Care Free Fun: 5 Fun and Family-Friendly Activities for Children With Special Needs

Published on: 14 March 2019 Last Updated on: 22 February 2020

54 million people have special needs in the United States.

The same source says that around 2.8 million of those are children between the age of 5 and 15.

That’s a lot of unique young people looking to have fun in their spare time! Kids have masses of energy to burn at the best of times. However, the specific additional requirements of children with special needs can vary widely, and affect the activities they enjoy accordingly.

It’s always helpful to have some fun ideas up your sleeve that’ll ensure everyone’s entertained!

Keep reading to discover 5 awesome activities for children with special needs.

5 Awesome Activities for Children with Special Needs:

Check out these ideas for some extra special entertainment. For some extra help, here’s a great special needs planner!

1. Get Out Into Nature:

Nature

The outdoors is often ideally suited for kids with special needs.

Sensory experience is sometimes vital stimulation. The wind, smells, sounds and sights of nature are all valuable distractions for high-energy children!

Likewise, many organizations have set up nature experiences for kids with special needs. There are accessible walkways, activities, and playgrounds, filled with other kids and families having fun.

2. Go to a Story Time Workshop:

Most children love story time.

However, sitting quietly in one place can sometimes be difficult, especially where special needs come into play.

Storytime workshops (often found in libraries) offer a great alternative. A combination of stories, singing, and other sensory activities are sure to keep your kids happy and engaged.

Likewise, you could do the same at home. Sing and dance your way around a story!

3. Get Creative:

Some of the most artistic people in the world have special needs.

Celebrate that by getting creative with your kids. Get out the paper, pens, and paints. Try finger painting, body painting and other methods that involve sensory experiences.

You can also find special coloring pencils and crayons. These are designed to help a child with certain special needs to hold them.

4. Get Immersed in the Senses:

We’ve already noted the importance of sensory experience to some special needs children.

Immersion rooms are specifically designed to cater for this enjoyment. Every sense is covered. Special lighting, sounds, tactile experiences, and so on, are all in one room.

5. Go to a Special Film Showing:

Children often love watching films.

However, special needs children might struggle to sit down for long periods, or dislike the loud noises, and low lighting. Special needs film showings address these factors.

Kids can walk, talk and play, all while a film runs in the background.

Time to Wrap Up:

There you have it: 5 top activities for children with special needs.

Millions of people in the US walk through life with special needs. A significant number of them are children. Every child has the right to a fun-filled childhood, regardless of the personal challenges they may face.

Thankfully, these days there’s no limit to the number of opportunities available to make that happen. Hopefully, the ideas above have provided inspiration for your next day out with your own children!

Did you like this piece? Click here to read how to support family and friends with special needs.

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Ways Parents Can Safeguard Their Household’s Online Safety

The internet has reached nearly every part of the world. Studies show that one in every three kids in the United States, Europe, and other regions now uses the internet. Soon, the number of kids using the internet will continue to increase. A recent study showed that kids in the West are begging to consider internet access as a basic right or necessity. When used correctly, the internet is a good thing. It facilitates entertainment, offers learning opportunities, allows children to interact with their friends, and more. However, the internet is a double-edged sword. On the flip side, it poses many threats to children, teens, and even adult users. Some of these threats include sexual harassment, sexting, invasion of the kids’ privacy, identity theft, and cyberbullying. This is the main reason parents must monitor their children’s online activities. Your children trust you, and that’s your opportunity to talk to them about their online safety. Let them know that they can always turn to you whenever they sense danger online. Generally, understanding what your kids and teens do online is essential when it comes to protecting them from internet-related threats. Here are three effective ways to ensure online safety for your kids and household. 1. Use An Encrypted Network At Home Today’s home network includes a broad range of wireless devices such as phones, computers, smart TVs, IP Cameras, and other connected appliances. Using a wireless connection requires an internet access point like a DSL modem or cable to a router (wireless). This sends a signal via air for as far as 100 feet. That means that the devices within range can access the internet via that signal. Unless you take the right precautions, your neighbors and hackers nearby can access your network. They can ‘piggyback’ on that network and access data from your devices. In case an authorized person uses your household’s network to commit a crime, that activity will be traced to your account. To address this issue, you must use encryption on your home’s wireless network. Encrypting the data you send over your home’s wireless network prevents nearby hackers from eavesdropping on your communications. So, install a VPN router to ensure that all the traffic within your home’s network is encrypted. Also, a VPN router can successfully hide your IP address and encrypt other devices connected to it. This will block hackers from seeing your internet activity. 2. Keep All Your Devices’ OS Up-to-Date Keeping your devices’ OS and other software up to date is an effective way of minimizing the risk of a security breach and malware infection. Most software updates include new features, security patches, and bug fixes. Delaying or ignoring operating system updates exposes your home computers, phones, and other devices to internet security threats. Also, OS updates offer users new features and improved functionality. Keep in mind that system updates are usually designed to protect users from various levels of cyberattacks. Ignoring them may prove critical to the overall functioning of your home devices. Sure, your children may not understand the importance of updating device systems. But you should always do it for them. 3. Install Parental Safety Software Despite the AAP’s recommendation to choose and view online content with your kids, the advent of internet-connected devices has made it more challenging for parents to monitor and limit their kids’ online activities. Today, children as young as nine years spend more than three hours daily accessing the internet, according to a recent study. These habits are likely to worsen, and this exposes your child to the dangers associated with various forms of internet content. The chances are that you have already enacted robust protection features on your kids’ devices. However, you need to download and install parental control software. This will help you monitor what your children are doing online. You will be able to know when your kid is being bullied or introduced to content that they shouldn’t be accessing. There might be times when your teenagers might start getting into the rebellious part of their life. Everything you say to them might be taken in the opposite manner. This rebellious behavior has the potential of impairing their judgment and falling prey to online predators that can scar them physically and emotionally. Using parental safety software can ensure that you are keeping track of who your child is talking and interacting with. If you want information, read more here. Talk To Them About Online Safety One of the best ways to protect your children online is by having an open and honest conversation about internet safety. Kids are curious, and while they might know how to navigate the digital world, they may not understand the dangers lurking around the corner. That’s where you come in! It’s important to talk to them and set clear expectations for their online behavior. Explain The Risks Start by explaining the risks, but don’t overwhelm them with too much information at once. Break it down into things they can understand—like how some people online pretend to be someone they’re not or how sharing personal information can lead to trouble. Ask them questions: What do they already know about the dangers? How do they feel when someone they don’t know tries to talk to them online? This helps create a two-way conversation instead of a lecture. Encourage Open Communication Encourage your children to come to you whenever they encounter something that makes them uncomfortable. Let them know it’s okay to talk about anything, even if they’ve made a mistake online. Building trust is crucial here. If they feel safe talking to you, they’ll be more likely to share when something goes wrong. Set Clear Boundaries Set boundaries for screen time and the types of websites or apps they can use. But instead of just telling them what not to do, explain why certain websites or interactions can be dangerous. For younger kids, simple rules like "Don’t talk to strangers" or "Ask me before downloading anything" are easy to follow. For older teens, focus more on the long-term consequences of risky behavior, like sharing inappropriate photos or chatting with strangers. Lead By Example Another great way to encourage safe internet habits is by leading by example. Show them how you protect your own privacy online. Like using strong passwords, avoiding suspicious links, or turning off location services on apps. Kids are always watching and learning from what you do! Create A Family Agreement It’s also a good idea to create a family agreement for online use. This can be a simple list of rules everyone agrees to follow, from limiting screen time to being respectful in online interactions. Make it a fun activity where everyone gets to contribute their ideas, so it doesn’t feel like just another set of rules imposed by the parents. Today’s parents are raising a new generation of techie children. Teens text to communicate while toddlers are using tablets and iPads. It is the duty of the parents to ensure that their children are not exposed to internet threats. Read Also: 5 Things You should know about Safety Alerts Care Free Fun: 5 Fun and Family-Friendly Activities for Children With Special Needs

How to Get the Best Names

Every parent must want to give the best name for their children. But sometimes, it is quite difficult to determine. Moreover, you must want the name to not only be beautiful to hear but also have a good meaning. Some parents also prefer giving unique names in which not many people have used it. Meanwhile, some others choose the give names that have been used before by their grandparents or favorite figures. No matter what name you want to give to your baby, make sure to consider some matters below. How to Get the Best Names: There should be the first and middle names If referring to the given name of western people, the name of children must at least consist of three words. They are the first name, middle name, and surname. Unfortunately, many parents tend to not give the middle name. The main reason is that the middle name is rarely used when they are popular. Of course, although it is a choice, this perception is not necessarily true. You should still give the kid a middle name to make the whole name, in general, feels more beautiful and meaningful. Check the Meaning There are some beautiful words that are good for given names. The meaning has been good in a particular language. But still, you need to check the name in other languages. In many cases, a name has a bad or even silly meaning in other countries. In this modern-day, it is not difficult to check the name meaning. So, when you have found a unique name for the kid, you must check it immediately. Make sure that the meaning is still good in many languages. Easy to Read and Spell There is a habit very common to be done by many modern parents. To make their kids’ names look unique, they tend to use words that are very difficult to read and spell. They may adopt traditional names from other areas or countries. Although the intention is good, it can give problems to your children in the future. For example, there is a name Elizabeth. But in order to make it look unique or different, there is double z in it. It becomes Elizzabeth. Sure, it often causes misspelling on documents and other data. So, you must avoid it. Not too long Yes, you are not allowed to give a too short name to your children. Meanwhile, the name should not be too long as well. The maximum words of a given name consist of 4 words. It has been included the first name and surname. Again, a too-long name can also cause problems mainly in terms of submitting personal data. There is a possibility that the column is not enough to load all the letters or words. Visit Name Analysis Well, after finding a full or complete name for your kid, the next thing to do is visiting a website for the name analysis. It is basically to know the general meanings of them in various languages. Besides, you can also know the percentage of people who have used them. Read More: Care Free Fun: 5 Fun And Family-Friendly Activities For Children With Special Needs Best Locations For Children’s Birthday Parties Ways To Improve Children’s Parties

How To Prepare Your Child For A Youth Conference?

Youth conferences are essential since they provide them with a rare opportunity to discover, interact with others their age, and learn new things, and celebrate God. These events provide a stimulating setting for young minds to broaden their horizons, develop their capacities, and create enduring connections. Preparing your child for a youth conference as a parent or guardian may significantly influence their overall experience and progress during the gathering. Children's participation in a youth conference can change them because it exposes them to different viewpoints, cultures, and activities outside their regular routines. Here are a few ways to prepare your child for a youth conference: Reviewing The Conference Details It is crucial for parents to fully comprehend the specifics of an event before heading to a youth conference. Find out as much as possible about the event itself beforehand, including its subject/theme, schedule, and keynote speakers. Parents may have educated talks with their children about what to anticipate during the event by being aware of the agenda and discussion themes. Furthermore, parents can convey the conference's aim to their kids if they have explicit knowledge of its objectives. It's essential to go through how going to the conference may be a worthwhile educational experience and a chance for personal development, especially in faith. This way, they can create excitement and passion by matching the child's desires and goals with the conference's themes. Define Expectations Setting clear expectations is essential to preparing a kid for a youth conference. Parents should explain the purpose and underlying reasons for such a magnificent Christian gathering, and how it could affect their child's social and personal growth. Furthermore, parents may encourage their child's active participation during the conference, helping them find ways to help themselves and others while getting the most value out of the activities and speakers. This process will help the youngster feel important and motivated. Setting reasonable expectations for your child by explaining how they should behave and what they should do is key to this encouragement. They should have a good grasp of when they can laugh and play and when they need to listen and be respectful. The youngster has a sense of responsibility and enthusiasm due to this clarity since they know what to anticipate. Furthermore, parents should address any particular objectives they have set for their child for the youth conference. Setting goals helps the kid concentrate their efforts and focus on getting the most out of the conference, whether connecting with like-minded peers, honing public speaking abilities, or researching future career interests. Preparation And Packing Proper packing and planning are crucial for a child's seamless and enjoyable time at a youth conference. Parents can make a list of essentials to pack for the occasion, ensuring their child has all they need for a relaxing, pleasant stay. Practical items like attire for conference activities, comfy shoes, toiletries, and essential medications should be on the list. Including the kid in the packing process might help them develop a feeling of independence and responsibility. Parents may assist their children in packing their belongings by offering recommendations that will be beneficial and making sure that they pack all necessary goods. This collaborative effort allows the kid to own their conference experience and instils a sense of readiness and independence. Parents and guardians should also urge their children to review the conference schedule in advance to get the most out of the conference experience. Children can decide the discussions and workshops they wish to attend by becoming familiar with the program and debate themes. By matching their interests with sessions relevant to their objectives, the child is better equipped to make the most out of their experience. Encourage Independence Even though there may be many other youths present at the conference, maybe those your child may befriend or already know, it’s important that they make their own voice heard and participate in activities and sessions they would enjoy rather than just following along with their friends. These exciting events are not just about studying the word and celebrating God, but also about building bonds and enjoying life. Encourage your child to manage their conference calendar to promote independence. Parents can assist their children in looking through the conference schedule and selecting the sessions and pursuits that match their interests and objectives; this will ensure they benefit most from their choices and have even better memories. Also, parents can talk to their children about safety precautions as the conference draws near to foster a feeling of consciousness and accountability. Your child can take more proactive actions if you remind them to stay in the allocated areas, adhere to conference rules, and ask for guidance from conference organizers when necessary. Develop Social Skills A child's participation at a youth conference, where contacts with peers, facilitators, and other participants are typical, depends on their developing skilled social skills. To prepare your children for valuable connections and interactions at the event, parents may play a critical role in helping them practice and improve these abilities. Playing out various social scenarios with the kids is an excellent technique to help them develop their social skills. Parents may take on different personas and discuss with their kids using acceptable body language, effective communication methods, and active listening. The youngster gains more confidence in starting and maintaining discussions with others owing to this participatory exercise. Parents may offer valuable advice on how to connect with strangers and establish friends in addition to role-playing. These conferences are an excellent opportunity to make new friends, and they may feel more at ease in social situations if you encourage them to exhibit approachable and pleasant body language, such as keeping eye contact and smiling. The Bottom Line It may be a gratifying experience to help a child prepare for a youth conference since it can significantly influence their social and personal growth. A youngster with the right resources and encouragement may use the youth conference's possibilities for learning, adventure, and self-discovery. Additionals: Practical Ways To Help Your Elderly Parents 3 Ways Parents Can Safeguard their Household’s Online Safety Is it Possible for Single Individuals to Become Foster Parents?

Care Free Fun: 5 Fun and Family-Friendly Activities for Children With Special Needs