Attention Develops Kid’s Minds

One of the most effective ways to develop the dexterity of your child's minds is to simply spend as much time with them as you can. In your child's early years the bonding between the two of you is very important as they learn to develop their own sense of identity, confidence and trust. The stronger that is the more likely they are to do well when presented with one of life's many challenges – such as the proverbial IQ test. =
A child that can trust and that has faith in the world is likely to be more alert, aware and happy. This faith in others and especially in you frees up the child's mind from psychological and mental problems that might prevent him or her from learning. They are more able to develop a healthy curiosity about the world around them.
Being attentive to your child helps you learn about what makes him or her tick. It can help you head off any difficulties in the future.
Lots of times we suspect that our child is prodigy and sometimes that is really true. Many children are ahead of their peer group in one way or another. For instance, if your child learns how to play the guitar at a very young age he or she may be gifted musically.
Pay attention to your child and you will notice that some skill sets are stronger than others. However — just because a child is struggling with one aspect of education it does not mean that he or she is of a lower intelligence.
In fact the only real way to figure out what unique gifts and talents your child has is to spend as much quality time with him or her as possible. This not only strengthens a loving bond between you but it also helps you personally assess where you think your child's weaknesses are so you can try and enhance them before any IQ test is administered to him or her.
Children who are talked to from an early age learn to talk and read faster than those left on their own. This means that they will do much better on an IQ test because it is in essence a literacy test.
This is why you should make a conscious effort to talk to your child as much as possible. You might think that talking to a newborn is a waste of time but that is a fallacy. The only way an infant can learn is through the mimicking of speech.
One approach is to simply and consistently describe what it is you are doing. For instance if you are bathing the baby say, 'Now we are taking a bath!' If you are feeding he or she go – 'Now we are having dinner.' This keeps the baby engaged, attentive and learning about life.
Describing each and every little action to a baby goes a long way to helping him or her identify things, develop logic and understand sequences of events. In fact the ability to string sequential thoughts is vital for any child's mental development over the long term.

Suggesting Gifts for a Baby Shower

As implied by my last blog I am now throwing another baby shower for my girlfriend who is expecting in the Spring.   I have sent out some invites and of course I am now being bombarded with calls about what kind of gifts to get her.

As the host or hostess of a baby shower, expect to be plagued by a million questions concerning what to get the expectant mother.

For this reason it is recommended that you set up a gift registry with a local toy, hardware, furniture and/or clothing store. Gift registries can also be set up on some sites on the Internet.

Usually, the expectant mother will directly tell you directly what kind of gifts she we would like or what items she needs to complete her nursery. If the mother is the shy type, you can probably pry a lot of information out of her mother, husband or sisters as to her needs and tastes.

Some people are allergic to things like chocolate and peanuts or react to certain fragrances and perfumes so be sure to ask your expectant mother about that before you start advising others what to buy her.

            Gifts fall into five basic categories:

•           Gifts that pamper mom such as candy and spa products

•           Clothing and products for the care of the baby (such as diapers and soothers)

•           Toys

•           Keepsakes such as picture frames, photo albums and key chain rings

•           Food and alcohol such as bottle of champagne for the happy parents to share after the birth of the baby or a frozen casserole that they can keep in the freezer to enjoy on a busy day

Sometimes the mother-to-be is strapped for cash, in which case you can set up a donation station at the event.

            The following are several fun ways to set up a donation station:

•           A Money Tree – this is a branch or small coniferous tree that is set up near the doorway. As guests leave or come in, they are encouraged to attach paper money to the tree with clothespins.

•           Money Clothesline – a clothesline is strung up in the living room and guests are encouraged to attach paper money so that it dangles like laundry.

•           Diaper pail – the pail is clearly labelled as Mommy Fund and guests are encouraged to step on the pedal and drop money in the bucket.

•           Diaper- the money is collected from guests by an appointed friend and gathered into a diaper, pinned and presented to the mother

•           Money Daisy- Cut a circle of cardboard (with a picture of the mother in the center if you like) and decorate the fringes with dollar bills. Encourage others to make the daisy “bloom”

More discreet methods of collecting money for the expectant mother include:

•           Buying a teddy bear or other stuffed toy that zips up and asking people to stuff it with paper bills

•           Doing the same with a beautiful cushion and calling it the “financial cushion”

•           Collecting the money in an envelope and tucking it under her pillow or in her purse for her to discover later

Of course you can also open a bank account in the mother’s name and then handing her the account book at the end of the party.  Nothing says 'I care for you' like cash!