Search Results for: blog bonding with your preschooler

Bonding with Teenage Daughters

She’s 13 years old. She ignores me when her friends are around. She doesn’t laugh at my jokes, and has officially informed me that I am tone-deaf. Still she is the most important girl in my life. She is my daughter. We bonded immediately after she was born; probably even before that. We have always spent as much time together as possible, but as she get’s older, I find that I need to be more creative in finding reasons to bond. Fortunately, I think she is being creative too. For Christmas, my daughter purchased a manicure set and allowed me … Continue reading →

Why Cook With Your Preschooler?

I love food. I’m not an epicurean cook, since life seems to be too busy to create fancy meals most of the time. However, I am big on fresh, local ingredients, invented recipes, and delicious seasonal produce. Most of the time, my preschooler is welcome in the kitchen. Why? 1. Cooking is a chance to talk together. As long as I don’t get too hung up on doing things the “right” way, it’s a good bonding time, and we’re both doing something that we enjoy, whether it’s creating sauces or having a taste of maple syrup. 2. Cooking is a … Continue reading →

Easy and Affordable End-of-Summer Activities for Preschoolers

The days of swimming until sunset, twilight marshmallow roasts, and flexible bedtimes are coming to a rapid end for many preschoolers (including my own). In our home the carefree days of summer will soon be replaced by structured school routines, but not before one last blast of pure preschool fun. The following are some of my daughter’s favorite activities, which we plan to partake in this week: HOMEMADE CANDY JEWELRY Materials: Your child’s favorite treats that can be strung on pieces of red or black licorice, such as Lifesavers, Gummi Rings, chocolate covered pretzels, Cheerios, etc. Directions: Measure the licorice … Continue reading →

Is Your Green Thumb Harming Your Preschooler?

Mommy, mommy, how does your garden grow? If you are one of the millions of parents around the world, who uses gardening as a means of escaping from the stress associated with raising young human beings, then you might want to brace yourself for some disturbing news: A new study found that children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) had a significantly greater likelihood of exposure to household pesticides compared with a control group. Translation: Parents of preschoolers, who use pesticides on their grass, in their gardens and around the house have a greater chance of developing cancer. According to the … Continue reading →

Summer Fun for Preschoolers

Preschoolers love to exercise their independence, so many of the activities that might keep them amused during the summer months should be designed so they can work with minimal parental interruption. Give yourself a break by allowing your preschooler to work on projects independently. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t supervise your child, it just means that you should allow him to work at his own pace and solve problems on his own. Here are a few ideas to keep summer fun for your preschooler: GARDENING Introduce your child to gardening by visiting a local botanical garden or farm (u-pick strawberry … Continue reading →

Super Summer Fun for Preschoolers

Summer is a great opportunity for you to spend quality time with your kids. Try not to lose sight of this as you are dashing from one scheduled activity to the next. Childhood experts recommend that parents of preschoolers make sure their child gets adequate down time during the summer months to just have fun. The next time you are looking for ways to keep your kids entertained on a warm summer day, consider the following activities: SHARK ATTACK Place hula-hoops or large beach towels on the ground to serve as dens for the “fish.” Pick one child to be … Continue reading →

Surviving the Summer with a Preschooler

I love my preschooler with an indescribable passion. However, as much as I cherish each and every second we are together, I also embrace the times when she is able to keep herself occupied long enough for me to get at least one task done without interruption. Those moments are relatively scarce, especially during the summer months when the weather is nice and we spend much of the day outside. Still, there are ways to secure a few moments of peace, provided you plan ahead. The following are some of my preschooler’s favorite outdoor activities that don’t require a ton … Continue reading →

Tips for Surviving a Summer Trip With a Preschooler

Whether you are flying, driving or cruising to your family’s summer vacation destination, if a preschooler is part of the mix, then you might consider taking note of the following helpful travel tips: Better Safe Than Sorry: In addition to making a mental note of what your child is wearing, you should also carry a recent photo of him or her with you on the trip. This is especially important if you are traveling far from home. For example, if you live in Seattle and are vacationing in Orlando it will be hard to “just run back home” to retrieve … Continue reading →

The Bonding Hormone and Monogamy

There has been quite a bit of research into love and the brain. Scientists have isolated parts of the brain they believe that love is felt. So that stab to your heart is really coming from your head. Within all of that science, researchers have made some conclusions about how we bond and why we are or are not monogamous. And it seems that there is a certain truth to the belief that some men just aren’t cut out for monogamy. Let’s start with the woman. A hormone called oxytocin is responsible for encouraging bonding. Oxytocin is released during childbirth … Continue reading →

Hey Moms… What’s On Your Christmas Wish List?

Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas this year is peace, good health… and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Best Wishes, A Mom In a previous blog I touched on moms, sacrifices, and the holidays. Moms (in general) are notorious for knowing exactly what’s on everyone else’s Christmas wish list while never considering drafting one of their own. So why is it that mothers have such a difficult time coming up with a holiday wish list? I can’t speak for other moms, but I would venture to guess: A.) They’d rather spend the money on their children B.) They don’t have … Continue reading →