Few things beat family movie night: kids and parents all snuggled up around the TV, watching a favorite movie and eating your favorite snacks. But when you’ve seen all the movies or you decide you’re just watching too much TV, family game night is a fun alternative. If your kids aren’t quite ready for Monopoly, check out these great board games for kids. They’re fun for the whole family.
Does your family like to travel the country? If so, you’re in luck. Travel + Leisure has compiled a list of the 50 best hotels for families. Many of the hotels are in the places you’d expect (Orlando, anyone?), but you’d be surprised to see some on the list. How about Sea Island, Georgia or Jackson Hole, Wyoming? If you’re planning a fall or winter vacation, you might just want to check out this list.
For many families it’s back-to-school time, but if you have a three or four year old, school is a whole new concept to your family. Your child is probably excited about the big first day but nervous as well. After all, for many young children, it’s the first time they’ll be heading away from home. So, how do you deal with separation anxiety in preschoolers? Check out these tips to avoid breaking your child’s heart and yours.
Today’s a big holiday for the United States – its birthday, in fact – and families across the nation are going to parades, barbecues and enjoying fireworks displays. How will you be spending the holiday with your family? What will you teach your kids about why we celebrate? MSNBC speaks to the Speaker of the House about how families are handling the holiday and tells us how the President will be celebrating.
Every year, families pack up and move for better schools, lower crime rates, better houses and a whole host of other reasons, but where are they moving to? Parenting.com has put together a list of the best cities for families in 2011. Austin, Texas and Boston, Massachusetts made the list but what was number one?
by Zabrina Way
As a parent, you have to juggle numerous questions about what your child should be taught, and how. Add the trend of political correctness to the mix and it’s hard to know how to react when your child asks about a person with a disability.
Some parents brush off their children’s inquiries with a short, “Don’t stare, it’s rude,” or treat a person with a disability rudely, passing along cues to the children to follow suit. Instead, use this opportunity to teach your child about treating everyone with equal respect.
When your child points out a person with a disability, briefly and quietly tell them that the person has a disability that affects their vision, hearing, movement, or mind, but that person is “just like us” in every other way. Emphasize that your child should treat him or her just the same as anyone else, as it can be embarrassing and frustrating to be treated differently because of a disability.
Often, a curious child won’t even ask you, but will ask a person with a disability, “What’s wrong with you?” or something similar. When this happens, resist the urge to apologize and drag the child off. Curiosity is a part of childhood that should be encouraged. Instead, tell the child to be respectful and see how the person reacts.
Visit Personalized Storytime Book’s list of Young Children’s Books.
Many people with disabilities are actually very willing to tell a child what makes them “different”, and don’t like parents interfering with a chance to educate an impressionable segment of the population on disabilities. Children will remember the experience for a long time, and it will affect how they treat people with similar disabilities in the future. For a person with a disability, this is a great chance to connect with someone who sees nothing wrong with acknowledging and asking about the disability, when others sometimes shun or ignore them because they simply don’t know how to react.
If the person seems unwilling to speak, angry, or embarrassed, then quietly apologize and wait until you’re in a more private place before taking the opportunity to capitalize upon the experience. Let your child know that some people don’t like to acknowledge that they’re different, or are embarrassed to be called out on it in public, and then teach your child about that disability yourself.
Above all, children should be taught to respect people with disabilities and treat them like anyone else.
Sing along with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy
Party with the Wiggles
Sing along With Elmo and Friends
Veggie Tales Silly Songs
Sing along with Disney Princess Tea Party
Barney and Friends CD
Sing along with VeggieTales