Saturday, May 28, 2011

Beach Activities That Work on Developmental Skills

It's beach season!!!  And seeing as I am currently at the beach with my kids, I thought that this was an appropriate time to write a post on beach activities.  The beach is a great place to play and work on dvelopmental skills at the same time, as well as a wonderful sensory experience.  Children really have the opportunity to run wild, explore, be creative, and have fun at the beach because, other than obvious safety restrictions, there really are few limits to what their little bodies and minds can do there.  Another great thing about the beach - kids are so entertained by all the sights, sounds, and opportunities to play and explore that they forget about the TV and computer for a while. 
So here's a list of beach activities to get your kids moving and having fun, with a quick explanation of some of the developmental skills that they work on.  Most of these activities can be done by kids of all ages, toddlers to tweens, just adapt the activity to make it age/skill appropriate for your child/children.  I'll bet that you already do many of these activities with your kids without even realizing the developmental benefits!  Also, at the bottom there are some other activities that are more appropriate for older kids only.  

* Carrying buckets sand and water - it's hilarious how interesting this is to kids; they will fill buckets and carry them to different places, dumping and filling over and over just for fun.  This builds strength and endurance, works on balance and even coordination.

       * Shoveling sand, turning over and dumping buckets works on grading movement as kids figure out how much force they have to use and how fast to move in order to dump out the right amount.

* Building a sand castle is fun for everyone and parents usually like to get involved with this one too.  All the parts of creating a sand castle work on important skills, like planning how the castle will look before beginning, sequencing the steps to build it, shoveling and carrying buckets of sand to build it, and creativity when it comes time to decorate it.

* Finding shells is fun and exciting for kids as they locate new shells they've never seen before or find whole shells instead of just pieces.  Looking for shells works on visual scanning and several visual perceptual skills that are important for other things, like reading.  It's also a great opportunity to teach your kids about shapes, colors, textures, and even correct names of shells for the older kids.
      * Sorting shells - for an extended activity, have your kids sort shapes into groups by different characteristics, like color, size, shape, texture, name, etc
       * Shell sequence - line up 4 or more shells in a specific sequence, let your child see it for 5 to 10 seconds, then cover it up, mix up the shells, and have your child repeat the sequence of shells correctly.  Try different sequences and add shells to increase the challenge.  This works on sequential memory skills.

* Grab Bag: Fill a bucket or small bag with items found on the beach (shells, rocks, coral, small stick, feather, etc.) and have your child try to correctly identify the items in the bag without looking.  Sometimes showing the items and letting your child hold them first, before putting them in the bag, helps to improve their success at picking them out of the bag correctly.  Another variation of this game is to have matching pairs of items, like 2 rocks, 2 clam shells, 2 pieces of coral, 2 welch shells, etc, placing 1 set in the bag and leaving 1 set where your child can see them as he/she searches in the bag for the matching pairs.  This activity works on visual perceptual skills, memory, and tactile perception.

* Buried in the sand - burying kids in the sand (but not too far) is a fun sensory experience, you may even notice them trying to bury their own legs and feet.  By burying their legs or even torsos (when lying on their back) and arms as well (and only if they want to of course) they work on strength when they move to get out from under the sand. Kids also love to bury their parents!  Come on, just let them; it's fun!  And they have to do a lot of shoveling, digging, and carrying which works to strengthen their muscles and tires them out.  Just as a safety note - do not bury kids in holes and do not put too much sand on top of their bellies; they still need to breathe!

* Drawing/writing sand or playing tic-tac-toe: Grab a rake, a stick, or a shell and get creative in the sand.  The resistance of writing or drawing in the sand is good for building strength in the hands and upper body.  Drawing gets the creative juices flowing and writing or playing tic-tact-toe works on cognitive skills.  If your kids are working on spelling their name or writing in cursive, this is a fun sensory-filled way to practice.  The more senses involved in a learning experience, the more areas of the brain get involved and you can get a lot more retention of information and carry-over.

* Maze in sand:  Draw a maze in the sand for your children to follow; a kid's shovel or a rake works well to draw it.  This sounds silly, but they love it!  You can even have them repeat it doing it in different ways: crab walking, bunny hopping, frog jumping, twirling, running, etc.  For older kids, do timed races.  The great thing about this activity is that it works on visual-perceptual skills, motor skills, coordination and motor planning, and attention and focus.  To increase the challenge and to work on balance, draw a course with only 1 line that your kids have to follow and keep their feet on.  You can also have your kids walk through the maze or on the line balancing a ball or big shell on a sand shovel or something else.

* Relay Races: Kids love to run and at the beach where there are wide open spaces it's that much more fun!  Take this energy and enthusiasm for running and set up some relay races; and it really gets hilarious when the adults get involved too.  You can do relay races made up of just one activity, or you can combine several activities within one race.  Here are some examples: filling buckets with water or sand, carrying buckets of water or sand, running, hopping, cartwheeling, wheelbarrow walking (wheelbarrowing walking and pushing a ball along with your hand), balancing a ball/shell/water on a sand shovel, etc.  Relay races work on skills like strength, endurance, motor skills, motor planning and coordination, and social skills.
      * Sponge and water relay:  This is another fun relay that you may have played before.  You place a bucket filled with water at one end and an empty bucket at the other.  Starting at the empty bucket end, you run with a sponge to fill it from the water bucket, run back to the empty bucket to ring it out, then pass the sponge to a teammate who then does the same thing.  This process gets repeated until the empty bucket has been filled to a marked line.  The first team to hit the line wins.

* Obstacle Courses: If your kids are getting bored of playing in the water and in the sand, then create an obstacle course (or better yet, have them create one), using beach chairs, towels, buckets, sand piles, balls, etc.  Do timed trials for older kids.  Even young kids can do an obstacle course that is created on their level.  This fun activity works on strength, endurance, motor skills, motor planning, and coordination.

* Jumping waves: To get your kids working on movement, balance, and coordination, try jumping the waves.  For the youngest kids, or kids who are unsure of the waves at first, start by jumping at the edge of the water.  Pre-walkers can get involved with this activity if you hold them and jump them over the waves; you may even need to hold the hands of toddlers in order for them to be successful at jumping.  Travel into a few inches of water to jump with kids who are capable of it; the resistance of the water and the greater height they have to jump will be a bigger challenge for them.  For older kids who can swim, going farther out into the water and jumping the bigger waves is really fun!  Safety note: watch your kids carefully when they are playing in the water; go in with them, but never allow anyone to go in if there is an undertow.

* Dad's little acrobats: I know it is every mother's instinct to freak out when she see her husband tossing their toddler in the air, but relax mom's, it really is ok.  Dad's are actually providing their small children with some important movement that is very good for the development of the sense of movement. Most kids love being tossed in the air, turned upside down, or flipped over, although they may be hesitant initially.  Obviously Dad's should use smaller movement for babies than toddlers and preschoolers.  Side Note on Movement: Some kids are over-sensitive to movement and will be scared being tossed off the ground.  If you notice this in your child, instead of avoiding the movement, get them used to it by holding them close to your body and jumping up and down, tipping side to side, and spinning in circles.  Gradually (as in over time, not just in one day), hold your child farther away from your body to do these movements.  Then introduce small tosses or dips and bring your child back to your chest for a strong hug before doing it again.  This will help a baby or toddler with movement sensitivity become more comfortable with this type of movement so that they can benefit from it developmentally.  On the other hand, there are kids with under-sensitvities to movement and these kids will be begging to be tossed over and over or higher and higher.  Their bodies need the extra movement for it to make an impact on their brain and sensory system.  These type of kids can also benefit from lots of gross motor activity every day, and this will have a positive impact on behavior and attention.

* Pulling on towels and swinging in towel: Another fun movement activity is to give your kids rides on a beach towel.  Have your child sit or lay on the end of a towel as you quickly pull them across the sand.  Two adults hold on to each end of a towel can also swing a child in the towel back and forth.  These activities are fun for kids and also works on developing their sense of movement.

  * Walk/run: Take a walk or a run on the beach with your kids.  Walk or run a distance that is appropriate for your child and it will work on endurance and strength. Walking through the water will provide resistance and work on strength and balance too.

* Play catch: Playing with balls, tossing and catching, kicking, football, frisbee, etc are all fun activities that work on motor skills, coordination, strength and endurance.

* Crab Soccer: Playing soccer the traditional way is fun at the beach, but so is playing like crabs!  Get in the crab position, that's on hands and feet with bottom lifted just about the ground, then make your way across the sand trying to dribble, kick, and score with your feet without falling over.  This works on motor skills, motor planning and coordination, and helps to improve strength and endurance.

* Little Helper: Have your kids help you carry stuff to the beach, like a towel, a bucket, or even a backpack.  Even if it is something small and light, like their own water bottle, it still teaches them responsibility, cooperation, works on strength and endurance, and helps you out a little.

* Scavenger hunt:  Give your kids a bucket along with a picture list or a written list of things to search for and collect on the beach.  You can also do an alphabetical scavenger hunt by searching for things that begin with each letter of the alphabet.  If collecting items proves to be too much, take a walk and have your child point out items on the list without actually picking them up.  This activity is good for visual perceptual skills, visual scanning, sequencing, following directions, attention and focus, and other cognitive skills.

Older Kids
Older kids can do a lot of the activities listed above if you adapt them to meet the skill level of your older child.  But these activities below are specifically for older kids above the age of 10.

* Boogie boarding, surfing, body surfing: Your child may need you, or an expert, to teach them these activities, but once they've got the skills to do one or all of them, they work on strength, endurance, motor skills and motor planning.


* Riding bike on beach: Lots of beaches or beach destinations rent bikes and even weird, fun beach contraptions to ride on the sand and in the water.  But going for a bike ride is a fun family experience that works on strength, endurance, balance, motor skills, motor planning and coordination.

* Fly a kite: A fun activity, that I don't see people do all that often anymore, is flying a kite.  This is a great beach activity because there's often a breeze at the beach.  Flying a kite works on coordination, motor skills and motor planning, as well as visual perceptual skills.

* Picking up trash: If you're looking for your adolescent or teen to gain some civic responsibility, then go on a family walk to pick up trash on the beach.

* Beach boot camp:  If you have an adolescent or teen that is interested in sports (or a technology addict that needs to get out and get moving) then coordinate an early morning family boot camp session on the beach (or look for a resort sponsored one).  Even if just for 30 minutes, a 1 mile run, some push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and other exercises will be enough to benefit your child's strength, endurance, coordination, and focus/attention.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Best Toys for Babies 9 months - 2 years

First time parents often wonder just what toys they should buy for their baby once they get to the stage where they are mobile and can really interact with toys.  This should be a helpful guideline to get you started, or help weed out some toys you don't need if you already have too many.  Remember that in the case of toys for babies, less is more, you don't want to overwhelm or overstimulate them; you want to focus on increasing their attention span with one toy as opposed to decreasing their attention span with many toys.  If you have a lot of toys, they don't all need to be out at the same time or in the same place.  Choose quality over quantity.  And most importantly, choose age appropriate toys that support developmental skills.  To help with this, for each toy or category of toy that I list I will also add a quick highlight of some of the areas of development that are addressed by that toy.

A note before we get started:  I have focused on an age range of 9 months to 2 years, which actually covers a broad range of skills, but during this time a baby can play with the same toy in different ways, always working on some type of skill (as long as it is a developmentally appropriate toy). A 9 month old baby needs more assistance and supervision with toys than a 2 year old, but that doesn't mean that they can't play with many of the same toys.  Although, when choosing a toy use your own discretion based on your child's skills and safety level.  Remember that children put things in their mouth and this is age appropriate, so please never give a young child an object that could be a choking hazard!
 
TOYS
 
Blocks - big blocks (3"-4"), little blocks (1"-2"), blocks of different shapes, colors, textures. Blocks are great for working on grasp, fine motor control and coordination, motor planning to stack blocks, etc.
 
Stacking and nesting toys - cups, cubes, cones, rings, nesting dolls (just remove the small choking hazard size pieces).  Stack and nesting works on fine motor control and planning, as well as visual perceptual skills, and early cognitive concepts and problem solving.  Examples: Rainbow Stacker, Cone Sorting, Nesting Dolls, Nesting Blocks, Nesting Cups
 
Shape sorter - Shape sorting buckets and blocks help toddlers with shapes, colors, matching and other cognitive concepts as well as problem solving.  These are toys that children typically need a lot of assistance with and modeling for a while before they become independent with it, but they are great toys that bring up a lot of teaching opportunities! Melissa and Doug Shape Sorter, Bucket Sorter, Barn Sorter, Animal Sorter

Musical instruments - Musical instruments offer opportunities for learning cause and effect, to practice and improve motor skills, and sensory experiences. Instruments that involve blowing to make noise, like harmonicas, kazoos, or whistles, work on oral motor skills. Plus, babies love things they can shake and bang on! Examples: Beginner Band Set, Bells, Instrument Set, Drum, PianoTambourine, etc.   
 
Water table and sand box - I have to say that I'm more of a fan of sand boxes than tables because in the box kids sit, kneel, and get on their hands and knees to play, which works on more foundations of developmental skills (strength and postural control) than when standing to play.  Water play can be done in a water table, in the bathtub or sink, or in a baby pool. Step 2 Water table, Sand Box, Sand Table  I like sand boxes over sand tables because it gets kids sitting in the sand which is a really great sensory experience!

Puzzles - Basic puzzles for babies have large knobs and only 3-4 chunky puzzle pieces and then progress in challenge and skill level to small knobs on puzzle pieces with matching pictures on the pieces and on the board, to puzzles with interlocking pieces; then increasing the challenge to puzzles without matching pictures, increased number of pieces, and then jigsaw style from 12 pieces and up.  Other types of puzzles involve sound, magnetic poles to pick up puzzle pieces, magnetic sticks to move pieces within the puzzle, dressing puzzles, locks and latches, and parquetry puzzles (I like the magnetic versions the best to hold the designs in place).  Check out Melissa and Doug for a wide selection of quality puzzles.

Cause and Effect toys - Cause and effect toys teach children just that: when I do an action, I get a result and different actions have different results. It's an important concept to work on because it is so essential for a lot of other cognitive, social, and communication skills. Some basic cause and effect toys are:
Pop up toys (see a list on amazon)
Banging/pounding toys like the Plan Toys Drop and Punch and a Melissa and Doug version
For 18 month to 2 year olds, look for toys that involve sounds and movement when a button is pressed or something else is done.  For example, check out the iplay fun tractor.

Push toys - Heavy push toys, like the Radio Flyer push wagon ensures that a baby on the verge of walking won't go over backwards when they put all their weight on this, and thus allows them to work on balance, stability, and strengthening the core muscles and leg muscles needed to walk in an upright position.  For walkers who are more stable, lighter weight push toys such as Little Tikes Lawn mower, shopping carts, Melissa and Doug push toy, and others like these, are more fun and easier to use.

Books, books, and more books - Providing a child with a literature rich environment from infancy and making reading time together a daily occurrence has far reaching effects on brain development as well as a life long love of reading.  For more information read the post on Early Literacy.  Babies enjoy board books that are durable enough for them to turn pages and even chew on; they like simple, repetitive, and rhyming phrases as well as interesting and uncomplicated pictures.  As babies get older their attention span for books increases and their understanding of story lines increases so that they can enjoy longer books.  Sticking with books that are age appropriate and paying attention to your child's interests and attention span can make reading from an early age a fun experience.

Pretend play toys - Baby dolls, stuffed animals, dinosaurs, trucks, play food, dress up outfits, etc are all ways that toddlers can begin to practice being older.  They mimic their parents, stories, and other scenarios in their life through these toys as well as begin to come up with their own imaginative play using these toys too.  Giving your child real objects of yours, like cooking utensils, a baseball hat, an old purse, an old key chain, etc are also ways to encourage pretend play.  A baby sitting on the floor of the kitchen banging on pots and pans with a wooden spoon is the first example of this.

Active play toys - Tunnels, tents, tent/tunnel combo, short slide/climber combos (I like the Little Tikes models), basketball hoop, T-ball, ball pit, trampoline, swings, etc.  Active play toys get babies and toddlers moving, which in turn furthers the development of motor skills, balance, coordination, and strength.  Developing these skills appropriately and on a normal timeline set the foundations for developing more advanced skills later on, such as running, skipping, playing sports, handwriting, supporting good desk posture for writing tasks in school.......

Balls - A very simple toy, balls are a great (and inexpensive) developmentally appropriate toy for all ages.  A baby who can sit and crawl can begin to work on rolling a ball back and forth to a parent or push the ball through a tunnel, a walking baby can carry a ball and work on balance in a new way, a toddler can work on tossing and catching and putting a ball in a toddler-sized basketball hoop, a toddler can also kick a ball.  Sensory balls with different textures, lights, or noises can offer a fun sensory experience.

Objects Around the House - Babies and toddlers are active explorers and quite curious by nature.  They also like to mimic mom and day by doing things like, trying on dad's work shoes or mom's high heels, pretending to shave, playing with cooking utensils, etc.  Observe the types of objects around the house that interest your child and set aside a cupboard or basket filled with old home items that are safe and appropriate for your child to play with.  And when you see your child trying to experiment with objects or furniture around the house, if you feel it is safe, use that object or piece of furniture to play with your curious child in a way that you feel is appropriate.  Maybe it's a cardboard box turned boat, maybe it's pots and pans turned into a drum set, or maybe it's old plastic flower pots turned into a stacking or bowling game.  There is all kinds of fun to be had when you play along with your young child's curiosities.  And by modeling and teaching them proactively how to play with home objects safely, you decrease the risk of them playing with them unsafely when you're not looking.

Bottom Line: Babies and toddlers don't need toys that entertain them and they definitely do not need TV (at all)!  Babies and toddlers have an innate drive to explore their environment - this is what builds all those connections in the brain to make them smart.  So, the more they explore and play, the more they learn, and the greater their potential to be an intelligent individual.  When they watch TV or interact with toys that do all the entertaining for them their brains are not working to make those important connections and in fact all of that rapid visual and auditory stimulation can be detrimental to brain development.
- Keep it simple when buying toys for your baby and toddler and only bring out a couple of toys at a time so as not to overwhelm your young child; this also improves focus and attention when they are not distracted by too many other toys
- Choose toys that work on developmental skills, like the ones listed above
- Look for durable toys made out of quality materials
- Play with your child!!!!!  And then give them the opportunity to play independently (see my previous post on  independent play for more info on this)
- It's ok for babies and toddlers to play with the same toy or do the same active play activity over and over - they are practicing until they are successful, which is part of the learning process (learn more about why children do this)
- Have fun!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Community Model in the Fight Against Fat - Making simple, positive nutrition changes

My name is Jenny (I am the little sister of the creator of this blog) and I currently work as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Georgia. I have been in practice since 2006 and have observed the effects of obesity on the lives of young children across the country. As with many medical professionals, I share a great passion for childhood obesity and am very active in the prevention. I hope that I can give some helpful isnight and tips through these blogs and my many experiences I have on a day to day basis dealing with parents and children.

As we all know, obesity has become an epidemic. 1/3 of all children are overweight! Many households, school systems and even states are taking a stand and trying their best in attempts to fight back. I have been most impressed by recent attmepts in my home state, Maine, with their 5-2-1-0 program. This simple model preaches the key elements to living healthy. : 5 fruits and vegetables a day - less than 2 hours of videogames/computer/tv - 1 hour of exercise - and 0 sugar sweetened drinks (chocolate/strawberry milk/, Kool Aid, sports drinks, energy drinks, even most fruit juices). 5-2-1-0 make this become your new mantra.

It is not only families battling weight issues who can benefit from making positive changes when it comes to food choices, because everyone's brain, organs, and body needs healthy food in order to thrive.  Every family should take a look their daily diet and decide where they can replace poor nutrition habits with good nutrition habits.

So now the question is, how do we make the change? Every day at my practice parents and children acknowledge their dietary problems and can even tell me the solution, but they just can't make the change. My answer, start small and be realistic. Baby steps will get you much further than leaps and bounds in the end. Make one goal, for example eating more fruits and vegetables (fruit cups, canned fruit and fruit snacks don't count). A good way to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet is by making all of your snack choices be a fruit or a veg or by just adding them to all of your favorite snacks and meals. What you'll find is that once you incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet, you will automatically, without thinking, be cutting down on all of the sugar and starch filled items such as chips, candy, cookies, breads etc.


Some of my Favorite Examples of Easy Food Switchovers:


What we Love to eat (that's bad for us) and What we should eat (and will learn to love) instead:

* Bowl of Fruit Loops (or other sugary cereal) - instead try Honey Nut Cheerios or oatmeal with sliced berries or bananas

* Ice cream - instead eat yogurt and/or cottage cheese with berries

* Chips/crackers - instead eat Celery/Carrott sticks with PB, low fat cheese, or light dressing

* Cake/cookies - instead try Organic or Sugar-free pudding with berries

* Spaghetti with meatballs - try Whole wheat pasta with spinach and/or broccoli, peppers, and ground white meat of chicken/turk mixed in to the sauce (p.s. the smaller you cut up the veggies, the less the kids notice they are there; even try pureeing the veggies in a blender or food processor and then adding them to the tomato sauce)

* Bake potato with butter and cheese - instead eat a sweet potato, or just a salad

* Chicken nuggets -  instead eat Morning star or Applegate Famrs meatless nuggets or make your own baked chicken fingers by cutting up strips of raw chicken, dipping them in flour, then egg whites, then Panko or low fat bread crumbs, bake on 350 for 20 min (flipping sides after 10 min), or until they are fully cooked; they freeze and reheat well too.

* French fries or tater tots - if you must eat french fries, buy frozen natural potato wedges and bake them (do NOT fry), or make your own baked fries out of sweet potatoes

* Lunchables (which are deceiving because they appear nutritious, but really are packed with chemicals and preservatives, sodium, fat, and sugar that children don't need) - instead pack a homemade lunch of a deli meat sandwich on wholewheat bread, carrot sticks, pretzels, and a cup of applesauce.  If your kids love the crackers, cheese, and meat Lunchables, then pack your own crackers, cut up cheese, and cubes of fresh deli meat.

* White bread - instead buy whole wheat bread; whole wheat is actually sweeter than white bread, is packed with nutrients and has less refined sugar and carbs than white bread (that means less weight that's added to the tummy)

Fruits & Veggies 
Fruits and vegetables are not just an important part of a balanced diet - they are essential!!  Our bodies require the vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables EVERY DAY in order to grow, support healthy organ function, stay alert, and to prevent disease and illness.  Our bodies cannot maintain a healthy state living only on processed foods (that's all those foods in boxes and bags).  5 servings of fruits and vegetables should be a part of meals and snacks every day - and fruit flavored food and drinks do not count as a source of fruit either.  Fresh fruit and vegetables have much higher amounts of nutrients than those that come from a can.  If fresh produce is not available, then frozen is better than canned.  Serving sizes for children are obviously smaller than an adult: a few cooked baby carrot sticks, half an apple cut into thin slices, or 1/4 cup of broccoli is a serving size for a child.  When you think about it that way and serve at least 1 fruit or veggie at every meal and snack, you'll be getting in 5 servings easily.  And replacing desserts with fresh fruit, even fruit topped with a dab of whipped cream, cuts down on a whole lot of added sugar without giving up the sweetness.  Now, what to do about all that juice that kids drink....


No Juice! What do I give my child now? Water!!!! I really believe that water and milk are really all you need. After the age of 1 it is recommend that toddlers consume 16-24 oz of 2% and whole milk daily to help their developing brains and bones. I encourage parents to introduce water in a sippy cup as early as 6 months. At 6 months they are not consuming water as a means of hydration, but just playing with the sippy cup and getting the hang of it. By 9 months, I hope that children will have started to master the use of the sippy cup, or a cup with a lid and a straw, and are drinking water with each meal. Children will of course continue to obtain a larger portion of calories and fat from breastmilk and formula in between their meals. After the age of 1, it is recommended that toddlers consume 16-24 oz of 2% or whole milk in order to help their developing brains and bones. Just because they are 1 does not now mean they need juice. Fruit juice is not a substitute for eating fruits because you miss out on the natural fibers in the fruit and are usually consuming mass amounts of additional added sugars. Most importantly, if your child is drinking juice then they likely are no longer going to want to drink water.

Problem: "My child refuses to drink water." Simple solution - slowly thin the juice with water over many days to weeks. Kids are smart, they will pick up on it if you do this too quickly. For the really stubborn bigger kids, Crystal Light and Organic variations are also good options instead of juice and soda. I also can't stress enough the importance of discontinuing the use of sports drinks. A well trained marathon runner does not even need to rehydrate with Gatorade. The only necessary time for rehydration with a sports drink would be within 30 min to 1 hour after strenuous exercise for teenaged kids. I recommend cutting the sports drink in half with water. And NO soda!  Truly, the amount of sugar in one can or 16 oz bottle of soda is all the added sugar one adult needs per day!  The sugar, chemicals, and carbonation in the soda contribute to obesity, poor health, low energy (after the sugar crash of course), and poor bone growth/bone density.

Problem: "My child would rather drink juice/milk than eat." It is easy to fill up on fluids before a meal. Either do not allow your child anything to drink, other than water, until they have consumed 1/2 of their meal/snack, or offer only water with their meal and offer milk during snack times instead.

Strategies for Starting Good Eating Habits in Kids


Make it a family change: The best way to eating and living a healthy lifestyle is keeping it simple, manageble and family centered. Changing eating habits is not just for kids.  Parents - you are your children's role model...your children are a product of their environment, therefore you have to make the changes for yourself before you can make them for your child.

Get the kids involved:  Take your children grocery shopping and involve them in the process.  It's a great way to teach them about new foods, to compare nutrition information labels, and to get them to try new things.  Involve your children in planning weekly meals and even cooking.  When children take part in cooking, they are more apt to try eating what they have made.  Check out a previous post on cooking with your child.


Eat together: Sit down and have a family meal. Research has shown that there are major benefits to having at least one family meal a day. It's a great time to talk, laugh, enjoy each other's company, and to enjoy the food.  Remember to turn the TV off though; it's hard to really pay attention to each other when there is other entertainment on.  A family meal should be a time when everyone ignores the technology that disconnects us from each other during the rest of the day; so turn off the phones and the computer too and if you need a little help getting the conversation going, you can always play a game!  My favorite meal time games are Two Truths and a Lie and an old drinking game turned dinner game, Never Have I Ever.  In Two Truths and a Lie your children must tell you three things that happened during their day, two must be truths and one a lie; it is up to everyone else to figure out which is the lie.  In Never Have I Ever, everyone takes turns stating something that they have never eaten or done and anyone else who has takes a bite of their food; for example: Never have I ever eaten brussel sprouts or never have I ever colored a picture with my toes.

The important take home message here is to make eating habit changes to include more fresh food in your family's diet, taking out added fat and sugar, in order to improve weight, health, attention, life, and self image.  Make the changes together and find sources of support to make the changes permanent.  Your kids rely on you to give them the tools to have the healthiest life possible, since they don't yet have the knowledge or ability to do it themselves.  They learn from you and your actions, so the changes must start with you!  


Helpful Resources:
* ilunchbox.comChild portion sizes and other important nutrition information
* Food Guide Pyramid - info on how many servings of each food group a child or an adult should have
* Kid's Health.org - great information on health, nutrition, exercise, feelings, illnesses, etc with specific pages for parents, kids, and teens

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Try and Try Again - Why children repeat the same motor skill over and over (and over)

Have you ever watched your child do the same activity over and over again and thought, 'what is he doing'? Up and down the stairs, up and down the stairs, again and again.  You think, 'ok, enough already, let's do something else.' On the playground has your daughter insisted on playing on the same piece of equipment for 10 minutes, even though you are ready to see her do something else?  And every parent has heard the dreaded, 'read it again!' as their child begs for their favorite book to be read for the hundredth time.  As annoying as it is to parents to witness or even have to participate in these repetitive actions of their children (especially toddlers), there is a developmental explanation for why they behave this way; and don't worry, it's actually a good thing.

In the Beginning
Babies truly are born a blank slate.  They come hard wired with protective reflexes, but they have to learn how to do every action from scanning a room to look for mom to running and skipping.  These skills do not develop without the opportunities to try; which is why tummy time is so important from very early on!   As babies build strength in their neck, torso, arms, and legs they are able to move around, slowly increasing their movement skills as they get older.  But babies hardly ever experience beginners luck; their skill acquisition comes through experimentation and hard work.  Take crawling for example, as a baby gains strength and balance, she challenges her abilities to get on her hands and knees, then lunge forward.  She will collapse the first few times she tries; she may even give up for a couple of days, but as she revisits this new motor skill and tries over and over she will start to get the hang of it.  Then one day, you look up to notice she is crawling across the floor, headed for her toys.  She continues to perfect her crawling abilities, a nd so begins the transition to the next motor milestone of pulling up to stand.  You will see this same pattern of experimenting with new abilities and the repitition with practicing until a baby has mastered a new skill.

The Drive to Master
The inner drive to master a new skill is an innate quality that everyone is born with.  Toddlers are the perfect example as they are constantly engrossed in figuring out how to do one thing or another on their own.  I'm sure you've heard "me do it!!" on a daily basis if you have or have had a two year old. Coupled with a new realization that they exist apart from mom, this drive to master new skills makes toddlers fiercely independent.  This new independence also brings out brand new behaviors and therefore a whole new bag of tricks needed to deal with these behaviors.  See the previous post on handling toddler behavior for help.  The drive to master new skills is actually a really important developmental trait, as it motivates young children to keep trying in order to get better at something.  At an age where every skill is a building block to new and more complex skills, this "try and try again" attitude is essential. 

The 'Just-Right Fit'
Because of this drive to master new skills and challenges in their environment (i.e toys, games, sports, playground equipment, etc) children young and old are motivated to stick with trying a new activity until they figure it out, but only if the level of challenge is just right.  It can't be too hard or too easy.  If the new activity is too difficulty and they do not have any small successes as they adjust their approach, then they will give up.  If an activity is too easy, they will do it quickly and skillfully and then move on to find something else with a little more challenge.  This is why babies don't play with Legos and older kids don't play with stacking rings.  If you find your child trying to do an activity or play with a toy that is age appropriate, but she is getting frustrated and defeated, then step in and provide small amount of assistance that allow your child to complete the activity successfully, but with as little help as possible.  Sometimes even modeling how to do it a couple of times can be helpful.  Then the next time she tries it, provide even less help.  With each repeated effort she will improve her skills and knowledge to be able to do it on her own.  Prodiving the smallest amount of assistance necessary to help a child do an activity that is just outside of their abilities to do independently is called 'scaffolding;' this strategy helps them learn how to do an activity or skill independently.  This theory also applies to other areas of learning.
When a child finds an activity or skill that is within this 'just right fit' range they will repeatedly try until they finally master it.  When an activity that has required scaffolding finally starts to fall within the 'just right fit' category a child will begin to work harder to get it right on their own.  This drive causes children to engage in the same activity over and over again until they are finally successful, then the success is fun for a while until they need another new challenge.

Bottom Line: In order to learn new skills and to become more independent children need to repeat activities over and over until they master them.  Ever time they make a new attempt their brain and body are making small adjustments to improve their abilities and therefore their success.  It is entirely normal and necessary for kids to do things over and over until they feel successful.  Interrupting these attempts at mastery can backfire and decrease a child's confidence in their own skills.  Reading books over and over is also important as with each repitition a child is making new connections, learning more about language and reading, and taking in new knowledge.  When your child can actually recite a favorite book or finish the sentences, you will understand how powerful reading books over and over can be.  So let your kids try and try and then try and try some more, encouraging them and offering assistance only when needed. 
And the disclaimer here is that you should obviously discourage your child from trying to engage in any activity or behavior that is harmful or developmentally inappropriate.

When Repetitive Behaviors Are Not Normal
Some types of repetitive behaviors are not normal and can be a sign of an Autism Spectrum Disorder or other disorder, such as OCD or even a severe sensory processing disorder. Repetitive behaviors that seem to have no purspose and happen on a daily basis for long durations, such as open/closing cupboards without getting into what's inside, lining objects up into straight lines or categories, or wandering without a destination goal are all examples of behaviors that are not developmentally appropriate and serve no purpose in acquiring new skills or knowledge. Repetitive behaviors that appear to be for sensory purposes, such as hand flapping, head banging, rocking, and pushing or crashing into objects and people can be indications of a developmental disorder, especially if they occur along with other non-purposeful repetitive behaviors, such as the ones previously described. If you have any concerns about your child, it is important to speak to your pediatrician without waiting too long. For children with a developmental disorder, such as Autism, early intervention is crucial and makes a huge difference in the potential progress of that child.

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