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Posts tagged children
Kids and Musical Influence
09 months ago
From the time that my kids were babies I noticed the impact that music had on them. I’m not talking about stuff like early development, or IQ, or something that science would value – I’m talking about what I valued as a mom. Which basically means I tuned into the music that calmed the screamers and soothed the impatiently tired.
My kids are still fairly young-ish and I still use the power of music whenever possible. I would like to say that I do this for them, but really IT’S FOR ME.
For instance, when we’ve all been strapped in the car too long and my kids start exercising their powerful vocal range and eardrum shattering pitch, I just turn up some soothing music and usually it makes the ride go a bit smoother. And then I don’t even have to duct tape any of them to the roof of the car, which scores me a lot of good parenting points.
I also rely on good music every night when the kids go to bed. We’ve always kept CD players in their rooms, just so we could play music at bed time. It is invaluable at our house. We like to change it up sometimes and have played Primary songs, classical music, well known lullabies, and various instrumental music CDs.
It’s amazing how quickly a rowdy herd of kids can settle down when they’re listening to the right music. And it doesn’t just work on kids either. Whenever I feel like I’m about to implode or throw something out a window, I usually head to my favorite music streaming stations (yourLDSradio is on my list of fave stations of course) and mellow out to music until smoke stops billowing out of my ears or my stress levels start edging out of the redzone. It’s kind of amazing.
If you’d like a few suggestions on what we like to listen to when the screaming/crazy/tired/monster kids (or mom) show up, try William Joseph‘s “Be Still Collection” or Micheal Dowdle‘s “A Brighter Day” or just cut straight to the tried and true Primary Children’s Songbook favorites. And hopefully you can enjoy the benefits of a good musical influence too.
FHE Idea: Being a Good Example for Others
010 months ago
Have you ever felt invisible, like no one notices what you do or say? I know this is particularly common with my kids (and sometimes me). But the truth is that people do see us, even if you don’t notice that they’re watching. This is especially true this time of year with all the kids going back to school. And I the concept of setting a good example is something I need to work on as an adult, so I think this will be a good FHE for my whole family.
FHE Theme: Being a Good Example
Scripture: John 8:12
Songs: “Teach Me to Walk in the LIght” and “I’m Trying to Be LIke Jesus” Children’s Songbook
Story: There are a lot of great conference talks and stories to use with this topic. I can never reword something better than the prophet so here are some links according to the level of maturity of your family.
“Be Thou an Example” by Thomas S. Monson – this was given to the Young Women, but would work great for all youth and includes a “code of conduct” including four great ideas on setting a good example.
“Decide Right Now” by Thomas S. Monson – this is good for kids, and gives the great advice of choosing to choose the right before you’re ever approached with the temptation.
“Our Perfect Example” by Henry B. Eyering – great for adults, with a spin about becoming like Christ by following his perfect example and how we can incorporate that into our daily lives.
Once you’ve shared an article or story for your family, present some scenarios and have different family members answer with how to set a good example. Make the scenarios age appropriate. For instance, we’ll be focusing on school so a couple of our scenarios will be:
You and your friend find a toy on the playground no one is around to claim it. Your friend wants to keep it because it’s a really cool toy. What should you do?
or
You are taking a test and the teacher forgot to erase one of the answers from the board. You notice the answer before anyone else in the class. What should you do?
Make sure to emphasize how others will be watching the decisions we make, and how they will be affected by your actions.
If you’d like to add a game to your lesson, try Green Jello with Carrot’s Shining Example Game. It’s a fun printable game that helps kids differentiate between setting a good example, and a not so good example. We’ve played this game as a family with preschoolers and elementary school aged kids, and it was fun each time!
And, as always, make sure to serve yummy treats at the end of your FHE. Because yummy treats set a good example on how to……eat yummy things….
Primary Helps: Two-minute Talks
01 year ago
by Editor
in Teaching in the Church
It’s Saturday night, and you just got the “reminder” call that your child has a talk tomorrow. Only problem is, this is the first time you’ve heard about it! Oops, guess Junior accidentally lost the little slip of paper he was supposed to give to you last Sunday. What to do?
Make a Valentine Tree Centerpiece
0Celebrate the month of love with a craft that celebrates the ones you love. Jamie at The Crafting Chicks made a “tree” out of some crafting branches in a vase and personalized it with pictures of her children. She took it one step further, and on the back of each picture she wrote, “We love (child’s name) because…”
This craft can be personalized in so many ways! It would also work great with pictures of roommates, grandchildren, Primary classes, or nieces/nephews. You could even use photos of extended family or make it a family tree with pictures of ancestors you are thankful for. I also like that you can make this at different levels of difficulty–cute and craftsy, as it’s shown, or simply, with real branches and just cut-out photo prints. (more…)
Bring Them Home
21 year ago
by Linda Garner
in Atonement
yourLDSneighborhood News for Monday, 16 January, 2012
Gratitude for the Wayward Child
by Linda Garner
We may not understand why our children wander when we raised them in the gospel. Many parents feel guilt and shame and wonder where they went wrong. Those with a wandering child can feel intense pain from feeling the fabric of their eternal families being torn.
But letting go of pain and control allows us to trust Heavenly Father’s plan. Our Father has a plan for all His children, even our wandering children.
How do you trust in the Lord’s timing when a child has strayed from the gospel? We appreciate your comments.
An Attitude of Gratitude
01 year ago
by Cami Checketts
in gratitude
yourLDSneighborhood News for Friday, 30 December, 2011
Grateful for the Glass
by Cami Checketts
I had been looking down, dealing with the drudgery of sick kids, dirty house, and an intense desire for chocolate (that I was unwisely trying to repress). I realized, for the hundredth time, that focusing on the Savior and turning to him can help me with all my problems, big or small, since he truly is interested in every aspect of our lives. I also realized that I need to be grateful for what I’ve got.
How do you focus on your glass being half-full–and just being grateful for the glass? Leave a comment.
Train up a Child
21 year ago
by Joel Hiller
in parenting
yourLDSneighborhood News for Wednesday, 28 December, 2011
Discipline: an Opportunity for Christlike Parenting
by Joel Hiller
How do my wife and I teach our young children right from wrong and find the balance between justice and mercy? In our quest to learn what discipline is effective, I’ve talked to a lot of other parents and done a lot of soul searching, and I’ve come to a few conclusions that I hope others will find helpful.
Discipline is a hot-button topic. As teachers, parents, or grandparents, how can we do it with love and empathy? Leave a comment.
Children Should Begin to Set Goals
21 year ago
As we approach the end of one year and prepare to begin a new, we can talk for a moment about helping children to set goals.
The fantastic thing about setting goals is the importance it places on making step-by-step approaches to eventually accomplishing it. Simply stating, ‘I want to get an A in math by March’ doesn’t get very far if there are no guidelines to follow, or nothing to help mark one’s progress.
Read more by Laurie W. at LDS Blogs–Children.
How do you help children learn the steps of setting goals? Leave us a comment.
Parenting with the Spirit
0yourLDSneighborhood News for Monday, 28 November, 2011
Effective Parenting, Part 2
by Russ Beck
Most of us tend to parent in the same basic fashion as our mother and father. It feels natural and right to us. We are emotionally invested in our parents and love them, which means trying to look with objective eyes at how we were raised is not easy. We tend to feel as if we are betraying loved ones when we even consider a different parenting style. Yet it is essential for us to predetermine what kind of parents we want to be—otherwise, we just end up “doing what comes naturally.” The results may not be what we truly desire for our children.
What parenting techniques have worked for you? Leave a comment.
