Kids of all ages love to read. When they get together to read and talk about books, they encourage one another’s love for reading and learning. If your students need help connecting with other kids who love to read the same books and authors as they do, they should consider starting their own book club online or in person.

Online book clubs offer a chance to connect with more people than in-person versions. However, kids must be safe when engaging with and creating online communities. Keep reading to learn how kids can start their own safe online book club.

Choose the Contact Style Together

Kids as young as seven years old may want to participate in a club about their favorite books and authors. However, it isn’t safe to give children free rein on the internet to connect with strangers. The best way to protect them, help them learn internet safety, and allow them to talk about their favorite books with other fans is to choose the contact style together.

Sit down with a device together and discuss how your child wants to talk about what they’re reading. They may prefer to write down their thoughts in an online forum, chat with other fans on social media, or schedule video call meetings.

Once you know how your child wants to meet others, figure out how to do so safely. For example, if your child wants to write down their thoughts online, you can encourage them to start a website dedicated to their favorite books and authors. There are many web design apps and websites for students that they can use. After their website is running, you can monitor it to ensure that the content is safe and appropriate.

Let Them Find Their Niche

Joining book clubs and online communities comes from a desire for belonging. Reading and enjoying niche media, such as a specific book or author, can feel isolating if no one else in your child’s school or community knows about that media.

While you may feel tempted to swap out your child’s reading materials for something more popular, you should let them find their niche safely. Allow them to read any appropriate book and share about it on their website, on a monitored social media account, or in video calls with people you’ve met. They’ll connect with other people about these niche topics and form a positive community.

Educate Them on Internet Safety

The more comfortable your child gets in their online book club, the more they’ll view the internet as a positive place. We want our children to feel confident when using technology, but that doesn’t mean we can stop educating them.

Important Reminders

As your child continues to update their website, post on social media, or talk in video meetings, continue to educate them. Remind them never to share personal information online, such as their last name or where they go to school. If strangers request access to their book club, explain that you will speak with the new person and verify who they are before potentially admitting them to the group. They should never try to meet someone in person that they’ve connected with online, even if you’ve verified who they are.

Kids can start their own safe online book club in various ways. As long as you help them pick a safe contact style, appropriate reading material, and who they interact with, they can enjoy their virtual connections.

Every new parent wishes to engrave the memories of childbirth and the next few milestones within their heart. After all, children grow up so fast, and all the sweet and innocent memories become blurry in a blink.  Some do it by making vlogs or clicking pictures on their smartphones. However, there are way better options to keep these memories close.

So, let’s know those here and explore ideas of how to preserve those fleeting moments with your newborn.

1. Make a keepsake box

Keepsake boxes store the little pieces of tangible memories from your baby and your time together. A few things to add to this box are:

• Your and your baby’s hairlocks
• Both of your hospital bands and hat
• Arrival cards from your loved ones for the baby
• Ultrasound photos and other photos post-birth

2. Sign up for a newborn photoshoot

Newborn baby portraits are one of the sweetest ways to keep memories of these precious moments. While you can take pictures with your camera, consider doing it with a professional. This ensures that you have great quality and aesthetic pictures.

If you’re in Canada, look up the best places for newborn photography. Before you get an appointment, ensure they are the best in the industry so you get the worth of your money!

Discuss what safety measures they take, their time limits, the props they’ll use, and whether they provide basic food and warm space for you and your baby.

You can hang these portraits at home, stick them in scrapbooks, or use the images for announcements and invitations.

3. Record video diaries

From pregnancy to a baby’s birth there are many new milestones, so record them as videos immediately. It can be your feelings and thoughts in the labor room, your emotions while first seeing and holding your child, or the first time you successfully fed your child.

It can also include the first time your baby says mama/papa, their first step, their first time meeting siblings and pets, their first art or writing, and so on.

Compile all of these records and create a full video out of it. Once your baby grows up, they’ll know how much you cherish them.

4. Send emails or letters to your baby

If you have a way with your words and are tech-savvy, carve your warm emotions into words and email your baby.

For this, create an email ID for the newborn. Make sure you save the password and other credentials safely.

Write about your life experience during the first week with them. Share how they were as a newborn, how you dealt with every setback, and add every memorable instance.

If you’re not good with technology, write letters and store them in a box.

5. Plan a time capsule

If you’re unfamiliar with a time capsule, it’s a box with memories and letters to a person that must be opened at a special future date.

In your baby’s time capsule, add all the little things like childhood family photos, letters, warm wishes from everyone, greeting cards, and clothing items that they can’t use anymore.

You can also add a detailed record of what happened on the day they were born. Some parents even add current events, like gas and food expenses, the weather, and their mood on the child’s birth date.

Lastly, talk to your partner and pick a day for your child to open the box. It can be middle or high school graduation or when they move out of home for a job or college.

6. Baby Scans

Before your baby is even born, you can get a baby scan at various stages throughout the pregnancy.

These scans are often done to offer peace of mind as your baby grows, but the images rendered are also yours to hold as treasured keepsakes.

Pregnancy scans can mark dates, show growth progress, reveal gender and even produce 3D and 4D images.

7. Get the details on wooden blocks

On wooden blocks, get these details about your baby carved or painted:

• Their name
• Their birth date and time
• Their weight and height after birth

This can be kept as a keepsake on your shelf. Or, you can let your baby play with these blocks as they grow.

8. Utilize outgrown clothes

You get so many cute clothes for your baby. But these little buggers outgrow them pretty fast.

Most people either give away clothes as hand-me-downs or donations. However, about 85% of donated outfits are dumped in landfills or incinerated.

So, you can instead make a cute blanket or stuffed animals out of them for your baby. Make the best out of every little thing you have!

Conclusion

Remember, these are only a few unique ways to make memories. So, don’t hesitate to come up with your unique idea or seek loved ones for it!

Anxiety, especially in children, can be as bewildering as a maze with invisible walls. The puzzling world of a child’s mind is completely different from what you know as an adult. So, let’s uncover the signs and signals of anxiety that hide behind the facade of normal childhood fears.

From stomach aches with no clear cause to sudden shyness in once bubbly kids, understanding these markers is the first step in painting a clearer picture and plotting the course for support and care.

What is Anxiety, and How Does it Manifest in Kids?

In simpler terms, anxiety is like an alarm that goes off inside us when we’re worried about something that might happen. It’s a normal feeling, but sometimes it can get really loud, especially for kids.

Even more, kids don’t usually have the words to explain how they feel. Instead, they act out or choose a different way to show they’re anxious.

Some children will show an overwhelming amount of worry about their family or school. Others may say their tummy or head hurts a lot, even though there’s no clear reason for it. Kids who are usually independent might suddenly not want to leave your side or may not want to go to school at all.

Since worry doesn’t take a break just because it’s dark and time for sleep, bedtime can become increasingly more difficult. Plus, it will affect the quality of sleep because anxiety is the enemy of nice dreams and good rest.

Another sign that your child may be suffering from anxiety is when they freeze up in public situations, but they are usually outgoing and extroverted. They may also have difficulties making friends or hanging out with others.

If your chatty kid becomes quiet and keeps to themselves more, this is a sign you should be paying attention to. Once you know something is the matter, you can start looking for ways to help them handle these tough feelings in ways that work specifically for them.

How to Seek Treatment

When your child is struggling with anxiety, it’s easy to feel helpless as a parent. However, the only way to help them get better and continue to have a happy childhood is to find the treatment that best suits their needs.

Start by talking with your child’s pediatrician. They are already familiar with your family history and are aware of any health issues your child may have. Bring up your concerns, and don’t leave out any details – every little observation could be crucial.

The paediatrician may recommend seeing a specialist in children’s mental health, such as a teen & children’s psychologist. Consider these professionals as experts who speak ‘child language’ fluently and unravel the mysteries of anxious thoughts.

Getting Therapy for Anxiety

Depending on the level of seriousness, the pediatrician may recommend a psychologist or a psychiatrist specializing in working with children. While these are both professionals who diagnose and treat mental illnesses, it’s a good idea to learn the differences between what a psychiatrist does and what a psychologist does.

For instance, only a psychiatrist can prescribe medication should they deem it necessary. Both professionals are licensed to provide therapy for their patients, and both can make recommendations regarding treatment.

Helping Your Child at Home

If your child’s pediatrician considers the anxiety can be managed at home, they will teach you a few calming strategies and methods.

Here are a few examples of such methods:

• Practice the art of conversation – make room for daily moments for open talks where your child can unload their fears without judgment.

• Encourage problem-solving – it’s like giving your child a superhero cape to face their battles. When they come to you with worries, resist the urge to swoop in and fix it all. Instead, ask guiding questions: “What can we do together when that worry pops up?” This method puts power back into their hands.

• Introduce them to deep breathing techniques – it’s akin to teaching them how to steady a rocking boat amidst stormy seas. Make it fun by pretending you’re blowing up balloons or cooling down hot soup with each breath.

• Visualization is key – ask them to picture their happy place, be it imagining sunshine in a favorite park or thinking about cuddling with a pet. It’s like creating an internal escape hatch from anxious thoughts.

Wrap Up

Navigating your child’s anxiety is far from a straightforward journey, but with the right map in hand, you’re well-equipped to guide them through the twists and turns.

Whether it’s through therapy, heartfelt discussions, or soothing visualization exercises, there are tools at your disposal. Recognizing the signs and seeking appropriate treatment arms your child with the courage to face their fears and embrace a happier, less anxious life.

Childproofing beyond the basics should be a priority for all parents. This is effectively about finding ways to push your core safety measures that little bit further. After all, a few additional preparations and tools can make a significant difference in preventing disasters from arising.

Childproofing isn’t necessarily about investing huge amounts of money in advanced equipment. Neither is it about keeping your children so constrained that they don’t have a positive experience of the world. Rather, it’s about identifying where basic childproofing doesn’t quite do enough and filling the gaps.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the areas you can focus on.

Fire Safety Steps

Fire is a safety concern for a lot of parents. After all, most homes have various fire risks. It isn’t just about the dangers of matches or fireplaces. Electrical items in the home have the potential for fires, too, not to mention some locations experience regular wildfires. There are basic measures you can take, such as teaching children about the hazards and remembering to regularly test smoke alarms. But what else can you do?

Make a fire response plan

In the event of a fire, you need to get yourself and your children to safety. Create a solid plan. This involves drawing a full map of your home and highlighting the most efficient and safe routes out of the home and to a gathering point. Identify alternative routes in case the primary escape area is blocked by fire. Importantly, talk through this plan with your children and even drill them on its use occasionally.

Keep fire extinguishers and blankets

A fire extinguisher can be your most effective response to protect your child if a fire starts in your house. Yet, only around 43% of U.S. households have fire extinguishers. It’s wise to invest in a few fire extinguishers and fire blankets that you can keep in various areas of your home.

Make sure they’re of a weight that you can easily use. As your children get older, show them where the fire extinguishers are kept and how to use them. This empowers them to respond immediately rather than wait for an adult to take care of an emergency.

Remember, too, to regularly assess your home for potential fire hazards. Consider both what can be at risk of fires and what actions your kids might take that cause them. Assess both inside and outside your home. You can then take relevant steps to prevent issues.

Prepare for Medical Emergencies

The basics of childproofing your home will tend to revolve around preventing the potential for medical emergencies to arise in the first place. This is, of course, important, but occasionally accidents and illnesses will happen. A vital next level of childproofing, then, is to prepare yourself and your family to handle medical emergencies when they occur.

Firstly, getting a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification has multiple benefits. Most importantly, it empowers you to save your kids’ lives if they experience cardiac arrest or stop breathing. You could also go on to become an instructor, teaching other members of the community and your children to take care of one another in an emergency.

Taking these courses is particularly important, as performing CPR on children can require different techniques than on adults, and it’s wise to get some guidance. Not to mention that you get to practice the techniques, which builds confidence in your abilities.

It’s also wise to create a comprehensive medical kit. The basics should include a first aid kit with a variety of bandages. However, it’s good to go a little further. Consider your kids’ specific needs. For instance, if they suffer from severe allergies, stocking your kit with EpiPens is sensible.

If possible, get a book on providing first aid so that even your older children can know what to do if you’re not around. You should also put the addresses of nearby medical facilities and doctors’ contact details for different scenarios in the kit, so you’re not scrambling around for these in a medical emergency.

Safeguard Outdoor Areas

When people are childproofing their homes, there’s often a focus on the indoors. This is, after all, where kids are going to be spending the most time and there are lots of potential hazards. However, it’s important to go beyond these basic boundaries and childproof the outdoor spaces, too.

For instance, installing a pool alarm is vital for minimizing the risk of drowning. In the best-case scenario, your child won’t run off on their own, but it can happen. An alarm will trigger when your child either enters the proximity of the pool or when there’s a wave disturbance. You can then quickly respond, avoiding disaster. It’s also important to keep a solid cover over your pool wherever possible, as a further layer of protection against disaster.

If your children spend time playing in your yard, you should also take steps to keep them within the space. This is particularly important if your home is situated next to a busy street. Wherever possible, install fencing around the proximity of your yard, high enough that young children can’t climb over it. You should also put strong latches on any gates, preferably out of reach of young and mischievous hands.

Conclusion

Taking your childproofing beyond the basic steps creates a stronger foundation for your kids’ well-being. This should include investing in solid safety tools and education, among other resources. That said, it’s important to remember that hazards evolve over time. Take the initiative to regularly review your safety measures and make improvements if they’re needed.

About the Author
Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in education, mental health, family lifestyle and online safety. When she isn’t writing, you can find her with her nose buried in a book or hiking with her dog, Charlie. You can follow her on Twitter.