• Pre-homework playtime. If your child attends a traditional school, they need time to do something light and free before jumping into homework. Let them come up with ideas of what they’ll do—that will give them something to look forward to during the structured experience of school.
• Homework jumping. Allow them to jump from one activity to another. That’s how their brain works anyway. Extra movement of things going on in the background is actually helpful for them because it allows them to disconnect from their homework and then connect again.

• Planned routine (one that they plan). These children do best when they have a plan that they have made themselves. Which steps will they follow to get things done? You can ask this very young (5 or 6 years old) as Type 2 children are already thinking this way.
• Invitation to connect. Type 2 children often want their parents to recognize the work they’re doing without knowing how to ask for it. Take a second to connect with them while they’re working and invite them to share with you.

• Help them see the point of it. These children will do homework when they see the point. If they don’t see it, they’ll try to get around it somehow. They’ll pick the grade they want and do as much as they have to do to get it done. Help them see the practical purpose.
• Make homework part of the extracurricular fund. Money is a great motivator in the Type 3 world. If you plan to pay for extracurricular activities, you could attach a monetary value to finishing homework and that money goes to a sport or lesson they really want. You’ll be spending the money anyway and they’ll enjoy the feeling of accomplishment as they work toward an activity they really want.

• The respectful phrase. These children feel offended when you tell them what to do because they’re aware of their responsibilities. Try this phrase: “Looks like you’re doing great. Let me know if you need help.” Let them come to you, which they will if they think they need help.
• Ownership of a space. Set aside one consistent place that they can take ownership of at the same time every day to do their homework—not the kitchen table. If possible, get them their own desk or a place that’s separate from where everyone is moving around.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.

1-800-273-8255

 Sprout Foods, the largest independent infant nutrition company, today announced the launch of “Eat & Sing with Sophie Sprout,” an Amazon Alexa skill that helps parents make eating healthy foods more fun for their kids. Thanks to Sprout’s new Amazon audio skill, parents can now ask for songs and sounds that help make mealtime engaging and exciting for babies and toddlers, without the use of screens on smartphones and tablets.

The skill, which works with Amazon’s Echo and Dot, features three different modes, each designed to support parents’ efforts to get their children to eat healthy foods and to occupy kids during mealtime with fun, food-centric edutainment. Parents and children simply open the skill by asking Alexa to launch Sophie Sprout, then choose from three different options:

• Songs offers nine, upbeat, kid-friendly songs, each featuring a different musical style and healthy food focus. Play songs about fruits and vegetables, like Blueberries or Butternut Squash, or the Color Song that teaches children about vibrant foods, like yellow bananas and green peas.

• Mealtime Adventures features fun sound effects, including the traditional train and flying airplane, to get food from the spoon to your little one’s mouth.

• Eat a Pouch with Sophie encourages children to take sips of their Sprout organic food pouches.

The “Eat & Sing with Sophie Sprout” skill supports Sprout’s commitment of delivering healthy, organic foods to families across the United States, and to educating parents on the nutritious food options they can introduce into their baby’s diet. With over 50 SKUs in its current portfolio, Sprout is the only brand that has pledged to formulate its baby and toddler puree products with only certified organic, non-GMO whole foods, no concentrates, preservatives, fillers or thickeners. And unlike other baby food brands that use added chemical fortification in their purees, Sprout delivers nutrition only from the organic food source, and never uses any additives or anything artificial. 

Sprout, the fastest growing organic baby food brand in the U.S., is recognized as leading the plant-powered movement in infant nutrition, with the largest assortment of vegetable-leading purees and snacks. Sprout’s new Amazon Alexa skill, narrated by Sophie, a friendly talking plant, helps introduce children to healthy plant-based foods and encourages them to eat their vegetables and beans.

According to Amazon, audio skills for kids are the fastest growing category of skills for its voice assistant Alexa. The retail giant currently offers hundreds of kid-targeted voice skills in the United States and recently hosted a contest for children’s skill developers. Sprout’s Sophie Sprout skill capitalizes on this trend while providing invaluable support to parents looking to instill healthy eating habits early on.

The Eat & Sing with Sophie Sprout Alexa skill is free to all users and requires no registration. 


About Sprout Foods

Sprout® provides premium organic foods and snacks for babies and toddlers that help parents raise healthy, adventurous eaters. With a broad range of choices including only USDA certified organic, non-GMO ingredients and a mix of whole fruits, vegetables and grains, Sprout’s products are designed to expand baby’s palate beyond sweet and establish a love of nutritious foods early on. Founded in 2008, the independent company is at the forefront of innovation in organic infant nutrition and is committed to re-imagining healthy eating for modern families. For more information on Sprout®, the Sophie Sprout app, and Sprout products, visit http://www.sproutorganicfoods.com

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