Looking to raise a healthy, creative, disciplined, and worldly child?
Looking to give your child the life skills to succeed?
Looking for daily concrete goals that are both fun and challenging?
Join other families from across the country and take up the Great American Child 12 Week Challenge!
12 WEEKS FOR $12
Each challenge pack includes:
A letter from the author, Jay Apking 60 days worth of challenges +
Endless opportunities to learn and grow!
What You'll Learn
- Code of Character
- Word of the Year
- Nutrition
- Exercise
- Art
- Poetry
- Music
- Great Americans
- Rules & Expectations
- Finance
- The Little Things
Code of Character
Every child needs to have a set of expectations. These expectations are the roadmap to excellence.
Code of Character begins the process of setting down age-appropriate rules for children to master and build on. Your child will begin the process of becoming his or her own monitor when you are not around. The consequences will be up to you and your child.
We expect this much from our children. It is time to teach each child to expect as much from himself of herself.
Word of the Year
One word. That’s all. Can we really teach civility with one word per year? Think about it. What if, instead of trying to get your child to be all things at an early age, we give him or her one aspect to master for a full year?
From “Please,” “Thank you” and “Sorry” in the early years to “Temperance,” “Patience” and “Fortitude” in the teens, the word for the year will give your child 365 days to master a character trait and the time to slowly develop into a civil and respectful adult. Building an America filled with civil people who respect each other is a goal we all can work together to achieve.
Nutrition
Nutrition is all about making smart choices. Is your child going to be hungry all the time? Yes. Is your child going to want to eat junk food? Yes. Are we going to give them healthy alternatives to instill good habits now? Of course.
We are currently a junk food nation. Let’s work together to change that. What’s the growing problem in America? That Americans keep growing!
Obesity is out of control in America, and we have gone from the leading country in the world to one of the most unhealthy countries. This has to stop if Americans wants to maintain our status as the greatest country!
Exercise
Who took away our outdoors? How did being inside the house and watching television become a better alternative to actual play?
We live in an age when video games and computer screens are now our main source of “exercise.” How do we correct this? Get up and move!
Just 20-30 minutes per day of active movement and stretching will give a lifetime of health benefits and illness prevention. Could your child give up 30 minutes of TV or video games a day to achieve a life-long pursuit of health? It would go a long way to making him or her a great American.
Art
Have countries ever gone to war over art? Land and oil, resources and location, governments and power, but never over art. Art is part of the culture that unites the world.
Art takes your child on a short tour of three painters and asks them to recreate the work to gain a greater appreciation for a medium we have shared for thousands of years while inspiring them to greatness in other areas of life. It teaches him or her about imagination and possibility.
Poetry
Poets are some of the greatest thinkers in history. They are masters of words, and reading their work seeps into the minds of all of us.
Great American Child picks two poems a year for your child to read, think about and possibly memorize. Throughout the years, they will become familiar with a wide range of poems and poets. This will help your child think critically, spark imagination and speak intelligently about the greatest writers in history.
Through an appreciation for poetry from both American and foreign poets, your child will be also become more worldly to those in other countries.
Music
Each of us has a favorite type of music. Do we have an appreciation of all types of music? Of course not, but we are not exposed to many different types of music. We usually pick what is regional and current.
Music gives a true glimpse into other cultures – both foreign and here in America.
Great American Child picks three musicians for each age that your child should know. From the simple classics to some obscure voices, the music section will instill in your child an appreciation of art and talent.
Great Americans
We must point to the heroes of the past to create heroes of the future.
American Heroes will offer your child some names and faces he or she may not know, but who are very important to our country. This will encourage your child to think about his or her future and how it would be remarkable to be remembered for the great accomplishments he or she achieves.
Your child will also be encouraged to write his or her own biography both now and in the future. This beginning to journaling will help your child set goals and create a direction that will shape a happy and successful future.
Rules & Expectations
Rules and Expectations offers both a Code of Character for your child and a list of chores that will begin to instill a work ethic in him or her.
Every child needs to feel a sense of belonging. Love is the most important part of that equation, but rules and chores give them responsibility. This enables your child to become a part of the family and world in which he or she has an obligation to work to make it better.
Print the rules and chores, create a reward system for doing well, and develop a realistic set of consequences when they are not followed.
Finance
What better gift than to teach your child to be responsible with money?
Great American Child outlines a “Save Your Age” plan in which your child works for his or her own allowance and is given basic information on how to save – and later invest – this hard-earned money.
This plan will instill in your child the idea of “delayed gratification.” Wouldn’t it be nice to have your child not beg for toys and games and other things they don’t really need? This section will teach him or her not only to be responsible for their money, but your hard-earned money as well.
The Little Things
They say that the little things add up. Well, we think they are right (whoever they are).
The Little Things section is meant to be a fun way to pull your child off the phone or computer and experience life in real-time. It is also a great way to find projects and adventures you can do with your child. The little things are things a family can share and the perfect excuse to spend time together.
Read These Books - read together and discuss
See This Movie - watch it together with popcorn
Play This - get created with real-person games
Think About This - spark new ideas
Go Here - create an adventure
Find This - discover the world around you
The Little Things section is like putting a little money away into your development each day and finding you've saved a fortune when you are older. Each thing will add up to a large investment in your child.