Holiday Shopping Shows Marketplace Gender Shift

Posted on December 11, 2012 by viviankirkfield

We may be in the 21^st century, but many parents will still be making gender discriminating toy purchases this holiday season.

Girls get dolls and baking sets and jewelry-making kits. Boys get trucks and Lego sets and model kits.

But, according to Dr. Susan Levine, chairwoman of the psychology department at the University of Chicago, “Playing with blocks, puzzles and construction toys helps children with spatial development and children with better spatial thinking are more likely to go into mathematics, engineering, science and technology.”

And playing with dolls encourages boys to develop a nurturing personality that will be crucial in building strong relationships later in life.

My top ten holiday gift recommendations for young children include dolls, blocks and puzzles…with no gender discrimination. I’ve always believed that block play is important for both boys and girls.

Toy companies are always ready to jump on board if they feel it will result in more sales.

Photo courtesy of timetoplaymag.com

Mattel, the maker of Barbie…and Lego…have teamed up to produce the “Barbie Build ‘n Style” construction set…in pink, of course!

A recent New York Times article discussed this new Barbie construction set that may encourage dads to interact more with their daughters. And in my book, anything that promotes positive parental participation is a good thing!

Jump into the New Year with an activity plan for your young children. Use Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking for fifteen minutes every day…read a picture book story or do a quick and easy craft or invite your child to help prepare a simple healthful recipe. You’ll find story suggestions and craft and cooking directions on every page of this award-winning resource for parents and teachers. If the book doesn’t make planning activities easier, please contact me to return it for a full refund of your purchase price.

How to get Dad to play with dolls (kansascity.com)
More Dads Buy the Toys, So Barbie, and Stores, Get Makeovers (nytimes.com)
“For the first time in history, Mattel is introducing a Barbie construction set” (scmc3001.wordpress.com)
Barbie now a builder as parent values shift (seattletimes.com)
How Children’s Toys Are Getting a Gender Neutral Makeover For Christmas (newsfeed.time.com)
What Happens When Dads Buy Sexist Toys? (theatlanticwire.com)
Barbie Caters to Dads This Christmas (mediabistro.com)
Barbie the builder: can she fix it? Yes she can, in high heels and in pink (thetimes.co.uk)

Holiday Spirits Seem Positive in the Blogosphere

Posted on November 25, 2011 by viviankirkfield

I follow quite a few bloggers and received a number of lovely posts for Thanksgiving. If you click on each link, it will take you to their Thanksgiving post.

Mirth and Motivation

Savvy Source

KidCulture

Spirit Lights the Way

Sippy Cup Chronicles

Parenting.com (some ideas for using left-over turkey)

The Mom Writes

Because I’m the Mommy

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all keep this level of positivity and recognition of all the good things that we do have as these bloggers have done.

Here’s a challenge: let’s keep the momentum going through till Christmas…and then can we put ‘keeping a positive attitude’ on our list of goals for the New Year?

Children who grow up in a home that is filled with positive vibrations are going to be empowered to master tasks and skills; feel appreciated, loved and valued; and like themselves…all important components of building self-esteem. That’s what my book is all about…it enables parents and teachers to build self-esteem and better literacy skills with quick and easy activities that are fun for everyone! I hope everyone will spread the word about the 50% off sale on my website. The book makes a super cool holiday gift for a parent, grandparent, preschool, nursery or kindergarten teacher, daycare provider, babysitter…and it’s only $19.95!

Tiffany at Home Grown Families, a natural living mom blog says, “This book is amazing! Homeschoolers…this is perfect for language arts, art class and several other subjects. What a great book to add to your curriculum!”

My husband and I would have loved to spend Thanksgiving Day surrounded by family…but unfortunately, our family is spread out across the country and traveling during the holiday season is difficult and costly and fraught with delays and cancellations.

So we decided to turn this into a positive day and as soon as we spoke to our children this morning on the phone, we packed up our Jeep and headed to our favorite fishing spot. It was a glorious day here in Colorado…sunny and warm and perfect for outdoor activities.

We fly-fish in the artificial lure only catch-and-release area at Eleven Mile Canyon. Sad to say, we found an empty Styrofoam container labeled “Night crawlers” in the brush on the bank. There are 9 miles of beautiful fishable water where you can use bait…and only 2 miles at the top by the dam where you can’t…and that’s where we found the worm container. 😦 We picked it up and added it to the rest of the garbage we would carry out of there, leaving the place clean for the next happy fisherpeople. There were actually a few people doing a riverside cleanup in a different area…what an awesome way to spend Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful day…my husband caught several rainbows…I had one on…but he got away. 😦 Maybe I’ll net him next time! We need to think positively, right?

Do’s and Dont’s: Holiday Shopping with Preschoolers

Posted on November 16, 2010 by viviankirkfield

Although we’d all probably like to leave our young children at home when we go shopping, this is not always possible. So what can we do to make sure our holiday shopping trips with preschoolers go as smoothly and safely as possible. Many of the following tips are from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and they are valuable to remember all year-long, not just during the holiday season.

DO’S FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH PRESCHOOLERS

Do keep children with you at all times.
Do accompany and supervise children in public restrooms.
Do have a plan in case you become separated…just like a fire safety plan which should be discussed at home and practiced routinely.
Do teach your child to look for people who can help…a uniformed security officer, salesperson with a name badge or another mother with children.
Do remind children to remain in the area where they became separated…there is a wonderful picture book story that addresses this issue…DON’T WORRY, I’LL FIND YOU by Anna Grossnickle Hines. When Sarah and her mother go the mall to buy Sarah some clothes, Sarah insists on taking her doll. When Sarah realizes she has left her doll at one of the stores, she runs to find it. Now, however, she doesn’t know where her mother is. Sarah remembers her mother’s instructions to “stay put” and so she remains at the toy store and soon mother and child are reunited. Read this story with your preschooler before your shopping trip and discuss the plan of action in case you become separated.

DON’TS FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPING WITH PRESCHOOLERS

Don’t dress children in clothing that displays their first or last name…this may give strangers an opportunity to start a conversation with your child.
Don’t leave children in the toy area of a store expecting store personnel to supervise your child while you shop in another area of the store.
Don’t allow young children to shop on their own to purchase gifts for friends or family members.
Don’t shop with your child if you feel you will be distracted. Try to make other childcare arrangements…perhaps you and a friend who also has young children can take turns watching the children while the other goes shopping for a morning or afternoon.
Don’t allow children to push the shopping cart if there is a younger sibling in it…and don’t allow children to hang on the cart, even if it is empty…too many accidents occur when shopping carts tip over.

For busy parents, online shopping can be wonderful option this holiday season. You can do it in the evening when the children are sleeping and avoid the crowds and parking hassles. If you do go out shopping with your children, keep these tips in mind. You’ll be glad you did! If you need a gift for a parent, grandparent, teacher or babysitter of a preschooler, I’d like to suggest my newly published book, SHOW ME HOW! BUILD YOUR CHILD’S SLEF-ESTEEM THROUGH READING, CRAFTING AND COOKING. This great resource pinpoints 100 picture books every young child should hear and provides a story summary, parenting tip, eco-friendly craft project and child-friendly healthful cooking activity for each recommended title. If you are looking for fun-filled, educational, self-esteem building activities, check it out. http://amzn.to/9taz9u