Author Archives: Candi Walz

Like a diamond in the sky

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A diamond has four sides and looks a bit like a square but it has different angles. It has two parallel sides. Draw a diamond for your child to see as you explain this fun shape.

Another good way to show your child how to make a diamond is to start with two triangles. Put these together to show your child how the triangles fit together to make a diamond.

Here are some other ideas to teach your child about diamonds:

  • Cut out diamonds of different shapes and sizes. Put these up around your house and go on a diamond hunt. Have your child practice tracing the diamond shapes with her finger.
  • Take a field trip to a baseball field. Can you tell what shape the mound is? What about the bases? What shape do the ball players run around? Practice running around the bases.
  • Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and hold up a diamond when you say “Like a Diamond in the Sky.”
  • Draw three different-sized diamonds on a blackboard or three pieces of paper. Have your child determine which is the smallest and which is the largest.
  • Color diamonds on a piece of paper.
  • Make a diamond name game. Cut out diamond shapes- one for each letter of your child’s name and extra letters for the alphabet. If you are spelling Justin, you will need 32 diamonds – 6 for the letters in J-u-s-t-i-n and 26 more for each letter of the alphabet. Next, write Justin’s name on a big piece of paper. Have him go on a diamond hunt to match the letters in his name. For younger kids, only write the letters in his name on diamonds to hide around the house. Help him arrange the letters to spell his name.
  • Put a bunch of foam shapes in a bowl or dish. Have your child sort out the diamond shapes.
  • Use white labels and cut out diamond shapes. Practice putting these on a sheet of colored paper.
  • Explain that diamonds can also be worn as jewelry. Show your child a photo of diamonds in a book or on the Internet. Ask her if the diamond jewelry looks like the diamond shape.
  • Cut up straws into different-sized pieces. Draw a diamond shapes on paper. Use the different-sized straws to match the edges of the diamond-shapes on your paper. Eat a snack of square crackers. Try to change the squares into diamonds.
  • Make diamond-shaped kites out of construction paper.
  • Fly a kite outside. What shape do you see? Can you get the kite to fly with or without wind?
  • Make a diamond person. Cut out two large diamonds for the head and body. Cut out smaller diamonds for the eyes, ears, and nose. Decorate the rest of the diamond person. Don’t forget to name your diamond friend. Try to think of “D” names since diamond starts with “D.”

Have fun with the diamonds in your life. The more kids are exposed to shapes, the more they will be ready for preschool and kindergarten.

© Let’s Talk Kids, 2013

How do you teach kids the days of the week?

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Teaching children about the days of the week can be fun, but it is also a challenging task. Most kids have difficulty grasping the concept of time and days. Caregivers must be patient in this lesson and repetitive in their teaching.

Here are some fun ways to teach the days of the week:

  • Use this “Days of the Week” song, which is sung to the tune of the “Addams Family” theme song. While you are singing, use a calendar and show children how the words of the song and days on the calendar go in order.
  • Write out the days of the week on a white piece of paper. Gather seven markers and a calendar. Color the word “Monday” and the entire column of Mondays on the calendar the same color. Repeat this for each day. This activity helps highlight the day that your child is learning and also shows the spelling of each day.
  • Using lined paper, write out the names of each day of the week. Cut the names out and paste them in order on another piece of paper or tape them to the wall. Practice putting the days in order.
  • Make your own calendar. Start by printing out a blank calendar on your computer. Have your child color a photo to go with the month. Older children can create a 12-month calendar.
  • Sing this song “Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go to Work)” by They Might Be Giants.
  • Create your family story using the days of the week. Take seven sheets of paper and write a day (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, etc.) on the top of each sheet. On Sunday’s page, draw or write the things that your family does on Sunday. You can also cut out photos to glue in your book. Continue this process for each day of the week. Have fun making and reading your book.
  • Count down to big events by using a calendar. For instance, if grandpa will come to visit on Saturday, show your child that you have three days until he arrives and count out the days. You can also write down things you will do each day or draw photos to help your children realize when the big day will come. Explain that on Thursday, we will go to story hour at the library and eat dinner. On Friday, we will watch a movie and eat popcorn. When we wake up on Saturday, grandpa will come!
  • Use a calendar to talk about today, tomorrow and yesterday. Children can see on the calendar that yesterday you went to swimming lessons, today you visit the dentist, and tomorrow you will play with a friend.
  • Create a week caterpillar. Start with eight 3-inch circles cut out of paper. The first circle will be the caterpillar’s head. Write the month and dates on this circle and also draw a face. Next, glue together the other seven circles to represent each day of the week. Write out the day of the week on each circle.
  • Discuss which holidays happen in a month. Use a calendar to show the current month. For instance, in March spring arrives. There is also St. Patrick’s Day. Show your child which days have a holiday or special event. Consider coloring these days a special color or drawing a picture to represent the holiday on your calendar.

Remember that repetition is key when teaching the days of the week. Fun activities will help children really understand the concept. It can be tricky and maybe even frustrating at first, but using these simple techniques will help your child understand the days of the week.

© Let’s Talk Kids, LLC 2013

Stay healthy with common home remedies

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‘Tis the season for the flu and colds. Ugh. It is starting to seem like everyone has a cold or the flu. Luckily, there are some simple things you can do to help keep your family healthy. First, make sure to wash your hands (we like to sing “Happy Birthday” or count to 30 as we wash) before eating and after using the bathroom. You should also ensure that your kids are getting plenty of fluids and increase their vitamin C intake. This is a great time to drink more orange juice! Finally, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Use home remedies to help your little ones feel better.

In addition to these simple tips, here are some home remedies to try when you or your children are feeling under the weather. Make sure that you seek medical advice or visit your doctor if symptoms worsen or you are feeling very sick.

  • Coughs. To reduce a cough, add honey to a glass of grape juice or just eat grapes for a couple of days. Grapes have a natural expectorant to help minimize coughing and lung pain. Another suggestion is to make a drink by squeezing a whole orange into a cup of warm water. Drink this mixture every two to three hours and don’t eat anything else during the day. The last idea is to slice a lemon and add salt and pepper to each side. Suck out the lemon juice to help relieve coughing. And for older children, have them drink a glass of hot water with lemon and honey.
  • Stuffy nose or congestion. Create a steam room in your bathroom by running hot water in your shower and closing the bathroom door. Sit with your child in the warm, steamy bathroom as the congestion loosens up. For older children, boil water in a teapot, microwave or on the stove. Put the boiling water in a pie plate or a large bowl on your kitchen table. Have your child sit at the table and place a towel over his head and shoulders. Have your child breath in the steam through his nose.
  • Sore throat. For a sore throat, older children can try gargling with warm salt water. Add one teaspoon of salt to 8 ounces of warm water. Gargle the water for several seconds and spit it out. Another idea is to take Echinacea supplements. Always be sure to read and follow the directions on the product’s label before using any supplement or medicine with children.
  • Insomnia. Older children can try drinking chamomile tea with 2 teaspoons of honey about an hour before bed. Another suggestion is to put lavender on your child’s pillow or rub a small amount of lavender on her temples or put lavender drops in her bath water. We like to use the Johnson and Johnson’s lavender lotion as part of our evening routine. Exercise can also help people fall asleep. When the body and mind get enough mental and physical stimulation, falling asleep comes easier. Try working out for 20-30 minutes or taking a brisk walk at least 2 hours prior to going to bed. We like to do yoga in the evening since it helps stretch and relax the body. Make sure to breathe properly while doing yoga to get your mind and body to relax.
  • Headaches. When your child has an aching head, place a cold compress on the affected area. You can also massage his neck and shoulders. Older children can try drinking a cup of mint tea with honey.
  • Warts. Try duct tape. Wrap your child’s wart with duct tape every day so that the wart cannot breathe. It usually takes about 2 weeks for a wart to completely disappear. Another option is to rub a freshly cut pineapple on the wart, or make a mixture of ground flaxseed, raw honey and flaxseed oil and apply to the wart with a bandage. You can also place a piece of banana peel on the wart and let it sit for up to 24 hours. Another idea is to soak the wart in warm water for 15-20 minutes and then dab cider vinegar to the area and let it dry.

We hope these common remedies will help your family reduce some aches and pains. Make sure to try different options and use what works for you. And you should always visit your doctor if your symptoms worsen. Have a safe and healthy rest of the winter!

© Let’s Talk Kids, LLC 2013

What do babies learn before they are born?

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For decades people have said that learning begins in the womb, and now new research by science writer and mother Annie Murphy Paul has further proven this to be true.

Murphy Paul has spent time on fetal origin research, which explains how babies learn while in the womb, and she shared her insight in this TED talk.

According to Murphy Paul’s research, here are some of the things that children learn before they are born:

  • The mother’s voice. While a baby is in the womb she can hear all voices, but her mother’s voice is special and the most clear. Voices coming from outside the womb are inaudible and may sound like the teacher in Charlie Brown cartoons. However, the baby can hear a mother’s voice clearly because the baby is directly connected to the mother. Sound travels differently in a mother’s body versus the sound waves coming in through the stomach.
  • Language. A baby can learn the mother’s native language while in the womb. This is shown when the baby cries because the cry will have a similar sound to the mother’s dialect. For example, French babies have a cry ending with a high pitch whereas German babies have a cry ending on a lower note. This is parallel to the languages spoken in these countries.
  • Taste and smell. At seven months old, a baby can recognize tastes and smells of their mother. As a fetus, a baby absorbs what the mother eats. To emphasis this theory, a test group of pregnant women was asked to drink a lot of carrot juice in their third trimester; a control group drank more water. At six months of age, the children of these women were asked to have cereal with carrot juice or milk. Those whose mothers drank a lot of carrot juice preferred the carrot juice cereal and enjoyed it more. The children whose mothers drank more water were less likely to enjoy the carrot juice cereal.
  • Adaptability. When children are in the womb, they are learning about the world around them. If the mother has an abundance of food, the child learns there will be opportunities in life. When there is less food or more stress, a child learns about survival.

To further make the point about adaptability and survival skills, Murphy Paul shared a specific example about women who were pregnant during World War II. In Holland, food was rationed and in short supply during the war. Some people were forced to eat tulip bulbs for survival; 10,000 people died in this “Hunger Winter.”

Living with less access to food increased the number of birth defects, infant deaths and low birth weights.

Decades later, these babies now adults were more likely to have higher rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Researchers found that this was mostly due to the fact that there was a mismatch between the low food supply while the child was in the uterus and the abundance of food afterward. Children had access to food after the Hunger Winter ended, but when they were in the womb their bodies had adapted to be able to store calories and divert resources to their brains.

What this means for families is that it is important to have a healthy pregnancy and be aware of the interaction you are having with your little ones even while in the womb. Eat healthy, spend time talking with him or her and enjoy your time together. Prenatal nutrition and education does make a difference!

© Let’s Talk Kids, 2013

Raising happy, healthy kids start at home

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The beginning of the year is a time to reflect on the past as well as an opportunity to start fresh and try something new. Now that the new year is here, give your children the opportunity to write a resolution with you.

 

Start by choosing a resolution that is very simple. Ask your child what he would like to do differently or what new things he’d like to try. Most young kids don’t understand the concept of time and a whole year can seem daunting. When talking about a new start, choose a task for a day or week. Then, extend this for another week and maybe even a month. Starting small and instilling good habits can help develop positive repetitive behaviors.

Some ideas for a new year/new day resolution could be to:

  • Clean up toys after playing all day. Try to make this task fun by singing a clean-up song or playing a CD. See if you can finish cleaning up before the song ends.
  • Another idea to help encourage your child to pick up her toys is to count as she cleans up and see if she can finish the task by the time you get to 25 or 30. Our reader Elise told us that she encourages her daughter to clean up by using hugs and positive comments. Her daughter is now the star clean up helper at daycare. Another reader, Melissa, says she uses a “warm fuzzy” jar. When her son does something positive, she writes a message in the jar. When the jar is full the family gets to have a special treat or does something fun.

  • Eat healthy. Choose more fruits and vegetables as snacks. Allow your child to pick foods that are his favorite colors — orange juice, red strawberries, green peas or blue berries. Give your child a task in helping to prepare the snack.
  • Try to exercise more by moving around the house and playing outside. Encourage your child to play quiet games near you (such as coloring or writing letters), but then also ask her to get up and play games like hide-and-seek or create an obstacle course in your basement. Choose to get more fresh air. Go to the park more often, play in the snow or go on walks together.
  • Consider enrolling in a class or program. Do yoga in your basement or enroll in a sports program or dance lessons through your local YMCA or community education.
  • Be more creative. Take time to make a theater production or a puppet show with your child. Can you make your own puppets or costumes? What story will you tell?
  • Paint more or make crafts. Paint with household objects like sponges, potatoes or apples, and develop your creativity on paper or canvas. We recently read that humans are at their best when they are creating. If art is not your thing, make music in your home or dance to your favorite songs.
  • Learn more. This doesn’t need to be difficult. You can choose to read a new book with your child each day or encourage your youngster to learn a letter or number each week.
  • Spend more time with your children. Make memories together. Take funny photos around the house and make a scrapbook, or plan and go on an imagination vacation in your home. Where would you like to go? What will you pack? What will you do?

We’re confident that 2013 is going to be a great year. Here’s to starting it off right by loving and learning with the little ones in your life!

© Let’s Talk Kids, LLC 2013

Let’s make music together

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Music is sensory for children. By listening to music, preschoolers enhance their auditory skills. Dancing to the beat allows them an opportunity to move their muscles and engage in large motor movements. Singing is good for language creation and literacy. Knowing this, why would families NOT share music with their little ones?

In order to create a love for music, introduce different types and sounds to your children. A good way to start is to have a “music week.” Each day, focus on a different sound or genre. One day you could play all jazz music, the next day play sounds from around the world. Focus on the blues another day and classical on another. Incorporate your favorite songs into a day of music in your household. At the end of the week, ask your child which sounds or songs he liked and why.

To further engage your children in music, try some of these activities:

  • Practice clapping along to the beat when listening to music. Have your child locate things in the house that make noise — a toy, the clock, a buzzer or your pets. Listen to the noises and see if any objects produce a steady beat. Consider clapping along quietly to the tick-tock of a clock or make loud noises to mimic your stove’s buzzer.
  • To make music visual, dance with scarves, streamers or bean bags. Raise your scarves or other items high when there is a high pitch. Put the items low when there is a low beat.
  • Sing your child’s favorite songs over and over. Repetitious singing will help develop word sounds and build vocabulary. We like the “Hot Potatoes: The Best of the Wiggles.”
  • Make your own bell instrument. Simply string bells on a pipe cleaner and rattle the instrument to make noise. Try adding noise to a song you sing or a song on CD.
  • Create a drum out of an ice cream bucket, oatmeal container, coffee can, plastic bowl or pot. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to tap out a beat. Try making soft sounds and loud sounds. Which do you like the best? Can you make a new beat — like tap, tap, bang, tap, tap?
  • Decorate your drum with paints, paper or drawings. Make it personal.
  • Play musical chairs. Start by putting a chair in the middle for each person, such as five chairs for five people. Play music and have family members walk around the chairs in a circle. When the music stops, everyone sits down in a chair. Then, remove one chair so there are four chairs for five people. Again play the music. When the music stops, one person will not have a chair. This person is out.  Remove one chair after each round until there is only one chair left.
  • Make your own shaker out of a baby food jar, medicine bottle or small jelly jar. Add in dry rice or corn. Shake this instrument to the beat when you sing or listen to music.

Share music with your children as often as possible to help develop their senses. Music helps children develop language skills, gives them a creative outlet and encourages play in a new way. Enjoy your week making music together!

© Let’s Talk Kids, LLC 2012

Baby, it’s cold outside: the perfect time to teach about seasons

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Kids are observers and notice everything around them.  When the seasons change, they recognize things outside are different.

There are many lessons to teach as the seasons change.

There are many lessons to teach as the seasons change.

Take this opportunity to teach a lesson about seasons. In winter, as the ground freezes or becomes covered with snow, tell your child that there are four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. Explain that things die off in winter and prepare to “rest” in the cold weather until spring arrives.

As you may know, children learn through their senses by looking, touching, tasting, smelling and hearing.  Nature provides an array of learning opportunities as the seasons change.  As the changes occur, it is the perfect time to allow children to explore through their senses outside.

In winter particularly, children can feel that the temperature is cooler or cold outside. Loving adults must help children recognize that they need to dress for the weather by putting on hats, mittens and jackets. In some climates, children must put on snow pants and boots. When your child is suited up, go outside to explore.

Here are some lesson ideas to aid you in season-related learning:

  • As children are outside experiencing winter, look at the different types of trees. Can you find some with no leaves? Do you see trees that are green? Explain that some trees lose their leaves while others keep their pine needles. Tell or ask your child what color the trees are. If desired, you can go online or to the library to find more information on trees.
  • Also when you are outside, look for icicles.  Explain that the ice is made when water gets very cold and freezes to form a solid. Getting back to the senses lessons, allow your child to hold the icicle, look at it closely and smell it. We advise you NOT to taste it since you don’t know what liquid has formed the ice. There also could be some road salt in the ice. (If you want to taste it, try the ice cubes you made in your freezer).
  • To further enhance this lesson, bring your icicle inside and watch what happens as the ice warms up. Show that water has two forms- solid and liquid.  (We will save the condensation lesson for later!)
  • Whiel you are outside, look around in the trees and find nests.  What animals might live in these nests?  Talk about this with your child.
  • To attract the birds, consider putting bread crumbs out in your yard. Have your child help tear up the bread or fill up your bird feeder, if you have one. Tell the child what birds eat.  Watch to see if birds come and enjoy a snack in your yard. When the birds show up, discuss their size, shapes and/ or colors. You could also count how many come. If you can identify the types, share these with your child- for instance, that is a blue jay, a large red cardinal and a small brown sparrow.
  • When it snows, take the opportunity to learn about the snowflakes. Start by freezing a piece of black paper in your freezer. As soon as the snow begins to fall, take this paper outside and catch snowflakes. If you would like you can even catch a few on your tongue. Bring the paper in right away and look at the snowflakes. Use a magnifying glass to inspect the different shapes and sizes. Remember, no two snowflakes are alike. Explain this uniqueness to your child.

Enjoy your week learning about the seasons, winter and snow!

© Let’s Talk Kids, LLC 2012

 

Teaching adults to chill out

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Discipline helps teach children right from wrong. There are many ways to teach your child both good and bad behavior. However, there are times when parents also need to be disciplined.

When responding to your child’s behavior, take a moment to think about what he did and how you are reacting. Think about it—as adults, we often expect children to take a “time out” and think about what they did wrong. As caregiver, have you ever thought about taking your own time out before reacting? We like to call this a “chill out.” Here is an example of how a chill out can work. When children misbehave, first count to 5 or 10 and then respond.

When children misbehave, count to 5 or 10 before responding.

When children misbehave, count to 5 or 10 before responding.

Consider that your son is coloring nicely in his coloring book. Seeing he is content, you decide to leave and work on the computer. In a moment, your child gets up and begins to color on the wall. He’s having so much that he decides to grab another crayon or two. When you notice, you freak out. A common reaction is to yell in a firm voice, “No, we don’t color on the wall.”

Pause. Insert your own personal time out. Take a chill out moment and calm yourself down. Instead of reacting with a scolding, consider this response: Pick up your child and ask, “What did you do wrong?” The child may respond and say he colored on the wall. Calmly ask, “Where should crayons be used?” Consider rocking your child or giving a hug while you have this serious conversation. Explain that crayons are to be used on paper or coloring books, not on the wall.

After your conversation, ask your child to assist in cleaning up. Show your son how difficult it is to get crayon off the wall. Clean the wall together.

Other responses could be to use redirection or stop talking. Nothing makes a child stop in his tracks faster than silence. Here are a few examples to better explain these concepts.

Consider that you are in the grocery store and your daughter starts kicking and screaming. Take your chill out moment and try a redirection. Move your child to a different location. Bring her to the back seat of the car and calmly tell her you needed to leave the grocery store because she was kicking and screaming.

If your child is throwing blocks at home, take him outside and ask him to throw a ball instead. Explain that he is being removed from the house because he was throwing toys, which is not okay. Tell him that throwing objects outside is okay. A child must understand that you are the adult and you are firm on the rules. If these options do not work, try being silent. This means you may need to stop correcting the behavior or telling the child she is wrong. In some cases, a child might do a certain action just to see your response.

If your child is running through the kitchen while you are cooking, you might say, “No running!” Instead, don’t respond when and ignore the bad behavior. Obviously, you need to think about which behaviors to ignore. Which situations will matter in a week or a month? Try using the ignoring technique in situations where the behavior is less serious or your child is just trying to get a rise out of you.

Respond to your child’s misbehavior as you see fit. It’s most important to remember that safety comes first for you and your child. Take a chill out to assess the situation and decide what response will work best for your family.

© 2012 Let’s Talk Kids, LLC

Learning through dress up, imagination play

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Wearing costumes and playing pretend helps children open their minds. By dressing up as a character or different person, your child gets to role-play. This can also be used a teaching tool to help your child learn about how everything and everyone in the world has a special role. A dentist checks people’s teeth, a puppy drinks water from a bowl, a teacher works with children and an elephant plays in puddles.

Dressing up is fun! - photo from Elise D.

Role-playing allows children an opportunity to use their imagination and be creative. They also learn empathy when they take on the roles of others and it helps them learn how to act in society.

To stimulate this role-playing, gather old clothes, items from garage sales or costumes in a large trunk or bin. Allow your child to choose items from the trunk and create his own outfits. Here are some ideas to aid your child in playing pretend:

  • Take a sheet or blanket and make it into a cape. Become a superhero, king or queen. As the superhero, who will you rescue today? Being royalty, what are you going to eat or do? Can you make a crown to go along with your royal garb?
  • Dress up as an animal. Discuss where you live. Is it hot or cold there? Who do you live with? Are there other animals around? What do you eat?
  • Pretend to be a mommy or daddy by dressing up in parents’ clothes. Use props like baby dolls, briefcases or pretend cars. Go to work and come home. What roles do moms fulfill? What tasks do dads complete? By making a pretend family, children learn important social and familial lessons. Let children play that they are cooking or cleaning. Throughout the day, have your child help with tasks such as going to the bank, grocery store, using the ATM or mailing letters. This helps children learn what adults do.
  • Gather different work costumes or create your own so children can try out careers. A neon-colored shirt allows your child to be a construction worker. Try on a blue shirt with a messenger bag to be a postal worker. Trying different roles helps children learn what other people in their neighborhood do for a living.
  • When children act out the role of a firefighter, they are learning how to protect and take care of others. They learn how to get out if they were ever in a fire. Let them play with a hose or cardboard wrapping paper roll to pretend to drench a box that is “on fire.”
  • A simple star badge can make your child into a sheriff. What does the sheriff do in town? When children act out the role of police officer, they are learning how to protect the neighborhood. They learn how to write when they write out “tickets.” They also learn how to keep themselves safe from harm. Give your child a remote control car and have him imitate the sound a police car makes when responding to an emergency.
  • A white coat or T-shirt can allow your child to become a doctor or a dentist. As children act out these roles, they are learning how to talk to people and gain empathy when they ask how a person is feeling. As a doctor or dentist, children learn how to be gentle with others. Playing the role of a doctor or dentist also helps alleviate some fears of having to go in for a check up. Children know what to expect if they can act it out first.

You can also use costumes, hats or props when pretending.

No matter what your children want to act out or play, let them explore how their “character” responds to various situations. Make their roles more real with different props, like a wooden spoon for a chef or a medical kit for a doctor. Adults can aid in children’s learning by telling them what roles the different careers have in society or reading books about the jobs.

Have fun and let your child guide the pretend play as this builds imagination. When asked, gently guide your child or answer any questions they might have.

Have fun playing pretend together!

© Let’s Talk Kids, LLC 2012

Put safety first this Halloween

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Halloween is fast approaching.  It’s a time of year – with the cold, crisp feel in the air – that are children fill with excitement as they prepare to go “trick-or-treating.” The costumes, the candy, the fun and the excitement all build as children prepare for the big day.

Halloween is a fun time to dress up, but be safe. Photo by Leah M.

Caregivers of children may be a little apprehensive preparing for their children to be safe during the holiday event.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)  has prepared some safety tips that will make this holiday, safe, happy and fun for both parents and children. They include:

  • Minimize the use of masks as these make it difficult to see and can be a tripping hazard.
  • Have your children wear bright costumes so they are easy to see as they walk down the street.
  • Adults should accompany children to all homes.
  • Add reflective tape or blinking lights to costumes and Trick-or-Treat bags for greater visibility.
  • Instead of masks, consider wearing hats that fit your child’s costume theme.  Make sure the hat fits properly so it won’t slip over your child’s eyes.
  • Purchase costumes, wigs and accessories that are flame resistant.
  • If you are using a sword, stick or wand as part of your costume, make sure items are not too big.  You want to avoid children from tripping on these items.
  • Review how to dial 9-1-1 with your children. This will be important if they have an emergency or become lost.
  • Never enter a car or home for a treat. Make sure you go to homes that are well lit or where you know the owners.

Pedestrian injuries are the most common injury to children on Halloween, so remind Trick-or-Treaters:

  • To walk and take your time going from house to house. Avoid cutting across yards or using alleys.
  • Stay on streets that are well-lit and use the sidewalk when possible. If there is no sidewalk, walk at the far edge of roadway facing traffic.
  • Plan a good meal before going out.  This will help discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats before you can inspect them.
  • Remind children to wait until they are home to sort and check treats. Tampering with treats is rare, but a responsible adult should closely check all treats. Throw away any that have rips or appear to have been tampered with.
  • Ration treats after the Halloween outing.  Moderation is key!

Halloween is a great day to dress in costumes and have fun Trick-or Treating but remember the above tips to stay safe and keep your holiday healthy and happy.

 

© Let’s Talk Kids, LLC 2012