Soraya Diase Coffelt's Blog, page 15
February 1, 2021
Important Tips for Your Children to Have Better Posture When Using the Computer & Mobile Devices
Many adults are using their computers and mobile devices more since the pandemic. The same applies to children as well. One of the critical health issues that we rarely think about is our posture. I recently had some pain issues with my my neck and shoulders resulting from using these devices and not being more aware of my posture. Names have been attributed to various positions when on a mobile device, such as text neck, horns (bone growth at the base of the neck) and hunched or bent neck posture. You want to make sure to avoid getting any of these!
The following tips are for children but adults can incoporate them too and the links below provide a lot of helpful information:
Tip #1: The same rules that apply for adults apply to children – sit with knees, elbows and wrists at 90 degree angles, feet flat, shoulder blades supported on the back of a chair, and the screen at eye level.
Tip #2: Take frequent breaks – every 20 or 30 minutes if permitted. Stand and walk around. Do a wall alignment, which involves standing straight against a wall and raising hands up like a goal post. Time this position for 1 minute. It helps the spine to straighten out.
Tip #3: Stretch. You can stretch at the computer or when you stand for your break. Do head rolls and shoulder rolls. Stretch your chest.
Tip #4: Try alternating positions at the computer. Perhaps your child would like to stand rather than sit.
For more information, please visit:
https://kidspluspgh.com/doctors-notes/computer-ergonomics/
https://raisingchildren.net.au/teens/parenting-in-pictures/healthy-posture-for-teenage-screen-time
January 25, 2021
Help Your Children Learn About Your Family’s Legacy By Building Your Family Tree
Learning about your family’s history and building a family tree are wonderful ways to teach your children about the importance of family roots and dynamics and to also have a lot of fun. Importantly, all of this has been connected to generating self-confidence and emotional health in a child. Consider it as a huge puzzle and the pieces all have to come together in a proper fit. Wondering where to start? Here are some ideas.
There are many genealogical records that are available – you just have to do the research. I have listed some links below to assist you with finding information. Military records and naturalization papers are often available. These are great sources of information as they provide detailed descriptions of the person, in the event you do not have a photograph. Census records also are good sources of information that you may not be able to find elsewhere, as they can provide marital status, citizenship, and occupation as well as whether the person owned a home.
Consider researching data kept by churches as many areas have churches that keep detailed records of their parishioners and families. Genealogical societies are well known for collecting familial data as well.
There is no doubt that your children will benefit from learning about the varied persons in their family tree and hearing stories about them. Psychologist Marshall Duke from Emory University in Georgia worked with families and questioned children about their family history. He commented: “Hearing these stories gave the children a sense of their history and a strong ‘intergenerational self’. Even if they were only nine, their identity stretched back 100 years, giving them connection, strength and resilience.”
You may think that it is a daunting task to build your family tree. Try doing the research bit by bit. Having your children involved and motivated will be a tremendous help. In the end, you have built a firm legacy for them to better understand who they are and then pass it on to their own children!
For more information, please visit the following websites:
https://www.legacytree.com/blog/importance-family-history
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jan/14/children-family-histories-tales
January 18, 2021
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Words – A Call To Action For Us All!
On the third Monday of each January, we celebrate and honor the great civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Please take the time today to assist your children to learn more about his life and accomplishments. He was a man of immense faith and always believed his calling was for a greater purpose. And, it was!
In his famous quote that is on the picture of today’s blog post, he has a call to action for all of us. Let us strive, especially during this year, to seek, to do and to be used by God for a greater purpose than just ourselves. This is my heart’s prayer.
January 11, 2021
Read & Pray God’s Shield of Protection in Psalm 91 With Your Children
When the COVID-19 pandemic started last year, a friend recommended to me a book on Psalm 91 by Minister Peggy Joyce Ruth titled Psalm 91-Real Life Stories of God’s Shield of Protection. I can honestly say that I have read that book twice since then and some chapters more often. It has been such a blessing for me and impacted my prayer life tremendously, so I wanted to share it with you.
Psalm 91 is known as the psalm of God’s shield of protection. It is not known for certain who wrote it. According to Jewish tradition, Moses wrote it and David complied it in the Book of Psalms. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, however, attributes it to David.
The Psalm is only 16 verses long, but each verse is power packed. In her book, Minister Ruth dedicates one chapter to each verse, so you get a full understanding of its meaning. As we trust and commit ourselves to God, He promises continued benefits and protection.
She also has available books for youth and children - Psalm 91 for Youth and My Own Psalm 91 Book. I recommend purchasing books which will teach the Psalm at the level that they need to understand it best. Also, consider praying the Psalm nightly with your children. And, have a contest where they memorize it and give out fun rewards. I memorized it so I know they could too.
To order the books, please visit https://www.peggyjoyceruth.org/psalm-91-books.html
January 4, 2021
Committing to More Family Fun Time in the New Year
This is the first week of the new year. I pray that one of your goals for the year is spending more time with your children as a family. Fun time is important in developing long-lasting relationships filled with love and memories. Just because it may be cold outside does not mean that you cannot have fun.
In my blog posts in January, 2018 titled Fun Outdoor Activities for the Winter Months and Fun Indoor Activities for the Winter Months, I wrote about all the fun children can have playing games outdoors and indoors during the winter season. As an update to those blogs, I wanted to provide families with more recent online articles that provide additional games to play. Please check out the links below.
It is key that you bundle up and prepare for those cold outdoor temperatures when playing outdoors. As a special treat, also prepare for your return back home, with hot chocolate and delicious munchies available. After a playful time outside, your children will be hungry! Moreover, when the weather is just too cold or blustery to go outside, indoor activities are important. There are so many to choose from, so plan ahead to incorporate as many as possible into your schedules as you make warm memories for your children.
For many more suggestions for outdoor and indoor winter activities with your children, please visit the following links:
https://www.care.com/c/stories/3931/101-snow-games-and-activities-for-kids/
December 28, 2020
Happy New Year 2021!
Psalm 20:4 is our fervent prayer for you in the new year. Thank you for your support of our nonprofit foundation As the Stars of the Sky Foundation and the important cause of promoting childhood literacy. We have all had challenges during 2020, some more than others. We join our faith with yours that 2021 will be an exceptionally successful year! To God be the glory!
December 21, 2020
Sprinkling Family Prayer Into Family Time
It’s Christmastime and what a wonderful time to start a new family tradition of praying regularly together as a family! Here are some suggestions as to how you can start and what to include in your prayer-time.
A well-known acronym for helping everyone to remember how to pray is ACTS :
A is for adoration. Begin your prayers acknowledging that God is holy. Adore and reverence Him for being the Almighty God.
C is for confession. Confess your wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness.
T is for thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6, The Passion Translation, states that when we pray, we should be “offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude ….” Have your children think ahead of time of the many blessings they have so that they are ready to thank God for them.
Consider the “fill in the blank prayer”. An example is the following: God is great, God is good, thank you God for _________.
S is for supplication or asking God to supply your needs. What does each family member need and what does the family unit need. Make those requests known to God. Also, you should pray for the needs of others outside the family. Is there a friend or acquaintance who is struggling? Pray for them.
In addition, you can add a simple scripture verse for everyone to memorize and include during prayers. One important verse is Jeremiah 29:12: “Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me. And I will listen to you.” (ICB).
Having your children keep a prayer journal is helpful and instructive. What is each child praying and standing in faith for? How has God answered each prayer?
By following a simple yet profound routine of family prayers, your children will grow in faith and treasure the memories. What precious gifts those are!
For more information, please visit:
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/pray-with-your-children/
https://www.illustratedministry.com/2017/ways-to-pray-with-kids/
December 14, 2020
Build a Reading Fort to Encourage Your Children to Read More
“The simplest way to make sure we raise literate children is to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity. And that means finding books that they enjoy, giving them access to those books, and letting them read them.” Neil Gaiman
I love this quote by Neil Gaiman as it stresses the importance of showing children that reading can be a pleasurable activity. Having a warm, cozy place indoors to read makes the reading activity so much more pleasurable for children, especially when the weather is cold or rainy, and children believe that they become part of an adventure. I encourage parents to consider building a reading fort that would be such a place, beckoning their children to read, and read, and read. What a wonderful way to promote reading!
In my blog post a couple of years ago, I wrote about building a fort and that concept has increased in popularity. Now, more than ever, parents should build one, with the pandemic still affecting us, and children spending more time indoors.
There are a number of internet sites that provide a plethora of information as to how to build a reading fort as well as images of various designs. The sky really is the limit! The website scholastic.com has an article that provides a lot of helpful information. Have your children help to design the reading fort. Have books available that are about escaping to special, imaginary places, such as the series The Magic Tree House. And, be sure to add snacks as well!
At the website bookshark.com, parents are provided with instructions as to how to build a constellation reading fort. By adding lights, the fort becomes ever so much more special and imaginary. The adventure grows!
To learn more, please read:
December 7, 2020
It is Important to Monitor your Children's Friends
For a parent, Proverbs 27:17 is a very important verse. Iron sharpens iron and similarly, a good friend sharpens a friend. Who are your children’s friends? Do you know? Have you asked to find out, not only from your child but from others? And, what kind of friends are your children to others?
As I mentioned, this verse is a positive statement as a good friend will sharpen a friend. But what effect will a friend who is not good have on your children? There is no doubt that this friend will definitely have an effect as well on your child, but it will be a negative one.
On the website letgodbetrue.com, there is an excellent, helpful analysis of this verse. The writer states: “There are two direct and important lessons here. You need noble and godly friends to maximize your growth, and you need to be such a friend to others to maximize theirs.”
In regard to who are your children’s friends, the Bible establishes that wise friends will make them wiser and foolish friends will dull and corrupt them. Prov. 27:9, 13:20. According to 1Cor. 15:33 NLT, “bad company corrupts good character”. We must diligently monitor our children’s friends as we want wise influence for them.
The writer on letgodbetrue.com asks the following questions and I suggest that you as a parent ask them as well:
1. What is the spirit, demeanor and conduct of your children’s friends?
2. Are their friends a sharpening influence on your children and vice versa?
3. Is it wise for your children to keep these friends?
4. Do you value and promote good friends for them?
5. Do your children improve the lives of their friends?
To read the entire article, please visit https://letgodbetrue.com/proverbs/index/chapter-27/proverbs-27-17/
November 30, 2020
What Is Your Contribution?
When I saw this profound quote from Pastor Andy Stanley, I had to take some time to pause and reflect on it. So often, we strive to do things because we believe these acts would be great contributions to the Kingdom of God. That of course is all wonderful and necessary. But, right under our noses are our children, who should be our greatest contributions to the Kingdom.
Psalm 123:7 tells us that children are a gift from the Lord and are to be considered a reward from Him. In return, we are to acknowledge that and raise them to contribute to the Kingdom. To raise Kingdom children takes a lot of effort, determination, and skill, especially in these times. There is so much that pulls us as parents in every direction and attempts to get us to conform to the world’s way of doing things. And, it is the same for our children. As Christians, raising godly children takes time and dedication as we are fighting a battle against the norms of this world.
As this year closes and a new one is on the horizon, I implore parents to commit to spending more time with their children and teaching them what God wants and needs them to teach. As a mother of two, I understand that this can be challenging but we have the Lord to direct and comfort us.
