Sometimes, especially with younger children, cries of boredom are really calls for companionship and attention—their friends may be away on vacation and without the structure of school they may find it difficult to keep occupied during long summer days. Prolonged intervals where the kids have nothing to do can be stressful . When bored, children often become whiny, cranky and demanding. Calendar-of-the-season-300×216

Here are a few easy tips to help au pairs and host parents combat summer boredom and help kids develop the internal resources that are important for developing creative, resource and time management skills:

Put a weekly calendar together so as not to overwhelm yourself with planning entertainment for an entire summer, just take it one week at a time—day trips, arts and craft activities, play-dates, reading time, nature hikes, picnics, bike rides, a trip to the movie theatre etc. This way kids will have something to look forward to during down time. A calendar also helps with getting kids prepared for what comes next.
Ask: “If you could do anything, what would you like to do?” Try and encourage your children to generate their own ideas for activities—they are more apt to have fun when they thought it up on their own! Reinforcing that children use their imaginations will also help them develop a sense of resourcefulness and get them in the habit of making their own choices about how they will spend their time.
Keep an “art box” handy full of supplies: scissors, fabric, felt, glue, paints and brushes, stickers, paper, markers, canvass, needle and thread, beads, yarn, picture magazines etc. Rummaging through a box of art supplies can ignite the imagination and occupy children for long periods of time. They could even begin an entrepreneurial enterprise and sell their wares at the end of the summer.
Inspire them to play with water. Water is very calming and soothing for children and they can while away many hours playing and keeping cool. Get them to wash the car, hose off the deck, or run through a sprinkler. Spend time together at the beach or pool

(Thanks to Jan Peedin, Annapolis Community Counselor, for the great posting!)

If you’re a kid in the United States, Halloween is one of the best days of the year. Kids get to dress up in all kinds of fantastic costumes and go door to door, collecting bags of candy. It’s a great day to celebrate being a child. Many kids have planned what they want to be for months.

It’s important that the adults in a child’s life are aware of safety at this time. Many families put lit candles in pumpkins outside their front doors, which can quickly ignite a costume, so be aware of fire safety all the time. Also, although it’s very rare, sometimes candy can be tampered with, so adults should check all the candy before kids get to eat any. It’s also important to be aware of weather, steering kids toward costumes that would allow a sweatshirt or gloves if needed. Be sure kids are visible to drivers with glow sticks or reflective tape strips on the costumes.

Au pairs can be involved in Halloween in many different ways, from helping to make costumes to carving pumpkins into jack-o’lanterns, to handing out candy on Halloween night or going trick-or-treating with the kids. Make sure you have your camera handy!

We are the only agency currently permitted to offer an online class to our au pairs. Sign up is going on now for the March-August session. The course focuses on understanding American culture, and as part of the course au pairs do volunteer work in their own community. If you are interested let me know and I’ll help you get registered!

If this is your first holiday season in the US, you are sure to be surprised at how we celebrate. It’s a good idea for host families and au pairs to take a minute to talk about expectations – for example, what kind of gifts an au pair might receive, or might give. Some families have price limits, others just exchange names and give to only a few people. Ask how you can help, as a member of the family, of course! You should expect to meet lots of extended family members, and your host family will probably expect you to spend at least some ‘family’ time with them.

Now that winter is actually here, it’s a really good idea for host families and au pairs to take the earliest opportunity to talk about winter driving. Many au pairs have never driven in snow before, and everyone can use a refresher. Points to talk about can include: what to do if the car starts to slide; how much earlier you need to begin braking; how to start moving forward safely; in-car emergency kit;  keeping your windshield washer fluid full; and allowing extra time to reach your destination.

You probably should also discuss proper clothing, especially for the kids – don’t forget to talk about layers when doing something like ice skating.

Finally, remind your au pair that she will become acclimated to the cold, and she won’t feel so cold all winter – it will get better!

And don’t forget that there are lots of holidays coming up. This is a great time for cultural exchange – you can include some of each of your holiday traditions. Also remember that it’s common for au pairs to get a little homesick now, and it’s nothing to worry about.

Happy snowman building!