Category: Well-Being

Although kids love playing with dirt, they don’t see gardening as a fun activity. Kids enjoy engaging in action-packed and captivating activities. But you can make gardening engrossing. Kids learn important lessons when they participate in gardening activities.

They learn about patience, responsibility, building relationships, preserving the environment, and eating healthy. Gardening also keeps them connected to nature. So, how can we get kids to love gardening?

You will need to turn up the fun element while gardening. It will make your kids enjoy the activities. Stick on to the article. I’ll talk about how to turn gardening into a fun activity.

Carve Out a Piece for the Kids

You’ll have to teach the kids basic lessons about gardening. Let it be a hands-on activity. A fantastic way to get hands-on is by sectioning part of the gardening for your kids. It will allow them to learn and garden alongside you. Get them their gardening tools and let them explore different gardening ideas on the little plot allocated to them.

Let them choose what they wish to grow in their little section. Your child learns lots of things when they have the space to explore and try new activities. Teach them how to grow these plants and let the picking and planting be child-led. Don’t take over the planting. It will encourage independence and cultivate responsibility among the kids.

If you don’t have enough space in your yard, you can take the gardening indoors. Section off your garden from the kids’ garden using dividers or indoor grow tents. Use artificial grass to make it all look more like the outside. The second one will allow you to teach the kids more about controlling lighting conditions, water, humidity, and temperature levels for the plants.

Quirky Planters

Let the garden be an arts and crafts lesson for your kids. Turn plastic bottles into quirky and adorable planters. You can paint and turn the bottles into animated creatures. Let your kids paint the eggshells and use them to germinate seeds. You can let them create mini gardens using eggshells. Additionally, consider privacy planters for your railings, providing both greenery and seclusion to your outdoor space. Moreover, eggshells contain calcium and nitrogen. The seedling will love them.

Also, you can let them create colorful garden markers. The markers will be a gorgeous addition to the garden. It’s fun and brightens the garden.

Sensory Stimulation

Let your kids touch the soil, plants, and worms. Allow them to learn about insects. You can let them dig and plant using tools and bare hands. It’s a safe way to let them amuse themselves in the dirt away from your white walls and furniture.

Let them clean the garden, pull weeds, and help you harvest.

Create a Fairy Mini Garden

Ask them to design a fairy garden. It’s an amazing way to expand their imagination and creativity. It will upskill them on how to turn simple things like rocks or sticks into something magical. Let them be in charge of their mini gardens. Don’t be worried about the dirt. Let them feel the different textures and enjoy getting messy. Don’t be surprised to see them covered in mud from head to toe. Messiness is part of crafting a beautiful fairy garden.

Artsy Self-Watering Planters

You kids can also learn how to make self-watering plants. It’s fun and educational. Teach them about recycling and how recycling preserves the environment. You’ll need plastic bottles with caps and strings. Paint the bottles. Cut them in half, drill holes on the caps, tie knots, and pull the strings through the holes.

Tighten the caps and upturn the top half of the bottle. Fill the top half with soil and plant seeds or seedlings. Add water to the other half and insert the inverted top half. Let the strings touch the water. And there you have it, a self-watering planter.

Composting

Let your kids actively engage in the actual composting process. They can watch how food waste turns into nutritious food for the plants. Get them transparent jars to make their compost. Let them label their containers and set them in a place that receives sunlight. Let them top up their compost jar every two weeks. Within 2 to 3 months, the compost will transform nutritious food for their plants.

Last Thoughts

It’s easy to make gardening an enjoyable activity for your kids. Gardening gets your children away from video games, technology, and screens and connects them with nature. Studies have established that kids who play and connect more with nature perform better academically. Moreover, they learn about the environment, insects, and plants. They learn about plants, their life cycle, and how to tend their gardens. They also learn about food and eating healthy.

Gardening is just one of many activities that introduce children to something new to do.  Ultimately, these endeavours help determine what they may become interested in for life.  Here are a few other projects that help kids bond with parents while learning a new skill.

Author:  Marigona Ismajli

Mental health issues can negatively affect how your child feels, acts and thinks. That’s why mental well-being is just as important as physical well-being. And as a parent, you play the most crucial role in your child’s mental health.  Many parents understand the importance of keeping their children physically active and having healthy eating habits.

However, the rates of mental health problems in kids are rising. According to WebMD, at least 20% of children are diagnosed with a mental illness each year.  Some parents automatically turn to devices to calm their children down and distract them.

Screen time isn’t the best solution as it can worsen mental health — such as poor emotion regulation and difficulty finishing tasks.  It also can additional complications for children with specific traits that require special attention, such as SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder).

Here are the best ways to nurture your child’s mental health without depending on screen time.

1. Provide a Healthy Environment

The simplest and best way to support your child’s mental health is by giving them a safe and loving home environment. A positive home creates a happy child.

Ensure you’re aware of your child’s media usage. One way to create a safe home is by being aware of who they interact with online. That is where you must try to monitor their activities and reduce screen time by keeping them busy with other activities.

For instance, you could play board games or introduce them to philanthropy. Giving is an excellent way to boost your child’s mental health when they learn they’re improving the quality of life for others.

You could also be a role model by taking care of your mental health, such as by talking about your feelings. Or by getting into activities such as meditation, physical exercise and yoga.

2. Give Your Child Unconditional Love

Show unconditional love for your child on a regular basis. You can accompany your child and let them know that you love them no matter what type of issues they may be facing.

This is the ultimate way of supporting your child’s mental health because it shows them that we all make mistakes. And they must understand that they can learn from their mistakes. So instead of communicating failure — even if you feel disappointed in their choice — they need to know that you bear lots of love for them.

3. Be Open to Communication

When your child is dealing with a difficult situation, you must be on board with talking about their emotions. Open communication allows your child to explore their feelings freely. As communication is more consistent, you’ll be more likely to notice issues and have discussions with them.

Consider starting a conversation by asking open-ended questions. Get them to share about their school day or a special event. Having your child share these things provides you with more opportunities to find them a solution.

4. Give Your Child a Routine and Set Boundaries

Uncertainty in daily schedules can lead to more stress and anxiety in your child’s life. Therefore, it’s crucial to establish a routine to provide them with more peace of mind. This could mean unplugging from computers and phone, as well as scheduling their meals or having a weekly family night together.

Additionally, setting clear boundaries is also an excellent way to minimize feelings of frustration. Once your child knows what you expect of them, the both of you can live in a stress-free environment and make life easier for yourselves.

5. Offer Your Child a Mental Health Day

Just like a sick day, you can give your child a “Mental Health Day” once a year. With mental health being as crucial as physical health, a “Mental Health Day” can be a way for your child to get a break. Encourage them to stay off social media channels and spend time doing other things offline.

Every once in a while, it’s important for your child to recuperate and let them spend the day they would want. Breaks are more than okay to give your child what they need — as it is like an investment in helping them feel better.

So when your child feels like they need a break from their routine, you can tell them it’s okay to stay home. And you don’t have to feel guilty for it since your child’s mental health is a priority — even if it’s not the traditional view of how society perceives health.

6. Praise Their Character

Praising and encouraging are viable ways to build your child’s self-esteem and confidence. More importantly, it supports their mental well-being. With low confidence comes academic stress, anxiety and even depression.

These can all affect your child’s quality of life, so praising them for who they are is just as important.

Children respond better to positive reinforcement. It’s the best way to reinforce what parents want to see in their child — such as showing kindness and empathy towards others.

Once your child knows what they’re doing right, they’ll ultimately feel better about themselves in several ways.

Build a Solid Foundation For Your Child’s Mental Health

When it comes to mental health, the best solution for your child is to be a part of their life consistently. Talking with them and spending time together can benefit their mental health significantly. Ensure you give them guidance, offer support and be loving.

Taking action and being a good role model can reduce your child’s risk of negative impacts on their well-being. However, if the way they’re acting is worrisome, consider talking to your child’s health care provider. They can help you find solutions that are the best possible fit.

About the Author
Ava Roman (she/her) is the Managing Editor of Revivalist, a women’s lifestyle magazine that empowers women to live their most authentic life. When Ava is not writing you’ll find her in a yoga class, advocating for her children or whipping up something delicious in the kitchen!

Has your child continually been asking you for a pet?  The first think you may think of is all the work that is involved.  As much as you communicate that your child that they would need to take part in caring for the pet, most of the duties will fall on the parent. Still, there are benefits to having a family pet.

In addition to having your kids learn responsibility of taking care of a pet, there are other positives. These include the growth and health benefits that kids receive from having a pet around, as well as developing empathy and compassion for all living creatures.

Here are five reasons to help you decide whether or not to welcome a new pet into your home.

1. Less Prone to Allergies

It’s no secret that dogs make great support animals.  This is true even if therapy is not even a concern, dogs have been proven to improve a child’s immunity against common germs and viruses.  They are also less prone to getting allergies and asthma.

Health psychologist, Dr. June McNicholas at the University of Warwick, conducted a study of 138 children between the ages of four and eleven.  Their saliva was tested for IgA antibodies, an immune system antibody that aids in the prevention of infection.

Results indicated that kids with dogs were better able to succumb to common illnesses than kids without pets, which led to them missing fewer days of school.

2. Better Learning

Pets help children to be better learners. Educators acknowledge the use of animals, most often dogs, as support therapy in schools to help in the leaning of kids with developmental disabilities.

According to research, children who might be afraid to read aloud in class feel more comfortable reading to animals because they view them as a friend who won’t condemn them.  Pets have been discovered to be a calming, nonjudgmental aid for children learning to read aloud.

Dogs are used by organizations like the Story Dogs to encourage young readers to read aloud in a comfortable, judgment-free atmosphere! Also, since pets need to be taken care of in a specific way, the kids develop that understanding and knowledge also. For instance, they would know the ideal temp for bearded dragon tank.

3. Comforting Companionship

Pets give unconditional love to children.  Through caring for and playing with an animal there is regular physical contact.   This help growing kids to develop social skills. Pets give kids something to talk about which fuels conversation and instills self-confidence and self-esteem in social situations.   A lot is said about dogs in reference to support, but cats make good companions as well.

It has been shown that children with autism who own a pet have far more advanced social abilities than those who don’t. When the world around them is overwhelming, an animal is consistent companion in their lives that gives children comfort, security and support.  Instead of becoming alienated with the world, they learn to engage with their environment.  Instead of becoming withdrawn, anxiety dissipates.

4. Encourage a Healthy Lifestyle

Having a pet encourages physical exercise. Kids who have pets are involved in playing games, exercising the animal, or providing regular pet care. Dog owners are 54% more likely than non-dog owners to reach prescribed levels of physical exercise and log more walking minutes each week.

Walking the dog may also reduce your chances of becoming obese. Having a pet might help youngsters feel more prepared to handle schoolwork and examinations since petting animals can drop blood pressure and, in turn, lessen anxiety. Not just physical fitness, having a pet is also considered good for your mental health.

Approximately 80% of pet owners claim that their animal companions make them feel less lonely and separated from others. Pet ownership has been demonstrated to assist people of all ages experience lower stress, anxiety, and depression. It has been shown that using therapy animals with autistic children can lessen their stress and anxiety levels as well as the stress hormone cortisol.

5. Good for Family Bonding

When you consider a shared passion for a family, it is often a special activity or regular event.  Throughout all those moments together, as well as when life is routine, the family pet is always there in daily life as focal point.   Animals in the home foster family unity while walking the dog, playing with the pet and their favorite to, and even grooming and feeding. Kids also learn how to care for the health of their pet with the guidelines of parents or older siblings.

Families that have pets have the chance to take a break from their hectic schedules and simply enjoy their time together and with their dogs. Animals remind us all how fragile life is and just as our loving pet need us for survival, we also need each other and our pets to be healthy and happy.

Wrapping Up

Teaching your kids how to appreciate and interact with animals should begin at an early page, even if they never own a pet.  The study on the relationship between humans and animals is ongoing, but the research is strongly points to the fact that pets in their daily lives help youngsters grow up to be happier, healthier people. You now have even more justification to consider bringing a pet into your home. You never know who you could discover there, so it doesn’t hurt to check out your neighborhood adoption shelter!

Enriching your child’s learning through travel is one of the best things you can do for their growth. As wonderful as classrooms are for education, there’s a lot children can learn outside of their walls. Traveling provides one of the best learning opportunities outside of school for your children.

Children can develop essential life skills, learn to appreciate diversity, and nurture their relationship with themselves.

Let’s explore the above and a few other ways traveling can enrich your child’s learning and life.

Cultivate Various Life Skills

Traveling is wonderful for children because they can cultivate various life skills every trip. Not only will there be time for developing technical skills, but there will also be chances to grow their soft skills.

Look for opportunities to advance your child’s skillset while traveling. For example, it can start before you reach your destination in the planning stage. Teach your child about budgeting when planning financially for your trip. Consider using a kid-friendly budgeting app to help them grasp saving for the trip and spending money responsibly during it.

Staying safe is another crucial life skill your children can cultivate while traveling. Be sure they’re practicing the buddy system wherever they go. Designating meeting spots when exploring and ensuring they know what to do if they get lost will also help them learn safety skills.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to help your child develop these essential life skills while traveling:

• Communication
• Time management
• Organization
• Responsibility
• Teamwork
• Flexibility
• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• People skills

Traveling also exposes your children to different cultures.

Experience Different Cultures

One of the best things about traveling is experiencing different cultures. You can see how other cultures live, eat, shop, talk, love, and move through daily life. You also get to see the physical differences people have.

Your children need to experience other cultures because it will help them embrace diversity. You want them always to respect and appreciate others regardless of differences. In addition, when they embrace diversity, they can learn from everyone around them.

So, encourage your children to immerse themselves in the culture wherever you travel to. Meet new people with them, pick up a few words in a new language, try new foods, and do as many culturally-rooted activities as you can.

Another way traveling can enhance your child’s learning is by helping them become more familiar with who they are.

Help Them Learn More About Themselves

It’s vital for children to not just learn about the world and what’s in it but also to learn more about who they are. It’s much better for a child to understand who they are and learn to love it than to go through life confused and disliking themselves.

Traveling can help a child learn more about their own interests and desires. They’ll become more confident as they experience new things and face fears. They’ll also have a chance to do things that help them define what they like, don’t like, and are curious about.

Allow your children to explore their curiosities during travel and encourage them to try everything. Children can also learn more about the importance of family bonding when traveling.

The Importance of Family Bonding

Family bonding is necessary for all families. It’s essential for developing healthy individual relationships as well as sharing meaningful experiences as a family. Strong family ties also ensure your children have a robust support system to help get them through school and other life events.

Use traveling to instill the importance of family bonding. Give your children time to connect with their other siblings if they have them. Ensure they get time with each parent and with everyone as a whole.

Your kids will need their family throughout life, and they should learn to lean on your support early on.

Appreciate What They Have

You can enrich your child’s learning through travel by instilling gratitude in them. When you travel, especially internationally, the difference in how people live is apparent. Traveling to places with fewer resources and means is good for children.

Of course, vacations at fancy places with plenty of fun activities are a must. But it’s also important to plan trips to places with the purpose of showing your children how others live. Seeing how others live happily with less can inspire your children to appreciate what they have more.

When children learn to appreciate what they have, they become more humble. They’ll also learn to respect others regardless of means, something critical for success in adulthood.

Show Them the Value of Relaxing

Traveling allows you to show your children the value of relaxing. So much of the world encourages children to do something and advance in some way constantly. And many of those kids grow up as adults who can’t ever take a break and eventually burn out.

Relaxing and resetting are primary parts of traveling. So, you can show your children the value of both whenever you take a vacation. Set aside time each day you’re away for naps and relaxation. You can also put activities like spa visits, time at the beach, and a day at the hotel on the itinerary to further the lesson on relaxing.

Show your children the value of resetting and relaxing by making that a primary part of each travel experience.

Conclusion

Children learn a lot in the classroom. But they can learn more about life and the world outside those walls while traveling. Take advantage of as many traveling opportunities as you can with your children to enrich their educational journey.

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.