One of the best ways to teach kids anything is to get them actively involved. Take check writing, for instance. Although most of us have turned to online banking as a way to pay bills, there are times when the only way to get money to someone is through a check. This actually happens a lot to parents: soccer sign-ups, picture day, fee for art class supplies, field trips, and on and on. So the next time you find yourself…
I was back in Michael’s picking up glitter stickers for a money activity I’m doing this weekend. As I was deciding between the funky flower stickers and something a little more “masculine”, a little boy, about the age of 4, appeared at the end of the aisle. He was looking at a wooden train that was packaged and hanging on display. He stood in front of the train just staring at it. I love 4-year olds and how they “do”…
Four-year olds are adorable in so many ways. Especially the way they think about the world. Because they haven’t had enough “life” experiences, yet, their understanding of things is limited. Take for example, the four-year old granddaughter of a friend. Her six-year old sister’s piggy bank fell and broke. All the coins and bills scattered on the floor. She set about helping her sister pick up the money, starting with all the bills. She handed them to her grandmother saying,…
John and the boys traveled to the Bay Area this past weekend to attend a San Jose Sharks game with John’s brother, Thomas. The Sharks are an ice hockey team and Thomas has season tickets. Nice. All four of them had a blast. Apparently it was a nail biter near the end. And those are the best games. When the boys got home yesterday afternoon, they were both wearing Shark jerseys. Uncle Thomas had bought them for the boys. He…
I’ve been doing a little work with a group of foster kids ages 17-19. One of my goals has been to get them to see that their daily actions can influence their future. So at one of our last group meetings we talked about goal setting. I had them write down their goals for one-, five-, ten-, and twently-years. That begs the question…what are you doing right now to reach those goals? But this most recent meeting was about their…