Setting up a Homework Zone

Mandi Ehman of Organizing Your Way

Do you have a homework zone set up in your home?

It doesn’t have to be a dedicated room, but having a dedicated space for homework time with easily accessible supplies helps children focus on their homework and complete it without being distracted by clutter or chaos.

For older kids and teens, this might be a corner of their bedroom with a desk and computer. For younger kids, it may just be the kitchen table or a corner of the counter.

The keys are having a space that is clear of surface clutter and keeping the basic supplies they need in a convenient location. If you’re not using a desk for the homework zone, you could fill a basket with extra lined paper and pencils as well as a ruler and any other supplies they need on a regular basis, or you could use a drawer in your kitchen or coffee table.

Help kids set up a system for completed school work. A lot of it will need to go in their binder  or a folder to take back to school. However, some of it can be filed away, and some may need to be kept in file trays or organizers on the desk for easy reference.

It’s important to consider the atmosphere of the area as well. While having kids do homework in the main area of your home may be convenient and seem like a good idea, it could also lead to a lot of distractions if your home is a busy one.  You might consider playing soft music or using aromatherapy to help them focus.

As with everything, it’s important to be flexible. You may find that your first setup isn’t working well for everyone and that you need to move things around to find a homework zone that will work. Don’t be afraid to try a few different things!

Do you have a dedicated homework zone for your kids? What’s the biggest challenge in setting one up? What’s the best thing you’ve included as part as your homework zone?

Mandi Ehman is a work-at-home mom to four spunky little girls. She believes that organizing only lasts if you do it your way - to fit your needs, your preferences and your lifestyle - and she shares organizing and time management tips at Organizing Your Way.

Helping Your Child Be On Time

By Susan Heid of The Confident Mom

Do you have one or more children in your home that seems to repeatedly run late?  Perhaps they run around looking for their shoes, coat or homework?  Maybe forgetting where they placed their back pack the afternoon before.  Does it raise the stress level for your entire family?  It isn’t a very good way to start your day, is it?  Think of this…..Do you run late?  Do you often forget where your keys are?  How about finding your purse or shopping list?  Do you see the correlation?  Maybe not if in fact you are a mom who is fairly organized and then it frustrates you even more that you have a child that seems to be in disarray!

If running late is a key component to your mornings it is time for a change.  You can help your child gain tremendous pride in their accomplishment of being prepared for their day and getting out the door on time in the morning.  You have heard it time and time again; learning by example will get someone much further than just being told what to do.

I find that some busy moms I work with find it just plain easier to continue yelling 3 or more times trying to address the issue rather than changing their response.  Why do we fall into those habits?  Because - it is easier to stay the same than change.  Face it, we are creatures of habit, and yet even when a pattern of behavior is NOT producing what we want, we seldom see another method to reach the outcome we desire.  So stop and think about how your morning runs and how you could in fact be enabling your child to continue their pattern of running late and being forgetful.

Helping your child develop new habits starts with YOU.  Plain and simple.  You can certainly be the example he/she needs in order to come up with a plan that works.  As we venture into a new school year, it is the perfect time to develop some new habits, both for your child and for you!  I will focus on how you can help your child, but it doesn’t take a lot of thinking to see how you can adapt these simple tools into your life too.

Being Prepared

What can you do in advance to make things easier?  Thinking ahead can certainly help make a difference and calm things down.  Does your child have an activity the next day?  Is his/her backpack placed in a spot where it is accustomed to being?  You can even lay clothes out for the next day if that is a battle that ends up producing anxiety for anyone!

Remembering Tasks

I started using check lists when my kids were very young.  These are all items that need to be accomplished by a certain time, normally before leaving in the morning. (making their bed, teeth brushed, pajamas put away, etc.). This helped me out because I didn’t have to be the drill sergeant and it also gave my child a great sense of pride as he/she accomplished these tasks on their own!  In addition, once the checklist was finished they can spend the remaining time before leaving doing an activity they enjoy.  I find too many parents let their kids watch TV or play video games before the work is done and then wonder why it is such a battle.  Work before play is a standard principle in our home.

Decide what type of system is going to work for you and your child.

Work on it together and brainstorm about what will help them.  You may be surprised at what they come up with.

Staying on Task

This one can be completely aggravating for many parents - because you have a dilly dallier!  You know, the one who looks up from one task and is completely distracted by something else.  We have used different things at different times, but a few that work well are using a kitchen timer to keep a child on task, having a one task at a time policy - where they cannot move on from one thing until one is completed.  Also having them check in with you during their progress is helpful too.

Listening

Truly making sure your child hears you and understands the instruction can be half of the frustration.  So, have your child repeat back instructions and then verify he understands.  We also found giving too many instructions at once was not a good combination.  Give one task at a time and wait until that is completed.

Set a Schedule

We set up a schedule for one of our boys that helped him use his time in the morning.  He knew what time he was getting up, what time he could be lazy and “wake-up”, what time he had to start eating breakfast, cleaning up, getting dressed, all of that.  It was spelled out for him so he did not lose track of time and then be scrambling 10 minutes before we needed to get out the door  Slowly we began letting him try to use his time his way in the morning, and after a few mis-steps, he has managed to budget his time.  This is much more effective than for us to continue to manage his time, and they way we set the schedule for him also gave him an idea and something to go from to learn how to budget his time.  A great lesson all around.

Celebrate

If getting out the door in the morning has been a thorn in your side, sit everyone down and discuss how different the mornings are when things go smoothly.  How much happier everyone is, how enjoyable the ride to school is or the walk to the bus stop is.  Then think together what you could in fact do on the days that everyone cooperates and takes care of their own business to help the family out.  Have a special after school treat - it doesn’t have to be big, just something little, like a certain favorite cookie or ice cream, or playing a game together or maybe this - you do one of your child’s chores that afternoon since they helped you out?  Get creative, you can have fun finding ways to motivate you child to step up to the plate and be more responsible.

Susan Heid helps moms get the BIG picture on how their home is functioning and then helps them gain relief with a personalized plan of action to give life changing results. Susan’s training as a PCI Certified Parent Coach. a Certified Family Manager Coach and a ScreamFree Certified Leader gives her a unique combination to encourage and support busy moms in the art of Home and Family Management. Empowering Moms and Strengthening Families is her passion. Are you ready to make positive changes that will impact your family for generations? You can start by visiting The Confident Mom and requesting her FREE ebook, “Getting Kids to Cooperate and Become Team Players - 10 Essential Strategies and Solutions“.

School Success: Planning Matters

Laura Rolands of My Attention Coach

With school around the corner or already started in some areas, families need to make their plans this week.  Especially if your kids have a lot of activities planned or have challenges such as Learning Disabilities or ADHD.  Help prepare your child with my tips below.  When you decide what you will do, decide when to do it and honor your commitment to yourself.

The following ideas and suggestions are at the top of my list:

• Talk to your child and ask how they would like to get ready for the school year. Involving them in the decision making process will build better success throughout the school year. Sometimes it may seem easier to make all of the decisions, but in the long run it is much easier on you to include them.
• Talk with your child’s doctor, therapist, coach, tutor and/or any other support person in their lives. Ask what they recommend to help your child start the school year successfully. Because they see your child from a different and specialized view, they will all have valuable recommendations.
• Ensure that your child has a planner that will work for them. View my Choosing The Right Planner article for some great tips and a handy checklist. Schools often provide planners, but I recommend that you make sure it will work for your child and with their learning style. If the planner provided by the school doesn’t work, use something that does.
• Look into a family calendar to help keep everyone’s schedules straight once the school year gets in swing. I love all of the options at Families With Purpose. I have recently started using Googles’ calendar application. If you are on your computer regularly, this could be a great option. To work best, I think you need to get everyone in the house using it. I’m still working on that at my house though. They do offer a print option if you need it.
• Develop a communication plan with your child’s school. Especially if your child has challenges at school with ADHD or learning, it is critical to have an open line of communication with teachers. You may want to write a letter to your child’s teacher, send an email or schedule a meeting.

I hope these ideas provide you with a great starting point for a successful school year.  Which of these ideas sounds good to you?  What will you implement?  Share your ideas in our comments and let me know if you have any questions.

Laura Rolands is the founder of LSR Coaching and Consulting, LLC. She is a coach whose passion is to support, lead and inspire independence and success for people who have either been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or who are facing other attention-related challenges. Her clients include individuals with attention-related challenges and/or their parents. If you have any questions or more suggestions to add, please visit her website at www.MyAttentionCoach.com.

Back to School Fun

By Jenna Riggs
Mommy on a Shoestring

Help your kids ease back into “school mode” with these family fun games and activities.

1. Go on an Alphabet Nature Hunt

Have you ever found a rock that looked like the letter U or perhaps noticed a cloud that resembled the letter S?  Put the power of observation to work by going on an alphabet nature hunt.  Grab the kids and a camera and walk around your neighborhood, park, or forest preserve looking for letters that appear in nature. You’ll be surprised how many letters you can find in flowers, rocks, twigs and grass.  Be sure to snap pictures of each letter until you have all 26, which can then be turned into a nature alphabet book and enjoyed all year long!

1. Play Delicious Dominoes

Review numbers and counting with a game that is extra sweet!

You will need:

• “Bean Sprouts Healthy Flour blend“ (½ cup whole wheat flour, ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, ¼ cup wheat germ, 1 tablespoon of ground flax meal)
• ¼ cup cocoa powdered
• ½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• White icing
• White chocolate chip cookies

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
• Add butter and stir until well combined.
• Add honey, water and vanilla and mix until dough is sticky.
• Press the dough on cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Roll out dough to ¼ inch thick.
• Use a butter knife to make 1 x 2 inch rectangles.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.  Allow time to cool.
• Once the cookies have cooled make your dominoes.  Use white icing to make a vertical line through the halfway point of each cookie.  Then add dots first with icing then with white chocolate chips.
• Let the games and eating begin!

This recipe comes courtesy of Shannon Seip and Kelly Parthen of Bean Sprouts Café.  To learn more about Bean Sprouts visit www.beansproutscafe.com

1. Make Edible Crayons

This recipe puts the old saying, “don’t eat the crayons” to rest.

Edible Crayons

You will need:

Pretzel rods

Colored Candy Melts (available at most craft stores and large grocery stores)

Crayon Paper Labels

Directions:

• Break pretzel rods in half.
• Melt candy melts (one color at a time) in the microwave on medium heat for about 1 minute. Stir and continue cooking at 15-second intervals until melted.
• Stir melted candy well and place in a small bowl.
• Working quickly, dip both ends of the pretzels in the melted candy and allow them to dry on waxed paper for a few hours.
• Print out crayon labels on colorful paper.
• Secure label around each crayon with double stick tape.

Thank you to Mandy at www.gourmetmomonthego.com for this wonderful recipe idea!

Jenna Riggs is a native Northwesterner, who went to sunny California to study graphic design at the University of the Pacific, spent some time in sunny Colorado, and eventually missed the rain and moved back. Jenna’s design and illustration work has been in almost every category of visual materials from children’s books to marketing pieces, identities to advertising, websites to annual reports, and children’s themed home products.

Jenna is also part of Mommy on a Shoestring with Beth Engelman, their website and weekly radio show are chocked full of ideas on how families can live creatively and large on a small budget.

Summer Structure: Maintaining Structure Helps Ease Transitions

Laura Rolands of My Attention Coach
When Summer arrives, structure often gets thrown away with all of the unusable school supplies.  I recommend that you do something different this year.  Consider maintaining structure in your family lives this Summer to help ease the transition back to school in the Fall.

When working with clients who have ADHD, I encourage them to identify the ways additional structure can help them.  Routine and structure can help develop positive habits to overcome some common ADHD challenges like disorganization and poor time management.  Likewise, you can benefit from looking at the ways that structure can help your family this Summer.  Especially if any of your children have ADHD, the structure help creates meaning and calm in a sometimes hectic world.

One way to create or maintain structure in your lives is to keep family time consistent with what you do during the school year.  If you have a regular family game night each week, keep it up this summer.  Perhaps you could switch to outside games instead of the traditional board games you have been playing.  Even though schedules may get a little hectic in the Summer, be sure to have at least one family meal together.  When dinner is not an option due to evening activities, plan breakfast together!  Lunch can even be fun if that works with Mom and Dad’s work schedules.

It is important to maintain a consistent bedtime for children during the Summer.  While the time may be later than during the school year, consistency is key.  Don’t get talked into midnight one day and feel like you need to get everyone in bed by 8 the next day because everyone had such a bad day due to lack of sleep.  Consistency now will mean an easier transition back to school.

Mornings are another key area where you should think about maintaining or creating structure.  If you don’t have a morning routine, developing one now will really help you get school off to a great start in the Fall.  Have your kids practice using an alarm clock to get out of bed rather than sleeping the day away.

Decide what structure you will maintain this summer and start implementing it today!  Enjoy your family time together!

Laura Rolands is the founder of LSR Coaching and Consulting, LLC. She is a coach whose passion is to support, lead and inspire independence and success for people who have either been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or who are facing other attention-related challenges. Her clients include individuals with attention-related challenges and/or their parents. If you have any questions or more suggestions to add, please visit her website at www.MyAttentionCoach.com .

5 Ways to Make Summer Memories Last

Mandi Ehman of Organizing Your Way

Summertime holds a million memory-making possibilities — from picnics and water balloon fights to beach vacations and camping trips — and offers an opportunity to break from the norm and just spend time together as a family. But it’s also easy to get so busy that we forget to just sit back and savor each of those moments and store them away where we’ll remember them for decades to come.

Here are five ideas for making your summer memories last beyond this summer — for you and your children:

1. Take pictures.
The most obvious way to capture your summer memories is with your camera. Take pictures of the special things you do as well as the everyday moments, and be sure to capture the places you go, the things you do and the people you spend time with as well. And most importantly? Hand the camera to someone else or use the timer to capture some pictures of yourself with your family as well.

2. Print the pictures out.
With the advent of digital technology, more of our pictures find a permanent home on our computer’s hard drive rather than in our home. While this allows us to capture a lot more moments than we would be able to with film, it’s important to take the time to print out some of your favorite pictures as well. Create a basket of loose pictures on your coffee table, send them as postcards to friends and family or add them to a standard photo album. To this day, I love to sit and flip through the photo albums from my childhood, even though I’ve seen the pictures a million times before!

3. Set aside time for journaling.
Share pictures and stories on your blog, start a summer scrapbook or record your thoughts in a classic journal, capturing the funny things your kids say, your new experiences together and the special moments you share as a family. Capturing those moments in words can add another layer to the pictures you may already be taking and also gives you a chance to sit and reflect on them so that they will hold a more permanent place in your memory.

4. Teach your kids to journal.
My 5-year-old daughter started journaling last year, even before she could write, as part of our first year of homeschooling, and it’s something I want to encourage her to do even more this summer and next year. Children as young as 4 or 5 can draw pictures of their favorite activities and memories, and you can add captions or record their stories until they’re able to do it on their own. Give each of your children a summer journal or create a family journal where you can all take turns sharing your thoughts and memories. Remember that it won’t be perfect, so don’t stress out about a crumpled page or a scribbled picture. In the end, it will be a treasury of memories that you’ll cherish!

5. Take video too.
Some summer memories were meant to be captured on video camera — zipping down a backyard slip-and-slide, splashing in the pool and singing songs around the campfire, just to name a few. If you have a video camera, make sure it’s in a place where you can quickly grab it (and where it will remind you to pick it up!) so that you can capture your children’s voices and energy as well as the still images.

Children grow up too fast, there are no guarantees in life and time is fleeting. We hear these cliches so often that they’re easy to brush aside, but they’re cliches because they’re true. Take time this summer to create and savor memories with your family!

What is your favorite way to capture summer memories?

Mandi Ehman is a work-at-home mom to four spunky little girls. She believes that organizing only lasts if you do it your way - to fit your needs, your preferences and your lifestyle - and she shares organizing and time management tips at Organizing Your Way.

Making the Most of Your Summer

Mandi Ehman of Organizing Your Way

When we think of summer, we often imagine lazy days spent by the pool side or a time to relax and just enjoy life, but any parent of young children will tell you that it’s not usually quite so picturesque. It takes a lot more work to create that picture-perfect afternoon at the pool then just showing up with kids in tow!

Here are five tips to help you make the most of your summer days so that you have more time and energy to enjoy it rather than running yourself ragged in the process:

1. Keep a written calendar.
Camps, special activities, family outings and vacations all compete for our time during the summer months. Add in church events, play dates and sports, and you can easily become overbooked and overwhelmed.

Keep a written calendar of every activity or event you have planned for the summer so that you can see when things start to get a little tight before it’s too late. My two favorite planning tools are the BusyBodyBook, which lets you divide your activities by person/subject in a vertical grid, and the Google calendar, where you can color code your appointments and events and also share your calendar with other people.

2. Keep a pool/park/play date bag packed and ready to go.
Rather than trying to throw everything you need into a bag as you head out the door, keep a bag packed with the basic essentials and ready to go all the time. No two families will have the exact same necessities list, but consider things like sunscreen, towels, swimsuits, a hair brush and ponytails, snacks, water bottles, diapers, changes of clothing, or whatever you need for your favorite destinations.

When you come home, make sure you bring the bag inside with you and restock any items that you’ve used up during your outing so that it will be ready the next time you hit the road!

3. Look for easy to prepare meals and snacks.
Instead of planning meals that involve a lot of preparation time and heat up your kitchen in the process, plan easy menus with a variety of crockpot meals, salads, sandwiches and grilling out. You may also want to spend a few hours one weekend stocking your freezer to make sure you have dinner on hand even on busy days, which is a huge time and money saver.

Keep easy, healthy snacks on hand too. Our favorites on a hot summer day include frozen grapes and blueberries and homemade smoothie popsicles.

4. Plan rainy day activities.
Plan ahead for the days when you’re stuck at home because of the weather or just because you need a chance to unwind and relax after a busy week. Studies show that boredom can be a valuable part of child development because it teaches kids to use their imagination and creativity, but too much boredom can backfire.

For older children, rainy day activities can be as simple as setting a box full of craft supplies on the kitchen table and letting them create their own project. Younger kids may need a little more guidance, and you can put together craft packs in envelopes or sandwich bags ahead of time and simply pull them out as needed. Create an “I’m Bored” jar full of ideas for lazy afternoons or rainy days at home. Include things like reading a chapter book together, baking cookies for the neighbors or building a blanket fort.

5. Remember that it’s okay to say no!
I don’t know about you, but there are so many things I want to pack into our summer – going to a baseball game as a family, picking strawberries, taking my girls fishing, going on vacation, visiting different museums, meeting up with old friends, going on our first camping trip, visiting family, and on and on – that it’s impossible to do it all.

Remember that it’s okay to leave some things for another season or another year, and you don’t have to accept every invitation or opportunity that comes your way. Stuffing too much into your summer can backfire and leave everyone exhausted and unappreciative, so take a step back and evaluate which things will really help create memories and bonds between you and your kids and politely decline the rest!

What’s on your agenda for summer?

Mandi Ehman is a work-at-home mom to four spunky little girls. She believes that organizing only lasts if you do it your way - to fit your needs, your preferences and your lifestyle - and she shares organizing and time management tips at Organizing Your Way.

Summer Vacation Plans - Plan Them Early

Laura Rolands of My Attention Coach

As an ADHD Coach, I enjoy working with my student clients to develop plans for their summer.  Developing plans for your children and your whole family will help everyone have a fun and productive summer, whether ADHD is present or not.  As you probably already know, we need to keep our kids physically and mentally active over the summer to ensure they do not lose the learning they gained during the last school year.  I am happy to share some strategies below to help keep your summer productive.

Teacher Input
First on the agenda is to meet with or at least email your child’s current teachers and/or guidance counselors.  Especially if you son or daughter is going to a new school next year, it is important to gather feedback before the school year ends.  Before plan what you would like to discuss.  I recommend asking which strategies have worked with your child this school year and asking what the current teachers would like to share with next year’s teachers.  They may already communicate this verbally or in a written report, but this is good information for you to have.  You can also ask what activities they suggest for your child over the summer.  Think about how you will consolidate the information you receive and decide how to communicate with next year’s teachers.

Discuss with your Children
Next on the agenda is to sit and talk with each of your children.  There are a few key questions I recommend asking your child - be sure to actively listen to his or her answers.  Start with areas of pride.  What makes your child the most proud as he or she  reflects on the current school year?  Discuss the strengths behind the pride, and help your child discover strengths that they may not realize they have.  What goals do they have for the summer?  There might be more goals than simple relaxation!  How does your son or daughter envision achieving the goals?  Discuss the feedback you received from his or her teachers.  Do you and your child agree with the feedback?  How can it help with planning for the summer and next school year.  What would they like to make sure that their teachers next year know about him or her?  Discuss your expectations and make a plan for how they will keep their brains and bodies active this summer.

You!
Don’t forget to look at your personal and family goals for the summer.  How can you, your spouse and and your children work together on some family goals?  Plan your calendar as a family.  When are vacations, camps and busy work weeks?  Use my Summer Vacation 2010 calendar as a way to look at your summer-at-a-glance.  This can be a great supplement to all the great calendars and planners available here on Families With Purpose!  Taking some time to plan now, before Summer Vacation can help you have a more productive and relaxing vacation.  How will you prepare for Summer this year?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Laura Rolands is the founder of LSR Coaching and Consulting, LLC. She is a coach whose passion is to support, lead and inspire independence and success for people who have either been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or who are facing other attention-related challenges. Her clients include individuals with attention-related challenges and/or their parents. If you have any questions or more suggestions to add, please visit her website at www.MyAttentionCoach.com.

Spring Cleaning for Any Schedule

By Mandi Ehman of Organizing Your Way

Spring is in the air!  If you’re feeling the itch to spring clean but aren’t sure where to start, use this checklist to decide whether you’ll tackle just the basics, go a little deeper or do a full deep cleaning:

Just the Basics
•    Clean out the refrigerator, pantry & spice cabinet
•    Clean the oven and microwave
•    Discard expired medicines and cosmetics
•    Declutter the surfaces in your home
•    Scrub the bathrooms
•    Rotate seasonal clothing
•    Switch out the winter gear for warm weather gear
•    Clean out the fireplace
•    Archive or shred files from 2009 to make room for 2010’s
•    Weed your garden

A Little Deeper
•    Wash the windows, inside and out
•    Wipe down blinds and shades
•    Wipe the baseboards and doorjambs you can see and easily get to
•    Dust/vacuum behind & under furniture
•    Clear off shelves to dust them
•    Dust ceiling fans, corners and ceilings
•    Dust electronics
•    Wipe out kitchen cabinets
•    Clean the refrigerator shelves, drawers, etc.
•    Reseal or treat granite or butcher block counters
•    Empty out and declutter cabinets, closets and drawers
•    Sort through toys and electronics and make a yard sale or giveaway pile
•    Scrub outdoor furniture
•    Clean out gutters and spouts

Deep Cleaning
•    Clean the window tracks
•    Wash curtains and window treatments
•    Wipe all baseboards and doorjambs
•    Clean the top of cabinets and appliances
•    Polish metal hardware on cabinets and drawers
•    Clean and treat wood furniture
•    Steam clean carpets
•    Declutter and reorganize your “hidden” storage (in the basement, attic, garage or shed)
•    Powerwash decks and porches
•    Wash the garage floor

If you have young children or are in a particularly busy season of life, stick to the basics and don’t feel guilty about the things that won’t get done this year. Yes, there is value in deep cleaning your home and getting a fresh start each year, but it’s not worth stressing over if it’s not a realistic goal for your family.

What spring cleaning tasks are on your to-do list?

Mandi Ehman is a work-at-home mom to four spunky little girls. She believes that organizing only lasts if you do it your way - to fit your needs, your preferences and your lifestyle - and she shares organizing and time management tips at Organizing Your Way.

My Top Four Reasons to Exercise

By: Laura Rolands of My Attention Coach

Spring is finally here!  The recent good weather in Michigan inspired me to write about getting more exercise for this month’s article.  Sure, you can exercise indoors and I have friends who run outside all year, but there is nothing like getting outside for some exercise in the fresh spring air.  It is so invigorating!

While I traditionally thought about exercise from the traditional “I need to lose a few pounds” perspective, I recently began reflect on other benefits.  Here are my top four.

ADHD Help

As physician and author, John Ratey, M.D. writes, increasing your exercise can help to increase the brain’s norepinephrine and dopamine neurotransmitter levels.  Increasing these neurotransmitters can help increase attention levels for both children and adults.  For me as an Attention and ADHD Coach, this reason alone gets me excited to start moving more!  Exercise is a great way to complement the many other things you can do to improve ADHD symptoms.  (see http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/print/3280.html for more information)

Family Time

There is nothing better than being outside and exercising with my family.  Whether we are riding bikes, playing soccer or going for a walk, we make great memories every time.  Your kids are more likely to get away from those video games if they have a fun alternative.  Find something they love to do and exercise will seem like less work.

General Health

Even if you do not have a goal of losing weight, building the habit of exercise is important for countless reasons.  The website www.letsmove.gov tells us that if kids get at least 60 minutes of exercise each day they are more likely to have a healthy weight in adulthood.  This is so much easier when we can get outside.  What is your child’s favorite way to get their 60 minutes?

Energy

Regular exercise can provide more energy even when you are not exercising.  In our busy world that asks so much of children, a natural way to increase their energy is an excellent benefit.  Sometimes it seems counter-intuitive though.  I often feel that I am too busy to exercise when work and life in general get so busy.  The great weather reminds me that I am too busy skip exercising!  I’m so grateful I can do more of it outside now.

The benefits are countless really.  I hope my top four reasons get you motivated to start moving as we move into Spring.  I’ll be looking for more ways to get my family moving.  Share your ideas and reasons with us here!  I would love to hear from you.

Laura Rolands is the founder of LSR Coaching and Consulting, LLC. She is a coach whose passion is to support, lead and inspire independence and success for people who have either been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD or who are facing other attention-related challenges. Her clients include individuals with attention-related challenges and/or their parents. If you have any questions or more suggestions to add, please visit her website at www.MyAttentionCoach.com .

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