To engage your child’s mind, occupy their hands. Most children learn more effectively when they participate in activities, rather than just listening to lectures.

While this has been true for years, it may be even more important today, given the hours children spend sitting passively in front of computers and television screens. Take a look at what you can do as a parent to activate your child’s brain with hands-on activities.

Adapting to Your Child’s Learning Style

Tactile and kinetic learning styles involve touching and movement. These approaches are often ideal for small children because visual and spatial skills start developing earlier than language skills.

1. Schedule breaks. Small children usually have fairly short attention spans. Rotating between different projects or taking frequent, 5-minute breaks every half hour will make your interactions more pleasant.

2. Take turns teaching. Let your child teach you occasionally. They’ll benefit from practicing their leadership skills and clarifying their own thinking as they try to give instructions.

3. Ask questions. Similarly, ask your child to explain what they’re doing and the reasoning behind their choices. As they talk about their actions, they’ll make more mental connections and strengthen their powers of communication.

4. Introduce props. Mundane tasks become more fun when you use flashcards, graphs, puzzles, and posters. Stack blocks or count clothespins.

5. Go on a field trip. Travel adds an extra dimension. Give your child personal assignments when you go grocery shopping or take family vacations.

6. Stand up. Even when you’re staying at home, you can spend more time on your feet. Children may feel more alert standing up or balancing on an exercise ball instead of a regular chair. Walk around while you talk about multiplication tables or verbs.

7. Observe closely. Pay attention to your child’s interests and strengths. That information will help you to design activities they enjoy.

8. Cool down. Participatory learning can be very stimulating. Leave time to settle down before dinner or bed.

Examples of Hands-On Activities for Children

There are many ways to encourage your child to move around and use all their senses. Creative play is an opportunity to learn by doing.

1. Play music. Maybe your child starts dancing and singing as soon as they hear their favorite songs. Background music can also help concentration, while having instruments around the house may inspire your child to start making their own soundtrack.

2. Stage a performance. Dress up in costumes or put on a play to act out history lessons or social dilemmas. Build a puppet theater out of a cardboard box.

3. Do arts and crafts. Crafts allow children to express their creativity while they develop their motor skills. Assemble collages out of magazine pictures and art books. Glue popsicle sticks together to make a wagon or jewelry box.

4. Conduct science experiments. You can play scientist in your kitchen or any room of your house. Amaze your kids by dropping an egg without breaking it. Look up instructions for how to do this classic “trick” online, and then share the secret so your kids can impress their friends.

5. Take notes. Taking good notes is a valuable habit your kids can continue to use at school or in the workplace. For now, it will help them to focus their attention and remember what they’ve learned. Encourage them to carry around a notebook and pencil, or store their notes on their computer.

Your child will remember the things they do more vividly than the things they just hear or see. Help your sons and daughters to become excited about learning by engaging their hands and minds.

Children develop emotional health – and a sense of who they are as a person – during their early childhood years. If this foundation is not well laid, it can have long-term impacts on cognitive and physical development and their sense of well-being.

Three main factors play an essential role in how well kids can manage their emotions, gain perspective, and develop resilience.

These factors include having close relationships with their parents, receiving appropriate parenting, and having strong social and emotional skills.

Parents can do a lot to help children develop emotional well-being. Parents can teach kids to identify and manage their emotions. They can also ensure that they give their kids enough attention from a secure base.

When parents are a source of warmth and unconditional love, kids usually develop a positive attitude toward life.

How can you strengthen your child’s emotional health? These tips can help:

1. Make time for your children. A busy schedule can sometimes make it hard for parents to spend quality time with their children. However, making time for open conversation and fun activities will help your children connect with you.

● Spending time with your children and having honest discussions about their feelings will help them understand their emotions. They will also feel like an essential part of the family unit.

● Of course, making time doesn’t mean it should be a dull experience. Make it fun! Play a game, cook together, or do something you enjoy.

2. Train your children to be “fluent at feelings.” Being good at feelings means your child will know how to recognize what emotions they are feeling and handle them appropriately.

● When your child begins to notice their own emotions, they are more likely to share their feelings and ask for help. That promotes a more positive relationship between you and your child.

● Many children don’t know how to process feelings properly. They shut down when angry because they assume happy feelings are good and sad feelings are wrong. With help, your child can learn that emotions are normal and healthy.

3. Avoid labeling your children when you discipline them. Labeling your child means you are telling them they are only capable of feeling certain types of emotions.

● When you label your child, they will feel like they belong in a box and can’t escape it. Words like “lazy” and “stupid” make your child feel inadequate, and he doesn’t want to belong in that “stupid” box.

● Rather than label them when you administer discipline, let them know that it’s the behavior that is the problem and not them as individuals.

4. Train them to entertain positive thoughts. Children who watch too much television are more likely to develop problems with aggression and feelings of insignificance.

● Encourage your child to spend time outdoors to build self-confidence and self-esteem while promoting positive feelings.

● Teaching them to be optimistic and value positive experiences rather than negative ones will help them handle life’s challenges healthily. Also, this training will come in handy later in life when they face setbacks and disappointments.

5. Let them know it’s okay for life to be hard sometimes. Kids need to know that life isn’t always easy. They know life can be full of stress, sadness, and grief.

● But when they accept these emotions rather than run from them or suppress them, they learn to take responsibility for their feelings and reactions.

● Many children find it difficult to cope with stress, anxiety, depression, or grief because they don’t find out how to deal with challenges until they’re already grown up.

● Reminding your child that it’s okay to feel sad or scared will help them form positive coping abilities.

It’s essential to do everything you can to help your kids feel better. Learn what your child’s feelings are, how they should handle them, and think about ways you can strengthen your relationship with them.

Your child’s emotional health can be a continual source of strength, optimism, and growth. The more you invest in helping them grow emotionally, the easier they will manage life’s struggles as they get older.

Vacations bring some of the most memorable experiences you’ll ever have. Planning and organizing your family’s travel can make the difference between having a trying, tiring flight or a calm, restful one.

Try these suggestions to ensure your flight is peaceful and enjoyable for all:

1. Get the kids emotionally ready for the trip. Obtain information in advance about your travel destination and share this information with your children to prepare them for the trip.

* Plan an activity each day that the children will like.

* Discuss these activities with your children in advance so they’ll have something to look forward to.

2. Read a book about flying. If your children are seven years old or younger, look for books about flying that are written for their age ranges. Preparing children through stories and pictures can go a long way in quelling any fears they might have about riding an airplane.

* Make the story time fun and add in some of your own flying experiences for discussions with your youngsters.

* For children who’ve flown before, talk about the prior trip to help refresh their memories.

3. Take something familiar. Take a familiar item along for the ride to serve as a calming influence for your child.

* Help the kids select a favorite small toy or belonging to provide a sense of security during the flight.

* Instead of a new toy, choose a well-loved item. This might be a stuffed animal your child sleeps with or carries with him throughout the day.

4. Include simple, inexpensive toys and games your children enjoy. Purchase some of these items to pack in your carry-on bag. Then, pull out surprises every hour or so during the plane ride.

* Plan to have enough surprise items for the trip home as well.

* For example, if your son enjoys crossword puzzles, buy a new crossword puzzle magazine and pack it with a pencil.

* Maybe your daughter enjoys reading and has a favorite author. You might surprise her with a new book by her favorite author to read on the plane.

5. Fun gadgets keep their attention. Let’s not forget the incredible benefit of technological gadgets to keep the kids occupied during the flight. If your kids are old enough to have their own gadgets, whether to play games, listen to music or watch movies, ensure they’re packed in the carry-on.

* If it’s feasible, give your kids a new game or new music for the trip. This could keep them quiet, calm and occupied for the duration of the plane ride.

6. Consider the flight as quality time. Engage the kids in discussions of subjects you want to talk about with them.

* Listen to each of your kids talk about school, their favorite subjects, and their current interests.

* When the kids wind down from this discussion, shift gears and bring out some of those little surprises mentioned earlier.

7. Be aware of how the seating arrangement on the flight determines whether the flight is calm or calamitous. If your two children bicker frequently, it may be wise to have them sit on either side of you to keep a little distance between them during the flight.

* Another option is to seat the children side by side to see if being together helps keep them occupied with positive interactions.

* If need be, you can switch the children’s seats later to separate them.

Planning ahead for your family’s flight increases your chances of having a peaceful travel experience. Follow the above suggestions to ensure that your family will arrive at your vacation destination relaxed, calm and ready to enjoy a memorable family vacation.