In order for children to grow up to be contributing members of society, they need to develop their creativity, adaptability, confidence, and respect.  Toys alone cannot accomplish this.  As a parent, I believe that the way to accomplish this is to spend time playing with your child instead of investing in expensive toys.  In the long run, this will challenge him or her to learn how to entertain himself/herself, while encouraging to develop their own creativity and imagination.

My children love being read to, because I started reading to them since they were young.  Sometimes, we’ll do crafts together.  I’m not very crafty; however, the ideas for these crafts always come from books from the library.  And when I do buy toys, I like to keep them simple.  For example, many hours of fun can be had with wooden cars.  An entire journey can be played out by taking a car for a road trip around the house! 

In the long run, I think my children will appreciate my time more so than any blinking gizmo.  Remember, quality time with your children is what helps them to develop into healthy adults.

Adults often think of gardening as an activity that needs only precision and grown-up attention. A lot of us don’t even think of including our children in the joy of being outside and the cultivation of plants. It’s important to relax once in a while and you can do so by gardening with kids. One of the first things to remember when preparing your plan for gardening with kids is the need for proper tools. Many retailers offer products made especially for children that allow each child to feel that they own a part of the gardening experience. These products are child sized and come in fun colors and designs. I have found with my own son that he loves having his very own tools. I also don’t have to worry about him ruining any of my more expensive full-sized items. By giving my child his own spade, trowel, bucket and gardening gloves, I allow him to claim his own part of the gardening experience. This is a great way to make gardening with kids not only fun, but unique.

Gardening with kids should be simple. Don’t over think the process. After you’ve assembled the tools needed, give your child a section of the garden that is theirs. Allow them to configure the plants, do all of the digging, play with bugs and personalize their section of the garden. Take a look at the plot and decide how many plants you will need to purchase for your gardening with kids adventure. Teach your child how to prepare the soil for planting and give them time to enjoy. Then, head to the nursery. Set limits on number of plants and price before you go, to avoid confusion and anger while at the store. When you are shopping, be agreeable and allow your child to pick whatever they want within your pre-set limits. Sure, you might not think their choices will win the yard of the month prize, but allowing your child to design the plants for their own section of garden is important while gardening with kids. This teaches responsibility and creativity.

When you return home from the nursery with your selections, teach your child how to plant each plant in the ground. Once you have taught them the basics, allow them to do the rest themselves. Don’t worry if your first choice wouldn’t be a cluster of lavender plants in the middle of the garden plot. This is your child’s mini-garden so allow them to be as creative as they want. While gardening with kids remember that it should be fun, first and foremost. After all of the plants are in place and your child’s garden is complete, include them in the daily maintenance of not only their section, but the entire garden, too. Show them proper watering and fertilizing techniques. You can assign a specific task for your child for which they are always in charge. This could be something as simple as misting flowers with water once a day or pulling weeds. Children love the hands-on aspect of gardening with kids, so allow them to get dirty. After all, gardening gloves are washable. The joy your child will gain from helping in the garden is incomparable to staying inside and watching you work alone. Make gardening with kids a part of your regular routine and behold the wonders of your garden as it grows.

First of all is the space birthday party. While not all kids love the science part of space, the general astronaut idea rings true for most kids. This is one of the more-time consuming kids birthday party ideas, but it is one that is very rewarding. First of all is the cake. A great idea is to have a cake that is colored like a planet. Indeed, if you have a lot of time on your hands (or money to pay a bakery), you can build one cake for each planet, and spread them out on a star-filled place mat. This gives the impression of it being a solar system, and each one of the guests can have the option to take one of the cakes home. Next are the activities. If you inflate 2 balloons for each guest, and tie them to the guest’s ankles, you can have a “moonwalk” game, with the point being to pop the other guest’s balloons. If you want, you can use aluminum-foil covered paper towel rolls to make “space backpacks” for the kids.

At a young age, many little girls love princesses. There are a lot of kids birthday party ideas that can be derived from this interest. One such idea involves pretending that your house is a castle. Invite all of the guests as other “princesses”, and invite them to bring their own princess outfits. Fitting in with this, a pink cake is a great idea, and the cake can even be customized with your daughter’s name. This is a fairly time-efficient kids birthday party idea, as it requires minimal setup. Just cover everything in pink. A tea party is a good way to complete the experience. You might want to serve juice rather than tea, as unsweetened tea doesn’t usually go over well with children.

Those are just two basic kids birthday party ideas out there. There are many more, and they all can be tailored especially to your son or daughter. One thing, however, is important; don’t overstress about the party. Likely, your son or daughter will be more thrilled with the presents they receive from the party than from the party itself. Just be sure to set up an environment where your child, and their guests, can have fun.