CookiesKids.com Blog

A lonely wind howls through the swing set. A tumbleweed rolls across the nature trail. Backyards, front yards, side yards – all abandoned. Where are all the kids?

It’s no secret that kids are spending more time indoors than they used to. Between homework, various screen entertainments, and after school activities, there seems to be little time left in kids’ schedules for unstructured outside play. And some parents are concerned about everything from neighborhood safety to their kids’ clothes getting muddy. But despite the risks, being outside is an essential way for kids to get active and learn to appreciate nature. This spring, take these tips to get your kid outside – and loving it.

If your kids need some motivation, start inside – by planning fun outdoor activities. Make a list of some group activities to do outdoors, and ideas for individual play outdoors, too. Activities with family and friends might include capture the flag, a nature hike, or even a scavenger hunt, complete with treasure maps. Sorting through the garage might turn up some fun items for outdoor play: that pogo stick might just have some spring left in it, and – who knows? – maybe the kids will love bocce. Encourage your child to find some activities they can do on their own outside, too, like skateboarding, bike riding, tending to a few plants in the garden, or even bird watching.  

To get kids interested in the outdoors from a young age, go outside with them and point out all there is to wonder about: “See that tree? Did you know it’s alive?” If scheduling outdoor time is difficult for you, hire a babysitter for a few hours or skip the gym in favor of a bike ride or walk with the kids.

For older kids, outdoor play is a great way to explore their independence. But be sure to set clear boundaries. Let them know exactly where they’re allowed to play – that abandoned construction site should definitely be off-limits. And if your child is out playing with friends in the neighborhood regularly, try to be in touch with your child’s friends’ parents. Knowing that other parents are keeping an eye on your child can be a confidence booster if you’re concerned about neighborhood safety.

As for parents concerned about dirt and mud, there’s really no way around it. But ultimately a little mud isn’t so bad – it’s a small price to pay for a fun time outside. A bone-chilling soak in the rain is another story however, so if your children are going outdoors this spring, make sure they have the right equipment. Rugged outdoor clothes from CookiesKids.com can boost your child’s confidence, motivating them to experience the outdoors no matter the weather. Rain? Wind? Mud? Bring it on! 

Sources:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/kids-television-47102701

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/travel/kids-play-outdoors

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303695604575182250254315196.html

 The chore chart: such a well-intentioned grid. Hanging on the fridge, it tries to keep your kids informed of what chores they must do, it really does. But sometimes your daughter misses Table Setting Tuesday to eat dinner at a friend’s house. Sometimes your son has WAY too much homework to fold laundry. And so the chore chart sits unheeded, like a calendar stuck on last month. A few days pass, then a week, and soon the chart is forgotten. If you’ve made chore charts nobody seems to pay attention to, it’s time for a new approach. Check out these tips to get your kids to do their chores – complaint free! 

Start your kids on chores from a very early age. It’s not unreasonable for a 2-year-old to be able to pick up their toys and put dirty clothes in a hamper. And young kids, unlike some older ones, actually like to help out. Harness this eagerness by assigning tasks whenever you can, but be sure to keep your expectations low. The idea with young kids is to get them to enjoy doing chores, not necessarily to complete chores efficiently. Even if you have to completely redo your 4-year-old’s laundry folding attempt, if you let them do it from an early age, they’ll be more likely to think it’s fun and keep doing it once they can do it properly.

Whatever you do, don’t step in and take over completely. You wouldn’t take over your child’s homework assignment if they were doing it wrong, would you?  Chores can be an opportunity to teach your child a necessary, if not exactly thrilling, life skill, so you should try to instruct rather than correct. Teaching kids how to do chores is just like teaching anything else: it takes patience, but eventually you’ll be rewarded – in this case, rewarded with not having to do a chore yourself anymore!   

Chores are not fun, so how do you inspire kids to do them? The most reasonable and pleasant approach is to let kids choose which chores they want to do from a set list. Start by tallying a huge list of chores – aim for 30 or 40 – and narrow down to find the ones your kids are most capable of doing. Then, write the chores up on note cards. Be specific with the way you write them: “empty desk trash, pick up clothes, and sweep under bed” is a much more actionable item than “clean room.” When you give kids a choice between specific tasks, they’ll have a lot less reason to complain.  

Even if they have a choice, chores can be a lonely business: sometimes a trip to rake leaves in the backyard can feel like an exile. So, whenever possible, try to establish times to do chores as a family. This can be an opportunity to show young kids how to do certain chores, but it’s also a chance to demonstrate how much effort everyone – yourself included – must put in to keep things tidy. And everyone can have a lot more fun doing chores together. Pick certain songs to put on, or play a word-game that you can shout above vacuum noise. Chore time will be over in no time!   

Sources: 

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/13/why-children-need-more-chores/?ref=parenting

http://www.babycenter.com/0_chores-and-your-child-what-to-expect-and-when_3658995.bc

http://organizedhome.com/family-ties/kids-chores-chilling-chore-wars?page=2

“So, how was school today?” If this dinnertime conversation starter is often greeted by a shrug, it’s probably time to try a different question. Getting kids to open up about their lives can be difficult when they reach grade-school, and nearly impossible as high school approaches. But don’t despair. Take some of these tips to regain your child’s confidence and build a sturdier bridge into their lives.

Deep down, your children want to share their everyday tribulations and feelings with you. Often, the trick is asking the right questions of them. Make sure your questions require real, complex answers, not just “yes” or “no.” Avoid general questions; ask specific ones. Who won capture the flag at recess? Was it anyone’s birthday today? What was for lunch in the cafeteria? Did you see any sports cars on the bus ride? The more specific the question, the more it shows you’re interested in the details of their life. And even if they can’t recall seeing any sports cars on the bus ride, it might remind them about that driver that got angry at another driver and made the gesture that they didn’t really understand. As you can see, asking about unimportant details can often lead to more important stuff. 

Once you get your child talking, listen. Good listening requires patience, and when kids open up to you, it requires a particular kind of patience. As your child talks, you’ll probably feel a surge of really great advice build up in you. Wait. Save that advice till later. Keep asking questions until your child unspools the entire situation. If you do this, you’ll ultimately gain a wider perspective than you would have if you jumped in at the beginning; your advice will be better informed and more potent. Most importantly, holding all advice until your child has finished talking proves to them that you’re a good listener. They’ll be a lot more likely to tell you things in the future.

Once you’ve gained your child’s trust as a listener, don’t betray their confidence by telling their secrets. If, for whatever reason, you feel a secret must be told, it’s crucial to ask your kid before you go telling someone else. Even if the secret doesn’t seem like a big deal to you, it may be to your kid, so ask. An even trickier situation: tweens and teens may tell you about bad choices their friends are engaging in, but think twice about picking up the phone to call that friend’s parents. Unless the friend’s behavior is truly dangerous, keep it to yourself.  

It’s a wonderful feeling to know that you’re the person your child trusts most in the world. But it takes daily determination to prove that you deserve that trust. The only effective way of doing this is to make time to connect with your child, every day. Establish a specific place, a routine, or even a special ritual – anything to get them talking. Work to gain your child’s confidence. It’s worth it.  

Sources:

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/25/why-i-dont-rat-out-my-sons-friends/

http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/communication/foolproof-strategies-talk

http://www.womansday.com/sex-relationships/family/parenting-tips-gaining-your-childs-trust-37845

From Image USA Magazine, August 2011 issue - pages 48-50:

In today’s economic climate, everyone is trying to save money. This is a sentiment that hits especially close to home for parents sending children to private schools, which account for nearly a quarter of all schools in the United States and admit over five million students annually. As tuition rates are on the rise at many community yeshivahs, parents and school administrators are looking for ways to ease the financial strain of educational costs.

Joe Levy, Director of School Sales at CookiesKids.com, has the inside scoop on which and why yeshivahs are making the switch to school uniforms. He first noticed an increase in school uniform policy enforcement when one of Brooklyn’s largest schools, Magen David Yeshivah, decided to institute such a policy for the upcoming school year. Soon after, other schools in the community began inquiring about uniforms, considering the prospect of adopting a similar policy in the fall.

“With tuition rates rising in the community, shopping for fashion clothing as school wear just adds to the cost of education,” Levy said. “When schools switch to uniforms, it ensures parents will save money.”

Levy heads up the uniform sales department at CookiesKids.com which caters to over 2,000 schools, a number that shows no signs of shrinking. Because the company has a nearly endless inventory of tailor-made school uniform styles, price points and sizes available, Levy has been able to provide for a variety of school uniform policies, no matter how specific.

Without question, the social impact of school uniforms can have a profoundly positive effect on children. “They have so many pressures right now, and one less thing they have to worry about with school uniform policies is what to wear,” said Levy. “It keeps kids on a more even playing field.”

Jack Shammah, the Director of Marketing and Operations at CookiesKids.com, agrees. He’s received similar feedback from parents and children about the benefits of uniforms. “It provides a sense of confidence in children when they see their peers in the same clothes. They can excel at other things without being conscious of their clothing,” Jack said.

In addition to easing peer pressure and self-confidence issues in children and saving parents money on trendy, designer clothing purchases, advocates of school uniforms cite a number of other reasons why they are a positive influence on the educational process. Uniforms make it easier for students to get dressed for schools in the morning, reduce discipline problems in the academic environment, and help set an atmosphere of modesty and professionalism.

They also help instill and promote school spirit and pride, facilitate a sense of unity among students, and, perhaps, most importantly, increase students’ self respect. Students’ behavior and attitudes toward academics improve because their own expectations of themselves become higher. There’s a certain level of reverence that must be observed and maintained when wearing your school’s uniform.

According to Levy, shirts and sweaters with embroidered school logos and gym clothes with screen printed mascots - all in the school’s colors - go a long way toward building that sense of belonging. When kids have a uniform on, they’re recognized as a proud student of their school.

While some may argue that school uniforms suppress individuality, the prevailing thought is that pupils are still very much capable of self-expression when dressed in uniform. Students can make their uniforms fashionable thanks to unique choices in hairstyles, shoes, socks, ties, and accessories. It’s in minor details such as these that students possess the freedom to differentiate and distinguish themselves. Rather than seeing uniforms as an attempt at mass conformity, students recognize the potential to be even more creative and expressive. The thing that must always be remembered is that attitude is very important; if students feel good about themselves, they will act accordingly.

Lower financial burden, the lack of distraction and competition, the development of one’s self-respect, and the fostering of community spirit are just some of the many positive reasons why the idea of uniforms is attractive to schools like Magen David Yeshivah. Their decision to mandate school uniforms for the upcoming school year indicates a strong dedication to getting their students back to the business of learning. Perhaps it is a decision that more schools will adopt in the near future.

For more information on school uniform options, visit www.CookiesKids.com or call (877) 94-Cookies.