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As Parents, Are You Guilty of Yelling At Your Kids?
As we know yelling at our children is non productive. Not only does our blood pressure go up but it teaches them the same strategy to deal with anger instead of better resolution strategies, but none of us are perfect right?
So now that we are almost at the end of the summer break in Australia our patience as parents has been well and truly tried and tested with bantering of questions and sibling arguments and to help you get through the rest of the break without ‘losing your...
Creative Ways For Your Kids’ Santa Letter…
Remember when your parents would ask you to write a letter for Santa – listing all the things you wanted for Christmas? You might have asked for the latest toy maybe… or a new shirt or dress…or maybe even a bicycle with the fancy pedals and bell. Writing a letter to Santa is an exciting activity and a great opportunity to teach kids the organization of writing a letter and creating lists e.g. where to place the ‘To, From, Address’ etc. For younger children or those with low writing...
Avoiding the Homework Tantrums
Children learn new things naturally – just like breathing. The most natural way to build in any learning is by following their interests. We all learned new concepts as young children by exploring through our interests. Then as adults our interests have generally led us to our careers where we continue to learn new information and skills. Learning is a life-long process.
If your child is having difficulty learning new concepts try delivering it through their interests – what toys...
Halloween Craft & Cooking Ideas
Here are some great ideas for craft or cooking activities in the classroom or home this Halloween. Instead of buying a heap of lollies how about trying your hand at some of these. Not only is it cost saving but a great learning activity to do with the children. Listing what they need, gathering the items, organising and preparing, following the steps in order – these are just some of the tasks they’ll be required to do! Don’t forget to mention the social interaction and fine...
A Parent’s Inspiration
Always love reading this poem to keep things in perspective…
“If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again”
By Dianne Loomans
If I had my child to raise all over again,
I’d build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I’d finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing serious, and seriously...
Reduce the Chances of Bullying
I am not an idealist and expect to eradicate bullying – there is always a hero, which means there has to be a villain. But I was shocked to learn that with all the Social Acceptance Programs and Bullying Behaviour Management Strategies implemented in schools today bullying statistics have increased!
Here are two statistics* that stood out for me:
1. School violence has decreased 4% BUT bullying has increased by 5%
Between 1999 and 2001 bullying started to increase and in 2005-2006 86% of...
Opening the Mail… can help a child’s writing skills
This is a great one for children who have difficulty writing due to a their sloppy pinch grip or low muscle tone in their fingers. Let your child get the mail out of the mailbox and tear open the envelope while you make the cup of coffee next time – you will both enjoy the experience! Giving your child small regular chores not only helps them learn routines but also helps build a sense of responsibility.
Teaching Maths Language with Food
This list of ideas can be used for lessons within a classroom or during preparation of snacks or meals in the home. They are designed to help you teach or make it easier to explain some of the language that mathematics concepts are built on.
Apples…
Cut the apple crosswise to find the star… Count the points and count the seeds.
Cut the star out with an apple corer — it’s a cylinder. The hole in the apple leaves a circle.
Continue cutting the apple crosswise into slices to...
Before Shopping With Kids
Before shopping with kids discuss with your children what is needed by going through the cupboards or pantry at home and see what is missing. This a great way to involve them in avoiding the regular tantrum disasters that quite often are associated with taking children shopping with you.
While they are retrieving vocabulary of various food items missing in the cupboards have your child write or draw the list of items they want to look for at the shops for you. The sense of responsibility is...
Learning Through Play
The opportunities we see as ‘play’ are actually the vital foundations of mathematical and language concept development. Most parents are now both working and choosing other care options for their child. It is very important when choosing the carer for your child they understand what playtime represents and offer a daily routine that is filled with times to explore with a variety of materials that are child directed and not just teacher instructed sitting on the floor or at the table...
