October 2022

Why Exploring A Corn Maze Should Top Your Family Activity List

As fall family activities start filling your social calendar, consider one of the most popular—a corn maze! Heading out to the field and having fun navigating the twists and turns is a great way to spend an afternoon with your kids, but did you know that there are benefits beyond just the excitement?

Here are just a few of the reasons why taking your kids to the corn maze can turn your family fun into a real developmental benefit for your children.

Give Your Kids a Chance to Fail—and Then Succeed

Anyone who’s made it through a corn maze knows that the risk of failure along the way is high—you’re bound to take at least one wrong turn! Believe it or not, an activity with built-in chances to fail is a great way to help your kids get comfortable with the idea of failing, trying again, and ultimately succeeding. In an era where many kids aren’t given space to practice being resilient in the face of failure, it’s more important than ever for parents to find opportunities to let their children work through obstacles. Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure, echoes this idea in her description of a fundamental goal for today’s parents:

“What parenting practice can help our children acquire the skills, values and virtues on which a positive sense of self is built? Parenting for autonomy. Parenting for independence and a sense of self, borne out of real competence, not misguided confidence. Parenting for resilience in the face of mistakes and failures.”

When families face failure together, the parents and older children are modeling resilience and persistence for the younger kids. When Mom takes a wrong turn and doesn’t let her disappointment and frustration end the activity, the kids can learn to similarly turn their setbacks into successes. To make the most of this opportunity, let your kids take the lead through the maze. Comment as neutrally as possible when they inevitably take a wrong turn, and join in their sense of accomplishment when they make it to the end!

Improve Spatial Awareness and Directional Skills

We all know adults (maybe even ourselves!) who aren’t good with directions like east and south, but spatial and directional awareness are skills that go far beyond being able to “head north for 5 miles.” Understanding where your body is in relation to the space around it and knowing how to use your muscles to navigate that space are the skills that professionals call spatial awareness and proprioception. These skills are crucial for navigating location, movement, personal space, reading and writing, and mathematics.

The best way to help kids improve their spatial awareness and directional skills is through play! When you head to a corn maze, use the opportunity to let your children meander and explore as they see fit, then pepper in some directional ideas to give them a challenge, such as, “How about we turn left after about two more body lengths?” Plus, the entire corn maze experience is building those spatial skills. So, if your toddler walks headfirst into a corn wall, don’t sweat it; just remember that they’re still practicing their proprioception and spatial awareness!

Make Movement Fun

Physical activity and movement are crucial for kids of all ages, so finding ways to make movement fun and natural is essential. Getting outside and spending family time doing something physical is an excellent way to show your children that moving your body feels good and is a priority for your family. Don’t shy away from being creative as you navigate the corn maze—you can incorporate lots of fun movement play that will help strengthen muscles and bones and provide some aerobic activity. For example, have your kids hop like bunnies down one row and then crab walk up another, or set up a race among older kids to see who can run towards the exit the fastest.

Share Laughter, Success, and Bonding

One of the biggest reasons to spend time in a corn maze together as a family is the shared bond you’ll develop in the process. Laughing at spontaneous jokes, celebrating together as you reach the end, and recounting your journey are all ways to strengthen your family’s bond. That bond, in turn, can help kids learn how to navigate social situations, improve academic performance, and encourage better behavior.

As you head out to a corn maze this season, remember to give your kids an opportunity for strengthening skills in the process. Most of all, relax, have fun, and enjoy the laughter!

October is "Family History Month"!

Since 2001, October has been observed as “Family History Month” – an opportunity for individuals to improve their genealogy skills, find out about new resources and meet others who share your passion for the past! It’s also a great time for families to sit down together and honor the stories that enrich their family tree.

Most children will learn to appreciate their family history if you turn it into a detective game. Start your children or grandchildren on a lifelong journey of discovery by introducing them to genealogy. Take a look below for some wonderful projects to do with your children this month.

6 Activities to Help you Celebrate your Family History

1. Go through old photos

It’s so important to share stories of our older generations – see if you know (or can find out) who is in the pictures, where they were taken, and what story is there to be shared. Sit down with some photos and your little one and see what stories you can share with them about the family!

2. Make a Family Tree

Here’s a fun Tigger Movie to watch with your youngster, and a range of templates for for creating your family tree, from trees including extended and adopted families, to blended and same-sex families: Family Tree Templates.

3. Visit cemeteries

If you know where family members are buried, visit their memorials. Take rubbings of their tombstones. See if you can find the oldest one. Did they have any neat things on their epitaphs? If your ancestors aren’t buried near you, check out the website FindAGrave.com – where you can see or request tombstones from other graveyards. You can even help other people by taking pictures of requested cemeteries near you.

5. Create a family cookbook

Contact your parents, grandparents, and others from the family – ask them to send you a few of their favorite family recipes, with a story about each dish, where or who it was handed down from, why it is a family favorite, and when it was traditionally eaten (Christmas, family reunions, etc.)….and try out some of the recipes with your little one!

6. Find out what your family surname means

The roots of your family name can be a great family activity. And, we would encourage you to take a look at the maiden names of the women in your family as well! Here’s a link to get you started: https://www.surnamedb.com/

Enjoy the Process!

COOL RESOURCE

 Ancestry for Kids 3 – Family Tree Scrapbook Kit  - By Karen Foster

UPCOMING EVENTS

What you will learn:

• What is Positive Parenting and Positive Discipline?
• The 5 Criteria for Positive Discipline 
• Where we are & where we want to go with our children and learn the most important parenting tool! 
• Positive Discipline Tool Exploration 
• How you can learn more! 

This class is interactive and experiential. Please be prepared to participate. I will send you an email prior to class with useful tools and tips as well as material for our activities.