What Can Be Done to Get Your Child to Stop Hitting?

Some children have an issue with hitting. They hit greeting people. They hit when angry. They hit as a way of getting someone's attention. This can be a problem as you don't want your child to get into the habit of hitting everyone and everything. There are things that you can do that will help you get your child to stop hitting so much.

When your child hits, never give the child positive attention for this. This will get your child in the habit of hitting so someone will pay attention to him or her. Let others know that they shouldn't pay any attention to your child if hit.

Develop your child's social skills. If your child has a way of talking to someone and getting attention through verbal skills, the hitting will be less. Work on ways for your child to talk to you and others when wanting something.

When your child is angry and hitting, do not ever give into their demands. Ignore them a bit with a time out or punishment so that this behavior is not a tool they that use against you.

Be very gentle with your child when you are frustrated with him or her. Your child can pick up on your aggression. If you are forceful physically, your hitting child will see that physical force is a solution to problems. Being calm is best. This helps keep the child from getting more angry and calm down better.

Watch for the situation where your child starts to hit. Try to avoid these situations from happening as much. Obviously these things are frustrating your child to the point of hitting.

Don't let any hitting happen during the day with play. This can enforce the behavior as something that is fun or acceptable. Try to limit this as much as you can. Distract your child with another toy if he or she starts to hit with it.

Green Parenting Tips - 4 Things You Can Do to Be Greener

This article gives you 4 things you can do to become a greener parent.

1. Lighten The Load - For many parents the laundry pile can seem like it never ends. One of the best things you can do for the environment is to try and cut down your laundry pile. A great way to do this is to make sure you and your children get the most out of their clothes before they go in the laundry pile. Try avoiding putting clothes into the hamper after one use, as it really doesn't need a wash that soon. Also try to only do full loads to get maximum efficiency from your washing machine. If your clothes aren't soiled then try using cold water if possible, as it is unnecessary to use hot if your clothes are relatively fine anyway. Also try to avoid using a tumble dryer and opt for air drying instead. This is of course much easier to do in the summer than winter.

2. Recycle & Reuse - Instead of buying new clothes constantly and new stuff opt for second hand things instead. Many parents want to give their babies the best and they think that this means brand new. It doesn't. You can provide your baby with everything they need by buying second hand. This will not only save you money but is much better for the environment.

Also once your baby outgrows their clothing, either keep them for the next baby or give them away so they can be recycled by others. You could even try selling your items on a website like eBay if you are short on money.

3. Change Your Light Bulbs - Instead of using the traditional incandescent light bulb switch to fluorescent/eco-friendly bulbs. They do cost a little more but they last a lot longer than traditional bulbs and also use less energy.

4. Turn It Off - The standby light of electrical equipment is a complete waste of electricity. Instead of leaving your appliances on standby all night to consume energy that is unnecessary, turn the appliance off at the plug socket. By turning it off when not in use thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide could be kept out of the air every year. To make things easier you could plug all appliances into a multi-socket making it easier to turn all appliances off at once.

These 4 things are a great starting point for changing your life and being less wasteful but there are also many other things you can do too. Take it slow and don't overwhelm yourself. Going green is very rewarding to your and the planet.

3 Great Children's Toys You Can Make Rather Than Buy

Children's toys can get really expensive fast. That's one thing parents learn pretty quickly. There are some great toys out there, but the expense can be hard to deal with.

Add in that many are plastic and really not so environmentally friendly, and it can be a bit of a problem.

But some toys you can make rather than buy, saving money and even reusing things that might otherwise have been recycled or even thrown out. Here are some ideas to get you started that don't require a ton of sewing or construction skills.

Playhouse

What child doesn't love a good playhouse? The popular ones are plastic and can be left outdoors in all weather or kept indoors. And they're pricey, ranging from about $30 for a cardboard one they can color on, to a few hundred dollars for the fancier ones.

Even that $30 for a cardboard one is expensive when you realize you can get the cardboard pretty easily for free.

My children for a couple of years had a cardboard playhouse that was made from a double thickness box my husband got from the blinds department at Home Depot. He worked there at the time, and just had the night crew save him one. Not a hard thing to ask for, as they're going to dispose of it anyhow.

That house was strong enough that the kids climbed on its roof regularly as they played. No problem. It tolerated pretty much everything they could throw at it, sometimes literally.

It took some time with a utility knife to cut the doors and windows, but it worked out really well. And being free was a great bonus.

When the box finally broke down enough it went into the recycle bin. We'll be doing the same soon with a washer or dryer box we happen to have handy.

Bowling Set

You've probably seen the plastic bowling sets at the store. While they're not all that pricey, relatively speaking, you can make your own.

All it takes is soda or water bottles (20 ounce or 2 liter size, your preference) and a ball. If you don't drink much soda in your family and don't buy bottled water (yay!), you can always talk to friends about giving some to you. You probably know someone who would have bottles available.

Stilts

Kids love to be just a little bit taller. You can buy plastic stilts for fairly inexpensive, but they're really easy to make. My daughter's preschool had these, and the kids loved it when the teachers pulled them out. There was usually a line for them.

Take two coffee cans and two pieces of rope. The rope should be long enough that, doubled up, it can reach from your child's hands to the floor with just a little to spare for knots and of course growing room.

Punch two holes in each coffee can, on opposite sides, a short distance from the bottom. Thread the rope through each hole and tie a knot on the inside end. This will form a loop for your child to hold while walking on top of the cans.

Any of these toy ideas can be painted or decorated as you like, but I think it's best to let the kids decide how to decorate them. It's just one more part of the play for them.

Jumpking Trampolines and Outdoor Toys

There are many types of trampolines available as well as a great variety of other outdoor toys which give children a fantastic variation of activities outdoors for fun but also deals with the ever increasing issue of obesity

For starters, trampolines in themselves give a all over body workout from the toes to the head, whilst are such good fun you do not even realise you are exercising. NASA actually class trampolines are the best exercise there is as it has a very good aerobic impact, and strengthens muscles whilst giving internal body organs good circulation. As well as the normal bouncing up and down on an individual basis, there are many games children and adults can play on a trampoline to increase the enjoyment even more, but only viable on large enough trampolines.

When safety is concerned, a Jumpking trampoline for example can come with a safety enclosure which makes it more or less impossible for people bouncing on the trampoline to fall off so peace of mind to parents. If a enclose does not come with a particular jumpking model, they can be purchased afterwards and takes about 15-20 minutes to install. A unique trampoline, the oval trampoline gives a large area to jump on plus a different design that steers away from the normal round or rectangular shape.

As well as trampolines as an ideal summer, if not all year round outdoor exercise there are several other large outdoor toys for the back garden. One of these is the wooden climbing frame, which differs from a metal climbing frame in many aspects. The first obviously is that it is made from wood, very high quality wood in fact that does give a old fashioned look and sits unobtrusive in any back garden no matter the size.

These wooden climbing frames give a great range of activities from small children, right up to teenagers who enjoy them as get away areas. Many of the climbing frames come with towers, swings, slides and climbing nets as well as seating, tables and different levels or balconies. As they are large structures, many have been designed so that anyone can put them together no matter what there construction skills maybe, but two people or more are usually required for safety, if not anything else.

A more subtle outdoor toy is the playhouse. Again, the most popular are made from wood and steered more towards girls than boys, but there are usually several structures which appeal to boys more such as cowboy huts and ranches, or lookout towers. The details of a playhouse is very very good and to high quality, giving a great look and children love them. Quite often, these are given as presents from Grandparents to Grandchildren and can last for decades as the build quality is very high, like climbing frames.

With the amount of exercise a child can get from jumpking trampolines to wooden playhouses, parents can enjoy the peace and quiet indoors whilst comfort in the thought that their children are playing away from dangers such as busy roads, and that they are getting good exercise to without them even realising.

Easy Tips to Help Your Child Earn Extra Cash!

So you have a teenager who is asking about how they can earn some money. Many parents choose for their children not to have a typical labor job after school so that they can focus more on their school work. So looking in to other ways your child can earn money possibly at home or in the neighborhood may be just the answer some teenagers are looking for.

So your child spends half their life on the internet anyway, why not find out if it is possible to monetize the time. Many adults make money on the internet, and it is also possible for many children to do it too! There are sites online which everyone knows about. There are many auction sites where children can sell the stuff that id "old" to them and make some money for it. People sell and profit from selling anything you can imagine on these online auction sites. You can have your child gather everything that they no longer wish to have, and begin to list them on these sites. You may want to initially guide your child in to the best way to set this up, and how much they should ask for their stuff. If they are consistent with how often they list, say make it listing day every Monday after school, then they could be bringing in regular income in just a week.

If this particular suggestion is not an option, they could consider just doing a garage sell at home. The money for them will not be regular as it would if they did it online, but they would probably earn a large chunk of money at once. Then the parent could truckle it out to them over a few week or month period of time, similar to an allowance. They could also take their unwanted items to consignment shops, or resale stores to pick up a few extra dollars here and there. It is important that you not always do this for your child, so they can learn to do the trade themselves, and it will help them to learn the value of their things.

It all in being creative and setting forth a plan that your child can be consistent with to keep money coming in for them, if you chose to not let them have an after school job.

It will also help, you, the parent, lighten up your spending load.

Wooden Playhouses For The Back Garden

When looking to brighten up your back garden for your kids, then a great idea and very popular are play equipment such as swings, slides, sandpits. Most of this equipment comes very easy to assemble and can be great fun while at the same time saving time by not having to go to the park.

A very popular option is a wooden swing set. These are very safe due to them being very sturdy. They come in many different varieties, some can just be a swing or others can be a swing with monkey bars, climbing ropes and a sand pit. These are very easy to get and offer good value for your money.

Childrens' play equipment is often purchased with a ready to build kit which means you can have it assembled in a short space of time and with minimal effort. The kits are often joined by very simple to understand step by step instructions. All children have their own favourite toys, games and activities and so a lot of companies are now offering a more personalized service meaning the equipment can be tailored to your Child's interests.

Another very popular piece of equipment for your child to play with is wooden playhouses. These have come on leaps and bounds in the last few years and can be found in many shapes and sizes and designs. A playhouse can open up a child's imagination and be a great help for their development throughout their early childhood. These can be attractive additions to a garden due to their natural wooden look or can easily be painted to meet your child's needs and preferences. They are very easy to look after and can be put up almost anywhere.

Wooden playhouses are very popular nowadays due to the fact they are brilliant value for money and can last many years with little effort and can be sold on very easily. They can also be made into anything your child wishes such as castle, dragons cave, secret dungeon or cowboys ranch, the possibilities are endless.

Wooden playhouses will also ensure your child plays in a safe environment where you can keep a watchful eye over them whilst still giving them plenty of educational play on their own or with friends and even better gives them plenty of exercise with healthy fresh air.

There are many websites that can give you lots of information for you to look at when you decide to buy a playhouse, a good website will give you photos of all the different makes, shapes and sizes along with size charts and colour schemes.

Play Kitchens and Legos Are Toys That Stand the Test of Time

Why is it that toys such as play kitchens or a box full of Legos have been around, what seems like, since the beginning of time? I don't know specifically when Legos were brought onto the toy scene but I'm almost 40 years old and they were around when I was a young girl. The same goes for play kitchens. These toys have stood the test of time giving multiple generations of kids hours of creative fun learning. So what do these two toys and others like it have over the latest fad? The answer: the ability to use your imagination and creativity.

When kids are given toys that stimulate the mind increasing their inventiveness and self esteem, those toys have a much greater sustainability in the market place. Think of all the one hit wonders that have crossed your path as a kid and those that you have already seen cross the paths of your own children. Most of them, I'm sure you will agree, lack the proper stimulation that something like Legos or play kitchens can provide. Eventually most of those "one hit wonders" find their way into the garage sale pile or a box for Goodwill.

The minds of developing young children are like little sponges that yearn to discover experiences for their burgeoning existence. Toys that help to do that not only increase a child's self esteem but also help to advance the creative and cognitive abilities of a person's brain.

Also, both Lego's and play kitchens give the parents fun activities to enjoy with their children. Kids love nothing more than to have their parents participate in their world; staying present while you craft and imagine with your beloved family.

Toys that allow the imagination to wander and the mind to originate will always be a welcomed addition and one, that I bet, will hold their interest far longer than any fad toy will.