Books are faithful friends, always ready to leave space to imagination, to live adventures on the wings of fantasy, to fill moments of boredom. For this reason, it is never too early to get a child to know books and reading by choosing, obviously, texts that are suitable for children of a few months.
The books for this age are especially made to be used by children, to train their rudimental prehension. Moreover, the images inside the books are a window on that world that is necessary for their growth. The illustrations are almost always fantastic, but they are the first external stimulus that intervenes to allow the construction of reality. The small books, to respond to this need, are handy, with simple and colourful images, to capture their attention. With just a few words, they can contain images of bibs, baby food, feeding bottles, baby cribs… familiar and reassuring objects that the child sees and learns to recognize in his cognitive experience. Even at six months, a book can be a pleasant experience in a moment of peaceful playing, before bedtime or naps. In mommy or daddy’s arms, the child can interact with the book, he can try to turn the pages and feel the different consistencies of rough-smooth-soft that are in the books. But books are especially a fundamental instrument to learn languages: through reading stories by parents or listening to the description of the images the child learns the sounds of his language, gets to know his first words, places the fundamental bases of verbal expression.
As a young boy I grew up with my circle of friends that I called “the guys”. There were 5 or 6 of us that did almost everything together. We roamed the old neighborhood, played baseball (and football, and basketball), went to the movies together, and we went to the same neighborhood school (we were all in the same class).
We thought, and we still think, that it was the greatest neighborhood to grow up in in the whole world. There were dozens of families with 3,4,5,6 or more kids all living in a small area of mid-town Omaha. We had friends up the ying yang as far as our eyes could see. You didn’t get along with everyone but who did? As one of my friends recently pointed out the homes back then all had front porches and many of us did not have air conditioning yet. So, everyone (parents and kids) gathered out in front talking to neighbors up and down the street.
One of those memories all of my friends treasure involved taking turns invading someone’s house… more specifically, the kitchen. We all developed a fondness for Joe’s house because his mom always had cookies. Pat’s house had the basketball court (the driveway). Andy’s home had a swimming pool. Dick’s house had sandwiches. My home had whatever.
But what we really remember is how everyone’s mom was so good to us. I tell my sons that I had several extra moms when I was growing up. Those moms either fixed us food to eat, or told us to get the hell out of the house and go play. But, we were pretty lovable so usually the moms made us good eats. The memories of those occasions are grand.
Baby showers are a fun and exciting time for any new parents. If you are going to be a guest at a baby shower for a friend or family member, then you will want to make sure that your gift is something that they will really enjoy. To get you started, here are a few ideas for the best baby shower gifts to buy.
Gift Baskets
Gift baskets are one of the easiest and most impressive gifts that you can get for a baby shower. They let you put together a lot of smaller items into one larger gift. In this way, you are able to give the new parents products that they need, like diapers and bottles, together with items that are just for fun, like toys and books. With gift baskets, you also have the ability to buy gifts centered around one theme or color so that everything matches.
Clothes
Clothes are a universal gift for any baby occasion, but they work especially well for a baby shower gift. New parents need a lot of baby clothes, but you can also find cute and interesting clothes that are different or more expensive than what they would buy for themselves. You can also buy clothes in a wide range of sizes and styles so that the baby will have new items to wear for several months after they are born.
Baby Gear
Baby gear is another excellent choice to give as a gift at a baby shower. New parents usually have a tight budget, but they also know that there are certain items they must have for the safety and daily life of their baby. These items are usually a car seat, stroller, crib, bouncers, etc… These items can get expensive, so if you can buy them these pricier but necessary items as a gift, it will take a lot of pressure off. If you cannot afford to get one of these items alone, consider contacting another guest or family member who may be attending the shower and see if you can share the cost together.
If you wish to enjoy some great time with your family then organizing a family fun day once in a while is a perfect way to do it. Even if you don’t do anything fancy, a day spent doing a few fun activities with each other can be a great way to break the dullness of the everyday routine. You can have fun doing many simple activities such as taking a walk through a nice park or just enjoying a movie as a family. Here are a few suggestions you can use for inspiration when planning your next family fun day.
Call for a Family Conference
If you’re having trouble coming up with activities that might be enjoyable for the whole family, why not simply call a family conference and ask everyone what they would like to do? You’ll probably discover that even small children have great ideas for activities that the entire family could enjoy. Have everyone brainstorm and make a note of the best suggestions. Then look at all the ideas and determine which ones you would like to try first. You might even discover that there are enough good ideas to use for many months of fun to come.
Basic but Very Enjoyable Activities
Do not forget that even an especially simple game or activity can be extremely fun when you have fun with it with your whole family. Even though it can be a lot of fun to plan trips to take with each other, even the simple act of jumping in your car for a drive to the neighborhood park can be really enjoyable. You will probably find that many enjoyable pursuits are actually very low in cost, or even free. You may spend some time looking around in a shopping mall, or go out for a drive, or maybe watch an afternoon showing of a movie at the theater. Don’t forget to bring your camera with you so you can take some pictures of your family enjoying their time together. After all, family action photos can be used as attractive decorating accents when exhibited in collage picture frames.
Many young children take up chess at an early age. They are often encouraged to do so by a parent or grandparent and a grasp of this classic game will serve them well throughout their lives. Chess may be regarded as very complex, but it in essence it only involves a total of sixteen playing pieces on each side and a board with sixty-four marked squares to play it on.
There is always the temptation to treat your young chess players to their own set and why not, after all a knowledge of chess is an asset in many social situations. It is a hobby that is almost timeless and it appeals to both young and old alike. We know of a number of parents who have spent large sums on the procurement of a chess set for their children, perhaps in the hope that their offspring will go on to be a grand master. Here is a fun and money-saving idea for parents whose children like chess but also like dinosaurs – why not make your own, bespoke chess set using prehistoric animal model playing pieces.
A Do-it-Yourself Dinosaur Chess Set – The Playing Board
Creating your very own customised dinosaur-themed chess set is simple. By doing so you combine a child’s fascination with dinosaurs with the desire to practice and build up their skills as chess player. Let’s start with the playing board. This consists of a total of sixty-four squares, laid out in a grid – eight squares by eight squares. Traditionally, the board is laid out with alternate black and white squares but any contrasting colours can be used.