I’ve been focusing so much on teaching your preschooler this and that, and I thought it was time to reverse roles a bit, and look at things that we learn from our kids. You’d be surprised at the number of things I came up with:

Here we go.

Self Praise

The next time you hear your child say he hit the ball over the trees, look at his obvious self pride. He’s bursting with it. When was the last you dared pat yourself on the back for a job well done? Go ahead. Write a list of all the things you love about yourself, and yes, put it up on the refrigerator.

Nothing is too small.

Can make a mean lasagna? On the list.

Involved in your child’s learning? Absolutely good enough.

Read it aloud everyday, and pat yourself on the back. You don’t have to do the helicopter dance, but a little strut in your walk won’t hurt.

Honesty

Kids say the darndest things. All the time. And at the most inappropriate times. How do you learn from that? Well, venting your feelings about someone to their face can be therapeutic. Your child is venting when he calls his friend a “stupid head.”

Does it make him feel good? You betcha!

Venting is therapeutic for you too. Unfortunately, we’ve been conditioned to be diplomatic all the time, even if that means biting your tongue and speaking “nice.”

Let that attitude go. It will be hard. Telling your MIL she’s an ass might be tough, but there’re no reason why you can’t tell her politely, but firmly, not to fill your kid’s ears with racist nonsense, if you find her doing so.

And there’s no harm in telling that condescending colleague of yours that you’ve just about had it with their attitude.

Go ahead. Chuck the diplomacy. Call them a stupid head.

Enthusiasm

Watch your child the next time he’s doing an art project on his own, or building a model. Observe how involved he is, how much enthusiasm he has for what he does. Then, take a look at your own “things have to be done because they have to be done” attitude. Kids have an enthusiasm for the smallest thing they do, while we as adults, begin to feel interest and enthusiasm waning for things we take for granted.

Affection

I wasn’t raised in a touchy-feely family myself, but I have absolutely no problem showering my boy with affection. Part of is good old maternal instinct, but part of it I am quite convinced, is how affectionate he is. There’s nothing better your child likes than a good warm hug.

You could take that same feel-good warm fuzziness that comes after you’ve exchanged a hug and kiss with your child to other relationships in your life.

Don’t remember the last time you hugged your Mom? Now’s the time. If a hug seems hard to muster, a simple hand hold will do. Any form of physical contact. With the people who matter in your life. Just because.

Unlimited Energy

Keep up with your kids. They come with naturally high levels of energy, while yours are probably slowly depleting at this point. Invest in your health. Getting fit has too many advantages to ignore. Only one of these is how much energy it allows you to enjoy your kids, participate in their games, and engage in their lives.

Go on. Race him up the stairs.

Be Messy

You read that right.

Kids are messy and disorganized, and leave stains and spills all over the place. Let it go.

It’s not the end of the world if you have a few grape juice stains on your carpet, or walls that have seen better days. If you find yourself tidying, dusting, wiping, mopping and cleaning, for the most part of the day, you’re letting precious time slip by without your kids. I am not saying you should let your house become a pig sty, but there are two sayings by I-don’t-know-who that I love:

A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.

Dull women have immaculate houses.

Do some basic tidying and cleaning – enough that your household doesn’t fall apart. Get your kids involved. Let them help with smaller cleaning up chores.

And then, stop.

Use the extra hours to take a walk with your child instead, or play a game.

Do some self esteem building exercises.

Or just watch a movie as a family.

I know women who clean, and dust and wipe, and put things back where they belong right up till bedtime, when they realize another day has gone by, and they haven’t even had a chance to look at what has happened in their child’s life that day.

Time flies too fast. Your kids won’t wait around for when you’re free from your housework.

The house will be fine, trust me.

So, has your child opened your eyes to new things and possibilities?

Just in case it wasn’t obvious by now, I am a huge fan of using simple day to day activities and situations as opportunities to teach. There are countless activities in your day like cooking activities for preschoolers that you can use to create an enriching learning environment for your child.

I am one of those people who finds doing laundry very therapeutic. There’s something about dirty clothes going into the washer, and fresh clean clothes coming out that gives my mind a well deserved rest, and makes me fresh enough for new challenges. Some people meditate, others do yoga. I do laundry.

Whether you like doing laundry or not, here’s a sorting activity for your preschooler that you can use next laundry day. If she enjoys it, you could also add it to your list of chores for her to do. (You are giving her at least some chores, aren’t you?)

• Ask your child to help by sorting the dirty laundry into whites and coloreds, and then coloreds into wools, cottons and other fabrics.
• Once you’ve brought back the clean wash into the house, let her help you separate it into clothes and other things.
• Next up, ask her to separate clothes that belong to each family member.

What does she learn?

• Sorting according to fabric, and types of clothing
• Participating in a family activity (sense of accomplishment)
• A sense of neatness. (Hopefully, by the time she’s a teenager, she’ll have learned to actually fold her clothes and put them away, instead of cramming them all into the closet, and pushing against the door to lock it!)

Have fun!

Listening is a skill that in our world, is getting more and more difficult to pick up. Watching television and being transfixed by the sounds from it, or playing a video game doesn’t really require “listening.”

Play the silence game to encourage your preschooler to focus his attention on his hearing senses.

Use a kitchen timer to start the game. Don’t set a five minute timer; kids this age can’t be expected to sit still and silent for that long.

Start with 30 seconds – it’s just about right.

Ask your child to close her eyes, and keep quiet till the timer goes off.

When the timer goes off, ask her to tell her the sounds she heard when she was silent – the ceiling fan whirring, the neighbor’s dog, a door slamming shut.

Make a game out of it, and she’ll be eager to concentrate and focus all her listening powers.

This activity is great for improving concentration, and enhancing listening skills.

This week, I thought I’d focus on simple ideas to develop your preschooler’s sensory abilities, and her thinking skills.

By the time she is three, your child can recognize a number of objects at home. Try a different way to test her observation skills, and force her to think. These ideas are simple enough to use on a toddler. (For older kids, just increase the difficulty of the questions).

Point to objects around the house, and instead of asking

“What is that?”

ask

What does that shiny round thing do?

What does that big box (television) do?

What do we do with these plates?

What does Mommy do with this (washing machine)?

There’s no limit to the number of things around the house you can question her about – chairs and table, her swing set. Keep questions simple at first, and concentrate on things she knows before you move on to more challenging objects, like appliances in the kitchen.

Some of the answers might actually surprise you!

When you’re reading her favorite book together, ask silly questions –

“Is that cat eating the flower?”

Or mess up the words of a rhyme –

“Mary had a little cat.”

Don’t forget to praise her to the skies when she “catches” your mistake!

Have fun, and keep smiling!

Your preschooler doesn’t really need a wardrobe the size of a Hollywood starlet’s closet to look great. Everyone likes to dress their kids well, but you don’t have to blow a fortune on clothes. Save the money for something that’s even more important than fashion – her education. It’s not possible to drastically cut down on the amount you shop for your kids, and I know those who have little girls have a particularly hard time staying within budget!

I must confess I am reasonably thrifty when it comes to my son’s clothes. I figure it’s not as if they have any intellectual, physical or emotional benefits, and I would much rather splurge on books, certain toys, family outings or holidays. These are the things that will make a lasting impact on their minds.

If you feel the same way, here are some ideas for saving money on clothing.

If you have a preschooler and a toddler or baby in the house, save clothes to pass down to the next in line. If they are of different genders, buy neutral clothing for the preschooler that can be worn by either gender. Unisex clothing not only tends to be less expensive, but it can also last longer than frilly girly thingies.

For your daughter, buy some smock type dresses. When she outgrows them, they become a top to wear over jeans.

Don’t discard T-Shirts that are stained with the remnants of one too many craft projects or rumbles in the park – these can easily be dyed. Learn to tie dye a T -Shirt to create a brand new one. It’s really easy.

Don’t just give away old clothes because they’ve gotten smaller – recycle. A padded jacket that’s she’s outgrowing can be turned into a vest for winter – simply chop off the sleeves. The sleeves are always the first to show signs of becoming too small. Old T-shirts and too-short printed pajamas can be used for cover ups at the beach.

If you’re handy with a sewing machine, or know someone who is, see if you can alter your own clothing for your little girl. Sleeveless vests can be dyed, and embroidered or decorated with beads, and used as little girls’ dresses.

This brings me to my next tip. Invest in a sewing machine, and see if you can pick up some basic sewing skills. They’re invaluable

Buy washable fabrics, and save on dry cleaning bills.

Protect new jeans by sewing an extra patch of the same fabric on the knees from the inside. The knees are usually the first ones to show signs of wear and tear.

Always look out for discount sales. There’s a family I know that dresses their toddler and preschool aged kids for the entire year in clothes that they pick up at the annual blowout sale at their favorite kids clothing store. They do the whole waiting-out-at-the-store-front-till-the-doors-open-to-be-able-to-rush-in thing, and grab some great pieces. They delegate sections that each parent will cover to find the best deals! They are so systematic about it, and it shows…Their kids are some of the best dressed I know!

If your child is already bored with a pair of canvas shoes, try dyeing them to get him to wear them and use them.

Give pricey brands a miss. A few pieces are fine, and these can be matched with other good quality jeans or shirts. Expensive doesn’t always equal quality, and the “you get what you pay for” adage doesn’t hold true for a lot of clothes.

Keep her good and costly clothes for when you go out to visit friends. At home, let her run around in T shirts, shorts and other easy to wear clothes that are good for rough usage. Do the same for shoes. Have a pair of sandals for running round and playing in. Leave the good and expensive footwear for when you’re in company.

If you have friends with kids of the same age, see if you can have an exchange of clothes.

Jeans that have been ripped at the knee can be cut off to make shorts or a skirt for girls.

When a tiered skirt becomes one size too short, add an extra tier or two in the same color if it’s a primary color, or even a contrast color. You can do this for A line skirts too.

So, do you have any thrifty ideas to save on clothes?

Teaching preschoolers to be creative can sound like a bit of a paradox. After all, isn’t creativity supposed to spring from some bottomless fountain only the luckiest among us possess?

Not entirely true. Kids have an uncolored, pure view of the world that will most likely sully as they get older. That’s why there’s such innocence and charm in a child’s play, and that’s why kids say the darndest things that end up making the most sense.

The most commonly used way to encourage creativity in preschoolers is to allow them to experiment with arts and crafts and activities. I’ll go into these in depth in other posts, but for now I want to concentrate on the easiest way to encourage creativity and social skills in your child. Arts and crafts are excellent options, but they can be a little time consuming. And some days, your child is not going to be ready for yet another vegetable painting masterpiece.

However, there’s another way you can teach your child to use his imagination without the use of paints and crayons – role playing. It’s simple, doesn’t cost a cent and best of all, it does double duty by combining creative ability enhancement with bonding.

Role paying doesn’t have to be all pirates and daggers and adventure stories. Simple every day activities like going to the grocery store or the bank, or a trip to the beach can be used as themes for role play. It’s something kids enjoy because they love activities that help them pretend to be adults.

I love role play as an imaginative activity because kids are free to assume the roles they want to. Participate freely in the role play, and follow your child’s lead.

If you’re doing an “entertaining” theme, where your child is the host and you’re the guest, follow all social protocol, the way you do yourself as an adult. But, allow them to talk and react the way they want to in the imaginary situation. This particular theme has a triple edged benefit - your child learns to be creative in his responses, his social skills are enhanced, and it creates an incredible opportunity for the two of you to enjoy your time together.

To make things easier, and to help make role play a regular part of your routine, create prop boxes for some much loved themes that your preschooler and you have. Say you love playing shop, set aside a large cardboard box or get one of those big plastic containers, and throw things in there that you could use for your role play – toy fruit and vegetables, toy currency. When you’re actually playing, grab some stuff from around the house, and lay it out neatly just like in the shop.

Separate boxes by theme and label them on the outside. For a beach theme, your prop box would contain a beach ball, sunglasses, a large plastic table cloth that you could scatter with shells and a pair of beach towels for the two of you.

Once you’re done with your little game, just stuff everything back in the box and put it away for another time.