PHYSICAL FITNESS MAKES CHILD HEALTHY AND FIT

The Benefits of Sports

Organized sports can help kids grow in many ways. From soccer to fencing, sports offer chances for kids to learn and master skills, work with their peers and coaches, and challenge themselves in a safe environment. They learn new skills and this develops team working and leadership in a child. Sports like football, cricket, baseball, table tennis, badminton, hockey and etc makes child healthly and fit. Sports also makes them grow in height. Sport helps us to maintain balance diet in our life and also decreases obesity. It also makes them active and smart. It is your reposnsibility as a parent to encourage them to play so that your child can develop certain skills.

When Should Kids Start Playing Sports?

As you think about signing kids up for sports, consider how emotionally and physically ready they are to participate. 

That doesn't mean kids can't play sports when they're younger. Sports can be fun for toddlers and kindergartners, but they should be less about competition and more about having fun opportunities to be active. So even if young kids inadvertently score a goal for the other team or spend the entire game chasing butterflies, as long as they're enjoying it, that's OK.

If you do decide to sign your 5-year-old up for a team, be sure to choose a league that emphasizes fun and basic skills. 

INTERNET SAFETY

The Internet can be a wonderful resource for kids. They can use it to research school reports, communicate with teachers and other kids, and play interactive games. But that access can also pose hazards.  That's why it's important to be aware of what your kids see and hear on the Internet, who they meet, and what they share about themselves online.

keep a close eye on their activities.

Online Protection Tools:-Many Internet service providers (ISPs) provide parent-control options to block certain material from coming into a computer. You can also get software that helps block access to certain sites based on a "bad site" list that your ISP creates. Filtering programs can block sites from coming in and restrict personal information from being sent online. 

Getting Involved in Kids' Online Activities

Aside from these tools, it's wise to take an active role in protecting your kids

• Become computer literate and learn how to block objectionable material.

• Keep the computer in a common area, not in individual bedrooms, where you can watch and monitor its use.

• Share an email account with your child so you can monitor messages.

• Bookmark kids' favorite sites for easy access.

• Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior.

• Forbid your child from entering private chat rooms; block them with safety features provided by your Internet service provider.

• Monitor your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges.

• Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange.

Many sites use "cookies," devices that track specific information about the user, such as name, email address, and shopping preferences. Cookies can be disabled. Ask your Internet service provider for more information.

Basic Rules:- Set up some simple rules for your kids to follow while they're using the Internet, such as:

• Follow the rules you set, as well as those set by your Internet service provider.

• Never trade personal photographs in the mail or scanned photographs over the Internet.

• Never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location. 

• Never respond to a threatening email or message.

• Always tell a parent about any communication or conversation that was scary.

• If your child has a new "friend," insist on being "introduced" online to that friend.

Chat Room Caution:- Chat rooms are virtual online rooms where chat sessions take place. Because people can communicate with each other alone or in a group, chat rooms are among the most popular destinations on the Web — especially for kids and teens.

But chat rooms can pose hazards for kids. Some kids have met "friends" in chat rooms who were interested in exploiting them. These predators sometimes prod their online acquaintances to exchange personal information, such as addresses and phone numbers, thus putting the kids they are chatting with — and their families — at risk.

Warning Signs

Warning signs of a child being targeted by an online predator include spending long hours online, especially at night, phone calls from people you don't know, or unsolicited gifts arriving in the mail. If your child suddenly turns off the computer when you walk into the room, ask why and monitor computer time more closely. Withdrawal from family life and reluctance to discuss online activities are other signs to watch for.

Taking an active role in your kids' Internet activities will help ensure that they benefit from the wealth of valuable information it offers without being exposed to any potential dangers.

Ten Keys to Successful Parenting

The following ten keys will help parents use methods that have been proven to provide children with a sense of well-being and security.

1 - Use Genuine Encounter Moments :- With our busy lives, we often pretend to listen or ignore our child's attempts to communicate with us. If we don't give our child GEMS throughout the day, he will often start to misbehave. Negative attention in a child's mind is better than being ignored. It is also important to recognize that feelings are neither right nor wrong. They just are. So when your child says to you, "Mommy, you never spend time with me" (even though you just played with her) she is expressing what she feels. It is best at these times just to validate her feelings by saying, "Yeah, I bet it does feel like a long time since we spent time together."

2 - Use Action, Not Words:- For example, if you have nagged your child about unrolling his socks when he takes them off, then only wash socks that are unrolled. Action speaks louder than words.

3 - Give Children Appropriate Ways to Feel Powerful:- Ways to help them feel powerful and valuable are to ask their advice, give them choices, let them help you balance your check book, cook all our part of a meal, or help you shop. A two-year-old can wash plastic dishes, wash vegetables, or put silverware away. We should encourage them instead of discouraging them.

4 - Use Natural Consequences:-  Ask yourself what would happen if I didn't interfere in this situation? If we interfere when we don't need to, we rob children of the chance to learn from the consequences of their actions. By allowing consequences to do the talking, we avoid disturbing our relationships by nagging or reminding too much. 

5 - Use Logical Consequences:- A consequence for the child must be logically related to the behavior in order for it to work. For example, if your child forgets to return his video and you ground him for a week, that punishment will only create resentment within your child. However, if you return the video for him and either deduct the amount from his allowance or allow him to work off the money owed, then your child can see the logic to your discipline.

6 - Withdraw from Conflict:- If your child is testing you through a temper tantrum, or being angry or speaking disrespectfully to you, it is best if you leave the room or tell the child you will be in the next room if he wants to "Try again." Do not leave in anger or defeat.

7 - Separate the Deed from the Doer:- Never tell a child that he is bad. Always try to encourage and give them positive approach. Encouraging them is the best way to make them successful.

8 - Be Kind and Firm at the Same Time:-Suppose you have told your five-year-old child that if she isn't dressed by the time the timer goes off, you will pick her up and take her to the car. She has been told she can either get dressed either in the car or at school. Make sure that you are loving when you pick her up, yet firm by picking her up as soon as the timer goes off without any more nagging. If in doubt, ask yourself, did I motivate through love or fear?

9 - Parent with the End in Mind:- If we parent in a way that keeps in mind how we want our child to be as an adult, we will be more thoughtful in the way we parent. For example, if we spank our child, he will learn to use acts of aggression to get what he wants when he grows up.

10 - Be Consistent:-If you have made an agreement that your child cannot buy candy when she gets to the store, do not give in to her pleas, tears, demands or pouting. Your child will learn to respect you more if you mean what you say.