Children Articles

Family » Parenting » Children | By Joyce Jackson @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:49 PM

Confidence and a positive self image are crucial in good child safety. Confident kids are less of a target for sexual predators. Not only do they stand taller and keep their heads up higher, they represent a problem, a less than easy victim for sexual predators. Confident kids project "struggle" for any predator trolling for kids and more often than not, predators will pass them by. More often, predators will choose kids that appear weak and sad, a child in need of a friend. These... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 10:14 AM

There is a surprisingly wide range of puppets available in children's toy shops today, and the theatrical representation is not limited merely to characters, but to accompany the puppets it is now possible to purchase a full theatre, complete with curtains and scenery in which to play out a life upon the stage. The smallest, cheapest and most easy performed are the old fashioned finger puppets - literally single finger characters. These puppets are small and simple in design, and fit... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 6:07 AM

Some toys have their ups and downs, but none more so than the trampoline. It used to be the case that trampolines were limited to schools, gymnasiums and the seaside theme parks, but in recent years there have been miniature trampolines available for children, and even more recently much larger trampolines which have been almost adult sized. Ranging in size from just a couple of feet across to a full six feet in diameter, these have proved to be extremely popular with children of all ages, and w... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:46 AM

Children are not generally the cleanest of people, what with all the falling over in the mud, rolling about in the garden, shinning up trees, and crawling about the floor into dusty corners. It is therefore a necessary fact that they need regular baths. Unfortunately, they don't always agree, and so trying to make bath time fun whilst you scrape the dirt off your child to discover them lurking underneath is important. Fortunately today there is a wide range of bath toys, and we are n... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:46 AM

If you are at all green fingered, then the chances are that your little one has joined you outside, and wanted to join in with whatever you're doing. Fortunately there are plenty of alternatives to letting them use your electric hedge trimmer or ride on lawnmower, and children's garden sets tend to come in three main varieties. The first type are the toy tools and garden sets, which are designed to be used indoors as much as out in the garden. These toys are for those children t... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Sean Tan @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:42 AM

You are a really lucky parent, if your kids eat whatever you give them. But not everyone can include themselves in that league because the fussy eater of the world vast outnumbers those who eat anything that's edible. As kids grow, their food habits also change, but to manage their eating habits is a huge task in itself. Making such kids eat certain vegetables and fruits can be quite frustrating. Several parents are worried about their kids' eating habits. Parents consciously try diffe... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:42 AM

A train set is often bought for a little boy by his father, not always because the father genuinely believes his little boy really wanted a train set, but because the father really wanted a train set. However, there are many occasions when children, not just boys, are interested in train sets, and have a great deal of fun with them. Of course, like any other toy, they come in a variety of types, and if you are considering buying a train set, whether for you, for your child, or for your child to ... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:39 AM

When you think of children's toys it is easy to imagine the fairly small collection of characters and gadgets lined up along the shelves in various toy shops and department stores. However, toys can be significantly larger, and in particular, those toys which can be used in the garden. If you are fortunate enough to have a garden or other outdoor space, then you may have considered the idea of purchasing some outdoor equipment for your child to play with. Playing inside is all very well, bu... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:37 AM

Children love exploring at the beach - the combination of dry powdery sand, wet squidgy sand that can be moulded, and water is intriguing, and allows for endless experimentation, building, modelling and finding out about how things work and feel. Very often children also like building roads, towns, forts, castles and other constructions, and then either use their imagination, or small shells or pebbles as cars or people, and use the sand and water as the scenery for their small world of pretend ... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:34 AM

There was once a time when all young children would have a farm set of one type or another. Some were elaborate sets with buildings and barns, fences and countryside furniture, others were simply a big box of wooden or plastic animals, with the box becoming the farm house and the patterns on the carpet representing the fields and paths. Although farm sets and the animals that go with them are still widely available today, how relevant are they for today's child, when you consider in particu... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Tuesday, 20th May 2008 @ 5:21 AM

There are a huge number of craft sets on the market today, and it is very good to see that this market is thriving. All too often it is easy to see toys which are ready made, and require no assembly, and no effort. But children love to stick and glue and make things, whether simply making a spaceship out of an old toilet roll insert, a washing up bottle and a sheet of paper, or whether more complex items such as clay models, decorations or jewellery. It is easy to forget just how satisfying it c... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 10:36 PM

It's always an endearing sight, to see a small child imitating an adult. Of course, that does largely depend on whether the action being imitated is appropriate, but let's assume that it is. Children are pre programmed to observe as much as possible during the first few months, and as soon as they have worked out what all the floppy bits sticking out of their body can do, they use their arms and legs to grab objects, or copy actions that they see their parents doing. This is not simply... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 10:20 PM

There can be no doubt at all of the importance to almost every child of teddy bears. Whether it is actually a bear, or some other creature, real or imaginary, every child needs some sort of private confidant that they know will always be there for him or here. They don't judge, they don't say 'no', they don't argue back and they love you just as you are. Every child knows that at the end of the day, when they go to bed, their teddy bear will be waiting for them, right th... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 10:05 PM

One of the things that you may notice about toys for very small people, such as babies and toddlers, is that they all seem to include a variety of different materials and textures. They are likely to also include a range of bright colours, and also to make a variety of sounds. It is clearly important that small children are stimulated as much as possible, and it seems that a full on assault on their senses is the best way to do this! Children's brains are hard wired to learn, but tha... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 8:02 PM

Do you remember back in the day when we used to have summers? Those blisteringly hot days with nothing to do except enjoy cool drink after cool drink, and of course, get each other absolutely soaked with our water pistols? Today, children need not be so kind. With what seems like shorter summers, but hotter ones, children now seem to find themselves the owners of water pistols which seem capable of soaking another person so completely that one squirt is all it takes. Two squirts and you&#... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 7:46 PM

They were once to be found only in the occasional pub on a Friday night, but today karaoke machines have invaded the home, much to the delight of the parents whose children are given them by adoring friends and relatives, and by the neighbours who have to put up with daily renditions of the current pop hits being belted out by a group of children whose enthusiasm is matched only by their inability to hit the right note at least occasionally. These machines are actually fairly inexpensive,... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 7:38 PM

It used to be that the only time you'd come across a bouncy castle would be at the fun fair or other special event. Occasionally a child's birthday party would be wild enough to have hired one, but that would be a treat. Today, it is now possible for inflatable bouncy castles and ball pools to be available for use at home - either in the garden or even inside. Of course, the bouncy castles for use at home are generally smaller, since it is unlikely to have very many children pla... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Victor Epand @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 1:59 PM

Quite why children love tricycles, scooters and bicycles is perhaps a slight mystery - do they like the feel of the air rushing past them, or the fact that they can move about quickly with relatively little effort? Almost certainly the appeal does not lie in the increased likelihood of them having scraped knees, cut elbows, a bump on the head and a missing tooth. However, since children do enjoy these modes of transport, and fathers do seem to enjoy launching their small children down the road a... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Sean Tan @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 1:46 PM

People who have young children at home know how tough it is to cook different dishes all the time and make the kids eat them. And the whole thing becomes more difficult if the kids are picky eaters too. But it's not just about the kids; there are several adults who are choosy about food they eat too. The people who have to suffer the brunt of all these are those who cook in the house, who are mostly the women. Now wouldn't it be great if there were some recipes especially targe... more...

Family » Parenting » Children | By Sean Tan @ Monday, 19th May 2008 @ 12:57 PM

Child nutrition is one who has certain preferences when it comes to eating. Such people will hate specific foods, and it is strange how they usually end up hating the foods that are best for health. Picky eating has been mostly related with children. They are the ones who throw the most tantrums about their foods. In most cases, these tantrums subside and children become more accepting of foods as they grow. If you have a child program eating at home, it will be a difficult time for you, but kee... more...