Curious children

 

Toddlers are super curious and interested in everything around them.

They do also think they are the center of it all. They learn by experiencing their world and through play.  They should be allowed to interact in a safe way with their surroundings.  For example, when they are outside they should be free to explore but not among dangerous plants or terrain. At a playground, they should be limited to the structures for their age range. Inside, their play areas should be safe, and any objects left for them to play with should not be breakable or toxic.  Toddlers love to touch and can learn by feeling all different textures. This works well with items around the house such as fabrics, woods, metals, foods, etc.  Toddlers also learn through imitation. It is very important to speak to them often using the correct words for all of the things that they see and do. Reading aloud to toddlers also is very important in the development of their speech and will help them become good readers and writers in the future. They love to see different facial expressions and to play peek-a-boo.  Toddlers should also spend time with other toddlers. These ‘play dates’ should be highly supervised. Although the toddlers may just be doing side-by-side play, they are learning to use their imagination and develop appropriate social skills.  Most importantly, toddlers learn love by spending quality time with their families. Practicing manners and family traditions and routines lays an important foundation for developing a well adjusted child. 

Toddler brain development

 

I cannot stress this enough...

Teaching toddlers takes A Lot of patience.  I think that their brains are moving way too fast to slow down and take in what you are trying to teach them! It is not impossible to teach them new things, but again, it takes patience. I remember just watching my kids play at ages 2 or 3, and the imagination that they had at such a young ages really surprised me. Sometimes a child will just decide that they are ready for something, and you are not even aware that they are going to do that something new until they do it on their own.  One day they could be afraid to be in their room alone, and the next day their they are, in that room digging everything out of a toy box, and sitting in the box pretending to be driving a car!  You just never know what a small child will or won't do, and that is the fun of it...the unexpected! I guess the easiest way to teach a toddler whatever it is that you want them to know is just to get their attention, and do whatever it is that you want to learn.  Children often "mimic" what other people do. It may or may not work the first time they are shown, but keep repeating it and one day they will do whatever it is on their own, and you will be able to move on to something new!  Don't forget a two or three year old brain is just like your kitchen sponge. It is soaking up all that information you are showing, books, and the T.V. and all the other people that are everywhere you take them. 

Is your child at risk of being illiterate?

 At what age can you start teaching a child to read?

When they're babies? At 2 years old, 3, 4, or 5 years old, or wait until they're in school?

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress,

If you delay your child's reading skill development until he or she enters school, you are putting your child at risk...

Did you know that 67% of all Grade 4 students cannot read at a proficient level!

Of that 67%, 33% read at just the BASIC level,

And 34% CANNOT even achieve reading abilities of the lowest basic level!

There is a super simple and extremely effective system that will even teach 2 and 3 year old children to read.

This is a unique reading program developed by a loving parent and English teacher of 14 years, who successfully taught all of her children to read before turning 3 years old.

The reading system she developed is so effective that by the time her daughter was just 4 years old, she was already reading at a grade 3 level.

She has a video to prove it...

Click Here to check it out now!

How much patience does it take?

 

Patience, patience, patience

Teaching kids requires an enormous amount of patience. I have also learned that you have to show young children tenderness because they are very sensitive. You too have to be sensitive and energetic to keep the child's attention. Another factor to teaching kids is making the learning experience fun. I think another key factor in teaching children is you have to have rewards for good work done. I love positive reinforcement!!!  Make sure whatever subject your introducing them to has very abstract colorful learning tools so its exciting for the kid or should I say toddler. The reason I think teachers of toddlers should have a lot of patience is because toddlers have very short attention span. So it may take some time to get the small children to focus.  When dealing with this type of behavior it can sometime be very frustrating but we must remember we are dealing with small children that might not yet grasp the full concept of what you are presenting to them.  That's when the tenderness comes in you have to let them know its alright if they seem to struggle at first just have a little patience and they will slowly start to pick it up. Just remember to keep encouraging them.  Some ways to make the learning experience fun are to turn the lesson into a game and incorporate prizes.

Toddlers are full time jobs

 Teaching toddlers is like having a full-time job. It takes a lot of patience and determination to be an effective teacher at any level.

  In my experiences with toddlers a lot of repetitive examples and hands on demonstration seems to be extremely beneficial. Also rewarding for correct information recall of taught information will help reinforce the curriculum.  A lot of the production relies on you the teacher though too. Having the patience to teach things that are routine to you as the teacher is essential to the toddler being able to comprehend the information being taught. Interacting with children of similar ages will also be a good forum of learning among peers.  Comprehensive television programming is a good idea as well during down time so that learning is still being cultivated. Good examples of this would be Super Why, Signing Time, other shows geared towards youth learning.  

Helping your toddler gain knowledge

 Teaching toddlers can be fun and the best teachers find that toddlers will teach them as much or more than they are able to teach the toddler. We teach our toddlers basic academic information, such as shapes colors and counting, but one of my favorite learning activities is when I focus on enhancing what they are naturally discovering anyway. 

 The most important things they need to learn are that they are wonderful and loved. They need to know that their thoughts and questions are important and meaningful. That means putting down the electronics, and giving our little ones face time. They must learn that grownups are kind and available. It also means spending time. Not just a few minutes a day.   In order to be available when they need to learn, we need to available and aware as much as possible. A great way to teach our toddlers well, is to let them “help” us. Treat your children, no matter their age as assets. That means giving responsibility. Even a walking child can get things and help with small tasks.  Finally, teach toddlers to enjoy the world around them. This can be organized or spontaneous. But teach them about the beauty of nature, the amazing way things work, and the ways that they can move and use their bodies. Creating these foundations will help toddlers learn what they need easily and successfully throughout their live.

Children and mannerism

 Teaching manners is not an easy job.

 It is very difficult job and it is very important because it will be a life long lesson. It can be done in a step by step manner.  Let us begin with two or three small words like “thank you”, “sorry”. While teaching these types of words, we can also use signs along with this so that children can remember in an easy manner. One thing to remember that once you introduce manners, just continue to practice it while you introduce other words and manners.  It will be a difficult task and it takes time, but the young ones are smart enough to catch it. An important thing to remember is that parents and the elder ones are the mirror for children. Be a role model good listening by showing that you are listening your child by imitating and reflecting what your child says.  They will imitate whatever they saw. So always remember to behave properly in front of little ones. Must have very patience while teaching a toddler. It is very nice that instead of ordering, try to make choice for them. Always limit the use of directions and questions. Use positive terms that tell your child what to do. Use games and playful language to teach your child to listen. A child resistant behavior cannot be change in an easy manner. Responding harshly or with criticism only make their behavior worse. The only thing we can do is be calm and try to understand in that way they can understand.  

Patience

 Patience is a virtue that can be instilled in children. Patience teaches children the value of delaying gratification, a skill necessary for maturity. Patience can help develop the ability to think through and resolve problems; it can counteract impulsively acting out behaviors. 

 The value of patience lies in its ability to lead to inner calm and emotional strength of character. Teaching patience by example helps children learn resilience, self containment, and the ability to self soothe. These are qualities needed for emotional maturity.  General Tips for Parents on Teaching Patience to Children: 

1. Teach by modeling.
2. Refrain from snapping impatiently at your children. 
3. Use "no-shaming" techniques to help your child understand that she or he may need to wait or take some time before a need is addressed or request is fulfilled. 
4. Take time to look at the child and listen carefully when she is talking to you. 

 Giving your attention even when you are distracted or busy shows the quality of patience more clearly than words can explain it. Good luck and feel free to leave comments about if it works for you or not. Thanks all!

To lie or not...

 So Christmas is coming up and I used to battle with if I should tell my children the kid version of Santa Clause, that he was a friendly man that gave gifts to needy etc.

After Christmas is Easter so do I tell them about this Easter Bunny.

Well lets be honest I have already told them that Santa Clause was a very giving man but in no way shape or form is he coming to our house to bring gifts. I tell her that people really close to her that loves her bought or made her a bunch of gifts. But now we celebrate Kwanzaa, 7 days of celebration and principals! Simple and no need to lie!

And the same with the Easter Bunny I mean they don't even lay eggs 😂 

But my whole thing is why teach our children not to lie and remain honest, when we are doing all of the lying to them?

We lie about Santa Clause, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy, and so much other things, I will not lie to my child.

In my years I have seen many children heartbroken when they find out none of these characters are real. They cry, they have nightmares and it's sad that we as parents allow things like this to hurt our children.

So stay honest 

I'm still a proud mommy

 So my biggest thing with my daughter is spelling, words, sentences etc. Anything that has to do with letters of the alphabet I work on with her everyday.

I usually give my daughter work in every area every day but today I tried a different approach.

I made her do a little writing, and word practice, and set up a spelling test for her to take.

Please keep in mind that my daughter, M'kylee (pronounced mah-ky-lee) was 3 years of age when the photo was taken.

The proof is in the pudding...
That being said check out a pic of her spelling test and results below!

She got 27 out of 30 words right!

Now she's 11 enter 7th grade next month! 

I am definitely a proud mommy, she amaze me in a different way every day. Stay smart baby!

Knowledge is Power.

Children do this...

 So my daughter entered this scream and cry stage at about 3.

 If she did something and I sent her to time out, she sits there and scream "NO!"

Arrgh, what was this new thing?

I didn't like it at all, and it freaked me out every time because she would do it differently.

What actually made it worse is that she started to do this in front of visitors, and it was kind of embarrassing.

But a thinking mommy always came up with a good idea.

What did I start doing, since shes' began this screaming and "NO!" 

Well, I started sitting her in a quiet room with a book and tell her to read. She loved looking for words she knew, so she actually enjoyed her reading time spurts. Instead of time-out, with no progress I get her to calm down and to read at one time. After she read, we acknowledge her behavior and I tell her why/how what she did was no good and how we can do better for next time.

Amazing thinking on my behalf to switch it up a bit, but I'm sure there's much more to come.

So at least I'm thinking of new ways of discipline (teach). Yay smart momma!

Grieving a mother and a grandmother

 Trigger warning...

Please go easy on me, I've only opened up to those in my close circle about what I'm going through. 

So October 15, 2020 my grandmother passed away. Someone we thought we could trust have her something that could've been fatal and contributed to her death. 

We my mother and I cut this person off. Early July 2021 this person shows up being friendly with my mom, being really nice, and then the unimaginable happened. Just 3 short weeks of this person coming back around my mother was pronounced dead July 31,2021. Just 5 days before she passed her house was entered and her stuff thrown all over. We know who it was. The lady had an extra key to her house so she kept her out while her son or someone she trusted went in my mom's house. 

The person claims that My mother passed the same way my grandmother did 9 months before. 

Coincidence 1: she claim they died the same way.

Coincidence 2: asked my mom to take out insurance (I spoke with Gerber life and their term Life Insurance starts 24 hours after approval and payment.

Coincidence 3: 9 months apart And she Just Happen to be there both times.

Coincidence 4: same cop that attended my grandmother was there again.

Call me paranoid but I have way more proof not just speculation. Nobody has taken me seriously, I've also spoken to medical examiners, her doctors and the 2 of the top detectives in my city. 

So to my loyal readers I ask if you have any advice you can offer or would like to assist in get justice for my mom and grandmother I ask that you inbox Me please.  mmartin773@yahoo.com 

Thanks so much! 

On another note I've been trying to grieve but knowing that a possible murderer is out there just didn't sit right with me. I have children and just do not have the time to not be alright. I love and miss them daily. I just want justice. 

UntilNext time

A wise lady...

 So my aunt was talking to me and she said "why don't you share the things you are doing with your children?"

I mean I would love to share what I do with them and how they're progressing but how.?

So she began telling me that I am an expert because I do these things every day.

Duh, why didn't I think of that? I mean really, an expert is someone that knows a lot about one or more topics.

That's Me!

I am an expert in being a mother because I am a mother everyday.
I am an expert in teaching a baby/ toddler sign language because I have done it for 11 years now.
I am an expert in teaching a toddler abc's, 123's, basic addition, reading, matching, spelling etc because that's just what I do.

I know what I want to teach my children and so I do it.

I practice it everyday to get better.


And guess what? Now I share what I do with them, how and why.

Yay me, I am a new found expert. I mean 15 and a half years, I think I am more than just an expert. I have the experience and I have been through  trial and error.

So take your passion and you can be doing and living off of what you love to do. Like me!

Am I the Breastfeeding Queen...

This is the topic that I actually get a lot of buzz about, and my most talked about topic on my blog. 

Why because I am still nursing my 16 month old. (1 year ago) I stopped tandem nursing my now 4 years old daughter and my now 2 years old son. 

And anyone who knows me know that I was and continue to be very motivated and head-strong about breastfeeding. I've breastfed all 5 of my biological children for at least a years and a half to 3 years of age. I do not forcefully ween them but it's like we both just know when we're done. 

There are so many benefits, I mean if more women were educated about breastfeeding then more women would do it.

Benefits of breastfeeding include:

• Promotes a healthy bond between mother and child
• Helps fight breast cancer
• Helps your uterus snap back in shape (thus allowing your body to get rid of some unwanted weight
• It carries all of the proteins and vitamins, and pro-biotics that helps keep your child healthy
• It has yet to be duplicated (cannot duplicate the best, that's why now they have breast milk donations) and honestly Cow milk is for Heifers.
• etc.

 Look it up, do your own research, do not take my word for it I am educated on breastfeeding.

Any who, I loved breastfeeding, and would do it forever but even the best of the best need a break.

It was kind of hard to stop with my oldest and when I did and my milk dried up my little Lee Lee said "Mommy lets go get milk out of the fridge." She made me laugh and it was hard explaining that it would not be that easy but she's coming around. However, right before I started weening her I did start feeling weird because she was tall for her to be 2 (she looked like a 3-4 year old) and she would be hanging off of my lap while she was breastfeeding so I think it was getting uncomfortable for the both of us. Just stop when you are ready do not let anyone pressure you to stop. The longer the better... I wanted to breastfeed her until she was like 4 but can you say WEIRD really loud. I did and realized that it was time.

She even use to say "mommy, may I have Tetas," and I just have to remind her that she is a big girl and that tetas are for babies.

Now all my children still love it and have never been a fan of cow milk. When they're sick besides elderberry they get a shot of breast milk, if nose is stuffy I get a medicine dropper and put a little milk in helps loosen up the mucous. 

There are many benefits plus I heard pro athletes have been buying it up to boost their performance. 

So please just remember All kids are Precious and breastfeeding is the best way! (I did not say the only way)

Before it was a trend...

I have been personally homeschooling for over 15 years.

Homeschool Benefits...

Why should allow my children to learn at home rather than send her to school?

Well, first of all, I don't have to wake them up early every morning and rush them off to school with umpteen numbers of
instructions, and wait with an anxious heart until she return.

Honestly homeschooling gives me more control over the influences that affect my daughter. I, and I alone can decide what they needs to do or learn. Tailoring
the curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the child is one of the most obvious benefits of homeschooling.

Individual attention is another salient benefit of homeschooling. My children can work on the subjects they need more help with, as long as they needs to.

The amount of time needed to learn each subject will depend on the abilities and interests of the child.

Field trips and experiments become family activities. Thus, the child receives more quality time with their parents. The
entire family shares games, chores and projects. Family closeness becomes the focus here. The child is also free of any negative peer pressure while making choices and decisions.


One of Our recent Field Trip was to the Railroad museum in Miami, FL. We all loved getting on the big trains and we even took a ride on one of the tour trains.

Competition is limited when it comes to homeschooling. My children does not need to prove their ability with regards to other children. Their confidence remains intact.

Learning becomes fun.

I also tailor the curriculum to
suit the learning style of each child based on age. For instance to get my 11 years old daughter to learn how to spell (examine) when she was a little younger. I had to write the word so she can become familiar with seeing it, then I would have to spell it and let her repeat me, then I would have to finger spell the word and then teach her the sign that goes with the word. Without me signing the word and finger spelling it just would not stick.

Homeschooling allows me to take control over their moral and religious learning. I have the flexibility to incorporate ideologies into the their curriculum.

There is no confusion in the their mind either because there is no variation between what is being taught and what is being practiced.

Lastly, more and more parents are getting disillusioned with the public school system. They believe that their children are being
pushed too hard or too little. Other worrying issues pertaining to
discipline and ethics also make the school system less welcome. Many
repudiate the educational philosophy of grouping children solely on the basis of their age. 

Some parents, myself included, have unhappy memories of their own public school experience that motivates them to opt for homeschooling when it comes to their own children. 

Homeschooling is the best way to teach a child if you have the time, the ability and the interest to follow through with his/her education. 

After all, nobody can understand or appreciate your child more than You.


But if you do not have the time and know of someone that is homeschooling their children, and would like your child to be involved then you can work with that person to teach your child. I will be posting some resources to help get started with homeschooling.


Good luck!


P.S. So that you may stay home and homeschool your child/children, Strong Future International can show you how to create an immediate supplemental income stream. Get started FREE... 

 CLICK HERE

Child driver?

 Well in Panama, FL a few years back a young nine year old little girl was very courageous.

Her father became sick while driving, and she bravely took over, while still in the back of the car, and rushed him to a nearby hospital.

Wow, this is amazing and I am just glad that she did not get into any accidents, because this story could have been a lot worse. 

One of my daughters have been learning since she was 9, for this very reason. I hope she was paying attention because momma might need her. 

Anyways, you can find out more about this little precious girl, Esteria Smith, and her story at: http://articles.mamaslatinas.com/inspiration/116812/amazing_9yearold_girl_takes_thee

Child prodigy

 Thessalonika Arzu-Embry, was a bright young home-schooled child until age 8, in which she excelled and received an equivalent of a high school diploma.

She was taught along with her brother, by her mother who is a Veteran in the U.S. Navy.

Now this young lady at just 14 years old graduated from Chicago State University with a 3.9 G.P.A. and a  Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. She's much older now but she gives me so much hope for all my children.

You may read more about her story anywhere on google, facebook, or http://www.atoast2wealth.com/2013/07/26/chicago-girl-to-graduate-college-with-a-3-9-gpa-at-age-14/


Great job Thessalonika Arzu-Embry!

Step (bonus) Parents

 Wow, what a touchy topic for me.

I have been a step-mother for about 7 years. It was hard in the beginning you know dealing with the awkwardness of being around another woman who had a relations with my boyfriend.

But over the years things have gotten better.

Do you know it took my oldest daughter about 4 years to tell me she loved me. That was because all she heard was negative things about me, from her mom. But as she spent more and more time with me she noticed I am a good person and love her and her sister.

That was a very special day for me, because i would kiss her and her sister goodnight and she would never say "I love you," back to me.

But I love them to life especially now since  we have bonded over the years and they have high respect for me and that makes me happy! I have a total of 7 precious kids now!

On that note I love you Brenaya, Senai, M'kylee, Makhari, M'kya, Cory, and Zahara! 😍❤️💯

Domestic Violence against children...

Trigger warning...

 This again, I went to the store and saw this young lady yank her child up by his shirt because he would not stop running in the store.

I mean really is all of that really necessary?

It's so sad, as an ex-abused child I could feel this little boy pain. He was already embarrassed because she was yelling and cursing at him but to yank him up he look shocked and hurt.

Whoo, as mentioned in a past post I am totally against hitting of any kind toward a child. I mean they are so innocent. And to me hitting is an unnecessary way to gain and maintain control.

I have control without the hitting. My daughter has her timeouts for anywhere between 1-5 minutes. Then before she is released from timeout she must acknowledge what she did, then apologize.

The catch to time out though for me is that wherever she acts out she goes in time out right then and there.

For instance, if we go to the Kmart and she acts up I give her 2 warnings and if she still does not listen then she will go in timeout right there where she is misbehaving.

On that note I am against hitting of any kind towards a child that cannot properly defend him/herself.

Quick thought...

 To baby talk or not to baby talk?

Personally, I recommend "No Baby Talk." Why because while baby talk is cute it will become very confusing.

What I mean by this is, you are an adult so how can you teach a baby, baby talk? They already speak baby talk and our job as parents is to teach them whatever language we want our child to know.

To me it just causes confusion. Baby voice okay but no baby talk please!

In my case we have never spoken baby talk to her and I wanted my child to know English, Spanish, and American Sign Language, and she does.

Signing may help your child...

 American Sign Language  employs signs made by moving the hands combined with facial expressions and postures of the body. 

I was flipping through the channels one day when my daughter was 7 months old and came across a show called "Signing Time."  My daughter and I watched it and the signs I learned that day I worked with her the entire day, over and over.

I did this continuously and by 13 months she showed me she could sign. Her first sign was  "all done!" 

Now of course in the beginning I was getting discouraged because she would not mimic me or anything. But that day she first signed was great, and very much unexpected. I felt a sense of relief, like yes, she was paying attention.

Anyways her signing definitely reduced her tantrums. 

Do you know why babies cry and throw tantrums?

This is due to lack of knowing how to communicate and get their point across.

If your baby could say "mom, may I have milk please," there would be no need to sit and cry and scream until you figured out your baby wanted milk. Right?!

Now she is 11 years old still watching Rachel, and she still loves it. She still watches the SigningTime dvd's every day as part of quality time with her younger siblings. Plus kids are full of energy why not teach them a hands on second language that will keep them moving.

Below is a video of my daughter before she could speak well, at about 21 months old signing.

Enjoy!