1. Talk to the child: Talk to your child from the time s/he is born. Some parents carry this notion that speaking to a child is of no use because the child may not understand anything. But, a toddler picks up words only when he listens to the parents or other people talk to each other or to him. The sooner parents start talking to the child, the faster the child starts understanding and talking the language. Parents should always talk carefully and never use foul language in front of the child, because the baby can pick up foul language too. For older children, parents can bring out a current affairs topic for a discussion where the child can express his or her views. In this way, the child can form complex sentences on the spot.
2. Read out to the child: Talking to the child in ‘baby language’ is not favorable for the development of the language in the child. Parents should take extra efforts in reading out some children’s stories or poetries. The language used in poetries and stories is literary English which is good for the language development in the child. Besides stories and poetries, you can also read out your ‘to do’ list aloud so that he listens to words like ‘supermarket’ and ‘vegetables’ which will make him familiar with the daily words.
3. Play music and audio books: Don’t restrict yourself to stories from books. Buy CDs which have music for children. Make toddlers listen to nursery rhymes and songs and then sing along with them. While singing the nursery rhymes, do some actions which indicate the word in the rhyme. This is a great way to make the children understand what the song or the rhyme is all about. Getting hang of the rhyme and rhythm is a very good way to develop language among kids. For   older kids, folk songs are a good way to build vocabulary.  
4. Walk and Talk: While going out for a daily walk with your child or while on a small weekend holiday with your family, introduce your child to new words like, names of flowers or trees. While going on walks to the same places, you can stop at the tree and ask your child to name the tree by giving him an incomplete sentence.
5. Write: Language is not completely developed only by speaking, reading or listening. Writing is an important aspect too. A kindergarten child should be made to write small sentences daily. By 12-13 years, grammar in the language should be strong. Older children can write essays which can be checked by the parents for grammatical errors.

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Following are three of our favourite fast foods that you can make at home very easily.

Fish & Chips

Fish and chips is a great meal for when you don’t have much time on your hands as all you have to do is throw everything into the oven then sit back and relax. Fish is the best source of Omega 3 and is great for brain development in children. There are so many different options out there that you should be able to find something at your local supermarket that your child will happily eat.

As for chips you can go a few different ways. Purchasing frozen chips is the easiest. However with a bit of prep work, you can make tasty chips from a bag of potatoes. The best suggestion I can give you is to boil your chips once you have chopped them up, this way they are partially cooked before you put them in the oven. Lay them out on a tray & drizzle with a little oil. Mum and dad might like to sprinkle on some garlic powder or dried rosemary for something different.

Pizza

A fun fast food option that the kids can join in with creating is pizza. Kids love to get their hands dirty making their own pizzas and are more likely to eat the end result if they have had a part in making it. For you children, the best option for pizza bases is to use English muffins as they are the perfect size for little mouths (and tummies).

As well as offering the usual toppings of tomato sauce, ham, pineapple, capsicum etc you can try some different things. Let the kids decide what they’d like to have on their pizzas to make them feel more in control of their dinner options. Pizzas in our household have had different toppings such as avocado, baked beans, corn, frankfurts and even snow peas.

Chicken Nuggets

Chicken nuggets are a favourite with kids everywhere and they are surprisingly easy to make with this recipe by Annabel Karmel, from her book “Feeding your Baby and Toddler”.

Ingredients:
375gm chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 large onion, peeled & diced
2tbs chopped fresh parsely
1 small apple, peeled & grated
45gm fresh breadcrumbs
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
60gm dry breadcrumbs
60gm cheese & onion crisps, finally crushed (we used salt & vinegar)
vegetable oil for frying.

Directions:
1) Put the first six ingredients in a food processor & chop for a few seconds until well combined. Shape the mixture into a flat disc.
2) Use a 6cm biscuit cutter to press out the shape. Mix together the dry breadcrumbs & crisps on a plate and press the pieces into the coating.
3) Heat enough oil for shallow frying in a large frypan.
4) Add the nuggets and cook for about 6 minutes, turning occasionally until golden brown & cooked through.

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I know that it’s a blatant over generalization but I always seem to notice that when kids are with their dads they aren’t dressed the best. I find that dads, and I include my husband in this, don’t always know how to dress their kids and in particular how to coordinate their clothes or do little girls’ hair.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule, as with most things, but today I’m going to give the dads a few hints on how to dress their little people in a way that mum would be happy with.

Colours

As a general rule, wearing the same (or similar) colour head to toe is not a good idea. For example, a little girl dressed in a pale pink top with medium pink cardigan and dark pink pants is not a good look no matter how much your little princess thinks it might be. Unless it’s a dress, a pair of overalls or a specific set (like a tracksuit), the general rule is to have one main colour on the top and something different on the bottom.

On the other hand having your child looking like they just walked through a rainbow isn’t going to work either, so you have to strike the right sort of balance.

If you know anything about the colour wheel, put that use into knowledge for dressing your kids. Orange and blue, red and green, purple and yellow, these are all good combinations of colours. Though you don’t want a plain red top with green pants, try to get a top (or pair of pants) with both colours in it and then have the other item of clothing a plain colour.

When all else fails, remember that any colour goes well with denim, so long as it’s not more denim! A pair of jeans and any colour top will always look great.

Seasons

Generally a child will be cooler than you are and will feel the cold more than you will, so you have to plan appropriately. Mum won’t be happy if she comes home to a sick child because you haven’t dressed him or her properly.

In winter, always have your child’s legs and arms covered. I know a lot of dads don’t feel the cold and get around in shorts for the entire year, but little people can’t do this. As a general rule in winter, put an extra layer on your child: if you are wearing a t-shirt put the child in a long sleeved shirt and if you have a jumper on make sure the little one has a long sleeved shirt and a jumper on.

Summer presents the problem of sunburn. Whilst little strappy dresses and tops look adorable, they are not good in the harsh Australian summer and your little girl is likely to end up sunburnt. The same goes for tank tops on little boys. This is not to say that you need to completely cover your child’s skin, just be aware that their skin is more sensitive and more likely to burn than yours.

Shoes

When children head out of the house anywhere, they need to wear a pair of shoes. The problem is deciding which shoes they need to wear.

If your child is wearing long pants s/he needs to have closed in shoes on, boots, joggers, girls dress shoes etc are fine as long as the toes are enclosed. This means no thongs or sandles with jeans.

You can put on a variety of shoes from sandles and thongs to joggers if your child is wearing knee length or ¾ pants. The only rule here is not to put boots on a child that is wearing short pants. The no boots rule doesn’t apply to skirts of any length, you have free reign here.

Anything shorter than knee length gives you the greatest choice as any sort of shoes will work well with the outfit.

Hair

Brush your child’s hair. Simple.

Mums in general would have had lots of practice doing their own hair so they know how to translate this to their daughter’s hair. We know that it’s hard for dads to do hair because it’s just not something they’ve ever done before (unless of course they have long hair themselves). You just need to remember that even if you can’t tie it up, or get a clip to sit in it properly, you need to make sure it is brushed to prevent knocks forming.

When all else fails, have a hunt online and find a badge for your child to proudly wear stating: “Dressed By Dad”

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The press release reads as follows:

Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.

Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.

I expect Cars 2 to be as successful as the first movie if it follows with the themes of friendship despite initial appearances and doing the right thing even if you don’t win the race to do so (metaphorically of course).

Cars 2 is rated G (suitable for all audiences) and will be enjoyed by all family members is the following featurette is anything to go by.

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Children are now exploring a wide variety of entertainment options.  Besides television and computer gaming, internet has become an indispensable means of entertainment, communication and information. Children have to use internet not only for emails or instant messaging, but also for getting additional information for their project and reports. However, their use of internet may not be restricted to finding information. They may want to satisfy their curiosity and this may propel them to log on to sites that are unsuitable for them.

Parents cannot be around 24×7 to keep surveillance checks on the child’s internet usage. But what they can do is educate their children about internet etiquettes.

1. Security and Privacy: As parents, you should be aware of the amount of internet bugs and viruses that are circulating these days. It is better to set up an antivirus on your home computer which will protect the computer from virus and spam. Teach your child the importance of having such software. Also, ask your child to take notice whenever the computer shows messages of virus.

1. Block sites: To be on the safe side, you can block certain sites which are not necessary for your child’s project work. You can tell your child that you have blocked certain sites which are likely to get in virus and junk in the computer. Instruct your child to stay away from sites which are not pertaining to his studies or networking.

1. Password: Explain to your child how important his email password is to him. Ask him not to share the password with anyone, not even his best friends. Incase he has already shared it with anyone; ask him to change the password immediately. This includes passwords for the computer, email account or any social networking sites. Though you need to monitor your child’s internet habits, it is not advisable to force your child to tell his password to you.

1. Spam Mails and messages: Update your child about junk mails and messages on social networking sites. Tell your child never to click on any such sites which come in bulk. Show him examples of such mails so that he has an idea what junk mails are. Ask them to avoid forwards and tell them there is no reason to forward the emails to others.

1. Play safe with friends: Always talk to your child about having online friends. Let them know that it is dangerous to reveal even the email address to unknown people. Sharing photos should be done with close friends. Ask them to not add people unless he knows who they are. Also, inform your child about the chat rooms where unknown people chat. Tell them not to enter such chat rooms and share numbers and addresses.

1. Keep a watch but never intrude: If you are on your child’s Facebook friend list, there is no harm until you go on intruding for small reasons. You can keep a watch on you child’s friends and updates. But, never question each and every move unless you see something on your child’s account which is not appropriate.

Check out Dick Smith for Internet security products:
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If your child loves the television or going for movies, you have to make sure they watch the correct movies. You can have a collection of movies or DVDs at home so that they can watch the best suited movies anytime they want to. The following are some immortal children’s movies that your child can enjoy and cherish for a long time:

• The Wizard of Oz (1939): This is an adventure film that will let you enjoy a wonderful 3 hours with your kid. It talks about a young girl called Dorothy Gale who lands up in a magical land because of a tornado. The story revolves around her mission to find the wizard of the land who can help her  return   home. This movie is one of the greatest American classics of all times!
• Toy Story Trilogy (1995, 1999, and 2010): These are three different stories about a bunch of toys who belong to a boy called Andy. The toys are led by a wooden cowboy toy called Woody, Jessie and a futuristic doll called Buzz Lightyear. In all three stories, the toys share some adventure and more importantly, talk to each other when humans are not present.
• Up (2009): One of the best animated films of recent times. The film revolves around an old man called Carl Fredrickson who wants to fulfill his and his dead wife’s dream of traveling to an unknown adventure land that they read as kids. Accidentally, he sets on this journey with a kid from the boy scouts called Russell. Your children will enjoy this film filled with adventure and colors.
• Castle in the sky (1986): One of the best Walt Disney films of the 80s and the beginning of Japanese ‘anime’ in Hollywood, Castle in the Sky captures the minds of young kids who fantasize about pirates and adventure. The story is about two kids who fight all odds to find a magic floating castle.
• The Lion King (1994): The lion cub is forced to believe that he killed his father. This thought makes him give up the ‘King’ life in the jungle and goes and explores his own life.
• Finding Nemo (2003): Based in Sydney and the waters of Sydney, it is the story of a kid clownfish, Nemo who is taken away from his coral reef home by a city man. His father is on a quest to find Nemo.
• Ratatouille (2007): Based in Paris, the land of gourmet food, this movie is about a dirty mouse called Remy who starts enjoying the gastronomical beauty. He helps a young boy cook food for the best eateries in Paris.
• Children of Heaven (1997): A Persian film by Majid Majidi, this revolves around the simple life of a poor brother-sister pair where the brother loses his sister’s shoes and is forced to share his pair with his sister. This movie will take your kids beyond the ‘goodie-goodie’ world and get them thinking!
• How to train your dragon (2010): The story a small Viking who wishes to kill dragons but becomes friendly with a small dragon.
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009): One of the animated best book-adaptations. The story is about a place where food falls down like rain. 

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After returning from school, children either play or sleep. But, whether your child likes it or not, there is homework to be done before returning to school the next day!  Completing homework is a task not only for the kids but for their parents too. In order to make sure that their children complete their homework, parents should get creative and add an element of fun to their homework. Follow some ideas listed below to make your child’s homework fun!

• Fix a time: A parent should recognize a time when their child is happy and energetic. Some children are energetic in the morning while some are so in the evening. Once the parent understands when the child is comfortable doing the homework, that time should be fixed for completing school related tasks. This will habituate the child and will build a sense of responsibility in him.

• Allow breaks: Never force your child to complete all the homework in one go. Allow breaks which are refreshing. Allow the child to watch television for 30 minutes in the break. Make sure he does not take long breaks. Your child can go play for a while and then come back home and complete the remaining homework.

• Make snacks: Before the child sits to do his homework, prepare some delicious treats for him. Let him know that his efforts will be rewarded and that he will be given cakes, chips ( or some other food your child enjoys) when he successfully does his homework. The idea here is to motivate him to do his work rather than bribe him, so whether you do that with food or his allocated television time, is totally up to you.

• Change the approach: If your child has writing assignments, participate in the homework by giving your views. Allow the child to explore the internet and find something relevant to the homework. In this way, the child does not just do homework for the sake of it, he will also learn more about the subject. If it is literature related homework, enlighten your child on the author or the poet so that they gain more knowledge and gather some interest in literature.

• Challenge them: As a parent, you know what your child is required to study on a particular day. And chances are that you know all the answers to his homework questions. To get your child excited, challenge them to finish the homework before you. You could act troubled or confused while doing the work or take his help too. Not only will this motivate him to beat you, he will feel proud  of the fact that he knows the answers to the questions while you do not.

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Though some parents are glad that their children are eligible to go to school, they dread making and packing lunch for their kids. Preparing a nutritious lunch box for kindergarten kids is not an easy task since they do not like most of the food we eat. They love junk food! Once they are exposed to the cafeteria food in school, they would always like to have that food, which is tastier and has high calories. However, with a few handy tips at bay, there isn’t much need for mom’s to fret! Look for these below and see how you can incorporate this in your child’s life:

1. Fruits and fruit juices: Fruits provide children with the basic and the most essential nutrients. A fruit in the lunch box is necessary. Some children do not like to eat fruits because of the texture or the sight of the fruit. For such children, parents can pack fresh fruit juices which are available in tetra packs at the supermarkets. Make sure that you pack fruits like apples and bananas which are easy to carry. Fruits like oranges can cause a mess in the lunch bag if the juice from the fruit comes out.
2. Vegetables: Unlike fruits, vegetables need to be cut and made into salads. Vegetables like potatoes, cabbage, and capsicum can be cut and mixed together to make a salad. Otherwise, vegetables can be added to sandwiches, pizzas and burgers.
3. Wheat products:  You can also include whole wheat pastas along with some vegetables or even brown rice with curry. Wraps or pancakes are also a healthy option. Besides all this, whole wheat bread can be teamed up with cheese which will also provide the child with enough proteins. One can replace the cheese with peanut butter which is also an excellent protein food.
4. Proteins: Proteins is necessary in a child’s diet because he has to remain active throughout the day- at school, at play and even at home. If the child is not used to eating meat daily, parents can pack baked beans for lunch. Beans are one of the best sources for protein. For meat, hamburgers or chicken nuggets with vegetables are ideal.
5. Milk and milk products: If the child is given whole wheat or whole protein lunch, make it complete with milk or its products. Yoghurt is the best accompaniment with a whole wheat meal. It not only gives the daily does of calcium but also gives a soothing feeling to the child. Simple milk or flavored milk can be added to the lunch kit for your child. Soy milk is supposed to be a great source of calcium and proteins too.

A simple lunch which includes all the nutrients mentioned above will make a very healthy lunch for your child. But, make sure the daily lunch does not provide excess of a particular nutrient!

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Stick to your routine.

If your children are used to having their dinner at 5.30pm, you should aim to be ready to eat at the same time. This might mean making a reservation for 5.00pm so the meals are on the table at the appropriate time. Even if your reservation is for the usual dinner time, make sure that your little ones are not tired. The worst time to dine out with your children is after a long day. An over tired child in a busy restaurant is a recipe for disaster, your child will become over stimulated and will not be able to sit quietly and remain calm to eat their dinner.

Select your restaurant carefully.

When deciding where to dine out with your children you should research your options before making a final choice. Check if the restaurant has high chairs and children’s menus and if you’re inclined, a children’s indoor play area. It’s not going to be very relaxing to show up for dinner at a five star restaurant to find out that your children cannot be catered for. If you have friends with children, ask around, see where are the best places according to other parents.

Set the ground rules before arriving.

It’s a good idea to explain to the children what is expected of them prior to arriving at the restaurant. Explain to your children that there will be other people at the restaurant that want to enjoy their meals so the children must be on their best behaviour. Small children will need to understand that they will be using special cutlery and crockery (ie, not plastic like at home) and they need to be very gentle with everything.

Have some entertainment on hand.

While you are waiting for your meals to arrive, or if the children finish their dinner before everyone else, it’s helpful to have something on hand to keep them entertained. Sometimes restaurants will have their own goodies for your children, but be prepared just in case there is nothing on hand. A good suggestion is to keep a small notebook, mini pencils or crayons and a sticker pad in your handbag (or nappy bag) to keep preschool aged or older children busy.

In the event of a meltdown.

We all know that no matter how well prepared you are, sometimes kids will just have a meltdown. If this happens in a restaurant, don’t ignore it. Ignoring tantrums is all well and good in a shopping centre in the middle of the day, but a restaurant is not the place for it, as all of the other diners will be disturbed. Instead, excuse yourself from the table and take your child away, either to the bathroom or outside. Once your child has calmed down and is ready to behave properly again you can both return to the table. If there’s no turning back, it’s ok to leave, have your meals wrapped up as doggy bags and try again another night. This is supposed to be a fun experience, remember?!

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Talking to your older children can be very helpful in helping them to understand what will happen once the baby arrives home, but sometimes you need a little help. The following six books are great for young children to help them understand what it means to have a new sibling in the house.

Waiting for Baby

– Annie Kubler

Waiting for Baby is a story without words that follows the upcoming birth of a new baby sister or brother. It shows events such as the ultrasound, buying new toys, to decorating the playroom and visiting mum at the hospital. Parents can put their own words to the pictures in a way that their own child will understand. Older children can be encouraged to make up their own stories as well.

There’s A House Inside My Mummy

– Giles Andreae

A story of a little boy waiting for his little brother or sister to arrive. The story talks of mum’s cravings, her tiredness & the fact that her tummy is getting bigger. It has rhyming text and is a great introduction for older siblings, to how pregnancy will affect their mum.

A Baby Sister for Frances

– Russell Hoban

After her baby sister is born, Gloria decideds her house isn’t much fun anymore. After dinner one night she packs her bags and runs away… under the dining room table. Soon she overhears her parents talking about how much they miss her, so she decides that she should go back home to do all of the things big sisters have to do. A very sweet story about sibling rivalry.

There’s Going to Be A Baby

– John Burningham

As the arrival of a new sibling draws nearer, the questions that stream through a young child’s mind are followed in this book. When is the baby coming? What will we call it? What will the baby do? We don’t really need the baby, do we? The book reassures the older as the child in the story imagines all kinds of futures for the brother or sister he is waiting to meet.

Happy Birth Day

– Robie H Harris

Happy Birth Day is a picture book in which the mother tells her daughter about her first 24 hours of life after she is born. The picture on the first page shows a baby, still with her umbilical cord. The cord is cut and a nurse puts a hat on baby’s head. Mother breastfeeds her, and relatives come to visit and take photos of her. This is a lovely book to show the older sibling what might happen the first day their brother or sister arrives into the world.

I Used to be The Baby

– Robin Ballard

This story follows the day of two brothers. The older brother spends the day recognizing problems for his new younger sibling and then trying to solve them. Some are because the baby is small – “He doesn’t like riding in the car. I will sing him a song.” The older sibling causes some of the problems – “Sand can hurt your eyes,” and the illustration shows the boy throwing sand, right onto the baby’s head.

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