7 Tips For Raising Perfect Kids

Raising kids is not an easy task and requires lots of love, devotion, and free time. But even if you have all of the above-mentioned in abundance, it may be hard to pinpoint what exactly you should and shouldn’t do in order to bring up a perfect kid. We’re saying ‘perfect’ but what we actually mean here is happy, healthy, and unspoiled. After all, there’s no such thing as a perfect human being. But we can at least try to raise one as best as we can. Thousands of books were written on how to raise your kids and you should definitely read a bunch of them if you’re planning on becoming (or already are) a mom, yet there are general quick tips that will help you become a better parent right now. Here are 7 tips for raising perfect kids.

1. Encourage creativity
Going to school and doing a variety of tasks is one thing, but what your child really needs is to learn how to be creative with whatever he or she does. There is no age limit on this because it’s something that should be developed throughout life. Do everything that develops your kid – go do dancing lessons or simply have fun dancing together at home, play games in the yard, buy a whole bunch of different-coloured crayons and a few kids’ music instruments to play together. Doing these activities is fun, establishes a better connection between children and parents, and is truly beneficial to the child’s development.

2. Read as much as possible
One might think that with the abundance of modern technologies reading is not something your kid needs or would like to do, but it is still one of the most important activities not only for pre-schoolers, but for grown-up kids as well. Even adults benefit from reading! So, keeping books at home is a must, as well as having some special story reading time when nothing will distract your kid from the process. Reading builds the vocabulary, promotes language development, expands imagination, and in general makes kids calmer and happier. Read to them when they’re small, read with them once they grow up a bit – all reading activities are great!

3. Try different learning styles
It’s not a secret that learning is not just about reading books and there are many aspects that have to be considered. We all have our special learning styles, and so do kids! Some like visuals more and can spend a lot of time with pictures, others work better with audio material and music. Usually, when kids are involved, it’s best to try everything and mix different styles to achieve learning goals. Watch attentively what your child is good at, and then provide the necessary help – flashcards, associative learning techniques, book reading, etc.

4. Have family dinners
You may not be the best cook in the world, but having family dinners is a must if you want your child to be emotionally stable, healthy, and have naturally high grades at school. Studies show that occasional informal chat during the dinner is a great way of building stronger bonds with children. Inquiring about their day, school, grades, friends, and problems shows children that you care and gives an opportunity to open up about something. If everyone is on a different schedule and you can’t have family dinners, then think about having family breakfasts!

5. Be strict about bedtime
Having a healthy sleep regimen is necessary not only for kids, but for adults as well. Psychologists also advice to turn off all the devices like laptops and smartphones at least half an hour prior to sleep as kids’ psyche gets easily agitated by gadgets. If your kid has his/her own smartphone, it’s best to take it away before bedtime as around 65% of kids still use it after the lights go out. And most parents have no idea about this! Children’s cognitive functions are greatly reduced when they don’t have enough sleep. This reflects on their mental state, physical health, emotions, performance at school, and overall well-being.

6. Hug a lot
And we mean a lot. Hugs, kisses, and other shows of affection are incredibly important when it comes to a child’s well-being. Studies reveal that neglected children experience more stress, loss of focus, mood swings, and a significant decline in learning capabilities. Love actually makes everything better! And nothing can compare to the hug given by a mother – its healing effect can be observed on all levels. A happy child is a healthy child, so make sure that you hug your kid as much as possible throughout the day.

7. Allow them to fail
Sometimes we forget that people learn through failure. It might be a big deal in the adult world, but you shouldn’t make it the end of the world when your kid fails at something. Making mistakes is natural, especially when trying new things and learning new material. And what’s more important, failures are unavoidable! So instead of creating additional stress for your child, help him/her learn how to cope with failures and go on without giving up. It’s important to have goals and understand that not everything can be achieved at once. You as an adult should be an example for your child so don’t stress over their mistakes too much!