kids – KidsChaos.com

How To Help Your Young Children Become The Best Version Of Themselves

As a parent, you will always want the best for your children. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps that you can take to help make this possible, ensuring that they grow to become the best version of themselves.

From helping them to strengthen their strategic thinking abilities to discovering hobbies they generally love, read on to find out how you can help your children grow in both skill and confidence!

Praise your child. While this may seem fairly obvious, one of the easiest ways to help your child grow in confidence is to offer consistent, genuine praise. Not only will this make them feel better about themselves, but studies have found that this kind of positive reinforcement can also improve their resilience or willingness to try something new, as it “sends the message that effort and actions are the sources of success, leading children to believe they can improve their performance through hard work.”

Teach them to be patient. Teaching your children to be patient can help to develop a range of useful skills, such as empathy and resilience. Not only that, but patience can also help to regulate negative emotions, such as frustration and anger, which means that they are less likely to act or misbehave. Fortunately, there are many different ways in which you can teach your children to be patient. For example, you could start small by saying that they can watch TV in five minutes, as opposed to turning it on right away. This shows them that waiting and being patient have their rewards!

Help them discover hobbies they enjoy. Hobbies are important at any stage in life, but particularly so during childhood. This is because they help children to develop a host of skills that will not necessarily be covered in the classroom or at nursery. For example, football classes for 3 year olds can not only help improve their mobility and agility, but will also show them the power of working as part of a team for the first time. This, in turn, can help strengthen their social skills and ability to make friends.

Let them make mistakes. Many children are afraid to make mistakes due to a fear of letting their parents down. This is a mindset that you must actively work to dispel by letting them know that mistakes are just a part of life. One way in which you can achieve this goal is by admitting to your own mistakes and shortcomings. However, instead of framing them as something entirely negative, instead say what you learned because of this mistake. This way, your children will begin to view mistakes as a learning opportunity and not the end of the world.

You should also make it clear that if they have made a mistake, this is something that you can help them with. This way, they are much more likely to open up to you should they need help.

Encourage them to talk openly about their emotions. Encouraging your child to talk openly and honestly about how they are feeling will also help them to grow into the best version of themself. This is because it will sharpen their emotional intelligence, while also helping them to understand “big” feelings or emotions that they may be experiencing for the first time.

Again, one of the easiest ways in which you can encourage this behavior from your children is to lead by example. For example, you could spend a little time each evening talking about your day and how certain things made you feel (good and bad). You can then ask your child to do the same. If they express a negative emotion, try to help them understand why they feel that way, and put together a plan they can follow to help them feel better moving forward.

On a similar note, you should help your child find as many ways as possible to express themselves. For example, some children find it easier to express themselves through crafts, such as painting and drawing over their words, especially in their younger years. Older children may find keeping a diary or journal to be similarly beneficial.

Help them develop their strategic thinking skills. Strategic thinkers are able to rise above challenges, whether that’s in school or the workplace. For this reason, finding effective ways for kids to develop strategic thinking skills is another great way to shape the adult they’ll become for the better. This can be achieved through:

Playing games that encourage them to think strategically, such as Chess, Risk and Checkers.
Solving puzzles, such as word searches or Sudoku, together as a family.
Encouraging them to ask questions when they do not understand something.
Prompting them to think deeply about the things they are learning about by asking questions.

Let them be children. Letting children simply be children is another great way to help your child become the best (and the happiest) version of themselves. While extracurricular activities are beneficial, they should not take up the bulk of your children’s time, especially in their younger years. Instead, you should ensure that they spend most of their time playing, which is more crucial for healthy child development than you may initially realise. For example, through playing make-believe, they “learn to navigate challenges and understand cause-and-effect relationships.”

Encourage them to learn an instrument. Learning to play an instrument is another great way to help your child develop a whole host of skills. For example, it can improve everything from their cognitive ability to their coordination skills, whether they are learning to play the guitar or the drums. Ideally, you should let them choose which instrument they’d like to play. This ensures that they are as enthusiastic as possible about the idea of attending music classes, as opposed to feeling as though this is something they are forced to do.

You should also make sure that you offer them support when practicing, even if they don’t sound all that great to begin with. After all, learning to play an instrument takes time, and while they may have a natural skill, it could be a little while before they are able to play all that well.

Teach your child to be responsible. Teaching your children to be responsible is also key in helping them to become the best versions of themselves moving forward. Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can ensure that you are raising responsible children. For example, you could start by assigning them weekly, age-appropriate chores in order to get their pocket money or receive a reward. When they do not hold up their end of the bargain, do not give them the reward. This shows them that their actions have clear consequences and will encourage them to be more responsible moving forward.

Welcoming a pet into your home is another great way to teach your children to be more responsible, though it is not a decision you should make lightly. You should make sure that both your children and you are ready to take on this challenge and provide the pet with the love and care that it deserves. Remember, it is a living being with complex needs, not a learning opportunity.

Spend quality time with them. Spending quality time with your children will also play a key role in their development and overall self-esteem. This is because spending time together shows your children that they are valued and loved, while also strengthening the bond you share. As such, you should make sure that you always set aside some time in your day for your children. When you’re working, this can be as simple as watching an episode of their favoirte TV show together, or sitting down at the dining room table to eat tea together as opposed to eating separately.

At the weekend, you have a few more options to choose from, whether you’re spending a sunny day at the park or visiting a local museum.

Final thoughts. As a parent, you will always want what is best for your child. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps that you can take now to put them in the best possible position as they grow before your eyes. For example, you can help your children to become the best possible versions of themselves by:

Praising them, especially when they are putting themselves outside of their comfort zone.
Teaching them to be patient so that they can regulate their emotions.
Helping them to discover hobbies that they genuinely enjoy
Letting them make mistakes so that they can learn from them
Encouraging them to talk openly about their emotions
Helping them to develop their strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
Letting them be children so that they can learn through play
Encouraging them to learn an instrument
Teaching them to be responsible and to hold themselves accountable
Spending as much quality time with them as possible

Following the guidance outlined above will ensure that your child has the best start in life, especially if you continue to shower them with love throughout.

This is a collaborative post.

create, kids

Mastering Strategy Early: Fun and Effective Ways for Kids to Develop Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking isn’t limited to the boardroom. Children can develop it early through activities that enhance their planning, anticipating, and problem-solving capabilities. Engaging your children in such activities helps form life-long habits of success that may even make learning fun. In this blog post, we will look at some innovative and fun strategies for kids to practice strategic thinking.

Why Strategy Matters for Kids

Strategic thinking helps children recognise the significance of making informed decisions, taking into account possible consequences, and planning ahead. Strategy equips children with important analytical, organizational and adaptive abilities. From managing resources in games and social situations to taking on challenging homework problems, strategy provides them with important abilities such as analysis, organisation and adaptability. By practicing strategic thinking, children gain perseverance, discipline, and creativity, qualities which will serve them throughout their lives. Not only are these abilities crucial to academic achievement, they’re also great for problem-solving, teamwork, and realising personal goals. Encouraging kids early to adopt this mindset gives them confidence and resilience against future obstacles while turning obstacles into opportunities to develop themselves and reach success.

The Power of Play

Play is one of the best ways to teach children strategy. Kids tend to learn best when having fun, and many games encourage strategic thinking naturally.

Board Games That Build Minds

Time-honored classics such as Chess, Checkers and Risk are effective means for teaching children to think ahead, anticipate opponents’ moves and manage complex situations. But don’t stop with traditional board games. Modern titles like Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Catan provide valuable lessons in resource management as well as long-term planning in an entertaining environment. Even simpler titles like Connect Four and Uno require them to consider carefully their next move. View each game as an opportunity to practice patience, consider options and create winning strategies.

Video Games Aren’t Just Fun

Contrary to what many believe, video games can also serve as an excellent platform for teaching strategy. Minecraft promotes creativity while Civilisation introduces resource allocation and decision-making. Even battle royale games or puzzle-based adventures offer kids the chance to practice anticipating outcomes and refining problem-solving skills. Minesweeper is one such example that encourages both strategic thinking and logical deduction. Plus, digital mediums often engage kids more readily than traditional methods, just be sure to balance screen time with offline activities to maintain healthful results.

Strategy in Action

Beyond games, there are daily opportunities to help children develop strategic thinking abilities.

Puzzle Solving

Puzzles offer children an engaging way to discover patterns, think creatively and form strategies while exercising their minds and building problem-solving skills, not to mention increasing confidence with every successful solution. They can also be tailored specifically to different age groups and abilities so everyone can participate and benefit. From assembling picture pieces or solving challenging riddles, puzzles provide fun yet stimulating exercises designed to help form cognitive growth while also spark curiosity among young learners.

Everyday Problem-Solving

Real world scenarios like planning a family outing or making choices at the grocery store provide excellent opportunities to introduce strategy into everyday situations. You could ask your child for assistance in selecting an efficient route or finding deals in store. These practical problem-solving opportunities bring strategy into their life easily and accessibly.

Active Learning Through Sports and Teamwork

Sports provide children an ideal venue for practicing strategy as they collaborate, adapt, and anticipate in a team environment.

Individual and Team Sports

Sports like soccer, basketball and ten n is provide children with ample opportunity to practice quick decision making under pressure and long-term mental agility. Children learn how to analyse opponents, respond under pressure and adjust tactics quickly without losing focus. An invaluable lesson in flexibility. Other individual sports, like martial arts or gymnastics emphasise goal setting while using tactical thinking for improved performance.

Group Projects and Classroom Work

School assignments provide another means of helping kids develop strategic thinking skills. Give your child leadership roles within tasks to encourage them to develop plans, evaluate options, and coordinate their team. Although not as thrilling as playing kickball games, similar principles apply and can sharpen strategy even in academic environments.

Learning From Stories

Young minds can be deeply influenced by stories and narratives. So why not use them to facilitate strategic thinking?

Books, History, and Role-Playing

Introduce books or historical accounts that focus on strategic moments to spark curiosity and help form brainstorming sessions. Alternatively, consider role-playing games where children “step into” other people and learn to make plans and decisions through simulation of real-life situations. Dungeons & Dragons games can be especially effective here.

Encourage Reflection

Reflective thinking is just as integral to strategic thinking as making decisions. Without it, kids might never learn from past errors or improve upon future strategies.

Journaling and Tracking Progress

Encourage your child to keep a journal of all of the games they played, challenges they experienced, lessons they learned, and self-awareness activities they do each day. Doing this allows them to reflect upon their experiences, understand how their strategies change with time, identify patterns in their thinking patterns that need improving upon, as well as new approaches for improvement. Journaling helps form self-awareness and critical thinking allowing kids to celebrate achievements while reflecting upon setbacks as a way of strengthening both their strategic skills as well as their confidence levels over time.

Celebrate Successes (and Failures)

To form an environment in which mistakes are seen as opportunities to grow, celebrate not only your child’s victories but also their creative attempts and efforts. These activities help build resilience and confidence while teaching challenges to be seen as part of learning processes. By rewarding such behaviors with positive reinforcement you help to form their resilience, teaching how to adapt creatively while appreciating both effort and progress as important components.

Conclusion

Strategic thinking is a skill that is developed through practice, so the sooner kids start, the better prepared they’ll be for life’s challenges. From honing skills through games to solving daily life problems or looking back on past decisions, strategy can be found everywhere. Remember not to push your child into becoming an overnight master strategist but rather to form growth through creating opportunities, nurturing curiosity, and keeping things lighthearted. Every great thinker started somewhere.

This is a collaborative post.

baking, cooking with kids, crafts, easter, kids

Bunny rabbit cookies with royal icing

With Spring almost here, and Easter around the corner, we thought we’d rustle up some rabbit cookies – or bunny biscuits as we’ve named them! It was a great introduction for 9yo to practice his royal icing piping, and ‘flooding in’ – we learnt a LOT about icing technique!

There are LOADS of bunny cookie cutters around at the moment, we had one which was my Mum’s and for the tail you could use a flower cutter, or a small circle…

We used up some royal icing which had been in the fridge for a couple of days, and we have some TOP TIPS for you about this…see below!

Ingredients:

50g fairtrade caster sugar
100g butter
175g plain flour

Method:

Heat the oven to 150 degrees C (300 F, Gas mark 2)
Cream the caster sugar and the butter together, slowly adding the flour, mixing together to form a dough, I find we need to add a couple of drops of water, knead together to form a ball.

Roll out the dough, on a floured surface, to about 4mm thick.
Using your bunny shaped cutter, cut the dough, and place your bunnies and tails on a lightly floured baking tray, and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. (feel free to make some spare rabbit tails… to munch on whilst you’re icing the rabbit cookies!)

As they cool down, you can make your royal icing (recipe here). Or if you are using some icing which you have been keeping in the fridge, as we were, TOP TIP make sure you really really stir the royal icing to get ALL of the lumps out, otherwise it sticks in the piping bag – and clogs the nozzle so that when you are piping the outline it stutters out, and the line will be all wobbly… 9yo wanted a pale brown bunny, so we mixed in his favourite hot chocolate mix, into a portion of the white royal icing and some more Fairtrade icing sugar, so that it’s quite thick to pipe the outlines. When this outline is dry, you add a drop of water to the remaining brown mixture, so that you can spoon it into the outline, and using a cocktail stick, gently ‘flood’ the biscuit, and prick any little bubble that appear.

Pop the ‘tail’ into position whilst the ‘flood in’ icing on the rabbit cookie is still wet, and pipe on the remaining white royal icing to make a fluffy tail!

red-ted-art-google-plus-hangout-kids-chaos-rabbits

For more Spring baking ideas, check out the daffodil cookies here and if you are after some more rabbit crafts have a look at my denim pocket purse with leaping rabbits here (FREE printable) – and watch our latest google+ hangout hosted by Maggy at Redtedart featuring Anthea, Lizzie, myself and Kelly – a great selection of Bunny Crafts!

For easy to follow instructions on how to make a little gift box from a paper plate, perfect for these cookies, please click here.

Ali also blogs over on incredibusy.com and is a new lover of Instagram too… pop over and say hello! This post was first published March 2014

education, gardening, kids

The Importance of Play in Child Development

Play is an important part of childhood, with numerous reasons why children need to have fun. It plays a crucial role in social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development, providing kids with the necessary skills to navigate the world. As parents and caregivers, you need to foster a play-friendly environment to support a child’s growth and well-being.

Cognitive Benefits of Play

Play helps develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and creativity through activities such as building blocks, imaginative games, and puzzles. Children learn to experiment, engage with their surroundings, and explore. Research shows that unstructured play enhances brain development by promoting neural connections and improving memory and attention span. Additionally, pretend play encourages language development, and storytelling, and helps children expand their vocabulary and communication skills. Whether they’re running a pretend store, acting as superheroes, or playing house, they develop essential cognitive abilities that prepare them for academic success in the future.

Social and Emotional Growth Through Play

Interacting with friends during play teaches children valuable social skills such as conflict resolution, sharing, and cooperation. Group play fosters empathy and teamwork, helping children consider others’ feelings and perspectives. Playing together also aids in developing emotional intelligence, allowing children to express and manage their emotions in a safe environment.

Physical play, such as climbing, jumping, running, and skipping, contributes to stress relief and mood regulation by releasing endorphins. It also provides an outlet for children to channel their energy, reducing anxiety and creating a balanced emotional state, while building confidence.

Creating a Safe and Stimulating Play Area with Artificial Grass or Rubber Chippings

Ensuring that children have a safe and stimulating play area is vital for their well-being. Many schools and nurseries are now turning to artificial grass or recycled rubber chippings, as a practical way to create play areas. Artificial turf provides a soft, durable, and low-maintenance surface for schools, which minimises the risks of injuries and allows children to play freely in any weather condition. Artificial grass also alleviates concerns about uneven surfaces, mud, and injuries, making it an excellent option for schools seeking to create a safe environment for their students. Its cushioned texture provides extra safety by reducing the impact of falls and creating a comfortable play zone for your kids. Consider how artificial grass or recycled rubber chippings can enhance your children’s play experience in school’s high footfall play areas.

Final Thoughts

Play is a crucial component of childhood development, shaping the way children interact, grow, and learn. By encouraging play in safe environments, we support their well-being and equip them with the lifelong skills they need for the future. Whether through cognitive challenges, physical activities, or social interactions, play remains an essential part of a child’s journey toward living a healthy and happy life.

This is a collaborative post.

education, kids

Types of games we think kids could be encouraged to play

As someone who has kids, you may have always been told that it’s bad for them to game. Yes, they can become addicted, but it’s unlikely. It’s a lot more rare than you believe it to be, and it’s easily manageable, using time allowance, such as egg timers, and not having consoles in bedrooms for example. Mix this up with NHS recommended game activities for a great balance. In this post, we’re going to be looking at some of the types of online games that you could be encouraging your kids to play with you, or on their own.

Brain Games

Brain games are not something that you should discourage your kids from playing. Some of them are rated a little higher than for younger kids, but it all depends on the kid. You can look into things like solitaire and spider solitaire which is a variation of the same game. You can also look into things like sudoku and word searches to help them develop their number and letter skills. These are great to play on journeys too with a paper and pen.

Some people find that brain games help their kids to develop and foster advanced problem-solving skills and inspire innovative creativity, making them a great choice for the growing mind.

Board Games

Something that you can and should do together is play board games. There are so many to choose from, so try to get a variety so that they can all be tested out. Some will test balance, others will test knowledge and patience, where others are more strategy based. It depends on what games you find you like to play, but it’s good to spend this time together. They will be developing their skills while having fun and bonding with the family, what could be better?

Video Games

This is where we are going to lose most people, but you shouldn’t go just yet. Video games have their place in the world and it has been known for kids to improve their social skills. Now, we’re not advocating talking to strangers, but playing with friends can really lead to their leadership coming out in certain games. It’s worth letting them explore and come to their own conclusions, you just need to ensure that you stay on top of this and watch out for any signs of addiction.

If you do notice that something isn’t quite right, pull back on this. You should already have a limit for how long they can play and how much they can spend, but you can tighten this if need be.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and will now think about encouraging your kids to take up some kind of gaming in the future. You have to try and remember that the media have a habit of making everything look worse than it is, and that as long as you keep an eye on things, games are a completely safe and fun way for kids to pass time.

There are a couple of amazing films that might be interesting in terms of positive online gaming friendships – Grand Theft Hamlet. An award-winning feature film about staging Hamlet inside Grand Theft Auto, and The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is an emotional ode to connection and gaming. In this documentary, filmmaker Benjamin Ree and animator Rasmus Tukia honoured the life of gamer Mats Steen. Using World of Warcraft-style animation, this documentary tells the story of Mats, a boy with muscular dystrophy whose online popularity was only revealed after his death.

This is a collaborative post.

crafts, google+ hangouts, key stage 2, kids

Christmas Cards – Stained Glass

There’s still time to make your CHRISTMAS cards, let’s get creative!

So we’ve gone all churchy and made these lovely stained glass window style cards…. cutting shapes from the card, and gluing coloured tissue paper behind the apertures.

Eek… I let the boys use a scalpel!

These look fab with a tea-light popped inside (battery operated for safety) or stuck to a window.

You may also like our Potato print button nose rudolph cards, and to watch the google+ hangout which was hosted by @RedTedArt here: and Maggy’s fabulous round-up with LOADS of ideas from some amazingly creative blogs including some more stained glass from peaklepie here: christmas-card-ideas-for-kids.

Oh, by the way, Pinterest! Pop over say hello x LIKE IT? Pin it!

Published 4 Dec 2013.

crafts, FREE printables, kids

Teaching Your Kids Patience

Tired of hearing “Are we there yet?” on every trip? Wish your kids could wait their turn at the slide, or not pounce on your fresh batch of cookies as soon as they leave the oven? You need to teach them patience, which is not as difficult as you might think…

1. Start Small

Don’t expect your little one to magically transform into a patience Jedi overnight. Begin by helping them endure tiny waits. For example, if your child demands apple juice this very second, calmly say, “You’ll have it in two minutes.” Then set a timer—something visible and fun, so the waiting feels like a game rather than punishment. Two minutes might not sound like much to you, but it’s an eternity in kid-years. Eventually, you can stretch it out to three minutes, then five, building their tolerance for that terrifying abyss known as “not right now.”

2. Model, Don’t Just Lecture

You can shout “BE PATIENT!” until your vocal cords give out, but if you fly into a rage because the internet takes seven extra seconds to load, guess what your kids are going to learn? Yup, impatience. Your own behaviour sets the stage. If you gripe incessantly at the slow cashier or honk your horn the instant a light turns green, your children will absorb that frustration like a parched sponge. Instead, show them how to handle delays gracefully. Sigh dramatically if you must (this is real life, after all), but try a calm comment like, “Looks like we have a wait—maybe we can think of a silly story while we’re standing here?” Lead by example, and your kids might just start copying your newfound Zen vibes.

3. Let Them Earn Their Rewards Over Time

Kids want everything now. Scratch that: kids want everything yesterday. To help them realise that not all gratification is instant, give them something to look forward to that requires patience. Create a simple rewards chart where they earn stickers or marks for each day they wait for something. Maybe they want a new toy, but instead of handing it over the moment they mention it, give them a timeframe—like a week—during which they can gather “patience points.” Each day they wait without nagging (too much) earns them a star. By the time they get their prize, they’ve learned that waiting actually pays off.

4. Tackle the Tough Task of Boredom

Patience and boredom are close cousins. If your child believes boredom is the worst fate imaginable, they’ll do anything to escape it, including losing their cool when forced to wait. But boredom can be a breeding ground for creativity. Introduce activities that encourage kids to entertain themselves when they’re stuck waiting—like those deadly dull car trips or the eternity between ordering food and it arriving at a restaurant.

KidsChaos-PetPlan-Lizard-photo-with-pencils

Carry a “boredom kit” in your bag: crayons, a silly notepad, maybe a squishy toy or two. Challenge them to think up a short story, count all the blue cars they see, or guess how many French fries are on the plate before the waiter arrives. By giving them tools to deal with downtime, you subtly teach them that waiting is an opportunity rather than a nightmare.

5. Make Waiting Tangible: Timers and Visual Aids

Kids struggle with abstract concepts. “Later” might as well mean “never” in their world. Use timers, hourglasses, or even a phone app with a countdown to show them that time is moving, and the wait will indeed end. Watching the sand slip through an hourglass or the numbers tick down on a digital timer helps kids understand that waiting isn’t just an arbitrary punishment—it’s a measurable, finite thing. And when the buzzer finally rings, celebrate it like a victory parade.

6. Teach Them the Power of Distraction

Waiting doesn’t have to mean staring at the wall. Show your child how to occupy their mind productively. Suggest playing a quick round of “I Spy,” humming a favorite tune, or counting backwards from 20. You might be thinking, “Aren’t I just tricking them?” Yes, but in the best possible way. Distraction is a skill they’ll use for the rest of their lives. By finding ways to pass the time, kids learn they have the power to ease their own impatience.

7. Turn to Good Old-Fashioned Puzzles: Hello, Sudoku

Look, I know Sudoku doesn’t scream “kid fun” at first glance, but bear with me. Sudoku (or any puzzle, really) can teach patience indirectly. Start with a super-simple, kid-friendly Sudoku or a puzzle that’s more pictures than numbers. Show them how they can’t rush through it, they have to pause, think, and figure out the solution step-by-step. As they practice, they’ll realize that slow and steady can be both satisfying and rewarding. They’ll feel mighty proud when they finally solve that puzzle they wanted to give up on after the first 10 seconds.

Not a Sudoku family? Try jigsaw puzzles, mazes, or even building a model car together. Anything that requires sustained focus and can’t be bulldozed through at top speed becomes a mini patience workshop.

8. Praise the Patience You Do See

Kids respond to positive reinforcement like cats to catnip. If you notice your child handling a waiting situation calmly – even if it’s for 30 seconds – praise them. “Wow, I saw how you waited quietly without complaining. That was really grown-up of you!” Positive recognition cements the idea that patience is something to be proud of. Eventually, they’ll go looking for reasons to impress you with their calmness – because who doesn’t love a pat on the back?

9. Share Stories of People Who Waited for Greatness

Kids love stories. Use that to your advantage. Talk about famous individuals who had to wait for success: inventors who tried hundreds of times before getting it right, athletes who trained for years before winning a medal, or chefs who spent hours perfecting a recipe. Show them that waiting patiently often results in something amazing. This makes the concept more relatable than just nagging them to “be patient” because, well, you said so.

10. Keep Your Cool When They Can’t

Kids lose their patience partly because they pick up on the grown-ups’ stress. If your child starts whining, complaining, or demanding instant gratification, try responding calmly rather than snapping back. “I know it’s hard to wait, but it’ll be worth it,” said in a gentle tone, can work better than an eye roll or a sigh of exasperation. Of course, you’re human – you might slip and roll your eyes anyway. Just remember that each calm response you manage to muster is helping build their sense of security and trust in the waiting process.

11. Involve Them in Slow Activities

Consider incorporating some sloooow pastimes into your family’s routine. Think gardening: watching seeds grow requires more patience than waiting for paint to dry. Or baking bread from scratch: kneading, waiting for it to rise, waiting some more… all these steps show your child that good things (like warm, fresh bread) are worth the wait. Crafts like papier-mâché or painting a detailed picture also teach that patience can pay off in the form of something beautiful at the end.

12. Gamify Waiting Whenever Possible

If you’re out in the wild (i.e., the grocery store) and your kid’s fuse is running short, turn waiting into a game. Can they stand on one foot until the line moves forward one customer? Can they guess how many people in line are wearing hats? Gamifying waiting transforms the experience into a silly challenge rather than a grim endurance test. Your child might even start looking for small waiting periods as opportunities for a quick mental game. Now that’s progress!

13. Acknowledge Their Feelings, Even If They’re Impatient

Telling a child “Don’t be upset” when they’re already huffing and puffing is about as helpful as telling a tornado not to swirl. Instead, acknowledge their feelings: “I know you really want that ice cream right now. Waiting can be tough.” Validating their frustration shows that you understand and respect their emotions. Once they feel heard, they’re more likely to calm down and work through the waiting with you as an ally rather than an enemy blocking their path to dessert.

14. Celebrate the Journey, Not Just the Destination

Lastly, remind your kids that the waiting process itself can be fun, illuminating, or creative if they let it be. The car trip to Grandma’s can become a journey of spotting funny billboards, playing verbal games, and singing off-key duets. By highlighting the enjoyable parts of the wait itself, you teach them a valuable life skill: appreciating the experience rather than just the reward at the end.

In the end, it’s a marathon, not a sprint!

This is a collaborative post.

kids, life

Laundry hacks to change your life

Laundry is no-one’s favourite topic, nor their favourite way to spend a weekend but you know what? We all have to clean our clothes, so it’s definitely worth spending some time to learn a few hacks that will make laundry time a little more bearable, right? Well, read on – you’re in for a treat.

1. Say Goodbye to Lost Socks

If you are sick of doing the laundry only to find that one-half of your favourite pair of socks has seemingly taken leave of your home for pastures new, then you need mesh laundry bags in your life. Place your socks inside a mesh bag before cleaning and it will not get sucked into the washer vortex, and you won’t have to wear a mismatched pair for work the next day.

2. Sorting Without Losing Your Marbles (Or Your Mind)

Sorting clothes is about as fun as watching paint dry, but if you streamline the process, it becomes a tiny bit less soul-sucking. Get three hampers (or laundry baskets) and label them: Whites, Darks, and Mixed Colours. Voila! You’ve turned your laundry area into a self-sorting paradise. By the time you’re ready to run a load, you’ve done 90% of the mental work in advance. Sorting at the source means no more dumping a mountain of clothes onto the floor and squinting at them like they’re abstract art. You’ll just grab a basket and go. Easy-peasy.

3. The Holy Grail of Freshness

Let’s talk about the nose. Sure, we can’t all strut around in couture, but we can at least smell fabulous. Enter the scent booster—tiny fragrant crystals or beads you toss directly into the washer. These magical pellets seep into your fabrics, leaving your clothes smelling like a field of lavender or a crisp Alpine breeze (take your pick). When you walk down the street and people ask if you just returned from a spa weekend, you’ll know your secret weapon. It’s basically aromatherapy for your wardrobe, and trust me, your nostrils will thank you.

4. Pre-Treat Stains Like a Pro (Before They Become Legendary)

That marinara sauce you spilled on your shirt last Tuesday? Don’t let it become a permanent addition to your personal textile museum. The key is speed. Keep a stain stick or spray by your hamper and zap those blemishes before they set in. For grease stains, a dab of washing up liquid works wonders: just gently rub it in and let it sit before washing. For ink, try a splash of rubbing alcohol. For coffee, cold water is your first line of defense. Address stains ASAP, and you’ll avoid that “Ugh, I can never wear this shirt again” moment we’ve all faced at least 27 times.

5. Chill Out and Save Your Threads

If you’re still blasting your clothes with hot water for every load, take a step back. Cold water is not only gentler on fabrics, preventing shrinkage and fading, but it also saves energy. That means less guilt about your electricity bill and fewer times you’ll have to bid farewell to a sweater that suddenly shrank to hamster size. Unless you’re dealing with seriously grubby gym gear or certain bedding that needs a hot wash, give the cooler settings a try. Your clothes (and wallet) will appreciate the chill attitude.

6. The Art of Drying

Over-drying clothes is like overcooking a steak, (if you are a meat eater, naturally) just plain wrong. If you have a dryer with a moisture sensor, trust it. Otherwise, learn the approximate drying times for various loads. Stop the machine when clothes are slightly damp, then hang them up to finish drying. This reduces wrinkles and static. Bonus hack: toss in a couple of dryer balls (wool or silicone) to fluff up the load and reduce drying time. They’re like tiny gym buddies for your tumbling T-shirts, keeping everyone separate and well-aerated.

7. The Dynamic Duo

We all know these two household staples are great for cooking and cleaning, but they’re also laundry heroes. Add half a cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle to banish any funky odours that might be lurking in your fabrics. Bye-bye, mysterious mustiness. For whitening and brightening, a half cup of baking soda in the wash can give your whites extra sparkle without harsh chemicals. Just make sure you don’t mix vinegar and baking soda in the same cycle, or you’ll end up with a science fair volcano reenactment in your washing machine.

8. Ironing Hacks, Because You Deserve Better

Ironing is, let’s face it, the least fun part of looking put-together. If you want to spend less time wrangling that board and more time sipping iced coffee, try these tricks. First, hang clothes immediately after the dryer cycle ends, this nips wrinkles in the bud. For shirts that need some serious de-creasing, slightly dampen them before ironing. And if you’re really feeling lazy, hang your crinkled clothes in the bathroom while you take a hot shower. The steam works as a makeshift iron, and you can pretend you’re running a fancy spa for your outfits.

9. Colour-Saving Hacks: Because Your Red Shirt Isn’t Supposed to Turn Pink

Want to keep your colours vibrant? Wash darks inside out to reduce friction and fading. For new, brightly coloured garments, toss in a cup of white vinegar to help set the dye. And if you’re paranoid about that brand-new, deep purple dress turning your entire load lavender, test it first by dampening a hidden area and pressing it with a white cloth. No colour transfer? Game on. A little vigilance prevents awkward colour-mixing surprises.

10. Set a Laundry Schedule To Tame the Monster

Laundry has a way of piling up until it looks like a textile version of Mount Everest, especially if you have kids, but you know what? It doesn’t have to be that way. You can tame the beast that is dirty laundry by simply setting a schedule that lays out exactly when you are going to wash everything from the sheets to the kids dirty soccer shirts, and then stick to it.

11. Storage Smarts

Once your clothes are clean and fresh, you want to keep them that way, right? Well, the way to do that is by using scented draw liners and putting your clothes away immediately. You can also spray a little fabric freshener into closets and, of course, never fold clothes until they are completely dry or they could end up with a must odor!

Laundry? Let’s do it!

this is a collaborative post.

cooking with kids, gardening, gardening with kids, google+ hangouts, kids

Papier-mâché seedling pots from cereal boxes

Chaos writes:

So… what does one do with cereal boxes, if you can’t bear to stick them in the recycling, how about cooking up some cute little Papier–mâché seedling pots.

We ripped the cardboard cereal boxes and rice cake boxes into small pieces, and gave them a good soaking. Then pulped the pieces with water, in the blender (sssh, don’t tell Daddy).

Draining the pulp in a colander, squeezing the excess water. Flour the work surface, and mix, knead in some flour {SECRET INGREDIENT ALERT!}.
And take small quantities, pushing into the silicone muffin cases to mold the little pots. We air-dried the pots over-night, however, for speed, you could pop them into the oven, if you were baking spuds, or home-made pizza anyway!

We DID try to make a batch of these seedling pots in conventional metal cake trays… FAIL!, they set solid, glued in… so yes, silicone rules!

First Published April 12 2013.

Updated September 2024 to include a link to a recent post from incredibusy about paper clay… here

Click this image below to watch the youtube video of our Google+ hangout – and watch Maggy from Red Ted Art sharing her shadow puppet theatre and her ‘everlasting’ picture frame, Playful Learners made another gorgeous puppet theatre Aly at Plus 2 Point 4 showed us how to use a box as a weaving loom, and my fave, Me and My Shadow and her vintage style secret book…

To read more on our gardening adventures click here to see where we got our delicious compost for our seedlings.

To see how our garden grows, follow our Gardening With Kids posts here.

and how to make an indoor watering can here!

kids, travel

What Are The Best Attractions In London For Families?

While there are many attractions in London catered solely to adults, there are also many attractions aimed at families with kids. While travelling to London does mean having to brave the trains and tubes, it’s well worth it for some of these incredible day out ideas. How many of them have you experienced?

London Zoo

Few zoos are quite as immersive and exciting as London Zoo. Many of the animal enclosures here have been specially designed to mimic the home environments of these animals and there are lots of unusual animals here to see that you might not see at other zoos around the country. Kids will love exploring the Land of Lions, Penguin Beach and Butterfly Paradise. There’s also a petting zoo with goats and sheep, as well as an adventure playground. There is designated parking near the zoo, or you can take the tube to Camden Town and walk from there if you’d prefer not to drive into London.

Natural History Museum

Got kids that love dinosaurs? The Natural History Museum has a whole section dedicated to these prehistoric creatures that includes fossilised skeletons, realistic models and even a robotic T-Rex! There are so many more exhibitions here to explore too that kids will love. This includes a photo opportunity with Andy’s Clock from CBeeBies show Andy’s Adventures, an earthquake simulator and a life-size model of a blue whale (among many other animal models). To reach the Natural History Museum, take the tube to South Kensington station and walk from here. Entry is free into the museum, but it’s worth booking a slot in advance to fast track the queues.

Battersea Power Station

An old power station may not seem like the perfect place to bring kids, but in fact it’s a top attraction among families. Why? Battersea Power Station has since been renovated into a shopping centre and contains several playgrounds outside for different ages. There’s also a Go Ape treetop adventure course outside. Meanwhile, there’s a shop dedicated to Lego inside the shopping centre, and two upcoming shops dedicated to Peppa Pig and Transformers (for those planning a future visit). You can access Battersea Power Station via Battersea Power railway station.

Hampton Court

Hampton Court Palace was once the residence of Henry VIII. Visitors can explore the impressive Great Hall, tour the expansive Tudor Kitchens, see the oldest grape vine and creep through the Haunted Gallery where Catherine Howard’s ghost is said to wander. However, what makes this a truly incredible attraction for families is its Magic Garden playground sporting sandpits, aerial walkways, climbing frames and 25ft dragon that breathes smoke once every hour. There is no tube station near Hampton Court, however there is an overground station and parking.

Madame Tussauds

This wax museum was founded by French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud in 1835. Today, it contains over 150 lifelike waxworks of celebrities. While adults are more likely to recognise these celebrities, kids are still likely to enjoy many of the attractions here. This includes the scary Chamber of Horrors, the thrilling Spirit of London ride, and the 4D Marvel movie held in the museum’s former planetarium. This museum is located on Marylebone Road and is situated in an iconic domed building. You can find lockers at Marylebone station for storing your stuff – this is a 5 minute walk from the museum.

London Transport Museum

Those interested in the history of transport will love the London Transport Museum. Here you’ll find vintage cars, carriages and buses dating back to the Victorian era. This museum is free for under 18s and contains craft areas and singing/dancing workshops aimed at kids. The All Aboard Playzone is meanwhile a transport-themed play area made up of mini vehicles that is perfect for young kids. What is the nearest station to this museum? Most people arrive via Covent Garden,which is a two minute walk away, but Leicester Square and Holborn are also only five minutes away.

Shrek’s Adventure London

This immersive walkthrough experience is centred all around Shrek. It’s a chance for the whole family to step into Far Far Away, while meeting various characters from the Shrek movies along the way. Kids who love Shrek are certain to enjoy this theatrical experience, while parents are likely to be equally charmed by the humorous acting and incredible special effects. Shrek’s Adventure is located in Westminster directly near the London Eye (which could also be worth combining into a trip). Make sure to book tickets in advance. Both Westminster and Waterloo station are a five minute walk away.

This is a collaborative post.