Parenting tips from a real dad

Nifty Parenting Ideas

Give your child a gift certificate for your time

I never feel like I spend enough time with my son so I thought this idea would help me not only spend more time but remember that sometimes what he wants to do is not what I think will be fun. Here's a neat discovery. 9 times out of 10 what he really wants to do is to just be with me and play cars. Nothing fancy at all.

Think your child has great self-esteem? Maybe not.

Check out this course especially if your child is over 4 years old. If you think pre-school is too young for your child to understand these concepts just give it a try. You might be surprised.

Boys need regular doses of action to focus on school

This study came out last year but I just came across it. In a nutshell boys need 5 to 10-minute bursts of vigorous activity, such as skipping or running, several times a day to help them settle enough to focus on learning. I have found that this also applies to activities at home such as music practice, reading, or even eating dinner. Help your son out. Five minutes is all it takes.

Rain Gutter Shelving

This is a neat idea to help your kids find a book. If they can see the cover they are more likely to grab it.

Start a Toy Library in Your Community

Are your kids tired of their toys? Do you fear that buying your kids more and more will make them greedy little monsters with a minuscule attention span? Then help organize a toy lending library. Even if you did this among a few families, the kids would still get a lot out of it. You would too.