Teaching Your Kids a Foreign Language

If you know a foreign language (or even if you don't), it is very simple to teach another language to a young child.  At this age, their brains are like sponges and they can easily learn new words especially if it is presented in a fun, creative way.

My kids have grown up in a bilingual home and they have always known "Daddy's language" and "Mommy's language" and are able to speak to both of us in our original language.  Yes, there are times when they will mix words or they will know how to say something in one language but not the other, but these are great times of learning for them.

Most of us don't speak two languages in the home, but you can still easily teach your child another language.  Even if you don't know it yourself, there are many YouTube or free online resources in your target language that are fun for kids.

One of the best things with young kids is to present them with easy, everyday vocabulary.  Practice with objects around your house and make a game out of it.  I love using the "Simon Says" game to help teach action verbs.

Another great way to keep your kids attention while learning is to play the normal games that you usually play with them but introduce a language component.  For example, our kids love to play Uno but practice saying the numbers and colors of each card in another language.  This repetitive type of game-play reinforces what the kids are learning.

When learning a foreign language, the hardest part is learning how to speak it.  Learning the language at home gives your kids a non-stress way to practice saying the words and eventually speak easy sentences.  With young kids, you may not want to cover grammar but have them focus on learning key phrases instead.  The grammar will come along the way, instinctively like it did with their first language.

Learning a new language with your child also opens the possibility of learning about the cultures that speak that language.  Learning history or a foreign cuisine is even more interesting since the kids are learning the new language at the same time.

For those of you that hire a nanny or babysitter to watch your children, you may want to consider one of the nannies at the website ForeignLanguageSitter that speaks your target language.  These nannies specialize in helping your child learn and speak their native language.

So why not try teaching your children another language? Who knows, maybe while your kids are learning, you might actually learn too!

Building a Stronger Bond and Togetherness with Your Children

Do you want to connect with your child in a fun way?

Every night, before my kids go to sleep (or sometimes during the day when we are bored), I allow them to pick one five-minute video to play from Youtube.

This has become one of my favorite times of the day.  It has built an even greater bond between us as we laugh about the silly videos and talk about them throughout the next day.

We have our little "inside" jokes from the videos that only we know and this builds a sense of togetherness.  It also gives me the opportunity to show them some fun, short, educational videos without them noticing that they are actually learning something!

Of course, there are many not very wholesome videos on youtube, so make sure that you monitor the video closely as they choose or watch it.  Be prepared to stop it if there is any inappropriate language or behavior.  This is a good time to teach them about right and wrong things.

So the next time your kids are bored, let them search and pick their own videos on Youtube.  It is a great way to bond together while having fun.

Cooking With Kids

What fun activity with your child encourages fine motor skills, science, counting, fractions, measuring, weighing, budgeting, problem-solving, language, and reading? Cooking with your child improves all these skills plus many more!

Cooking with your child requires extra patience, time and cleaning but it teaches an essential life skill while still being fun. It also lets you spend great quality time that your kids will remember for a long time.

Teaching children to cook is a lost art these days.  I just finished reading the Little House on the Prairie books with our children.  They enjoyed learning how the children in the book helped their parents during that time and how the mother taught them to cook.

While learning to cook, kids feel like they are helping to contribute to the family and it is a great way to get them to try healthy foods that they might not normally try.  Studies have shown that kids that help prepare dinner are much more likely to try the healthy foods they cook.  Cooking is a great way to learn about nutrition and what ingredients really go into our meals...for instance, the kids are amazed when they see how much sugar goes into some of the desserts.

The first step is to choose a time when you will not feel rushed and pick the right recipe and right tasks for your little helpers.  You do not want the recipes to be too complicated or for your child to feel your stress when you are on a time limit.

It will help if you do some of the prep work ahead of time to prevent boredom.  A key is to allow them to do their task with assistance from you only when necessary.  Even if this means having to pick the egg shells out of the eggs after they are done!

Finally, safety is always the most important aspect when working with kids.  Make sure to stress safety in the kitchen (never touch a hot stove or hot pot, don't pick up a knife unless the child is old enough to handle it safely, etc).  It may also be helpful to have another adult or older teenager in the kitchen with you to help watch the child.

Cooking is a great way to both entertain and teach your children at the same time.  Just make sure you learn to laugh when they make a mess.  After all, teaching them to clean after themselves is also just as important.

How to keep a toddler from getting out of their bed at night

My two kids are complete opposites.  My daughter enjoyed sleeping by herself when she was a toddler and never tried to get out of her bed.  My son, on the other hand, loved to play the "get out of bed" game.

When he was small, we put him in his crib, said goodnight to him and went out to the living room.  Within a few minutes, we were surprised to see him come running in to see us with a big smile on his face.  

We took him back to his room, placed him back in his crib and asked him to show us how he got out. He happily showed us how he climbed up the side of the crib, threw both legs over and dropped down to the ground.  We were laughing at how this small child could climb those tall rails but our smiles soon turned to tears as this started a time of him getting out of bed every night.

We tried everything that we could think of to get him to stay in his room, and we read almost everything we could find online about how to keep a toddler from getting out of his bed.  It took a while, but with a little patience, here is what finally worked for us.

We continued with his normal, calming bedtime routine (pajamas, brushing teeth, reading a quiet story, singing a soft song) to prepare him for sleep.  Before he went to bed, we tried to eliminate any reasons for him to get up.  Getting him a glass of water.  Making sure he went to the restroom.

• The first time he would get up, we would take him back to bed, give him a hug and a kiss and remind him that it was time to go to bed.
• The second time he got up, we were a little more firm and made the hug and kiss brief.
• For any additional times, we would not say anything and just lead him back to bed.  We would leave the room without a hug and kiss (which was hard for us).

It was a very frustrating time for us.  We gave up some nights and laid down with him until he slept (which only made it worse for us in the long run).  We lost our anger other nights and yelled at him (which again only made it worse).  But eventually, we were consistent and he realized that we were serious and that he would not get any additional attention from us by getting up.

So, if you are having a hard time keeping your toddler in bed, try to stay consistent.  I know how hard it is but it is worth it in the end.  

Teaching Children How to Draw: Improving Their Skills and Imagination

One challenge with being a nanny or caregiver is to keep the kids in your care entertained while allowing them to grow their skills and imagination.

Drawing is a natural way to keep children occupied and to allow themselves to be creative.  A great website that I use that teaches children to draw using step-by-step directions is Art for Kids Hub. This website has a lot of videos and examples that teaches kids to draw things by breaking them down into smaller pieces.

Give it a try and your kids will be entertained and just might grow a skill while they are at it!

Four Initial Steps to Prepare for Nanny Job Interview

It is just as important for the caretaker to choose the correct family to work with as it is for a family to select a good caretaker. It is important to choose parents with whom you feel comfortable and with whom you will be able to openly communicate. Here are a few hints:

1. Prepare a written contract before the interview listing your terms and conditions. The contract protects you from unwanted situations (late pick ups of child, etc) and also gives the parents clear terms and conditions. 

2. During the first meeting, watch how the child and parent communicates to each other. This will be helpful in knowing how they will expect you to interact with the child.

3. Do not immediately try to hold the child. Give them time to get to know you and feel comfortable with you.

4. After the meeting, give yourself and the parents time to think about it. Follow-up the meeting with a thank-you call and use this call to answer any additional questions that may have come up.

We wish you many successful interviews!

Parents, How to interview a potential caregiver

First, arrange a time for you to meet in the location where your child will be kept (your home, their home/facility, etc). This will give you a chance to see the facility or to have the caretaker see your home. We would suggest that you have a friend accompany to this meeting for both practical and safety reasons.

Even though it may be more stressful, we would also suggest that you attend this first meeting with your child so that you can determine the caretakers behavior towards children. This is also where it is helpful to have a friend with you to watch the children while you talk through the particulars of your needs.

In this first meeting describe your family, values, methods of education, discipline approach, and your specific expectations for your nanny. You should also ask questions to determine the babysitter's interests, experience with child care, how they would go about handling crisis situations and whatever else is important to you.

If the person has previous experience, ask about her previous family and any situations faced. If you need care in the morning, ask for her morning regime, whether she is an "early bird" or has trouble getting up in the morning. This is also true for the opposite scenario when you need care in the evening.

In conclusion: Follow your instincts, your impression of the caretaker, her qualifications and experience. Make sure you check any references from previous families.