OUT OF TROUBLE

Sports, Games & Hobbies For Kids

728x90

Archives for January 2020

Key Life Skills You Need to Teach Your Kids

By on 0

Are you aiming to be a good parent that provides their kids with valuable life lessons? Good, your kids are happy to have you as a parent. But, even the best of us sometimes get stuck. If you don’t know which lessons to tackle with your kids, here are a few life skills every kid will cherish all through their life.

Teach them time management

This is a skill they will use all through school, college, work, and even retirement, so make sure to start early. The best thing you can do to teach your kids time management is letting them claim responsibility for their time. For instance, get them an alarm clock they can use to wake up for school. Grab a planner they can use to track homework, extra-curricular things and chores. Soon, they will realize just how valuable time is.

Teach them first-aid

No matter how careful you are, your kids will undoubtedly get hurt. But don’t worry, most injuries are nothing but small cuts, bruises or bites—nothing a band-aid can’t solve. In case of more significant issues, your kid must know where your first-aid kit is placed, what it contains, and how to use what’s in the kit. You can even talk about CPR and what to do in case of a life-threatening injury. Kids are fast learners—they will remember these important lessons forever.

Teach them English

English is an international language number one. You can hear it practically wherever you go. If your family doesn’t come from an English speaking country, it’s essential to start teaching your kids this language as early as possible. Ask anyone from an East Asian country. In places like China, South Korea or Japan, people invest a lot of money into English learning. For instance, you can check out the renowned Monkey Tree in Hong Kong and their language teaching programs. They work with even the youngest of kids and provide a fun learning environment. On the other hand, if you’re a native English speaker, there are always teaching jobs you can look into.

Teach them self-defence

Today’s world’s not safe. You can’t be there to protect your kids 24/7. Luckily, there are few tricks you can teach your kids that will make them at least a little safer and more confident in dangerous situations. There are also practical self-defence classes for boys and girls where professionals will teach proper techniques and what to do when in danger.

Teach them smart tech use

No matter what some people think, technology is our friend. However, we should take the same approach to digital content as we take to food. Empty calories like Instagram or Candy Crush should be enjoyed occasionally, while healthy websites like How Stuff Works, Nat Geo Kids or CoolMath can be enjoyed more freely. Warn your kids about the dangers of social media abuse and teach them to have a healthy dose of scepticism when gathering info online.

Teach them about money management

This might be the most basic but also the most important life skills. For starters, you can give your kids pocket money that they need to stretch for one or two weeks and use for their expenses. If they want something more expensive, they will need to save up. Another great lesson comes from comparative shopping. Teach them about prices, best deals, discounts, and quality-vs-quantity—these will come in handy once they leave home and start to manage their expenses on their own.

These are so many other lessons you can teach your kid (eco-friendliness, cooking, fitness, social etiquette, etc.), and you will have plenty of time to get to them. But, these aforementioned skills can put them on the right path and give them an edge in life.

4 Ways to Help Your Child Develop Positive Self-Esteem

By on 0

Building confidence in children is one of the most important tasks that come with the role of a parent. Although ensuring your child’s needs are met and providing unconditional love to them is crucial for a healthy and happy childhood, once they’re all grown up, they need to be ready to face the challenges that life puts in their way, which means you need to start preparing them for life early on.

Here’s how you can boost your child’s self-esteem and set them up for success.

Praise your child’s efforts

Show your child you believe in them. If they get a good grade, praise their efforts. Don’t scold them if they didn’t do too well though. Instead, promise to work with them and keep that promise.

When they help out with household chores (given that these chores are appropriate for them), be sure to reward their efforts and praise them for a job well done. Other than helping you out, these small jobs are also beneficial for their confidence, as they give them a sense of contribution to the household while also teaching them responsibility. Remember to praise both the task and the child, but don’t overdo it. Otherwise, it may lead them to seek approval for everything they do in life.

But know when to step back as well

As much as you’d like to spend every minute of the day with your children, there is no need for hovering over your kids all day long. Doing things for your child when they’re perfectly capable of doing them on their own can be detrimental to their self-esteem, doing more harm than good. Although parents always have the best intentions for their children, sometimes kids are better off facing challenges without any help from their parents.

Step back, relax, and let them do things on their own—be there just in case they might need you, but let them take healthy risks and solve problems using their skills. This will help them become more competent and prepare them for the real world.

Work on improving their skills

Every child has specific skills and abilities they acquire pretty easily. While there are subjects they excel in without difficulty, there are also subjects they might be struggling with. An example would be a child who is a real math wizard or a musical prodigy but has a hard time learning a language, especially a second language like English.

In that case, parents need to pitch in and look for ways to work on the child’s skills to improve them. For a child struggling with English, looking for a top English learning centre in their area is a sure way to boost their skills. With the help of trained educators, your child will learn how to use the language with confidence, thus helping them overcome their shyness and improve their self-esteem.

Set a good example for them

You can be your child’s number one fan, rooting for them and encouraging them to do better, yet, all that can be quite futile if you don’t mirror the actions yourself.

That’s why you as a parent ought to practice what you preach. Be positive as much as you can to inspire confidence in your child. Even if things don’t always go your way, that’s not the reason to feel discouraged. Instead, remain real and truthful to yourself and what you believe in, and your children, as it’s in their nature to mirror their parent’s behaviour, will follow suit.

Self-confidence isn’t a character trait—rather, it’s something we acquire throughout life. The earlier it’s taught, the better. To be able to deal with obstacles head-on, children need to trust in their skills and abilities and value themselves. For that to happen, they need to be raised with confidence. Follow these tips to help your child develop positive self-esteem and ensure they’re well-equipped for whatever lies before them.