Entertaining Your Kids Without Going Broke

Are you leaving all of the entertaining of your children to the television? I don't blame you. Watching television is so cheap!

Some recent studies show that now as many as 83 percent of kids are watching two hours of television or more each day, while an incredible 90 percent of toddlers spending that much time around the tube. That does not give them that much time to interact with people.

Activities with others and in the great outdoors allow for happier, less anxious kids that feel better and are more relaxed. A sedentary kid is going to be a fat and unhappy kid.

You do not have to spend a fortune to play with your kids or make them feel more active. All you have to do is make them simple forts out of boxes and blankets. Any big cardboard box can easily be turned into a castle or a fort. Cardboard boxes and tubes also make great rocket ships. You can make your little girl a kitchen complete with fridge and stove out of cardboard boxes.

It is not that hard to find large boxes. You can find them at stores that carry appliances.
One warning – if you are cutting cardboard, do it by yourself. Your child's safety scissors cannot handle thick, stiff cardboard.

There are also hundreds of fun crafts that your kids can make. You can find instructions for most of them online. You can have them build their own kite and fly it in the back yard. You can have them put together a popsicle stick house or have them build a boot scraper mat out of bottle caps. One of the most fun and simplest of toys is a phone connected by a string and made out of two empty tin cans.

Awakening your kid's creativity is as simple as giving them some paper and colored pencils. You can also let them decorate their own room using washable paints. They can draw all over the walls and you can wipe it clean later.

To get your kid off the couch and walking take a field trip to somewhere free. Go view the nearest public government buildings or take a walk in a part. Some kids enjoy strolls through cemeteries. Basically a kid will go anywhere with you. For them, the quality time has to do with the connection to you. So it does not really matter where you go as long as the two of you are together.

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How to Make Your Child Happy

If you want to raise the happiest child ever there are some things that you can say that can make them feel glad. In fact they will remember these kind words forever. In essence, anything that an adult tells a kid can affect him or her forever.

You want to raise your kids to be self-confident, responsible and caring. However you need to think twice before criticizing anyone, but especially children. If you put things the wrong way you will put things in his or her mind that has them develop rebellious attitudes.

If a child asks you why something is so, one of the worst things you can do is say 'because I say so.' Do not answer 'Because I am the dad/mom and not you.' This tells the kid that his curiosity or feelings don't matter. This creates a secretive kid that does not trust authority and that does not tell you anything. Nobody likes to be patronized in this way and it turns your kid into a rebel. They will be silently plotting their separation from you because they will see you as uncaring and controlling.

One of the worst things you can do is act like you are too busy to pay attention to what the kid are trying to communicate. This makes a kid feel unworthy. You need to reassure the kid that you will have time later if you cannot address their issues in the moment. The happiest kids are the ones that always know that their family is always going to be there no matter what.

You should also not criticize a kid if they do not do something well. Not every kid is good at sports or can play the piano. You need to focus on what the kid can do rather than what they can't do. This is because the kid things that you are only focusing on his or her incapabilities and nothing else. You need to focus on the kid's successes and constantly point them out.

Making your kid happy is all about making his or her self-image blossom. Every single time they leave, kiss him or her goodbye and every time they return welcome them home with joy and genuine acceptance.

Remember that kids develop their entire psychology based on their momentary emotions. They are profoundly affected by the things that happen to them and their reactions to what you say to them!

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