The COVID-19 pandemic is giving parents more time than ever to spend with their kids. Many parents are taking advantage of the time to enjoy some much-needed quality time and using this situation as a time to create stronger bonds and improve communication with their kids.
It’s easy for adults to believe that because children are small, their emotions are also small or somehow less real. This could not be further from the truth.
It’s not just the game that makes family game night a success that everyone looks forward to, it’s the environment that you create. To make your game nights fun and full of laughs, start with the following tips:
No one likes a micromanager--and that includes kids! Adults can understand how frustrating and damaging a micromanager can be, yet most parents micromanage their children heavily and fail to see why kids grow up to be resentful in the aftermath.
If the idea of trying to fit in homework, meals, down time, extracurriculars, and more--not to mention leaving enough time for 8-10 hours of sleep--feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. Creating a schedule that’s comfortable and functional for both parent and child can feel like a major feat, but it’s also one of the best ways you can help children of all ages succeed.
Setting--and following through with--goals is an important way you can help your kids succeed. Learning how to determine what they want, lay out a path to achieve it, and celebrate the results is a skill that they’ll use throughout their lives in school, work, and relationships.
Did you know that one of the most critical indicators for a child’s success is the kitchen table? Researchers at the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that kids who ate with their families five times a week were far less likely to have problems with substance abuse, and were more likely to earn better grades.
Dealing with discipline is tough for parents. Are you being too strict? Are you being too lenient? Learning when to pick your battles is a skill every parent struggles with. Here are a few things we do at the Idaho Youth Ranch to change kids' behavior.