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Content by Audrey Rider

young boy washing hands at a sink in a classroom.

Helping Children Learn Responsibility

Teaching children responsibility should start at a young age but is something that you have to keep working on throughout childhood. I am working with my 10-and-5-year-old girls to become more responsible for their school work and daily tasks throughout the day so I don’t need to be a broken record each day.

family gathered around an emergency weather radio

Helping Kids Cope and Understand Disasters/Flooding

South Dakota and many of our neighboring states are experiencing flooding and natural disasters. How children experience traumatic events and how they express their lingering distress depends, in large part, on the children's age and level of development.

two children resting in bed

Getting Kids Into Healthy Sleep Habits

It is important for children to get their recommended hours of sleep each night, but good sleep quality is also essential.

child enjoying whole wheat crackers and cheese

Healthy After-School Snacks & Activities

As my girls need healthy after-school snacks, I am working on trying to have easy nutritious snacks to hold them over until dinnertime and have fun activities to keep them busy when they get home off the bus.

A family enjoying dinner together.

Spending More Time With Your Child When Life is Busy!

Children need high-quality and truly “connected time” with their parents to feel supported and help develop those social and emotional skills that come with interactions and modeling.

A small group of children at daycare.

Choosing the Right Child Care

Finding a place/provider that will help be a “second parent” and have a major impact on raising your child can be frustrating and challenging at times. I want to give you a few steps to use when starting the search and offer resources to help find quality childcare for your child.

A father reading a book with his young daughter.

Make Reading Aloud Fun And Routine

Reading aloud is one of the most important things parents and teachers can do with children.

Stacks of children's clothing ready for donation.

Cleaning Out Your Closets: Donate to kids to help build creativity

If you have things you are unsure what to do with and don’t want to just throw them away, think about contacting daycares, preschools, or churches to see if they could use some of the items for their play areas or to make toys/projects for their kids.