Sometimes you must find child care even for young babies. This happens most often when the parents work outside the home. You may have many choices when it comes to choosing child care for your baby. You may have a neighbor or relative who can take care of him. Alternatively, you may decide to use a day-care center or family home.

It’s a good idea to visit several centers or homes before choosing one. Watch how the staff teaches the children. Watch how the children are cared for. If a neighbor or relative cares for your baby make sure, he or she likes your baby. Make sure he or she knows how important it is to keep your baby safe.

Tips on choosing day care

• Always ask to see the center or home’s license. To get a license, a center must follow certain rules. Homes also must follow rules to be licensed. The rules cover cleanliness and safety. The rules tell centers and homes to have enough staff to care for the children.

• The center or home should welcome visits by parents at any time. The center or home should be clean and should look nice. The staff should spend time talking and playing with the children. The staff should be gentle but have control over the children.

• After you choose a center or home, be sure to follow the rules set by the center or home. Make sure you pick up your baby on time. Give the center or home your baby’s shot record. Tell the staff about any special needs, such as allergies, that your baby has. If you are breastfeeding, let the staff know that you will come in for feedings or you will provide your breast milk in bottles. The staff should call you right away if your baby seems sick or has a minor accident.

Your baby may be upset at first about staying in a strange place. This is normal. You and the staff can work together to help your baby get used to being in child care. After your baby has settled into a routine, he should become relaxed about going to child care.

Day-care providers to avoid :

• Avoid centers or homes that don’t want parents dropping by without notice.

• Avoid centers or homes where you see children left alone.

• Avoid centers or homes where children seem bored or unhappy.

• Avoid centers or homes where staff yells at the children a lot.

• Avoid centers or homes that are dirty or unsafe.

If your friends or relatives care for your baby, go over carefully with them how to make things safe for your baby, especially as he gets older. As a mother, you know to never leave your baby alone, to put him in a safe crib to sleep, to secure him in a stroller and to never shake him. However, sometimes even people who love you and your baby may not know these things. Be sure that they understand how to keep your baby safe and comfortable.

Provide recommendations on child development, baby sleep, baby products like babysitter, baby bouncer, and baby bedding for dads and new dads.

Paul Banas

For children, play is naturally enjoyable. And since it is their active engagement in things that interest them, play should be child-led, or at least child-inspired, for it to remain relevant and meaningful to them. Children at play are happily lost in themselves; they are in their own realm of wonder, exploration, and adventure, pulling parents in at times with a frequent “Let’s play, mom!” as an open invitation into that world.

As early as infancy, children immerse themselves in play activities with the purpose of making sense of the world around them. Play gives children the opportunity to learn and experience things themselves, which is vital for their development. Although peek-a-boo games seem pointless to adults, tots are awed by the surprise that awaits them as they see the suddenly emerging faces of people they love.

(Stages of Play)

During toddlerhood, children experience a motor-growth spurt that equips them to solitarily fiddle with anything they can get their hands on – be it a construction toy or the box from where it came.

Toddlers also love breaking into song, wiggling and jiggling to tunes, and imitating finger plays they are commonly exposed to.

Preschoolers begin extending their play to involve others, whether they bring others in at any stage of their game or they plan their game and its players’ way ahead. Their physical and motor skills allow them to widen their lay arena, from dramatic play to table games to outdoor pursuits.

School-age children start appreciating organized play – such as innovated songs and rhymes, games with rules, relays and other physical activities, sports and projects that they can accomplish over a certain time frame.

Play Perks:

Why the big fuss about playing? Play benefits the child in ways that might be a tad difficult for adults to imagine.

1. Play brings pure and utter joy.

A toddler who jumps into an empty box and runs around the house ‘driving a car’ shows the sheer happiness that play brings him or her. When children are asked what they did in school and they answer ‘play,’ it is a clear sign that these kids remember a feeling of genuine joy that is captured in this four-letter word.

2. Play fosters socio-emotional learning.

What does a ten-month-old baby who shrieks at the sight of her stuffed toy have in common with a ten-year-old boy who plays basketball with his friends? They both deal with their confidence as they choose to embark on their play activities. At the same time, they are displaying their independence in the decisions that they make. These two children are also internalizing social rules in their respective play situations: the baby waits patiently for her stuffed toy to appear, while the school-age child has to contend with an impending loss in a ball game.

3. Play hones physical and motor development.

Play often involves the use of the senses, the body, and the extremities. When children play, they exercise their bodies for physical strength, fluidity of movement, balance and coordination.

Perceptual-motor ability, or the capacity to coordinate what you perceive with how you move, is an essential skill that preschoolers need to develop. A three-year-old who is engrossed in digging, scooping, and pouring sand into a container must match his or her perception of the space in front of him or her with actual hand movements, so that he or she can successfully fulfill the motor activity.

4. Play facilitates cognitive learning.

Play is vital to the intellectual development of a child. We live in a symbolic world in which people need to decode words, actions, and numbers.

For young children, symbols do not naturally mean anything because they are just arbitrary representations of actual objects. The role of play is for the child to understand better cognitive concepts in ways that are enjoyable, real, concrete, and meaningful to them. For instance, through play, a child is able to comprehend that the equation 3 + 2 = 5 means ‘putting together’ his toy cars by lining them up in his makeshift parking lot. When he combines 2 triangles to make a square during block play, or writes down his score is a bowling game, the child is displaying what he knows about shapes and numbers.

Through play, the child is constructing his or her worldview by constantly working and reworking his understanding of concepts.

5. Play enhances language development.

Toddlers who are still grappling with words need to be immersed in oral language so they can imitate what they hear. They benefit from songs and rhymes that provide the basis for understanding how language works.

When these tots are playing with toys, adults model to them how language is used to label objects or describe an event. At play, preschoolers use language to interact, communicate ideas, and likewise learn from dialogues with more mature members of society.

6. Play encourages creativity.

Barney the dinosaur was right about using imagination to make things happen. A lump of Play-Doh suddenly turns into spaghetti with meat sauce and cheese; a small towel transforms into a cape that completes a superhero’s wardrobe; and a tin can serves as a drum that accompanies an aspiring rock artist. Play opens an entire avenue for children to express themselves, show what they know and how they feel, and to create their own masterpieces.

7. Play provides bonding opportunities.

Play is an important factor in child development. It provides for interaction, experimentation, and moral development. Here are some ways by which parents can encourage and support their children’s playtime.

- Let your child be the player-leader. Let children initiate their activity, set their own theme, choose the parameters where the play will take place. Play becomes a venue for children to express their feelings and be in control.

- Help them help themselves. When your 5-year-old asks for help, say, figuring out how to piece a puzzle together, stop yourself from coming to her rescue and first ask your child questions that allow him or her to help himself or herself. Say, “Where do you think this piece should go?” Afterward, commend his or her success.

- Play attention. Once you make a commitment to play with your child, watch for the following signals: Does he or she want you to actively play a part in the activity? Does he or she need encouragement? Is he or she tired or hungry? Does he or she need to take a break?

- Have a play plan. If you seem to have little time for playing with your child, consider using self-care chores to have fun with him or her. Also, get support from other people in your household, like older siblings, household help, or the child’s grandparents, so that they understand why play is important and how they should continue to encourage it.

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Judy Hansen is a web administrator of www.child-central.com
She is also a mother of 2 girls and a preschool teacher. Get Real people. Real questions. Real answers. from parents around the world at Parenting Advice and Tips

Lessons from books are great, but children learn through play far better than they do in other forms. There are several reasons for this. At the heart of it is their desire to learn. When learning is not so much work but is fun, children are more willing to participate. They want to jump in and have a good time. As a parent, the more that you can teach through play, the more that your child will retain later on. While some skills need to be taught formally, such as math facts and reading, there are still great ways to teach through play.

Children learn through various methods, but often their physical and social world teaches them the most. Even small infants learn this way. Parents can enhance a young child’s learning process by giving them a variety of ways to learn through sight, touch, taste and smell. For infants, play the games that children love, such as peek a boo and other interactions that teach cause and effect. It also teaches them how to interact socially with their families.

As children grow older, they still need stimulation. Remember, kids having fun gives them an added incentive to do the activity you want them to. Pretend play is one of the core elements of the development of imagination. Pack up a truck full of great costumes (you can pick these up very inexpensively after Halloween) and encourage both boys and girls to play. What you will find is that many of the role playing games they play now are direct reflections of the experiences they have had. For example, a child who may be going to daycare for the first time, may practice leaving her baby doll at a pretend daycare. The act is helpful, but the conversations they have of telling the doll that “mommy will be back very soon” will help them later to deal with their fears of being left. Encourage this type of play.

Child’s play through the years changes even more so. During preschool and kindergarten, one of the best ways to teach a child is through stories and pictures. They learn to interact with each other as well as with the outside world. For example, set the stage for a great adventure story. Read them the story during the morning hours. Then, give them a few ideas and let them act out the story in their own way. You can teach many of the fundamentals in this manner, everything from manners to helping those in need.

Other activities to encourage helping children learn through play include:

· Craft projects: they explore their talents and explore texture, dimension, color and shapes

· Dance: They explore their physical bodies and stay physically fit

· Building with blocks: Everything from wooden blocks to Lego’s helps children to learn structure, dimension, balance, and help them to grow their imagination.

· Drawing: Use various types of mediums from paints to pencil to help them to learn numbers, letters, shapes and much more

These activities can incorporate other skills, too. For example, perhaps an art project can center around a specific letter of the alphabet. Do not be elaborate, but do be dramatic.

Kids having fun is something you definitely want to consider for the long term. For example, children who are nine years old and up need to develop great reasoning skills and need to learn to think strategically. They also need to develop good social skills. Great ways for kids having fun through these lessons can be anything from fun science projects to advanced building sets done in teams and even 3-D puzzles. Encourage computer projects and video games as well. Unbelievably, the video game they love to play is teaching them great hand eye coordination (assuming that the content within it is appropriate.)

How children learn through play is really up to you, their parent. Encouraging them to play, pretend, and learn all go hand in hand. The skills most children learn at these early ages are not just their math facts and their ABC’s, but they are the foundations of how to learn, how to interact with other people, and how to explore, reason and strategize. These items will carry on with them throughout their lives.

Ivana Katz of Hey Gorgeous Kids shows you how to make parenting fun – keep your children entertained for hours, create special memories, do some serious shopping, explore exciting parks & playgrounds and so much more!!! Get a free special report “What You Need to Know Before Travelling with Kids” – www.heygorgeouskids.com

Medical transcription course provides basic skill and knowledge required to transcribe healthcare dictation delivered by the concerned medical professional. All the curriculums are designed with the aim of preparing a student to face initial stage hurdles of medical transcriptionist in the industry successfully. Most Medical Transcription schools follow the curriculum that is designed and approved by AAMT specifying some essential requisites for successful MT training. Some of those widely followed by reputed schools are: minimum 400 hrs theory classes, 600 hrs of practical sessions. These equally stipulated sessions are delivered on regular basis over six months period. The MT course covers some following major topics:

1. English:

English as a language and its correct application including writing style, grammar, punctuation, spelling correction and proof reading

2. Medical Knowledge:

Medical terminology related to general medicine, physiology, general surgery, medical specialties, anatomy, surgical specialties, interventional procedures, diagnostic, pathology, laboratory medicine, imaging techniques, health and wellness, medications and alternative medicine etc. are taught. Use of medical language using proper prefixes, suffixes, root words, combining forms, plurals, eponyms, homonyms, abbreviations, acronyms, antonyms, phrases and synonyms etc is also taught. Under this unit, common tests of pathology, diagnostic indications, expression of values, pharma terminology, techniques, Drug classifications etc are also told.

3. Computer skill:

Computer skill is must for working as a Medical Transcriptionist. Basic knowledge of word processing, transcription equipments, word processing programs, use of electronic references and dictation technology is provided under this unit. It covers standard concepts, ethics, latest trends in technologies that are used in healthcare documentation.

4. Professional expertise:

This section of Medical Transcription course is designed to develop and improve professional skills. This section covers demonstration of proofreading, correct transcribing and professional capability. This section is aimed to create awareness of various functions, dynamics of MT, interpretation, inconsistencies, editing and revising practices etc. It also covers recognization, evaluation, discrepancies and inaccuracies.

So we see that MT course covers all of the essential aspects of MT field and rest depends upon the individual how he/she improves personal perfection. The best way is to devote more time for practical either at concerned Medical Transcription school or some local MT center.

Visit:medical transcription course

There has been much discussion about fish oils for autism and the results of recent research show how this oil can really help to improve in many areas of an autistic child’s development. Let’s look at how it works and how to select the most effective and safe one.

Scientists have discovered that over two-thirds of those with the condition, which restricts the ability to communicate and make sense of the world, have a deficiency in crucial omega 3 fatty acids which quality fish oils for autism can replace.

It is now known that omega 3 fatty acids play a key role in the health of our children’s neurological development. The two main ones are DHA and EPA and it is now accepted that DHA is responsible for most of the health benefits.

Our brains are composed of over 30% DHA fats to illustrate just how important they are and it is estimated that over 90% of us are deficient in them as we cannot manufacture them ourselves so it must come from our diet.

In a recent study by two American researchers (Patrick-Salik), children diagnosed with autism were given a daily supplement of fish oil/borage oil for 90 days. At the end of 90 days, the children on the fish oil supplements showed significant improvements in their language and learning abilities.

Trials like these and the results many parents have found show just how important fish oils for autism really are, even though more research is needed.

They have already been proven to significantly improve brain health and mental well-being in adults, and with autistic kids the main ones are noticeable improvements in speech and comprehension, better sleep patterns, and less hyperactivity and anxiety.

Obviously every child is individual so whilst many parents see an improvement, some may not.

I have been an avid fan and researcher of fish oils for a long time and when my own three year old son was diagnosed with mild autism some months ago, he went straight onto these oils as you can imagine!

I noticed after about six weeks of taking a daily supplement his speech and how he was using the words was much improved as was his general ability to make sense of what was going on around him, and it was nice when family and friends also commented on this.

One of the hurdles I see facing parents is how to give your child these supplements. The one I use is extremely pure and has only a faint ocean aroma so as my son will not swallow pills, I simply cut one open and put it in his morning juice which works great, and you can put them into their food too.

I personally do not use special ones for kids as they tend not to be as good and have many additives to make them more palatable. A high amount of DHA is vital and I would recommend at least 250 mg of DHA per capsule, twice the amount of EPA.

Also ensure they have undergone molecular distillation to remove all the impurities like lead and mercury to make the fish oils for autism totally safe otherwise your child may be ingesting these harmful toxins.

There is no doubt in my mind that high quality pure and safe fish oils for autism can really help to improve the quality of life for these children and with all the other health benefits they bring, it’s no wonder they are so popular.

If you would like to learn more about the high quality DHA omega 3 supplements I personally take daily and give to my son, visit my website today.

 

Discover the best omega-3 fish oil today.

Rich Hawkins is a dedicated researcher of nutrition, diet and the amazing health benefits of high-quality fish oil. Take a moment to visit his site now at www.best-omega-3-supplement.com and discover the very latest and effective omega-3 fish oil supplements Rich recommends after extensive research.

Games and toys are the most important tools in Lenora Delaney’s professional toolkit.

Lenora, who is a children’s Occupational Therapist, says that kids who struggle with poor handwriting and other fine motor challenges benefit greatly from the use of wisely selected toys and puzzles.

“The muscles in a child’s hand are very small and they tire quite easily,” she said.

“Children’s handwriting can be improved, but to do this we need to strengthen their hand muscles so that they can control their pencil better.”

“One of the best ways to achieve this improvement is through fun and functional activities”

Lenora suggests that approximately five minutes of play per day is all a child needs to develop sound fine motor skills.

‘Colouring books are popular with children and while they are getting enjoyment from trying to stay within the lines, they may not even realise that they are learning about control, pressure and posture,” she said.

‘Dot to dots books, tracing templates and activities like Aqua Doodle also encourage kids to draw different types of straight, vertical, diagonal, circular and curvy lines. All of this is very important for helping kids to cross their mid-line and to develop visual discrimination skills.’

Lenora also recommends art and craft activities that encourage kids to fold paper use scissors and manipulate Play-Doh or Silly Putty.

“Kids really enjoy cutting different types and textures of paper and making things like paper aeroplanes and birds.”

“Parents can also encourage the development of their child’s pincer grip by teaching their child to roll Play-Doh into a snake or snowman and then tear it into pieces.”

“Another fun thing to do is to hide a small item like a coin or bead in a ball of Play-Doh and have the child find it by tearing the ball apart. All of these activities give hand muscles a work out and help kids to develop the dexterity they need to write more neatly.”

When it comes to games, Lenora says that toys that have small parts are best for developing fine motor coordination.

“Of course, mums and dads need to ensure that kids don’t put small objects in their mouths, but marbles, Pick-Up Sticks, Lego and stringing beads are all good choices , while puzzles of varying complexity,  design and size also keep kids interested and engaged.”

Lenora advises parents to seek the support of an Occupational Therapist if play time activities do not seem to be helping the development o f their child’s fine motor skills.

“An Occupational Therapist is a professionally trained expert who can assess your child’s needs and help your child to overcome their physical challenges.”

“A good Occupational Therapist will also give you advice about how you can use the toys in your home to your child’s best advantage.”

 

 

 

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Most parents consider putting their child in some after school sport from an early age. Many of them change their minds when they realize how expensive and time-consuming that sport will be for them and their child.

Although some sports can be hard on the wallet, they may be worth the sacrifice. Sports activities do involve considerable time commitment, but there are some reasons why that can be beneficial to your child.

Two of my grandchildren were involved in sports since they were preschoolers. One is a boy and the other is a girl. Both of them started playing soccer as recreation when they were that age. They enjoyed the high physical activity of playing soccer on a regular basis. Neither of them were disciplinary problems at home or at school throughout their school years.

My grandson is the oldest and has a very calm personality. On the soccer field, he was a dynamo player. He developed physically and became very well toned. He was very self disciplined both in his academics and in his sports activities. He was at the top of his class all through school even though he spent a lot of time involved with both soccer practice and games.

His parents never had any trouble getting him to go to bed on time. He was worn out from practicing soccer. He ate a healthy diet to stay in good shape for all the physical energy he put into soccer. Year after year, he continued to play soccer and continued to excel in his classes.

When he graduated from high school, he was well known in his communities both for his reputation in soccer but also for his impeccable character. He went on to college and graduated with an engineering degree. Now he is employed as an engineer and is very happily married to his college sweetheart.

My grand daughter has a totally different personality. Although she is very quiet and unassuming, physically she has always been very hyper. She is in a constant state of motion. When she isn’t practicing dance moves, she is kicking a soccer ball.

Not only has she been involved in soccer from an early age, she also played basketball all through school. Besides her time spent in sports, she was in dance classes and recitals from the age of four until she was in 9th grade.

Even though she has been very busy with all the practices and games, she continued to carry a full academic load. She has continued to have an excellent grade point average all through school. Now that she can drive, her parents are relieved of some of their transporting duties. Most of the time, her parents have taken turns attending her games and recitals, always supporting her efforts.

She has never gotten into trouble at school or with law enforcement. Neither has her brother. Maybe they never got in trouble because they didn’t have time with all their sports commitments. She hasn’t shown any interest in dating either. She said she just doesn’t have time right now. However, she has gone to proms and other special school activities. Her dates for these events have been boys she knows from her sports teams.

When she graduates this summer, she will be attending college with a soccer scholarship. She is very excited about going to college even though she has no career plans yet. She is a very sweet innocent girl, but a dynamo, like her brother, when she is on the field. Even when her team doesn’t win, she is happy because she just loves to play.

My conclusions are that sports involvement is good for children. It teaches them how to work as a team player. Sports activities require self discipline which is good because it helps build a good foundation for their adult lives.

Having something specific to do with their time is beneficial and keeps them from feeling bored. Sports involvement gives them a sense of purpose and belonging. Those children and teens who are active in sports haven’t got time to think about getting into trouble. Doesn’t it sound like it is worth your financial and time investment?

This article brought to you by Thompson Outdoor Sports Gear, sellers of outdoor equipment ranging from solo tents to tanto knives to camping stoves.

It is often said that some of the best things in life come for free. The same statement holds true when it comes to software applications. In fact some of the popular applications are open source free software packages. And one such open source software which has found wide acceptance and endorsement is Drupal. Being an open source, Drupal is distributed under GPL or General Public License and its source code is available freely. This application is a content management system (CMS) which also comes extra features and additional modules which can be customized to suit your specific requirements. Currently this CMS is favored by thousands of organizations and individuals to manage their websites. Drupal with its simple features and functionalities is also easy to use. Using Drupal, you can publish all sorts of contents including texts, images, videos etc. in all file formats. You can also organize and manage these contents using this software. If you still want to enhance the functionalities of this application, you can go for Drupal application development.

There are many software product development companies that cater to Drupal development. As already mentioned Drupal has many add-on features and modules which can be used to your advantage. All websites have different requirements and are of different nature and hence they require different CMS for their management. These companies offering Drupal services can help you to implement Drupal CMS and also customize and refine its features to suit your requirements. Many of these firms offering Drupal web development are also located in overseas countries such as India. Outsourcing your requirements to one such company can benefit you with reduced service cost of application development. It may prove not only cost-effective but you also benefit from fast, reliable, and customer-centric services. Indian IT professional are world class and are known to stick to even the tightest of deadlines. Their flexibility with their schedule means you can benefit from quick and convenient Drupal services.

Currently, Drupal is used by hundreds of websites which include corporate sites, ecommerce sites, community websites, social networking sites, discussion sites, and personal sites.

This article is written by a technical writer, working at SynapseIndia, a drupal application development company based in India. We offer quality drupal web development services to worldwide clients. For more information, please contact us.

Toys play a very important role in a child’s mental growth during the early years. As a toddler, a one-year old is likely to spend a lot of time playing with toys every day. So, when giving a one-year old a toy on his/her birthday, it is important to consider that the toys should help him/her learn something and also keep him entertained.

Choosing the perfect toy for a one-year old can be quite difficult. However, we have given some great ideas below that can help you choose the perfect toy for a toddler. See if you find anything you like.

Squeezable toys – Rubber toys that emit a squeaky noise when squeezed make for excellent baby gifts. Babies can play for a long time with toys like these. They absolutely love the sound. Not only that, all the squeezing can give the baby’s tiny hand a good workout, making it strong. Ideal for both physical and emotional development.
Teddy bears – Ah, the timeless classics! Babies can hug, squeeze, and even lean on them. Teddy bears are known to provide good entertainment to babies. Babies often consider large sized teddy bears as good friends. This can come in handy in calming them when they are crying for some reason.
Plush dolls – These are great gifts for babies. These come in various shapes, colors, and sizes. Animal shapes are probably the best, as these also serve as learning aids in later years. These are available in non-allergic fibers, to ensure that babies can even go to sleep amidst a pile of plush dolls.
Acrylic balls – Balls made of non-toxic acrylic can make for great gifts during these early years. All babies need for hours of fun are a bunch of balls and a partner to play with.
Alphabet blocks – A set of blocks made of non-toxic plastic, quilted cotton, or acrylic make for excellent gifts. Besides providing wholesome entertainment, these can also serve as the first steps towards learning.
Play sets – These can be anything from replicas of farms to kitchen appliances. Sets with small parts should be avoided though, to prevent accidental choking of the baby.

These toys can help a baby stay entertained while also learning something in the process. Gift one today and watch the little toddler giggle with happiness.

At ebeanstalk, we carry a unique selection of 1 year old toys, 2 year old toys through toys for 7 year olds. Our collection of educational & learning toys for babies, infants & toddlers from 100+ manufacturers will truly match your child’s development.

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Have you ever watched a group of children playing together?  There’s so much energy and so much smiling. There’s lots of running around, and then inevitably, somebody starts crying.  Someone gets mad.  There’s a bit of emotional chaos.  Sometimes a grown-up has to step in and sometimes the kids work it out themselves.

You might call it child’s play.

After all that’s what children do.  They run around, they have fun, they quarrel, and then they get up and do it all over again.  But there’s something a bit deeper going on that most of us don’t even realize.  It’s the learning of how to handle the ups and downs of relationships.  It’s a vital skill.

It even goes on with preschoolers.

Researchers noted that at the start of a school year, preschoolers who are the most outgoing and socially adept show a high amount of activity in the brain circuit that triggers stress hormones. These “jitters” are actually helpful to them as they help them prepare to deal with an uncertain situation.  As the school year winds on, however, the stress hormone levels gradually decline as these children learn to master the ups and downs of the social playground.  In contrast, socially isolated and unhappy preschoolers maintain high stress hormone levels and in some cases, they even increase.

This is why successful mastery of child’s play is so important.  It teaches you how to navigate social situations with grace, an important component of building and maintaining relationships.

The good news is that even if you missed out on this as a child because you were abused, you can still learn to do it as an adult.

First, you can enroll in therapy if you haven’t already.  I suggest trying to find a therapist that practices cognitive-behavioral therapy, as that particular style of therapy works on helping you develop skills to change your thinking patterns and your actions, which is how you change anything in your life.  A good therapeutic relationship helps you rebuild a sense of trust in yourself in the world and helps you relearn how to relate to others in a healthy manner.

Secondly, once you have a secure trusting base (i.e., therapy) you can begin to branch out and make new connections.  Try new activities that interest you and that hopefully give you a chance to connect with like-minded individuals.  Give yourself a chance to “play” as it were.  You may be dealing with feelings of emptiness as you go through this.  That’s ok.  Grieve in the safe space you create with your therapist.  It may feel like rough going at first, but you’ve got to keep trying.

You may not have a happy childhood, but you can still have a great adult life.

Just start learning how to play again.  You don’t have to throw a temper tantrum like a preschooler, but once you learn how to start enjoying life like one, you’ll find yourself smiling a lot more often.  And that’s something worth shooting for.

If you liked this article, you may be you may be interested in some inspiring attitude quotes or reading How the “Not Good Enough” Factor Can Stop You From Overcoming Low Self-Esteem If You’re a Child Abuse Survivor.

Adam Appleson has been actively involved in using personal development techniques to promote psychological health and goal-oriented success for the past 11 years. He is the founder of ZenTactics, a website with advice written especially for survivors of abusive and dysfunctional families.

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