children who spend time around people of all ages are better prepared socially. provide opportunities for them to interact with a variety of different age levels.

let your children do things on their own. you can supervise if necessary, but letting them dress themselves or shop for their own clothes fosters independence and responsibility

by: janet

children need schedules and routine. they need things to be in order and to know ahead of time what is going to happen. it helps them feel loved and secure in a crazy world.

my boy, at 3.5 years did very well in being a ring bearer to his uncle’s wedding. why? we informed him earlier on that he’s going to carry the ring for his uncle on his wedding and we show our wedding video to him a few times and pointed out what he’s gonna do. we did this way ahead of time. we also told him that if he did very well, we will buy for him his favorite toy. he so wanted a water gun but we refused to buy it for him before. we didn’t say why not, so he persisted on getting his water gun. and so, before his uncle’s wedding, we promised to buy him his water gun once he walks down the aisle as a ring bearer. it worked really well.

by: janet

children need to believe they can succeed.

encourage them to keep trying when they fail.

confident children are more willing to try something new

and hang in there.

by: janet

build self-confidence in your children daily. remember, confident children can walk away from a bad situation more easily than those who lack confidence.

by: janet

encourage creativity by exposing your children to music, dance, the arts, and other activities that help themto develop their imaginations. specific activities include:

• playgroup – the best exposure for toddlers/kids is by joining playgroups
• piano or music lessons – can start a 4-year old child for music lessons with a group. this may be a bit expensive but it’s worth the investment because music enhances logic.
• art class
• dance class
• sunday school class – exposes children to other kids, listens to stories which triggers imagination and get to know God above all else.

be a letter writer and encourage your children to write them, as well. letters are a wonderful way to communicate and appreciated gesture. they also make a great keepsakes. I created two separate blogs for my two kids (one for each). there, i write my thoughts about them on that period of time. that way when they group up, they will be able to read and know the love i have for them even when they were still young. i think it would make a difference to them, boosting their self esteem and a sense of well-being. there’s nothing like feeling loved by the closest people you have in your life.