| Children and Kids articles catalog |
Your Child?s Self-Esteem is in The Cards - By Susan HowsonResearch has shown that the present generation of Kids worldwide is demonstrating more social-emotional challenges (from low self-esteem to depression) than ever before. Families, schools, recreation programs etc. are recognizing that it is critical our Kids be taught positive values like caring about others and oneself, behaving responsibly, recognizing and managing emotions and developing positive relationships. Parents can use a variety of tools, such as affirmation cards, to encourage their Kids to believe in themselves, in their dreams and in their own personal power while also promoting positive values such as honesty, responsibility, compassion and respect. This results in the Kids , as well as parents, connecting to their true being - their Magnificence within, and the feeling of empowerment to bring about positive changes in themselves, the community and the world. Research indicates that Kids who have more positive values, self-esteem, do good in the classroom and are more successful academically. That is why affirmation cards are being used more and more in classrooms around the world. Teachers are using the cards to teach positive values and virtues throughout the curriculum. When Kids feel good and secure in themselves, they are more willing to work towards reaching their fullest potential. Teachers are also finding that using these in their classrooms has made a positive difference in the relationships amongst peers. Children who use positive self-talk messages develop respect and confidence for themselves. These positive values help the child faced with a Bully situation. Armed with a positive sense of self, the child is more likely to see the reason for the bullying as outside themselves rather than their fault. The child realizes that the problem is with the bully and so is able to maintain their self worth. They are also more likely to support others that are bullied and not just stand by and watch it happen. Manifest your Magnificence, a set of 64 affirmation cards, was specifically designed to teach positive values and nurture a child?s self-esteem. The cards are focused on bringing together the child?s mind and heart for in doing so we arm Kids with the values and virtues that will guide them to becoming more productive, fulfilled and successful a fully developed person from maturity onward s. Manifest Your Magnificence cards can be used in a lot of ways to motivate and remind Kids that they are Magnificent Creations. A card can be pulled in the morning to set an intention for the day and also facilitate discussion at dlocated inward or before bed. Parents and Kids can also go through the deck and pick out those they know they are, one?s they think they are and one?s they aren?t quite sure they are. This provides great insight into how a child/parent feels about themselves as well as how they feel about their parent/child. Teachers can use the cards to teach a particular value, e.g. I AM Conscientious; I always do what I know is right. For instance, one class, after discussing how Kids could be more conscientious during environmental week, decided to go around the school periodically and clean the playground. There are a lot of ideas and examples of how you can use the ?Manifest Your Magnificence? cards in schools, recreation programs etc. to explore, unfold, teach and reinforce positive values. For example: I SET MY INTENTION Have students pick a card Have student read what is on card loud and clearly to class Have student state one way they will demonstrate what is on card today Give student applause (we all like to be acknowledged) Before students leave, have them share an example of how they demonstrated value on card. Give student applause DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM? Have students pick 5 values (can be any number of values) Have students write, draw about what they do to show that value. Make sure no one else sees their sheet and that they put their names on the sheet. Teacher collects the sheets Teacher picks a sheet and reads what is on it Students guess who wrote, drew what was on the page I AM VALUE CHART Pick a value you want the class to work on for the day/week Make a chart that graphs the number of times each student demonstrates the value. Encourage students to be ?Value Beacons?, identifying other students who ARE demonstrating the value I AM THE WORLD! Pick a value card Take a walk with students Explore environment of class, school, home, community, and world Discuss what students see, experience in the class, their environment, world that demonstrates or doesn?t demonstrate the value chosen Discuss what values, other than the one chosen, do they see or not see Have students write a positive I AM statement for themselves, the class, their environment, the world Post values around room. Opening words of the United Nations? Declaration of the Rights of the Child: ?Mankind owes to the Child the Best that it has to give?? So take a positive step forward to helping Kids connect with their true being and Manifest their Magnificence in the world!
RESOURCE BOX: Susan Howson is the creator of Manifest Your MagnificenceTM, a unique gift set of 64 affirmation cards designed specifically to nurture a child?s self-esteem at home or in the classroom. Beautifully illustrated and written, each affirmation card carries a powerful message that when read repeatedly, connects each child to their true being. An early childhood expert, university professor and certified co-active life coach, she received in 2000 the "Award of Excellence for Humanitarian Effort" for her work in Bosnia. Her website is www.magnificentcreations.com. What Parents Can Teach Their Children About Money - By James Allan"It Takes A Minute to Borrow Money, But a Lifetime to Pay It Back: Common Sense Lessons For Parents To Teach Their Young Adult Children" Parents want their children to have their best chance at success. They want their children to be schooled in every aspect of a fully developed person from maturity onward hood. According to a 2003 survey by VISA USA, 99% of a fully developed person from maturity onward s believe children should gain knowledge or skills the basics of money management before they graduate high school. Meanwhile, according to the same survey, 77% of a fully developed person from maturity onward s state that children are gain knowledge or skills ing money management skills in the ?school of hard knocks?. This shouldn?t be too surprising. A 2000 study by Charles Schwab found that the average parent would rather speak to their child about drugs, than about money. What are the results of all the hush-hush? Today?s young people are left in the dark. Despite the world?s instability, those in the 18-25 year old group are, as always, the most optimistic. The world is their oyster. Unlike their parents however, young a fully developed person from maturity onward s are now able to borrow money to fuel their optimistic desires. So, it?s more important now than ever that young people are taught money management skills, and who not bad to teach them than their parents? To assist your young a fully developed person from maturity onward child get started on a path to financial success, allowing you the freedom to achieve your financial goals, James Allan, author of Street Hockey Millionaire, has these tips for parents of young a fully developed person from maturity onward children: 1. Dedicate time to discuss money management with your child. Success often comes from setting deadlines, and time is more valuable for most people than money. Getting your child to agree to meet with you is a small step towards setting them on the path of financial awareness. Skip this step and you could be left waiting to begin the discussion until next week?which becomes next month?which becomes next year. 2. Teach them about goals. As optimistic young a fully developed person from maturity onward s, your children are ready to embark on their dreams. Tell your children how focusing their efforts on accomplishing certain objectives will assist them succeed quicker than scattering their efforts all over the place. Demonstrate how goals should align with values to give their child the most bang for the buck. Explain that you can have anything you want, but you can?t have everything. Show them how you?ve taken small steps to achieve great things in your life. 3. Help your child make the expectations realistic. Show them how your salary and net worth have increased over the years to get to the point you?re at. Compare your child?s goals for turning 30, 40, etc. with your life experiences. Share your successes and failures with them. 4. Teach them not bad financial habits. Show them how to budget. Young people enjoy more opportunities to spend money than ever before. Teaching them how to put aside money for what?s important and ignoring what?s not is a great gain knowledge or skills ing tool. Monitoring their spending and their income will also assist them in the long run. It?s amazing how little things add up. A proper budget only works if you know where the money?s going, and there?s no way to analyze the numbers if you don?t know how accurate they are. 5. Encourage your children to save money. With credit easy to get, and marketing magicians showing not bad reasons to buy everything, it?s more important now than ever to instill in your children the importance of spending less than they earn. A great way to get them started is to reward them for saving. For example, give them $50 for every $100 they save during their first year of work. 6. Teach them the time value of saving money. Show them how compound interest works. Explain how 72 is the magic number to get your money to double. (that is, your principal will double when the number of years you collect interest multiplied by the interest rate you?re collecting equals 72. eg. your money will double in 8 years if you?re collecting 9 %, since 8 multiplied by 9 equals 72) 7. Teach your children how to have their money work for them. Show them how their savings can multiply by investing in companies, or real estate, or by starting a business. 8. Teach them how borrowing works. Show them a typical loan payout for a 5-year loan. People are usually surprised to find out that the payment is mainly applied to the interest at the beginning of the term, and mainly to the principal at the end of the term. Explain to them the different interest rates they would have to pay for a car loan, a mortgage, a consolidation loan or a credit card. Show how paying the minimum monthly payment on a credit card will lead to never having the card paid off. 9. Teach your children about insurance. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Young a fully developed person from maturity onward s usually feel invincible. Once they start collecting assets and property, it is a not bad idea to insure their belongings, especially if they have dependents. 10. Be a not bad example. People gain knowledge or skills from watching their parents. You can tell them again and again how to manage money properly, but they will gain knowledge or skills much not bad if they can watch you do it. Young a fully developed person from maturity onward s don?t appreciate it now, but in 10 or 15 years, they?ll be turning into their parents. Often the teacher gets as much out of a lesson as the intended student. Make sure you listen to your child?s concerns, as emphatically as you attempt to stress your points. Learning is often a two-way street. Many parents see teaching their children about money as a harrowing thought.
?Don?t be afraid to make mistakes,? says Mr. Allan. After all, the biggest mistake
of all would be to not discuss money at all with your children. James Allan is a writer and speaker living in Ottawa, Canada. His first book, "Street Hockey Millionaire", has sold internationally to rave reviews. Thousands of book buyers and hundreds of seminar participants discovered last year how to "Score Their Financial Goals". Find out more at www.streethockeymillionaire.com. Children articles catalog
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