5 Budget-Friendly Ways to Navigate Back-to-School Disasters

Please welcome our guest blogger of the month, Janice Russell.  Check out her Parenting Disasters blog!

Photo by Pexels

Your 5-year-old has been talking about nothing but starting kindergarten all summer long. Now that the day is here, however, anxiety and shyness overwhelm your little one. Or, maybe your older child is starting a new school and is worried about fitting in. Perhaps your kids are all teenagers, and trying to keep up with the trends of high school is breaking your budget in ways you couldn’t have imagined — or prepared for. Whatever your situation, back-to-school stressors and disasters can happen at any time and at any age. Here are five ways to help your kids (and your bank account) manage these challenges.

Use Coupons for Clothes

Your teenager will likely go through many styles during his or her high school career. While this can be fun and adventurous for them, it can be a financial challenge for parents as it’s not uncommon for a teenager to change their look from minute to minute. You can manage these costs by checking out online coupons and promo codes for retailers like Old Navy.

Practice the First Day Routine

For a shy or anxious child, take time to practice — maybe even more than once — how the first day of class will go. Start the whole morning off the way you would on that first day. Let your child help pick out his or her outfit, and have a lunch and a backpack packed and ready to take. Even get in the car and drive to school. You can park and walk up to the front door. Be sure to explain that some things will be different — there will be more buses, cars, and kids. However, just going through the motions will help your child (and you!) feel more confident on that first day.

Get Savvy About School Supplies

Kids need a lot when they return to school. From clothes and pencils to crayons and calculators, the supply list seems to get bigger the older they get. Being savvy about supplies can save you big bucks. You can save a bundle with clearance sales and money-back opportunities from one-stop-shop stores like Kohl’s. If you have multiple kids, be sure to save the items the older ones used for when the younger children advance to that grade. Also, buy in bulk whenever you can, especially common supplies that get used every year.

Set Up a Special Homework Space

Few kids are excited about homework, but working on assignments at home is a natural part of going to school. You can help your kid feel more inspired and motivated by creating a special school workspace just for them. Outfit the area with a desk and an ergonomic chair so they are comfortable and not cramped. Be sure to get good lighting, and take advantage of natural light when you can. If your child works well with music, you can even set up a bluetooth speaker or, if they need total silence, grab some noise reducing headphones. Save on furniture and accessories by using promo codes and discounts at retailers like Macy’s.

Ease the Transition

Transitioning from summer to school is hard for most kids, regardless of age. They go from feeling the freedom of limitless days to the confines of a school desk without much buffer time. For some parents, this can make waking up your kids in time for school seem like moving a mountain. You can help ease the transition from summer to school by getting your kids up at the time they would need to for school about a week early. You can also provide a bit more structure in the day by limiting video games and television and encouraging them instead to read a book. Also, if you know the time your child will be eating lunch at school, eat lunch at that time over the summer whenever you can.

Back-to-school stressors can feel like a disaster to both kids and parents, especially when money is involved. Establishing a good daily routine is a key element in prioritizing your whole family’s mental health. It’s important that you pay attention to times when you or your child might be struggling, and schedule in a few mental health breaks. This will not only help your child relax and unwind, but it will also bring your whole family a little bit closer.

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Sleep: Guidelines, Troubles and Solutions

Sleep, glorious, sleep!

With the back to school routines getting back in gear, many families are having to adjust their children’s sleep schedules.

Sleep is so important to development and learning.  We wanted to share some great resources to help you figure out  how much sleep your children needs, how to solves common sleep problems, and since as moms we often put ourselves last, some advice for sleeping during and after pregnancy.  We need to remember that self care is so important too!

During pregnancy our sleep needs often change as baby grows. Towards the end its like our bodies are preparing us forthe lack of sleep after baby is born.  Here are some tips for you and for Daddy too!

This sleep guide is all about how much sleep our children should be getting and how to solve common sleep challenges.  Some parents find that essential oils, such as lavender, can be calming and help their children sleep.  Melatonin and CBD oil are supplements that some parents find helpful too.

With screen time being a constant in so many of our lives, its important for us to all learn how it can impact sleep for both parents and children.  Learn more about how technology affects sleep 

We know sleep can be a huge challenge for many children with disabilities. This is an excellent guide to understanding why this is so common for children with autism.   Learn more about sensory strategies to help sleep come more naturally for children who struggle with self- regulation.  

Children with neuromotor disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, often struggle with sleep as well.  Positioning systems, such as this one, can be helpful to sustain comfortable and safe sleep positions throughout the night.

When sleep troubles arise, don’t just try to push through.  There are many resources that can help!

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Our Balance Challengers Rocked Their Flamingo Poses!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Balance Awareness Week 2018 Challenge!  

If you haven’t tried it, can you stand on one foot and say or spell FLAMINGO???

We still have some flamingo prizes left for anyone who shares a photo or video of you or your family doing the challenge!

The Vestibular Disorders Association started Balance Awareness Week to bring awareness to the many vestibular disorders that affect balance.

Vestibu-WHAT, you might say?!

We all learn about the 5 senses as children, but there are 2 biggies that are left out.

These are the VESTIBULAR and the PROPRIOCEPTIVE systems.

Along with vision, the VESTIBULAR information in our inner ears and the PROPRIOCEPTIVE system in our muscles and joints, work together to give us our sense of balance.

 

BUT that is not all…

The VESTIBULAR system also impacts soooo many other areas of our lives, such as

  • Math skills
  • Short term memory
  • Spelling
  • Reading

They say you don’t get it, till you get it.  And when it comes to vestibular dysfunction, this is SO true.  It impacts so many things!

We want to give a special shout out to our Balance Challengers this week!  Here are a few of them rocking it!!!

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5 Tips to Help Your Child Have A Successful School Year!

Ready or not, the new school year is here!  My two kids have responded very differently: one is super excited and can’t wait to see what 1st grade will bring and my other daughter has been nervous about her new school and thinks everything is “boring.”  Each school year brings both excitement and nerves and as parents we can acknowledge their worries and bring calm and focus to the challenges and joys ahead.  Here are some tips that can help you get started on the right foot!  Whether your child is challenged with their attention, focus, worries or motor skills, I hope you will find a little nugget here to help.

1. Move, Move, Move!!!

 

While academics are important, the path to academic success includes a strong foundation, including an active core, good body awareness and well-developed visual skills (not just eyesight!).  

Remember that monkey bars can be better for handwriting development than just practicing to write!

 

2. Drawing and Writing on Vertical Surfaces

Easels, window markers, and wipe off boards on the wall are great tools for children developing their handwriting.  Using a vertical surface lines up the eyes, back, shoulder and wrist for writing.

You can even tape a large piece of easel paper to the wall for drawing or painting.

 

3. Combining Moving and Learning Together

 

Play math facts with chalk numbers on the driveway, jump to the sight word written on an index card or throw to a letter target on a post-it note.  The options are endless!

 

4. Morning Exercise

We know exercise is good for our bodies, but did you know how good it is for your mind? There has been as ton of research showing exercise helps memory and learning.  Can you walk with your child to school in the morning or get up 15 minutes early to have a dance party before the bus comes?

5. Deep Pressure

Deep pressure or heavy work by pushing or pulling is a great tool for a wiggly body or a nervous child.  This type of compression into the joints of the body is grounding and calming. A few easy ways to do this is the push the hands together for a count of 10, sitting in a chair place your hands next to your legs and push down for a count of 10, or do 10 wall push-ups.

 

For more guidance and individual help, reach out to us any time.  You’ll learn more about WHY your child is having difficulty and HOW to help them move forwards to discover success, confidence and independence!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Let’s Play!

by Wendy Canary, PT

Play!  Hearing this word may bring up a million different pictures in your head.  Maybe you think of a baseball game or a mound of clumsy puppies rough housing or a baby giggling at a game of peek-a boo.  No matter what the age or species, play time is an important piece of development and healthy growth.

In the first year of life, all that a baby does looks like play.  Their body proportions, big eyes and sweet smiles add to the image of a playful baby.  But those first moments of play represent important work. Babies are exploring their bodies and the world around them and in doing this developing their visual, sensory and motor skills. This exploring can take place while being held, sitting supported or during floor time on their belly and back. Floor time is where they learn to move against gravity, visually focus on objects around them, and problem solve how to explore their environment. As parents we have front row seats to watch for the sweet moments when they first turn their head to your voice, focus their eyes on the toy you are holding, lift their head and chest up off the floor to look around, or master the ability to sit themselves up!  These moments happen when they are free to explore the magical world around them that you have created. Cherish these sweet moments of floor time and watch your baby learn and master each skill!

Then it happens, your little one learns to crawl then walk and this is when the game changes!  They are able to reach new objects, push toys around, climb onto furniture and get into some mischief.  As they move and play their core stability, balance and coordination will increase and the clumsiness of their movements will improve.  Toddlers and preschoolers love to play! They will find fun in just about anything and will move from throwing, climbing, running to jumping. They are busy exploring all the ways their bodies can move, imitating all those around them and discovering ways the environment around them can be a jungle gym.  This can be an exhausting phase for parents! Take heart in knowing that they are again doing the hard work of growing their motor, visual and sensory skills. However it is okay and important to take breaks in the action and encourage quiet play as well, with building toys, dolls, reading books together, pretend play etc.   Take time each day to play on the floor with your child. They will not only be playing but they will be developing their language, social, fine motor and play skills through interacting with you. Chances are you will love this time together and find you stay longer than you expected.

Once our children enter into the structure of school, the available time for play changes.  After school hours quickly fill up with homework, recreational sports, dance, clubs etc. It can be difficult to find time for free play but it continues to be important for the development of a child.  Through play at this age, they are not only developing their coordination, strength, and balance but they are developing intellectual, social and communication skills through interactions with their family and peers. In a generation where smart phones are changing how we communicate, there is value in the face to face interactions through a backyard game of tag, or a play date at a park or a game night with the family. Creating the space in their schedule for free time allows the child to rest, decompress and find activities they enjoy!

As a child moves into their teen years, the activities they may choose in their free time will change but the need for ‘down time’ is equally as important.  Being active and engaging in activities that are enjoyable will not only provide the life skills needed for healthy living but also have the added benefit of stress management.   Young adults are feeling the pressures of expectations in so many areas of their lives, it is a gift for them to be given the permission to schedule down time without any structure or expectations.   For some this may be to play guitar, or take a run, or play a game of basketball with friends or have an impromptu dance party, but whatever their activity of choice is, it will be a time to decompress, recharge and ultimately lead to healthy mental and physical health.

No matter what the age, play is a part of life.  It is vital to the development of a child and to the health of all ages.  As parents we have the job to guide, role model and create the opportunities for exploration through play.  Whether you are on the floor with your baby, scheduling a play date at the park with your toddler or taking a hike as a family, you are modeling the importance of play.   Play is not wasted time but the building blocks of the skills our children need for their bright futures!

Let’s play!

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Swimming, Swimming in the Swimming Pool!

Summer is the time to swim and the therapeutic benefits are endless to playing and moving in the pool.  Many children who have difficulty controlling their bodies for sports and gross motor activities will have success moving in the water.  Hip hip hooray for creating positive movement experiences to build confidence! But seriously, there is nothing more powerful than a positive experience to build a foundation of possibilities.

Why is it so unique?

Free stock photo of man, people, water, girl

Water  provides 30x more deep pressure to the body than air and it is in full contact input to the body. Many children who become adept at swimming underwater will find it a very calming and organizing place to be.

Moving through water creates controlled vestibular stimulation in various planes. All of this enhanced sensory input helps with body awareness development and motor learning.

In addition to swimming, children can walk, somersault, or do angels in the water when supported on their backs.

The water is a natural environment for children to improve their oral-motor skills. Blowing bubbles in the water, blowing through a straw, or blowing ping pong balls across the pool are fun ways to introduce blowing skills.

The intense sensory input in the water will often increase language and lots of singing in the pool will further enhance those opportunities!

Gross Motor Skills

Water can either assist or provide resistance to active movement through all planes of motion, facilitating gains in strength for all major muscle groups. The gravity-lessened environment of watFree stock photo of hands, people, water, blueer can help children explore and practice movements and skills they are not yet able to perform on land. Children with difficulty standing on one leg, jumping, or hopping on land can do so in the water.

Children who are learning to walk are assisted by the water because it slows down movements and gives the child more time to react.

A fun way to practice these skills is to pretend to be different animals for a length of the pool: jump like a frog, paddle like a seal, float like a fish, gallop like a horse. For children who benefit from visual cues, bring a collection of plastic animals that the child can choose from.

Motor Planning

2 Girl's Swimming during Daytime

Motor planning skills can be enhanced by experimenting with different ways to use a pool noodle, such as sitting on it like a swing, or a horse, or floating on back with the noodle under knees. Similarly, see how many ways a child can use a kickboard, from sitting to kneeling to standing to holding it and kicking legs.

Have Fun!

Even when looking at swimming and playing in the water as therapeutic, as long as the child is moving in the water, they are getting a benefit. Focus on fun and all of the other benefits will come!

 

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What to do When Your Child Can’t Keep Up At Soccer

So many children participate in recreational fall and spring soccer teams.  It’s a fun intro to the game and usually results in the little kids running in large groups up and down the field!  

Soccer can be a fun experience for many children, but it can be frustrating for others.  When children struggle with running as fast as their peers or following the rules of the game, the fun can be lost. This leaves parents wondering whether they should even have signed up their child at all.

Why do some children struggle with soccer?  We can look at several different possible reasons to try to understand.

Can the child run fast enough?  If the child can’t keep up their teammates, soccer can be an exercise in frustration.  Why bother trying when you’re not having success!

Can the child stand on one leg for longer enough to kick the ball?  If the child feels like they’re going to fall over, kicking is no fun anymore!

Can the child listen, look, and move at the same time?  For some children, using more than one sense and moving at the same time is just too much!  (Think rubbing your belly and tapping your head at the same time.)

The younger we can help children find success in a movement activity the better.  Soccer may not be the best fit for your child, but they also may need some extra help to get their bodies ready to successfully participate in soccer or other recreational activities.  

Free stock photo of sky, person, sunglasses, clouds

The goal of any extra help is to get the child out participating with friends and family to do the things they love!  It is also so helpful to do so at a young age, before a child’s confidence is impacted.

Many parents will seek out extra support when their children are around 5 years old, which is perfect.  The same movement skills that need to be developed for soccer and other recreational activities are the ones that will support the child in the classroom too!  So its success all around!

 

 

 

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The #1 Secret to Crossing the Midline

Have you heard the term “crossing midline”?  It is one of those phrases thrown around a lot from pediatric physical and occupational therapists.  We will often tell parents that their child needs to practice crossing the midline.

So what is it???

The midline is the center of your body. In this instance, we’re talking about splitting the left and right sides of the body.

When one arm crosses over to the other side, whether to write a sentence or reach for a toy, this is called “crossing the midline.”

When children have difficulty crossing midline, they might pass a pencil between hands instead of writing a full line with one hand.  

The child may have difficulty putting their socks and shoes on.

 

Another child might often sit in a W- position because it takes crossing midline to get in and out of other positions.

If your child has difficulty crossing midline, it is often recommended to practice this skill.  Before you do, check out the video below to learn the #1 Secret to Crossing the Midline!  

If your child does need more practice, there are many fantastic activities, dances and games you can try!

Here are a few awesome resources to check out:

  1. Here’s a fun collection of great videos that promote crossing the midline! 
  2. A nice list of activities that will be easy for a parent to try at home.
  3. Here’s the dance that was the bane of every teacher this past school year (but great for crossing the midine!)- The Floss!

Last, but not least, check out…

The #1 Secret to Crossing the Midline!

 

 

 

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Embracing Summertime Fun: Tips For Keeping Kids Safe In The Sun And The Water

Our guest blogger, Amanda Henderson, is back with some fantastic tips about my favorite thing to do with kids in the summer- SWIM!

Children, Water Mirror, Nice, Sides Of Blue

 

Summertime is the prime time for kids to embrace the outdoors with trips to the park, the pool, and other outdoor venues. While this is a time for fun, it is important that parents consider the safety issues related to summer events, especially when it comes to the water. What are some of the best strategies available for keeping your children safe while they embrace the summer season?

Keep close to kids in the water and keep them protected

When it comes to the water, it is critically important that adults never leave young children alone. The Healthy Children site recommends that children under the age of five always be within an arm’s length of an adult, and they suggest that adults learn how to perform CPR. Pools at home should be completely fenced in, with a gate that kids cannot open themselves, and adults may want to consider getting an alarm for the gate as well. Also, explain and enforce pool safety rules and encourage children to discuss them with you so you know they understand.

Another water-related safety tip notes that adults should ensure that kids are wearing properly-fitting life jackets whenever they are on boats. In addition, parents and guardians should be aware of avoiding shallow water for diving, fast moving water, canals, and spots that have the potential for rip currents. Parents often rely on “floaties” or other inflatable devices to help their children in the water, but these should never be used as a substitute for supervision and all too often they provide a false sense of security.

Swim lessons can be a great way to help a child develop confidence in the water and in many communities, swim lessons are available from organizations such as the YMCA or local fitness clubs. In addition, oftentimes there are local swim clubs that can provide lessons to kids as well. Parents often can choose from group lessons at a local pool, semi-private lessons in small groups, or private lessons where the child works one-on-one with an instructor.

Simple steps can keep children safe from chemicals and exposure while outside or at the pool

Parents may not give a second thought to the chemicals used in pools, but as Fox News details, these pool chemicals cause a significant number of injuries every year. Many of these injuries happen at home pools, particularly when opening containers of chemicals or from entering the water too soon after chemicals been added to the water. Chemical containers should be kept away from children and adults handling them should ensure that they are following product directions and using appropriate safety gear.

Embracing the fun of summer also means sun and heat exposure, and adults have to take care to ensure that their children are protected properly during the sunny days. Sun exposure during one’s childhood can have a significant impact on developing melanoma later in life, and it is important that parents takes steps to protect their kids from sun damage.

Sunscreen and protective clothing are essential for outdoor safety

Tips for sun safety include making sure that children six months and under are kept out of direct sunlight and are dressed protectively to ensure that they are lightly covered up and comfortable. Kids of all ages should be dressed in lightweight protective clothing and hats are a great tool for added shelter from the sun.

Once children are more than six months old, sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor of at least a rating of 15 is critical to use. Sunscreen should be applied ahead of heading into the sun and reapplied every couple of hours or after being in the water. Experts also recommend avoiding the middle hours of the day when the sun’s ultraviolet rays are the strongest and most harmful.

Playing at the park or heading to the pool can be great fun, but it’s important that steps are taken to ensure that kids remain safe. Adults need to protect children from the sun and stay close by their sides in the water. In addition, swim lessons are typically available in every community and they can be a great way to get kids comfortable in the water. Taking just a few simple steps before heading outdoors can go a long way toward keeping kids safe as they embrace the fun of summertime.

[Image by lecreusois/Pixabay]

Amanda Henderson is a mom to two wonderful, active boys and a preschool teacher. She enjoys writing in her free time, and recently decided to create Safechildren so that she would have a place to share her thoughts and favorite resources on parenting and child safety. 
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