Celebrating & Accepting Your Child

Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wish my child...". Well, it is often that parents try to make their child into something that they want their child to be, instead of just accepting them for who they are. When we get busy in looking at what our child "isn't," we miss out on the wonderful life in our child. As a parent, your influence on your child is much stronger than you may realize. Susan Stiffelman said, "The way you live in front of your children can either dampen or spark their thirst for exploring their interest and expressing their unique brand of genius.”

Click here to read more about how you can celebrate and accept your own child on RDI Connect

Jump Rope

Today is a beautiful day to be outside, grab a jump rope and head out! Using a jump rope, how would you turn this activity into a two person game where both participants have to think?

There are many different ways to use a jump rope, but the most important things to remember are:

1.     Each participant (parent & child) needs to feel important in the game

2.     Each participant needs a job or a role to help the came continue on

3.     Have fun and enjoy spending time together

Start by using one rope and laying it straight across the ground. Bring your child to one end of the jump rope and go stand at the other end. Reach down and pick up your side of the rope. Look at your child directly so he/she knows that they should pick up their side as well. By working together, spin the jump rope around in a circle.

What variations could you add to this simple activity? Could you change the speed you are spinning the rope or how big your circles are? What changes could you add? Could you add in another participant to jump over the rope in the middle?

We hope you enjoy this activity with your child. Please email us with any questions or any feedback that you have.

How involved is your child?

Do you like to involve your child in community activities and programs? If you are interested, here is a list of fun and exciting summer programs going on throughout the community:

Camp Kostopulos: week long camps in Emigration Canyon for children ages 7 and up. They also have swimming and horseback riding lessons.  Visit www.campk.org for more information.

Children’s Center: offers social skills group for children ages 4 to 10 with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Visit www.tcclsc.org for more information.

National Ability Center: located in Park City, UT.  They offer a variety of summer programs for children with disabilities and their families.  Visit http://discovernac.org for more information.

The Stable Place: offers group or private horseback riding lessons for children with disabilities.  Visit http://thestableplaceslc.com for more information.

SPLORE Accessible Outdoor Adventures: provides outdoor recreation to children with disabilities.  Visit www.splore.org for more information.

Free Summer Meals: for children under the age of 18, Monday through Friday.  They may be serving dinner at some locations as well.  Visit http://www.uah.org/food-assistance/summer-food/ for more information.

Discounted Children’s Movies: For Cinemark locations, visit http://www.cinemark.com/summer-movie-clubhouse for more information.   For MegaPlex locations, visit http://megaplextheatres.com/kidsmovies for more information.

Always check your local libraries for fun summer events (www.slcolibrary.org) as well as the Utah Family Magazine (www.utahfamily.com).