Tag Archives: self-esteem

We’re All Afraid of Something Sometime

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Winston Churchill in Downing Street giving his...

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“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
-Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II, wanted to inspire his countrymen and motivate them to continue their fight against a formidable enemy.  To learn more about this courageous man, go to

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill 

  What he said applies to our young children who often are beset with many different fears: fear of the dark and going to sleep, fear of monsters, fear of separation and getting lost, fear of new experiences and new places and fear of illness and death.Do you have a young child who is afraid of something?  Is that fear keeping him or her from joining activities or socializing?  Sitting down and talking to your child is a good step to take to try to help your child overcome that fear.  But sometimes it’s hard to start a conversation about difficult topics.  That’s why picture books are so valuable because they set the stage for a relaxed discussion about almost anything.  For this situation,

a wonderful choice would be Frizzy The Fearful by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.  This little tiger is afraid of EVERYTHING, but with the help of his friends and mother, he learns that he can cope with those fears.

THE STORY: FRIZZY THE FEARFUL
Written by Majorie Weinman Sharmat
Illustrated by John Wollner    Poor Little Frizzy Tiger!  He is afraid of everything…high places and low places, the dark, loud noises, and pits in pit-less fruit.  He avoids going places with his friends and he misses out on many fun-filled activities because he doesn’t want anyone to know how frightened he is.  When he climbs a tree to help a friend, even though he is terrified, Frizzy realizes that everyone has fears and he begins to feel a little better about his own situation.

As you read the story with your child, you will have an opportunity to talk about it.  When you are finished, ask your child to relay to you what happens in the story.  You can share with your child about times that you were afraid of something and how you overcome your fear.   

 

Participating with your child in a simple craft project is another great way to open a discussion.  The following easy instructions

will produce a badge of courage that your child can wear with pride.Perhaps your child has just been to the dentist for a cleaning and went without making a fuss.  Maybe he has finished his first week of nursery school and, even though he was anxious about being separated from you, he managed to enjoy his time there.  Here is a badge of courage you can pin on your child that affirms his willingness to overcome his fears and accept life’s challenges.

THE CRAFT: A BADGE OF COURAGE

 

You will need: 2 pieces of construction paper (1 light and 1 dark), aluminum foil, ribbon, paste and a pair of scissors.1. Cut a 3-inch circle from dark paper and a 2-inch circle from aluminum foil and help your child paste the aluminum foil circle on the dark circle.
2. Cut a 1-inch circle from the light paper, write your child’s name on it and help him paste it in the middle of the aluminum foil circle.
3. Paste the ribbon at the back of the badge so it hangs down a few inches.
4. Pin the badge to your child’s shirt with a small safety pin.

Cooking With Preschoolers

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Cooking is one of the best activities for preschoolers.  It builds their self-esteem as they master tasks and skills, mixing and measuring the ingredients.  It teaches them about the foods they eat so they can make better food choices as they grow up.  It encourages them to try new foods as they prepare various recipes, expanding their food horizons.  Most importantly, they love to do it and cooking with your preschooler helps create a life-long parent-child bond.

Cooking with preschoolers is a passion of mine which is why my  new parenting book provides 100 child-friendly healthful recipes and 100 age-appropriate, eco-friendly craft projects, in addition to pinpointing 100 picture books every young child should hear.  The cooking experience is crucial because with each recipe your preschooler helps prepare, he gains confidence and competence and his sense of self-worth grows. 

What ingredients should we use?  The best that we can, of course!  If you are able to purchase organic, locally grown, in-season produce…I’d encourage you to do that…I believe such ingredients will add immense benefits to your entire family while creating a less damaging impact on our planet.   Organic or not, just make sure everything is fresh (check dates on dairy and other items…sometimes stores miss removing out-of-date stuff) and whether it is a snack or a meal, we want to provide low-fat, low sugar and high fiber combinations that are packed with nutrition.  It’s important that they taste good also.  However, taste is learned and we need to be careful of what we say and of our facial expressions when we are eating…many children develop food dislikes when they see a parent shunning a particular food. 

Cooking with preschoolers is a great time to teach proper hand washing procedures.  Make sure hands are washed before and during the food preparation process, especially if hands have touched raw meat or poultry.  And definitely exercise caution during the cooking experience…preschoolers should be pouring and mixing the ingredients in the bowls, not stirring the pot on the stove.  Any cutting with sharp knives needs to be done by the parent or other responsible adult.

I just came back from a wonderful week in New Hampshire…the New England fall foliage was at its peak…but the best part of the trip was the four days I spent with my two-year old grandson, Jeremy.  We walked down to the pond every day to see the ducks, skip pebbles over the surface of the water, and collect leaves of scarlet, gold, green and brown to use in craft projects.  He loved cooking in the kitchen…I’ve included one of the recipes below, along with the craft activity we did and the title of the story we read. If you’d like more story/craft/cooking ideas, you can go to the activities page of my website: http://www.positiveparentalparticipation.com/News.php 

CHILD-FRIENDLY HOMEMADE CHUNKY APPLESAUCE

You will need: 3 lbs tart cooking apples (peeled, cored and quartered), 1 Tb honey, 3/4 cup water, 1 pinch cinnamon or nutmeg, and a large saucepan with a lid.

  1. Combine the apples, water and honey in the pan, cover and bring to a boil. 
  2. Lower the heat and simmer till very soft and mushy, about 30 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon or nutmeg and serve hot or cold.
  4. Store in covered container in the refrigerator.  Use within a few days.  Makes about 4-6 servings.

The story suggestion for the above recipe is THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD.  This classic tale of a little engine with a positive attitude helps preschoolers believe in themselves and encourages them to keep trying, even if they don’t succeed at first.  Jeremy loved the story…he is excited about all trains right now…when I finished, he said, “More book, Nanu!”

A container train with moving wheels is a craft project will enable your child to have a whole fleet of trains…if you both have the time and patience.   For each train car you will need: 1 clean quart-sized cardboard milk or juice container, construction paper, paste, scissors, markers and metal paper fasteners.  When we finished the train, two-year old Jeremy exclaimed, “My train, my train!”

  1. Depending on which train car your preschooler wants to make, cut the container appropriately (for example, for a coal car  – lay the container on its side and cut off the top).
  2. Cut a piece of construction paper to fit over the outside of the container and paste it in place.
  3. Cut out 4 wheels from another piece of construction paper and attach to the container with paper fasteners.  The wheels will be able to turn!
  4. Ask your child what the name of his train is (for example: Jeremy’s Express), and write the name on the side of the train.  Use the markers to add details to the train.

 For more cooking with kids in the kitchen ideas, check out http://kidsparties.about.com where Megan Cooley, kids’ parties and celebrations guide for about.com is hosting a blog carnival for the month of November.

5 skills every preschooler should learn

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I noticed an article on MSN’s home page about skills teenagers should master as they approach the age when they will leave home to go away to school or out on their own to work.  I think it is a big mistake to wait till our children are teenagers to teach them these important life skills.  Except for car maintenance, every single skill can and should be introduced and taught to our preschoolers.  I think back to my own childhood and am saddened to realize that my mother did not  expect me or my sister to help clean the house (although she did suggest it once or twice) and we were not taught to balance a checkbook or keep to a budget.  She cooked all of the meals and did not teach us to cook, plan menus or shop for ingredients. 

What are those life skills that every child should begin to master at an early age?

  • CLEANING THE HOUSE: show your child what to do and let him help…of course, if you are using toxic cleansers, perhaps you can switch to more eco-friendly (and child-friendly) green cleaning solutions.  Check out one of my earlier posts for some simple suggestions.
  • DOING THE LAUNDRY: even a toddler can help sort items for the laundry…darks and lights for example…putting dirty clothes in the hamper…folding towels…matching socks…what great opportunities for science and math experiences!
  • COOKING: little ones LOVE to help in the kitchen…measuring, mixing, learning about what ingredients go into making various meals and accompanying you to the store to discover that green bananas should be yellow with spots if we want them to taste sweet and what a ripe melon smells like.
  • MANAGING MONEY: every young child should have a piggy bank where allowances (if your family does that) and money earned or received as gifts are kept…it’s easy for kids to “want” everything…but life is about making choices and that is a part of money management that little ones can be taught…if Johnny wants something that costs $1.00 and he only has 50 cents in his piggy bank, he will have to “earn” the rest or wait until he has enough by saving allowance or gift money.  Older children should learn to balance a checkbook!
  • MAKING APPOINTMENTS AND MANAGING A DAILY SCHEDULE: you can make a chart that shows the daily schedule…breakfast time, lunch time, doctor’s appt, playdate, bedtime…use pictures cut from magazines to help your child identify what is happening during the day…young children feel less stressed when they know what to expect and what is expected from them…for children who have trouble settling down and getting ready for bed, this might be a life-saver!

So, don’t wait to start teaching your child these important life skills…begin when he is a preschooler and life may be much smoother in your home as your child grows up.  He or she will definitely thank you…self-sufficiency and mastering tasks and skills are cornerstones in the foundation of high self-esteem.