parenting Archives - KidCompanions Chewelry & SentioCHEWS

Why Reading and Re-reading Books to Babies Is Important

Why Reading and Re-reading Books to Babies Is Important

Children usually don’t start reading before the age of 5 or 6 because, until that age, most children have not yet formed certain neural connections that allow them to decode printed letters and then mentally combine them to make words.  However, awakening your child’s love of reading starts when he/she is an infant. Reading books to babies and re-reading the same books gives your infant a wonderful head start to many areas of his development.

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Coping with an Introverted Child by Ashley Hardway

Coping with an Introverted Child by Ashley Hardway

When our daughter was a toddler she was very outgoing and brave. She would talk to just about everyone and was not afraid to share her feelings. She had plenty of friends and did really well in school. I was so pleased because she seemed so very well rounded and she was thriving. But then things changed. Our daughter became what could be labelled as an introverted child.

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Friendship Circle’s 2014 Great Bike Giveaway for Kids with Special Needs

Friendship Circle’s 2014 Great Bike Giveaway for Kids with Special Needs

Friendship Circle has organized for the third consecutive year a Great Bike Giveaway for kids and young adults with special needs. This is a national contest (for folks in the US) giving away adaptive bikes to children with special needs. Friendship Circle is partnering with these bike companies to provide some of the best adaptive bikes to the children and young adults who need them most.

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Teaching Children the Importance of Volunteering: Activities for Nannies and Children

Teaching Children the Importance of Volunteering: Activities for Nannies and Children

As a primary caregiver, it is natural to want to raise a child who is focused on others and who has a sense of responsibility to society. Children, though, do not always naturally possess these traits, especially when living in a culture that caters to an “it’s all about me” ideology. Showing children how to be selfless versus simply telling them how to be selfless may be the key to unlocking the compassion within their hearts. As a nanny, you have the power to show children how to give of themselves through volunteering activities.

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The Benefits of Enrolling your Child in Swimming Lessons by Tamara Frank

The Benefits of Enrolling your Child in Swimming Lessons by Tamara Frank

Swimming is an important life skill that all children should learn early on. There are so many benefits in learning to swim, and your child will get pleasure from the ability throughout childhood and into adulthood. Not only is it great for their health, but it could one day save their life too. Whilst taking your child to the swimming pool yourself and encouraging them to learn, there are some things they will only learn in swimming classes, where they are taught to swim long distances, different strokes and even lifesaving skills.

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Ten Fun Fall and Winter Activities for Kids with Special Needs

Ten Fun Fall and Winter Activities for Kids with Special Needs

I love Fall and winter. There is just something about the holidays that makes me feel alive. There are so many fun activities and events in fall and winter that I just don’t know where to start. Every year my children and I have a blast coming up with new things to do during the holiday break. From playing in the leaves and the snow to hay rides and gift making we all stay very busy and happy this time of year. Here are a few of our favorite activities:

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Penelope Anne Cole: Author of Award Winning Children’s Books the Magical Series

Penelope Anne Cole: Author of Award Winning Children’s Books the Magical Series

Folks behind our Special Needs Blog are pleased to welcome award winning author, teacher, tutor and children’s book reviewer, Penelope Anne Cole.  We have reviewed two of her children’s books on our Special Needs Book Review site, Magical Matthew and the second one, Magical Mea. Also we have an awesome interview with her on that same site where she tells us about her first book and her first teaching jobs.

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Carol Gray Social Story App – StoryMaker™ for Social Stories with Pictures,Text and Audio

Carol Gray Social Story App – StoryMaker™ for Social Stories with Pictures,Text and Audio

Folks behind our Special Needs Blog thank Carol Gray for informing us of StoryMaker™, the app for creating and presenting Social Stories™. StoryMaker is an app from HandHold Adaptive® and it includes exclusive content from Carol Gray, creator of the Social Stories methodology. The app is designed to help parents, educators and clinicians and is designed for an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. The following press release from HandHold Adaptive tells you the complete story.

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Public Libraries a Free Resource for People of Any Age

Public Libraries a Free Resource for People of Any Age

Parents are constantly searching for the next best thing for their children. Many would fight tooth and nail to have access to a free facility open almost every day of the year that offers free enrichment programs and resources for all age groups. They would advocate to be allowed to take home the resource material and be able to use the on-site, cutting-edge technology. They would line up to enroll their children in the homework help programs, craft programs and music and story appreciation sessions. Yes, support groups would spring up to sponsor and clamor for such sought after resource centers. Well, parents, you already have this next best thing…it is your local, public library.

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Learn to Have Fun with Your Senses, The Sensory Avoider’s Survival Guide by John Taylor, PhD

Learn to Have Fun with Your Senses, The Sensory Avoider’s Survival Guide by John Taylor, PhD

When I read a book intending to write a review afterwards, I jot down page numbers and interesting points to reread before writing. When I finished reading Learn to Have Fun with Your Senses: The Sensory Avoider’s Survival Guide by John Taylor, PhD  my notes stopped after the first chapter. Why? Like being free in a candy room, I could not choose because all was important, informative and immediately beneficial to families coping with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). This amazing book is for kids, tweens, or teens who are sensory avoiders and their parents or other caregivers.

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