Soraya Diase Coffelt's Blog, page 5
December 19, 2022
Merry Christmas!
Christmas is such a beautiful time of the year! As we are giving and receiving gifts, let us remember the most precious gift ever given to us – God gave us His Son Jesus!
Why did our Heavenly Father do that? John 3:16 answers that very important question: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
May you have a peaceful and safe Christmas!
December 12, 2022
Tips on Encouraging Your Children to Eat Healthier in 2023
One of the ubiquitous questions for parents is “How do I get my children to eat healthier?” After raising two sons and reading many articles on the subject, I have some helpful tips that you can incorporate into the new year and a lot of them starts with you:
Be sure that you understand the importance of vegetables and fruit in your children’s diet and what is the recommended amount of daily servings. We always say that our children should eat healthier but do you know why? Vegetables and fruit are loaded with minerals and vitamins that our bodies need. They also have a lot of fiber to help us eliminate waste. The links below will help with you find what are the recommended daily servings.
Set a good example for them. As they see you eat healthier, they will too.
Plan to buy healthy options for snacks and have them easily available. Creating a list is important so that when you are grocery shopping, you are not distracted.
Instead of potato or other types of chips (which are filled with salt and unnecessary fat) have carrot or celery sticks or sliced apples for example. Often, they will choose chips because they are looking for something that is crunchy. You can also have available a healthy dip such as hummus. Remember that you do the grocery shopping so you can select what is to be brought into your home for your children to eat.
Also, when planning your family’s meals, include healthy items based on the recommended daily servings.
Experiment with different kinds of vegetables and fruits. Read up about various kinds. Try different recipes. Have your children join you when you go to the farmer’s market or grocery store and also in selecting recipes. When I was growing up, I would say “YUCK” to beets, but when I tasted them in a new recipe, they became one of my favorite vegetables.
These are just a few tips but they will certainly get you on your way to making dramatic improvements in healthy eating for the entire family in the new year.
For more helpful information, please visit:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/nutrition-fitness/healthy-eating-habits/vegetables
https://www.verywellfamily.com/child-nutrition-and-vegetables-2633937
December 5, 2022
Teach Your Children About the Dangers of Distracted Walking
Unfortunately, the images in the header for this blog post are all too common. It used to be that walking safety was an issue just for high school students, but it is now a major safety issue for elementary and middle school students as cell phones are more and more accessible at a younger age. People (children and adults) who walk while using a cell phone -whether listening to music, talking, or texting - are commonly referred to as “zombies”. According to statistics from the organization Safe Kids Worldwide, nearly 60 children are hit by cars in the United States each day. Those statistics do not include other injuries that children can suffer by being distracted, such as bumping into objects and falling. What can we as parents do to keep our children safe and not distracted as they walk?
Some things that Safe Kids did one summer to bring about awareness of the problem were: put up lawn signs around a school; and spray-painted safety signs on the sidewalks close to crosswalks. These are not expensive actions and can be quickly done. It also created an action tool kit and an Action Against Distraction Plan which are accessible at the link below. The plan includes strategies to raise community awareness as well as tips for parents and children. There are even printable signs that say “Heads Up, Phones Down”.
Of course, other actions can be passing legislation. For example, Honolulu, Hawaii adopted a law that makes it illegal to enter a crosswalk while using a cell phone.
To learn more, please visit:
https://www.safekids.org/blog/heads-phones-down-paying-attention-distracted-walking
https://www.safesearchkids.com/the-dangers-of-texting-and-walking/
November 28, 2022
Let Child Entrepreneur Alejandro Buxton Inspire Your Children to Achieve Their Dreams
Here is another story about a child who is mover and shaker. Please share it with your children as it is inspirational.
Meet Alejandro Buxton, now 12 years-old. He is referred to as a “kidpreneur” or a kid who is an entrepreneur. He started a candle business known as Smell of Love Candles and is assisted by his sister and mother Patricia.
It all started when Alejandro was 9 years-old and noticed that regular candles gave his mother a headache. She suffered from allergies. Concerned for her health, he researched and found natural soy material to make candles, added nice scents, and began his home business, turning their kitchen into a lab. He started selling his candles at local fairs and now has his own kiosk at the mall in Tysons, Virginia. In fact, he is the youngest person to rent space at Tysons!
Entrepreneurship is not new to him. In the past, he has shoveled snow, mowed lawns, and even had a lemonade stand.
What is Alejandro planning to do with the money he earns? First and foremost, he is saving for college. Then, he donates to charities and encourages others to save money for college too. He is a wonderful example to all of us!
For more information about Alejandro, please visit:
November 21, 2022
Mother and Author Molly DeFrank Gives Important Recommendations on Weaning Your Children Away from the Distractions of Digital Devices
My late husband and I raised our two sons just as cell phones and other digital devices were being introduced and used by children. We had rules for the use of these devices, but it required constant monitoring as the lure for children was intense. Now, years later, even the youngest of children are being inundated with and overcome by all that is so easily and quickly available at their fingertips. One person who has taken action and successfully maneuvered her children through the digital detox process is mother and author Molly DeFrank.
Molly wrote Digital Detox: The Two-Week Tech Reset for Kids to help parents and grandparents who are facing the challenges of children being constantly on these devices. What happened to communication? What happened to reading? What happened to family activities?
Molly was recently a guest on my podcast Be Convinced! Sharing Lifechanging Stories of Hope. She shared how one day she came home and as she entered the house, one of her children immediately asked to use her cell phone. She and her husband agreed on a detox plan, and it worked. She wrote her book to encourage everyone to take the steps necessary to “transform screen zombies into friendly, happy, grateful kids.” She provides a lot of practical advice and step-by-step guidance that is sure to bring a change in your children in just 14 days, if of course, you stick to the plan. You will be inspired by our podcast talk.
Her website mollydefrank.com also provides additional helpful information and articles. Please consider following her on social media as well.
November 14, 2022
The Metaverse and Your Children
The metaverse is upon us and parents should understand what it involves and the tremendous impact it will continue to have on our children. I must confess that I knew very little about the metaverse until I began researching for this blog post. There are many good articles online and I provide the links for a few below. One article I would like to share here has a discussion between a parent and a therapist which I find fascinating.
Just what is the metaverse? It is a 3-dimensional virtual universe. It typically refers to "a collection of interconnected virtual environments where users can communicate via avatars in the first person. It typically refers to a digital environment that multiple users of an internet connection can access simultaneously." “It's about individuals coming together to share a virtual world, whether it's for a job, school, exercise, or just for fun.” To put it more simply, “it is a system of linked virtual worlds where users communicate with avatars in the first person.”
The online article Is the Metaverse a Kid-Friendly World? A Parent Asks a Therapist provides some important information and raises many thought provoking issues. There is no doubt that the metaverse can be beneficial for our children to help them learn and often provides a safe environment for children to interact with others. But, unsupervised, there are many challenges. “The danger of the Metaverse for kids emerges when they are left to discover it alone. This is similar to allowing small children to watch TV unsupervised, or to spend time online endlessly, without a purpose. Reports have shown it can lead to loneliness, to say the least.” There are also many other concerns, including cyber bullying and stalking and children becoming addicted to it.
As the metaverse continues to develop, it is important for parents to learn more about it and guide their children through it in a thoughtful manner. We cannot stop advancement so we must ensure that our children receive the benefits and are protected as much as possible from the negative effects.
To learn more, please visit:
https://therecursive.com/parent-and-therapist-discuss-the-metaverse-for-kids/
https://www.iamexpat.nl/education/education-news/metaverse-kids-ultimate-guide-parents-and-children
https://www.connectsafely.org/metaverse-and-vr-tips-for-parents/
November 7, 2022
Honor Those Who Have Served by Teaching Your Children About Veterans Day and Celebrating it With Them
This Friday November 11 is designated as a national holiday known as Veterans Day. Most adults and children have it off from work and school. I encourage you to just not take it off as another holiday but truly spend some time with your children teaching them about all it represents and then celebrating it with them.
Veterans Day is a federal proclamation of a day set aside to remember and honor all those who have served in the armed forces, past and present, in wartime and in peace. Some of your family members and friends may be veterans.
There are a number of websites with child-friendly information and suggested activities and videos. I have listed some below. I usually gravitate toward books for children, so that they can read for themselves and learn. The website teachingwithchildrensbooks.com has a list of recommended books for children of all ages, and I provide the link below. Other activities you can participate in with your children are parades and events sponsored by various veterans’ groups in your area. Even saying “thank you” to a person in uniform would be sincerely appreciated!
To learn more, please visit the following links:
https://www.care.com/c/veterans-day-101-how-to-explain-veterans-day-to-your-kids/
https://www.military.com/veterans-day
https://www.weareteachers.com/veterans-day-videos/
https://teachingwithchildrensbooks.com/childrens-books-about-veterans-day/
October 31, 2022
Meet 10 Year-Old Drummer Sebastian Stephens – The Youngest Person to Receive a Professional Certificate from Prestigious Berklee College of Music
Can children know from a young age what type of instrument they would like to play? The answer is a resounding YES! Meet 10-year-old drummer Sebastian “Seba” Stephens from Tennessee who asked his parents for drums for his birthday when he was just 3 years-old. To his parents’ credit, they purchased a child’s drum kit for him, and the rest is history.
Seba soon showed that he had a talent to play drums and his parents hired a teacher for him who immediately saw his talent too. His parents say that he never stopped playing! With the encouragement of his parents, Seba also learned how to play other instruments including piano, bass and guitar.
When he was just 8 years-old, Seba received special permission to study bass at an online summer program offered by the prestigious Berklee College of Music. He often would practice up to 36 hours a week. Because of this schedule, he asked his parents to be home schooled so he could continue at Berklee during the school year. They reworked their schedules and did just that.
In May, 2021, Seba became the youngest person to receive a professional certificate from Berklee. What a determined and talented youngster!
The spotlight should also be on his parents who supported him throughout. They could have easily talked him out of playing the drums, thinking it would be much too noisy and inconvenient for them. But, they stood by him and encouraged him. Kudos to them!
To read the entire article, please visit:
https://newsforkids.net/articles/2022/10/06/10-year-old-drummer-earns-certificate-from-berklee/
October 24, 2022
How Bedtime Stories Impact Your Children’s Brain Development
Some of the most pleasurable times my late husband and I experienced while raising our two sons was reading to them at bedtime. We had many books from which my sons would choose the nighttime read. Often, we read the same book over and over though. With the reading came the talking and laughing and of course, the good night hugs and kisses. In addition to all these benefits, bedtime stories can have a great impact on your children’s brain development.
An online article on parents.com titled The Brainy Benefits of Bedtime Stories, gives us information about this impact:
It helps to build an inner dictionary – The key is to develop your children’s language skills by stopping and asking questions about what is being read. The article gives the following example: “If a mother points to Curious George's baseball cap and asks her child, ‘Do you have a hat like that?’ she's offering him practice in using language correctly.” Also, books introduce children to new ideas and concepts that they have not yet experienced, such as cultures in other countries and foods they have never eaten.
Reading a book over and over helps develop logic skills – When you read a book to your children for the first time, they have not heard everything. They often want you to read it to them again and again. Try stopping and asking “What do you think happens next?” “Later, these lessons in recognizing patterns, understanding sequences, and predicting outcomes will help children in other areas, from math and science to music and writing.”
A cozy bed and soothing reading actually benefit a child’s cognitive development – “When kids are cozy and comfortable, reading aloud to them can even lower their stress levels. When a child experiences any strain—such as being bullied or starting a new school—his brain tries to protect him by producing the hormone cortisol, which activates the body's ‘fight or flight’ response. In small doses, cortisol can actually help kids handle normal stress. In larger amounts, however, it can block learning.”
To read the full article, please visit:
https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/books/the-brainy-benefits-of-bedtime-stories/
October 17, 2022
During This Voting Season, Teach Your Children the Power of Voting
Tuesday, November 8 is election day all over the United States, from local to district to county to state-wide elections. There is so much being said and written about voting. What do your children know about this critical right that we are privileged to have in our democracy?
I strongly believe that we should raise our children to be passionate about voting and electing righteous people to positions in government. We should teach them and also be role models of good citizens so that they become life-long voters.
There is quite a bit of information available on the internet about teaching your children about voting and I will provide some helpful information and links in this post to assist you.
Here are some articles:
Grow a Good Citizen: How to Teach Your Kids About Voting – highlights 7 points, one of which is teaching respectful disagreement;
6 Fun Ways to Teach Children About the Importance of Voting – encourages children to read books about voting rights and observe you exercise your right to vote;
Let's Vote! Talking to Children About Voting – PBS website article that has videos and arts and crafts activities;
Voting and Voices Classroom Resources – offers recommendations for many activities that will help your children learn about the history and struggles involved with the right to vote.
To learn more, please visit:
https://www.cmosc.org/6-tips-to-help-children-understand-the-power-of-voting/
https://www.pbs.org/parents/lets-vote
https://www.learningforjustice.org/projects/voting-and-voices/classroom-resources
https://www.weareteachers.com/teach-presidential-election-process/
