Teaching With Toy Chests By Rony Pollock

Teaching kids to keep their rooms tidy is made easy with a toy chest. The beautiful wooden chests come in attractive designs and colors. They will love it and you will thank your lucky stars for it.

Teaching the kids to keep house

Clutter drives moms crazy. Day in and day out, mommies have to remind the kids to clear the mess. Toys on the floor, beds, and everywhere are eyesores moms have to live with, and clearing the mess everyday can tire even the hardiest of mommies. Life will be easier with a toy chest and a bookcase for the unsung heroes of the home.

Children should be trained and disciplined to keep their rooms neat. Start them young to become responsible adults. They can start making their beds and putting things in their proper places – books on the shelves, clothes in the closet, and toys in the toy chest. These light tasks are appropriate for children at least 4 years of age. Of course, do not expect their work to be perfect, but with time, they will be able to get the hang of it.

Teaching them basics

Placing their dolls, cars, and tiny tea sets in the toy chest will be the easiest job they can do. At the start, they will just toss their toys into the chest. Later on, you can show them that it is smarter to arrange things inside the toy chest. Explain to them that being organized has its rewards.

They can find the Transformer or the rag doll at once, if things are arranged inside the toy chest. You can show them how to put their books properly on the bookshelf and check on them if they are following your instructions to the letter. Teaching them these responsibilities will train them for life and they will thank you for it.

Lead by example

Show the kids how you keep your room neat and clean and how nice it is to come home to a clean house. You can demonstrate how you sort out your vanity table, books, and craft basket.

To make the training fun, you can let the kids help you around the house too. Give them the responsibility of watering the potted plants and feeding the dog. The older children should be given responsibilities they can handle. Never assign kids tasks their little bodies cannot handle, and be patient with them. Nagging them all the time won’t give the desired results. If little Mickey has done a good job, then praise him lavishly. Don’t relax your discipline, however. Let the kids know you mean business.

Make their jobs fun

Come up with fun activities they can enjoy outdoors while they pick up the litter. Why don’t you prepare their favorite sandwiches and cold drinks and surprise them with a hearty snack when their chores are done?

Providing the appropriate storage facilities will get the kids’ cooperation. Organizers just as tall as them or a big toy chest can make their work manageable. Kid-sized furniture and storage bins in bright colors and playful designs will get the kids going. You can let the child choose his or her toy chest for starters. Teaching the kids house chores will also strengthen your bonding. That is why you should make work also fun.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=189148&ca=Parenting

5 Important Tips To Teaching Your Children Good Spending Habits By Leslie Gerard

If you are one of many who believe that children really do imitate what they see, then it’s important to start early in teaching your youngster to practice good spending habits. When he/she matures and enters college or the workforce, the habits that they learned as a child will remain with them through adulthood.

Learn to Earn.

When they are young, it’s important that children learn to earn their money through chores and other similar activities. Whether it’s a lemonade stand or helping the neighbor to plant a garden, it’s a good idea to teach children that money is something that is earned and not given freely. If an individual learns the value of a dollar early, he/she may be less likely to participate in frivolous spending later on.

Saving for Tomorrow.

When it comes to the latest doll or video game, children often have a large wish list. With the exception of holidays, birthdays and other gift-giving occasions, it’s important that a child learn to save his/her money for the things that are high on their list of wants. You can either match their payment for an item, which means they come up with 50% of the purchase price and you match that with the other 50%, or you can suggest layaway. Either way, your child will learn that saving their money is a good way to get the things that are important to them. Later in life, this may help them to avoid debt by excessive spending on items that they may not be able to afford.

The Perks of Prepaid.

Whether it’s a prepaid cell phone or credit card, it’s a good idea to teach your mature child how to prepare themselves for independence. Even with years of learning the proper spending habits, a young adult is faced with many challenges upon entering the ‘real world.’ As they prepare for college or the workforce, it may be a good idea to explore the world of prepaid cell phones and credit cards. This will regulate his/her phone calls, which will prevent an excessive phone bill and will also teach discipline in how phone time is used. A prepaid credit card will teach a young adult to spend only within their means and to stretch their dollars as much as possible.

The Debt Dilemma.

Teach your child the potential concerns dealing with credit cards, high interest rates and the importance of maintaining a good credit score by paying their bills on time and not spending unnecessarily. Without the proper credit history, obtaining a future home or auto loan may be difficult or even impossible.

The Cash Stash.

Teach your child to save a portion of his/her allowance, earnings or other money with the help of a savings account. If your child can learn to tuck away 20% of their incoming cash, this trend will likely follow them throughout adulthood. A good rule of thumb is to have enough savings to carry you through six months, which could be needed as a result of an illness, relocation or job layoff. For these and other reasons, it’s a good idea to save money whenever possible.

It’s never too early to start instilling good spending and saving habits into your child’s behavior. Throughout his/her life, these tendencies will play a large role and you can take great pride in knowing that you prepared your child for a prosperous financial future.

The information contained in this article is designed to be used for reference purposes only. It should not be used as, in place of or in conjunction with professional financial and/or parenting advice or recommendations.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=191077&ca=Parenting