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30 Free Activities/Games for children

Stephanie

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A lot of adults and children nowadays are unable to have fun without “something”, people just can’t seem to occupy themselves without some sort of technology or toy.

I have made a list of games and activities I liked as a child and/or my children enjoy, all of which are free and involve only what you can find or local services which are free of charge.

Have you got any others you can add to the list as I know there are plenty more.

Chase

All my children love this and it’s also a good one to get your child moving when they are being a slow coach. Whenever I need my children (especially Puppy) to speed up all I have to say to hurry her along is “I’m winning” and she instantly starts giggling and running. You can also play tag, Izlles loves this game and plays it everyday before school and even his sisters join in.

Wave at cars on a bridge

This is a classic activity that all children like. You can make it educational by counting all the beeps, waves or flashed lights you get, even the colours of the cars. For older children you can look out for the different types of cars.

Count the steps

When ever you go up stairs why not count them out with your child? Ok it doesn’t last long but it helps them to learn their numbers, and my children can repeatedly go up and down stairs just counting them!!!

Simon says

This is a good activity to improve children’s listening skills. It is also good for burning off some of their excess energy. You can either get involved with this game or you can play it saying the instruction with one eye on the children while doing something else around the house, multitasking yay.

Stop, go game

My children love this game while walking/running to school. It is also a good game to teach children where to stop during a repeated walk. To play you or your children need to do what they are doing normally, but when you say stop they must stop immediately and not move until you say go. This can cause a lot of laughter as my children always start doing silly things and pulling funny faces.

Scavenger hunt

Either make a list or say let’s see who can find a red car? Once it’s found, lets see who can find a brown leaf. We also play this as the ABC game. We start with A then find something beginning with every letter. This is our go to travel game, and yes we have managed to get every letter!!!! (Ok the X was a model of car but it still counts!!!!)

I spy

For younger children you can play I spy something coloured red.

Take a walk

A lot of family have just plain forgotten of the enjoyment of a simple walk, it’s quality time together and your getting exercise and fresh air to boot.

Pull funny faces at each other

I get my girls to do this to each other while I’m doing their hair as its the only way I can get them to keep their heads still!!!

Clap hands

Do you remember playing this as a child? I do, I could spend all play time singing songs while clapping hands in all sorts of different ways. Think back to your childhood and teach your children something of your happy memories.

Sing nursery rhymes/songs

So many people don’t sing together, whether it’s because they are self-conscious or another reason. But in all honesty children don’t mind how you sound they just love to sing and dance. We are always singing in this house and to be honest it gets on my hubbies nerves as I make songs up!!! 

Visit the park

I don’t know of any children that don’t love the park once they are there. It’s a safe place for them to let off steam and energy, as well as encouraging social development.

Play fight/tickle fight

This is normally a game my hubby plays with the children. They all end up on the floor with hubby being sat on by the children while they desperately tried to tickle each other.

Pooh sticks

As simple as throwing sticks into a lake/river and see who’s stick wins. This can also be done with anything that floats. It’s a classic simple game as told in Winnie the Pooh, hence the name.

Visit the library

Library’s are more than just books, most library’s have things going on, like story time, singing time and my local library even has colouring sheets and pens, my children love visiting the library just to see what’s going on.

Make loud noises

Sometimes children just need to be loud. You can help to control this by adding loud time to your day. Why not all roar like lions, trumpet like an elephant or have a screaming competition, just let it all out.

What am I?

You can play this game 2 different ways. First for younger children , give them clues, verbally and/or physically. And for the older children you can get them to ask you questions and you answer yes or no.

Make up a story

I have previously posted about this here. 

Make daisy chains

Unfortunately for me my eldest children aren’t interested in making these as they can’t sit still long enough. Posy is slightly to young for this as she keeps breaking them so looses interest.
But I have fond memories of making daisy crowns, bracelets and necklaces when I was a child.

Jump in puddles or leaves

You are never to old for this past time, it’s fun and keeps you active. See who can make the biggest splashes or bury each other in leaves.

Accronym game

This is a game for older children. Think of a saying and just give the initials, the children have to guess what it stands for like what does BT stand for? Children have to guess, bed time. MITB, mummy is the best. You can work in themes to make it easier like country’s.

Shadow puppets 

See how nimble your hands and fingers are by seeing what you can make. Turn it into a game by guessing what each other are making.

Charades

The classic game of acting out the total of a book, movie or tv series, why others try to guess. If you haven’t already introduced this game why not give it ago.

Creeping mice

One person has to be “it” and facing away the others who are lined up. They have to be creeping mice and try to creep up and touch the person who is “it”. The person who is “it” periodically turns around and if they see anyone who moves they have to go back to the start to try again. A very simple game which I spent hours playing as a child. 

Make shapes/pictures out of sticks and other things you can find.

Does this really need explaining?

Find shapes in the clouds

Another simple activity which a lot of people over look, this develops imagination and language skills, plus quality time with your children so look up to the sky and start thinking.

Follow the leader

Can you do what I do? This game is a classic for making giggles, I don’t think my children can play it without having fits of giggles.

Hold your own sports day

Have running races, find a stick so you can have relay races. Who can jump the highest, furthest? You don’t need equipment to have a fun sports day.

The yes/no game

Whatever is asked don’t reply with yes or no. This is a lot harder than it sounds!!!! How quickly can you get them to say yes or no?

I went to the shops

Have you ever played this? Well it’s quite simply really you tell a story about what you get from the shops. I went to the shops and I got…..

Now you can either use numbers or letters like I went to the shops and I got an apple, I went to the shops and I got bananas, I went to the shops and I got some chairs.

The only rule is you have to repeat what the previous people had said before you before you said yours, just like a long shopping list. This is great for memory and with children involved you end up having a funny list as you go shopping for elephants, monkeys, and toilets!!!

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Children

Crying Babies – How To Stop An Infant From Crying

Stephanie

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As babies have no means of indicating to you what they require, the only way they might express themselves is by crying. Everything is incredibly new to them, every feeling, every encounter. For first-time parents, this could be a very stressful period for them since it is not simple to understand what their babies want or need. Don’t worry however, because more often than not when your baby cries, there are just a number of things it needs and you will be able to get the hang of things with ease.

The ideal place to start is with the baby’s nappies. Have a look to be certain the diaper’s not soiled as a baby will typically let you know if it has, by crying. In the event that this is the issue, once you put a new pair of diapers on a newborn, she will finish crying and be all smiles again If you discover that your baby cries much more as you attempt to diaper-change her, just do it anyway as some infants do not like being nappy-changed. The reason why this happens is simple. During a diaper change, a baby may feel chilly when you remove her diapers so don’t become overly worried and change the diaper swiftly. Next, wrap the baby with a blanket, so that the baby feels secure again.

Like mentioned beforehand, a baby will cry when she feels chilly and could also cry if she is feeling over-heated. Thus the next on the checklist would be to make certain she is dressed in the right amount of attire. The more efficient method to clothe a baby is by layering many items of garments. This way, you might easily keep your baby comfortable by just adding up or removing layers. What you might do is add on one layer more relative to what you now have on.

Infants will also cry when they are starving, and as a result this is the next thing to check. In the event that your baby hasn’t been fed for a few hours, it is going to be likely she will gladly receive your offering for the milk. Try and see if she will. Babies require constant feeding intervals because they grow so rapidly. It is best that you keep an eye on their bottle-feedings and keep their meal intervals consistent. Sometimes the act of sucking helps to calm the baby, even in the event that they’re not particularly hungry. You don’t need to be anxious about over-feeding your baby. The great thing about them is that unlike grown ups, they automatically understand when to stop feeding when full. Your baby will cease crying once isn’t thirsty or hungry any more.

After feeding, most babies build up gas. The baby’s digestive system is only just developing, and feeding is a especially new experience. Sometimes crying means that the little one has some gas rumbling around in the stomach, and needs to be burped. It is a good idea to have a clean napkin on your shoulder before you burp her, just in case she throws up(that is quite common). Then place your newborn a little above your shoulder. To get her to burp, position her head slightly over your shoulder. Be certain you do this softly and support her head with your hand since her neck muscles are still not strong enough. rubbing her back softly in rounded movements. This helps to place pressure from the stomach and back, and easily produces the essential burping. A little gentle patting may also be of assistance, but be extremely cautious if you choose to do this – infants are incredibly delicate.

If you’re having problems burping your baby, try walking around your residence with her on top of your shoulder. This helps most of the time because being in their mother’s womb, they’re used to the bouncing movement. As you hold her close to you, she will feel calmer too. Most people suggest that you should not cuddle your baby too much and in a way it is just nonsense. Don’t trust all that the media and magazines tell you as their recommended ideas on how to be a parent changes just like the seasons. Babies want to feel secure via your cuddle.

Some babies also find it very reassuring to be swaddled in a little blanket. Swaddling involves wrapping the blanket all-around the baby’s body reasonably tightly. There are countless instructions on the internet that you could discover and learn how to swaddle correctly, just carry out a search on Google. Just be sure not to swaddle your newborn too often after a month or so as this might inhibit their muscle development. Be sure that her neck and neck stay uncovered after you swaddle her.

In the event that the crying still persists after attempting everything on the list, then it might simply be a mood swing and it will pass. In the meantime, you can buy a CD containing wave sounds and quietly play it back to her and notice if it helps. In the womb, babies hear similar noises so hearing these noises now might just offer them some reassurance and comfort. Particular babies are incredibly sensitive to sound, and an average house produces a lot of noise! You can even try a radio tuned off-station, and as a result all you will hear is “white noise”.

As time goes by, you will find that you can begin to notice the variance between your baby’s cries, and so you most likely won’t need to go through the list of things every moment your baby cries.

If you have definitely tried everything and nothing solves the crying, get your baby to a medical doctor as a last resort as he ought to be able to tell you if there are any serious illnesses at play here.

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Children

Dress Up Your Childs Birthday Party By Dressing The Party

Stephanie

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Children’s birthday parties seem to be becoming more elaborate and more expensive every year. The themes for children’s birthday parties seem timeless somehow, though. The little girls all want to have princess or Cinderella parties and all little boys still have to have birthdays filled with superheroes and villains. How can you make your child’s next birthday party memorable, fun and not break the bank? Consider a dress-up party complete with costumes!

Fancy dress or costume parties used to be a mainstay of childhood and thought fun enough for even the adults. In Victorian times, when childhood really came into its own, fancy dress parties as they were known then were THE thing for birthdays and holidays. Grown ups would hold entire costume balls, dancing the night away while wearing masks and outrageous attire. Fancy dress fell out of fashion around the time of the First World War, though, and is now considered to be the exclusive realm of Halloween. You can revive this tradition and give it an updated twist, at the same time.

Let’s suppose your daughter wants a princess or fairy tale or fairy themed birthday party this year. Now, you can create a fairy tale castle cake. You can search online for fairy tale and princess and even fairy related games and activities. And I’m sure the party would be a big success for her and her little friends. But imagine the success it will be when you present each and every little princess present with her own princess costume! Cinderella never had it so good, believe me. Her fairy god mother only provided her with one choice of ball gown. You can individualize the costumes so that each girl has the dress of her dreams, or you can let the guests decide on their own choice of frock and slipper, as most costumes and accessories are designed to fit a range of clothing sizes. Add some costume jewelry and Voila! A birthday party fit for any Royal Highness or fairy band. Allowing the little girls to take their costumes home means that you’ll not have to fool with the hassle of purchasing and putting together “goody bags” full of sugary candy or cheap treats not worth purchasing.

Let’s not forget the little boys, shall we? All little boys love superheroes, don’t they? Again, you can figure out how to do a Bat signal cake. And you can probably turn your family room or patio in something resembling the Bat Cave. Now, imagine the delight on his face when you turn him into Batman, or Robin, or even the super-est of the super, the ultimate hero, Superman! Again, you can customize the costumes to match the desires and tastes of your son’s little friends, or you can purchase one dress-up outfit per guest and let them decide who best fits their “real world” undercover, man-on-the-street persona. Even his gal pals can get in on the action, too, with superheroine costumes sure to please the feminine fancy. Once again, allowing the children to take their costumes home a their party favor not only makes for a party that’ll be the talk of the playground for weeks to come, but will also save you the expense and trouble of the tired, overdone treat bag favors.

Teens can get in on the fun and excitement, too. As much as they’d like to think they’re too old for fun and game type parties, most teens love to dress in costume. Costumes allow the teen party goer an opportunity to put aside the awkwardness so often experienced at social functions and free them to have fun and be someone other than themselves. Imagine a bunch of modern day hippies or disco dancers groovin’ on your backyard makeshift dance floor to the sounds of the sixties or seventies. Pirates can run amok, waging war, hunting for treasure and rescuing (or capturing) the damsel in distress. You may need to be a bit more careful when selecting costumes for teens, as sizes of teens can vary almost as widely as the sizes of the costumes. Sending teens home from a costume party with a costume of their very own is certain to spell success for your son or daughter’s party and can perhaps help them in the fragile world of teen social circles.

Providing your child or teen with a memorable, fun and unique birthday party needn’t be a chore or a big hassle anymore. Design the party around a costume theme and you’ve got half of your planning done already. (If you can’t think of a theme, just ask the birthday star. He or she will no doubt have plenty of ideas to share!) or, for the more adventurous, do without a theme or make fancy dress up THE theme and watch everyone’s eyes light up as they survey the choices of costumes arrayed in front of them. Make this year’s party the biggest and best yet by stepping back in time and bringing a bit of the past to the present. Making a present of the costumes to the birthday boy or girl and all the guests will ensure a party that no one will forget for a long time to come!

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Children

How Can an Educational Consultant Help You

Stephanie

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Planning for college can be one of the most stressful times in both a students and parent’s life. Every year the admission standards for most colleges get tougher and getting into the school you want can be a challenge. You’ll need a good transcript from your primary education as well as a great score on college entrance exams. You also need to decide what college’s best fit your educational and career goals before you apply. Having an educational consultant help you with this preparation can make all the difference. A good educational consultant will help you prepare for college in several ways and will also help you pick a group of schools that perfectly match your higher-education needs.

Tutoring for Success

There are several aspects to consider when preparing for a students college experience. Some of these activities start early in their educational journey and others happen when they are older and about to graduate high school. These activities tend to fall into the two main categories of education and preparation.

The educational needs of a child might involve tutoring to make sure they are absorbing important material in class and getting the best grades possible to maintain a high GPA that is needed to give them the widest choice possible for college. This tutoring could be on a specific subject, or even a specific topic within a subject. Tutors will spend time with your child and assess what their needs are and create a program to fit. Some children attend regular tutoring sessions even when their grades are good to make sure they stay ahead of new concepts and material. Tutoring can also improve a child’s test taking abilities. For example a good example of Florida tutoring is done at the Florida Bright Futures center. Before they start any program they will give the student an assessment to discover the areas the student needs help mastering. Once this is done, they then structure an individual program around each students needs. This schedule will also include a few sessions on how to prepare for and take a test.

Taking an exam can be a stressful thing and not every student that understands a subject does well on exams. There are many reasons for this, but knowing how to prepare for an exam as well as techniques for improving the way a child takes the exam can be very valuable. A tutor can help with this and will actually develop a study process for the student that may involve developing study guides and individual study techniques that the student can use to prepare for an exam.

Another thing that a professional educational counselor will help with is college selection and application preparation. They will help you and your student select schools that will fit your needs concerning location, tuition, educational focus and any special interests the student might have. Once you have compiled this list, they will help you prepare the applications for these schools and assist the student present themselves in the best possible light on the application and in person for the interview. This step of preparation is essential in giving the colleges the right impression and can often times make the difference in being accepted.

There is also a wide range of entrance exams needed for college acceptance and getting a good grade on these exams assures you the widest choice of schools. These tests are very specific and cover a range of topics. Having help in preparing for these exams can make a big difference in the resulting grades and by extension gives the student a bigger choice of possible colleges. Having an educational counselor working with the student to prepare for these exams is critical and can take a lot of the stress out of the process. Also, there are certain study techniques that can help with these exams and knowing how to prepare will help the student as well. This might include a few classes to help prepare as and may include practice testing to give the students a flavor of the type of questions that will be on the actual exam like the FCAT.

Many students need to take these exams several times to obtain the required score and an educational counselor will help with keeping track of these scores and may even schedule subsequent exams.

Another way for students to stay ahead of their studies is to attend a specialized summer camp. There are many camps that are organized around improving a certain skill set for school and these can be a lot of fun for the students. They are usually for a weeklong session and allow the students to enjoy camping out with friends and catching up on their studies. Because they are exposed to intense studying techniques and games, students tend to retain more information than they would in a more traditional classroom. These sessions can even be tailored to accommodate a specific subject or range of subjects for a particular grade.

Learning centers are also great places to help a child who has some emotional maturity issues. These centers can develop a program of counseling that will better equip the student to handle any social issues they encounter and help them to cope with the stress of education.

When looking for an educational consultant, be sure to do some research. You want to select a company that has years of experience on their staff and also taught in a real school setting. Also ask about their previous experience in helping students with placement. See if the schools you are considering for your child are on their list of schools that they have helped place a student. Be sure to see what type of tutoring programs they offer and if they have specific programs for SAT and FCAT preparation. Ask them if the tutoring is done as part of a group, or is more individual.

Getting the answers to these questions will help you select the perfect facility for your child’s needs. Finding the extra help you need with tutoring can make a big difference in your student’s grades and attitude towards school. They will be better prepared for their studies and have less pressure of falling behind. Developing the skills to study more effectively will help them for years to come. Having an educational counselor work with the student to assess their skills and develop a program for helping them reach their goals will ensure their success in college and beyond.

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