Show Your Love

It is important to show your children that you love them every day. One of the things you can do to show (and tell) your kids that you love them is to hide a note in their book bag or in their homework folder for them to find when they get to school. This happy surprise is especially nice if one of them is having difficulties in a subject and a note saying "You are doing a great job." or "I know you can do it" will provide much needed encouragement.

Reading to Your Child

It is never too early to start reading to your child. You can start as soon as your child is born or even before. Even though your child may not grasp the meaning of what they hear, they learn to identify the rhythm and tone of their parent's voice. Nursery rhymes and songs are especially good reading materials for infants.

Build Confidence in Your Child

You can help build up your child's confidence and self-esteem by the following activities:
1) Praise your child, 2) set realistic goals, 3) be honest, 4) avoid sarcastic remarks, and 5) encourage your child.

Social Rewards for Your Kids

Social rewards such as smiles, hugs, pats, kisses, words of praise, eye contact, and attention are the most powerful rewards you can give to your children.

Encourage Your Child to Play

To a child, play is just fun; however, playtime is as important to your child's development as food and good care. Playtime helps your child be creative, learn problem-solving skills and learn self-control. Good, hard play, which includes running and yelling, is not only fun, but helps your child to be physically and mentally healthy.

Reading Time Ritual

Scheduling a regular quiet time to read to your child after dinner or before bedtime helps both child and parent relax and enjoy each other's company. This reading habit creates an intimate and still moment for parent and child to share and provides a good opportunity for bonding.

Problems Associated with Latch-Key Kids

Information from Home Alone article at about.com/health: The National Institute on Out-of-School Time reports that children without adult supervision are at significantly greater risk of truancy from school, stress, receiving poor grades, risk-taking behavior, and substance use and the juvenile crime rate triples between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. These after-school hours prove to be the most risky time of day for middle school children. Childhood injuries are another factor. Facts compiled by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign reports that the vast majority of unintentional injury-related deaths among children occur in the evening hours when children are most likely to be out of school and unsupervised. Also, children are most likely to be victims of a violent crime committed by a non-family member between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. The older and more mature a child is before being left alone, the better!

Determining When a Child is Ready to Be Left Home Alone

Information from Home Alone article at about.com/health: Child care authorities generally do not recommend leaving any child under 8 years old home alone, and most people believe that the earliest age to leave a child unattended is between 10-14 years of age, depending on several factors. How mature is the child? Will the child be responsible for younger siblings? Are they ready to accept the responsibility of being alone? Are they afraid to enter an empty home or to be left home alone? If there are younger siblings involved, it would be better if the child were at least 12 or 14 years old before being given this responsibility. The safety of your child(ren) should be your primary concern.

Check In Time

Your children need to get in the habit of checking in with you or a neighbor to let you know they are home. This is also a good time to give any necessary instructions such as reminders they should do homework before going out to play, chores to be completed, or permission to do another activity, etc.

Praise Your Child

Encouraging your child´s first steps, or his or her ability to learn a new game helps your child develop a desire to explore and learn about his or her surroundings. Allow your child to explore and play in a safe area where they cannot get hurt. Assure your child by smiling and talking to him or her often. Be an active participant in your child´s activities. Your attention helps build his or her self-confidence and self-esteem.

Interviewing Babysitters

When interviewing people as potential babysitters for your children, you need to find out as much as your can about that person. What experience do they have with children, what's their educational background, do they have references from past employers? Get the names and phone numbers of past employers and contact them. Ask the sitter how they would handle temper tantrums, emergency situations, or a child wanting to stay up past bedtime. You may want to find out how they were disciplined as children. If they indicate there was abuse in the home, you may want to steer clear. Studies have shown that adults who were abused as children grow up and become child abusers themselves.

Signs of Stress Associated with Being Left Home Alone

Information from Home Alone article at about.com/health: Keep a close watch on your child and be sensitive to signs of stress associated with this responsibility such as (1) complaints of stomach aches, headaches, or vague illnesses, (2) increase in allergy or asthma attacks, (3) recurring nightmares, (4) moodiness such as being irritable, careless, or listless, (5) a sudden change in work habits or falling behind in school work, (6) talking, even jokingly about committing suicide. Encourage your child to talk about any problems or fears they may be experiencing from being left alone.

Being Left Alone Is a Big Responsibility

Information from Home Alone article at about.com/health: Being left alone can affect a child's emotional well-being. “Being alone, or worse yet, having responsibility for younger siblings, causes anxiety in many children.” Children can feel unsafe in these situations. They may “worry about strangers, break-ins, about their brothers or sisters getting hurt. It's a heavy responsibility. Parents separated for long periods from their children should call occasionally, just to chat for a few minutes. Children who feel they are ready to be left alone and who have been instructed on safety rules, should also be encouraged to talk about any concerns or fears they may have."

Day Care Supplies

When enrolling your child in day care, here is a list of some things you want to make sure you do not forget to bring. Their cubbies should be well stocked for any emergency.

1. A change of clothes
2. Extra diapers, wipes and rash cream (or underwear if they are potty trained)
3. A hat (seasonal-heavy with gloves in the winter)
4. An extra pair of socks in case feet get wet
5. A list of allergies and other things the teacher might need to know
6. Spare bottle or sippy cup
7. Emergency numbers that are correct and updated regularly.
8. A small blanket or cover for naptime
Be sure everything is clearly labeled with the name of your child.

Spend the Day

Choosing a day care can be a big problem. You want to make sure that your child is cared for properly, that the environment is clean and the staff is caring. When checking out a center, talk to the director and ask to spend a day or a few hours with your child there and just observe. You will need to leave the room from time to time and peek in to make sure things are going smoothly, but you will get a good idea of how things work. Your choice should be a lot easier to make after your trial day.

Create a Love of Reading

Reading regularly to infants and young children helps parents to establish family traditions of spending time together and also teaches infants the value of reading. Sharing books with children as they learn to read has proven to enhance their educational experience.

Importance of Sleep

Adequate sleep is vital for growing children. It affects their growth, learning, and future performance. Make sure your children are getting enough sleep! They need at least 8-9 hours a night to allow their young bodies to develop properly.

Kisses to Go

To ease your child´s separation anxiety, place pretend kisses in his/her pocket before you must leave. Blow a kiss or two into her pocket and make a point of closing it tightly so it will not escape. If your child gets lonely after you are gone, he can reach into his pocket and a kiss will be waiting.

Safety Tips for Children Left Alone

Information from Home Alone article at about.com/health: Here are two basic safety tips to use when your child is left home alone: (1) Post emergency phone numbers near all phones in the home, including the phone number of a nearby neighbor or friend. (2) Instruct children never to open the door to strangers or anyone they are uncomfortable around.