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One of the biggest positives was the chance to spend more time outside, whether that meant hanging out in the backyard, walking to a nearby playground or trail, or taking a road trip to a national park. You can keep the love affair with nature going—even as “normal” life resumes. If your family fell into more sedentary patterns during the pandemic, don’t feel bad—you’re in good company, as the stresses common during this time pushed exercise to the back burner for many people....

While the specific tax implications will vary for each person, depending on their larger tax picture, below is the general breakdown of how tax returns are impacted by child support payments. Is Child Support Taxable? Parents who receive child support need to know how that money will affect their taxes. Is child support taxable? Will I owe more taxes this year because of collecting child support? In short, the answer to both questions is no....

If cluster grouping isn’t practiced at a certain grade level or at a certain school, consider requesting teachers or administrators to implement this method, so all children can learn at a suitable pace. What Is Cluster Grouping? How does cluster grouping work? It’s simple. Gifted children in one grade level are grouped together in one classroom. For example, if a school has three different third grade classrooms and five gifted children in third grade, all five of these children would be placed in one of the three third grade classrooms rather than split up and placed in the different classrooms....

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with depression, it is important to understand the painful effects family members may experience as they try to understand the diagnosis and provide emotional support. Knowing what to expect and how to interact are important elements that protect the entire family’s well-being. Here are some ways depression may affect the family including what you can expect and how to cope....

Friendships help kids develop emotionally and morally and boost social skills. Not only do kids learn how to communicate with others, but healthy friendships can be instrumental in helping them learn to control their emotions and express their feelings constructively. However, some children struggle socially and have trouble making and keeping friends. If your child doesn’t appear to have friends or is rarely (or never) invited to play with other children, this can be distressing for both of you....

According to Michelle Katsnelson, a speech-language pathologist and creator of Speech with Meesh, language skill is not just about the number of words a child has. “The term “language” refers to expressive language (spoken words and sentences), receptive language (words and sentences the child understands), and pragmatic language (a child’s ability to use language socially)”, she says. Though there is some variability in the rate at which children typically develop language, some children experience language delays....

Phonics skills are important for children to be able to read fluently. Children who master phonics learn to recognize individual sounds and how to blend them together to read words. Many children with learning disabilities in reading may have difficulty with phonics skills. However, they often respond well to phonics instruction. Benefits of Phonics Instruction Some reading research suggests that phonics instruction is an effective strategy to use with reading disorders and can be used along with word recognition strategies....

The first step is to make sure that you understand sexual development. While it can be normal for a 3-year-old to reach down their pants in front of other people, it’s not normal for a 13-year-old to exhibit the same behavior. Here’s what parents should know about age-appropriate sexual development, and what to do if you are concerned about your child’s behavior. Teach Appropriate Behavior Young children don’t understand the concepts of modesty and boundaries unless they are taught....

This just isn’t true. Being an advocate doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. Even advocating on a small scale can have huge rewards for you and others. Advocacy can help you transform into a warrior. Helping others in the infertile community can also give your painful experiences a sense of meaning – you can help others better because you have been where they have been. Here are 10 ways you can advocate for infertility, some big, some small....

And your baby will give you plenty of that: Infants typically go through eight to 10 diapers a day, adding up to more than 3,500 diaper changes until they are toilet trained. Learn the most efficient way to get your baby from a dirty diaper into a clean one, as well as some pointers to make the process easier for both you and your little one. What You Need Before beginning, make sure everything you need is handy....

Buying a bassinet will help you keep a close eye on your baby, and allow you to have your baby sleeping in your room without having to make space for a full-size crib. If you’re shopping for a bassinet, these tips can help you find a safe one for your baby. Bassinet Safety Standards Be sure your bassinet meets current safety standards. Older bassinets were only subject to voluntary safety standards....

Court-Appropriate Appearance To “dress for success” means choosing outfits, haircuts, makeup, and accessories wisely. When dressing for a child custody case, success is winning custody; to do that, you will need to look as mature, serious-minded, and financially secure as possible. If you don’t own appropriate clothing, it’s worth it to borrow some or even find an appropriate outfit at a thrift shop. When putting your outfit together: Consider not only your clothes but also your hair, makeup, and behavior....

While this listening issue may sort itself out as a child matures, there are steps you can take to set expectations for responsiveness and begin to curb this behavior. This starts with making some adjustments in how you ask your child to do what you say. Overview Repeating requests over and over—get up and brush your teeth, start your homework, clean up your room—is an energy burner and source of great frustration for many parents....

It isn’t always easy to differentiate between a cold and the flu, making it that much harder to determine whether any medication is needed. Giving your child cold or flu medicine may seem like the best option when your little one has the sniffles, but that isn’t always the case. Here, with the help of experts, we will take a look at everything you need to know about giving your child cold and flu medicine....

The ability to regulate big emotions is largely dependent on age and development. Experiencing things more intensely is also sometimes just part of who someone is. Big emotions can make life a little bit more difficult for these kids unless they learn how to engage in emotion regulation. While this is naturally learned over time, there are ways you can help your child cultivate emotional awareness and adopt healthy coping skills....

“For the first year of life and beyond, children spend just as much or more time sleeping than they do awake,” says Rachel Mitchell, CEO of My Sweet Sleeper, a maternity and sleep consulting company. “Ensuring their sleep environment is sleep-promoting is key, and this starts with a safe and comfortable mattress.” Here, learn why comfortable, restful sleep is so critical, plus the characteristics to consider when choosing a mattress for your child at different steps in their development....

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But exercise has particular benefits for pre-teens and teens. It can: Reduce anxiety, stress, and depression Improve self-esteem Boost academic performance Help establish lifelong healthy habits That’s in addition to the way fitness helps teens manage their weight, build muscle strength and bone mass, and control blood pressure. Pretty convincing! But rates of physical activity tend to decline as kids get older. They’re busier with school and friends, they are easily discouraged if they feel their performance doesn’t measure up to their peers, and puberty can make them feel ashamed of their bodies....

While topics that are considered funny may differ in various cultures, the study results give insight into what traits contribute to humor in kids. All About the Study Researchers with Anadolu University in Turkey culled data from over 200 participants—sixth and seventh graders from the mid-western part of the country. The students came from several different schools across the region. The study authors used the Anadolu Sak Intelligence Scale (ASIS), the first Turkish test providing intelligence profile scores, to assess the students’ intellectual aptitude and IQ levels....