parenting

Getting the Kids to Listen

     First of all, maintain eye contact, looking at your child when you talk to him, Tina says. Talking over his shoulder while he watches TV or calling to him from another room is not conducive to communicating effectively. Turn off the TV for a minute and kneel down to your child’s level so that you’re facing each other, Tina advises, and then go ahead and talk to him.      Be realistic in what you’re asking him to do. Sometimes I see parents who ask their children to do age-inappropriate things that they’re just not yet capable of, and it …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Book, Education, family, Family Time, Helpful Tips, moms
Leave a comment

Packing the Kids a Healthy Lunch

     What exactly should you look for in a healthy, well-balanced lunch? You should make sure to include whole grains, fruits and vegetables, calcium, and lean protein. The USDA has daily recommendations for children for each of these food groups, and you should aim to provide as much as possible in each category when preparing your child’s lunch.      Collect recipes just as you would for dinners which can deliver to your child the nutrition he needs in a variety of creative ways. You can make lunch for the whole family in large servings—for Mom, Dad, and all the kids. …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Health, Cook Book, Cooking, Education, family, gluten-free, healthy eating, Helpful Tips, moms, Research
Leave a comment

Homework Help Advice to Parents

     First of all, consistency is key. Except for when extracurricular activities interfere, your child should aim to do his homework at the same time every day as part of his daily afterschool routine. You can test to see when the best time is for homework. Make sure your child has eaten a healthy, high-protein snack before he begins his homework, and studies have shown that many children perform work better after physical exercise, which can increase a child’s concentration.      Another part of the routine is where your child will study. It’s important to create a regular study space. …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Book, Education, family, Family Time, Helpful Tips, moms, Research
Leave a comment

Homeschooling Your Child—Some Reasons to Consider It

It used to be that homeschooling had a certain stigma to it. When people heard the word, they pictured a child isolated at home from children his age and indoctrinated into his parents’ extremist views. However, homeschooling has steadily grown in popularity over the years, and it’s widely acknowledged now that homeschooling provides many benefits.      First, it helps to foster a closer, more loving relationship between you and your child. Related to this is the homeschooling benefit of having the opportunity to teach your child the values that are important to you and your family. When you homeschool your …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Book, Education, family, Helpful Tips, literacy, moms
Leave a comment

Literacy Statistics Need To Be Confronted by Parents

     First, the most important thing you can do to ensure the literacy of your own child is being involved.  Research on the effects of parental involvement shows a consistent, positive relationship between parents’ participation in their children’s education and their children’s academic performance.      Reading to children and also homeschooling are a couple of ways for parents to increase their involvement and improve their children’s ability to read. Reading to children should be done as early as six months of age, as soon as babies develop an interest in the pictures and illustrations in books. Keep in mind that …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Book, Childrens' Literature, Education, family, humanitarian, Library Visits, literacy, Research, writing
Leave a comment

Speaking Out about Parental Involvement

     Parents often ask me how to make their own family more like Jimmy’s in Danny Meets Jimmy. One answer is being actively involved in their children’s education and lives. Research on the effects of parental involvement shows a consistent, positive relationship between parents’ participation in their children’s education and their children’s academic performance. Studies show also that parental involvement is associated with lower dropout and truancy rates. There is no question anymore that parental involvement positively impacts the education of children.      Parents often ask my how they can increase their involvement. If their children attend school outside the …

Advice, Children's Author, Children's Book, Childrens' Literature, family, Family Time, humanitarian, moms
Leave a comment

Florida Association of Partners in Education – MEMBER

FAPE member Tina Turbin is an award-winning children’s author, writer, researcher, humanitarian and mother. Working for many years with children in the entertainment business, Tina advocates for children, families and women’s issues with research into children’s literacy, children’s allergies, celiac disease, gluten-free foods and nutrition as a way to improve the quality of lives and health for others. Her approach in garnering awareness on these important topics comes from her position as a humanitarian, and a professional, and one who lives a gluten-free lifestyle, while utilizing her educational videos, books and storybook characters to share the educational aspect with children …

Acts of Kindness, Awards, Books, Children's Book, Childrens' Literature, gluten-free, libraries
1 Comment

Is Reading to Your Young Child Really Necessary?

Research continues to support that reading benefits children of all ages in a variety of ways. According to studies, reading helps build your child’s vocabulary, helps develop his imagination, and increases his ability to communicate. In fact, there is a direct relationship between how many words an infant hears in a day and his language skills, even his IQ. That being said, reading is crucial in exposing your baby or young child to a variety of words. The images and colors in children picture books and illustrated books also stimulate the imagination. This is part of the reason why I …

Advice, Children's Book, Childrens' Literature, family, Family Time, Helpful Tips, humanitarian, moms
1 Comment

A Mother’s Role is a Valuable Asset to Our Society

Chances are, you have an idea of just how important you are as a mother in your household. For instance, what if you were to go out of town for a week? Who would get the kids ready for school, take them to soccer or ballet, help them with their homework? And could you imagine the state of the house after such a length of time? As helpful as your spouse or children may be, without having Mom around to spur them through their daily chores, how often would they do the dishes or remember to take out the trash? …

Acts of Kindness, Advice, Children's Book, family, Friends, Helpful Tips, moms, women
Leave a comment

Getting the Kids to Listen: Danny the Dragon Author Offers Some Tips

I was sent this lovely article written and published recently after a brief interview by reseacher and writer Robert Bell. I thought I’d share this with all of you It’s time for dinner and you’ve called to your children three times so far to turn off the TV and come to the table to eat.  You start using threats of coming into the living room yourself to turn off the television, to ban TV for the rest of the night, or to eat their dinners for them, but they still don’t come. Sound familiar? But aren’t kids supposed to have …

Advice, Childrens' Literature, family, Family Time, Games, Helpful Tips, Interviews, Media, Press
Leave a comment