I am a mom of 3 girls. So we have lots of pink, lots of drama, lots of princesses, and lots of tangled hair. I do consider myself something of an expert in raising girls. Some of the suggestions and ideas I will share in this ABCs of Raising Girls, will work on or appeal to boys too, but I have just used them on girls. I am joining in a series, "The ABCs of..." with some of my favorite bloggers from the Kids Blogger Network. At the end of this post you will find some of their ABC lists. Be sure to check out 10 Fun Activities for Girls.
The ABCs of Raising Girls
A....Activities. Little girls like to keep busy. They have a lot of energy, excitement and curiosity about the world. I noticed early on that my kids were just not content to always be playing with a toy or playing with mom. I started creating activities to do with them that would be fun, challenging and allow them to express themselves creatively. They were such a hit with the girls that I started chronicling our adventures here on Mess For Less.
B...Bubble Wrap. Don't throw it out! You and your girls can do all sorts of seriously cool art projects with it. We have done many, but my girls loved making these bubble wrap stomp paintings.
C...Cooking. All kids love to get in the kitchen and help make something and my girls are no exception. They have learned how to follow directions, measure and use basic math skills to create yummy meals and snacks.We have made many yummy goodies, but our favorites are these Pizza Biscuits.
D...Divas. Your girl may be more of a tom boy, but my girls are divas. They were born in play heels and princess dresses. I have given them plenty of boy and gender neutral toys to play with, but they always revert back to being divas. I have learned to just accept this phase in their development and know their personalities will round out eventually. If you also have a little diva, my advice is to wait it out. It can't last more than 18 years.
E...Entertaining. Allow your daughter to express her creative side by entertaining you. This could be as simple as putting on a puppet show, singing, dancing or putting together a marching band like my girls did.
F....Flowers. What women doesn't love getting flowers? Well, the flower love starts young with little girls. Here is a fun way to make flowers using recycled bottles.
G...God. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6 This is such a scary time to be raising girls and sometimes I feel helpless. Yet I know that the best thing I can give my daughters is a strong foundation of faith and knowledge of who God is. I don't think you can start this too young.
H...Helping. My girls enjoy helping out around the house. I don't know how long this phase will last, but for now I am taking advantage of it. Young kids love doing things that adults do. Ask them to help set the table by putting out utensils and napkins. Ask them to put dirty clothes in the washer or hamper or to help you match up freshly laundered socks. Not only does this teach them responsibility, but it also gets them in the habit of helping around the house.
I...Imaginative Play. If your girls are anything like mine, they love all sorts of imaginative play. One day they can play dress up and pretend to be a princess and the next they are having a pretend picnic or birthday party. A fun activity for those imaginative little minds is create aPretend Play Vet's Office.
J...Jump. You may think that girls don't require as much physical play as boys, but that's simply not true. While some girls prefer more imaginative and creative endeavors, they enjoy psychical activity just as much as boys. So get out there and move, run and jump! We played a fun game using a simple broom that got us jumping and moving.
K...Kindness. Children learn what they live. When you are kind to your child or show them grace in the midst of a mistake, they learn to be kind and graceful to others. Sounds simple enough, right? I still find being kind to be a challenge for me as my girls are starting to talk back and have an attitude. It's very easy for me to have an attitude back with them or assert my authority by raising my voice or putting them in time out. What I work on each day though (sometimes unsuccessfully, it's okay) is to try and show them kindness and grace in situations where it may not be deserved.
L...Letting Kids Work it Out. With three girls, there is a lot of drama around here. I don't know if boys are as dramatic, but there are lots of arguments and battles that take place in our house. I found myself getting dragged into the drama and creating more by yelling and giving a negative situation a lot of energy. I noticed a big change in the girls' behavior when I started letting them work it out on their own.
M...Make Your Own Snack. My kids are always hungry. Seriously. They will finish lunch and ask for a snack. I love to find snacks that they can make themselves because it encourages independence. Here are some of our favorite Easy Snacks for Kids.
N...Numbers. I have never been a numbers girl. Math and numbers were never my strong suit. I've talked to lots of women who felt this way growing up. I think it's a danger with girls to push them to more creative and artistic pursuits and not towards math. I want my girls to be comfortable with numbers and feel positive about their interactions with mathematics. To that end, we do lots of fun activities with numbers like this simple counting game with buttons and muffin cups. I hope such games will help instill in them a love of numbers and problem solving.
O...Outdoor play. I am a big proponent of outdoor play for girls. One of the things my girls enjoyed most this past summer were water balloons. They loved throwing them at each other and the ground. They are a bit time consuming to make but I found a way to make the wet fun last a little longer. I made some water balloons and then hid them around the yard for a water balloon hunt. Check out how I added some learning into our water balloon hunt.
P...Playroom Organization. Our playroom was always a mess. The biggest area of mess was our dress up corner. Dresses and costumes were always strewn about or sloppily stuffed in a too-small box. I was a looking for a solution and I knew that lasting change would only come if the kids were part of that solution. I bought some supplies and had the kids make these super girly playroom organizers. I am proud to say that they have made a difference in the state of our playroom. The girls are much more likely to hang up their dress clothes on their special hooks.
Q... Questioning. It's hard for any parent to come to terms with the fact that their child might have some kind of issue. I have faced this a number of times with one particular daughter. I have learned a few things from my experiences with her, namely, that it is okay to question whether your child is progressing normally. Read about how to proceed if you have such questions in Is There Something Wrong With My Child.
R...Rainbow Party. Every girl is going to want to have a rainbow party at some point. For my girls that point was when they turned 4. We really went all out and created a fun rainbow party that included rainbow snacks and activities. Get some free rainbow party printables here.
S...Sensory Activities. Kids love sensory activities since they have an opportunity to use their senses in a new way. My kids love any activity where they get their hands dirty, particularly when they are making slime or oobleck. More fun sensory activities can be found here.
T...Tantrums. There is hope! As my twins have turned 4 their tantrums have lessened. I think I may see a light at the end of the tunnel as far as they are concerned. However, my youngest, who is two, continues to rage and have fits. You can bet I have been using every one of the tips found in 10 Ways to Stop a Tantrum and 10 More Ways to Stop a Tantrum.
U...Underwear. Getting kids out of diapers and into underwear is a goal all moms have. I have heard that girls are typically potty trained before boys, but my twins were not early potty trainers. In fact, the more I pushed and bribed, the more resistant they became. When I finally let go and let them use the potty when they wanted to, they came around much quicker. So my tip here would be to lay off the pressure and tricks. Your daughter will use the potty and start wearing underwear eventually. I promise you, she will not be wearing a pull up under her wedding dress. And once you get one kid potty trained, the others come around quicker. My youngest started using the potty at 16 months and was potty training along with her sisters.
V...Valentine's Day. I am all about thrifty crafts and activities. This easy Valentine's day craft makes a perfect gift for grandmas and teachers. I simply used a votive and tissue paper (both purchased from the dollar store) to make this Valentine's Day gift.
W...Watercolors. My girls love to paint. One of their favorite ways to paint is to use watercolors. I think anything that involves water is going to be a big hit with kids. Sometimes the girls (and I) get bored with traditional watercolors so I added some tape to it to create resist painting. It's a fun way to spice up ordinary watercolors.
X...XOXO. Kiss and hug your little girls. All the time. At some point they won't let you anymore. At some point they will be too cool for mom's cradling and cuddling. Let's face it, at some point it will be creepy to be holding and hugging and kissing her all the time. You don't want to be like the mom in "Love Your Forever." It's a sweet book but no one wants their grown mother crawling through their window. So hug and kiss those girls now!
Y...Yarn letters. If you are looking to help your little girl with her fine motor skills and help her learn her letters at the same time (bonus!) one easy way to do that is to use sand paper, crayons and yarn. Want to learn what to do? Check out my post on Tracing With Yarn.
Z...Zoo. Okay, I admit I had a hard time coming up with something for "Z". My husband suggested that "girls like to visit the zoo" should be my "Z" thing, but I wanted to at least give you an activity you can do with your girls that was related to a "Z" word. So...I give you playdough zoo. Add some toy animals and Popsicle sticks to playdough and you get a zoo.
It was so fun being a part of this series. Please visit the other bloggers below and show them some love - they rock! If you enjoyed the series please pin it. Thanks!
To check out the topics covered by the bloggers of KBN, click on the links below.
- Being a Hands on Mom from hands on : as we grow
- Connecting with your Kids from One Perfect Day
- Family Field Trips with Kids from Edventures with Kids
- Printables from Mama Miss
- Raising Boys from Boy Mama Teacher Mama
- Raising Eco-Friendly Kids from Kitchen Counter Chronicles
- Raising Girls from Mess for Less
- Raising a Thinking Child from The Outlaw Mom
- Raising a World Citizen from All Done Monkey
- Simply Celebrating Holidays as a Family from Inspired by Family Magazine
- Values for Children from True Aim Education
GOT A CRAFTY KID?
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FOR GIRLS:
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For boys and girls:
These Young Woodworkers Kits have everything your little builder needs to create crafts and toys they can enjoy, while learning important woodworking skills along the way. Your child's first three kits will include 5 kid-sized, high-quality tools they'll use again and again. A new woodworking project is delivered every four weeks, with a new and exciting skill to master. Each project teaches a real world skill that kids will use for years to come.
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