The post 10 Tips to Help Babies and Toddlers Happily Play appeared first on Character Ink.

So….if you are serious about helping your toddlers and preschoolers love books, learning, simple things, routine, and more, check out the links below!

Wondering Wednesday Video—“Creating a Love for Learning in Littles”

In this video, Donna gives specific tips on book baskets, activity tubs, reducing technology (and using it well), and more.

Room Time Activities Resource List

In this document, Donna details great products to use with toddlers and preschoolers—for Room Time activities and for to you do with your littles.

Timberdoodle

Great place to get age-appropriate “school kits.” Don’t let the homeschool kits aspect scare you. These are amazing kits of the best of the best put together for toddlers and preschoolers!

Creating a Love for Learning in Your Home

In this audio, Donna talks about love for learning in older children.

Turning High Need Preschoolers Into Darling Angels

In this audio, Donna talks about common preschool behavior problems and ways to handle them.

Preparing Your Preschooler to Learn to Read

In this audio, Donna teaches some strategies and habits that will help preschoolers be prepared to learn to read when the time comes.

Tips for Avoiding the Terrible Twos

In this video, Donna talks about strategies to use with your pre-two year old to avoid those “terrible twos” that people always talk about.

What to Do With a Wonderful One Year Old

In this audio series (two part), Donna talks about the amazing days of one year olds.

Jonathan’s Journal Blog Series

In this blog series, Donna uses her unpublished children’s book, Jonathan’s Journal, to detail a wonderful day it the life of a preschooler—teaching parents every hour of the day!
 

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The post Littles Love Learning appeared first on Character Ink.

 
Five Tips for Avoiding the Terrible Two’s!

(1) Discern between wants and needs prior to the twenty-four month mark

(2) Mean what you say (“Don’t say no unless you’ll go”)

(3) Don’t sweat the small stuff—discerning between truly bad behaviors (behavior absolutes) and childishness

(4) Provide consistency

(5) Tell, don’t ask (unless it’s okay if the child disobeys or doesn’t listen).

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The post [Video] Five Tips for Avoiding The Terrible Twos appeared first on Character Ink.

This is a special episode as the question came from a young mama who was a student of mine several years ago in language arts and writing classes. When I get a parenting or homeschooling question from a former student, I run, not walk, to get it answered for them. It brings me such joy to have helped these students with language arts, writing, speech, or debate—and now to help them with parenting.

Here is the YouTube description of this week’s episode. Feel free to pass it on to a friend! 🙂

“In this video, Donna Reish of Character Ink Press, Plexus to Feel Great, and Donna Reish.com, answers a reader’s question about bedtime with toddlers. Donna addresses two foundational beliefs/practices for parents—not rushing into the next stage too quickly for each child and fulfilling your parent responsibilities in each situation that you are trying to remedy or improve in your home. Then Donna moves into the exact steps that can be used to correct/improve toddler’s bedtime behaviors. Donna and her husband have raised seven children, ages eighteen to thirty-four, and have homeschooled all of them for over thirty years. Donna has written seventy language arts and writing books and dozens of parenting downloadable products.”

Love and hope,
Donna

The post [Video] Toddlers & Bedtime appeared first on Character Ink.

This is funny….but you know this wise old mama of seven has to give advice to counteract:

(1) Tell, don’t ask. If you ask, expect and accept a no. You did ask, after all.

(2) Teach toddler to only say no to danger or people trying to harm him. Teach him to answer you yes after you’ve explained while making eye contact.

(3) Don’t use distractions (except for babies). Dressing is what humans do each day.

(4) Never permit any physical harm. He should never hit, bite, head butt, or harm another. (Getting rid of those behaviors is why we used cribs for a long time…toddlers who harm others should be separated for a bit.)

(5) Don’t give too many choices. “Today we are playing in the park so it’s play jeans and old tennies, but which play shirt do you want.”

(6) Don’t be afraid to explain things. That is how they learn and keep from getting frustrated. Just don’t let your explanation become a debate.

(7) Don’t let child run from you. Running is for playing. Again, use crib for runners.

I know it’s not easy…but it’s also not as hard as we make it. ?

The post How to Dress a Toddler appeared first on Character Ink.

Welcome to another episode of Wondering Wednesday! We have been recording our Kelowna, BC convention sessions for you for upcoming Wondering Wednesday sessions, but we are swamped with preparations, so we will have those for you in coming weeks!

In the meantime, spring is the perfect time to start collecting activities, toys, and books for room time with your littles, so this week’s WW is a re-run of the podcast about Room Time.

 

 
Here are the details:

“Donna Reish, writer, speaker, and teacher at Character Ink Press and Raising Kids With Character blog and seminar, brings this Wondering Wednesday podcast about utilizing room time with toddlers and preschoolers. In this episode, Donna describes the benefits of room time, how to begin this daily, potential problems and solutions, and ideas for activities to use for room time. She also explains the importance of utilizing this opportunity to increase focusing skills, Independence, creativity, resourcefulness, and attentiveness.”

Love me some littles! Teach them to obey and be content—and you will enjoy this age so much more!

Love and hope,
Donna

Download the podcast notes here.

Listen to previous podcasts here.

The post [Podcast Rerun] Room Time With Toddlers & Preschoolers appeared first on Character Ink.

*Learning From Workshops—as easy as ABC…making the changes you want in your home a little at a time

I. Five W’s and H of Character Building

A. Why–

1. Deuteronomy 6: 6 and 7: 6 “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

2. Make disciples….”bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

B. Where—everywhere we are with our kids

C. When—all the time!

D. Who—you—once it is in your heart first!

E. What—Biblical teaching, Christian living, character, faith!

F. How

1. Through a fairly predictable schedule

2. With intentionality—not letting these years pass by

3. By prioritizing—that reaching your children’s hearts for the Lord will be of top priority to you

4. Relationally

5. Through Biblical parenting

II. Toddler Tips

A. Adapt toddler to your schedule and family’s lifestyle

B. Set the stage for his future tastes

1. Defiance vs. submission

2. Selflessness/meanness vs. kindness/gentleness

3. Hyper-stimulation/activity vs. simple things

4. Lack of focus/not enjoying learning vs. love for learning

C. Decide ahead of time what your behavior absolutes will be

1. Behaviors absolutes are those behaviors that your family will not permit in your home

2. Ours—talking back, saying no, lying/deceit, temper tantrums, striking

D. Start teaching the joy of doing what is right

E. Develop predictable routines—block schedules (not minute by minute)

III. Times and Places to Teach Faith and Character

A. When you rise up

1. Character building chore times
2. Family devotions or devotions with Mom
3. “Morning read aloud”
4. Schedules/daily disciplines
5. Snuggle, rock, and read
6. Schedules that put God first in your home

B. When you sit in your house

1. Story time
2. Organization/upkeep
3. Discussion
4. Questions
5. Listening together
6. Parenthetical Parenting
7. Expectation Explanations
8. Teaching like Jesus
9. Reading together
10. Games
11. Prioritizing “sitting together in your house”
12. “Good report” time
13. Songs/sayings to build relationshiips
14. Family worship

C. When you walk by the way
1. “Who has shoes on?”
2. As you drive down the road
3. “Who had good character?”
4. Daddy talks
5. Meal times
6. Car talks
7. Twalks
8. Terrific Tuesdays and Wonderful Wednesdays
9. Movie and book talks
10. Teachable moments
11. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks
12. Listen more than you talk
13. Singing together

D. When you lie down

1. Malachi time
2. Bible talks
3. Bedtime stories
4. Tying heartstrings
5.The eyes are the windows to the soul
6. Taking the time needed at bedtime (requires great bedtime training prior to this)

Listen to the podcast here:

Links to Podcasts

Age Appropriate Chores

Ways to Spend More Time With Your Kids

Utilizing Room Time With Toddlers and Preschoolers

Turning High Need Preschoolers Into the Darling Angels They Were Meant to Be

Solving Common Preschool Behavior Problems

What to Do With a Kindergartener

How to Prepare Your Child to Learn to Read

What to Do with Toddler Troubles

Wonderful One Year Olds Part I

Wonderful One Year Olds Part II

Storytime Questions and Answers

Using Audios With Children

The post Podcast Notes for “Faith & Character Building for Littles appeared first on Character Ink.

Welcome to Part II of II about story time. I have been answering questions for some young moms, and these posts are those answers. (You can read part one here.)

Before I dig in to the rest of my answers, I want to give you my podcasts that have references or even more answers about story time and structuring your toddler’s and preschooler’s days over all:
 
(1) Room Time
(2) Turning Preschoolers into the Darling Angels They Were Meant to Be
(3) Solving Common Preschooler Behavior Problems
(4) What Should I Do With a Kindergartener?
(5) How Do I Prepare My Child to Learn to Read?
(6) Summer Reading Help
(7) Toddler Troubles
(8) Story Time

(1) If your two year old isn’t ready even for the easy part of story time, I would do the short story time alone with the two year old and one year old.

I mentioned earlier that a “private story time” in Mama’s rocking chair for toddlers (twelve to twenty months, usually) was the beginning of weaning for my littles. Basically, I replaced a nursing with stories, songs, and rhymes. And yes, it was absolutely wonderful and blissful. Enjoy every moment, young mamas!

(2) If the two year old is ready, but the only problem is interrupting too often with questions, I would consider any of the following ideas:

a. Let him choose the first book and tell him this is his “question book.” For this book only, we can stop a lot, answer questions, etc. (Oh…those interactive books that the two year olds had to do everything to…..brutal!) This is his story, and you can use it as a quality teaching time for him.

b. For the rest of the books that he stays for, tell him he can have one “excuse me.” This is one time that he can have you flip back, answer a question, etc.

c. Let him take the books that he has the most questions or that you know he wants to know more about to bed with him—and tell him after his nap he can bring the book to you for more questions.

d. If he can’t do the one “excuse me,” just let him be interactive on the first book only until he can handle it. (Always match privilege with responsibility in all aspects of parenting.)

(3) While you are trying to find what is comfortable for your family, always keep in mind the olders.

Don’t let story time turn into something they dread or something that they do not benefit from by letting littles (even though they are amazing and sweet) monopolize it.

The trickle down effect of what you teach and do with your olders is astonishing. Toddlers who run the home (or even run story time!) can really disrupt this process.

So definitely spend lots of time with your littles; love them; read, rock, sing, and play. But do not let them take over unit study times, story times, etc., and detract consistently from what you are doing with your olders.

Hope this helps!

I have to end with a cute story time story.

When Joshua (our oldest) was around ten, he decided that he was too old for story time. (They never outgrew unit studies but eventually did story time.) So on the day he decided to not come to story time, I was lying in bed with four other littles reading away when I heard a noise in the hallway. He was sitting on the floor in the hallway listening. I told him he could join us, but he said he was just resting. Next thing I knew, he was sitting in the doorway. Then on the floor beside the bed. The, of course, across the foot of the bed! The next day he joined us for quite some time thereafter! 🙂

The post Story Time Questions and Answers Part II of II: Story Time With Toddlers appeared first on Character Ink.

Pin this chore list on Pinterest!

Click here to buy colorful, printable chore lists for toddlers through tweens.

If you want more chores, efficiency, and organization help, check out the podcast episodes listed here.

The post Age Appropriate Chores for Toddlers appeared first on Character Ink.

We would love to come to your area with our Homeschooling With Character parenting seminar. This seminar is flexible to meet the needs of homeschool groups everywhere. Here are some details for you:

1. The seminar can be sponsored by a church, Sunday school, small group, community, homeschool group, support group, field trip group, state homeschool organization, etc. It is for any group of homeschoolers who want to learn about character-focused parenting from birth to tweens—with a special emphasis on the homeschooling lifestyle. (See our tween and teen workshop list here.)

Note: We also offer our Raising Kids With Character seminar, which has many of the same sessions but does not focus on homeschooling families only. It addresses Christian parenting regardless of schooling scenarios. Many homeschooling groups sponsor that seminar so that they can invite their non-homeschooling friends as well. (Another option is to offer the Raising Kids With Character seminar but Friday during the day (or Thursday evening) have us present homeschooling workshops only (such as writing or managing your homeschool day or any of our sixty-plus homeschooling workshops.)

2. It is flexible. We can accommodate most schedules, including a shorter seminar (Friday night and Saturday morning) or a longer one (Friday night and all day Saturday) or even an extended one if Moms would like to do some efficiency, organizing, or “baby/toddler” things or other homeschooling topics during the day on Friday (my personal favorite because in this arrangement I get to talk to more moms!).

3. It is inexpensive. This is our ministry. Our book sales and cottage classes are for-profit, but these seminars are our “mission field.” We don’t need to make money—we just need to be able to pay our expenses and sell some of our products on tables. Easy peasy. That means that parents will not have to pay a lot to attend (though we do recommend charging something so parents commit to it).

4. The registrations can be set up in multiple ways: (1) Your group can handle the registrations and pay our expenses with your “per person” charge; (2) We can handle the registrations fully on our end; (3) Your group can handle the registrations but scholarship your people and have your group pay our expenses.

5. We are always asked about a minimum number of attendees. We love to speak to hundreds at homeschool conventions, and we would love to get our parenting messages out there to hundreds as well. However, we can usually hold a seminar for as few as thirty attendees.

Click below to see lists of topics that we speak on at our seminars, and contact us here to set one up!

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