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Life is busy and to stay on top of everything I find routines and calendars really help. Do your children forget their sporting gear, musical instruments or books for school? Do they leave their homework, school assignments and projects to the last minute? If so, perhaps it’s time to help them take more responsibility for their lives and manage their time more effectively by using a calendar or diary. Using a calendar, electronic organiser or diary supports children to be on time for events and to manage everyday activities. These are valuable personal qualities for children to develop from a young age that will support them right through their school years, in higher education endeavours, and in time, be a highly valued quality in the workplace. Here’s how you can make the most of calendars and routines with your children whether they are young or older.

Children will feel more positive and work more effectively in an orderly environment and so knowing how to keep their room and homework space clean and tidy is a valuable life skill for children to learn. Parents often think it will be quicker if “I just do it myself” – and you are right – but only in the short term! In the long run, once your children have the ability to maintain order and cleanliness – you will have help and they will have an important skill for life! In this video, parenting expert Dr Rosina shares some ideas about how you can help your children to get things in order ‘little by little’, by employing short bursts of cleaning and tidying every day or two or three and it doesn’t take long at all. Make it fun and it will be an easy habit for your kids to develop!

Water is the basic building block for all life including humans, plants, insects and other animals on Earth, so without it we couldn’t exist. While over two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water, most of it, around 97 percent, is salt water held in the oceans and therefore only about 3 percent is freshwater. Of the freshwater, only about 1 percent is easily accessible, and the remaining 2 percent is stored in glaciers and icecaps. So as you can see, water is a valuable but scarce resource that needs to be conserved in order to support life. In this video, parenting expert Dr Rosina talks about the ways you can help your kids understand why it is important to conserve water for life and to protect the environment and teaches your children how to conserve water in your home. Less water wasted means more for the planet and less on your water bill. Win/Win!

Making mistakes is a natural part of life. Both children and adults alike will make mistakes particularly during the early stages of learning something new. Have you ever reflected upon how you react when you make a mistake? How does your child react when they make a mistake? Do they get angry or upset? Do they use negative self-talk saying things like ‘I am such an idiot, why I am so stupid’? Do they fear being ridiculed by others? OR Does your child see mistakes and errors in a positive light? In this video, parenting expert Dr Rosina explains how you can help your child to develop a positive attitude to making mistakes and see mistakes as feedback, which is a key part of learning.

If you’re like so many parents today, you carry around a feeling of guilt because you wish you could spend more time with your kids, but between work, taking care of the home and all of the after-school activities there seems to be so little time. Well in this short video, parenting expert Dr Rosina explores the benefits of making a small amount of quality time available each day rather than worrying about trying to find a lot of time. Find out how to open a regular communication channel between you and your child, build a strong relationship and provide an opportunity for your child to share any difficulties they might have before they become big problem.

We all want to be listened to right? Isn’t it wonderful when you share some exciting news with a family member and they listen attentively and share your joy? It’s so healing when your friend listens empathetically while you get something off your chest. And isn’t it SO annoying when you’re trying to share something and you keep getting interrupted and don’t feel heard at all? The bottom line is that listening is an important part of being a good communicator and a good friend. Effective and thoughtful communication helps people build strong relationships. While one of the fundamental qualities of good communication is active listening, the research shows that most people are not good listeners. We probably don’t need research to tell us that... I’m sure everyone has experienced not being listened to on many occasions! However, people want to be heard, understood and feel connected and it is for this reason that active listeners tend to have more successful interpersonal relationships. Is your child a good listener? Has your child made good friends and do they get on well with family members? Could your child benefit from developing their listening skills? If so, you can talk to your child about: 1. the difference between hearing and listening and 2. the importance of active listening in building relationships with family, friends, teachers and others. We all know when someone is really “listening” or just pretending to listen by simply hearing what we have to say while they are busy doing other things or thinking about something else. I know I have done this on occasion to our son Cameron when he has been talking to me and I’m focussed on cooking the dinner or getting some urgent work done. I might say “uh ha, or that’s great” and Cameron will get annoyed and repeat himself louder if he’s asked me a question and it’s obvious I’m not listening!  I can recall a few times when he has taken my face in his hands, turned my head to look at him and said “mummy listen to me”. Now that’s a wakeup call and effective communication! By modelling good listening with our children when they are speaking, parents can show children that active listening is about being present to the other person, having eye contact and really trying to understand what they are saying. It’s these times of real listening between friends and family members that build the foundation for long lasting deep connections that last a life time. This is the connection you can forge with your child and teach them a valuable life skill. Win/Win! Find out more about developing your child’s Communication Skills and how the Inspired Children Life Skills Home Activity eBook can benefit your whole family. Here are some of the key life skills your children can learn to help them fly through life: Managing emotions - practicing effective strategies for managing anger and expressing feelings;  Helping your child understand that they’re smarter when they’re calmer; Learning to listen actively to build strong relationships with family and friends; Nurturing your family’s connection: the daily catch-up; Exploring the meaning of friendship: your child’s views and your view’s; Evaluating current friendships: do I have good friends? These activities help your child make good decisions and make the ‘right’ kind of friends; Discovering your family history – a fun activity for your child; How to work effectively in a team or group for a school project; Exploring emotions: expressing anger in a healthy and safe way; Nurturing a relationship with yourself, knowing your personal goals. Remember each activity only takes around 15 minutes to complete and you can complete them at your own pace at a time that suits you and your family’s lifestyle. Most importantly, imagine how good you’ll feel about the huge difference you’re making as a parent to your child’s communication skills and ability to make great friends and get along with family members. The ability to build personal and professional relationships through effective communication supports your children to become successful and inspiring leaders in the world.

I read an article in the Sunday life magazine from a well known guest columnist entitled “Motherhood has made me tough.” I am sure it was written with some tongue in cheek for entertainment value, but alas at the time, I didn’t find it very funny despite believing I have a good sense of humour! Here are some excerpts: “What I didn’t know before I became a parent is how annoying children can be. Some of them complain ALL OF THE TIME…Children are greedy, they can be mean, they can manipulate you…and demand attention…” Have I given you enough to get the general idea? There was a lot more. I was particularly annoyed as it was published in a Mother’s day special edition! I couldn't help but ponder, and of course share my thoughts with my darling husband, as we drove home from the farmer’s market, that if we are to raise a generation of children who are caring, compassionate and socially responsible, then parents must lead by example! After all where do children learn the most? From those they love the most and model themselves on - parents. Calling children names like: annoying, demanding, greedy and manipulative suggests that they are ‘fixed character traits’ that we just have to live with. I am pleased to say that the research and my experience as a parent suggest that this is JUST NOT TRUE! Just like any skill, being kind, caring and thoughtful can be learned over time. I have seen our son go from not sharing a single thing with anyone as a toddler to understanding that ‘sharing is caring’ as a young boy. This didn’t happen magically – my husband and I made special efforts to share with each other and with him so he could see how lovely it is to share and to care about other people and how unpleasant it is when someone doesn’t share! I am not suggesting that he gets it right all of the time, but I know we are heading in the right direction as he passes one of his precious crisps or chocolates my way. Just a few weeks ago we went to a huge party and he brought his big tub of Lego blocks and shared them with every child at the party. I was so happy to see how freely he shared his blocks and interacted with the other kids. We had a long talk on the way to the party about sharing and I explained how I would make sure that no-one would take his Lego blocks home (this was his big fear) - they would just play with the blocks at the party and if anything was broken or lost, I would replace it. On the way home we talked about how much fun it was to share and how kind it was of him to let the others play with his Lego blocks and how great it was to see how happy everyone was to play together. (PS, the host of the party says she keeps finding pieces of Lego around the yard! Chuckle, Chuckle). Like everything a child learns, instruction and example go a long way. Here are some of the things we do in our family to raise our son to be a caring and compassionate social citizen, so he can make a positive difference in the lives of other people and in the world! SOCIAL AWARENESS We regularly buy the magazine ‘The Big Issue’ from a disabled man in our local area. That has given us the opportunity to talk with our son about people with disabilities, homelessness and how we can help others for no other reason than it is kind to care about and help other people. COMPASSION AND CONSIDERATION We try to acknowledge our son Cameron’s feelings or his circumstances rather than just ‘making’ him do things. For example: if he is busy playing and it’s time for dinner, we give him a few minutes warning to help him prepare for the transition from what he’s doing to move to the dinner table. If he is crying an upset about something even we think it is so unimportant like “the toast is cut the wrong way”, we show him compassion and understanding by acknowledging that this is important in his world. CARE FOR OTHERS I share the impact that Cameron’s behaviour has on me when he won’t cooperate. For example in as compassionate a voice as I can muster… “It’s bath time now. Let’s get you squeaky clean and ready for bed.” Cameron: “No, I don’t want a bath!” Me: “Do you know why it’s good to have a bath? You get all of the dirt off from the day and it helps you relax and go to sleep. You know, I’ve been working all day honey and I’m really tired right now, but I want to take care of you. But when you refuse to get in the bath, I feel even more tired. If you get in the bath we can talk and have fun together blowing bubbles. I just want you to know that when you cooperate with me you help me and I help you, so its win/win and if you don’t it’s harder for both of us”. This way he learns that his choices can have a positive or negative effect on himself and others. We also have a little mantra “cooperating makes getting on well with others easy.”  Yes sure it takes longer to explain this than “if you don’t get in the bath right now there will be no TV/Sweets/Movie etc for you this week”. However, while the latter is quicker it usually only ends in tears and then no-one has any fun and he doesn’t learn about care for others! I want to take a long term rather than short term approach to parenting. GRATITUDE Every night at dinner we each share our three highlights for the day so that we can feel gratitude for our wonderful lives together. It brings about a feeling of happiness and support for each other as we enjoy and celebrate each others life! Believe me, as parents we don’t always get it right but Colin and I are doing our best to keep in mind that we are the role models for our Cameron, and if we don’t help him learn how to be a compassionate and caring person, then who will? It’s our wish to raise a caring and thoughtful boy who becomes a fabulous teenager (yes they are out there!), a wonderful friend and family member throughout his life and makes a positive difference in this world. If you’d like to know more about helping your child become a more understanding, cooperative and caring child, you might like to have a look at the Environment and Social Understanding Inspired Children Life Skills Home Activity Book . There are twelve easy-to-follow life skills activities you can complete in just 15 minutes at a time. Here are just some of the skills and knowledge your child can learn: Understanding and managing bullying; Using the garbage and recycling bins at home and school;  An introduction to making ethical choices and frameworks for making ethical decisions; Social awareness about children with disabilities, homelessness, racial discrimination and social classes; environmental awareness including water conservation and paper recycling. Remember each activity only takes around 15 minutes to complete and you can complete them at your own pace at a time that suits you and your family’s lifestyle... Most importantly, imagine how good you’ll feel about the huge difference you’re making as a parent to your child’s understanding about how to care for family, friends and peers as well as the environment.

Do you feel like you’re rushing and on the go most of the time?  If you do, you’re certainly not alone. But, this is not the way you want you and your kids to remember their childhood. In today’s busy world, most parents and kids are busy and rushed. Mornings are taken up getting dressed, fed and packing bags ready for school. Afternoons are filled with after school activities, working on homework, dinner and getting ready for bed. So where is the time for relaxation and play?  Taking time to have fun and play with your kids helps you both keep work/life balance as well as have time to be together and bond. You might think “I’d like to, but we’re all too busy”. What if there was a way that didn’t take up too much time? Because you know that spending time just having fun with your child is beneficial to both of you, you can make the time. There are so many quick games you can play like cards, a short board game, word game or something outside with a ball. It doesn’t have to take long 15-30 mins is all you need. Sure some board games take longer than 15 minutes, so why not start a game, put on a timer then when the 15 minutes is up stop and come back to the game next time. That way the suspense of who will win, lasts longer and you have something to look forward to. You could do the same with a jigsaw puzzle (jigsaw puzzle roll up mats are helpful if you don’t have place to leave the jigsaw out). Could you find 15 minutes once or twice a week to take time out to play with your child? Imagine how much fun it will be for the both of you and how much it will mean to your child. Enjoying this activity will allow you to: 1. Have fun spending time with your child... they grow up so fast ... so don’t miss out! 2. Model work/life balance and creating good habits for your child’s future Did you know that many people don’t have good work-life balance as adults because they didn’t learn to take time out as kids? Find out more about developing your child’s Relaxation and Play life skills with the Inspired Children Life Skills Home Activity eBook . There are twelve easy-to-follow life skills activities you can complete in just 15 minutes at a time. This way you don’t have to come up with ideas, it’s all there for you with easy to follow steps. You can practice stretching, breathing and other relaxation techniques that will do both you and your child good. There are also more great ideas on how to have fun with your child that don’t take long. Taking time out to have fun together and enjoy your child will create happy memories that last a life time. You can also find out more about our Life Skills approach to parenting eBook series. Please click here .

Happy Halloween Happy nearly Halloween! I thought I’d get in early and offer some ideas you can try to help your children manage their candy consumption on , before and after spooky Halloween night. Too much candy and they can become little scary sugar-loaded monsters! Halloween is a fun time of year for kids (and adults). Getting dressed up, going out with friends and of course collecting candy. While a little candy is fine, and even a bit more than a little is OK on this one night of the year, a lot of candy is not so good for the body, mind or the spirit. So here are some simple strategies you can take to help children manage their sugar intake around Halloween. You know your children best so pick the strategies that will work for your family and lifestyle. Here’s some of the main ideas in this blog post: Keep the candy hidden away before Halloween Buy a ‘reasonable’ size container for candy collection on the night Fill the kids up with a healthy dinner before they go out trick or treating Help your children sort out, ration and throw out the candy with a variety of strategies. Most importantly, learn how you’re helping your kids to develop good life skills when you support them to be patient, decrease and delay their consumption of sugar as well as share their candy stash with others. That way you don’t feel guilty and know you’re being great parent!  Read on to learn more about helping your kids minimise sugar and develop important life skills... Before Halloween It’s tempting to start handing out the candy even before Halloween if you have a big stash of chocolates and sweets in the cupboards. Out of sight is out of mind, so put the candy in a hard-to-get-to place, hidden away in the far reaches of your cupboards. That way neither you nor your children will be tempted. The harder it is to get to the better – by placing candy high up in a cupboard where you need to lug a chair and to move things out of the way, the less likely you’ll be tempted to grab a little something for yourself or for your kids! It’s also really good to remember that you can help your children develop really valuable life skills like patience and delayed gratification by helping them to wait for Halloween and get the candy. This is such an important life skill nowadays with instant communication, fast food and access to almost anything on the internet in seconds. So, if you can remember that you are doing your child good by helping them to wait... building their ability to be patient ... just like you do for birthdays and other gift giving days, you are less likely to cave into their requests, pleading or demands for candy before Halloween! Also research shows that children who are able to delay gratification are less likely to be overweight and are more likely to stick to long term projects without giving up. So you can help your kids build that skill starting this Halloween! Selecting the right size container before the day Your children need candy collecting containers for Halloween. To restrict their candy collecting ‘capacity’, don’t send them out with a pillow case, select a reasonable size bag or small bucket and explain, “once it’s full (or half-full), we’re off home to sort you’re stash and enjoy some candy”. A small container has a number of advantages, first, children can’t load up on too much candy (that you might want to take away later). Second they can be selective when they get offered a choice of candy as they have limited space, so they won’t just grab handfuls of anything. Third, they can choose to take only 1 or 2 pieces from each house to make the time they are out trick or treating last longer. Win/Win! During Halloween Candy Collection Have a good dinner Before you send the kids out to collect their stash, make sure they’ve had a good dinner. Fill them up on protein, vegies and whole grains like brown rice and they’ll feel fuller for longer. Having a full tummy means your kids will be less likely to gorge on candy. It shouldn’t be too hard to get your children to eat their dinner if you say “as soon as dinner is done we get to go out trick or treating”! Boo ha ha ha (chuckle, cackle, giggle)... you hold all the cards on Halloween night! You might ask the kids not to eat candy until they are home so they get to eat the best ones or that they are only allowed to eat a limited number on the road. Save the wrappers so you can keep count. Sorting the Halloween candy This is an important part of the night (or next day if they are too tired... not a great idea to try and take candy away from a sugar-high-over-tired child - you simply can’t win without tears), so you need to navigate this time carefully. If you try to take too much, you’re likely to get resistance. Tread sensitively and you might find you have a cooperative child! Ask your child to sort their candy into piles of the ones they LOVE the most to the ones they don’t really like. Then if you have more than one child, you can let them do the swapping and exchanging process. This also builds life skills ... negotiation ... however, if they can’t manage their negotiations very well, perhaps you can step in a support them to learn to negotiate fairly. If squabbles arise, you get to help them to learn about conflict management. Who knew Halloween could be a great night for learning so many life skills! Once the candy is all sorted and exchanged and household peace has been restored, you can try one or more of the following strategies to reduce the overall candy intake. Pick the ones that work best for your family: It’s a good idea to allow children to have a little candy during the sorting / reducing process so they don’t feel like they aren’t able to enjoy the night. To restrict the amount, invite them to pick 1, 2 or 3 pieces of candy they want to eat while they are sorting. Then space the consumption out to make it last. Put the candy they don’t like in the trash or a container for giving away. Take them out of sight straight away so there can be no second thoughts. It’s not far between Halloween and gingerbread candy house building time. So, how about getting an air tight container and inviting the kids to choose which candies they’d like for their gingerbread house. Once they’re in the container... hide them away and you’re ready for a holiday project! “Sharing is caring”, so ask the children to share some of their candy with you. It’s important to help kids learn to be generous and caring of all members of your family – including you. Offer to buy or replace the candy with a special toy/book/activity they’d like. This way they get a real treat and you get to take the sugar away. Some dentists offer Halloween candy buy backs. Try an internet search and see if there is one in your local area.  You can also send your candy by post to Operation Gratitude which annually sends 100,000+ care packages filled with snacks, entertainment items and personal letters of appreciation addressed to individually named U.S. Service Members deployed in hostile regions, to their children left behind and to Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors and their Care Givers. This way you can talk about caring, sharing and supporting others. A candy ‘tasting’ game is a fun way to try, but not gobble, too many candies. Have a trash can available and kids and adults alike get to take a small bite, throw the remainder in the trash and then describe the taste like a candy connoisseur as they slowly chew and savour the candy. Claps and cheers for the ‘best’ descriptions make it a fun time.   Have a number of small snack bags or small containers that children can put 2-3 candies in to save for later. This way the candy gets to last longer. In our home, we only have candy on the weekend, and Cameron calls it “weekend food”. We don’t usually keep weekend food in the house except for say Easter or Birthdays where he gets candy and chocolates. At those times we keep the weekend food at the back of the pantry where none of us can see it and Cameron gets to choose what he likes each weekend until it’s gone. Or You could put all of the candy into one container and allow the kids to have one per day, or one every few days or once per week... until they are all gone! I also read somewhere that you can do cool experiments with candy, that’s another way you can use up the candy without eating it and learn something ‘science-like’ at the same time! I hope these strategies help you and your children have a safe, happy and even educational Halloween. You’ll have many opportunities to help your kids develop important life skills. If you’d like to know more about how to help your children eat well, exercise and even help you tidy up around the home, have a look at my Inspired Children Health and Wellbeing Life Skills Home Activity eBook. There are twelve easy-to-follow life skills activities you can complete in just 15 minutes at a time. Here are just some of the skills and knowledge your child can learn: The fun 15 minute clean up technique; How to make a healthy snack; Getting kids to enjoy a variety in food as part of a healthy diet; Household cleanliness: doing the dishes with a difference; A before bed routine to prepare for the next day... no more rushing around in the morning; The benefits of stretching; Playing team sports – more than just good health; How to help your kids reduce their junk food intake by learning about ‘Treats’, ‘Weekend Food’ and ‘Sometimes Food’; Relaxation for general wellbeing; Chewing food correctly for improving digestion and getting good nutrition; and the many health benefits of being in nature. Remember each activity only takes around 15 minutes to complete and you can complete them at your own pace at a time that suits you and your family’s lifestyle... Most importantly, imagine how good you’ll feel about the huge difference you’re making as a parent to your child’s understanding about how to care of themselves by eating well and exercising. So many kids are suffering right now because they are overweight, others because they can’t manage stress. Learning how to be healthy as a child is a foundation for a long and happy life.

There are so many benefits for parents and kids alike of spending time writing. Writing does the heart, spirit, and body a lot of good. If you don’t have a special book or journals to write in why not buy one for yourself and your kids and take some time each day to write. It could be first thing in the morning to set a positive intention for the day or plan the day, or after school or even before bed to recount the wonderful achievements in the day. So here are some ways that parents and kids benefit from writing: 1. Alleviate stress: write down your worries. If your child is too young to write – write it for them. Writing a ‘to-do list’, taking action on just one thing and then crossing it off the list can greatly reduce stress and anxiety and increase a sense of accomplishment and wellbeing. 2. Get your creative juices going: being creative and getting in the flow is so good for our spirits through writing. You and your child can share this moment by truly being in the now and together writing something creatively together. Try it! 3. Nurtures your spirit. Finding time to be quiet, contemplative and writing anything that comes to you is good for your spirit. 4. Great for your relationships. Write your child a little note and pop it in their lunch box as a surprise! Write your partner a little love letter and see what happens! 5. Helps make your goals a reality. Imagine what you want to achieve and then write it down! There is something very powerful about writing down what you want, then writing the steps you could take to make your dream come true! 6. Recording your life: Take a few minutes a day to write down something special about your life and your time with your child. Encourage your child to take a few minutes every day to write in a journal or diary. This way you can always have a record of those treasured moments. There are so many ways parents can help their children develop key life skills that will help them sail through life. If you would like to help your child set goals, learn how to take action steps towards achieving their dreams then take a look at the Inspired Creativity Home Activity eBook. It has 12 activities that you can complete with your child in just 15 minutes at a time to get their creative juices flowing and into action on achieving goals.

When you make a mistake, how do you experience it? Are you cross with yourself? Do you hear negative self-talk like “oh you idiot or you’re so stupid”? Do you fear being ridiculed by others?     OR Do you see mistakes and errors in a positive light - an experience that provides you with feedback and the opportunity to learn? Do you hear positive self-talk like “OK, I’m not there yet, I still need to learn more about that?” A few years back I heard Cameron say “silly me” to himself when the tower he was building fell down. I talked to him about this and suggested that saying “silly me” isn’t being kind to yourself and that it’s better to say something like “never mind, try again.” That seemed a lot more positive and enabling. I also wondered where he got “silly me” from. We are so fortunate that Cameron’s grandmother, Baba, takes care of Cameron a few days a week. A couple of days later my mother recounted a story from the day she’d spent with Cameron. She said “do you know what Cameron said to me today? Don’t say ‘silly me Baba, that’s not being kind to yourself’.” She chuckled at his remarks, as did I because I now realised where it had come from. I explained to mum, that the words silly me can seem harmless enough at first glance, however, when you think about it more we don’t want Cameron to say silly me to himself as a young child, as it sets up bad habits which could morph into “I’m stupid” or “I’m such an idiot” as he grows up. Take a moment to reflect upon what you role model for your child. Does your child see that you’re OK with mistakes or do they hear your negative self-talk. Now think about how your child experiences mistakes – is it in an encouraging or self-depreciating way? Take the time to talk about the advantages of seeing mistakes as feedback and an opportunity to learn with your child. This simple activity will support your child to develop key life skills and personal attributes like: 1. develop a positive attitude to making mistakes 2. view mistakes simply as feedback which is a key part of learning 3. be aware of the harmful effects of negative self-talk and the benefits of positive self-talk. Do you want to know more about developing your child’s Education Skills and how the Inspired Children Life Skills Home Activity Book can benefit them. There are twelve important life skills you can help your child to develop with the Inspired Children Education, Careers and Money eBook : A love of learning; planning and completing homework; a positive attitude towards making mistakes; understanding the value of money and household spending; learning about saving money; active learning versus passive learning; understanding why learning is important; the many different roles in life; exploring possible future life directions; investigating the health and medical professions; benefits of active listening for learning; understanding the concept of ‘value-for-money’. Each activity only takes around 15 minutes to complete and you can complete them at your own pace at a time that suits you and your family’s lifestyle... Most importantly, imagine how good you’ll feel about the huge difference you’re making as a parent to your child’s education, career and their financial literacy.

Every parent wants their children to grow up healthy and happy. Good health and order in life provide a strong foundation for wellbeing and a successful life. Getting more vegetables into your child’s diet helps them to grow healthy bodies and health brains. This will give them more energy to exercise and to learn. We all know the saying, “healthy body, healthy mind”, but unfortunately, statistics show an increasing number of children have ill health with rising numbers of children experiencing both physical and psychological disorders like obesity, diabetes, anxiety and depression. These all stem from poor diets. So how can you get your children to eat more healthy vegetables? First, kids need home cooking - there are very few vegetables in fast foods... you’ll be lucky if you get a piece of lettuce and slice of tomato in a burger or taco. So the key is to have your kids eat most of their meals at home and to get them involved in all stages of food preparation. Start with planning meals together and invite your children to tell you the vegetables they like, go out shopping together and invite the kids to pick one new vegetable a week or fortnight. Most importantly, allow them to help with food preparation. In the kitchen you can share recipes, hear about their day and take time to be together while you make the family meal. It is good for the body and for the heart. Our son is only 6 years old but he loves to help in the kitchen. While I am cutting the vegetables for dinner he likes to make a salad for the family and I prepare him a special plate to enjoy while he waits for dinner. Now you see it Now you don’t If you need some help in supporting your children to learn more about healthy eating, exercising, helping around the home and even making healthy snacks, please check out the Inspired Children Health and Wellbeing Life Skills Home Activity eBook.  The book has 12 easy-to-follow activities that only take 15 minutes to complete and are designed to help your children learn about the importance of exercise and good nutrition as well as personal and home cleanliness, providing a sound foundation for a happy and healthy life. Find out more about developing your child’s Health and Wellbeing and how the Health and Wellbeing Life Skills Home Activity eBook can benefit the whole family.