 Life is made up of colors. We see them everywhere we go:
Blue, Red, and Yellow together make the three Primary Colors, and when mixed together, they create every other color in the Universe. Unless your child is color blind, they're going to be seeing and interacting with every color of the rainbow on a daily basis. And according to a study conducted by NASA, we all are born creative geniuses. This includes your children, so you may as well set them up for creative and artistic success in their lives and teach them Color Theory. Color Theory is the study of the combination of colors, and while it can get complicated, it can also be broken down into simple terms that even the youngest of children could understand. Primary Colors If your child is of preschool age, begin by explaining the three Primary Colors to them:
After, you may ask them to combine the colors and let them see what happens. Don't try to explain it too much at this point. Just let them have the experience. This will introduce them to the concept of.... Secondary Colors The three Secondary Colors are Orange, Purple, and Green. If your child is in Kindergarten, feel free to use the paint of the the three Primary Colors to show them how:
If your child is in Elementary School (or you believe them to be the next Vincent Van Gogh) feel free to introduce them to the concept of... Tertiary Colors When you mix the three Primary colors with the three Secondary colors you get Tertiary Colors which include more nuanced blended colors such as...
If you think your child will understand, explain to them in your own words the concept of Tertiary Colors. Remember: Teaching your children is also a great way to re-learn these concepts for yourself! And we could all use a bit more color in our lives. 
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 Halloween is approaching! And that means potentially scary things. You can do your best to avoid anything scary, but as people start to decorate their yards and stores start carrying supplies, it's inevitable your kid is going to see something scary... and those scary things might trigger nightmares.
Here are three ways to make those scary dreams a little easier to handle: 1. What are dreams? Explain what dreams are! Reassure them that they aren't real and can even be fun. 2. Acknowledge and Normalize. Even though they may not be real, dreams can certainly feel real. Admit that they can be scary, but also let them know nightmares are normal. Talk about how you yourself have nightmares sometimes and how you deal with them. 3. Give them power. Once they realize dreams aren't real and they can control them, nightmares won't be as intimidating. This can be as simple as leaving a night light on or having easy access to a flashlight. Give them control over their nightmares and the fear will begin to disappear. Of course, once you start showing that Halloween and scary things can be fun (like in this episode), that can go a long way, too! For further reading, we recommend this article.  Even as an adult we can still feel that twinge of fear from a really loud bang of thunder. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up, your eyes grow wide, and you might even jump a little in your seat.
For a kid, thunder can be even more terrifying. It sounds so BIG. Here are some tips to ease your child's fears about thunder. 1. Explain the science! You don't need to get into all the nitty-gritty details, but even a simple explanation can ease some tension. The explanation may spark even more questions, and before you know it, you have your laptop open and you're both googling answers and learning together. 2. Laugh at the sound! If you're not scared, there's a chance your kid won't be scared. They look to you on how to respond. If you're excited and entertained by the sound, they will also learn to relax. 3. Get creative! The ancient Greeks thought thunder and lightning was Zeus throwing lightning bolts around. Can you come up with your own myths and stories? See if you can create a story together and get those creative juices flowing. For a basic scientific explanation for toddlers on how thunder works we recommend this article from fatherly.com. Check out this week's Sajja and Kabba episode where thunder almost ruins their day... but they figure it out!  Parents who read will have kids who read.
What example are you setting for your kids? Do you plop down in front of the television at the end of the day and zone out? Do you mindlessly scroll through your phone? We understand life is busy (boy, do we!) and a bit of mindless entertainment can be what's needed to let go of the day's troubles. However, there are numerous studies that show that taking the time to read to our kids before bed improves brain function. Here's a quick list of benefits you can start to see: 1. One-on-one bonding time with your kid. 2. Establishing a night time routine. (Very important!) 3. Improvement in basic vocabulary. 4. Pattern recognition. (Many bedtime books focus on routine and patterns). For more in-depth information we recommend this article from Parents.com. Also, check out this week's episode of "Sajja and Kabba" where Kabba reads Sajja a bedtme story. What are some of your favorite bedtime stories? Let us know in the comments! |
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