The Social Skills Every Child Should Learn

 

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As a parent, you undoubtedly want to do everything you can to make your child’s life as easy and fulfilling as possible. If that is the case, along with teaching them to read, write and do their arithmetic, you should also be teaching them social skills.

Social skills allow your children to have better relationships with their peers when they are young, and as they get older, they help your children to get along with teachers, employers, and just about anyone they need to get along with to succeed in life.

With that in mind, here are the most important social skills to teach your kids right now:

Listening

If you have young kids, you’ll know that they are awfully keen on talking, mostly about themselves and what they have done, and less keen on listening to their parents. This is fine when they are little and they are only talking with family members, but as soon as they have to be around their peers, it may not help them to make friends.

When they’re talking be sure to listen to what they have to say, but do not be afraid to point out when it’s someone else’s time to talk!

Sharing

Teaching your kids to share is so important. Not only does it encourage them to play nicely with others, but it also teaches them the importance of being kind. the act of sharing with a friend or family member can also boost a child’s self-esteem, which is really important as they grow up too.

Co-operation

Co-operation is a really important life skill. It teaches kids that they need to get along with the people around them, whether they be classmates at their preschools, family members at home, or people in the wider community. It also sets them up for the world of work where collaboration is often vital.

You can teach your kids to co-operate by playing with games and toys that have scope for multiple participants to get involved, such as Lego. Assign each child a smaller task that is part of a bigger whole and encourager them to talk to each other throughout.

How to respect personal space

This is a big one. No one likes having their personal space invaded, and kids, or adults even, who do it regularly will often be given a wide berth.

How do you teach your kids about personal space? Put boundaries into place. Snake rules about keeping hands to yourself or knocking before entering a room, and enforce them. Some kids will need lots of gentle reminders, but they will get there in the end.

Manners

Teaching your child the prevailing manners of the place you are living in is so important. If you fail to do so, they may come across as being rude when really they just haven’t been taught what they are supposed to do. So, practice at home regularly.

Teach your children these key social skills and you will be helping them to get more smoothly through life whether it’s interviewing for a new job or being popular with their friends. So, what are you waiting for?

6 Summer Decor Crafts and Activities for the Whole Family

 Summer is around the corner and what a relief! With the state of the world right now, your family needs every bright moment it can get to have fun and enjoy more time together. And that’s exactly what the sunny and relaxing summer season brings with it. Of course this summer your family might not jet off to a far off land for a vacation, but who says you can’t have fun in your home?

While summer is the idyllic time to relax and have fun, it can quickly become monotonous if you’re not creative enough. You can only play so many lawn games or visit the beach as a family. What about those sweltering hot or rainy days when you can’t venture outside?

The last thing you want is for your kids to go back to their gizmos and lounge on the couches all day long.

With some creativity, you can get everyone busy with the following summer décor craft ideas. Here are fun activities that suit the whole family and the best part is that you give your house a touch of warm summer décor style while also bonding. So, here you go.

Outdoor Wall Art

Love painting? Well, maybe you don’t have a potential Picasso in your house but who said you can’t have some with colors? Kids love working with paint and you can bring some summer fun to your outdoor walls with colorful art. Homeowners have always welcomed summer with a proud display of art and this is a fun DIY idea for your home.

Get a large DIY wall board and brainstorm what to paint. This is a simple yet exciting idea to bring everyone outside. Let everyone have a go at the brush and create a welcoming message to display on your lawn. When you have a cookout or a get-together, this becomes the highlight of your outdoor space.

Glass Jar Flower Vase Garland

The applications for glass jars in your home are endless. Summer is synonymous with splashes of color and you can bring your house to life with your favorite summertime flowers. Collect glass jars in the house or even buy some and line them up.

Tie the jars together in a garland, put some water in each jar with your favorite flower cutting. Hang these indoors on your windows, dresser, or anywhere else to bring some life to your living space. 

Decorative Leaf Garland for Your Book Stand

If you love books, the bookstand is hallowed ground where you always find yourself when looking for peace. And what better way to appreciate this space than with a simple but decorative leaf garland. You can work on the leaf garland and create any design that your family suggests.

Remember, any décor craft ideas are only fun if everyone chips in. At the end of the DIY project, you’ll bring some rainforest vibe into your living room. This will easily turn into the focal point of your home’s décor.

DIY Summer Wreath

What better way to prepare your home for an exciting summer than with a colorful porch wreath? This is a classic summer craft idea, and it gives your home a touch of beauty and elegance. The best part about a summer wreath is the fact that it requires all hands on deck.

Source the right flowers to bring color to your home décor. This is where your family comes in handy. You also need some simple items from the dollar store to add some fun to the wreath and to personalize it. Whether you want a wire wreath, branch wreath, or any other type, you have all the time to prepare.

Milk Carton Birdhouse/Bird Feeders

If you have a nice garden, chances are you have beautiful guests from nature throughout the summer. Birds also love their summertime out. Why not create some fun activity from this? Birdhouses and bird feeders not only add some beauty to your garden but also attract more birds to your compounds.

You can create some fun activity out of DIY birdhouse or bird feeders using recycled milk cartons. Bring everyone outside for some fun. Design how to build the birdhouses and feeders. Your kids will love the idea and you’ll add some color to your lawn. This DIY project might not be permanent but it sure is fun.

Decorate With Your Kids’ Art

You have to agree that summer brings out the artist in everyone. The kids especially have a go at creating amazing stuff every time they go out. Whether you’re at the beach or in the park, kids are always making stuff.

From seashell crab magnets, ice cream cone key chains, shell people to crayon drawings, you can collect all these pieces and use them to bring your living space to life. Think of a board on the wall where each piece goes. It soon becomes a competition where the best piece of art competes for space on that all-important board. This is one of the fantastic decorative ideas for your home.

The opportunities for summer décor craft projects are limitless. You’ll have so much fun and bring the family together while at it. Whatever idea you have in mind, you can always make it work if you bring all hands on deck. To move from crafts to interior design, visit Home of Cozy for furniture reviews and get started! Go on and add some simple family fun to your summer.

Keeping Your Kids Safe On The Internet

The internet is a powerful tool now that pretty much everyone uses. With a multitude of internet providers available, like Viasat internet, it's now easier than ever to get connected and get online. It’s now something younger generations grow up with, and it can be easy to forget that there are always dangers to using the internet in regards to your children. Here’s how you can keep your kids safe on the internet.

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Talk To Them About The Dangers

There are many dangers on the internet, but if you just tell your children that the internet is
dangerous and give no other information than that, it will likely pique their curiosity to find what
these dangers are. Ultimately, that’s something you don’t want else they’re going to put you and
your household in danger. So talk through the different dangers that are on the internet. Tell
them to be wise about what websites they go on as some may cause viruses to infect the
computer. Encourage them not to speak to any strangers on the internet, no matter what. Stress
the importance of not giving out any personal information, particularly where you live, your
name and age. You don’t want to petrify them into having nightmares, but you need to find the
right balance to ensure they’ve taken note of your warnings.

Know Their Passwords

For younger children, it’s good to know their passwords for anything they use. This way, if you
ever need to keep an eye on what they’re doing, you’ve got access to any accounts and sites that
they use. Failing that, you can always check the browsing history of what they’ve been looking
at and control this feature so that only you can delete what you browse.

Be Wise With Electronic Devices

There are so many electronic devices that have access to the internet, and sometimes we can
forget they exist when we give them to our children. Devices like Kindles and iPads all have
access to the web, and it’s easy enough for them to jump on. Children are very bright, and they’ll
likely figure out how to use devices faster than you can. Going forward, be wise with your
electronic devices and at what age you decide to give them to your children. Mobile phones are
ideally given to children when they are teenagers as they are likely to be going out more with
friends and therefore it’s good for them to contact you, so you know where they are. A lot of
mobile devices also have GPS tracking so that you can subtly keep track of where they are if
ever they ring you in a panic and have gotten lost.

Set Parental Controls

Parental controls for the internet are something everyone should be using, particularly for young
children going on the internet. Family Orbit is the best parental control app that allows you to
monitor your children’s activity on the internet and to block certain sites that might be harmful
to them at that age. The app helps block these sites from your phone, and it can help you lock
or unlock your child’s device if you’ve banned them from using their mobile device. They may
not like you for it, but as a parent, it’s looking out for their interests and safety.

Keep Computers Visible

Any computers at home should be kept visible and that means that they should be out in open
areas of the home, like the office or living room. Avoid getting laptops or desktop PCs in your
children’s rooms until they’ve reached a certain age where they can buy it for themselves. By
that point, they’re likely to be at an age where they understand the dangers of the internet
anyway and are using it for work or for socially connecting with friends.

Assign Rules And Stick To Them

Finally, ensure you assign rules for using the internet and be strict with them. Set a time limit on
how much internet they can use on a daily basis. Keep electronic devices from the dinner table
if you tend to eat together as a family and ensure that these devices are removed from the
bedroom at night if they’re young. These rules will help them understand that the internet is a
luxury and something that should be used wisely.

Keeping your kids safe on the internet is going to allow them to go forward with safety in mind
whenever they use the web. Remember to be clear about the dangers of the internet and don’t
avoid any sensitive topics. Keep computers visible and assign rules that they need to abide by.

Connecting Generations: Helping Your Kids To Relate To Your Parents

The world can change an awful lot between three generations. Technology improves, politics change,
and fashion evolves into something new, and this often creates a large divide between the young and
old. When they get talking, though, kids will soon realise that they have a lot more in common with their
elderly relatives than they once thought. To help you to unlock this in your own family, this post will be
exploring some of the work which can go into connecting the generations, along with some tips to make
the whole process easier.

Common Ground

Before you can begin integrating your family members, it’s crucial that you find some common ground
between them. This is much harder with teenagers than it is with younger kids, but this doesn’t mean
that it is impossible, and you should look for something which will bring your family together regardless
of age. You can find some examples of things which most people enjoy below, giving you some starting
points when you’re going down this path.

Music: Whether you can play an instrument or your tone death, most people enjoy music, and will have
a lot to talk about when they are given the right opportunity. Music has changed throughout history, but
there are inextricable links between genres, and these can be used to find common ground. For example,
if your parents like soul and your kids like hip hop, you can point out that was one born from the other.

Sports: Much like music, sports are also a worldwide phenomenon, with just about everyone tuning
into a game at some point in their life. This is something which is very easy to connect people with,
with the mention of team rivalries or upcoming games being enough to spark long conversations which
both parties will enjoy.

Film & Television: Modern media has changed and evolved a lot over the years, but there is still plenty
available which everyone can appreciate. It will be harder than finding connections with music or sports,
but you might be able to figure out a movie or TV show which both sides of the coin will enjoy. Once
you’ve achieved this goal, you will be able to give them something which they can sink their teeth into.

Breaking The Ice

Adults can seem very mysterious when you’re young. They will seem serious most of the time, and this
can make it hard to see them as anything other than a strict rule maker. Of course, though, it only takes
a glimpse into the silly side of a person for this illusion to be shattered. Breaking the ice like this can be a
challenge, especially if your child is shy or your parents struggle to communicate. A good way to get this
going will be to leave your loved ones together on their own, as this will force them to talk.

Alternatively, though, you could also think about some ways to put them into situations which will force
them to lose their inhibitions. For example, going on a day out to a zoo will give everyone the chance to
get excited about something. You will all have something to talk about, and you can work to set a jovial
tone which will quickly get picked up by those around you. Social situations can be controlled when you
use the right methods, and this is worth it when you’re working to improve your family relations.

Making It Easier

One of the biggest challenges people face when they are trying to connect the generations in their family
are communication issues. There are a number of different causes for this sort of problem, but they can
all have a dramatic impact on your loved one’s ability to communicate with one another. You can find
some examples of these issues below, though it will be worth being creative to solve any other problems
you might have this in area.

Hearing: Old age tends to come with a range of different health issues, and one of the first body parts to
go will be the ears. Deafness is extremely common, with loads of people suffering with it, and it can
cause large rifts in otherwise close relationships. Hearing aids can be used to solve this, with loads of
companies out there offering these devices for fair and reasonable prices. This is a small price to pay for
something which can make it possible to talk again.

Settings: One person’s comfort zone can often make other people feel unsettled, with the homes of a lot
of elderly people feeling stuffy to the young. For this reason, it’s best to have meetings on neutral
ground, like cafes and restaurants. Of course, this isn’t always possible, but it’s worth thinking about
when you’re planning your next event.

Talking: Elderly people will often complain about young ones muttering, while young people can struggle
to understand the words someone older might use. You can act as a translator in these instances, filling
the gaps and keeping conversation moving in the right direction, without getting in the way of what is
being said. This may feel a little strange, but can help an awful lot when people are struggling to talk.

Being old can bring a lot of challenges with it, and most people don’t want to face them alone. The young
people in your family can bring light into the lives of the elderly, giving them a proper chance to forget
about the issues they face in normal life. Likewise, young people can also benefit from these sorts of relationships, with their minds being opened to new things when they’ve had the chance to spend time with someone who's seen the world, added Keep Moving Care who is selling mobility scooters.

Hopefully, this post will inspired you to start finding connections between your children and your parents.
It can be hard to go through a process like this, but the strong bonds which will be built as a result will
be well worth it. Of course, time will tell how much you can get your loved ones to talk to one another.

Biz Works Better, But Why?

Life with kids can get messy; both figuratively and literally! Between sports and grass stains and excessive dirt and art classes, there are always a few good stains awaiting me in my laundry.

This conversation has been sponsored by BIZ, but the ideas are my own.

A few years ago a stain from grass or markers might have been enough to send a shirt or pair of pants to the trash can, but these days I don't sweat it. I tackle stains like it is no one's biz-ness. My laundry room is stocked with Biz to fight stains for me.

Biz works better than other brands because it contains the ingredients needed to work on ALL STAINS!  It has enzymes for grass, blood and milk stains. It has peroxide for juice and pasta sauce stains. It has whitening agents to get clothes brighter than ever. It has detergents for dirt and mud. It has all of my bases covered in one handy package.

We are a crafty family, so we get messy! The kids are usually covered in something from head to toe. Asides from it being evidence of a day well spent, it shows we lived, made memories and created something lovely, took an adventure or just had a good time! When I use BIZ, I can keep the good times rolling without stressing over the laundry.

Regardless of if Rolf is out on the field, or just making something cute, he can wear his outfit another day without looking like a mess, no matter how much of a mess he might have been!Harp might have decorated herself instead of her art, but we don't even consider it, her outfits are safe from stains and can be cleaned up fuss free.

We like Biz powder and liquid equally, both work wonders without any elbow grease required! How do you tackle tough stains? Biz costs about $3 a bottle and is literally the best stain fighter we have ever tried. I would love to hear your best laundry tips in a comment!

DIY Kids Reading Nook and Book Storage Solution

We have moved into our house and are now in the stages of making it work for us. The rooms are all spacious, there are closets! But we have a mass of childrens books fitting for a small library. After filling the only 3 shelves available with books, I had to get creative about storing them but I also wanted to come up with something functional.

I got an under the bed storage tote. I filled it with about 50 books.

I placed the lid on it and immediately my daughter dashed into see what was up. She is a little bookworm and the idea of several hundred available books really appealed to her... and the mess maker in her too.

                  From here I got a soft blanket. and covered tote of books.

I added a few favorite stuffed animals, but they were instantly snatched away by the kids. so I gave them a pillow and a small basket of books at the side of this reading nook.

As you can see, it was instantly put to use by my sweet book loving daughter.

So, for about $8 I created a storage solution and a seating area for the kids! This has worked well because the kids like to lay down and read, and the tote filled with books supports their weight and is just the right length for them to do so.

Peanut Butter Chicken {$7 Dinner Series}

Summer is creeping up on us. For my family, that means all 4 of us are home for 3 months.  Sounds fun right?! It is, if you can take the increased cost of living out of the equation. My water and electric bills sky rocket over the summer, we spend about 3 times more on gasoline in the summer. My grocery bill makes me want to cry. With my husband and son eating all 3 meals at home for 3 months it more than doubles every week. We haven't even got on the subject of entertaining the family, the sports and so on.

This summer, I am going to reign in our spending. I am taking that depression inducing grocery bill on first. I have made it my mission to discover the recipes that taste amazing and are economical too. I am giving them a bonus star if they can be prepared without use of the oven.

This has led me to start a little series over here called the $7 Dinner Series. I will be featuring recipes that you can make for your family for under $7 that will earn cheers instead of jeers for budget cooking!

I love peanut chicken from the Chinese Restaraunt, but taking the family out for dinner every time I crave Peanut Chicken is definitely not budget friendly! Luckily, I came up with an incredibly easy and delicious alternative.

Before you groan at the thought of eating peanut butter coated chicken, let me tell you, this is incredible. It is such a scrumptious combination. If you try it, you are going to like it. I promise!

This meal features fresh veggies and chicken. To give you a run down on the cost

I purchased a 2.5 pound bag of store brand chicken tenders for $5.47 I used 1/2 of the bag for this recipe to feed 4 people. That made the cost of chicken for this recipe $2.74.

I had peanut oil on hand.

I used about 1/3 of a cup of peanut butter this would add about 45 cents to the price of dinner.

Asparagus was on sale for 99 cents a pound.

Sliced mushrooms were on sale for $1.09

I used about 1/3 of a stick of butter which would add about 30 cents to the price of dinner.

That brings this meal for 4 to $5.57.

My husband says it is even better than take out, and seriously I couldn't go out for Peanut Chicken solo for $5.57!

Ingredients Needed for Peanut Butter Chicken With Asparagus and Sauteed Mushrooms

1 1/4 pound of frozen chicken tenders
1/3 cup of smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons or so of peanut oil {you can use vegetable oil if that is what you have on hand!}

1 pound of asparagus, fresh with trimmed ends
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup of sliced mushrooms
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter

Salt and Pepper as desired

Directions 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place mushrooms in a frying pan with butter over medium heat. Allow to cook, stirring as needed until the mushrooms have a lovely golden brown color to them.

Place your trimmed asparagus on a baking dish. Add butter to the top of the asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper if you wish. Place this in the oven to roast for about 15 minutes.

Begin to fry your chicken tenders in peanut oil at a temperature of about 300 degrees. {I use a wok}

As the chicken has fried and reached the recommended temperature of 165-170 degrees remove it from the pan or wok and cut it into smaller chunks.

 Discard oil remaining in wok/pan after it has cooled down a touch.

Return chicken chunks to the pan/wok, turn to a medium heat setting.

Add the peanut butter to the wok.

Stir as it melts, make sure the chicken is coated.

Remove mushrooms and asparagus from heat and serve with the  Peanut Butter Chicken!


This is such a great recipe. It is delicious, it cooks easily and quickly and it is economical. You really can't beat it!

Do you have a favorite economical dinner that you often make for your family? I would love to hear about it!

You might also enjoy this cute cupcake decorating idea!

You won't want to miss this collection of Lo Mein recipes.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Tacos {$7 Dinner Series}

My favorite meals to prepare for my family are easy, economical and packed full of veggies. The less time I spend cooking and cleaning up the better. I would much rather play with my kids or read them a story after dinner than spend an hour cleaning up! I would also prefer to have time to listen to my son talk about his school day over cooking!

This recipe for Easy Cheesy Chicken Tacos meets all of my criteria for a great meal! This is so easy to make and you can create this recipe for about $7 with smart shopping!

To begin here is a run down of what I purchased to create this dinner for my family and how much each ingredient cost.

Tyson 2/5 pound bag of frozen chicken breast, sale price of $4.99. I used 1/2 of the package  for a total of $2.49
1 jar of Meijer brand salsa, sale price of $1.00
1 pacakge of Meijer brand soft flour tortillas $1.49
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1.00
2 ounces of cream cheese .33 (a 6 oz package was .99)
1/2 an onion  ( sale price of 67 cents for a small sweet onion) .33
1/2 a green pepper .50



For a total of $7.14

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup of cooked chicken breast
1 jar of salsa
1 package of tortillas
1/2 cup of shredded  cheese
1/3 package of cream cheese
1/2 an onion
1/2 a green pepper


Directions 
Cook your chicken in a pan of boiling water when it has reached the recommended internal temperature, remove it from heat, allow to cool to a temperature you can work with and cut it into small chunks.

Cut your onion and green pepper into small chunks

Add salsa, cream cheese, shredded cheese, chicken and chopped veggies to a medium size pan, over medium heat, allow the cream cheese and shredded cheese to melt, stirring several times. Once the cheese is melted you can serve this on soft tortillas for an easy meal your family will love.

Garnish with Sour cream or hot sauce if desired.

I often serve this with a side of Spanish Rice, or a light salad. The best part is this is one meal my entire family loves!


You might also enjoy this Peanut Butter Chicken Recipe from my $7 Dinner Series.

Feed Me Fine Motor Activity

I have always encouraged fine motor play in my children. Not only is it important for their development, but there are so many ways to offer an invitation to fine motor play!

A well-meaning friend purchased tennis balls for my senior dogs. Bless her heart, but my pooches are too old to do much fetching. As much as we love the dogs, truth be told, they are hounds and have always been prone to take it easy; to sleep in bed only waking for food, water, and a walk. As I type, both are snoozing on pillows at my feet. No fetch will be played willingly by these dogs!

My kids were delighted. Balls! In the house?! YAY!!

I acted fast. With a moment of my time and some very basic supplies, my kids were distracted from the idea of throwing balls and were enthralled with the idea of feeding the ball.

To make a feed me ball you will need

A tennis ball
A utility knife
2 peel and stick eyes or a black magic marker to draw eyes
A few pom poms or cotton balls

The first step is the trickiest. Use caution while using the utility knife to cut a slit in the tennis ball, this will become the mouth.

Next affix or draw the eyes. We went with what we had on hand and used small stick on eyes. The kids and I agreed that really big eyes would be lots of fun!

After the eyes have been added you can offer the pom poms or cotton balls along with the ball.

Play combined with fine motor skill development is ideal for kids of a variety of ages. Both of my kids have fun feeding things to the ball over the years. From cotton balls to barbie doll shoes. The fine motor aspects remain, but we have added in simple math, counting, and color sorting to the ways we use the feed me ball.

You might also enjoy these 7 Ways to Entertain a 3 Year Old.

Paper Plate Spider Craft

This cute craft is perfect for Halloween, it is easy to make and the results are so cute you will want to display the finished project so everyone can see how creative your little crafter is!

We are big on holidays! We get excited about them all; Easter, Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, of course Halloween is a big one too!

This year we started crafting up Halloween fun maybe a little too early, but we couldn't resist! This is one of the first ones we made and it was so easy and cute!!

This post contains affiliate links.

All you will need is:
A paper plate
A piece of black construction paper
8 googly eyes
A black kwik stik
school glue
Scissors

Paint your paper plate black with a Kwik Stik.
Cut 8 strips of paper for legs and glue them on, 4 to a side
Add 8 eyes
Give your spider a smile and you are done!

Find more of our favorite halloween ideas here

Favorites include

Mumkins

Deliciously Scary Snacks