ways to Complement Computer Games and Unleash Your Child’s Creative Genius”

If you want to know about children games, then this article is for you. Perhaps you have fears about allowing your children play computer games, then there are things you must about vis-a-vis allowing computer games. The article will discuss computer games and alley your fears on whether the children should be allowed access tocomputer games.  

Though we may enjoy playing them ourselves, many parents worry about the impact of computer games on their child’s development. We fear that letting our kids play computer games for more than an hour or so per day will turn them into anti-social, obese couch potatoes. It would be better to have our children read or to read child stories to them, we think. Yet, computer games are here to stay, so rather than fighting them, why not use them? This article shows you how you can let your child play computer games yet still foster the development of their creativity.

The issue that many parents have with computer games is that, compared with reading a child story, they don’t require the use of a great deal of imagination. Here are seven ways in which you can complement computer games to foster the development of your child’s creativity:

#1 Develop character profiles

Some computer games have characters. With the Harry Potter games these characters are already well-known and well-developed. With other games, however, the characters may be more “shallow”. This is a perfect opportunity for your child to develop the characters further. They can invent a profile for the character, imagining who their family is, where they come from, where they go/went to school, what hobbies they like to do, how they feel, etc. Your child can then make sketches or drawings of the character and scenes from their life: past, present and future. Finally, your child can create profiles of the other people in the character’s life: friends, family, pets, colleagues, droids, etc.

#2 Create Storyboards

If you think about it, a lot of computer games are nothing more than interactive stories. So, your child can create their own stories using the characters from their favorite computer games. Think of this as an extension of the computer game. You could even pretend that you work for the computer game company and are creating a new version of the computer game.

There are several ways you can approach this depending upon you and your child’s preferences. You can write a script, create cartoon-like illustrations, create illustrated scenes (i.e. pictures) only, or create pictures with accompanying text.

#3 Write a Diary

It could be interesting for your child to get inside the head of some of the characters. Incidentally, this is also a good way to develop a child’s empathy. Have your child write a diary as if they were one of the characters.

#4 Develop a Virtual World

One of my sons has developed his own virtual world. He’s created detailed maps, descriptions of all the creatures, plants (more than 100 in all, fully illustrated) and lands in it, and a complete history of this imaginary world. Your child can create a virtual world that is either an extension from an existing computer game or something completely new.

#5 What’s Cooking?

If your child likes to cook, why not develop some special recipes of what people eat in the computer game’s virtual world? What’s their favorite food? What is the national dish? These “recipes” could be from real, edible foods or other non-edible materials (make sure your kid doesn’t eat the latter!).

#6 Get Hands On

Some children are kinesthetic learners; they learn by doing. If your child is one of these, they can create 3D models from clay or papier mâché of the characters from a computer game. You can even create life-sized models in your garden/backyard. For example, you can carve a character from an old tree stump or log.

#7 Create Your Own Computer Game

In the area of computer games, what could be more creative than creating your own game? When they create a game, computer game companies go through a process similar to some of the steps described here so you might be able to use the results of your fun work to create an actual computer game.

There are hundreds or thousands of software tools you can use to create your own games. However, unless you’re a “techie”, it’s probably easiest to use one that doesn’t require any programming or advanced computer skills.

Software tools such as “The 3D Gamemaker”,* for example, allow you to create games simply by pointing and clicking. The 3D Gamemaker has a library of scenes, sounds and 3D objects that you can combine into your own games. Obviously, this is a bit less creative then making a game from scratch, but you can also scan in your own images, record your own personal sound effects and import your own 3D models to make your game more original.

The Multi-Choice Creation System (MuCeS) lets you create Multichoice adventures in which the game player chooses one option out of a number of given options depending on what she thinks will be best for a given situation.

The above are only two examples of the possibilities. The point is that you don’t need to be a “rocket scientist” in order to create your own computer games. Imagine how thrilled your kids will be to create their own games. Playing computer games will never be the same again!

Conclusion

Some parents regard computer games as an “unhealthy” influence on their children, but when you combine computer games with some of the “offline” child story creation activities described here, you’ll not only unleash your child’s creative genius, you’ll have a lot of fun doing it.

* Note: I have not (yet) used any of the software described here. The products mentioned are provided purely as examples.

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3 Key Challenges To Reduce Homework Time and Stress - What Parents Can Do

Parents have asked us why homework takes their child 2, 3 and even 4 times longer than their peers and what they can do about it.  This article defines the 3 key issues and what parents can do about it.  Student’s key issues often include:

1-  Attention is a major problem, both in class and while doing homework

2-  They often have one or more vision issues – too often these student’s eyes are either: not working together; skipping words or lines when reading; or they have difficulty copying off the board

3-  They become tense when doing homework and often lose it

When a student has trouble paying attention in class, they often must be re-taught the information at home.  What makes matters worse is that the students homework time which should have taken 45 minutes gets stretched to 1 and ½ hours due to re-teaching, and then to over 2 hours because they cannot stay focused.  

Vision issues impact their homework in several ways:

1-  They have trouble copying the notes off the board correctly and you spend time trying to understand the assignment

2-  They skip words or lines when reading, further complicating life

3-  When they do math problems they do not often align their work correctly, they miss minus and division signs so they make careless errors

Students often get tense when doing homework and battles often follow.  What often happens is:

-  Students are too intimidated to ask questions in class and they simply get stuck  

-  The student or parent gets angry and then …

-  An argument starts which often escalates into a battle royale

What we recommend is that parents:

-  Stay clam when doing homework with your child 

-  If your child gets stressed, give them a 1 or 3 minute break

-  Hydrate them before doing homework and while doing homework

-  When reading, use an index card or their finger to keep them on the right line

-  If the attention is a significant issue, consider getting an ADHD diagnosis – if they have a learning disability or attention issues significantly impact their academic performance, the student could qualify for an Individualized Education Plan and they could get accommodations for homework which might include:

  o  Getting copies of notes – either provided by the teacher or by another student

  o  Seating by the teacher to improve attention

  o  Having the teacher check to make sure the student has written the assignment correctly

  o  Having you sign that they completed the assignment and putting it in a place they can find it

  o  An early warning system, where the teacher alerts you to issues early on

-  If vision is a major issue see an optometrist – even if your child has 20/20 vision

At 3D Learner we have helped thousands of parents and students to reduce homework time and stress.