These days for children, games, outdoor activities, television, etc take a higher priority than something more crucial to life - good manners. A child’s success in life is directly related to what his parents instill in him right now. It may be something as simple as greeting elders, respect for one another or how to answer a question politely.

Practice what you preach - often children repeat what they see the elders say or do. Hence, it is important for parents to set the standard they expect from their children, always. Maintain high standards at home and teach children to speak properly. That way you will not have to worry about the way your children behave in public.

Tips to Raise a Polite Child:
Use the words ‘please’, ’sorry’ and ‘thank you’ frequently when applicable. Teach children the significance of these words, when to use them, how to use them and where to use them.

‘No’ means ‘No’. Teaching a child that you mean business when you say no may not be as difficult as you think it is. Be firm when you don’t want your child to do something, so that he knows you mean “No”. Of course, the child won’t obey the first time, though he will eventually learn. Do not give in even if the child cries or throws a tantrum.

Share. Take time to explain why sharing is important to your child. Future life is all about sharing. When the child understands, he will consciously make an effort to do so without being forced.

Table Manners. More often than not, mishaps take place at the table. A child is never too young to begin learning the basics of table etiquette.

The right way to inculcate good manners is to encourage or praise the child when he does something right, and correct him when he goes wrong.

About Author:
Pauline Go is an online leading expert in the senior care. She also offers top quality articles like :
Homosexual Parenting Tips
Kids And Immunizations

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Switching on “the box” and letting the kids veg out seems a much easier alternative to watching little Johnny climb up the tree. In today’s fast paced world, obesity is growing at a very alarming rate and how to prevent childhood obesity seems to be a hot topic.

Childhood obesity is a major problem that most of the developed countries are facing today. It has alarmed the whole world and frightfully, if not cured during childhood, will result in your child being overweight throughout his or her adult years. This may also result in a number of serious diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. So, prevention in this instance proves to be much better than cure.

Lets face it, kids can be incredibly honest and extremely cruel. Chances are if you are overweight, you will not only be the last one picked for the team, you will also find it harder to make friends are will more likely be shut out socially. For the parent of the obese child, it is heartbreaking to witness your kid being tormented and teased, but, if we are to prevent childhood obesity, a firm, consistent routine needs to be implemented with both parent and child coming to the party.

Due to our own eating habits, lack of exercise and sedentary lifestyle, our children are now suffering the consequences. Our generation has the biggest amount of obese children and the numbers are increasing rapidly on a daily basis. In order to try and eradicate this problem, parents need to start early and lead by example.

It is not fair for you to munch away on all the forbidden goodies while your child is preached to about healthy eating. As a parent and role model your main goal should be to cultivate proper eating habits.

Your child’s diet should be well balanced with three meals a day as the standard. Unhealthy, processed snacks and treats need to be kept to a bare minimum and in best-case scenario, eradicated. Offer fruits and healthy snack alternatives instead. Also, as a rule, never skip breakfast, it is the most important meal of the day and enables the regulation of metabolism as well as blood sugar levels.

It’s all good and well to promote healthy eating but it is also vital for children to be active. To prevent childhood obesity, physical activity is another key ingredient. With the progression of modern technology, sadly, our children have become lazy and gone are the days of outside cricket matches with the neighbourhood kids or playing hide and seek until mom comes to call you.

The “play” of choice today is X box, television, cellphones and Internet. Not only do these gadgets fry your child’s developing brain but promote inactivity. Parents need to take a firm stance and limit “gadgets”. Make it a habit to spend at least an hour doing a fun physical activity and get them interested and involved in sport.

Not only will it keep them out of trouble but will help to prevent childhood obesity! We love all our children and want the best for them. By promoting healthy active lifestyles, hopefully all parents can do their bit to prevent childhood obesity.

Antonie Konig is an author interested in natural health and well being. I firmly believe that 90% of all our health problems are diet related. I maintain an active and updated health blog where I prefer to focus on natural cures - Libido and Health. Learn about the health and weight benefits of keeping a journal, read more here!

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And children are not immune from anxiety associated with public speaking, either. The irony, however, is that taking the time to teach public speaking to children means that they can diminish the fear easier than adults and at a younger age.
 
So, what is involved when it comes to knowing how to teach public speaking to children?

The process begins with instilling knowledge within them that no one going to laugh at them. Instead, it should be instilled in them that others will not only be eager to hear them and will respect them more because of their willingness to stand up and speak.

Talk about a confidence builder!
 
Knowing how to teach public speaking to children also involves sharing with them the importance of the three things that are required for public speaking:
· Preparation. Teach public speaking to young people by educating them about the importance of preparation through taking time to jot down ideas about what they want to share. Of course, most young people will not be sharing thoughts as lofty as those of CEOs. But it’s also important that they learn how to organize their thoughts
· Along with remembering that there is nothing to fear when it comes to public speaking, teaching them the importance of relaxing and not allowing themselves to become discouraged if any problems arise during their presentation is also important
· Displaying an air of confidence that also shares their warmth and enthusiasm about speaking. Young people hunger for acceptance and the welcome response from their peers can be instrumental in furthering their desire to succeed at speaking in public
 
It’s also important to recognize that taking the time to teach public speaking to children can be viewed as a fun experience for parents and their offspring. That’s because what may be seen as a tedious process by adults when it comes to writing down thoughts and rehearsing remarks in front of a mirror may seem like fun to youth.
 
Almost everyone will be asked to speak before a group at some point in their life. For some it may involve addressing large audiences, while others might never address more than a half-dozen co-workers.
 
Taking the time to teach public speaking to children can not only make them more effective communicators at an early age, it will also instill confidence in them and increase the chances that they will continue to excel in public speaking as adults.

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By Gillian Reynolds

Reading is truly the foundation of our kids’ educational experience. If your child’s middle school reading skills aren’t up to par they are going to face an uphill struggle that will get progressively worse. As parents, we want to do everything in our power to help our kids succeed. There are actually a few things you can do with your child at home that will get them an edge in class.

One easy way to improve middle school reading skills is to help your child pick out reading materials that actually interest them. A big problem with textbooks is that children just don’t find them interesting. At home it’s better to have your child read things that are fascinating to them. For instance, boys are often the biggest fans of new video games so perhaps a subscription to a video game magazine would be a great gift. Girls are often infatuated with celebrities and since there is no shortage of gossip magazines, your daughter can spend some time each day reading something she really enjoys.

Many kids enjoy getting letters. Most households have more than their share of envelopes addressed to “homeowner” or “recipient.” A fun way to improve middle school reading skills is to save all that general mail for your child. Tell them that they have the job of going through it to decide what should be thrown away and what needs to be dealt with. They’ll welcome the responsibility and they may even find something that is interesting enough to read through.

The average middle school student reads at the level of a fourth grader. This can dramatically impact their success in all areas of their life. A child has a distinct advantage once they learn how to increase their reading speed and comprehension level. For more helpful tips on how to help your child become a better reader, visit this helpful site.

It’s possible for anyone to learn to read at a rate of 25,000 words per minute while retaining that information in their long term memory. You owe it to your child to teach them this. It will change their entire life.

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A relatively new method for treating individuals that are suffering from autism is musical therapy. When discussing treatment options, serious consideration should be given to incorporating this method. Musical therapy often helps patients improve their temperament as well as their learning skills. By connecting to the non-verbal sections of our minds, music proves to be an excellent form of therapy for those suffering from disorders that limit their communication skills. If you haven’t had much success with other forms of autism treatment, you may be pleasantly surprised by how much this method may help.

The reason that musical therapy can be so effective is because you can use it in addition to other treatments for learning social skills. By its very nature, music therapy is non-threatening to patients allowing behavior and social skills to be improved by the many games that can be played using this method. Autistic patients can break through social barriers through the encouragement of eye contact during singing or the use of an instrument, such as a harmonica, that needs to be in close proximity to your face.

The most important way that music therapy helps autistic patients is by helping to develop their use of speech. Music helps us connect to the verbal and the non-verbal functions of our minds. Many people that suffer from autism have varying degrees of difficulty with speech. Some patients can only make humming or grunting sounds, while others have developed the ability to put together words and sentences that will at least allow them to communicate. Regardless of how much skill the patient has with speech, there is something to be gained by participating in musical therapy.

It is not unusual for autistic patients to be particularly good with music. Some have excellent pitch; others can learn to play instruments with a minimum of instruction. Even if the person doesn’t show amazing musical abilities, some difficult to handle autistic patients have musical abilities that greatly exceed their other abilities. Musical therapists will use music to link this type of learning to other types of learning, including speech, social and behavioral development. This can also be used as a means of communicating emotions and to develop the memory.

Music therapy can be very beneficial to autistic patients on its own and when combined with other treatment techniques. A trained music therapist can teach a patient how to communicate using nonverbal methods, which makes it easier for autistic individuals to learn. It may be in your best interest to spend some time researching musical therapy to see if this form of treatment may be a good choice for you and your loved ones.

There is much more to learn about the management and treatment for autism The best thing you can do for the health and welfare of your family is to become informed. The most up to date resources and information about diagnosing, controlling, and treating Autism can be found at Http://AutismAwareness.wordpress.com

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Working with a reliable agency

Not all families that are thinking of hiring a nanny have the time or skills to manage the process on their own. Using the services of a reliable nanny referral agency can significantly shorten the process and provide faster results. These types of services are using the internet to enable families to easily communicate with fine nannies that are looking for a job as a private caregiver. These online solutions can also provide other necessary services such as - screening a nanny and running a nanny background check.

Why work with an online referral service?

The advantages of using the services on an online nanny referral agency are:

(1) Provide parents the right tools to make sure they are hiring the right person for the job.
(2) Supporting parents both before and after hiring a nanny and sharing the experience of other families.
(3) Easy to use - simple tool with only few steps and actions to take in order to get fast results.

Hiring a nanny - easier then you think

An online service that can truly help parents finding a good nanny is quite popular since it requires no previews experiences and it’s very easy to use. It will be easy to find other advantages this nanny finder tool is offering since it actually gives the most accessible and useful solution there is to this important family need. To make sure your next steps in finding a good nanny will be effective, it will be helpful to go over this article guidelines before going a head.

If you wish to learn more about the benefits of using online placement agencies that can truly help you in the process of Hiring a Nanny visit: http://www.online-nanny.com

© 2008 Gill Lavi.

 

Jaoa Silva recently moved to Savannah from Brazil.  He is a championship soccer player hoping to bring Brazilian style training to Savannah.  His dreams include making Savannah a mecca for championship soccer, including hosting major tournaments.

Upon arriving in Savannah he saw the need to introduce soccer to inner city children.  He contacted the county recreational office and joined forces to hold a soccer program this summer.

One of the views of BRAUSA.FA is that everyone should have the opportunity to understand and play the game of soccer. Our Professional Mentality and passion for the game look beyond surface obstacles such as ethnicity and social class.

“Chatham County Soccer Program” created by the county recreational office, the program offers soccer classes to children of low income households and to children who have never had the pleasure of playing soccer. The goal of this program is to use the aspects of the sport to reach children who otherwise may not have the same opportunities available to others.

For his dedication to children in Savannah Jaoa Silva is the first

SAVANNAH FAMILY.COM HERO

Save money on gas. Take public transportation or look for a carpool in your area. Walk or ride your bike if the destination is not too far away and you don’t have a lot to carry. If you must drive, drive to consciously get better gas mileage. When you begin to accelerate, go slowly. Rushing away from stops causes your vehicle to consume a great deal of fuel. When you are stuck in stop and go traffic, leave a big space in front of you and keep rolling. Try not to come to a complete stop to get better gas mileage.

Help your personal finances by avoiding fees. Pay your bills on time so you never have to pay late charges. Don’t purchase something unless you know you have the money in the bank to cover it so that your checks don’t bounce and cost you money. Only use your bank’s ATMs to avoid charges from other banks. Always check your bank statements, credit card statements and other bills to be sure that no mistakes were made and you are not being over charged.

Stop smoking and drinking alcohol to save money and improve your personal finances. Not only do you have to pay for alcohol and cigarettes, but your medical costs rise as well. You have to pay a higher premium for health insurance and life insurance. Most likely you will be unhealthier (if not now, then later on) and have more doctor visits. You will also have to purchase more medications, too.

Also, regular check-ups with the doctor have been shown to improve health and prevent future illnesses, decreasing the cost of healthcare. Regularly visiting the dentist will help you save money from your personal finances as well, preventing you from needing more costly dental care down the road.

Another one of the ways to save money is to implement games to motivate yourself to stop certain behaviors; like smoking, drinking or swearing. Every time you do so, pay a certain amount of money, a nickel, a quarter, a dollar, etc. Then put away all that money and save it for the future.

Try these ways to save money to help your personal finances today.

One in four children experiences sleep problems of one type or another during the course of childhood. Helping your child to fall asleep — to conquer her insomnia — is important to both of you. Neither of you needs the stress and frustration associated with childhood insomnia. In truth, you typically aren’t dealing with a classic sleep disorder in getting your child to sleep. Instead, you’re dealing with the problem of teaching her how to fall asleep on her own and at the appropriate time. One of more of the following techniques may be just what you need to enable both of you (or all of your family, for that matter) to have a calm, restful night.

Calm Is The Word to Remember

Part of the process of transitioning from fully awake to fully asleep is the deliberate (on your part) calming and quieting that must proceed sleep. Before bedtime, you should intentionally slow her down from the fast pace of the day. It will help if you can bring the entire household to a slower, more relaxed pace. Calming music, the TV turned off, and a generally slower pace will help her relax so that her body is preparing itself for sleep. You will also benefit if you can establish and consistently follow a routine that invariably ends in bedtime. That routine might be 15 minutes of reading to her from a favorite (not a new) book; or sitting with her and talking about the successes of the day, reinforcing the good things she’s done and how quickly she’s learning to accomplish new tasks; or a session of light massage to help her relax. The key thought here is to strive for consistency — this activity should take place every evening, always at the same time, always for about the same amount of time, and always ending in bedtime with no delays and no excuses.

Speaking of Consistency . . .

If you want your child to fall asleep on time and stay asleep all night, they you must be consistent in how you close out the day and in how you deal with any inconsistencies she tries to introduce. To some extent it almost doesn’t matter what the pattern is that leads to bedtime, so long as it is consistent. If you remind her “Bedtime is in 10 minutes,” be sure that bedtime follows in 10 minutes. And continue this routine every night so that it’s both expected and understood. Here are some routine bedtime difficulties and some possible responses you can use to overcome them:

Your child doesn’t want to fall asleep alone — she wants you to stay in the room or stay in bed with her until she falls asleep. This might be the result of insecurity, which may be overcome by ensuring that she has a favorite blanket or toy with her. If she’s afraid of the dark, a night light can provide her with some assurance. Leaving the door open a little bit may reassure her that she is not alone in the house, abandoned to all the monsters and fears of childhood. And you can reassure her that you’ll be looking in on her to make sure she’s OK and sound asleep. If she’s awake when you check, encourage her by praising her for staying in bed and relaxing, waiting for sleep to overtake her. Consistency being the keyword here, you must insist that she remain in bed, not get up and wander around, go to the bathroom, interrupt you for a drink of water or other services, etc.

Alternatively, if your child doesn’t want to sleep alone, it may be because she got accustomed to falling asleep in your arms while being nursed — you need to transition her to going to sleep alone. This may be accomplished more quickly if you begin doing it during the day. Wait until you notice she’s drowsy and close to nap time. Then put her into her bed alone, reassure her that you’ll be in the next room, and let her fall asleep alone. Let her mind associate bed with sleep, even when she’s in bed alone — and even if she’s in bed alone because she’s woken in the middle of the night.

Your child wants to stay awake longer, so she doesn’t miss any of the activity going on in the home. See the earlier note about calming the entire house down prior to bedtime. If there’s “nothing happening,” then there isn’t much temptation to stay up and watch it not happen.

Your child wakes up in the night and calls for attention. First, delay your response for a minute or two — and for increasingly longer periods if the problem persists. The idea is to create a deliberate delay so that she won’t expect immediate response; and to increase that delay so that she will learn that if she wakes at night the only thing to do is to lay back down and go back to sleep. If she is consistently waking during the night, she may be taking too many naps during the day; or she may be sleeping too late in the morning, so that she isn’t sufficiently tired at night. When you go to her after she wakes up, give her loving attention, but not too much of it. Tuck her back into her covers, remind her that it’s well past bedtime and that she needs to be asleep, give her a kiss on the forehead, and leave the room. Waking in the night should not become an excuse to stay awake. Rather, it should be an occasion for brief reassurances and then a swift return to sleep.

Not all children need the same amount of sleep. If you’re putting her to bed at 7:30 and she consistently falls asleep at 8:30, this might be because you’re trying to give her more hours of sleep than her body actually needs. Maybe she only needs nine hours of sleep instead of the ten hours you’ve been told is “correct for a child her age.” Rather than associating bedtime with frustration and sleeplessness, try putting her to bed at the time her body is ready for sleep. She’ll get just as much sleep, but won’t be frustrated and fussy at bedtime. If this proves to be an insufficient amount of sleep, you can work at returning to the previous bedtime in small increments. That is, if putting her to bed at 8:30 leaves her groggy in the morning, begin putting her to bed at 8:25 for several days, then at 8:20 for several days, then slowly move her to a bedtime that will allow her sufficient sleep while preventing the situation where she lies awake too long once she’s gone to bed.