At this time of year it seems we experience more stress than at other times. I found the following strategies for handling stress in Scientific Mind Magazine to be helpful reminders:
1.Identify stressors and find ways to reduce or eliminate them.
2. Commit to the positive- Find positive ways to relieve stress,such as exercise,yoga, or hanging out with friends.Avoid any self destructive ways such as drinking or overeating.
3. Keep Lists- people who keep lists of things to do really do more things. So use your smartphone or write it down. Going to the supermarket or getting that shopping done is easier with a list!
4. Immunize yourself- Through exercise and daily relaxation you will be in a better position to deal with stress. Lion tamers manage to remain calm when working with lions, after all.
5. Plan your day- take a few minutes each morning to plan your day. You will waste less time, get more done, and feel less stress.
6. Plan you weeks and months- Planning your future is a great way to execise more control over your life. The more control you have, the less stess you will feel.
Have a wonderful and stress free Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation are coming soon and board games are a great way for families to spend time together. Games teach turn taking and some involve counting, money, and using stratgey. It is a great way to teach social skills, also. Some of the top ten classic board games for children include:
1. Clue- Ages 9+
2. Scrabble- Ages 8+
3. Sorry- Ages 6+
4. Chinese Checkers- Ages 5+
5. Chutes and Ladders- Ages 4+
6. Game of Life- Ages 8+
7. Chess
8. Monopoly- Ages 8+ (There are new tokens and properties such as the Houston Space Center and Nashville's Grand Ole Opry)
9. Twister- Ages 6+ (include some movement in the day)
10. Candy Land - Ages 3+

There are many things children learn in school and one is how to count money. However, there are so many other things they need to know.
1. Save for a rainy day
From the time children are old enough to want to buy toys, books, clothes, they should be learning how to save for them. An allowance is a good tool to help with this. They may want something that costs $50.00 and they get $5.00 a week. It then becomes a choice whether they will spend on less expensive items or will save for that big ticket item in the future. Your child may find that immediate desires pass but the satisfaction that comes from saving money last indefinitely.

2. Work hard for your money
Help your child make the connection that money isn't something freely given, but it is earned through hard work. If you choose to give an allowance each week, it may be tied to chores they do around the house so they can learn that if work is not done, there is no financial reward. Age appropriate chores and rewards are key. Younger kids can help with simple things like setting the table, where doing the job well is not as important as seeing the job through. Older kids can take on harder jobs, such as cleaning their room, doing the dishes, or mowing the lawn, in exchange for greater compensation. You may even encourage them to begin offering their services around the neighborhood.

3. Understand a budget
Young children don't realize that Mom and Dad have a limited amount of money to spend each month. But learning what a budget is and why you need one is a very important lesson for them to learn. You can even use Monopoly money to help them see how much money is spent each month on food, bills, the house, savings, charitable organizations, etc. It is important for them to have a broad sense of how adults divide up their money each month. Encourage your child to start a budget of their own. Part of their allowance could go to savings, charity, and some for fun. Help your child identify what he/she values and budget his money accordingly.

4.The Power of Compound Interest
An easy way to teach compound interest is to put a penny on one side of a table, to represent an account bearing compound interest, and a dime on the other side of the table to represent an account bearing simple interest. Ask your child which will grow to a dollar in fewer steps: the penny, if you double it at each step, or the dime, if you add an additional ten cents at each step. The penny, presenting compound interest, will have grown to $1.28 by the eighth step. The dime has become only 80 cents and the difference will continue to widen. What starts out as a little bit of interest will, given enough time, eventually become an enormous amount. The earlier you start saving, the better.

5. Beware of Credit
Children need to learn at an early age that credit cards are not free money. You can give age appropriate lessons in how credit works.
If they want an item that costs $20, agree to lend them the money under the following terms:
*There is a grace period of one week, after which the interest will start to accrue
*The interest rate is 20% each week
*The minimum payment is $5 (or whatever his/her allowance is)
If your child only pays the minimum, she will end up paying $10.13 more for the $20.00 item over a seven week time period and sap their allowance each week. This is sad but not much different than what happens from credit card companies.

Adjust any of these lessons to suit your child's age and circumstances. Teaching your child about money and how it works will pay off now and later!

Taken in part from FamilyEducation.com

Cognitive exercises have been found to produce changes in the function of the brain. Here are some games that not only produce those desired changes but also provide hours of fun for the ADHD child and his/her family.

**Crossword puzzles and picture puzzles are good examples of a technique that will aid in teaching your child to sit in a chair without much movement. The child's concentration level will be at a high level and he/she will not realize how long they have been sitting. Time the length of concentration. Ask the child why he/she feels that they were able to sit appropriately for such a length of time. Feel free as a parent or teacher to sit with the child and prompt the child on words for the crossword or find the words in a dictionary for them. On picture puzzles teach the child to refer back to the picture of the puzzle often. Most important is to make sure that the crossword puzzle or picture puzzle is age appropriate. One might start with a super easy puzzle and work toward harder ones as concentration begins to lengthen. Also, choose puzzles that you know the child will really be interested in. Allow them to chose picture puzzles, but you make the final decision on difficulty. When the child has accomplished the goal, put the results on display!

**Memory and Concentration games such as "Memory" or "Simon" are great for improving both memory and concentration. Both are quick and easy to play. In "Memory", the child must remember the location of picture squares (or word squares). In "Simon", the child must memorize sequences of visual and auditory stimuli. Both games cause brain circuits to be exercised and to be challenged. This strengthens connections and improves function. The parent or teacher serves as the "brain coach." Work with the child giving them encouragement. Tell them the progress being made as the child plays. Let them know they are improving. Playing games with your child also strengthens your relationship with your child.

** The coin game calls for a pocket full of change (in all denominations), a small sheet of cardboard, and a watch with a second hand. Ready, Set, Go!
Please 5 of the coins on the table (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars). Place the coins in a sequence, perhaps 2 pennies, 2 nickels, and 1 dime.
Tell the child to look closely at the coins and to notice how the coins are arranged on the table. Now cover the coins with the cardboard.
Place a pile of coins in front of the child. Tell the child that he/she is to choose the same coins from the new pile and place them in the same sequence of the covered coins. Start timing!
When the child is finished, mark the time used and whether of not the child was correct. If the child wasn't correct, ask that he/she repeat the procedure until the sequence is correct.
Increase the difficulty of the patterns as you progress. The child's concentration and sequencing will improve the more they play. Do these exercises with your child. You will have fun and so will your child!Have fun!