We all love our kids. They're so easy to entertain, never complain and are always ready to help out in the kitchen and around the house. Yeah, right. How about getting them involved in a fundraising activity at home or school? Selling handbands to their classmates and friends is good business practice and a great way to raise funds for a worthy cause. There's a big range of handbands to choose from.

1. Do you want brighter, happier kids? Then let them play. Better yet, play with them. A study conducted by the Utah State University over 15 years found that the more parents played with toddlers, the bigger impact on later academic achievement. The parent/toddler playing is stimulating and makes the child feel safe and secure - which gives them better self esteem and a sense of stability.

2. Did you know? The average kid will watch a screen 7.5 hours daily. This includes computers at school, mum's ipad and tv. The average preschooler will watch 32 hours of tv a week. A young child will see some 25,000 television commercials a year. If that's a bit scary, do something about it and turn the screens off. make them play with lego, muck about outside or draw. Try keeping screen time to just an hour a day (let them nominate the programs), and no more.

3. Getting the right family photograph. Every family has one, every family needs one - the ubiquitous  group shot for strategic wall placement. But how to do it so it doesn't look utterly lame in years to come? First; decide its true purpose. Is it a pic for the annual Christmas card, or a wall-hanger for generations to come to revere? Second; avoid the matching outfits and forcing older kids to wear something they're not comfortable in. This. Looks. Terrible. Third; Pick the right time of day to shoot. Expecting toddlers to be on best behaviour late in the afternoon isn't going to fly. Expecting teenagers to wait around for an hour as the photographer fiddles is asking for trouble.