I don't claim to be a parenting expert but, after raising three kids, I have developed a few parenting techniques that have proven successful. These techniques helped my kids see that learning is fun.

Emotion Face - This one helped my kids discover different emotions, focus on eating their food and it made eating fun.

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First, I would have them make different faces of emotion. You know like...sad face, happy face, scared face, surprise face, mad face, etc. When they were really little, I would make the face first and then they would mimic the faces. Later, I would just say an emotion and they would make the face. In doing this, I taught them to be in touch with their emotions, recognize them and never be afraid to show them.

Death Scene - With this one, it was simply about fun and expression.

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After serving their food to them, I would tell them I had to taste it to see if it was poisonous. I would then take a little bite or drink, wait a moment them start coughing. Then, I would pretend to choke. (in a funny way) They would start laughing, watch me slide or fall out of my chair and then pop up just fine. I would tell them it was safe and to go ahead and eat it. When they got a little older, I would ask them to taste MY food to see if it was poisonous. They would put on quite a show, that made us both crack up laughing, and then tell me the food was fine. lol

No Pull Ups - I found this was a huge help with potty training.

I know it seems crazy to say NO Pull-Ups, but it's true. NO PULL-UPS!! Pull-Ups are SO good that kids never know what it's like to feel wet. So, for bedtime, I bought disposable pads, instead, that I put under the fitted sheet. This protected the mattress and let them know when they wet the bed. Granted, I had to wash sheets often, but not for very long. During the day, I stuck with the old fashioned padded cloth underwear and plastic britches. Each one of my kids were potty trained in a couple of weeks because they knew the feeling of wetness.

Seat-belt City - I sang a song to my kids to help them remember to fasten their seat-belt.

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It goes to the tune of Zoot Suit Riot by Cherry Poppin' Daddies

Seat belt city, Oh Yeah, do, do, do - dododo, Seat belt City, , Oh Yeah, dodo, do, do, do, do!

 

All three remember this my song every time they fasten their seat-belt. :-)

Is Your Name......? - When they were babies and be fussy in their car seat, I would do this! It would help them learn their name.

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I would ask them, "Is your name Elmo?" They would cry and shake their head no. I would ask them if their name was Big Bird, Dora, Little Bear, Franklin, Blue, etc. until they were laughing. I would continue the fun by asking them, "Well, if you aren't any of them, who are you?" They would, eventually tell me their WHOLE name. :-)

Feel free to use mine and share YOURS below!

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