Celebrate and Educate Your Kids on Labor Day

You celebrate with trips to the lake, the last barbecues of the season, or family road trips, but do your kids know who you are honoring when you celebrate Labor Day? Share these facts with your kids to teach them the importance of working people and how to honor them year round.

Labor Day is an important holiday celebrating America’s hardest workers and the social and economic achievements they have contributed to our country. It honors the everyday working man. Our country wouldn’t thrive without the strength, perseverance, and dedication of hard workers every day.

Here are some quick facts to share with your young ones:

·         Labor Day was first proposed in 1882.

·         It became an official national holiday in 1894.

·         It’s celebrated on the first Monday of September.

·         In the 1800s, it was common for Americans to work 12-hour days, 7 days a week.

·         Children as young as 5 and 6 worked in factories and coal mines back then, too!

·         Labor Day was established by President Grover Cleveland.

·         The first Labor Day parade was in New York City.

·         Over 160 million individuals are employed in America.

People often mistakenly lump Labor Day with Memorial Day, which honors Americans who have died serving in our country’s armed forces. To help your kids really understand why we celebrate Labor Day, engage in these activities and games:  

·         Take your kids to work with you to expose them to various types of work and jobs. Let them talk to your coworkers and explain how each person contributes to the group.

·         Make a list of how your kids can engage in a work environment. Babysitting, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, washing cars, running errands for neighbors, and tutoring are all great ways to get started.

·         Visit a bookshop or library and read books about jobs and careers together.

·         Make a job collage and help your kids find more details on each job.

·         Create a piggy bank to help discuss the importance of earning and saving money.

·         Career Coloring Pages

·         Labor Day Quiz

No matter how you chose to spend Labor Day weekend with your family, make sure to honor the workers who have made our country what it is today.

Back-to-School Morning Routine Tips

*Beep beep beep* goes your alarm, and the chaos begins. Walk the dog, get ready for work, wake the kids up, get them dressed for school, fold the laundry, organize the backpacks, make the kids breakfast, (make yourself breakfast) out the door, off to school. Whew, a parent’s morning is stressful. Wouldn’t it be nice if the mornings were less chaotic? Here are some tips on how to make your morning routine a lot easier.

Organize Backpacks the Night Before

To save time, gather school supplies the night before and organize them in your child’s backpack. This will ensure that there will be no missing items and you will not have to spend your morning searching for lost supplies.

Turn On the Tunes

Listening to upbeat high-energy music in the morning will get you motivated and will get your children moving as well. Listen to music in the bathroom when getting ready and even dance around. This will add excitement and fun to your morning routine.

Provide Incentives

Motivate your children to wake up and get moving by offering small incentives that will be given throughout the morning- maybe a special cereal or breakfast food. You can even offer them a surprise treat in their lunch box.

Hair and Outfits

Picking out outfits the night before will save you lots of time. There will be no digging through closets or hurrying to find matching socks. Your child’s outfits will be prepared and ready to put on right as they wake up. If you have a little girl, consider doing her hair the night before as well. (There are a ton of quick hairstyle ideas on Pinterest.)

Create a Checklist

Create a morning to-do checklist for your children. Delegate different jobs to each and award them if they complete their checklist. This will keep them on track and will save you some time and energy as well.

Make Breakfast Easy

Make quick and easy breakfast meals that can be eaten on the run. If you plan ahead, you can prepare some of these the night before, too. Discover some healthy and quick breakfast meals here.

So make your mornings less stressful by following the tips above. Also, make sure to follow Paragon Promotions on Twitter and Facebook. Stay updated on our 2015 Fall Prize Program: Here Come the Minions! Have a wonderful and organized school year!