100 Ways to Show Kids They Truly Matter

100 Ways to Show Kids They Truly Matter

Bradley @ Kids Matter

I was super excited when our “Blog Squad” asked me to write the 100^th blog. I wasn’t sure what to write, but knew I wanted to include “100 of something” in my blog. It didn’t take me long to decide what that “something” would be. As an agency, we use the phrase “KIDS MATTER” often in our daily conversations. It’s a very common phrase around our offices. In fact, our staff often wears shirts with that phrase printed on them. So, for the 100^th blog I decided to list 100 ways to show kids they truly matter. Pick a couple and do them today!

I love everything about those two words and have written a couple of blogs on my personal blog site (www.bradleystevenson.com) around the words “KIDS MATTER.”

·       Investing Early and Often In Early Childhood Education Is Key

·       Did You Know? 5 Stats You Need To See

·       6 Words That Can Change Our World

·       A Story I Will Never Forget

100 Ways To Show Kids They Truly Matter.

1.     Give them a sincere hug.

2.     A special kiss on the cheek.

3.     A special day of celebration.

4.     Buy a special new toy.

5.     Take a trip to the movie theater.

6.     Buy them a new outfit.

7.     Take a trip to that special grandparents’ house.

8.     Have lunch at their favorite restaurant.

9.     Have a slumber party.

10.  Buy or make a personalized book.

11.  Spend quality time reading books together.

12.  Get a special ice cream treat.

13.  Have a fun day at the park.

14.  Make a special craft together.

15.  Create a holiday to celebrate the child all day.

16.  Take treats to school.

17.  Eat lunch at school with your child.

18.  Fill the child’s room with balloons.

19.  Cook their favorite meal.

20.  Bake their favorite dessert.

21.  Do a science project together.

22.  Go on a class field trip as a chaperone.

23.  Take a walk together.

24.  Make time for a conversation.

25.  Listen to your child.

26.  Tell the child how special they are.

27.  Take a special photo.

28.  Give the child a camera for a day and make a scrapbook with them.

29.  Go fishing.

30.  Make a t-shirt in their honor.

31.  Go bike riding.

32.  Do relay races.

33.  Color a picture of your child’s favorite thing… butterfly, superhero, firetruck…etc.

34.  Invite the child’s friends for a small party.

35.  Play a board game.

36.  Go shopping together.

37.  Let them spend a little extra time on the Play Station (I like limits).

38.  Get down in the floor with them and spend time playing cars, Barbie’s…etc.

39.  Take a trip to the zoo.

40.  Visit a museum.

41.  Play ball.

42.  Go to a sporting event.

43.  Play miniature golf.

44.  Teach new tasks like shoe tying.

45.  Play dress up.

46.  Go to the batting cages.

47.  Do hair and nails.

48.  Have a pizza party.

49.  Do face painting.

50.  Redecorate their room.

51.  Spend quality one on one time with them.

52.  Tell them stories of your childhood.

53.  Give them stickers.

54.  Write a story about them then read it to them.

55.  Tell them you love them.

56.  Brag about them to your friends in front of them.

57.  Let them go first in that day’s events.

58.  Spend time building something with them out of Playdough, Lego’s, or Lincoln Log’s.

59.  Go bowling.

60.  Swing together.

61.  Smile and laugh with them.

62.  Allow them to choose that day’s activities.

63.  Let them go to their friend’s home for a sleepover.

64.  Schedule a special play date.

65.  Make a video together.

66.  Create a fort with blankets in your living room.

67.  Go on a scavenger hunt.

68.  Plant a garden together.

69.  Listen to their favorite music.

70.  Dance together.

71.  Go kite flying.

72.  Have a water balloon fight.

73.  Go walking through puddles after a rain.

74.  Tell jokes.

75.  Make paper airplanes.

76.  Have an ice cream party.

77.  Go swimming.

78.  Go on a picnic.

79.  Shoot water guns at each other.

80.  Bake cookies.

81.  Do sidewalk art.

82.  Switch roles; let the child be a parent and you be the child for a while.

83.  String beads into necklaces, bracelets, and key chains.

84.  Visit a fire station.

85.  Catch lightening bugs together.

86.  Have a tea party.

87.  Pitch a tent in the backyard and camp out.

88.  Visit the public library.

89.  Get a big cardboard box and play house.

90.  Play hide-n-seek.

91.  Make instruments out of household goods and form your own band.

92.  Pick out cloud shapes.

93.  Go outside and see who can hear the most sounds.

94.  Visit a water park.

95.  Go bird watching.

96.  Paint a family portrait.

97.  Jump rope.

98.  Spend computer time searching for things that interest them.

99.  Blow bubbles and chase them.

100.  Go exploring the neighborhood.

Thank you for reading our 100^th blog.  I hope you will continue to visit our blog site in the future. Please feel free to share and spread the word of Kids Matter. What other ways can you share that you use to show kids they matter?  We’d love to hear from you!

Meet the Child Care Council Staff

Introducing Patricia W.

Melissa @ Kids Matter

I chose Patricia W for this week’s staff interview because, I’ve emailed with her a lot regarding claims she submits, yet I’ve never actually met her. She has always been sweet and accommodating in everything I’ve asked her to do.  So, I felt others could benefit from knowing more about her.

She’s been with the CCC for 11 months as an Eligibility Specialist in the North region, covering Fleming, Mason, Bracken, Robertson, and Pendleton counties. Patricia says that in addition to being paid money, her career has created value in her life because she has, “always loved working in an environment that allowed you to help others. I knew one day I would work in a government or hospital type environment. In my opinion, true people skills are not learned, you either have it, or you don’t.”

When asked what family means to her, she stated that, “Family means allowing and respecting the differences of each other while still being there for one another during both the good and bad times. It means sharing, caring and unconditionally loving each other all the time. It means get-togethers, traditions, and celebrating everything.”

I asked Patricia who the most influential person was to her as a child. She stated, “My mom is the most influential person as a child and an adult to me.” Patricia also said, “I admire my mom most because it was through watching her work hard and always putting her family first that has made me the person I am today. Family was always first and foremost for her. As a child, she would let me go to work with her and help. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. She taught me the importance of traditions and always knowing, yet never forgetting, where you came from. She taught me to take pride in your job regardless of the position you hold, but most importantly, give it 100% and you will get 100% back. It wasn't until she passed away, ten months ago, that I realized just how much we were alike.”

Patricia loves to plan parties, to bake, and to spend time with her 17 month old grandson, Anthony. He’s helped her cope with the loss of her mother and sister. The accomplishment that she’s most proud of is attaining her Bachelor’s degree while working third shift, six nights per week. She drove 45 miles to and from Morehead, and managed to do all this while raising a family. The HR rep. at her previous job was so impressed, that she uses her story to inspire other workers to go to school.

I asked Patricia if she had any interesting stories she wanted to share. She told the story of when she was 17; her first actual job was working on a military base as kitchen prep. She got to meet people from all walks of life. She was once selected to serve a four star general at the grand opening of the new dining hall on base. The story was featured in the local newspaper, which she still has. Clearly, those people skills were present at an early age in order to have been selected to serve a General. I think Patricia’s clients, and the CCC as a whole, certainly benefit from having her on staff.

Poison Prevention Tips

Poison Prevention Tips

By Robin @ Kids Matter

We all want to keep our children safe and secure and help them live to their full potential. However, it doesn't take much to make a small child sick. Kids have faster metabolisms than adults and anything they ingest will be absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. Knowing how to prevent one of the leading causes of child injury, is a step toward keeping our children safe.  Poison Control Centers in the United States receive 1.2 million calls each year as a result of accidental poisoning of children ages five and under. Nearly 90 percent of these exposures occur in the home.

·       Store potentially poisonous household products and medications locked out of children’s sight and reach.

·       Read labels to find out what is poisonous.  Some things you don’t think of as poisonous, such as makeup, plants, art supplies, and medicines, are. 

·       Be aware of poisons that may be in your handbag, so store it out of reach of young children.

·       Never leave potentially poisonous household products unattended while in use.

·       Keep the Poison Control Center number (1-800-222-1222) and local emergency numbers near every telephone.  Follow the operator’s instructions.

·       Keep activated charcoal on hand to be used on the advice of the poison control center or a physician.  Ipecac syrup is no longer used as a home treatment. 

·       Always read medication labels and follow the directions based on your child’s weight and age.

·       When administering medications to kids, don’t call them “candy.”  Children should not think of medications as treats.

·       Install CO2 detectors in every sleeping area and on all levels of your home.  Check the batteries every month.  If the alarm sounds, leave the home immediately and call for help.

·       Test children for lead exposure, and test homes built before 1978 for lead-based paint.

Poison Prevention week is March16 -22, 2014 in Fayette County.  Let’s use this as a reminder of some safety practices we all need to be aware of.  For these tips in reproducible form and more information please visit the Safe Kids website.

UK Health Care

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

Belinda @ Kids Matter

With kindergarten registration quickly approaching, you find yourself mentally preparing for the big day when your baby becomes a big kid and steps on that school bus the very first time. First day of school outfit… check. Adorable backpack loaded with school supplies… check. Awesome new shoes… check. One last hug and a few encouraging words as your now ‘big kid’ gets on the school bus. Your eyes well up with tears… not so much because you will miss your child, but for the sudden impact of how quickly she has grown. The bus pulls up; you hold your child’s hand until that very last second. Your eyes follow that bus as far as you can see. You fight the urge to jump in your car and travel the bus route just to make sure your precious cargo arrives safely at its destination. As you turn to leave the curb, tears begin streaming down your cheeks. By the time you reach the house, you are in a full blown ‘boohoo my baby has grown up’ bawl. As you sit weeping your heart out on the couch, your mind is filled with precious moments from the past five years. Scenes from birth to the last view of them on the bus causes your mind to race. Suddenly, you are overwhelmed with thoughts such as, will my baby be safe, what if her allergies act up, will she make new friends, will she like her teacher, and oh no… will the teacher like her? Panic quickly grasps you in a choke hold.

Breathe! Your baby will be just fine. The first day of school is months away yet. You will savor that moment of watching her venture out on the first day of school. Don’t make it a memory of pure panic. Treasure that memory with great fondness and acknowledge the fact that you did a great job in preparing your child for the independence of riding the bus that very first day of school. Children, for the most part, are great explorers of the world. Though it may seem like a scary thing to them, stepping on that bus, the moment the parent is out of sight it becomes a whole new adventure. Besides… just a few short hours from her getting on the bus, you will be a nervous wreck again, waiting for the moment when she steps back off that bus, safely home once more.

We’ve got you on the path to coping with your child heading off to school, now it’s time to start priming your child. You find yourself asking… ‘How do I know my child is ready for kindergarten’? If she attended a preschool then, chances are, she is advanced beyond the kindergarten skill level you remember as a child. Preschool is a phenomenal advantage for our children and they will, no doubt, arrive at kindergarten level by the summer before kindergarten starts. If your child didn’t attend preschool, there are many sites on the Internet to help you get your child kindergarten ready. Below is a list of some of those sites. Work with your child at their level of development. Make learning fun and interesting. Infuse excitement into prepping them for school and how much fun they will have learning. Above all, be very patient. What they don’t know this week, they could easily learn by next week. A child’s brain is pretty much equivalent to a sponge. They absorb knowledge very quickly. The key to success is practice, practice, and practice while reaching for greater and more challenging goals.

1.     Family Education – Kindergarten Readiness (checklist)

2.     Baby Center – Kindergarten readiness: Is your child ready for school?

3.     Education.com - 10 Kindergarten Readiness Skills Your Child Needs

4.     Kinder IQ – Readiness Assessment

5.     Scholastic – Ready for Kindergarten?

Meet the Child Care Council Staff

Introducing Ruby H

Robin @ Kids Matter

Ruby is an Eligibility Specialist (ES) working in the East Region of the CCC.  As a child, Ruby often dreamed of being a receptionist.  She said that she always loved the idea of being able to work with the public and being able to help people.  So, receptionist was her chosen profession, for 20 years, until she transitioned to a role as payroll coordinator.  However, she quickly missed the interaction with the public.  When she saw the advertisement for an ES position with the CCC, she quickly applied… and the rest is history.  She came to work for the CCC in 2009, and we are glad she did.  Even though she is not currently a receptionist, Ruby still has the opportunity to help people in a very important way.

Family means a lot to Ruby.  She stated that, “family means everything; they give you what you need in life.”  Growing up, Ruby’s mother was the most influential person in her life because she taught her so much and was always there for her.  Losing her mother last year was very difficult, and is a loss that she still suffers. In the last year she has had the opportunity to help raise a very special girl, and this has helped.  The excitement in Ruby’s voice when talking about the girl was very evident.

Ruby has always lived in Knox County, but that doesn’t mean that she never leaves.  Her hobbies are traveling and shopping, and is often on the go.  Her favorite place to travel to is Sevierville Tennessee, which is a place well known for its many outlet malls.  Tennessee is her favorite place in general, as evidenced by her travels across the state. She also really loves her travels to Florida.  She said that the sun setting over the ocean is one of the most beautiful sights that she has ever seen. 

When asked if she had any advice for our readers, Ruby said, “Only to treat everyone as you want to be treated and to help others as much as you can, whenever you can!”

10 Unusual Uses for Balloons

Belinda @ Kids Matter

Have you ever found yourself with a bunch of balloons leftover after a party? Here are some ideas that might surprise you. You might even want to incorporate these ideas into your party. Let’s get crafty with some balloons!

Balloon luminaries

Yarn balls

Stress balls

Flip flops

Chocolate bowls

Lanterns

Balloon ice

Balloon surprise

Balloon lace doily

Balloon vases