What Social Media Sites Are a “Must Have” for My Business?

One of the most overwhelming things about doing business today is social media. 

Our kids dream of spending all day on their social media favorites — currently Instagram and Snapchat for most — and while we fight against that, if you’re a small business owner it’s certainly easy to see how keeping up on social media could take all day.

Whether you have a business and are struggling to keep up with your social media efforts to promote your business, or you’d like to have a business but can’t help but notice how successful businesses seem to “be everywhere” on social media, we have some good news for you today.

The Evolution of Social Media

When social media first arrived on the scene, those in the business world called it Web 2.0, and the internet was all abuzz about how this new phenomenon would change the way we do business.

Having your audience all gather in one place where you could get their attention for free was certainly a small business owner’s dream. 

Larger companies paid thousands and millions to get in front of these same audiences for just a few seconds, and here they were now on places like MySpace and Facebook and you could “friend” them and set up free business pages to do free advertising when they logged on to these places, which they were doing more and more frequently with each passing day.

It was almost too good to be true, and in many ways has become too good to be true.

The problem is simple: there are just too many social media networks vying for our attention.

And, too many advertisers (a.k.a. businesses of all sizes) vying for the attention of the consumers that use those networks.

How You Think Your Business Needs to Use Social Media

Popular advice from the “experts” on using social media for your business goes like this.

You need to post multiple times a day, so you’ll need to create a piece of content to post every day, and find other things to share that your audience will appreciate.

And you need to get this content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and maybe even SnapChat.

And don’t forget the riches you can find on Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and the ever-growing list of newcomers like Rutube.

Of course each social media platform is different, so doing all of this will require you to write content, create graphics, and even learn how to make and post videos.

At the end of the day, you’ll have no time to actually provide your service or product, do any admin work in your business, or create any new products or services.

And perhaps most importantly, you’ll have set yourself up for an 80 hour a week “job” that will make an ordinary full time job look like kids play.

Not at all what you pictured when you dreamed of having your own business, huh?

How Your Business Actually Needs to Use Social Media

Fortunately, making this your social media strategy is just silliness and totally unnecessary for your success.

To answer the burning question of which social networks are “must haves” for business owners — none of them.

Yes, like all things business, there is no magic social media formula that’s going to bring you success.

The one thing we do know is that trying to be on all of them will most certainly not bring you the success you’re looking for.

For starters, pick two places to focus on. 

Which two? The two you like the best and get most interaction from your audience with. 

Yes, social media for your business is work, but it should also be fun. Your audience will likely be able to tell if you’re drudgingly creating stuff to post there every day, and your interactions will suffer. 

Eventually you’ll quit, likely sooner rather than later.

Which two you’ll pick may be obvious to you, or you may have to spend a little time looking at where your audience is and testing similar posts in different places to see where you’re getting the most interaction with people.

Start by taking a breath, letting go of some of those places you thought you had to be, and posting consistently in your two “happy spots.” And yes, once a day qualifies as consistently.

What to Do Next

Whether you’re struggling to meet your definition of “keeping up” on social media, or hesitating to get started with your business because it feels like jumping into a huge vat of quicksand, you should now have a better perspective of what it really takes to be successful with social media. 

Choose your networks, make your plan, and stick with it. 

If you have places where you’re currently active that you’ve decided to pull back on, make sure to invite your audience to join you the places you’ve decided to focus on. 

Be honest and tell people that’s where you have most fun and will be sharing your best stuff.

And remember, your social media can grow as your business does. 

You may have noticed that Kids Party Characters is active on several social media channels. 

But remember, owner Cheryl Jacobs is an experienced entrepreneur who’s grown her business to six figures, has had a hand in starting 10 different businesses, and has the resources to have a team working with her to spread the Kids Party Characters messages.

You’ll get there too! 

And you don’t have to kill yourself on social media 24/7 to do it.

If you want more help, schedule a chat with Cheryl right here and she’ll tell you about an opportunity to mentor with her.

Cheryl’s taken her passion for helping other moms and created a membership opportunity with Kids Party Characters that cuts down the learning curve when it comes to starting your own business.

Membership includes your very own Kids Party Characters business with an exclusive territory in which to book parties, access to our 200+ costumes, casting director, and acting coach, as well as step-by-step training from Cheryl on how to set up your business for success.

Get all the details on your free, no-pressure chat with Cheryl, and learn more about Kids Party Characters by connecting with us on Facebook for daily updates about the magic we bring to children’s parties.

Does Santa Claus Favor the Wealthy?

As you probably know, Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, isn’t totally a fictional character who was born and lives at the North Pole. 

Although he may bear little resemblance to the original, the “real life” Santa Claus was a Greek bishop named St. Nicholas who lived in the third and fourth centuries in the country now known as Turkey.

Who cares about the origins of our jolly gift-bearing friend (probably not your kids), and why should we care?

The history of St. Nicholas and his transition to our modern day Santa Claus is increasingly important in our materialistic world that sees children requesting $400 hoverboards and video game systems from  this jolly old man who has the magical ability to construct such things in his workshop without regard to cost.

Mom can’t afford it? No problem, send it off in your letter to Santa, he’s got your back.

As parents we see the obvious flaw in this logic, but how do we navigate this with our kids without spoiling the magic of Christmas focus on what Santa will bring?

One option certainly is to teach your child from the beginning that Santa is a fun story, but in reality, mom/dad are the ones paying for all those “Santa” gifts under the tree.

Of course that option won’t appeal to many parents, and there is something to be said for allowing our kids to be kids and live in the land of make believe for as long as possible.

There are two potential problems with the Santa Claus myth that we’ll tackle today. First is the possibility of unreasonable expectations from your own child. 

Second is the risk that some children may be left feeling they must have been naughty rather than nice when they compare their loot with that of their peers.

How Did St. Nicholas Become a Gift-Giver?

Knowing the history of St. Nicholas may help you explain to your kids that the purpose of Santa Claus is not just to grant their every wish.

A fierce defender of church doctrine, St. Nicholas was the subject of much persecution and become associated with many miracles that led to his reputation as protector of the disadvantaged, including orphans and prisoners.

Two stories from St. Nicholas’ life led to his reputation as a bringer of gifts.

In the first, St. Nicholas is said to have saved three young girls from a life of prostitution by secretly delivering three bags of gold to their father for use as their dowries.

Another story tells of St. Nicholas entering an inn where three young boys had been murdered. Sensing the crime, St. Nicholas resurrected the young victims, earning him the title of patron saint of children.

Okay, neither of these stories is too appropriate for retelling to your children, but you can turn them into “kid-friendly” versions and talk about how St. Nicholas miraculously saved children, and gave their families money to keep them together and happy.

Painting Santa as a version of a real-life saint whose purpose was to help those in need can reframe him from the magical genie who exists to grant their every wish, as he is basically portrayed modern day. 

Santa Traditions in Your House

In addition to giving your children a fresh look at who Santa really is through stories of his history, it also helps to establish traditions around Santa Claus that don’t involve just receiving gifts. 

They may not even realize it, but kids enjoy experiences as much if not more than they do things.

Your kids will enjoy a yearly ritual of  helping to bake the cookies for Santa, or whatever your tradition is in preparation for his arrival.

They may want to do handmade gifts to leave him and the reindeer, or string popcorn together to make a path directing Santa from his entry point to the tree.

Let your kids use their imagination, and make Santa more about the experience of having a special, secret, unseen visitor, than about loading up on more toys than they’ll ever play with.

Choose Your Santa Gifts Carefully

So what happens when Santa brings your little Johnny a $1000 iPhone and his friend Sally gets clothes and socks from Santa?

Or when the tables are turned and it’s your house that Santa’s “stiffed?” 

Unfortunately you don’t control this in other households, so you may be left explaining that Johnny’s parents contributed to what was made out to be a “Santa” gift.

But you can do your part to curb any disappointments or feelings of being left out by making sure your Santa gifts aren’t the really good stuff.

If you are going to “go big” with some of your gifts, make those are from you and let Santa pick up the slack with smaller stuff.

This approach not only helps protect other children who are less fortunate or whose parents make different choices, it also lets your children appreciate how hard you’ve worked to provide them with something nice and special.

The Moral of the Story

There’s no right or wrong when it comes to the choices that you make. The important thing is just that you make conscious, informed choices.

Don’t let yourself get lost in the magic of the jolly old fat man with his bulging sack of gifts. Reality is much different, and the message you let the Santa experience send your child is important.

And as the Grinch discovered, maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!

Connect with Kids Party Characters

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to connect with Kids Party Characters on Facebook for daily updates that include our best tips for raising happy and healthy kids.

And whenever your next party is, head to KidsPartyCharacters.com today to take advantage of our 15% discount, or upgrade to the next level party package, when you put down your deposit this year.

Even if your party isn’t until next summer, you’ll lock in your 15% discount or higher package by putting down your deposit today at KidsPartyCharacters.com.

How to Quickly and Effectively Reduce Stress

Making everyone happy over the holidays can produce as much stress as it does joy, especially for mom. 

The kids are out of school for about two weeks, which means that in addition to making Christmas and New Years Eve and Day perfect, you’ve got to figure out how to keep them entertained while you’re in the midst of holiday preparations.

Even for those who really enjoy the holidays, it’s inevitable that you, your partner, and your kids are going to endure times of stress along the road to those delightful celebrations.

Since there's no time now to sign up for a yoga class or read a book on how to meditate, we’re going to explore a simple, yet really powerful way to reduce any stress you find yourself having over the holidays and going forward into the new year.

Even better, the techniques we’re going to learn today can be used by even our youngest kids when they find themselves stressed out by the burdens of childhood.

The Magic of Breathing

The answer to quick and effective stress relief is to breathe, believe it or not.

If you’re thinking that sounds a little ridiculous, seeing that you’re clearly breathing constantly yet still have moments of stress, keep reading.

The key is in how you breathe when you’re stressed.

The cure lies in taking a time out and being conscious of how you’re breathing.

We’ll cover a few specific techniques in a minute, but first let’s talk about why this works. 

If you’re skeptical, you might be happy to learn that it’s not just readjusting your mindset, but that there’s a science-based reason for breathing to cure your stress.

When you’re stressed, you breathe quicker, your heart begins to race, and your blood pressure rises.

When you make a conscious effort to breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to relax and become calm. 

Your brain conveys these instructions to your body, and your body returns to its normal state of calm. Your heart rate decreases, blood pressure returns to normal, and breathing regulates to your resting state.

Having your physical body back in balance allows your mind to relax and relieves the stress of the situation. 

There are several different breathing techniques you can use. Experiment to find the one that’s best for you. The two we’ll cover today, like all breathing exercises, are easy and can be done anywhere at any time.

Box Breathing

Box breathing is especially good for kids because they can actually use their finger to draw a box on their hand to help guide the exercise. It can be done anywhere without drawing attention or making your child feel self-conscious.

It goes like this: 

Breathe in for four counts,

Hold your breath for four counts,

Exhale for four counts,

Rest for four counts.

Repeat the “box” four times. Rest and repeat if necessary, but it probably won’t be.

This isn’t just for kids, it’s a perfect solution for adults too. 

But it’s a nice method to use for kids because of how simple it is, and because they can draw out the box if it helps, or you can play a part in helping to calm them by drawing the box on their hand (or yours).

Of course drawing the box is completely optional, it’s the breathing that holds the real stress-reducing benefits.

Belly Breathing

Belly breathing is a good one to use at home, or somewhere that you can easily lie down. You can also do belly breathing in a seated position if it’s more comfortable for you or the situation requires it.

Here’s the process:

Sit or lie in a comfortable position,

Put one hand on your belly (below your ribcage) and the other hand on your chest,

Breathe in through your nose, letting your belly push your hand out (keeping your chest still),

Exhale through your lips as if you were slowly blowing out a candle, using the hand on your belly to push all the air out.

Repeat this sequence as many times as you need to, usually four to 10 times will do the trick. Check in with yourself when you feel done and make sure you’ve experienced a shift in how you’re feeling.

Mini Meditations

In addition to these two breathing techniques, if you’re anticipating a stressful situation, have had an all around “blah” day, or just need a quick pick me up, go for a one to five minute meditation.

The easiest way to do this is through a meditation app on your phone, and which one you use makes zero difference as long as you like it. 

We’ll recommend the Insight Timer because it’s completely free and has a good variety of one to five minute meditations designed to help you relax or renew your energy.

Experiment and find a few you like. These can become your go-to stress busters and you can train your brain to reset into happy and calm mode by just listening for a couple of minutes.

Of course one of the keys to the success of these mini-meditations is they have you putting at least some focus on your breathing.

The "No Time" Myth

A final word of advice for relieving stress. It’s easy to say you can’t even find an extra five minutes in the day to pause and breathe. 

Some people might laugh at that “excuse” but all moms feel your pain here. However, it’s critical that you make the time. 

What you’ll find is that the five minutes you spend in reset mode will actually buy you more time in return, as your day becomes smoother and more productive. 

Stress-Free Party Planning

When it comes to planning your child’s next party, you can keep the stress from ever appearing by booking your party with Kids Party Characters.

At Kids Party Characters, we’re your one-stop shop for all the entertainment your party will need.

We start with over 200 characters to choose from, virtually guaranteeing we’ll have your child’s favorite. 

In addition to your character putting on a full show for your child and her guests, we’ll bring along face painting, balloon twisting, cotton candy, and our latest edition — bouncy castles — to make your child’s party complete.

Even better, when you put down a deposit on your party at KidsPartyCharacters.com by the end of the year, you’ll receive either a 15% discount or a free upgrade to the next level package when you book the party.

So whether your party is this December or next summer, get your deposit in now and enjoy the savings when it’s time to book the date.

Learn more about the magic we bring to children’s parties by joining us on Facebook for daily updates, including our best strategies for raising happy and healthy kids.

How to Make an Impossible Goal Possible

With the end of the year rapidly approaching, our thoughts can’t help but turn to what 2019 will bring. 

Whether you’re a fan of resolutions for the new year, or like many, have given up the tradition since it seems like the surest way to not accomplish something is to make it a new year’s resolution, it’s human nature to want something more and better in the coming year.

Even if you’ve sworn off resolutions, this is a good time to start thinking about your goals for 2019.

If you’re really looking for a better year, it’s all up to you to make it happen. 

But to do so, you’re going to need to make some definite decisions about what you want, and a plan to get there.

Rather than just talk about your “ordinary” goals, today we’re going to focus on those goals that perhaps have been in the back of your mind for years, but each time you think about it, they seem too big to tackle.

Fortunately, those goals are possible, if you just approach them the right way.

Let’s look at the four steps you’ll need to take to bring a seemingly out of reach goal to reality.

1. Set the Intention

Stop thinking, “that would be great, but . . .” when it comes to your big goal. 

Yes, big goals often take longer, but the time is going to pass anyway. 

Set an intention in your mind to make the goal a reality, and then write it down on paper.

Then see yourself five years in the future, and congratulate yourself for committing to that goal and to seeing it through. 

If you’ll set aside any skepticism for a minute and take yourself five years into the future (or however long your goal may take), your five-years-from-now self will realize the goal wasn’t impossible at all, and was definitely worth the wait.

2. Start With the Possible

In a society where we can have food delivered to our door in under 30 minutes and virtually anything delivered overnight with Amazon Prime, waiting for what we want can be challenging.

If we can’t get it now, we turn our focus to something we can get now. 

And you can do this with your goals without having to sacrifice the big ones.

Think about your first apartment or house you had as an adult. You likely had a picture in your mind off what kind of house you’d like to live in “someday.” 

And yet you knew that just starting out, your first place to live would be less than your ideal place.

Obviously, you didn’t let that stop you. Most of us haven’t chosen to live with mom and dad until we can afford some version of our dream home!

This same logic should apply to your big goal.

Let’s say you dream of having a six-figure business that allows your spouse to choose his work without regard for the pay, and that allows you to make decisions for your family that are free from financial considerations.

But if you have no business right now, or one that struggles to make one figure, the temptation to put that six-figure dream to rest can be strong.

The logic in dismissing that dream however, makes about as much sense as deciding to live with your parents until you can afford a six-figure home. 

Start with what you can do now. And maybe that’s just getting set up and making your first sale.

Remember that each six-figure business that exists today, started with one sale.

Take your “impossible” dream and break it down to one thing towards that dream that feels “possible” to you.

3. Track and Adjust

Once you’ve defined your “possible,” you’ll want to break that down into daily actions so you can track your progress.

If your possible is setting up a business and making one sale, and that’s all you write down, you’re going to look at that a month from now and think, “Hm, I haven’t done that yet.”

Write down each step you need to take and figure out how long you think it will take you to get to that point of first sale.

That way at the end of each day and each week you can look at where you are, what you’ve done, and whether you’re on track.

If not, you can adjust things. Maybe what you thought would take 30 days will really take 60. Or maybe you need to adjust how you work so you can accomplish more. 

If you’re tracking yourself daily and weekly it will keep you from getting in that position where a month — or more — goes by and you suddenly realize you’ve made no progress.

4. Selective Accountability

Accountability is an interesting thing. All the research shows you’re much more likely to achieve a goal if you have someone holding you accountable.

Yet sharing your goals with others can be an unpleasant experience. 

Many times those closest to you will rain on your parade with their own self-limiting beliefs. 

“Why would you want to do that?” 

“Why don’t you just get a job?” 

“Those things never work!” 

“You don’t have time for that!” 

And the list goes on. . . Some people can be a liability when it comes to ensuring your goal achievement. It’s best to keep quiet when talking to those types.

Find someone you know will be supportive and ask her to help you be accountable. 

This can be a friend or family member, but it’s best if they’re like-minded and really believe in you and your goal, rather than just someone who will be supportive in the absence of any real belief in what you’re doing.

If your goal is a business goal, it might serve you best to find a fellow online entrepreneur who has a similar goal and team up with her for regular accountability check-ins.

If you need some accountability help, Kids Party Characters is here for you. Owner Cheryl Jacobs started her first business as a single mom with two young children and a desperate need to provide for them.

Since those early days, Cheryl’s had a hand in starting 10 different businesses and has developed a passion for helping other entrepreneurs cut down the learning curve and start their own profitable businesses.

In the spirit of helping those closest to her heart -- moms with a lot of desire to have their own business, but not a lot of time to figure it all out -- Cheryl’s created a special membership with Kids Party Characters that allows you access to all the tools she’s used to build a successful business.

With membership, you’ll get your very own Kids Party Characters business, including an exclusive territory in which to book parties, and access to our 200+ costumes, acting coach, and casting director. 

You’ll also get step-by-step instruction on how to set your business up for quick success, which means no prior entrepreneurial experience is required.

Learn more by scheduling a no-pressure chat with Cheryl right here, where she’ll answer all your questions and give you the details on getting started.

Want to learn more about Kids Party Characters? Join us on Facebook for daily updates about the magic we bring to children’s parties, as well as our best strategies from working from home while raising happy and healthy kids.

11 Unique Christmas Books Your Kids Will Love

While Frosty the Snow Man and the Night Before Christmas are classics worthy of a daily read throughout the Christmas holidays, the season is also a good time to introduce your child to some new stories that will expand her thinking and broader her world views.

Today we have 11 books that will be valuable additions to your collection of holiday books. Each book has examples of diversity, a positive moral story, or a tale of holiday traditions followed by other cultures.

While each child is different, most kids between the ages of four and ten (and even older!) will enjoy all of these recommendations. 

Try reading a new book each day, and seeing what discussion it can spark around the spirit of giving and development of new holiday traditions in your family.

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Rachel Griffin

This beautiful book includes a CD containing the popular song, as well as an explanation of the history and religious significance of the song.

The artwork inside the book will especially appeal to the kids, who will find fabric, embroidery, beads, and bric-a-brac to explore. 

The author holds true to the traditional versus of the song, but throws in some nice cultural diversity with variations such as the 10 pipers piping in India and nine drummers drumming in Malawi.

Emma’s Gift by Molly Schaar Idle

Two of Emma's favorite holiday traditions are spoiled when she hears her grandma's flight has been cancelled, meaning she won't be there for Christmas, and that there's no Christmas snow in the forecast either.

To offset the disappointment, grandma allows Emma to open her Christmas gift early. 

The story that follows is a heart-warming tale of Emma's encounters with those in  need during the Christmas season, and the generosity inherent in a young girl's heart.

Emma's actions in spite of her disappointments make for wonderful lessons for all of us, big and small.

The Nutcracker in Harlem by T.E. McMorrow and James Ransome

Set in New York City at the height of the Harlem Renaissance, this jazz-influenced retelling of the popular tale of the Nutcracker is the story of a young girl named Marie who loves the magic of Christmas, especially the singing.

Despite outside encouragement, Marie feels her voice isn't good enough to sing. But with the help of a toy nutcracker that is gifted to her, she goes on an adventure of goodwill and learns to find her voice.

The endnotes to the book provide additional information about the history of the Harlem Renaissance.

December’s Gift: An Interfaith Holiday Story by Ashley Smith- Santos,
 Stasie Bitton, and Sandra Salsbury

No matter what your religious beliefs are, your children will benefit from learning about both Chanukah & Christmas traditions, which are both shared in this entertaining story.

Clara has two grandmas, and enjoys spending time in the kitchen with each of them over the holidays.

At Grammy's house, they make star-shaped sugar cookies and Grammy tells the story of the star leading the three wise men to the new baby Jesus.

At Bubbe's house, they make latkes together as Bubbe shares the story of the menorah that burned for eight days on one day of oil.

Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano and Marjorie Priceman

A fun urban tale about how adversity can be tuned into unexpected festivities that brighten the hearts of even the grumpiest, this book starts with a Christmas dilemma.

Mami's bought a roast for the Christmas meal, but it's too big to fit into the oven.

 Jose and Papa search through their apartment building for a tenant with an oven big enough to fit the food, but are greeted by neighbors lacking in the Christmas spirit.

Once they hit the streets and get the roast cooking, the magical scent of the food sparks lots of holiday cheer and we watch grumpy souls transform into warm spirits with generous and giving attitudes.

Welcome Comfort by Patricia Polacco

Welcome Comfort is a foster child whose life consists of going from home to home without any permanent family. 

When the school custodian, Mr. Hamp, befriends Welcome and tries to convince him that Christmas is the best time of the year, as someone who gets no presents and is picked on by the other kids, Welcome doesn't see the joy.

That's all about to change however, when Santa makes a special visit to Welcome and brings him aboard his sleigh to help deliver presents around the world.

A World of Cookies for Santa by M.E. Forman and Susan Gal

This book tells the story of Christmas traditions around the world through cookies, and even includes some recipes for cookies you probably haven't tried.

You'll truly go around the world -- from Australia and New Zealand to Hawaii -- discovering what Christmas treats are popular in various countries and how the children greet Santa in each country.

A Piñata in a Pine Tree: A Latino Twelve Days of Christmas by Pat Mora and Magaly Morales

Help your kids learn about Latino culture through this fun twist on the Twelve Days of Christmas where you'll find paper lanterns, singing donkeys, and dancing moons in place of the traditional items.

You'll learn to count in Spanish in addition to finding new items of interest on every page and pronunciations for your new Spanish words.

As another bonus, the illustrations throughout the book are colorful and vibrant and certain to hold your child's attention.

Walk This World at Christmastime by Big Picture Press and Debbie Powell

As the title says, each page of this book will walk you through a new set of countries and share their unique Christmas traditions.

And what do kids love more than anything  in a book? Flaps. A tidbit of information is found beneath each flap, and the flaps are sturdy enough for all but the smallest hands.

The Christmas Wish by Lori Evert

The Christmas Wish tells the story of Anja, a Nordic child who has long dreamed of being one of Santa's elves. 

Anja leaves a note for her family, straps on her skis, and sets out on her journey to find Santa and join his elves.

Along the way she encounters a bird, horse, musk ox, polar bear, and reindeer, all of whom help her find her way to Santa.

The illustrations will give your child a chance to see the dress and countryside of a culture unlike their own.

The Spirit of Christmas by Nicky Benson and Jason Cockcroft

Are your kids focused a little too much on receiving rather than giving this year? 

While that's completely normal, the story of Drew, who starts thinking about the other children who might not receive presents on Christmas, provides a great lesson and conversation starter about the spirit of giving during the holidays.

Drew writes a letter to Santa, who responds with a Giving Bag to Drew, allowing him to make all his Christmas wishes come true.

Most if not all of these books should be available at your local library. Start there, and then add the ones your kids are really taken in by to your permanent collection to enjoy year after year.

If you've found some good suggestions in this list, be sure to join Kids Party Characters on Facebook, where we share daily updates including our best tips and strategies for raising happy and healthy kids.

And whenever your next party is, head over to KidsPartyCharacters.com before the end of the year where we've got a special offer for all our supporters. When you put down a deposit on your next party now,  you'll receive 15% off at the time you book the party, or a free upgrade to the next highest level party package.

How to Help Your Kids Develop Good Habits

If you look at good habits as something that would be “nice” for your kids to have, it’s time to take a second look. 

Instilling good habits in your kids is crucial. It should be a top priority in your parenting.

Why?

Several reasons. First, it makes life easier when they’re younger and prone to temper tantrums and cases of the “nos,” no matter what you say.

As they grow older, good habits will help your child have an easier time in school and enable you to give them more responsibilities around the house without quite so much nagging.

And ultimately, the habits they develop now will translate into more success in their work or business ventures.

In short, every good habit you help your child develop today will cut out that much more of the other hard parenting tasks you’re faced with.

And even more importantly, these habits will make it easier for your child to navigate life.

How to Introduce New Habits to Your Kids

As you might imagine, no matter what age they are, your child’s first reaction to “today we’re going to start forming a new habit” will be about as excitement-filled as when the teacher announces the next math test.

You can preach to her about how life-changing this new habit could be for her, but expect an eye roll and “I might believe it when I see it” attitude.

No worries. When you’re first showing your child the power of a good habit, two things are essential to getting her to have some level of buy-in to it.

First, try to choose a habit that she might actually be interested in. 

Let’s say your child often experiences frustration at night because she doesn’t have enough time to Snapchat her friends or play computer games at night.

You might ask her, “How would you like to develop a habit that frees up an extra hour of your time at night?”

Second, let her help in defining the habit and setting the new course.

We’ll talk about the mechanics of how to develop the habit in a minute, and you can let her help with any or all three of the stages of habit development.

Cautions to Be Aware When Forming New Habits

The big one here is to make sure you don’t turn this into a New Year’s Resolutions kind of experience where you set out to change your family’s entire life in one big sweep.

Tackle one habit at a time, because it’s all most people can handle and because one good, firmly established habit will lead to other habits coming easier.

Also, make sure you don’t turn into a drill sergeant, demanding perfection and constantly focusing on the progress of this new habit.

It will likely take time to change, or you’d already be doing things differently.

And perfection isn’t required or even expected. Use gentle verbal or non-verbal reminders when your child goes off track, relate to him by acknowledging that you’re still a work in progress too, and try to make the whole process of change as much fun as you can.

The Mechanics of Habit Formation

While many experts in this area have described it similarly, Charles Duhigg in his book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business has the easiest and most kid-friendly framework for new habit development.

According to Duhigg, whose work is based on eight years of research, habits come in three-step loops consisting of a cue, a routine, and a reward.

For example, let’s say you eat a sugar-filled dessert before you go to bed every night. 

Your cue may be that dinner is over and you’ve cleaned up the kitchen. 

Your routine is to go to the freezer, take out the ice cream, get the chocolate sauce from the fridge, pull out a bowl and spoon, serve up your ice cream, and retreat to the couch and read a book under a cozy blanket while you empty the bowl.

The reward of course is the delicious taste of your favorite flavor and a full tummy at bedtime.

To develop a new habit, you just need to replace the routine.

For example, if you’re trying to eat healthier or lose weight, your new routine would be to fill that bowl with grapes, or frozen blueberries, or some other fruit you find satisfying.

The cue remains the same, and the reward remains the same, it’s simply the routine you’ve replaced.

Implementing Habit Formation in Your House

It doesn’t matter how crazy your house may be, your kids may be, your schedule may be, you can do this, and should do it for your own sanity and for the long-term success of your children.

Either pick a habit that you’re desperate to change around your house, or work with your child to come up with one that would really benefit him. It will depend on his age, but starting out will be easiest if he can actually buy into the benefit.

The cue for the habit can be natural or something you create. 

If you’re working on his morning routine, an alarm clock or waking up to his favorite song may be the cue. 

If you’re working on getting the recycle to the curb before the truck comes each week, his cue may be  emptying the bin in your house each time it’s at the top, and taking the cart to the curb just before his favorite show comes on TV.

The routine should be as simple as you can make it. The more steps that are involved or the harder it is, the more resistance you’ll encounter, naturally.

Letting your child develop, or at least participate in developing the routine, will also cut down on the resistance.

As for the reward, it should be intrinsic as much as possible rather than some outside “treat.” 

If the new habit involves being on time to school, the reward could be getting to spend time talking with friends before school starts, or having time to go to the cafeteria for a snack.

For taking out the recycle in a timely manner, the reward could be a cleaner space (which yes, even kids appreciate), or not having to rush around and miss their favorite show in an effort to get it done at the last minute.

Avoid external awards with no relation to the task, such as candy or special outings. 

First, rewarding kids for something he should be doing anyway builds unrealistic expectations.

Your child is going to need to develop a lot of different habits as he grows up.  He usual won't see unrelated rewards for them, and needs to learn to recognize and value how they naturally make his life better in some way. 

Second, it’s not sustaining to offer something “special” for all of the good habits you’re going to build. These are lifelong habits we’re teaching, and they will become habits for your kids without the external reward.

Imagine what problems you could be creating for the future if your child expects a piece of candy for every good habit he engages in. (Sounds like we’ve just created a bad habit!)

There’s no reason to start doing something as a reward that you’re eventually going to need to wean your kids from.

Forming Good Habits is a Family Affair

The best way to get the good habit train moving is to ride it with your kids.

You can either choose a habit you can all work towards together, or you can pick your own habit and let your kids hear and see how you’re doing with your new habit.

And if you’re a work at home mom, or would like to be, Kids Party Characters can help you develop both the business and personal habits you need to run a successful business while actively raising your kids.

Kids Party Characters owner Cheryl Jacobs knows what it’s like to have both mom duties and business duties, and one of her passions is mentoring others to success.

Cheryl has created a great opportunity with membership to Kids Party Characters that allows you to have your own business, including an exclusive territory in which to book parties, and all the tools she’s used to grow a six-figure business. 

Cheryl created this opportunity with busy moms in mind. Set up a free, no-pressure chat with her right here to get all the details and discover whether this is the opportunity that would be the perfect fit for your life.

Be sure to connect with us on Facebook too, where we share daily updates about the magic we create as children’s parties, as well as our best tips for raising happy and healthy kids while working from home.

You’ll Love What’s New at Kids Party Characters

At Kids Party Characters we have one big goal, which is to become your “one stop shop” for all of your party entertainment needs.

As moms, we know planning your child’s party can become so stressful that it’s hard to make time to actually enjoy the festivities.

But what if you could make one call to Kids Party Characters, arrange all the best entertainment in that one conversation, and sit back and relax while we saw to it that everything was delivered, set up, and thoroughly enjoyed by your child and her guests?

With our new bouncy castles, that’s exactly how things will work.

When you call Kids Party Characters, we’ll reserve your child's favorite character to show up as the honored guest at his party. And your character’s not just there to look good.

We use professional actors to represent our characters, and they come to your child’s party ready to put on a show.

In addition to the show, Kids Party Characters has all the kids’ favorites when it comes to party fun, including cotton candy, face painting, balloon twisting, and now — bouncy castles.

Once you’re booked with Kids Party Characters, we take over the heavy lifting and let you turn your attentions to the food and cake (and maybe a little house cleaning!).

Why Bouncy Castles?

The number one reason to include a bouncy castle in your child’s next party is pretty simple, kids love them. 

And while that’s really all the reason you need here, as a bonus, it just so happens that bouncing is good for kids too.

As you can probably imagine, bouncing improves your child’s balance, coordination, and agility. It also increases spatial awareness and helps with motor skill development. 

Sharing the space with other kids is a great exercise in socialization as well.

The bouncy castle can also help release some of that crazy energy that comes with the excitement of the party, and that can make it hard for mom to even get through everything that’s planned.

When kids are in the bouncy castles, they’re basically getting a full body workout. In addition to bouncing, you’ll see them on their backs, stomachs, crawling, and climbing — especially if you choose our ultimate obstacle course bouncy castle pictured above.

Bouncing has some other health benefits you probably don’t know about. First, it calms the nervous system, which means yes, that hyper activity is actually having a calming effect.

Bouncing is also great for the lymphatic system, which is the main carrier of the immune system and which is essential to proper digestion. 

Another crucial benefit of a healthy lymphatic system is that it reduces stress and anxiety.

While the parent observers might just see the excitement and chaos surrounding the bouncy castle, it’s actually working for us to keep the kids healthy and happy, and yet not out of control.

Book Your Party Today

You likely already knew a bouncy castle would make your child happy at her next party, and now you know it will also provide her and the guests physical and emotional benefits too. 

What could be better?!

You can see our selection of bouncy castles at KidsPartyCharacters.com. We have six to choose from to meet your child’s desires and your budget.

And if you claim your party package before the end of the year by putting down a deposit, you’ll receive a 15% discount, or a free upgrade to the next level package. 

Putting down your deposit guarantees you the 15% discount, and you can then book the party anytime you want throughout the year.

So head over to KidsPartyCharacters.com and start getting some ideas for making your child’s next party a magical one.

Your child will love our selection of over 200 characters to choose from, and you’ll love the fact that all of the party entertainment can be planned right from our website.

Also be sure to keep up with what’s happening at Kids Party Characters by joining us on Facebook for daily updates.