Child | Parent Spy

Playing Games Online Can be Fun for Everyone

There are many different online games that you can enjoy. Some of them are just for adults, and others are designed for everyone to enjoy. There are a few that adults can play but that are really geared for kids, like games that revolve around specific cartoon characters or shows. No matter what you like to play, though, you want to be sure that you’ve talked to your children about using computers safely. If you don’t address that with them, they can end up on sites where they really don’t belong. You don’t want that to happen. It could turn a fun day of playing games into a real nightmare of hackers, spam, viruses, or worse.

You also want to make sure that they aren’t getting involved with games that are just for you and other adults, like online casino games. If they find those kinds of things they could be doing something illegal – and they could also end up costing you money by betting and losing. That’s not a good thing, and they shouldn’t be exposed to things like gambling until they’re legally old enough to do it themselves. There are privacy settings on your computer, and many browsers have them, as well. Be sure you use them, so you aren’t compromising your safety or your children’s safety online.

In addition, be sure to spend some time playing their games with them, whether it’s World of Warcraft or Dora the Explorer – or anything in between. The age of your children will have a lot to do with what kinds of games they want to play and what they’re allowed to play. Giving them as much freedom as is safe can really help them learn to explore their world and make wise choices. Those kinds of skills will stay with them throughout life.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: Browser Based, Characters, Child, Dora the Explorer, Games, Online game, Video Games, World of Warcraft

The Internet and All Day Bullying

The Internet has made it easier for children to be bullied twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. In the past, kids bullied at school could find a save haven at home after 3:00 p.m. when the school day let out. Now, due to instant messaging and social networking sites, bullies can invade your home via your child’s computer. Make sure that you are monitoring your child online and be aware of what is going on in your home.

Talk to Your Children

Talk to your kids about online bullying. Make sure that they know to come to you if another child is saying mean things to them online. Kids may react to their online bully by typing mean things back or simply sitting back and reading the cruel incoming messages. There needs to be adult intervention in order for the bullying to stop.

Monitor Your Kids on the Computer

All parents should have full access to a child’s online passwords to instant messaging accounts and social networking pages. Know who every person on your child’s friend list is. There is no reason for kids to add every single person from school. Make sure no bullies are forcing your child to be their friend on a social networking website. Teach your child how to use privacy settings and blocking features to keep contact with non-approved people to a minimum. It is also important to keep personal information private so that bullies can’t find out anything personal about your child that they could use to make fun of them at school.

Limit Internet Access

Many young people feel the need to be online for several hours a day. Limiting the time your child can spend on the internet will reduce their availability for bullies to contact them. Do not allow your child to have a computer in their bedroom were they can sneak on while you are away. Keep the computer in an open family room, kitchen or playroom.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: bully, Child

Cell Phones and Kids

Many kids have ipods, cell phones, and more. In many families, these items add extra expenses to an already tight budget.

When does your child really need to have a cell phone?

The answer to this question is going to be different for every family, but if money is an issue, needing a phone, not just wanting one, is when a parent will find a way to get their child a phone. Many factors will help determine when you child actual might need to have a cell phone.

Do they talk on the phone often? Do you need to get them their own phone so you can use your phone?

Are they away from a phone or out of contact regularly? Such as playing sports, traveling with a school team or club, out with friends or dating.

Do they need to call you for rides, etc. and have to borrow or find a phone every time?

Do they have a job or drive? If they have a job, maybe they should pay for part or all of their own phone. If they drive, having a cell phone for emergencies can be a good idea, especially if they drive alone or at night.

Are they responsible enough to use it properly and no lose it?

As the price of phones becomes more and more affordable, the age of children carrying them seems to get lower. The newer, more affordable pre-paid phones offer an option for a trial period, if you are trying to decide if your child is ready to be responsible for a phone. Though, they often cost more per minute, the phones can cost as little as $10.00 and require no contract. This is a good way to start out with little investment and obligation. Since our son washed his cell phone 3 times the first month, we were glad we chose this option first.

Filed Under: Financial Advice, Technology Tagged With: Child, Mobile phone

How to Unobtrusively Monitor Your Child

There are countless ways a child can get into trouble, no matter how old or young they are. It’s a parent’s duty to not only teach children right from wrong and raise them to be the best adults they can be, but it is also a parent’s job to keep their children safe.

As children get older, they feel they can be more independent, they want to be trusted, and they want some privacy. But, at the same time, a parent wants to make sure their child is making good choices. When a parent learns how to unobtrusively monitor their child, they can be assured that the child is safe, without embarrassing the child, or taking aay their feeling of independence.

One of the easiest places for a child to get into trouble is online. There is a false sense of security online, because there is no way to tell if people on the other side of the chat window are really who they say they are. Parents can install monitoring software on the computer and regularly check the history on the internet browser to see what types of sites the child is visiting.

The parent should have the names and phone numbers of all their children’s friends. This way, if the child is going to a friend’s house, the parent can call to make sure the other parent is on-board with the visit. The child doesn’t even have to know about the parent to parent phone call, but you will be assured that your child is safe and that there is another adult around.

Communication is key. If you keep the communication lines open with your children, they will be more apt to tell you the truth and keep you updated with what is going on in your life. Then, you won’t have to sneak around to see what they are doing.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Parent, Web browser

Keep Kids Safe on the Internet

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Computers are a part of everyday life, and the use of computers will continue to grow in intensity. Just think, less than 20 years ago email wasn’t even heard of. There was no such thing as YouTube or file sharing software like ares p2p and aresgalaxy. The internet was something only the military and government used. Computer and internet usage started to rapidly grow and now even tiny little cell phones can access the internet.

With the popularity of the internet and the invention of children’s games and websites, the number of online child predators and other people with malicious intent has also increased. Children are susceptible to these nasty people because they are naive and often do not understand the importance of keeping personal information, well, personal.

The first thing that a parent of a child using the internet should do is discuss what can and can not be said to friends online. Create a list rules that can be placed next to the computer so the child can clearly see what is and is not acceptable internet behavior. These rules should include computer time limits, acceptable websites, and reminders not to provide their real names, addresses, phone number during online interactions.

Another important way to keep kids safe on the internet is to place the family’s computer in a high traffic area of the home. This could be in the kitchen, family room, or living room. The computer desk should be positioned so the screen is easy to see, allowing parents to easily monitor the child’s online activity. And, the parent should do just so.

Next, install parenting controls on the computer, which can limit the accessibility of websites that are not geared towards kids. These programs come with various tools so parents can see exactly which websites their children are using. There are many free monitoring tools available online.

If your child is using social networking sites, than be their friend. This will make it easier for you to see what they are doing on the social site.

Filed Under: Parenting, Technology Tagged With: Child, Internet access, Parent, Website

Creating a Child’s Chore Chart

Teaching children responsibility should start at an early age, as it is a very important lesson to be learned. Even children as young as two or three can have little jobs around the house, such as helping mommy fold clothes, putting spoons away, and helping to clean up their toys. Creating a child’s chore chart is not only a great way to remind kids of their chores, but it provides a sense of accomplishment when the child sees all that he has done. It also instills a sense of pride in children when they can easily see what they did to help out the family.

A chore chart for a younger child should be simple and placed in a prominent place in the home, and hung at the child’s height. A simple grid with the chores listed down the side and the days of the week along the top works great. Place a sticker in each box for every chore that is completed. At the end of the week, provide the child with a reward if all chores have been done. Rewards can include money, special snacks, staying up later than usually, helping mom to bake, watching movies with vlc media player or playing a game of their choice.

Older children should be given more responsibilities, such as sweeping, dusting, and putting dishes away. A chore chart for an older child can be a little more sophisticated to keep their interests. There are many magnetic charts that are fun for an older kid to use. Cute pictures and fun colors will capture the child’s interest more than a simple sticker chart. When all your child’s chores have been completed for the week, provide an age appropriate reward such as more money, a package of trading cards, or the ability to spend extra time playing their favorite video game.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Chore chart, Housekeeping, Parent

New iPhone App to Keep Track of Kid’s Chores

Parents have passed out household chores to children for centuries. First, it was necessary for a child to help the parents keep up with household and farm duties in order to survive. Nowadays, children do chores for a slightly different reason. When a child has chores to do around the house, they are helping their parents get all the necessary housework done quicker so that there is more time for play. Having children do chores also teaches them how to keep house when they are older, and instills a sense of responsibility, pride and accomplishment in children of all ages.

With the wonderful world of Smartphones, millions of apps have been created to make life easier. People love toys that make their lives easier, especially busy parents. So why not create a cool app that helps parents keep track of their kid’s chores and assistance with allocating allowances? Well, it has been done!

Penny Johnson, mom of 2, created the”hore Piggy”, which is an app for the iPhone. This app provides parents with the means to keep track of each child’s chores individually, what has been completed and what has not, on a daily basis. It also keeps track of how much allowance has been earned.

The parent can create a Chore Piggy list for each child, and add specific chores for each child. Then, simply mark off each day that the chore was completed. At the end of the week, the app will count up the completed chores and calculate each child’s allowance, based on criteria that the parent input into the program.

This fantastic little app just may be what you need to get your kids motivated to help out around the house and earn some money. The app costs $1.99 and sold 13 copies in its first week! Chore Piggy can be purchased from the Apple iTunes app store onlin

Filed Under: Parenting, Technology Tagged With: Child, Housekeeping, iPhone, Parent

Reap The Benefits Of Having A Child That Does Chores

There are so many positive benefits to providing children with a list of chores to complete on a regular basis, at just about every age. Giving children chores is a great way to build self-esteem and a feeling of competence. Having children complete chores on a regular basis establishes helpful habits and a positive work attitude. More benefits to having children do household chores is that it teaches life lessons and gives children the ability to learn that jobs must be done to successfully run a household, even jobs that might not be fun to do. Children that understand housekeeping chores are a normal and necessary part of life will transition much better into adulthood with skills to keep a tidy and functioning home.

First, take the time to properly show the child how to complete each chore. First, you demonstrate it as the child watches. Then, let the child help you. Next, let the child do it with your assistance. Finally, let the child try it on their own. It may take a few sessions of training and observing to make sure the task is done correctly. Having patience during this learning time will go a long way. Some kids will take a little longer than others to learn how to properly do their chores. Age is also a consideration as an older child will be able to pick up a new chore a lot easier than a younger child.

Each child should have their own list of chores or a chore chart that they can easily look at and know what needs to be done each day. They can also see their accomplishment as each chore is marked off as completed. There should be some sort of reward at the end of the week that is based on how well the child did at completing her chores. This could be in the form of an allowance or some sort of special treat.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: Child, Chore chart, Housekeeping

Reward Ideas for Kids That Do Chores

Children that help out with household chores are receiving important life lessons and will understand that the need to complete chores may not be fun, but is a necessary part of life. They will better transition into adulthood and will be able to take care of a household on their own. These children will also gain high self esteem, pride, and a feeling of accomplishment. A child that has done chores understands about the relationship of hard work and earning rewards.

When children do chores, they should be rewarded daily or weekly; weekly is ideal. Do not wait until the end of the month, as that is too long of a wait for a child and they will end up seeing their chores as a negative thing instead of a positive thing. Consider the child’s personality and age when deciding on the reward. Providing a child with a weekly allowance is the most popular form of reward system for completing chores. Younger kids may not understand the concept of money and may do better with a special treat or the ability to stay up a little later on a weekend night to watch a movie with their xvid codec media player.

Other forms of rewards for doing all their chores can be in the form of a special activity with mom and dad, having a family game night where the child can pick the game that is played, cooking with mom or dad, going to see a new movie, or anything else that you can think of that your kid would really enjoy doing or receiving.

It’s also a great idea to make one day a month a special chore day by hiding little treats or small coins for the child to find as her chores are completed. She can keep all the treasures she found that day if all chores were completed satisfactorily. You can also provide an extra special reward if the child completed all his chores for the entire month.

Filed Under: Parenting, Protection Tagged With: Child, Housekeeping, Parent

Various Ways to Keep Track of Children’s Chores

We’ve been discussing the value of having children be responsible for chores and receiving rewards at the end of the week. The trickiest part is how to keep track of the chores that your children complete. There are several methods to track chores, from free charts you can make yourself, to online software you can download and share with other parents via Ares Galaxy from the open source website Ares, and even expensive gadgets.

Chore Charts

These can be made with any size paper, from a big piece of poster board to a sheet of printer paper. Create a grid with the days of the week along the top and the child’s chores down the side. The resulting squares can hold check marks or stickers as each chore is completed each day. Get the kids involved and decorate their chore charts with their favorite colors, stickers, markers and anything else you can imagine. You can also find magnetic or Velcro versions of chore charts online and in retail stores.

Online charts

For the less crafty and more technical people, there are many online chore chart and responsibility charts available online. Some are free, some are not. Simply type in the information into the software and print out your chart for the week. At the end of the week, simply pass out the reward and print out a fresh chart the for the next week.

Check lists

A simple checklist is sometimes all that is needed to remind a child of their daily responsibilities. Post the checklist in a prominent part of your home, like next to the front door so that the child can easily see where he is at in his daily list of chores. Simply cross off each task as it’s completed.

Pegs and tags
Those with more creative juices can use a peg board that is made for handing keys and hang tags off of each peg with a chore on it. The child can complete a chore and then turn the tag backwards to indicate it is complete.

Filed Under: Parenting, Protection Tagged With: Child, Chore chart, Housekeeping