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Confidence in children gives them the ability to go for more or reach their best selves. They are also able to face challenges and can do incredible things when they are confident. So, it is one of the best attributes a child should have. If your kid lacks confidence, then you need to do something about it in order to help your kid be the best he or she can be. There are so many things that may cause your kid to be less confident of him or herself and before taking any step to help him, you need to know the cause of his lack of confidence and how to help him to get more confidence. Some of the causes can be based on the following: 1. Disapproving Authority Figures Growing up thinking that your actions were not good enough or never appreciated can lead to low self-esteem. If parents continue to criticize no matter what your kid does then it would give the kid the impression that his or her efforts are worthless and that can bear a negative consequence on his mind leading to low self-esteem. It becomes difficult for your kid to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin later. 2. Uninvolved/Preoccupied Caregivers Kids are attention seekers and if you do not pay them any attention, they believe that their achievements are not noticeable and with time they will lose confidence and start to close up. This scenario often results in feeling forgotten, unacknowledged, and unimportant later. If they feel that they do not belong, they will feel uncategorized as a result of their belief that they are supposed to feel sorry for their existence.  They would just feel that no one cares and such they would feel the urge or desire to do anything. 3. Authority Figures in Conflict If a child is raised in a home where his or her parents or care giver fight, they absorb the negative emotions and hateful atmosphere. This becomes very negative because it is a disorganized, overwhelming and scary atmosphere where the kids fear to makes any move because they do not want to be faced with mommy or daddy’s wrath. When a child is exposed to excessive conflicts between authority heads, they can feel like they contributed to the issue. This feeling of being the cause of everything can taint their mind and they can even carry it on to adulthood. 4. Bullying (with Unsupportive Parents) This can be very detrimental to a kid's self-esteem when he or she does not have anyone to help them from bullies. Imagine a kid who already felt unsafe at home and now is being bullied at the school, there sure is to be a very negative lasting effect. Later on in life, the kid would feel like anyone trying to be his or her friend is trying to do him a favour because he or she believes that they are not capable of being loved or don’t feel worthy. [...]

As kids grow, they develop an interest in various activities like games, sports and sometimes even business. In this fast developing world, kids are capable of so many things once they are given the opportunity and aid by adults, most especially their parents. A kid who loves pet may be very excited at the prospect of taking dogs on long walks. This could be a great avenue to help your kid to start a business. The opportunities involved in dog walking are numerous and your kid will continue to reap the benefits from it even as he or she grows. This business offers a lot of benefits to your kid and here are some of them: Dog walking can pay much more than a dog sitting and can become a regular job for your kid if he bonds with the dog. Kids can always have clients because dogs are very common household pets and so many families have them but they sometimes would need a dog-walker who loves dogs and can bond with their dog to take it out. Dog walking is a great summer job for your kid when schools are on vacation. He or she can also walk dogs during school days but this has to be according to schedule. Kids could walk the dog after school or during weekends. Walking dogs can also be a fun exercise for your kid and the dog as well. It usually does not take much time and your kid will be able to do his homework and other activities at the same time. You would not have to worry about the job affecting their studies and other extra curriculum activities. It is a homely business and so, it does not require you to spend money on getting it started. You won’t have to pay for uniform or any other thing. You also do have a boss over your son that will be hauling policies, etc. Although you will have to invest a little, it would not be much. Unlike other jobs, dog walking is suitable for kids of various ages. So if your kid is below fourteen and wants to start a business and he loves dogs, this would be a good option for him. Here are a few other things that your kid can learn and gain from dog walking: 1. Goal setting and achievement They will learn to set goals through the business. For instance, they can set a goal to acquire a certain amount of profit in a particular period. By achieving such a goal, they would have learnt the importance of goal setting. 2. Reliability There is an agreement between your kid and the client and so your kid is aware that his services are relied upon and knows of the consequences of failing to be reliable. 3. Self-motivation and organization This will have to do with the ability to be able to manage the existing clients and finding new clients. 4. Responsibility They learn this by caring [...]

A baking business is a good way to engage your kid who loves to bake. If your kid enjoys baking or anything that has to do with mixing, kneading, and so on, then why not put that passion into a business, and put those skills to work. You will help your kid make a profit out of his or her desire to create beautiful and delicious recipes and, who knows, they might want to be a chef someday or perhaps just learn other skills along the way. Whichever way, you need to help them do something by following the steps laid out in this article. There are a variety of baked goods and you can never run out of ideas. Starting a home-based bakery could be so much fun and work at the same time but do not be discouraged, because with the following steps you can easily start a bakery at home. But before getting into that, here are just a few reasons why you should support your kids' passion for baking: 1. You will give them an opportunity to do what they love to do There is no greater joy than having supportive and helpful parents who understand them and help them to harness their potential. You express the love you have for them by showing them that you will be with them as they grow. 2.  It is a means of expression for your kid Baking is about measurements, ingredients and various recipes and so, kids may want to express their unique ideas through their own developed recipes. They could just put a twist on their baked goods. 3. It is easy to start Because you do not need to rent a kitchen or take up classes for the food you already know how to make. You probably just spend little on the start-up if you intend to buy ingredients that you don’t have. 4. There is always a ready market People love food, especially good looking and tasty food. Your kid can sell the baked goods locally or online depending on your investment and how big you want the business to be. Now that you know how beneficial baking can be to your kid, your kid will need certain skills to make sure that they are fit and ready to start. Some of these include: A high knowledge and skill in food preparation and other ideas on food safety. You could help with such directions or invest in cooking classes during the summer that your kid can benefit from. If you have a retail or food service background, you could help with some guidelines. For example, you need to tell your kid to disclose if there are peanuts in your kitchen to warn consumers who are allergic to nuts. You may need to have a regular shopping schedule with which to get your items and good suppliers too. Store your food items and equipment from the personal ones. Get an understanding of your competition and how [...]

Everyone knows how beautiful a greeting card is and how happy you feel when you receive one from someone you love. It is a good way to put a smile on someone's face. Your kid wants to start a business and thinks of a greeting business, don’t discourage them; in fact, you can help them a long way as they start. Or maybe you were thinking of a business your kid may go into and you just were not sure, greeting cards would be great especially if your kid loves art and is creative. One of the ways to select the kind of business your kid would strive in is to identify his or her skill and if your kid is good at colouring, painting, and drawing then they could go into it. Here is why you should help your kid start a greeting card business: 1. Little financial investment Since the business would be home-based, you will just need a small financial investment. It is a small scale business that your kid can handle and you can supervise because it involves low risk. You can easily buy supplies at a low rate through online stores or your local supply store and at times, one can even improvise. So, you don’t have to make 1000 copies, all you need do is make according to demand. If you create a line of handmade cards, you would not get stuck with lots of expenses if they don’t sell. And the good news is that you can adjust them at times. Concerning the supplies, you do not need to buy every supply you think you should have, only buy the supplies that you need at the time. 2. Easier to sell Well, did you know that handmade business cards are easier to sell? This is because it is unique and quite different from the usual printed cards. Homemade cards has and artistic advantage and appeal more to people because of its originality and realistic touch. Secondly, if you are in the homemade cards business, you do not compete with the big companies. This is because the market is different. Some people like commercial cards while others prefer homemade greeting cards. There are more printed cards than homemade cards and depending on your area, this will serve you well because your card will stand out. 3. Being their own boss Helping your kid start a home business means that they are their own boss. They won’t be under another or having to work according to schedule or follow orders and because of this, they will learn to discipline themselves if they want their business to succeed. Being independent means they have more responsibility to ensure that they do what's right and at the same time, they will also learn to be accountable for their actions. Because it is their business, they will train themselves to work according to their schedule and timing, this would mean deciding when to design cards, how to distribute them, [...]

There are grasses in almost everybody’s lawn and a lot of people do not usually have time to mow their lawns. This is why there is always going to be a demand for those who offer the services. Lawn mowing is hard work and it takes a lot of care and diligence when doing it. Your kid will learn a lot apart from making money from the lawn business. There is no shortcut in mowing, your kid will know what it means to give customer satisfaction and will reap the rewards of his labour. Lawn mowing business will help your kid to harness their entrepreneurship skills and other capabilities. So, if your kid wants to start a lawn business, don’t discourage them; you should rather help them to start one. You might not know what they will get from it in the long run. Did you know that it is a great business and that it serves as a part-time business for some cops, firemen, and so on? Since your kids business will be within the community or neigbourhood, your kid does not need to worry about commuting to long distances. Also, it incurs a small start-up cost that will not require you to put in too much money. Another good thing is that grass keeps on growing so you do not have to worry about any recession because they always need to be cut. According to statistics, there are 1.25 million people employed as ground maintenance workers. And as time proceeds, this amount is estimated to increase. So there is a demand market for lawn business and this is how you can help your kid start one. Just follow the steps below: 1. Plan Yes, this is the very backbone of every business. Planning with your kid will give you both the chance to set out your detailed approach to the business. It will answer the pertinent questions as to how, who, when and where? This will include the type of equipment you will need, the size of the lawn you will be working on, your dedication, time schedule as to when you will work, neigbourhood size etc. 2. Identify your goals and create a mission statement The first step is to identify your long-term goal. What does your kid want to achieve from the business? This will help him arrange the business in such a way that it would come out just the way he plans it to. This will determine the effort or commitment he gives to the business, as to whether he will work full time or part-time. Whether he plans on getting a team if he plans to run the business for a longer period of time. By defining this, he will begin to think outside the box and create a mission statement that will guide him and remind him of who he is and why is doing what he does. Your mission statement should be designed to help give purpose to your work and [...]

If your smart kid likes helping out his close buddies to finish their homework and then comes to you to help him start a business, tutoring can be a good option. Your kid could be a great help to others around and also develop personal skills. Teaching is one of the oldest profession and is always in demand because we all seek knowledge. Starting a tutoring business for your kid can help build them both mentally and socially.  So, if your kid thinks he or she wants to start a tutoring business, here are a few things to know about guiding them: Why Your Kid Should Start Tutoring 1. Mastery of the subject It is said that practice makes perfect and so while tutoring, your kid will have to explore the subject matter very well. To teach requires that he or she studies the subject matter properly and this means a constant working out of problems especially if it is math. 2. Development and strengthening of skills Your kid may not know it, but as they tutor, they will develop certain teaching skills. These skills will be needed to cope with the different learning nature of kids they come across their tutoring services. For example, some students are visual, auditory or a combination of both and so, it is quite important that a tutor understands how to cope with these styles. Having the ability to teach will help your kid improve on their communication skills and get better at expressing themselves in a clear and logical manner. 3. Flexible hours This is so advantageous compared to other jobs that your kid may want to venture into. Unlike other kinds of work, your kid would not have to bother about schedules or procedures, etc. Tutoring gives you the chance to make a flexible teaching plan for both you and your clients. This will be based on each other’s availability and this will enable your kid to work with various students to create a workable timetable that will suit everyone. A tutoring session does not last for more than two hours, so there is enough time for your kid to do other things too. Therefore, your kid can have a tailor-made timetable for various pupils or even have a group study too. With tutoring, anything is possible. 4. Emotional and intellectual fulfillment Tutoring is not only a job but it is a social good too. Helping to make other people smarter will give your kid a feeling of pride and accomplishment. Tutoring is like rendering help and so, when your kid impacts knowledge on someone, they have a sense of gratification that will motivate them to do better when they get to college. The more your kid tutors, he or she feeds and energizes their mind which is a means to keep them intellectually and mentally stimulated. It brings along a feeling of pride, confidence, and fulfillment. If your kid tutors, he or she is creating a relationship with their clients who are [...]

Kid Entrepreneur Academy summer camp Heston. When you think of an entrepreneur, who comes to mind? Richard Branson, Alan Sugar? Hard work and dedication has given them the opportunity to control there own lifestyle and they have been able to escape from the rat race. How about closer to home? Heston industrial estate is home to entrepreneurs running their businesses, Mimis off the Great West Road is run by entrepreneurs. Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) are the backbone of Britain and from here some expand to become behemoths in the corporate world or they are taken over by bigger businesses and the owner gains an payout. How did they manage this? For some it can be the fortune of having entrepreneur parents who show them the way, for others a tidy inheritance that give them a jump start and still for other a hard graft and learning through mistakes. Most people enter running their own business in the later decades of life, a few get in sooner and a tiny number start from childhood. We all want the best for our kids, wanting to give them the best head start in life. We want to give them opportunities that we didn't get a chance to have. No one should deny traditional education as a means to attain firm grounding for future academic success. However, consider this . Is the current education system really giving your child the tools to get ahead in the real word quickly enough, or is it bogged down by having to cater for children of so many abilities? Parents spend thousands on tutoring their children and rightly so. Apart from the traditional subjects, have you ever thought about giving your children the tools for success in business. Entrepreneurship combines math, creativity, and positive mental attitude along with real life scenarios to teach your child the tools to get a head and succeed.  Why business? There is a difference between a employee and an employer however much skilled an employee is. A employee is governed by a set of rules that they themselves cannot choose whereas an employer sets the rules (within reason) in term of how they will work. An employee is only as useful as they company needs them to be whereas an employer is the company and cannot outlive their usefulness. To the point that they may not be as qualified as their employees but due to their position as company director, the company cannot run without their leadership. An employer has a degree of time and location freedom that the employee cannot have. The employee is expected to turn up to work as contracted and is limited in time and location freedom they can have in terms of the number of holidays they can take. Did you know that most students when asked, what do you want to be when you grow up will seldom say company director , entrepreneur. Instead answering, fireman, teacher, doctor etc. Why is this? What stops them [...]

Every parent will feel terrible when they get a call from the school principal telling them that their child has just been bullied. So many things run through that parent’s mind at the time. But what about a case where their child is the bully? Knowing that your kid has the potential to make another child feel terrible and derives pleasure from doing that can be heartbreaking for most parents. Some parents, most times, don’t even believe that their kids are capable of such. But living in self-denial is not the way to go. It's paramount that you do something about this as soon as you can. Experts have made it clear that bullying has a psychological background. Dr. Lamia is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst who has spent 35 years teaching adults, adolescents, and preteens about dealing with behavior and emotion. She explains that bullying is one of the most damaging childhood problems and that bullying can lead victims to actions as extreme as suicide or to permanent psychological damage. “Bullying is a very serious issue, and parents/educators need to understand the dynamics and be prepared to help their kids in case they become either a perpetrator or victim of bullying. The first step in dealing with bullying is understanding the psychology of the bully and the motivation for their actions. Knowing what’s behind bullying behavior can help you be more effective in dealing with bullies.”, said Dr. Lamia. One of the major misconceptions about bullying is that bullies feel bad about themselves and this is the reason why they hurt others. The prevailing belief is that deep down they feel so insecure or ashamed of themselves, and this negativity seeks an outlet in hurting others. In Dr. Lamia’s exploration of bullying, she’s found that generally speaking, that’s not how bullies operate.  If they do feel bad about themselves they are not aware of it. Attacking others actually enables bullies to be unaware of what they really feel. They have a unique way of making others feel shame and humiliation, which is what they are hiding from themselves. They do this by intuitively recognizing a person’s insecurities and attacking them. Attacking others not only keeps them from looking within themselves, but it also can give them a feeling of excitement or power. Although bullies put down others in order to raise themselves up, they are not aware of how negatively they feel about themselves. Putting down others keeps them from recognizing their need to raise themselves up.  Most of them have deep-rooted feelings of shame that they are unable to address. Now that you know more about bullies and the major reason behind why they actually bully others, let’s get down to what you can do when you find out that your child falls into this category. What to do when you hear that your child just bullied another kid: 1. Find out what really happened Your first natural instinct might be to get angry, but bullying expert Joel [...]

Every good parent’s dream is that their kids should be able to be honest with them majority of the time. It is, however, heartbreaking when you learn that your kids lie to you more often than they tell you the truth. You can’t exactly raise your kids up the right way when they’re mostly lying to you. So the big question is, how exactly do you keep your kids from lying to you? Do you punish them each time they lie or do you shout at them? Read on to learn how to handle such situations but before diving into that, you must also understand some of the reasons why kids lie. 10 Reasons Why Kids Lie to Their Parents 1. Self-Protection The biggest fear in every kid’s life is to be scolded and punished for their mischiefs. This is the reason why kids cook up different types of imaginary stories to save themselves from their parents’ scolding. As they see all doors shut for escaping, they tell a fib. From putting the blame on siblings or pets to forming false excuses for not studying, kids use all these tactics to get away from the anger of their parents. They feel insecure while telling the truth, knowing that it could lead to thrashing and scolding from their parents. Slowly, with time this becomes a habit as they feel safe to take refuge in telling lies. 2. A ‘No’ from Parents Kids often lie for the fear of being denied by parents what they ask for. Sometimes they wish to go for a party or a simple get together at a friend’s place but the previous experience of not getting consent from parents pushes them to cook up lies like they are going for a group study or to take notes from a friend. Kids fail to understand the reason behind the denial and this leads them to take the support of lies. However, if a parent opens up with the child about why he/she is denied to do certain work, there would be no space to keep secrets or tell lies. 3. To Maintain a Good Image Many times, parents compare their children with others and this creates a sense of jealousy as well as despair in the child. In order to be praised and loved by their parents, kids often tend to tell lies to their parents. This could be seen when some of the kids try to tamper with their report card marks or boast about being praised by teachers in the school when they are, on the contrary, often scolded at school. The best way to restrain to a child from doing so is not to nag him/her all the time by comparing with others and try to explore and encourage the hidden talents they might have. 4. Idolization Kids generally start following one or the other celebrity, movie character or even cartoons for that matter and try to take inspiration from the characters they see on [...]

Every parent’s first instinct is to protect their child and to make sure that they’re safe and that all their basic needs are made available. But inasmuch as a parent would always want to be there for their kids, it’s also part of parenting to know when to teach and let your kids do certain things for themselves. This leads to the kids being overly dependent on their parents. It is surprising to know that there are a lot of parents who keep their kids dependent without even knowing what they’re doing or how harmful it is for their kids. This is called overparenting. 7 Signs That You Are Overparenting Your Kids: What is overparenting? This refers to when a parent attempts to micromanage a child’s life. Overparenting usually comes from a parent’s desire to manage their own discomfort as they can’t stand seeing their child get hurt, fail, or make a mistake. At other times, parents feel guilty about disciplining their child and they refuse to enforce consequences. Ongoing hypervigilance and overindulgence can have serious consequences and some of these consequences involve: stunting a child’s development and causing a child to become overly dependent. Here are some warning signs that you’re overparenting your child: 1. You Get Into Power Struggles Over Little Things Frequent power struggles can signal that you’re being too picky or too demanding. If you find yourself arguing with a 5-year-old about eating enough vegetables, or you’re getting into constant battles with your 15-year-old about the way she styles her hair, you may be preventing her from developing the independence she needs. 2. You Struggle to Let Your Child Make His Own Choices Sometimes, it’s easy to assume there’s a “best way” or a “right way” to do everything but that assumption can lead to micromanaging your child's every move. If you can’t let go and allow your child to explore new opportunities—like wearing clothes that don’t match or putting the bathtub on the roof when she’s playing with her dollhouse—it’s likely that you’re overparenting. 3. You Can't Stand to See Your Child Fail Nobody likes watching their child fail, but if you jump in to rescue your child whenever she experiences problems, she won’t learn from her mistakes. If you’re quick to tell her the right answer every time she’s struggling to figure out her homework or you intervene at the first hint of a problem during a play date, your child won’t develop problem-solving skills. Sometimes, kids need to experience failure firsthand. Recovering from failure provides children with opportunities to discover how they can do things differently in the future. 4. You Worry About Many Issues Other Parents Don't Worry About If you’re always the only parent who seems concerned about your 6-year-old playing on the monkey bars at the playground, or you can’t stand the thought of your 13-year-old crossing the street with friends, it can be tempting to assume it's because you’re more caring than the other parents. But before drawing that [...]