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In this video, parenting expert Dr Rosina McAlpine's talks about how to turn the constant No's we get from our children into a YES. She discusses how we should take an audit of how many times we say No to our children during the day and how this is reflected back at us. Obviously we can't say yes to everything but Dr Rosina shows how we can give a No in a way that will change the way you and your kids interact with each other. This video was extracted from one of her recent parenting seminars. Learn more about Dr Rosina and her online parenting program and how it can support you in your parenting efforts managing those difficult and day-to-day situations without resorting to rewarding or punishing your children.

In this short video, parenting Expert Dr Rosina shares her heart-felt personal story about her own low self esteem as a girl and her research into how to support healthy self esteem and self confidence in children. Rosina discusses: What is self esteem (internal validation versus external praise) Do we really want to raise ‘confident’ children even if they are ‘overconfident’? Why we want our children to have low self confidence if they are new at a task and high self confidence when they have mastered a task?

Time-out has become a popular approach to parenting, choosing it as a ‘better’ alternative to smacking. However there is evidence that this parenting tool is more complex than many parents think and some experts even consider that time-out can be a harmful practice. Dr Rosina, entertaining and educational parenting expert and Dr Robyn Mills, psychologist and inspirational speaker, explore the in’s and out’s of time-out. In this interview you’ll learn: What time-out is and how it’s supposed to work. The controversial history of the development of time-out as an approach Why the experts who claim time-out is an effective method for parents caution implementing time-out as it is a complex procedure and requires training. The ‘eight’ factors time out experts recommend parents consider when implementing time-out. The practical challenges of getting children into time-out and keeping them there. What the anti-time out researchers say about the potential harms of this approach to parenting. Most importantly you’ll learn about positive parenting strategies like ‘time-in’ to help you raise happy, well-balanced and capable children. For help raising well-rounded and capable kids from toddlers to teens, get great tips, resources and support using Dr Rosina’s practical approach to parenting .

Do you find that even with the best intentions to stay calm with your children, before you know it you are annoyed or even angry and yelling at something they have done ? “HURRY UP! Get ready we’re running LATE AGAIN!” “Don’t you speak to me with that DISRESPECTFUL TONE!” “How MANY TIMES do I have to say the SAME THING? Will you EVER learn?” Join parenting expert Dr Rosina as she discusses how to STOP, take a breath and respond rather than react to your children.  Dr Rosina also talks with Dr Craig Hassad an expert on incorporating mindfulness-based strategies into everyday life. Craig published 7 books including Mindfulness for Life  and Mindful Learning .

Helping children understand the opportunities that developing effective learning strategies can bring and how learning provides the vehicle for personal and professional development are fundamental to developing a positive attitude to learning at the individual level and a skilled workforce at the national level.  Benefits of the Education, Career and Money life skills for children The benefits of the Education, Career and Money life skills for kids are that they introduce children to a range of vocations and enables younger children to understand how the world works. Further, it invites teenagers to consider possible career directions and seek knowledge about possible fields of specialisation for their future which provides children with the motivation to learn driven by their personal interests. This life skill also explores finances and money as key aspects of life and empowers children’s with an understanding of the nature and functions of money within society and in relation to their personal lives. These are all very valuable life skills for your child. Education, Career and Money life skills for children A valuable personal attribute is the motivation to learn. Associated with this is the skill or ability to learn. We all need to develop our parenting skills to inspire our children and develop our child's life skills? This Education, Career and Money e-book offers affordable, there are 12 practical and easy to follow 15 minute life skill activities that empower parents and make you feel like you are doing something that will help your child throughout their life. Developing your childs life skills around education, career and money will give them the best chance for success in their life.  How to develop the Education, Career and Money life skills for children There are a number of ways you can help in teaching children life skills around education, career and money. Parenting advice and helpful parenting tips on supporting effective learning for kids, career ideas for kids and money management for kids include: Purchase your child a ‘piggy’ bank and open a savings account with the bank to teach them about money and savings. With each deposit the savings grow. Many children complete secondary education and still don’t know the career directions they might like to pursue. By encouraging your child to talk to family members and friends about the advantages and disadvantages of working in a variety of vocations and professions so that they can develop an idea of the areas they might like to investigate further. Encourage and nurture a child’s inbuilt love of learning by inviting your child to go onto the internet and research a topic of interest to them. Then ask them to explain to you what they have learned. This will support their memory and recall. Obtain a diary and help your child learn about scheduling home work, assignments and extra curricula activities like music lessons and sports trainings. Make it a daily habit to look in the diary and complete all tasks for the day. Celebrate the achievements as your child ticks or crosses off the items they’ve completed. How does your child view mistakes and failures? Do they engage in negative self talk and quit? If so help them see mistakes and failures as opportunities to learn and grow as a person. Learn more  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood.

Importance of the Environment and Social Understanding life skills for children It’s crucial that children understand how to act ethically and are aware of the social and environmental consequences of their own and other’s actions if they are to make a positive difference in the world. Benefits of the Environment and Social Understanding life skills for children By teaching children the many facets of ‘sustainability’ they will be able to see themselves as not just part of a family but a member of a community and a global citizen. The benefits of the Social and Environmental life skills for kids are achieved by completing activities that help your child develop a social conscience by becoming aware of the many inequities in society like homelessness, different social classes, and racism among many other areas. It will also increase your child’s respect and gratitude for what they have in their own lives. These are all very valuable life skills for your child. Environmental and Social Understanding life skills for children We now know that to sustain our planet for future generations we need to start taking care of our environment and people. Social and Environmental life skills for kids explores those topics! All parents want the best for their children and this Environment and Social Understanding e-book can make a life time of difference to you and your child developing life skills around Environmental and Social understanding. In this e-book there are 12 practical easy to follow activities that can be undertaken in just 15 minutes at a time, you will receive support in teaching children and developing your parenting skills step by step. The easy to follow activities are fun, inspiring for children and parents with good parenting advice to support the development of your kids life skills.  This is an example of some of the life skills your child can learn: How to develop the Environment and Social Understanding life skills for children You can help your child become a responsible global citizen by being a role model and working together. Activities, parenting advice and support for parents on developing social and environmental understand for kids include: Going for a walk down the street with a large bag and a pair of gloves with the intention of picking up litter in your local area. Ask your child to tell you all of the things they usually do in each room of their home. For example in the kitchen they can take food from the fridge, cook and enjoy delicious meals. In the bedroom they can sleep, store their belongings and clothes and have a quiet space to relax. Then ask your child to imagine what it is like for a homeless person. Ask them how and where they might cook or store their clothes or sleep. This activity promotes empathy for others and gratitude. Ask your child to solve ethical dilemmas like. “If your best friend asks to copy your homework or test paper as they had to take care of their sick mother and couldn’t study, would you let them?”We are teaching our son the difference between rubbish that goes in the ‘blue’ bin which is the recycling bin and what goes in the ‘silver’ bin which is waste that goes into landfill. He’s pretty good at it now and gets it right most of the time. As he gets older, when he can understand more, we will also explain why he has been doing this and how recycling and waste impact our planet. It’s a step by step process - he will gain these life skills as they become age appropriate.  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood - Win Win Parenting

Importance of the Health and Well-being life skills for children A child can function more efficiently and effectively in a clean and tidy environment. Further, a child’s diet and exercise play crucial roles in their physical and mental well being. These are very valuable life skills for your child. Benefits of the Health and Wellbeing life skills for kids The benefits of the Health and Well-being life skills for kids are that they increase a child's knowledge of nutrition and exercise and reduce the likelihood of childhood obesity and ill health. Health and Wellbeing life skills for children Are you interested in inspiring children and teaching your kids life skills? Then Inspired Children can help. The Health and Wellbeing e-book provides support for parents by assisting them in teaching your children a little at a time. The e-book contains 12 practical activities that are easy to follow and can be done in 15 minutes. These easy to follow parenting tips will empower you to support your child's life skills development and to inspire your  children. You and your child will learn life skills in relation to health and wellbeing which covers areas like personal and school/home cleanliness as well as exercise and nutrition.  How to develop the Health and Well-being life skill Parenting advice and helpful parenting tips for activities that can support health and well being for kids include:  Learning about the five food groups. When you prepare a meal you can explain to your child why you chose to include a variety food groups to help your child receive optimal nutrition for a balanced diet. Explain which foods are proteins, carbohydrates, grains and vegetables etc.  Inviting your child to help with the household chores like the dishes not only shows them how to clean up but helps them take responsibility and work together as a valuable member of the family Teaching your child how to make a healthy snack after school and to avoid snacking on high sugar and high fat foods Go for a walk with your children on a regular basis to ensure they get their 30 minutes of exercise every day! My husband my mum and I often go for a walk in our neighbourhood or go to the park to allow our son to experience time in nature and to run, run, run!  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood - Win Win Parenting

Benefits of the Communication and Relationships social skills for children The benefits of the Communication and Relationships social skills e-book are that effective communication and social skills enable children to develop strong relationships with family, colleagues and friends and work in a productive, harmonious and enjoyable way. Learning how to cooperate and work in a group as well as understanding when to lead and when to follow are valuable skills. Other social skills for children to learn include understanding how to avoid unnecessary conflict and how to be a good communicator.  Building relationships is essential for creating a happy and productive life. This e-book contains 12 easy to follow activities that can be done in 15 minutes that you can undertake with your child to develop these social skills.  Importance of developing these social skills for children People are social beings, so being able to communicate with others is a valuable skill for building personal and professional relationships. It is so heartbreaking for a parent to hear the words “I’ve got no friends, nobody wants to play with me”.  Teaching children social skills allows them to know what it means to be a good friend and to develop communication skills which will help them make and keep the right kind of friends. These social skills for children are extremely valuable life skills for your child. Understanding the complexity of social relationships requires more than just trial and error and a simple understanding of the use of ‘manners’ and ‘protocol’. Your child's social development and communication  skills need to be developed over time, and can become more complex as is age appropriate, through a comprehensive program of instruction, interaction, experience, reflection and practice. How to develop the Communication and Relationships social skills for children The Communication and Relationships e-book provides parenting advice and helpful tips you can try to support your child’s social development around communication and relationship building include: Help your child understand that communication is about an exchange and so there are times when they can speak and time when they need to listen. Relationships are complex and often people don’t actually say what they mean and their words don’t match their true feelings or thoughts. It’s helpful to explain the complex nature of relationships and to invite your child to practice using more than their ears when they communicate with others. For example, invite them to observe a person’s body language and to learn to trust their instinct when they feel a person is not being truthful with them. Can your children make friends easily? Do your children have the ‘right kind’ of friends or do they have friends that pressure them into doing things they know they shouldn’t. Help them identify the qualities they are looking for in a friend so they are more likely to attract and nurture supportive friendships. Feeling anger is a normal and natural part of life. Things can go wrong and people can get angry! However, some people take their anger out on others and this can destroy relationships. You can help your children manage and express their anger in a way that does not hurt others. For example, you can model or encourage your children to walk away from a situation when they feel angry and take time out to look at the situation calmly. Once they have some perspective they can discuss what has upset them with more clarity and less emotion. Our son is only 4, but like many young children when he gets angry he can hit out. When I see this I begin by acknowledging his anger rather than ignoring or reprimanding him. I might say in quite a firm voice “You are angry, angry, angry.” And then I pause to allow him to see I acknowledge how he feels. Then I might say “use your words, tell mummy why you are angry but don’t hit. Use your words mummy is listening, just use your words!” Learn more  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood - Win Win Parenting

Good health is a great foundation upon which to build a great life. The press is filled with scary news about how our children are obese and unhealthy. So as a parent what can you do to help your kids learn about how to be healthy? One important part of child development is instilling knowledge and good habits around eating and exercise. What kids learn about health when they are young will help them throughout their whole life. Eating well is a key part of good health. If you think back to what you regularly ate as a child you’ll probably find that’s pretty much what you’re eating today. At a presentation I gave on teaching kids health one mother said “my husband still takes peanut butter and honey sandwiches to work every day…he was a fussy eater and that’s what he ate as a child”. If what your child eats as a child plays a big part in what he or she will eat as an adult, it is so important to take a good look at what you’re mainly feeding your children right now. Are they basically eating a balanced diet with items from each of the five food groups or do they mainly eat processed, fatty and sugary foods? Do you talk to your children about nutrition explaining what’s good for the body like fresh fruits and vegetables and what’s not so good like sweets, processed biscuits and cakes? This can be a great support! To be healthy kids also need to exercise. Being fit improves both their physical as well as their mental health and of course, it’s FUN too! Parents can encourage their children to be active by helping them understand the benefits of fitness but most importantly parents need to create the opportunities for their kids to exercise. Team sports are a great way to do this. I recently read a great blog written by Agata Mrva-Montoya, at Sydney publishing that “the development of local sports clubs and junior teams is vital to the future of team sport, and it is beneficial to the wellbeing of young players, far beyond the obvious issues of health and fitness. Long-term participation in sport and club membership enables children to learn the ideas of fair play and teamwork. They also develop self-motivation and a sense of belonging to a community. At the same time, they can have fun and meet new friends, which according to Richard Light, the author of Sport in the lives of young Australians, are the most important reasons for joining a sporting club and ongoing participation”. So what can you do to support positive behavior development around health and well being for your kids? Eat a ‘mainly’ healthy diet at home (but sweets and treats are great sometimes), share nutrition tips when he opportunities arise, encourage outdoor exercise activities and maybe even get your kids involved in a team sport…the many benefits make it worth the time!  Learn more  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood - Win Win Parenting

Importance of the Inspired Creativity life skills for kids If a child is experiencing a difficulty in their life, having the skills to clearly identify and articulate the difficulty, feel empowered to set goals and the take actions to overcome the difficulty allows the child to turn a negative situation into a positive one. This is very empowering and encourages children to be resourceful, develop their imaginative skills, discover what inspires them and achieve their goals. Creating opportunities for children to nurture their creativity is beneficial for both work and play. Benefits of the Inspired Creativity life skills for kids The benefits of the Inspired Creativity life skills for kids includes being able to set goals and achieve them which provides a strong foundation for life success. It supports children to do well at school which can springboard them to a successful career and serve them well in their personal lives too. In today’s fast changing environment being creative and thinking outside the box is a highly sought after and valuable skill!  Key areas to consider are:  goal setting for kids  planning for children time management for children  using a diary for kids using a calendar for kids  motivating kids  recognising, counting and rewarding achievement for kids Inspired Creativity life skills for children  This Inspired Creativity e-book helps parents develop good parenting skills by offering parenting advice and support for parents with activities in teaching children to develop life skills around Inspired Creativity.  These 12 easy to follow, practical 15 minute activities are all about inspiring children, good parenting advice and kids life skills development. This e-book will assist you and your child learn about essential life skills for your child such as the ability to identify goals and to know how to achieve them effectively and creatively. These fundamental life skills support children to achieve success in their lives. How to develop the Inspired Creativity life skills for kids Parenting advice and helpful parenting tips to help your child develop life skills in the area of inspired creativity include: Help your child develop their skills setting goals they would like to achieve. Help them define the outcome clearly so that they will know when they have achieved the goal. Encourage them to select a goal that will take a number of steps and some time to achieve. Turn the goal into a series of action steps that can be taken to achieve the goal and estimate the time each step will take. Then diarise times to work on the steps. Then it is time to act on all scheduled tasks and take action. Help your child complete the tasks that will help them achieve their goal and monitoring progress to see if more time is needed and to ensure the goal is achieved. Recognise and celebrate that each step completed is a step closer to the end goal. Encourage your child to use their creativity and inspiration at every step in the process. Work on activities that help your child look for solutions that are ‘out of the box’. This is how new inventions and fortunes are made! Learn more  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood - Win Win Parenting

Importance of the Personal Power life skill for children High self esteem and self confidence allow children to feel good about who they are and believe in themselves.  These children are more likely to try new things and pick themselves up and bounce back after a difficult experience. These are very valuable personal attributes and life skills for your child. Benefits of the Personal Power life skill for children The benefits of teaching children the personal power life skills for kids are that kids who accept themselves are less likely to succumb to peer pressure or have the need to be like others and are more likely to discover what they can contribute. Children who don’t feel good about themselves are more likely to succumb to peer pressure, be bullied, behave defensively and be insecure which often results in all kinds of negative behaviour, especially in difficult circumstances.  Our son is only four, and so it’s very important for me to help him feel good about himself and to help him develop his personal power so he can continue to explore the world, learn from his experiences and grow. Exploration and being open to new experiences is likely to be easier for a child who has a good sense of themselves and feels safe and secure. Children who do not feel sure of themselves or feel unsafe are more likely to shy away from new experiences. Personal Power - teaching children life skills Personal power is about self esteem and resilience and relates to how children ‘feel’ about themselves and what they ‘believe’ about themselves.  The Inspired Children Personal Power e-book offers advice and support for parents by developing your parenting skills a little at a time. The e-book contains 12 activitities that offer practical, easy to follow 15 minute activities and parenting tips which will help parents to inspire children and support your kids life skills development. Here’s a taste of what you and your child can learn about self esteem and personal power: Helping Parents develop the Personal Power life skill in their children There are many ways to support self esteem for kids. Advice for parents and helpful parenting tips include: Spending time and interacting in a caring way with your child tells them that you believe they are important and loved. They can then internalise your beliefs and behaviours. That is, if you believe they are important and lovable they must be important and lovable - because parents are always right. Right? The opposite also holds true. Children can interpret an absent parent as meaning that they are not a priority or an important part of their parent’s life and this can be internalised and can lead to poor self esteem. Understanding and explaining the difference between self esteem and self confidence to your child is important for supporting self esteem. Self confidence is about doing. The more a child practices something the more confident they can become at a task. It is beneficial to help your child see that self esteem is NOT about doing but about ‘being’. Every person is a unique and valuable being in their own right. They deserve respect and love regardless of what they have done in their life or what they look like. Helping a child to see they are loved and valuable just because they are and for no other reason is a huge support for their self esteem. Tying a child’s self worth to what they do in life can harm their self esteem. Children can come to believe that they are only valuable or deserve love if they achieve something.  Children look to their parents to learn about how to act in the world. A parent who has good self esteem provides a wonderful role model for their child to follow. By the same token a parent who regularly puts themselves or their child down with language like “you’re so hurtful/stupid/bad/naughty” etc can harm their child’s self esteem. Furthermore the child may believe these words for life. With my son I focus on talking about his bad behaviour rather than calling him names. For example I might say “it hurts when you bite or hit someone else. It’s not OK to bite or hit. You need to use your words if you are upset with your friends. NO biting.” In this way he knows his behaviour is hurtful but I have not told him HE is a hurtful or bad child. This is an important difference.  Learn more  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood - Win Win Parenting

Importance of the Relaxation and Play life skills for kids Do you and your children regularly take time out to relax and play together? This is very important in today’s society as most parents are rushing, overworked and lack a good work-life balance. This is also true for our children who are busy with school, homework, sporting activities, after-school tutoring and social networking and the list goes on. Being able to relax and to play reduces anxiety, illness and increases the joy in life. These activities are focused on helping your child understand the importance of both relaxation and play. Both will help your child achieve a greater sense of wellbeing and life-balance. Your child will learn how to identify when they are overworked, or tired and need to rest. Relaxation techniques are provided. You can make this a weekly activity for both you and your child, and in this way you will both benefit and you will be modelling a good work-life balance.  Developing good work-life balance should begin as young as possible. Maggie Dent’s Chapter “Helping Children Manage Stress”, in the book  Inspired Children : how the leading minds of today raise their kids, explains that many adults can’t manage their stress because they didn’t learn how to deal with stress and distress as children. So it’s very important to learn this skill as a child. Helping children to develop the ability to relax and play will help them to first, identify when they are overworked, tired or simply need to rest and then second to actually take time out relax and play. Benefits of the Relaxation and Play life skills for kids Research shows that most diseases stem from stress. So one of the many benefits of teaching children how to relax and play is that it will support them to live a healthy life. Another benefit of the Relaxation and Play life skill activities is that they can reduce anxiety. A recent study reviewed 10 years of research on the impact of relaxation training on anxiety and concluded that anxiety could be reduced through a variety of relaxation techniques. There are a variety of relaxation activities you could teach your child in this Home Activity Work Book. Finally, by completing the activities children will experience first-hand the many benefits of relaxation and play and develop their understanding of how important taking time out and having fun are to enjoy a positive and happy life. Relaxation and play life skills for children This Relaxation and Play e-book for parents allows empowers them to develop good parenting skills and at the same time inspire children and develop their kids life skills - these 12 easy to follow activities can be undertaken in 15 minutes at a time. Even in this busy life every parent can find 15 minutes one or twice a week to read parenting tips to be able to support and inspire their child for life. Relaxation and play is very important in today’s society as most parents are rushing, overworked and lack work/life balance. This is true for our children as well who are busy with school, homework, sporting activities, after school, tutoring or care, social networking and the list goes on. Completing the 12 activities in this e-book will help your child understand the importance of taking time out to relax and play.  How to develop the Relaxation and Play life skills for kids Here are some tips to help your child relax and play: Give your child a shoulder massage and then receive a massage from your child. Touch is such a great way to relax and to bond. A loving touch can say so much. Plan a day to have a relaxing picnic in the park.  Bring some healthy food, fun games and enjoy the sunshine! Put on some quiet music and lie on the floor with your child. Close your eyes and allow the music to help you both unwind. Have a game of cards or play a board game as a family. Invite your child’s friends over to play. Take some time out to stretch with your child. Stretching muscles is good for releasing tension and inducing relaxation. Learn more  about how teaching children life skills can take the pain out of parenthood - Win Win Parenting