When you become a parent, very few things feel certain; without a definitive set of rules or steps to follow, parenting can feel like a daunting, never-ending journey. Fortunately, for first-time or even veteran parents, there are great resources that can help with raising your children.
Parenting does not have to only include spouses; friends, loved ones, and various articles and books can provide invaluable tips on raising your children in a safe and loving environment.
You can even enrol in free online courses for parenting if you want to prepare for your first child. Or, you can look up articles on sites like BetterHelp about parenting advice and learn of experts and their work about preparing a healthy home for your child.
Of course, you can also use the following information for your benefit when amassing a collection of resources at your disposal.
ACT Raising Safe Kids Program
The ACT Raising Safe Kids Program, developed by APA’s Violence Prevention Office, provides positive parenting skills and tricks to parents and guardians of children up to the age of 10.
The eight-week class translates scientific concepts into simple and friendly language for the sake of all participants.
The curriculum entails learning about the knowledge and beliefs concerning child development. Experts will help you and other parents what you can be doing at different ages and stages of development.
Additionally, you will learn more about how abuse and violence is antithetical to a healthy environment for any child.
Lastly, you will learn parenting skills that can impart a positive impact on children’s behavior. Other lessons you may be exposed to may include:
- Dealing with the use of electronic media
- Controlling your anger in front of children
- Discipline for positive and negative behaviors
Magination Press
Another resource from the American Psychological Association is the organisation’s parenting printing press, Magination Press. Its books promote stories of mental health expertise and psychological knowledge, along with practical parenting advice.
A few mental health topics Magination Press covers include anxiety, divorce, death, and more.
On their official website, you can access the Magination Press’s catalogue for current and future releases. For example, a few recent titles that may help with kids include:
- Too Shy to Say Hi, written by Shannon Anderson and illustrated by Hiroe Naka – Helps children navigate difficulties of shyness and social anxiety.
- How Can I Wait When There’s a Treat on My Plate?, written by Dan Graham and illustrated by Teresa Martinez – Shows kids the importance of self-control and the virtues of patience through lively rhymes
- Forest Joy, written by Jill Neimark and illustrated by Nicole Wong – Immerses kids in nature and emphasises the beauty of the natural world.
You can search books based on subject, which can be further divided into topics including gender and sexuality, bullying, teen self-help, and other thoughtful genres. You can also access some of the publication’s library in an electronic format.
Family Education
If you do not want to attend a course or lack the funds to purchase books, then you can peruse free articles on Family Education. According to the website’s statistics, more than 1.5 million parents use Family Education each month for their parenting needs.
The site boasts thousands of articles, crafts, videos, and other types of content produced by parents and experts to help answer any question.
The website separates its thousands of articles into various categories. On the top of the front page, for instance, you can find subjects such as:
- Baby names and meanings
- Pregnancy
- Kids
- Teens
- School and learning
In addition, you can also search baby names and their meanings by using Family Education’s baby name search feature, a useful tool for soon-to-be parents. Other useful features include a pregnancy tracker and subscribing to a free newsletter with content for parents with children conducting their schooling from home.
Final thoughts: Use everything at your disposal
With free classes, books, and websites available, there are many organisations dedicated to helping you raise your kid with their detailed content.
So, along with asking help from friends and loved ones, don’t be afraid to consider the advice from external resources and combine them into parenting techniques that can help your child live a long, happy life.
Marie Miguel is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com.
