Posted on February 8, 2021February 8, 2021 by admin — Leave a comment

Journaling for kids

Journaling is a great way for kids to practice writing and record thoughts and memories that mean a lot to us and help our self esteem.

Nothing is more special than looking through a journal from the past, and with families spending more time at home, now is a great time to start.

Last year I created my Unicorn Ellie journal download page

Why mum found a list of 52 journal questions so at least 1 a week, to help give ideas that are perfect for kids. If your child hasn’t quite learned to write yet, you can always use these as writing practice, or you can help write their answers so they can read them when they’re older.

Here we go!

1. Who is one person that you look up to and why?
2. What is your favorite memory? Write down as many details as you can remember.
3. What is one thing about today that surprised you?
4. What is one mistake you made today and what did you learn from it?
5. What are three things you’re grateful for?
6. If you could spend one day doing anything you want, what would you do?
7. What is one thing that helps you when you’re worried?
8. If you could have any pet (even a magical creature like a dragon or unicorn), what would you want? What name would you give it?
9. What’s one goal or challenge you have for yourself this week? How will you accomplish it?
10. Think about your favorite hobby or activity. Why do you love it?
11. What’s one thing that always makes you laugh?

12. Close your eyes and listen to the world around you. What sounds do you hear? Write them down.
13. Have you ever wanted to learn another language? What would you want to learn?
14. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever learned in school?
15. Write about your favorite holiday. Why is it your favorite? What’s your happiest memory associated with it?
16. Would you rather it always be summer, spring, fall, or winter? Why?
17. If you could tell your family one thing that’s been on your mind lately, what would you say?
18. Do you have any pets? What would you say to it if, one morning, it could suddenly talk?
19. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re outside?
20. Think about one person who makes you feel loved. How do they show you that they care?
21. Have you been on a vacation? Where did you go, and what was your favorite part?
22. Pretend that you had a time machine and could travel way into the future or to the past. Where would you go? What do you think life would be like?
23. Do you have a favorite teacher? What are they like, and what’s the best thing they’ve taught you?
24. What’s the funniest knock-knock joke you can think of?
25. Write about one accomplishment you’ve reached that you’re proud of.
26. What is one interesting fact that you learned today?
27. What do you think would be the coolest job to have? Why?
28. Think about one of your friends or a family member. What do you admire about them?
29. Look out of your window. What do you see?
30. Do you have a favorite book? Why is it your favorite?
31. What do you want your life to be like when you’re grown up?

32. When you get mad or grumpy, what’s one thing that helps you calm down?
33. What’s the best advice someone has ever given you?
34. What would you do if you were the main character in your favorite fairy tale?
35. What is your favorite thing about yourself? What’s one thing you want to work on?
36. What is one of your funniest memories? Write a poem about it.
37. Think about your favorite color. What does it remind you of?
38. Who is someone you miss? What would you say to them if they were next to you right now?
39. What’s one thing you’ve never told anyone before?
40. Do you have a favorite quote? Write it down here. Why is it your favorite?
41. If you could be one of the first astronauts to go to Mars, would you? Why?
42. What do you love about your family?
43. Do you remember your first day of school? What was it like?
44. If you could talk to your future self, what would you ask?
45. If you could talk to your past self, what would you say?
46. What is one thing you’re excited about? Why?
47. If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose? What would you do with it?

48. Write down one way you’ll make the most of today.
49. What’s the best way to spend a rainy day?
50. Pretend that you could either shrink down to the size of a mouse or grow as large as a building. What would you do and why?
51. Write down three ways you could help a friend or family member today.
52. Think about a talent you wish that you had. What’s one way that you can start practicing it?

Posted on February 8, 2021February 8, 2021 by admin — Leave a comment

Have a break from Screen Time

Sometimes my mum likes to say ‘play on your i pad when she needs to get something done hehe!

But then she says ‘Have a break from screen time’! Lol!

Screen time can be fun, but too much can be bad for us.

Ipads and phones send out something called blue light which can stop us from sleeping.

We could get addicted and always want to be on the same game and we sometimes don’t listen when our parents are speaking to us.

At home now I use my timer for how long I can be on my ipad.

Here s are some more great ideas!

Do a Scavenger Hunt either in the house or outside!

Get your mum, dad or sister to write a list of things to find and tick off, fresh air is good for you so its cool to do it when you are on a walk.

Here is one my mum made.

Scavenger Hunt

A tree as tall as a house
A pub sign
A cat
A dog
A Feather
A post box on a gate
A gold or silver house sign
A house number with a 6 in it
Someone riding a bike
A bench people can sit on

Draw a picture

Art is fun too, if I can’t think of what to draw I draw UNICORNS of course or one of my pets!

Play with a toy you’ve not played with for ages

I got Myla the Unicorn 2 years ago and she was in the bottom of a pile in my play room so I got her out and played with her for hours at the weekend.

Write a Journal

It helps with your hand writing and makes you think of fun things you have done or write your feelings down if something is bothering you and it can help with your self esteem which means feeling good about yourself.

Do some Unicorn Yoga

Yoga is fun and it helps keep your body fit and have a good stretch

For more great ideal check out my ACTIVITIES page

Posted on February 3, 2021 by admin — Leave a comment

Using Timers to Encourage us kids to do Homework and Chores

Using Timers to Encourage us kids to do Homework and Chores

Sometimes getting us Kids to do chores or get our homework done can be a challenging task for you adults. Timers are an excellent way to motivate us to complete tasks and follow directions.

Research and reputable resources consistently indicate the benefits of using timers with children

I love timers it makes me get my work finished fast when I don’t really want to do it and mummy will say oh well do 10 minutes and its AMAZING what I can get done when up against the timer!

Here below is our Article giving the ways for you to use timers with kids to increase cooperation, and task completion, etc.

Recommendations for Timer Use!

Some children have difficulty working for long periods of time without a break. They may get frustrated or mentally drained. I have seen children start to look around, talk, and play with items during prolonged periods of homework or classwork. This often leads to an adult telling them to get back to work before they are mentally ready. Sometimes the child becomes resistant and refuses to get back to work. Other times they will make statements such as “I am too tired.” “It is too hard.” “I am bored.” or “I don’t care about this.” If they do get back to work, they may work slowly, rush through the assignment, or not put forth their best effort.

So how can timers help?

Tell your child that he/she needs to complete a certain amount of work and allow them to work towards a break.
OR tell your child they only have to work for say 10 minutes and then they can have a break until 10 minutes more.

For example, if your child is given 20 maths problems for homework, you can say, “Do the first ten problems and then take a five minute break to do something of your choice. Then do the next ten problems.” During the break, set the timer for five minutes and make sure the child can see it so they know exactly how much time they have left. OR Say Spend 10 minutes on the task and then have a break then spend another 10!

This is a great method for encouraging work completion because children like to work towards something fun. Many children also need a mental break and will work more effectively when they have the opportunity to take one. Using a timer takes the ownership away from the parent or teacher. The adult is not arbitrarily telling the child that the break is over. The timer dictates the length of the work or the break. This leads to less resistance from the child.

If you are doing an open ended activity, such as studying or practicing an academic skill, try setting the timer for 10 minutes and saying something like “we will practice for ten minutes, take a five minute break to do something of your choice, and practice for another 10 minutes.” In this case you would use the timer to let the child know how long the practice/study session will last and how long the break will last. Some children need suggestions for the break (e.g., when you take your break do you want to draw or play a game on the computer). If you are offering suggestions, pick things that you know your child would want to work towards. You can adapt the number of minutes as some children can work for longer periods, some need to work for shorter periods, and some benefit from longer or shorter breaks. Work with your child/student to see how much time works best for him/her.

My FREE 5 minute timer

My FREE 10 minute timer

Posted on May 16, 2020 by admin — Leave a comment

Self Esteem Kids should feel good!

Self-esteem means you mostly feel good about yourself.

Kids with self-esteem:

Feel proud of what they can do
See the good things about themselves
Believe in themselves, even when they don’t do well at first
Feel liked and accepted
Accept themselves, even when they make mistakes

Low self-esteem means you don’t feel very good about yourself.

Kids with low self-esteem:

Don’t think they are as good as others
Don’t feel liked or accepted
Think more about the times they fail, than the times they do well
Don’t notice the good things about themselves
Are hard on themselves and give up easily

Which one seems more like you?

Self-Esteem is really important

Here are three things to know about self-esteem:

Self-esteem helps you. It gives you the courage to try new things. Or make new friends. With self-esteem, you believe in yourself. You know that good things can happen when you try. Self-esteem helps you when things don’t go your way. It helps you accept mistakes. If you miss the soccer goal or lose a library book, you don’t get too mad at yourself. You just try again. You find a way to do better.
Low self-esteem can hurt you. It makes kids feel unsure. They don’t think they can do things well. With low self-esteem, kids might not try. They might not go after their goals. They might be afraid to fail. Low self-esteem makes losing seem worse than it is. It makes mistakes seem bigger than they are. It makes it hard to get over things that don’t go well. Instead of trying again, kids with low self-esteem might give up.
You can build your self-esteem. Self-esteem can start with things parents say when a kid is very young. A parent might tell a baby, “Look what you can do — you’re walking all by yourself!” Being told good things makes the baby feel proud and feel good. As you get older, self-esteem can grow. Parents and teachers can let you know they see good things in you. Friends can help you feel liked. You can build your own self-esteem too. Notice when you try new things. Notice when you learn to do something. Did you try a new sport? Did you learn to ride a bike, play a song, or do a math problem? Be happy and proud. You don’t have to brag out loud, but you can give yourself a quiet little high-five. Yay, you!

How to Build Your Self-Esteem

Try these steps:

Make a list of the stuff you’re good at. Can you draw or sing? Are you a good reader? Are you good at a sport? Do you tell a good joke? If you’re having trouble with your list, ask a parent or friend to help you with it.
Practice the things you do well. Think of ways you can do some of the things you’re already good at every day.
Turn “I can’t” into “I can!” Does the little voice in your head tell you “I’m no good at this” or “I can’t do it”? Or “It’s too hard for me”? That’s you thinking badly about yourself. Decide to change your mind. Think, “I can give it a try,” “I can handle this.” Think, “I’ll give it my best.” Think, “I’ll ask someone to help me do this.”
Always try your best. You can feel good about yourself when you give something a good try. When you try hard, your self-esteem will grow.
Spend time with people who love you. Do things you enjoy with your parent or family. It helps you know you belong so that builds self-esteem.
Help out. Do nice things for parents. Help with meals, clean up, or feed the pet. When you do kind things, you feel good about yourself. You get to see that what you do means a lot.
Talk. Talk about good things and bad things if you have any problems and get help to sort them out.