Check out this list of favorite books for Black History Month (and anytime!) from Reading Rockets. Some describe different histories while others show the joys and challenges that are shared by all children as they learn and grow.
Positive Parenting Tips for the Holidays
Amidst the school year’s hustle and the bustle, work schedules, and other time commitments, the holiday season is often when families may find themselves with a little downtime. This is an excellent opportunity for parents and caregivers to spend quality time with their children and strengthen the parent-child relationship and their parenting skills. The following are positive parenting tips based on the child’s age.
For babies, it is important to engage daily in order to strengthen their brain development. This can look like talking to your baby while prepping holiday dinner, singing to your baby while washing the dishes, or mirroring your babies’ facial expressions and emotions. Loving care and attention are vital for this age group, and there are plenty of opportunities to display this when home with your baby.
For toddlers, having time at home to spend together is a wonderful opportunity to read books with them. Hearing books read to them is a helpful tool for language development in toddlers. It’s also a good activity to prepare your children for kindergarten as daily reading provides your children with hundreds of thousands of new words.
For pre-school-age children, involving them in your day-to-day home activities gives your children a sense of responsibility and belonging. This is a great time to introduce simple chores. If you’re preparing a holiday dish, ask your child to hand you certain ingredients. Talk to your children during this process and encourage full sentence responses to strengthen their developing language skills.
For older children, positive parenting might look a little different since this age group values independence from the family. It is important to continue displaying love and affection toward your child, which may look like positive affirmations about good behavior and accomplishments, or taking an interest in their favorite shows, games, and music. Simple chores can also turn to more complex chores yielding more responsibility, such as making their own bed.
No matter your child’s age, love, affection, and attention are always important to display to your child. The holidays are a wonderful time to slow down and enjoy the best parts of being a parent. Read more to learn 10 more ways to show your child love daily.
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