Winter family bonding: Activities to do for the holidays

 

It’s the season for giving and pure family fun. And Joseph Cianciotto notes that even if the world is still very much in the grips of a global health crisis, there are still some things that families can do to brighten up their holidays. He lists three of these activities below. 

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Snow ball fights 

For families who live in areas where there is an ample amount of snowfall and have their own yard, as soon as there’s enough snow, parents should grab their kids and begin choosing sides for an all-out war. Joseph Cianciotto has also learned that parents can prepare for it by wrapping old furniture in plastic and laying them out. These things make for great snow forts.

Snow forts

If there is more snow than needed, parents should build snow forts with their kids instead of using furniture. Not only is this a fun activity, but it’s also an all-day event. Joseph Cianciotto, however, mentions that this may only be applicable for families with yards since parks and playgrounds may still be too unsafe to play in.

Holiday movie nights

There is a very long list of family Christmas movies that the entire family can enjoy. Joseph Cianciotto explains that a holiday movie night is a great and relaxing way to cap off a day filled with many activities.

Long Island, New York, resident Joseph Cianciotto is a devoted family man. Read more about fatherhood and family life by subscribing to this blog.

A few more modern films the entire family will surely enjoy

 

When it comes to family-friendly films, Joseph Cianciotto is a massive fan of modern classics from the ‘80s and ‘90s. He has time and again mentioned the eras to be the best in terms of movies families can enjoy together. However, he also admits that the 2000s have had its share of amazing films as well. 

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Below are some of Joseph Cianciotto’s more recent favorites.

Finding Nemo: Disney’s collaboration with Pixar has produced some of the most memorable family films in the past two decades. “Finding Nemo” is a perfect example of this, especially seeing that the heart of the story rests a relationship between a father and son.

How to Train Your Dragon: Not to be outdone, Dreamworks has its own impressive lineup of CGI animated movies that are every bit as amusing as Disney’s. Joseph Cianciotto names the thrilling “How to Train Your Dragon” as his favorite among the bunch. 

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The Incredibles: What could be a more apt film for a family movie night than a movie about a family of superheroes? Disney’s “The Incredibles” is another masterful and rip-roaring effort that has captured the hearts of millions of fans everywhere.

What’s your favorite family-friendly film in the past 20 years? Share them with Joseph Cianciotto in the comments below.

Joseph Cianciotto has a degree in Visual Communications from Carnegie Mellon University. He currently resides in Long Island, New York with his family. For similar reads, visit this page.

Helping children cope well during difficult times

We might think kids live carefree lives, but children live in a world with their own sets of worries and stresses. It’s also safe to assume that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected them mentally even if some or all of them had to stay off school for a while. Just because they’re young, it’s always not good to assume that they’re not carrying burdens of their own – sets of problems we might be imposing on them without us thinking. Here’s what you should do to help your children cope during tough times like these.

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First and foremost, you need to tell your kids it’s okay to express their emotions and that feelings are natural. Allowing them to be open about their feelings empowers them to deal with them out in the open rather than bottling them up. Keeping feelings to themselves may harm their emotional and mental well-being. It’s best they share what they feel with you so you can deal with them together.

Once they have a bead on their emotions, you should talk about what they are so they can acknowledge them and properly deal with them. Nothing is quite hard than working with an unknown emotion.

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After helping them identify their feelings, you should teach them ways to channel their emotions. You can teach them to draw or to paint so they have creative outlets. In case they like reading and writing, you should buy them a notebook so they can keep a journal. Emotions are energies we need to manage by letting them out in positive ways.

When things go tough, you should tell them to keep going through the process of opening up about their feelings, identifying them, and channeling them. Keep reminding them that although these things may not necessarily impact what’s happening, they can choose their reactions better and be able to find freedom to act even things aren’t going right. This will help them become resilient individuals growing up.

Joseph Cianciotto’s mix of creative guts and business acuity has landed him in high positions across several ad agencies in the United States. Learn more about Joseph Cianciottohere..

Planning ahead for some great fall activities

 

For many reasons, Joseph Cianciotto loves autumn. It’s definitely the most beautiful and picturesque season in terms of colors and the weather is just right – not too hot and not too cold, yet. It also is the perfect time for families to get together to enjoy activities with each other. 

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For this blog, Joseph Cianciotto lists down a few more fall activities parents can enjoy with their kids.

Backyard camping
As mentioned earlier, weather in the fall is extremely pleasant. There may be times that it could a bit chilly. Before the temperature drops in the winter, families should take advantage of the fall weather. Camping at the backyard is always a great family activity. Kids and parents can even start their own little bonfire and roast their own smores. 

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Halloween decorating
Joseph Cianciotto already mentioned Halloween itself as one of the best activities in the fall. He says that this includes all the preparations leading up to one of the most fun nights of the year. Decorating the yard is definitely a fall activity worth looking forward to.

Thanksgiving dinner
Before the winter rolls in, we have Thanksgiving. Joseph Cianciotto has never missed Thanksgiving dinner not just with his wife and kids, but also with his other family members as well. And he has always had a great time.

Joseph Cianciotto currently resides in Long Island, New York with his wife Jen and two daughters. Visit this blog for more articles about family and parenthood.

Quarantine diaries: Positive lessons to learn as a family

 

Children have their parents around 24/7 as industries have been shut down for a few months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents working from home can take this time to teach their children a few lessons about life, especially ones that instill positivity during these uncertain times. 

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The coronavirus has brought stress and anxiety among individuals, and parents are not exempt from this. Resilience is typically challenging to teach to children, but unprecedented times make them just the perfect lesson to impart. Parents can model positivity and hope among their children showing kids that while many factors in life cannot be controlled, people have perfect control over their own emotions.

Adaptability is not always instilled in children. However, these delicate times are teaching families the value of being prepared and having the capacity to approach change with positivity. Finding new ways to go on with life even with unmet expectations is a quality that families will find useful now and in the future. With limitations that are different from life before COVID-19, it can be difficult to be thankful. However, gratitude should start at home, with parents leading with the practice, says Joseph Cianciotto.

Hope teaches families that there is a way forward and that problems can be overcome. No problem can last a lifetime. Without hope for tomorrow, there will not be joy in the present. Parents can encourage their children to make plans for the future and approach it with joy even in this time of uncertainty.

Joseph Cianciotto has more recently served as executive creative director at Translation, where he oversees all things content-related within the agency. At present, he resides in Long Island, New York, with his wife, Jen, and daughters, Hannah and Sophie. For more updates, visit this page.

Social skills you need to teach your children

Children pick up educational knowledge through school. However, these aren’t the only skills they need to develop their personalities, and later on their whole being. While certain social skills are taught at kindergarten or preschool, Joseph Cianciotto believes that parents should be aware of cardinal skills that children should learn at a young age. Regardless if they are taught at school, parents should still take time to teach these social skills to their children.

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Cooperation

Achieving a goal with someone else might be a new concept to your child. This lesson goes well alongside teamwork. In this lesson, you can show your child that through cooperation, tasks can be done easier and faster. You can show how effective collaboration can be by timing specific tasks done individually and as a group, or you could also showcase the satisfaction of the group upon finishing a task together.

Sharing

Sharing can be a hard concept to learn if your child doesn’t have siblings to share their things with. In school, sharing is often equated to sharing one’s belonging with others. What they might fail to teach with regards to sharing is the reason why sharing is a good thing. Besides this, Joseph Cianciotto states that parents should also teach their children accountability, caring for other people’s properties, the idea of fairness, and when they should refuse.

Listening

Listening may come as naturally as walking to most children. However, critical listening is a skill that needs to be taught. While it is necessary for listening to be able to recall what was said, critical listening allows a child to absorb what was said, create mental notes on specific points of a conversation, and analyze what was said to a clear degree.

Joseph Cianciotto, a resident of Long Island, New York, represents an equal mix of creative chops complemented by a strong business acumen. He has most recently served as executive creative director at Translation, overseeing content related matters within the agency. For similar reads, visit this blog.

Five tips to acing quarantining with kids

Even when no one is keeping track of one’s parenting achievement during the global pandemic, it still feels good to be doing this the right way. And while parenting will never be a smooth sailing gig, learning a few tips on how to get by matters.

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With kids by your side 24/7, not to forget the sudden homeschooling situation, quarantining with kids can be draining for any parent. Parents and guardians who work from home may find it hard to focus on their job with kids around. Make a routine and stick to it. Kids need structure. It would be helpful for parents to develop a school-like routine for their children, shares Joseph Cianciotto. 

Things can get rough at home, especially when everyone’s present and coping in different ways and timelines. Parents remember to keep calm and carry on. Keeping calm requires a parent to be in tune with how they and their kids feel. To keep the atmosphere positive and loving, use positive affirmations daily. Let your kids know they are loved and cared for. Now more than ever, kids need reassurance from their parents.

As schools are shut down, encourage literacy at home and limit screen time. Your kids’ eyes need to rest from all the screen time both for school and play. Teach them to drop everything and read. Set a time where they will only focus on reading a book and writing their reflection about it. Not only will this give their eyes a break, but also encourage learning and love for literature, reckons Joseph Cianciotto.

Joseph Cianciotto is a digital media native representing an equal mix of creative chaos complemented by a strong business acumen and a loving husband and a dedicated father to his daughters. Head over to this page for similar reads.