Blog - A Fine Parent

Missing Your Old Activity Schedule? Here’s a Positive Way to Look at It

by Brigitte Brulz.
(This article is part of the Coronavirus Support series. Get free article updates here.)

My family’s calendar was rather full. Then the word “CANCELED” began to cover the days one by one. No more church activities. No more field trips. All of the extracurricular activities seemed to disappear.

But was that a bad thing? Maybe it was time to break free from the busyness outside of our home!

Research shows too many extracurricular activities can have a negative affect on families. Kids need time to learn about themselves and explore their interests without being bounced from one activity to the next.

This article from Psych Central states that too many extracurricular activities can “potentially harm children’s development and well-being” in addition to putting “excessive strain on family relationships and resources.”

Yes, there are many uncertainties at this time. Things are really strange. People are scared. But maybe this is a good time to reflect on all of those extracurricular activities and intentionally focus on family bonding time. [Read more…]

How to Plant Your Own Food in a Kid-Friendly Garden

by Sofia Thomas.
(This article is part of the Positive Parenting FAQ series. Get free article updates here.)

Vegetables and beans may not always be an adult’s first choice when deciding on a meal, let alone a child’s.

I found this to be true for my very own little and big ones. Using all my creativity, I investigated attractive ways I could encourage my own family to become enthusiastic healthy eaters.

My philosophy is that excitement, great taste and love around healthy food results in good health. Planting your own food in a kid-friendly garden can do wonders in achieving such a result.

With our busy schedules, such time-consuming undertakings ordinarily take the back seat and never reach completion. In many cases, they don’t even begin.

Being at home with our children during this time of social distancing, we now have the opportunity to create a kid-friendly garden and initiate this entertaining and enlightening practice.

There is more to learning than numbers and letters. Although these are important, let us use this time we have been given with our kids to teach them more than just academics. [Read more…]

Schooling at Home? Here Are the Best Tips from 7 Veteran Homeschoolers

by Michelle Crompton.
(This article is part of the Coronavirus Support series. Get free article updates here.)

You’re now schooling at home.

In several parts of the country, it looks like this may go on till the end of the school year.

Maybe some of you wanted to homeschool all along, and find the idea exciting. That’s great news!

But for many parents, school closures forced them to take on the sudden role of “teacher.” And that notion is daunting and overwhelming.

So what can parents do to ensure our kids are getting a decent education during this difficult time? We asked some long-time homeschoolers these questions so we could bring you the best advice:

How can we as parents make the best of the situation for our children and their education (as well as our sanity)? Can kids learn at home successfully while also having fun?

And what if my child is spectacularly unmotivated to learn anything from home at all? What do we do then?

Here’s what the experts had to say! [Read more…]