Meditation for Kids

Meditation, yoga and other mind strengthening exercises are popping up all over the world and for good reason. Studies show that these exercises help children be more attentive, forge good friendships, induce self-control, teach respect and empathy towards their fellow buddies all while reducing stress, hyperactive behaviour, reducing the symptoms of ADHD and increasing their grades considerably. Providing the kids of the current generation where cyber bullying is on the rise with the tools to fend of negative thoughts and behaviour, enhance self-confidence, focus and treat others and themselves with respect is an offering they will have for the remainder of their lives.

We live in a world where social media rules behaviour and disconnection is a real problem which is on the rise, our next generation needs a muscle of awareness which the schools are not quite able to encapsulate.

So, try these few exercises that can make meditation for kids a fun and enjoyable learning curve.

1. Guided Meditation: The Balloon

To bring a visual component to a very simple breathing exercise, this guided meditation technique can help. You can perform this exercise either standing or sitting.

1. Relax your body by inhaling and exhaling deep breaths through your nose.

2. Inhale slowly to fill your belly up with air, while visualizing a balloon expanding.

3. Slowly exhale through your nose as you release the air from your belly like you are deflating the balloon. You can even let out a hissing noise.

4. Continue for several minutes.

2. Guided meditation: Follow the Leader

This meditation technique is for children who are more than 5 years old. Ask your children to visualize their best friend, with whom they share all their exploits and secrets with. Ask them who leads and who follows. That is who usually takes the decisions in the group and who usually they look up to like their elder sibling will be the leader and they will be the follower. Ask them to associate the leader as the breath and the follower as the mind. Then follow the steps below.

3 Fun Educational Activities For 2 Year Olds.

It shouldn't come as a surprise when he suddenly gets bored with an activity or two that used to be his favorites - it just means that he needs to transition into activities that are now more appropriate for his age and will make him understand his actions, feelings and behaviour more.

If your child recently turned 2, here are some fun educational activities that you can try with him:

Simon Says

Simon Says is a simple yet classic game enjoyed by children of all ages. In young toddlers, playing a game like such will help enhance his ability to follow directions and improve his gross motor skills and receptive language.

Start by being the leader, saying Simon Says followed by a simple direction like "touch your tummy" or "raise your hand". After a while, make the directions a little more complex like "touch your right ear" or "jump 3 times".

You can make the game a little more physical to keep your child energized by asking him to catch something, to hide or to go somewhere (to the fridge, by his bed, under the window). Don't forget to give him his turn or being the leader!

Body Tracing

All you need is a large piece of paper (big enough that your child can fit in it lying down) and a couple of crayons and you'll have a fun activity for an afternoon. Basically, your child has to lie down on the paper while you trace his body. Once you have your child's silhouette down, you can go ahead and fill in the face - drawing the eyes, ears, mouth, nose etc.

Making him lie down without moving while you trace helps him develop his sense of self and self-control. Drawing the parts of the body and showing him where the parts go further enhances his ability to identify body parts.

If your child is hesitant to lie down, don't force him - start by tracing his hand or foot!

Toy Hide and Seek

This is an activity that will help improve your kid's listening, problem-solving, memory and social skills. Choose at least 3 of his favorite toys then hide it in various places inside his room. Start in easy places like under his pillow or behind a chair.

Ask him to find the toys, giving out clues and saying "warmer" or "colder" as a guide. Eventually, you can choose more difficult hiding places or move to a bigger room.

It's time for your young toddler to change his activities - try these fun educational activities for 2 year olds.

There Are A Lot of Stars

This life offers us many fascinating opportunities, wouldn't you agree? Just like the infinite number of stars we see up in the sky on a clear cool night, we also have the same number of paths in our own lives to stardom down here on earth. Let me ask you a question. Are you bold enough to shoot for the stars? Will you fearlessly take advantage of possibilities when they present themselves?

There are so many things we could do, like become an astronaut. Fireman. Professional athlete. Teacher. Coach. Mentor. Friend. Parent. What would you really like to do? Would you like to someday run a marathon, climb a mountain, hike the Appalachian Trail, kayak down a waterfall, jump out of an airplane, swim with the sharks, or drive around this great big country of ours? How about something as simple as just spending more time with family and friends? Do you want to learn to meditate? Do yoga? Join a gym? Write a book? Star in a play? Break a world record? Or to just slowly sip a nice warm comforting cup of coffee while you get lost in your thoughts?

There are so many possibilities on this planet for all of us that I can't even truly begin to mention them here in this tiny article. Okay? So this is what we are going to do next. I want all of us to do this next thing from now on. Every time that we venture outside at night I want all of us to look up at the sky and take a moment to notice all those stars up there. Next, I want all of us to remember that all those stars up there represent all the things down here on Earth that we could be doing.

Now teens, go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us. Remember that there are lots of stars. And maybe with some hard work, you can join them. And once again, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do...

3 Ways To Make Your Backyard More Fun For Kids

As a parent, it's your job to fill your home with creative, fun and inspiring ideas that will encourage your child to create, explore and relax no matter where they are in your house.

Here are some effective ways to make your backyard more fun for children:Build a Rock Spot:
A rock spot is basically a play area in your yard filled with gravel - a great       place for children to play with their cars, trucks and construction toys as       well  as animals. You can use a small inflatable swimming pool or create a 4 x 5 pit by using large rocks or pieces of wood to contain the gravel.

About 5 bags of pea gravel (about 50 pounds each bag) will be used in such area. Add some small wood planks that children can use as ramps or branches and sticks to build anything. A rock spot would be a great addition to any home because it's great for sensory learning.

Install a large chalkboard:

The easiest way to do this is to use a store-bought large chalkboard, but this can be expensive. Instead, you can opt to make your own. The first step would be to make homemade chalkboard paint (this will last longer than the store-bought variety and can weather outdoor conditions better).

With each cup of exterior latex enamel paint you use, mix it with 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout. Use this mixture to paint a large piece of plywood (better to do the mixtures one cup at a time for a more even blending).

Once dry, hang the chalkboard at kid height in an area in your backyard and provide plenty of colorful non-toxic chalks. You'll be thankful to keep the chalk dust outside!

Create a play pond:

You know much we loved to create those paper boats and we would float them in the tub during bath time when we were kids? Your children would love it, too, and they get to play with water even when it's not time for a bath!

Plus children love playing water, and a play pond would be a great way to cool them down during hot summer days.

A large plant saucer works best. Place it on the ground in your yard and fill it water. It would be fun to sit down with your children beforehand and teach them how to make paper boats. Once you have the pond ready, the kids can enjoy racing their boats!

Add bath toys, toy aquatic animals and some bubbles to add to the fun!
You don't have to spend too much money taking your young ones to theme parks or play houses often, you can have your own version of fun in your very own backyard!

3 Fun and Healthy Recipes To Make With Your Kids

Kids love imitating what their parents do. Cooking isn't an exception - if they see you prepare your daily meals in the kitchen, it's natural for them to feel curious and want to try it out. Cooking would be a great parent-child activity. Nothing would make a child happier than to eat a meal that he himself helped prepare.

Try these fun and healthy recipes to make with your kids:

Easy Homemade Pizza

What you need:

Your choice of bread

Pizza sauce

Butter

Sausages (sliced)

Cheese, grated

White onions, sliced

Red and/or green bell peppers, sliced

Tomatoes, sliced

Pineapple slices

Olives, sliced

Slice or place your bread on a baking sheet. Spread the pizza sauce and add a layer of grated cheese on top of each bread. Give your child the freedom and creativity to layer and decorate the pizzas using the different toppings. When all toppings are used up, toast the pizzas in a pre-heated oven (375C) until the cheese has melted.

Baked Cheesy Spaghetti Squash

What you need:

1/4 kg. chicken breast, minced and cooked

1 egg

Spaghetti squash

Sauce of choice (red or white)

Cheese, grated

Basil leaves

Oregano

Pepper Powder

Salt

What you need:

8 taco shells

1 can pinto beans, rinsed

1 bunch Romaine lettuce

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

3/4 cup mild salsa

Place the pinto beans and 1/2 cup mild salsa in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Ask your child to help you tear the lettuce into small pieces.

Lay out the taco shells on a serving plate and divide the bean and salsa mixture among the shells. Let your little one top each with the lettuce, remaining salsa and cheese. Serve immediately.

Have a great time in the kitchen with your child - experience a great bonding moment with these fun and healthy recipes!

Angela Kidd is an author and illustrator, a wife and a mother to 3 beautiful kids. In her spare time, she would personally create storybooks and coloring books for her children for fun and they loved it.. And so did she. Angela quit her job and created her own line of educational activity books for children of various ages, with the main goal of making learning fun! You can check out some of Angela's amazing books here.

How to Improve Focus in Children

Kids are the cheeriness of all homes, and watching their playful moments will cart off the intensity of even the mournful situations. However, the bringing up of children is a bit strenuous, especially, from the infancy to teenage year. Many parents earnestly complain about the difficulty of the situation. Proper nurturing and imparting the right education to them is of prime importance. Everyone will have to make sure about this, which is imperative to shape them as bona fide citizens of the country.

Teach Kids How to Focus

Parents must teach children how to concentrate or focus on whatever job they do, as this is the way to make them confident and winning. This method will decide the perfectness and success of their future endeavors.

Try These to Augment the Focusing Ability of Your Kids

In our time, devices such as tablets, computers, smart phones, etc., pose a real threat to children. These modern tools trim down the ability to focus clearly. Besides, these gadgets take the kids away from books, and within no time, they will become addicted to the use of these devices. Focusing on a particular subject will be a problem for such children. Parents must take care not to use these gadgets for a long time when they stay within the vicinity of children.

As playing will be of top-most interest to all kids, the best practical way to make them interested in any subject is through playing. You can buy them educational toys such as puzzles, memory games, etc. Besides, you must also play with them, which will make the game more interesting to them. Such games will augment the focusing ability of the child considerably.

There are numerous memory-boosting play items in the present-day market. You must buy such toys for the kids, and make them play those.

Yet another practical way to enhance the capability of focusing is to make the environment calm. You must make it a point that the study time of the kids must remain practically serene. Naturally, the calmness of the ambiance will develop mental alertness in kids, which directly influences the focusing skill.

You can prepare a perfect working schedule for the kids. However, just making a schedule and leaving the same with them will not yield any results. 

You must sit with them and see that they follow the time-table. Though a bit tiresome, this effort is a sure way to enhance the focusing ability of You must pay keen attention to provide children with the right kind of food. 

The food you provide must contain the needed micro nutrients like iron, zinc, copper, etc., and also the desired vitamins. A good blend of these will make it healthy for the kids. Consumption of healthy food is vital for enhancing the concentration power of children.

It is a must that parents must provide adequate leisure time for their children. Playing time must not collide with the study time.

You must allow them to move freely with their friends, albeit you will have to keep a watch on their movements.

 Building social bonds is a must to make the minds mature, and maturity is essential for mental concentration.

Children must get enough sleep, which will make the body metabolism perfect. School-going children should sleep at least 8 to 9 hours a day. Adequate sleep will enhance the power of concentration.

Awarding for personal achievements in the school (let it be in the field of academics, arts, or sports) is the best bet for boosting the morale of the children. Hence, they will be keen to attain the highest possible position in every endeavor, which will augment the focusing ability.

How to Inculcate Reading Habit Naturally Among Children?

As I have mentioned in my earlier articles that I am an avid reader and love reading.

This article is not about giving tips to anybody or recommending any expensive books or techniques that will transform your child into a Super child. This article is about inculcating reading habit naturally into any child by introducing books of child's interest.

This article is about my journey with my son who is 7 years old and how he has got a natural bent for reading. My son completely enjoys reading a variety of books. I am sharing this with all you Kind and Nice people so you may connect with my experience.

I believe that the roots of learning lies in the good habits and quality time you spend with your kids.

You do not need to buy the most expensive books to read to your child. There are many good reads available at nominal prices on e-commerce sites like Amazon, Flipkart,Firstcry or you can just walk up to your nearest book store and pick anything as per your child's age. You can buy used books from Amazon or used book sellers. I do not mind buying second-hand books from book sellers dealing in used books.

I started reading books to my son when he was 7 months old.

I brought the initial books from a Gift card amount 1000 Rs that I have received in my office. Some of his initial books are used books shared by cousins. Even now, he does not mind reading books given with love by relatives and friends.

I brought his initial books from Landmark Store using the gift card. I have brought two beautiful books one of which has beautiful nursery rhymes and another one has an alphabet with beautiful pictures. Later on, I added a few more books in his collection which I have brought from a bookstall exhibited in my office. I spent approx 200 Rupees to buy 3 books which were priced between 50 to 90 Rupees.

Initial Books of My Son

When my son turned almost 3 years old, I purchased a pack of Be Good Stories by Dreamland Publications from Amazon which was priced approx 500 under Amazon lightning deals and started reading a story to him every day. After that, he received a few used books from his cousins. When he turned 4 years, I added a few books in his library which I brought from the International Book Fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. One book that he could recite completely was Hulk to the Rescue by Marvel. I was amazed to see how he could narrate the story in exact words as in the book

 A few of 

Grandma's bag of Stories by Sudha Murty

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

Geronimo Stilton Books by Scholastic

Tigers for Dinner by Ruskin Bond

151 Akbar Birbal Stories

5-Minute STAR WARS Stories by Disney

Stink and the Ultimate Thumb-Wrestling by Megan McDonald

Vikram & Betaal

Books by Marvel Studio

Books From My Son's Collection

Books From My Niece's Collection his favorites are:

He has a collection of amazing books procured from multiple sources. He also exchanges and shares his books with his friends. This habit gives him and his friends access to more books at no additional cost.

This was my journey with my son and books. I will love to know about the favorite book of your kid. Please do mention a few favorites of your little angels in the comment section below.