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Every young person needs a hobby. An interesting kid hobby will help children learn as well as keep them entertained for hours. It might even help them stay away from a bad peer group and stay out of trouble. Some kids might think of video games or TV as an appropriate kid hobby, but most parents would like to see their kids doing something more challenging or educational. A good kid hobby is playing a musical instrument. The guitar can often be self-taught from a book if a child has the interest, but for piano playing or other instruments, you will probably have to invest in lessons. Practice is, of course, an essential part of mastering any musical instrument.

Another type of kid hobby is pursuing an art or a craft. Kids can learn to draw, paint, or make scrapbook pages. They can learn needle arts, such as embroidery, sewing, knitting or crocheting. Beginning carpentry is a very useful kid hobby that may turn into a career, or at least skills that will be used for a lifetime. Tinkering around on gas engines or electronics is another kid hobby that can lead to useful skills.

There are all sorts of things that kids might like to collect for a hobby. Some of the more common collections are of stamps, coins, and rocks. Stamps are interesting because they can be from many different countries, becoming a geography lesson. Coins and stamps both are of historical significance, and encourage reading to learn more about different eras in history. Rock collecting as a kid hobby requires looking into science books.

Other collectibles include bean bag toys or figurines of a certain thing, such as owls, frogs, or unicorns. Anything a child has an interest in can be collected. If a kid is interested in dolphins, for instance, she may not only collect dolphin figurines and posters, but also be motivated to read books about dolphins.

Construction sets also make a good pastime for kids. Many people may think of these only as toys, but children who have grown up with these sets and added components to them down through the years can create some pretty impressive models. They are also gaining skills in reasoning and perception as they build.

Making model, such as cars, boats, and airplanes, has always been a popular kid hobby. If your child is interested in making models, be very encouraging in the beginning. Model car kits can be very complicated and require a great deal of precision. If your child’s first few creations leave a little bit to be desired, don’t laugh or scold, or he is likely to never want to try to make anything again! Get the easiest kit he is willing to make and then patiently help him as much as needed.

Many kids enjoy sports, making any athletic activity a great kid hobby. Soccer, basketball, and little league baseball all come to mind, but don’t forget about track and field events. Maybe your child would enjoy distance running or gymnastics. An active kid hobby will help your child stay in shape as well as make an interesting pastime.

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The author is the Webmaster of www.instantebookriches.com.

Getting ready for the new school year starts earlier when you have a child with special needs. There are so many things to plan ahead for, and people to coordinate with. You’ll need to start preparing your child, too. It can all feel overwhelming – and if you’re like many parents of children with special needs, it’s tempting to put off back-to-school preparations until the first day is just days away. The resulting last-minute flurry of phone calls, errands, and meetings can be exhausting!

This year, let’s make the back-to-school process easier. Our Action Steps will focus on simple things you can do now to make this the best transition to the new school year ever, for your child, your family, and you, too.

Today, it’s time to start getting the wheels in motion with the school itself — any logistics required to make sure everyone and everything is ready for your child in a few weeks.

Action Steps!

1. Brainstorm a list of everything that needs to happen with school between now and September. Get help from your spouse, significant other, a friend who has a child in the same school/program. Depending on your child’s age and abilities, include your him or her as much as possible in this brainstorming step, too.

2. Highlight anything on your list involving a phone call.

3. Start making those phone calls now. Top priority should be given to any call involving scheduling an appointment or a meeting. Calendars fill up fast this time of year!

4. As you set dates and times for appointments and meetings, make arrangements for any childcare you’ll need.

5. Look over your list from step 1 and circle anything else you need to get started on now.

Now let’s focus our Action Steps on preparing your child for the new school year – and preparing your family for the transition to a new daily routine.

My top recommendations:

1. Bring your child to the school. If your child is new to the building, introduce him or her to anyone available, such as the school nurse, administrators, office staff, custodians. If possible, make arrangements in advance for your child’s teacher(s) to be there when you visit.

2. Tour the building with your child, even if they’ve been going to this school for years. It helps get them into the school-year mindset, and also helps remind them where things are – like the doors, bathrooms, cafeteria, gym, nurse’s office, and if possible, their new classroom(s). If your child is older, it’s a good idea to get their locker number and let them practice opening it a few times.

3. Depending on your child’s age and abilities, allow him or her to practice self-advocacy skills. Encourage your son or daughter to ask questions, tell teachers and staff about their classroom needs, and discuss any problems that need to be taken care of before the first day of school, such as a stuck locker, a blocked wheelchair ramp, or a malfunctioning sound system.

4. Get the whole family back on a school-year schedule gradually. Start moving up dinnertime, bedtime, and wake-up time — so the first day of school won’t be such a shock! You might also want to have your children help you make a morning checklist (use pictures if your child isn’t reading yet) to help them remember everything they need to do on a school morning after they wake up. I also highly recommend having a “Don’t Forget” list posted by the door, with key items like backpack, books, lunch, and of course, a smile!

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Joan Celebi founder of the Special Needs Parent Coach gives you practical strategies for successully navigating life as a parent with a special. Visit Joan at www.specialneedsparentcoach.com. You’re welcome to reprint this article, as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the contact information at the end), and you send me a copy or link to your reprint at joan@specialneedsparentcoach.com.

Parenthood can be intimidating in the beginning as new parents face several problems. Unfortunately for them, infants don’t come with specific instructions, and parents are expected to learn to deal with problems with time. Here are a few topics every parent must acquaint him/herself with.

Giving your baby a bath: For nearly two weeks after the birth of baby, until the remnants of the umbilical cord disappear, only sponge baths should be given. You must always follow your paediatrician’s instructions closely but generally, cotton swabs smeared with alcohol are used to dry the umbilical cord. Once the cord falls away, a shallow bottom tub should be used for your baby’s bath.

Ceasarian Delivery: C sections are usually performed if the OB/GYN detects any possible complications and therefore feels that it would be safer to have a Ceasarian delivery. It is usually preferred in cases of complicated or stalled labour, or other complications which might pose further risks for the baby.

Circumcision: Some doctors believe that circumcision may have some benefits in the long run. However, one has to understand that it is not an obligatory or necessary procedure. It makes your child more immune to urinary tract infections and nearly obliterates any chances of penile cancer. As opposed to popular beliefs, it does not have any long standing side effects, either physical or emotional.

Crib Death (SIDS): Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS has formed the centre of intense medical research in the recent times. No definite causes have been identified however some possible links have been established. Here are a few of them.

Male Babies stand a greater chance of contracting SIDS than female babies.

SIDS has been found to occur more in premature born kids.

Children born to young and single mothers are affected more than others.

Smoking, both active and passive, is also a possible stimulator of SIDS.

There is a widespread belief that co-sleeping can reduce the chances of occurrence of SIDS. However, the American Academy of Paediatrics disagrees with this belief. On the contrary, they believe that co-sleeping within kids can increase the risk of SIDS.

They do advise back sleeping among children to reduce the risk of SIDS, though it hasn’t been medically proven as yet. In case of any doubt or emergency, consult your paediatrician.

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John has been writing online for several years. He’s currently writing about online law school and optical digital audio cable.

Swimming is a great solution to keep your actives and now all you have to do is decide where to sign up and the type of instructor that should be taking care of their kids. This is a fact which is overlooked by most parents simply because they do not see it as a factor that should be weighed. Most parents look at the time of the lessons, the location of the instruction swimming pool and of course the overall price. They are leaving out the most important feature, choosing the right instructor to take care of their kids. They are no different from a babysitter, a tutor or a personal care specialist in the sense that your child’s safety is directly in their hands and you must completely trust the person you are leaving your kids with. And since you are dealing with an environment with the potential of mishap, you are basically putting the life of your kids in a single persons hands.

No, I am not trying to scare you as most swimming instructors and known classes are thoroughly examined by governing bodies and have re assessment and life guard capabilities, both intermediate and advanced that ensure the safety of your kids. But there are other factors involved in this. You have to ensure that the comfortable with the environment and most importantly the instructor has to be able to connect with the kids. If your kids are at odds with the instructor, you will not be able to get the full benefits of the lesson.

The biggest thing that will make a good swimming is communication, communication is the turnkey to make your kid a great swimmer, and communication will allow your kid to listen to instructions properly. Also, talk to your instructor and determine whether they have a natural disposition with kids, they can tolerate them, understand them and communicate with them on the same level. Also, it would be wise to get an instructor that has a good history with dealing with kids, though I will not be taking away from instructors that have a wide experience with adults , I am sure that they are excellent instructors, but I know that some parents would prefer someone with experience teaching children.

Also, it seems that most of the instructors in this range are women, probably because of their natural disposition to children but let me say from the get go this is not a sexist commentary, it is just an observation and a culmination of feedback from many parents. In the end of the day, the argument stands. Do as much research as you possibly can on the instructor and the methods of teaching. You know your child best and will probably be able to predict whether personalities will collide or meld together smoothly. Also, one more tip would be to enrol your child in smaller classes, where there is more chance for individual attention. 4 – 6 kids is just about good. It might be more expensive, but you know your child is getting the attention he or she deserves. So for those considering swimming lessons for kids – the most important thing is choosing the right instructor.

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Boston College professor says high quality care can negate poverty impact. For low income parents, finding high quality child care not only boosts the performance of their children in school, but actually combats the effects of poverty, according to a new study in the journal Child Development. Children who spent more time in high quality child care in the first five years of their lives had better reading and math scores in middle school, according to researchers from Boston College, the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Samford University, who studied 1,300 middle school students.

Looking deeper, researchers found that low income children who received high quality child care achieved at similar academic levels as their more affluent peers, even after taking into account factors such as levels of parental education and employment.

“The real takeaway here is that even minimal exposure to higher quality child care protects children from the harm done by living in poverty,” co-author Eric Dearing, an associate professor of applied developmental psychology in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, said. “When it comes to early child care, quality matters more for children in poverty than for affluent children in promoting the long term academic achievement of the former up to similar levels as the latter.”

The researchers looked at reading and math achievement of more than 1,300 children in middle childhood from economic backgrounds ranging from poor to affluent. They used information from the longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which was carried out under the auspices of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

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Ed Hayward | Source: EurekAlert! Further information: www.bc.edu.