Showing posts with label stories for the whole family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories for the whole family. Show all posts

Monday, 5 March 2012

Your Story Hour Bedtime Story makes for easy bedtime routine

Can a bedtime routine anchor the entire day? 
Author: Lorin Young
The components of a bedtime routine will vary, of course, from family to family, but being consistent is important for everyone in the family. I strive to balance four important things:
cleaning up and getting ready for the next day getting ready for bed reviewing the day transition time with a parent
1. Cleaning up and getting ready for the next day:
Personally I prefer having the kids clean up before dinner because it\'s an easier cleaning up after dinner and toys, with a 'family fifteen' or other clean up game . Whenever you clean up, I do believe that tidying up one\'s personal and common space is an important habit to have (and I'm not just talking about the kids, people!)
Getting ready for the next day could mean setting out clothes for the next day, or at least just deciding what to wear. It also might involve knowing your child\'s school schedule. If it\'s a school night, you might want to make sure kids have what they need for the next day (is it library day? Does he need gym clothes? Does she have all her homework? Where is the backpack anyway?)
2. Actually getting ready for bed:
This is the part of the bedtime routine that is probably pretty similar from household to household. This would include at a minimum getting into jammies, brushing teeth, and putting dirty clothes in their hamper or dirty clothes basket/crate.
3. Reviewing the day together:
For me, this is the part of the bedtime routine that is tempting to blow off some days in the interest of time. It is also the most important: spending time with you. In our family, this is the part of the day where I like to go over the kids\' reward charts (true confessions: I usually don\'t get to this every night) and we talk about how the day went. This generally helps with sibling relations and reduces sibling fighting, because my kids talk to each other about problems or disagreements after the emotion is behind them. We occasionally do love games and write in our day book.

4. Time with YOU
If you\'re still awake at this point, it\'s a nice time to have some private time with each child, even if it\'s just a few minutes. This could be reading or just cuddling together and talking. Anything that gives them your undivided attention even for a short time. This is especially crucial with multiple kids.
Give these ideas a try for creating a successful bedtime routine. Like anything else, implementing a routine consistently is the key, but I bet you\'ll start to look forward to this special time with your kids.
Furthermore, the more efficient your routine is, the sooner you get time for YOURSELF to recharge!
About the Author
Lorin Spangler Young is a Colorado mom with three boys. She and her husband, Rich, share homeschooling and each works outside of the home part time. Convinced that a perfectly clean and tidy house at all times is a myth, they\'ve dedicated their energy to their website, http://www.choresandchecklists.com, which details many strategies to involve kids in household.

Saturday, 6 August 2011

CDs better than digital media?

Your Story Hour has offered stories on cassette tape for many years and now these stories are available on CD. There is distinct advantages in getting these stories on CD as opposed to downloading the digital versions. A kid can hold something tangible in his hand and look at the pictures while listening to the story. Get Your Story Hour SA stories on CD - just email us at yourstoryhoursa@gmail.com.

Read more about these clear advantages here:
Why to Buy Kids Music on CD for Them
It is wonderful to hear kids music on CD. Children just love to flaunt their collection of kids personalized music. Although the Internet is a fast growing avenue to download children\'s songs, personalized kids CDs are always a better option for children. It not only gives them the pride of owning a huge collection of CDs but also presents a more authentic way to listen to music.

You even have the privilege of buying singles in CDs if you are not interested in the entire CD. The variety of songs available and the quality of the songs on CDs are of great repute. You have the advantage of listening to your child\'s name being called out among the songs on the CDs.
The Disadvantages of Using a Computer
Although you can use the Internet to download songs, you may not be able to get personalized kids CDs. And you still have to pay a lot despite not getting kids personalized CDs. You may get regular songs which will not have the songs calling out your child\'s name. It is possible to record all the regular songs on the computer but your children will always have to use the computer to listen to their songs.

However, kids music on CD can be heard whenever you want. The only requirement is a CD player. The rendering of the songs will also be without any disturbance. There is a possibility of the music stuttering and skipping in a computer. Besides all other applications on the computer may drag if you play the music.
How a Personalized CD Helps
It is also much easier to purchase kids music on CD. Besides, it gives a great feeling to browse through the collection of CDs in a music store. You can also order for your kids personalized CDs from an online store. In this way, you can get kids personalized music which will make your children much happier. These CDs help in the children\'s education too.

They help a child pronounce the words clearly while listening to the songs. Listening to their own names being repeated by their favorite characters also gives them a sense of accomplishment. It is not possible to get this facility by just downloading songs from the Internet. There are also many other things to consider while downloading songs from the Internet.

Advantages of Getting a CD


The very first thing is that you can never download kids personalized music from the Internet. You will only get regular songs which are available to any other person. Secondly, You need to consider the price. If you have to pay a hefty sum on the Internet, then it pays to get CDs from a renowned site. When there is hardly any difference in cost, then it is always advisable to get kids music on CD.

Always remember to check the compression formats and bit rates when downloading from the Internet. The sound quality of personalized kids CDs is much better. The music format of Internet based music may also be different from your CD player. This is also another advantage of buying CDs directly.

CDs Help In Overall Personality Development

Personalized kids CDs always enhance your child\'s mental and physical development. It helps him to focus better. You can even monitor your child\'s progress after listening to kids personalized music. You can see that he listens, follows directions and pays significantly more attention to important things than before. You will also take great pride in seeing your child improve in leaps, steps and bounds. Kids music on CD is surely a must for every growing child to add a definite development in his personality.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/why-to-buy-kids-music-on-cd-for-them-1179621.html
About the Author
Z Kids Music specializes in offering personalized kids CDs by incorporating the child\'s name in the song. You can order your kids personalized music at http://zkidsmusic.com.