Today when there are so many sedentary temptations like the television and an endless variety of computer games, it’s good for parents to encourage an activity like exercise that can combat possible health problems like weight gain, heart disease and diabetes that might occur later on in their lives. And it’s never too early to begin introducing them to good habits that can last a lifetime.

Make exercise a natural and integral part of your daily routine. You can actually start when they are babies by taking them out for your run while they’re in their stroller. As your child gets older, he or she can “help” you while you pull weeds in the garden, shovel the pathway, fold laundry or do the vacuuming. Go for daily walks or jogs as a family or alternate between “mom” and “dad” physical activity outings. Plan regular outdoor activities like hiking, camping or swimming.

As toddlers and children a little older, movement comes naturally to them. Make sure that birthday and holiday gifts include an even mix of “sit down” toys such as board games, dolls, dollhouses, train tables or racing car sets and presents that encourage movement, like balls, jump ropes, rollerblades, ice skates and dancing games.

Expose them to as many group or team oriented physical activities and sports as time and budget allows. Many community centers offer quality, low-cost dance and sports programs for young children, tweens and teens. Even when they’re babies, parents can join mom/dad-and-me programs that involve swimming, other kinds of water sports or some type of dancing.

Incorporate sports and physical activities into your family’s method of rewards. When celebrating a birthday, milestone or other family occasion, plan a special trip to a paintball park, a water park or even the zoo, since there will be a lot of walking around to see all of the animals. A trip to a rock climbing wall or a day at the amusement park can be a reward for good behavior or an incentive for doing chores, keeping their room clean or getting good grades.

Making exercise a fun activity that is a part, not separate from, your lifestyle will go a long way to encouraging habits that will keep them healthy and active for all their lives.

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Post tags: active children, bouncers, child health, kid's activities, playhouses, trampolines

        

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The Artist

Bring out your child’s inner Klee or Picasso with a table designed to hold plenty of paint brushes, pencil crayons and other neat stuff. The tabletop of the Alex Toys Super Art Table encourages creativity with its chalkboard surface and built-in paper roll. Add a bookcase to the space with at least one or two shelves filled with baskets for arts and crafts supplies and recyclable materials like newspapers (for papier mache) and magazines (for collages and other projects). 

The Writer

The writer is a dreamer, but also a doer and the desk for the little writer in your life should inspire great works or at least a four-page story. For a girl author, pick a writing desk that Charles Dickens might have sat at to pen A Christmas Carol; something with flourishes and curvy lines. For a boy author, select something similar with fewer decorative details. Make sure to include drawers or cubbies for pencils, pens and paper. And when they get older, a writing desk is also a great place for a laptop. 

The Life of the Party 

The life of the party is the child that draws people in. They tend to travel in a group; have fun is a group; and work/play/create in a group. When they go off to college, they will be the ones who will draw up a group study schedule in preparation for the big exam. If your child is so inclined, give him or her room at the table to share with friends. A picnic style table would provide perfect workspace for several young children to work on crafts together.

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Post tags: art table, bookcase, desk, table

        

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Start by asking them what they want for Christmas. Make a list or if they are old enough, let them write it down themselves. Arrange the wish list in order of priorities. To weed out TV commercial-driven wants from genuine wish list wants, listen carefully. If kids keep repeating the same item over and over, then it’s most likely something they really would like as opposed to being TV-inspired.

While technology is constantly changing, wooden toys like train sets or train tables, dollhouses and rocking horses will never go out of style. Building blocks are another classic that will keep the boy or girl on your Christmas list busy for hours at a time. Another timeless gift idea is the traditional kitchen set – children like to pretend that they can cook in the kitchen just like an adult!

And for really keeping them entertained (while entertaining you), you can’t beat a musical instrument. This is the perfect age to help them discover their inner musician: children love sounds and to experiment with them. Give them a toy piano, a toy guitar or a something rattly and shaky like a percussive music table or drum kit they can really play.

Other handy tips for buying Christmas gifts for children 3 and up include:

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With mom’s permission, I’m featuring my friend Lisa’s children in last year’s Halloween costumes. Her daughter Louisa wanted to go as Nancy Drew. It was incredibly simple to make. The entire costume was comprised from a coat from her closet, a magnifying glass she had and her mother’s attaché case.

Bobby wanted to go as a school bus. The bus was a cardboard box painted yellow and decorated with poster board for the wheels, tart tins for headlights and bungee cords for straps.

The year before, Louisa went as a woodlands nymph. Lisa took an old white dress that she found at a nearby thrift shop and bought a few plastic flowers at a dollar store. She took apart the flowers and glued them onto the dress. For the crowning touch, Lisa bought a vine (again, from the dollar store) and wrapped it around her head, pinning it in place with bobby pins. The costume cost just under $6.00 to make.

This year Louisa is going as Abby, the forensics lab technician from NCIS. While it might seem a little unusual for an 11 year-old to dress up as a Goth lab tech, Louisa loves this character from her mother’s favorite TV show. Lisa is going to assemble the costume from black lace gloves she has from the 80s, one of her white blouses and a black skirt. Add black nail polish, black lipstick and black hair spray (which will wash out) and voilá! Mission accomplished. Oh wait! Can’t forget Abby’s signature studded choker necklace – a trip to the dollar store for a black studded dog collar will be the perfect solution.

This year Bobby is going to be an airplane. Here are the instructions for making Lisa’s airplane costume.

• Find a long or rectangular (not square) cardboard box
• Cut off all of the flaps – save the pieces
• Cut on of the end panels off of the box – save it as well
• Tape the two side panels together so that they form a point
• Cut the leftover front flaps into long strips for the propeller
• Cross them. Use lots of tape, securely attaching one on top of the other. Attach the propellers to the front
• Cut the back panel so that it has a curve on one side
• Cut a slit in the back of the ‘plane’ body
• Slide your curved piece of cardboard into the slit on the smooth side
• Using the leftover side panels draw and cut the wings, leaving an inch to fold up and tape into place on your body
• Once everything is in place, cover the entire body, excluding the propeller with paper or paint
• Let the glue or paint dry for 24 hours!
• Paint the propeller
• Decorate the plane with stickers, markers, leftover bits, etc.
• Attach bungee cords for straps. One cord for each strap – longer ones for older children

The possibilities are endless – just open up your closet and let your imagination run free – with a little help from your kids. Thanks Lisa for sharing your tips and insights.

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Post tags: black costumes, children's costumes, diy halloween costumes, halloween costumes, make halloween costumes, nancy drew, scary halloween costumes

        

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If you want to encourage your children to use their active imagination and develop their thinking & social skills, support play time with kids toys! If you’re tired of watching them sit in front of the TV for hours, a new toy that they’ll be excited about will inspire play time instead of TV time.

Here are some fun, special, and exciting examples of toys, puzzles and games that your children will love to play with again and again!

Standing tall at 51 inches high, the KidKraft Savannah Dollhouse will instantly be adored by your little girl. The Savannah dollhouse features three levels and six rooms for tons of space, and it accommodates any dolls that your daughter owns less than 11.5 inches in height.

Boys and girls alike will both enjoy playing in their own kitchen, such as the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Play Kitchen Center. It features a stove, fridge/freezer, oven, microwave, and a sink, so your children can pretend they’re cooking a meal of their very own.

To complete the kitchen, they’ll need play food, like the KidKraft Birthday Play Cake. It’s actually a puzzle and has 22 pieces to help your child develop their puzzle-solving skills.

There’s also the wooden Melissa & Doug Pizza Party Set, with approximately 50 pieces, allowing your child to customize their pizza’s toppings.

Get your kids to have fun climbing and crawling outdoors with the Early Childhood Resources Feber Outdoor or Indoor Activity Train Climber Toys. You can even bring it inside when the weather is poor outside! It will resist warping and fading when left in the sun, and it’s non-toxic for your child’s safety.

Encourage your child’s artistic development with an easel, such as the Pkolino Multi-Use Art Easel.

This particular easel can be used in many different ways – a regular easel, a chalkboard, a whiteboard, or even a puppet theatre! You’ll need paint supplies to accompany the easel, so check out the Melissa & Doug Easel Companion Set. It comes with poster paint, spill-proof paint cups, paintbrushes, easel paper, rainbow chalk, and a dry erase marker and eraser.

At 56 inches in height, the Melissa & Doug Giraffe Plush Stuffed Animal is so lifelike, your child will think it’s playing with a real giraffe! It’s built to be extra strong, but is also super soft and huggable, so your son or daughter will never want to let it go!

The KidKraft Ride Around Town Train Set actually comes with its own table to help bring your child’s playtime off the floor and at eye level. This wonderful wooden train set comes with approximately 100 pieces, including tracks, figures, foliage, and even a bridge piece. It also comes with two storage bins that go on either side of the table to keep the set organized when disassembled.

When your child places the correct piece in the right slot, the Melissa & Doug Musical Instruments Sound Wooden Puzzle plays sounds, encouraging your children to continue! Help them learn about the musical instruments and the sounds they make with this audio puzzle from Melissa & Doug.

If you really want to give your children a great play place, the Blast Zone The Crocodile Isle Inflatable Kids Outdoor Water Park & Slide Bouncer is the ultimate in fun. It helps beat the heat in the summer with its built in pool, and gets your children exercising with the step ladder up to the two slides (where two kids can race each other to the bottom!). It inflates in seconds and comes with a handy carrying case for travel and storage purposes.  

Emily Baby Furniture & Design Guide

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Post tags: Climber Toys, Girls Dollhouse, Kidkraft Train Set, Kids Toys, Play Kitchens, Sound Puzzle, Stuffed Giraffe

        

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