Category: Well-Being

Training your child how to swim is something you should consider doing. Yes, it can be challenging, but it is worth all the effort. Your kids can learn how swim from you or enroll them in swimming classes as early as when they are toddlers.

The earlier you can teach your child to swim, the better they get at it as they grow. There are several benefits of teaching your child how to swim early. This article reviews why swimming is beneficial to your child.

Swimming builds a child’s confidence.

It is common for children to be fearful of the water when swimming for the first time. Taking their first dip in the pool is often an unforgettable memory for most kids. However, after several trips to the beach or pool, kids eventually overcome their fears and learn how to swim. After learning how to swim, the feelings of accomplishment help build self-esteem and overall confidence in children.

What’s more, the self-esteem your kids gain from swimming can help them develop a positive attitude towards sports and other physical activities. Even better, the confidence your kids gain from overcoming their fear of water becomes helpful in social interactions later in life.

Enhances water safety

Swimming is an essential life skill everyone should know, including your little one. Reports from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that drowning is a major cause of death in children less than five years. Therefore, the most appropriate way to curb this menace is equipping your child with swimming skills. The best way how to teach kids to swim is by enrolling them in swimming classes.

Children who receive formal swimming lessons can overcome their fear of being in and around water much quicker. Besides that, they are taught water safety rules and techniques such as floating and treading in water and various swimming strokes. Formal swimming classes equip children with life-saving skills such as first aid and CPR. With regular practice, all these skills mold your child into a strong and efficient swimmer; therefore, you don’t need to panic whenever they are around water.

Learning to swim is also vital if you have a backyard pool. While children should never be left unattended, knowing how to swim can be lifesaving if they accidentally fall in.

Swimming is good for your kid’s health.

Swimming is an excellent way to keep your kids healthy and active all year long. The gentle body movements involved in swimming are beneficial to toddlers and infants. The water resistance they overcome when swimming helps in boosting muscle development. Swimming involves many muscle groups that you don’t engage when out of water. Swimming gives kids a whole-body exercise in a way not possible with other workout routines.

Swimming is an excellent physical exercise for kids because it is primarily impact-free, significantly reducing the risk of injury. Swimming at an early age strengthens joint muscles and helps to reduce joint stiffness. The endurance, confidence, and muscle strength your kids gain from swimming will come in handy when they try field and track events like soccer and athletics.

What’s more, swimming improves your kid’s cardiovascular health. The movements involved in swimming require the coordination of the lungs and heart to supply adequate oxygen and nutrients to the different muscle groups. Swimming regularly helps keep artery walls flexible and in good shape leading to improved blood flow throughout the body.

Improves memory and coordination

Introducing your kids to swimming at an early age is a great way to help them build balance and body coordination. Swimming often requires the coordination of many body organs during stroking movements. Water exercises enable kids and infants to develop balance without straining the body.

The extensive range of motions involved in swimming will help to improve joint mobility and flexibility in children. Your kid will learn how to maintain position using the buoyancy of water. Besides improving coordination, swimming enhances posture and reduces the chances of obesity in kids. Swimming lessons are also accessible for children with special needs.

Swimming also boosts a child’s mental development by enhancing the brain parts associated with learning, coordination, and memory. Your kids learning abilities improve as they master freestyle, butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke swimming techniques. This mental development can lead to better performance in school.

Bottom line

Now that you know the benefits of teaching your kids how to swim, it’s time you get started on those classes. Learning how to swim is something your children will cherish and utilize all their life.

Related Reading:

What should you look for in a swim coach?

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders in children. It can manifest itself and often makes it difficult for kids to focus on schoolwork or enjoy social activities. If your child has anxiety, it’s tough to know how to help them. Luckily, there are a few strategies that have been effective in calming anxious children.

Take a Walk Outside

One of the most effective ways to calm your child down is by taking them outdoors for a walk. It would help if you chose an outside environment with plenty of natural light. Fresh air isn’t stimulating with lots of stimuli or noise. Children enjoy walks through forests and grassy fields. Also, along beaches with calming sounds like water from rivers flowing into lakes or waves crashing on shores. These outdoor settings often help kids relax without being distracted by electronics. These can trigger unwanted stressors if they feel overwhelmed while trying not to be anxious during playtime at home.

Draw or Write

When kids are feeling anxious, one way to help them calm down is to do some creative activities, like drawing or writing. This can be a great way for children to express their feelings and work through any worries. Not only does this activity help with anxiety, but it’s also been shown to improve focus and concentration skills.

There are many ways to encourage your child to engage in creative writing or artwork. Some parents find it helpful to provide prompts for their kids. “For instance, draw a picture of what makes you happy” or “write about a time when you felt confident.” If your child enjoys reading, there are plenty of books for children dealing with anxiety and depression.

Listen to Music

Another great way for anxious kids is listening to calming music. You can find a lot of songs that are specifically designed with relaxation in mind, such as classical or jazz tunes. These have been shown to reduce stress levels and help people feel more at ease. Listening may also be beneficial because children can express their emotions through the lyrics.

If you’re not sure where to start, there are many compilation albums of relaxing music designed for kids. You can also search online for lists of recommended songs or create a personalized playlist with your child. It’s important to make sure that the music is at a low volume so that it doesn’t become overwhelming and further stimulates any anxious feelings.

Some parents find it helpful to have their children listen to music before bedtime, as it can help them calm down and fall asleep more easily. Try different calming activities until you find what works best to help your anxious child feel better.

Mindfulness Meditation

This is another great way to help children relax and cope with anxiety. It’s important because it teaches them how they can focus their thoughts on the present moment. But also because it reduces stress levels by helping kids focus less on things like schoolwork or social issues. The best part about practicing mindfulness techniques at home, though? Many apps available today make this type of activity fun and easy. You don’t even have to go outside; sit cross-legged wherever you feel most comfortable. Close your eyes while listening as an instructor guides you through different exercises.

There are also several unique books that you can check out from your local library on mindfulness meditation for kids. These usually have accompanying audio CDs so that children can practice along with an adult’s voice. Mindfulness mediation is one activity that should be practiced regularly when helping kids with anxiety. Thus, to see the best results, aim for at least 15-20 minutes per day.

Sensory Play

Another great way to help kids with anxiety is by engaging them in sensory play. Sensory play allows the child’s mind to get some relief from all this stimulation. This is because they aren’t focusing so much attention on their environment. But using other senses such as touch or smell may calm those jittery feelings caused by overstimulation. Children also love things like slime and water beads. Both provide tactile sensory input while being fun activities at home too.  And finally, there are our tried and true stuffed animal friends that provide comfort because they look like animals and are was soft as a pillow.

Conclusion

If your child is struggling with anxiety, don’t worry. There are ways you can help. No matter what age they may be at—preschool or elementary school-aged kids all need support when trying something new, so never give up hope. Remember that every child is different. Some children respond better to one calming strategy than another, depending on their individual needs and personality traits. Try these strategies today to help anxious children feel calmer at home.

Seasonal depression is tough for anyone to deal with — but it’s especially tough on kids. That’s because kids usually don’t understand concepts like seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or vitamin D intake, and the winter seems to drag on forever for them.

But the reality is that they will probably suffer from some amount of depression until winter ends.

That doesn’t mean you should lose all hope. Just like the rest of us, kids can mitigate their symptoms of seasonal depression with a good, healthy diet and a few engaging activities that keep their minds stimulated.

Here’s a short guide to encouraging your child through SAD.

Identifying Seasonal Affective Disorder

Nobody is quite certain of what causes SAD, but medical experts know that children who have a family history of SAD are more likely to suffer from the condition. Symptoms of SAD are usually quite easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for, and include:

• Irritableness
• Constant tiredness
• Lack of energy
• Difficulty functioning

Of course, we all display these “symptoms” once in a while, but you should only start to consider seeking a SAD diagnosis if they seem to persist for two weeks. This diagnosis will get you the medical help you need and will help everyone in your family understand why your child may be “acting up” in the winter months.

Eat Nutritious Foods

Combating seasonal depression can be tricky. Hopefully, after you receive a diagnosis your doctor will give your child a treatment that replaces the vitamin D that they have not received through sunlight.

But, you must also ensure that you provide your child with a nutritious, well-balanced diet. That’s because poor nutrition, particularly at breakfast time, is amongst the biggest mistakes a schoolchild can make. Children who don’t eat breakfast are more likely to feel tired during the day and will have a hard time focusing at school. This will compound the problems they are facing while dealing with SAD.

If you aren’t sure of what a “nutritious” diet looks like, then you can always get in touch with a dietitian or nutritionist who specializes in child development. They will likely recommend you include more “brain foods” like eggs and kale and should avoid sugary food and drinks that will simply deepen your child’s depressive dip.

Fortified Foods and Supplements

Aside from eating a healthy, balanced diet, you may want to check out the vitamin D levels in your foods. That’s because, according to Yale doctors, most of us do not need to get our vitamin D from sunlight. In reality, most people can get all the vitamin D they need through fortified foods and nutritional supplements.

You can usually purchase vitamin D supplements from your local pharmacy or grocery store and should check the labels of foods like milk, juices, and cereals. That’s because most production companies will fortify their goods with vitamin D, and there is nothing wrong with getting your daily intake from these sources.

Connect With Activities

SAD makes it difficult for kids to find energy for activities and can leave them feeling dissociated and disinterested in family bonding. So, as a parent, you might need to raise the stakes and provide even more attention to your kid while they are battling SAD.

There are plenty of wintertime activities for you to choose from, but it’s worth bearing in mind that your child probably doesn’t want to feel cold or exhausted from exercising in the cold while they have SAD. For this reason, activities that center around a fire pit are perfect — your child stays warm, puts down their devices, and goes outside for at least an hour or so. You can make it into a more engaging activity by having them cook food over the pit and allowing them to help you tend to the fire.

Get Professional Help

The reality is that SAD isn’t something that most parents can deal with on their own. As much as you want to help your child, you are not a medical expert and might end up doing more harm than good if you don’t seek expert advice.

Fortunately, SAD is a medically-recognized condition and is amongst the common mental health issues that children face. This means that medical professionals have seen the condition before, and are well equipped to help you handle a case of SAD. This gives you confidence that your approach is backed by research, and that you’re doing all you can to help your child through a difficult time.

Conclusion

In the depths of winter, seasonal affective disorder can feel overwhelming. But, by taking a proactive, evidence-based approach to SAD, you can help your child mitigate their symptoms. In particular, you should review their diet to see if sugary foods are compounding the issue, and should seek medical advice from doctors who are well equipped to help your kid overcome the challenges they face during the winter.

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.

For kids, games come in all shapes and sizes; from video games to board games, it’s easy to get lost in the world of play. And who can blame them? Kids are born with an innate sense of curiosity that makes them eager for new experiences and learning opportunities.

The younger generation is already ahead when it comes to technology; they’re familiar with smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc., because these devices are now part of their daily lives. Smartphones make access to information possible at any moment or place, but this also means kids (and adults) spend more time indoors than ever before.

Storytelling and Technology

Technology is meant to be used as a tool for work and entertainment, but too much screen time has the opposite effect – one becomes less motivated and less willing to explore the great outdoors. Besides, the internet is a massive source of information, so why even leave the house when you have Google at your fingertips?

There are lots of articles out there about how technology is ruining our kids’ creativity, but here’s an important aside: it’s not just the internet’s fault. The world needs creative individuals who are motivated to create and share their ideas with others. Perhaps one of the most important contributions you can make is ensure internet safety for your young one.

It’s for the concerns surrounding technology that makes storytelling so powerful; it activates imagination, helps children make sense of the world, and encourages them to seek out new experiences. Storytelling can never be fully replaced by technology because words can capture the most profound imaginations through sensory immersion. According to the reviews of profs, who know how to motivate students during distance learning, the younger generation may not be playing board games with actual cards or chess pieces to learn, but they’re still able to become engaged in interactive storytelling through apps.

Structured Play and Online Games

Since storytelling has an influence on social development, kids who play online games tend to have greater cognitive skills than those who don’t – gamers excel at strategic thinking, problem-solving, imagining alternative endings and other creative abilities that build after a child begins to construct a more thorough understanding of the world around them.

Unstructured play allows children to learn by exploring, and storytelling which is an effective window into this type of self-expression. It encourages kids to investigate their surroundings from a different perspective, often becoming motivated by the desire to live vicariously through their favorite characters. However, it’s important not to underestimate the value of educational content in online games for younger audiences; it provides information on subjects like having greater cognitive skills and math skills, science facts while promoting logical thinking and creative problem-solving.

While parents may cringe at some mobile games that don’t offer much educational value, there are many apps that provide a balance between fun and fundamental learning principles that help young children grow into well-rounded adults. Kids are born with a desire to explore the world, so it’s up to us as parents and educators to encourage this tendency through storytelling produced by professional content creators.

What Parents Should Know about Telling Stories

Kids love to be entertained, which is why they go crazy for TV shows and video games. They want their eyes and ears to be stimulated, and it’s up to parents and educators to choose content that matches with educational goals and fosters healthy habits. Kids shouldn’t spend all their time with technology; it needs to be used as a tool for learning, just like books or any other form of storytelling. There are many benefits of telling stories instead of simply reading to them, such as:

• Interactive dialogue encourages kids not only to listen but also to respond in some way: Words have the ability to capture imaginations, but kids also need a voice to make sense of their thoughts and emotions.

• Interactive dialogue encourages problem-solving: When characters come across an obstacle in a story, kids are motivated by the desire to help them succeed. This is how a child begins to learn problem-solving skills at a young age.

• Interactive dialogue motivates kids to explore worlds beyond this one: Being able to explore new environments through stories allows children’s imaginations to run wild. Their physical surroundings no longer limit them; they become more willing to leave the comfort of home because it means learning about something special or discovering something hidden from plain view.

Storytelling about the child’s ancestors can also be a great way to engage connect them with their own past as they learn where they came from.

How to Use Online Games with Kids for Storytelling

Making up stories allows kids to explore their own creativity while learning about the world around them. On top of that, creating content themselves helps children find better ways to express themselves; this is why apps which provide interactive platforms for young writers are so popular. There are many benefits to collaborative storytelling, such as:

• Kids get a chance to publicly show off their work. This motivates them to write and share their stories with others in a safe and encouraging environment.

• Kids learn the importance of sharing ideas while building relationships with peers who have similar interests. Collaborative storytelling can be an excellent way for children to learn social skills at a young age, especially if they’re struggling with understanding how interacting with other people works.

• Collaborative storytelling is less intimidating since it provides more of an opportunity for kids to express themselves creatively without pressure from outside sources. In this case, parents shouldn’t feel the need to step in every so often because there’s no expectation of high standards or serious criticism.

• Kids learn about story arcs and character development while encouraging one another’s work. They help each other grow, which is why collaborative storytelling has the power to transform little writers into powerful communicators as they mature.

When it comes to choosing storytelling devices that encourage young children to use their imaginations and follow their creative impulses, parents should focus more on building a safe environment. The environments should allow the kids to thrive instead of analyzing every single detail of what their child creates with the app.

Parents Can Be Kid Content Creators Too

Since storytelling is an important part of childhood development, parents should feel encouraged to create content that helps cultivate life skills and develop ideas about science and math. This isn’t just for entertainment; stories come with valuable lessons that teach children how the world works, like:

• The idea is that everything they do has an impact on others (and vice versa). Stories help kids understand how their actions affect other people’s lives; this is why young children are encouraged to share their work with each other instead of keeping it all to themselves.

• Every single person has their own perspective on the world around them. Every story teaches kids there are multiple ways of seeing things depending on who’s looking at the situation. This helps them establish empathy for others by understanding where they’re coming from and what they experience on a daily basis.

• Being able to think critically about what they see in stories builds problem-solving skills as well as analytical thinking. Kids can consider alternate scenarios and explore the many ways of seeing a story from unique angles.

Final Thoughts

Parents should encourage their children to be creative, but it’s also important for parents not to stifle their kids’ imaginations by constantly questioning them about what they’re writing or drawing. For example, don’t ask why a child drew a certain picture because you might get an answer that triggers more questions until the original purpose has been completely forgotten. Never criticize or give your opinion unless it’s absolutely necessary; simply say something like, “I’m happy to help if you need any ideas,” and let your child do all the thinking while guiding conversation where necessary.