The perfect time to purchase new bedroom furniture is just as you’re planning for colder months when your child will be spending more time indoors. While there are many options and ideas you can view on our website or in our Long Island showroom, this post is going to focus more on the actual experience of buying new furniture for your child’s bedroom and how to maximize its effectiveness in communicating love to your child.The Lead UpDepending on the age and personality of your child, you could …
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Extravagance can be a way to show your children love, but it can also keep you from being in-the-moment and keeping the peace, both throughout the month of December and beyond. When we strap ourselves financially, extend past natural limitations of finances, energy, and time, we’re more likely to be short on love and long on longing for another stage of life, another life altogether. If parenting through the holiday season fills you with anxiety and a desire to just skip them or escape altogethe …
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Okay, now that we’ve realized the problem with treating books like veggies, we may need to remind ourselves of the dangers of the system we’ve set up, by which books are the veggies that must be eaten in order to “earn” dessert. The illustration is quite appropriate, considering that similar to the negative effects of too much refined sugar, the downsides of screen time include the kinds of things absolutely none of us want for those we love: increased issues with anger, depression, and lack of …
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The issue boils down to a culture that’s obsessed with screens and constant busy-ness. In such a world, books may seem outdated. By definition, though, truly recreational activities produce a positive effect on the individual, and books can certainly do that.It’s Okay To Add a Little HoneyRemember, books aren’t vegetables, so we don’t want to treat them as if they were; they are the good stuff. But just like there’s nothing wrong with drizzling some honey on an apple, it’s okay to offer a little …
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In a word: YESPerhaps screens are overtaking paper books by leaps and bounds in the homes and lives of your family members, friends, and neighbors, but the digital-versus-paper-book debate is not just an old-folks-versus-modern-people thing. Physicians, psychiatrists, parents, and others are seeing real addictions stemming from too much screen time – sometimes even likening the effects to that of drugs!Tangible Books & Toys Beat Digital OnesIf your child is already addicted to screens, detox can …
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Now that we have you convinced that, yes, your modern child does need a bookshelf — it’s time to start filling it up! What books are “must haves,” and how can you choose from the gazillions of books out there?! Well, there are almost as many lists out there, but what we want to offer you is more of a guide in selecting and adding to your child’s book collection.Keep the Goals in ViewBy providing your child with a print-rich environment, you’ll be doing even more than encouraging your child’s lit …
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What do most well-meaning parents do with vegetables? We require our kids to eat them, get them into our kids in any way we can, and generally bribe our kids with unhealthy, sugary desserts, in an effort to get them to eat their veggies! After all, they need those nutrients, right? Well, I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m not going to critique your child’s dietary issues, whatever they may be. But with that image in view of how we treat vegetables, I’d like to invite you to consider whether you tre …
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We’ve all heard the statement, “The days may be long, but the years are short.” No one knows the realities of long days like the stay-at-home parent of a baby or toddler. The rhythm of your days and weeks can easily become monotonous, if you let it. But that’s a big “if.” While incorporating high points with down times, you’ll be able to create some sanity in the midst of the daily routine, allowing you to enjoy the beauty and freedom that these special years offer.Start Early with RoutinesWheth …
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Did you know that soft modeling dough can be more than simply a fun way to make the best of indoor time? We touched on some of the benefits of modeling dough in Part 1 and Part 2. But this time we’ll explore three of the main kinds of benefits in a little more detail.Strengthen Hand MusclesEspecially for the preschool set, strengthening those hand muscles is necessary for learning how to write. While coloring is one way to encourage this, boys particularly may shy away from any kind of writing, …
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Soft modeling dough is a great calming, sensory activity that is perfect for those afternoons or evenings when you’re stuck indoors and need some kind of sensory outlet. Are your kids the kind that just sit there, when you tell them to play? Perhaps they need a bit more specific of an invitation — or even a challenge. If you haven’t made your own soft modeling dough before, start here; otherwise, keep reading. Don’t assume DIY modeling dough in general has lost its appeal among your kids; they m …
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