Reading to Baby

Reading is one of the ways to help your baby to learn about communication. Communication involves listening to and understanding the messages of others and being able to respond with a clear message. Producing a clear message involves the use of speech sounds and the use of language through words and sentences, plus non-verbal behaviours like facial expressions and gestures.
Why read to my baby? - Holding your baby and sharing a book is a very special time.
- Babies learn that reading is important when you hold them, and show them pictures in a book, and you talk about the pictures.
- Babies enjoy being read to because they like the sound of your voice and they like having you close for some special time together.
- Babies enjoy looking at the pictures and listening to the rhythm of your voice long before they can understand the words.
- Babies enjoy looking at what you point to and show them in books. They also like pointing to pictures themselves so they can share them with you.

How can I read with my baby? -Try to create a time for reading with your child every day when your baby is alert and showing interest in what is happening around him. It may be a good idea to read at the same time every day or in the same special chair.
- Babies see most clearly at a distance of about 20-25 cms, and when they are very young they like to look at clear, simple shapes which are brightly coloured.
- When reading, try to look both at the book and your baby. Point to the pictures and talk about the things your baby is looking at.
- When reading aloud, try to use your voice in many ways to make the story time as interesting for your baby as possible – loud and soft, happy and sad.
- If you find books your baby loves, read them over and over and try to use the same reading voice each time so they get used to the pattern.
- You will need to be persistent when reading to your baby, as the length of time your baby will be able to attend to a story will grow over time.
- Some parents do not like reading, but holding your baby, looking at a book and talking about the pictures may give your baby a better start with reading than you had.
- You do not have to say the words that are written on the page – you can make up stories to go along with the pictures.
- Make sharing books with your baby as much fun as possible.

Learning to write

Practicing Writing

At around 3 or 4 years old, kids may start to practice writing, and included among the scribbles may be recognizable letters. For example, you may notice your child writes all of the letters of his or her name in a seemingly random way on different parts of the piece of paper. That's because kids learn to write individual letters before they learn how to put them together to form a word.

As they continue to read and develop an understanding of how words work, kids start to understand how to group letters into words. Between kindergarten and first grade, most learn to put letters together into words and will use these words to label pictures that they draw. Kids this age usually use only capital letters and will not include spaces between words. They will also use "invented spelling," writing words with no vowels (for example, BBYDLL for baby doll).

Eventually, with practice and formal schooling, kids learn what are called the conventions of print — writing from left to right, the difference between upper- and lowercase letters, how to put spaces between words, and how to use correct spelling in most instances.

As your child gets older and develops more motor control, his or her handwriting will become smaller and neater. Between second and fourth grade, kids learn to write in cursive and will apply the conventions of handwriting automatically.

Children's Key Skills on Play and Learn

Children's Key Skills on Play and Learn

1. Creating Time Try to plan ahead. Identify 10-15 minutes per day when you can play with the least interruptions. Turn the television off and involve brothers and sisters.
2. Involving Your Child Ask your child what they enjoy playing. Let them choose what they want to play. You would be surprised how many parents automatically decide how, what and when they are going to play. Children learn best and enjoy play more when they decide how they want to play and at what pace. Importantly their concentration, enjoyment levels and good behavior increases as a consequence! Hence there are strong "pay-offs" for both the child and parent.

3. Getting Down To Your Child's Level Preparing for play is important. Make sure you are close to your child, have eye contact and show that you are interested e.g. if your child is playing on the floor, sit on the floor with them.

4. Describing What You See Let your child pick a play activity and as your child is playing just concentrate on describing what you see in a very positive tone of voice e.g. "you have picked up the red brick and are placing it on the blue brick". This skill will need a lot of practice as you will inevitably want to direct the play by saying such things as "I know lets put this brick on top of this other brick". Avoid asking questions and copy your child's play.

5. Praising What You See When you feel totally comfortable with describing what you see, try to begin to use descriptive praise i.e. "what a good girl for putting that red brick on the blue brick". Be close when you praise, smile, get eye contact, use touches, hugs and strokes. Be sincere and genuine and praise as soon as possible after the good behaviour in order to encourage them to repeat it. Your child needs to know that you are pleased in order for them to learn self-confidence and to explore further. They are learning to be co-operative rather than to be defiant.
Further Support Additional professional advice can be sought from a Health Visitor, G.P., Social Services or the NSPCC. The basic philosophy of these articles is that caring for children is one of the most responsible and difficult things you will ever do in your life - yet there is very little practical help and advice on how to do it. In a small way it is hoped that the articles can begin to fill a massive gap.

Encouraging my child’s language development

Encouraging my child’s language development?

The best way to encourage your child’s speech and language development is to talk with her frequently and naturally.1) Talk to your baby and treat her as a talker, beginning in her first year. Assume she is talking back to you when she makes sounds and babbles, and even when she is just paying attention to you. When you finish talking, give her a turn and wait for her to respond – she will! When she starts babbling, babble back with similar sounds. You will probably find that she babbles back to you. This keeps the talking going and is great fun!2) Respond to gestures and words. As your baby grows up and starts to use gestures and words, respond to his attempts to communicate. For example, if your child shakes his head, treat that behaviour as if he is saying ‘no’. If he points to a toy, respond as if your child is saying, ‘Can I have that?’ or ‘I like that’.
3) Talk about what is happening. Talk to your baby even if she doesn’t understand – she soon will. Talk about things that make sense to her, but at the same time remember to use lots of different words. As your baby becomes a toddler, continue to talk to her – tell her the things that you are doing, and talk about the things that she is doing.
4) Introduce new words. It is important for children to be continually exposed to lots of different words in lots of different contexts. This helps them learn the meaning and function of words in their world.
5) Share books with your baby and continue to as he grows. Talk about the pictures. Use a variety of books, and link what is in the book to what is happening in your child’s life. Books with interesting pictures are a great focus for talking. Your local library is a great source of new books to keep things fresh.6) Follow your child’s lead in conversations. If she initiates a conversation through talking, gesture or behavior  respond to it, making sure you stick to the topic your child started.

7) Repeat and build on what your child says. For example, if he says, ‘Apple,’ you can say, ‘You want an apple. You want a red apple. I want a red apple too. Let's have a red apple together’.
From the time your child starts telling stories, encourage her to talk about things in the past and in the future. At the end of the day, talk about plans for the next day – for example, making the weekly shopping list together or deciding what to take on a visit to grandma. Similarly, when you come home from a shared outing, talk about it.

Language development: an amazing journey

Language is an amazing skill for children to master, and it’s a development that many parents really look forward to. The secret to helping your child learn language is very simple: talk lots and listen lots.

While the first year is particularly important for language development, major learning continues throughout a child’s early years. And let’s not forget, learning language is a lifelong process.

In their first 12 months, babies develop many of the foundations that underpin speech and language development. For the first three years or so, children understand a lot more than they can say.

Language development supports your child’s ability to communicate, and express and understand feelings. It also supports thinking and problem-solving, and developing and maintaining relationships. Learning to understand, use and enjoy language is the critical first step in literacy, and the basis for learning to read and write.

Questions to ask:

1) What can I do to encourage my child’s language development?
2) What can I expect in the first six years?
3) What’s the difference between speech and language?

* Stay tuned for our next post !

Approaches to learning: 3-4 years

Approaches to learning : 3-4 years

" Research shows that if children start school with a strong set of attitudes and skills that help them ‘learn how to learn’, they’ll be better able to take advantage of educational opportunities. While some learning skills come naturally to children, others can be developed through a supportive environment."
Three-year-olds increasingly know what they want and are able to express what that is. While playing, they’re better able to ignore distractions and focus on the task at hand – they’ll even persist in completing something that’s a bit difficult. Your child’s learning still mainly happens through exploring, using all her senses. Her growing language skills allow for more complex questions and discussion, and she can think more creatively and methodically when solving problems.
Initiative, engagement and persistence1) Your child is becoming increasingly deliberate when choosing activities and companions. For example, ‘I want to play at Jeremy’s house today’.
2) He’s able to focus his attention for longer periods of time, even with distractions or interruptions (as long as the activity is age-appropriate and interesting to him). For example, he can repeatedly solve and tip out a wooden puzzle, even with the TV on in the background.
3) She’ll persist with a wider variety of tasks, activities and experiences, and will keep working to complete a task even if it’s a bit tricky – for example, she might work on a hard puzzle until it’s finished.
4) Your child is learning to do a wider range of activities on his own, such as feeding, undressing, and grooming himself. He might refuse your help as he becomes increasingly independent.

Curiosity and eagerness to learn
1) Your child is continuing to seek and engage in sensory and other experiences. She’ll enjoy listening to stories, playing with friends and going on trips to new places, such as the local fire station.
2) He’s continuing to ask lots of questions, which are becoming more verbally complex. For example, ‘How do we get to Nana’s house?’
3) She’ll continue seeking out new challenges – for example, she’ll try to dress a doll or put together a new construction toy.

Reasoning and problem-solving1) Your child is becoming more flexible in problem-solving and thinking through alternative options. For example, he might talk to himself about what to do first when putting on his shoes, and if the shoe won’t easily go on one foot, he might try the other one.
2) She’ll be increasingly able to ask for help on challenging tasks. For example, ‘Can you put Teddy’s pants on please?’

Invention and imagination1) Your child is developing his ability to ‘play pretend’ with other children. For example, he’ll enjoy playing in a pretend kitchen with a friend as they serve pretend ‘biscuits’, or will take on familiar roles, such as ‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’, in pretend play.
2) She’ll play creatively with both language and objects, expressing inventive ideas in lots of situations. For example, she might create interesting scenes with small plastic animals, or enjoy stringing nonsense words together: ‘Mummy nummy summy tummy’.

Baby development

" Development is the term used to describe the physical changes in your baby, as well as his amazing ability to learn the skills he needs for life. As your baby grows, these skills and abilities become more and more complex. "

Baby's Facts !
If your baby seems to forget how to do something, it’s likely he’s become fascinated by learning a new task, and will surprise you by doing the earlier skills when he’s ready. Your baby will constantly repeat actions like waving, clapping or making a particular sound, then suddenly stop. These skills will also reappear.
Most healthy babies who have plenty of love and attention develop new skills in a completely natural and continually surprising way. So much development takes place in the first 12 months that this is an amazing process for parents to watch.

Babies grow and develop at tremendously different rates – and often with blissful disregard for what parenting textbooks say they’ll be doing.Your instincts, plus knowing that your baby eats and sleeps well, and that she isn’t grizzly whenever she’s awake, tell you far more than a growth or development chart can.

Enjoy the variations.
These variations are what make development so exciting and memorable.

Developmental milestones
Developmental achievements are called ‘milestones’. Growth and development milestones are a useful guide, but they aren’t something to get too worried about. Developmental milestones are grouped under headings according to the parts of the body they refer to:

1) Large body movements involve the coordination and control of large muscles and skills like walking, sitting and running.
2) Small body movements (or manipulation) involve the coordination and control of small muscles, and skills like holding a rattle, picking up crumbs and scribbling with a pencil.
3) Vision is the ability to see near and far, and to interpret what’s seen.
4) Hearing is the ability to hear, listen to and interpret sounds, whereas speech is the ability to produce sounds that form words.
5) Social behaviour and understanding is your child’s ability to learn and interact with others, including skills for play and connecting and communicating.

Developmental delay
* Developmental progress can be affected by delays. These delays might be temporary or, less often, permanent. Premature birth and illness are two things that might cause temporary delays. Some disabilities can cause permanent delay. A baby’s development can also suffer because of her environment.

Choosing your child's school

Choosing your child's school

Decisions about where your child goes to school are very personal, and can be difficult. It’s common and normal for parents to feel anxious about getting this decision right. For some parents, the decision is simple. Their children go to the local public school – the school in the same government zone as their house. Other parents might want to look further afield at other government schools (‘out-of area’ schools) or private schools.
Things to consider when choosing a school

If you’re looking beyond the local public school, think about what will work best for your child’s characteristics, personality, strengths, needs and interests. You might also consider how different schools’ cultures and values sit with your family values and family life.

Factors you could take into account include:

- The facilities the school has to support your child’s learning – such as playgrounds, library, home language support, music programs, clubs and sporting teams

- The opportunities for parent and family involvement with the school, and how communication between home and the school is managed

- The school’s size and number of children enrolled

-The school’s religious affiliation or otherwise

-The location of the school, cost or difficulty of travelling to and from the school, and public transport options
- Your preferences or needs – for example, boarding, or the possibility of educating your child at home

- The connection between the school and the local community

-The schools’ previous academic results or performance in other areas, such as the arts, sport or community engagement

- where your child’s friends are going.

*Many parents worry they can’t afford to send their child to the ‘best’ school in the area. Every school has strengths that will enhance your child’s experience of school. Getting to know what those strengths are and how you can support them will benefit your child’s education.

Maximizing emotional intelligence

Let Children learn what they like

When we are interested in what we are learning, maximal retention occurs. In Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin's father once expressed concern over Calvin's grades. He said to Calvin, "But you like learning and reading, don't you? What happened in school?" Calvin's answer was short and to the point. "We don't learn about dinosaurs." If the school had taught about dinosaurs, Calvin would be a grade A student.

Therefore, parents can identify one subject area that your kid is fascinated in and encourage exploration to allow them to maximize their emotional intelligence.

Reading aloud

Reading aloud is fun, it open doors, and builds the desire to read.

It gives educational advantage for your child, and can establish bonds between the both of you. Reading aloud also develops the ability to read alone.

You can make reading aloud to your child more fun, if you speak in the voice of the characters in the book. For example, in Goldilocks and the Three Bears, you can use different voices for the three different bears. For even more fun, your children can also act or playact the parts of their favourite stories.

Assign parts in the story which are fitting to the characters, for example, dad could be the Papa bear, mum could be the Mama bear, and your child, the baby bear. After doing this many times, the roles can be reversed, so your child gets chances to play the Papa bear or any other character. The game gets even more hilarious when the roles are mixed up.

Why is reading aloud to your child important

You child will be able to hear how reading sounds like when it's done by an adult, how it is different from his own reading. He carries the echo of the sound in his ear as he learns to read alone.


Even when a child develops enough confidence in himself by reading to his parents and younger siblings, he still needs to hear stories read aloud for him too. The growing independence in reading alone is strengthened by the praise he receives from his listeners.

Reading aloud is a social event, your child learns not only stories, he learns about life, his family, his place in the world. While reading a story, we tend to talk about it and even after the reading is over, we still continue to talk about it. Events from stories can be related to everyday life, reinforcing the story in your child's mind.

Hearing a story in a group at the library or school cannot compare to hearing a story read aloud to you by your own parent at home. When you read to your children, you are not only teaching them about the material they are reading. You are telling them that they are important to you, that they are safe and secure with you by their side.

All children needs to receive messages like these, to show that you feel that they are important to you.

Creative Parenting Ideas

Spend Time to Impart Knowledge

We spend lots of time with our children , sharing information with them whenever it's practical. We visit the libraries and borrow books on general knowledge that contains attractive illustration, and give them five bookmarks before their bedtime. And they use these to mark topics in the library books that they would like to know more about. They also look forward to these nightly sessions and have acquired quite a fair bit of general knowledge. We, as adults, have also learn many facts,

Our aim is to impress upon our children that there is a wide reservoir of knowledge in nooks.

Of course much time is needed to prepare and share with the children in this respect. But if parents manage their time well, these sharing session with the child will be very rewarding.

What reading does to your child

Reading alone expands a child's world. By reading, a child can be transported to other times and places, which he would not be able to be, by just reading. History textbooks give facts, but historical stories have the power to make us feel as if we are living in that exact same setting.

Through reading, your child can imagine the life in the future, or on a distant planet. Books help us to consider the impossible situations and realise the many choices that we have in life. It builds a sense of wonder in your child.

Reading also allows us to live more lives than the one we have. While reading, we can face fear and loneliness without leaving the safety of our home. We're able to sail around the world without fear of shipwreck, suffer blindness without loss of sight, while still feeling the emotions of the moment. Through reading, we can also feel the experiences that we may have someday.

Books cannot replace a real life experience, but they are useful to help us decide which experiences are worth having in the future.

How reading makes a differnce

Reading makes a difference in unexpected parts of our lives. Books can be used to reassure a child who needs to face something that frightens him or her. By reading a story several times about a frightening or scary procedure, it would help to calm and reassure the child. This way, the child would be able to face those bravely.

Books can help you as a parent in many family situations. When a new baby is going to arrive, books that deal with this situation help a child with their deep inner fears of being replaced or unloved.

Books can also ease concerns about losing a tooth, serving as a flower girl in a wedding, having an operation, or other events. There is a backward and forward flow between books and what happens in real life, children can use real life experiences to help them understand books and books help them to understand real life.

The success cycle of reading

Reading alone establishes reading as a lifelong habit. Children are better readers because they get good at what they practice a lot in.

In reading, like many other things, practice makes perfect. This is the success cycle of reading, a cycle we want our children to get into as readers.The more you read, the better you read, the better you read, the more you enjoy it. The more you enjoy it, the more you want to read.

Reading independently improves reading fluency, the ability to read fast and understand the word.

So get your child into the reading success cycle today!

How to Encourage Your Child to Read

What adults can learn from kids

Getting along with others

Some young people have a knack for getting along with others. They step into a group and within minutes, they are accepted into the group. Some really never get along with others. Perhaps the easiest way of explaining how your child can learn to get along with other children is to place him with a cat.

A child who is good at interpreting nonverbal communication will know after some interaction with the cat. What the cat likes and dislikes and how it wants to be approached. This is especially important as your child will meet more and more people as he grows older and steps into the society. As he moves up the hierarchy, he will find that an inability to communicate with others will impede his progress.

Just as the cat likes it when your child makes meowing sounds. People get comfortable when someone they meet for the first time adopts familiar ways of relating to them. This involves everything from walking and talking a similar fashion to using similar words. Imitation is other the most sincere form of flattery.

Living and learning

Wondering have you and your child seen that learning doesn't cost a penny and can be something as fun and simple as activities such as going out for a walk, kicking about on a field with full of gold and brown leaves, and watching sunset/sunrise together? In fact, real life opportunities for children to think about and learn from are every bit as valuable in brain development.

Here are a few ways that you can put into real life with your child-
1) Real life maths learning is a great way for child to develop.
Maths is full of abstract ideas that aren't always easy for children to get a grasp of. But put maths to work in real life and that all changes. A simple thing such as help your child figure out the weekly shopping budget with you can complement their academic study by making maths real.

2) Let children brainstorm and problem solve with you.
Thinking and problem solving do not always require tailor-made activities to engage the brain. Everyday life is on big problem-solving activity! There is always a birthday party or big family event just around the corner and these are brilliant opportunities for children to use their brain and gain confidence.

3) Check your child's social diary before booking a day out.
You have just spend an amount of money, you arrive at your destination, only to find your child is going there on a school trip next week, It happens - Simply because today's lifestyle are busy and hectic.

4) Get the best value for money from days out.
Most venues are just as keen as you that you get the best value for your money, and they are most likely to work with large school visits so are used to dealing with children.

5) Avoid 'Are we there yet'
Children don't have any idea of time and distance, This is easily remedied by turning trips into brain training exercises - ask your child to help plan the journey with you.

The seven steps to personalized learning

Let's find out how your child can benefit by understanding a few basic concepts and techniques of personalized learning from this pyramid.

Step 1: Never be passive, always be active
Don't allow yourself to get into the habit of passively accepting that when you are presented with text, the way things are set out in it is necessarily the best way for YOU to learn. If it doesn't work for you, don't hesitate. Take Action!

Step 2: Learn how to make knowledge your own.
Each time children brings creativity into learning, their mind is linking learning with fun- and that is a great motivation for a child to learn more and do more.

Step3: Experiment with different techniques
Once you and your child have learned about different ways of thinking and learning, you should move on to this step, which is to experiment. Try experimenting with new ideas that you find out what works best for your child.
For example, making riddles. Riddles are able to help your child to:
1. Re-shape the information to make it more personal
2. Find a different way of thinking about a new topic
3. Develop problem-solving abilities.

Step 4: Let children choose what works for them
Having a variety of strategies at their fingertips means that your child can bring any of them into play as required. This places them in a very powerful position. When they do this, they are using skills that will not only help them across the school curricula but also throughout life.

Step 5: Remind children that they are unique
The more children practice different techniques , the more they will begin to have the confidence not only to mix and match them but also to design and come up with a few of their own. Your child is unique and just as able as anyone to come up with great ideas that build upon the fact that they are now becoming an expert in how they think and learn.

Step 6: Remain open to new ideas
Knowledge and research is forever moving on, and children can benefit from this as techniques and strategies can be influenced by new findings and discoveries. What we know about the brain and learning is an ongoing journey, not a static one, so keeping eyes and ears open to new ideas is important.

Step 7: Expert in personalized learning
And lastly, congratulations! Now, you know everything there is to know about personalized learning. Whenever you feel you need to revise things or remind your child how important it is to develop a good range of workable strategies, go through this seven steps again.

Tips for busy parents

In the preschool years, your chidl is a learning machine. He learns even when you don't know he's learning. The most important things you want your child to do is to get to know books, come to love books, and to learn about the language.

These learning tasks can be accomplished if you just do these simple things.

Reading a bedtime story- This cannot be started too early or repeated too often. The fun times when you and your child are together is important in establishing a lifelong habit.

Reading the same book over and over- Unlike yourself, your child will want the repetition of the happy experience.

Give your child markers, paper and pencils- Children need to make notes on paper to learn that they can write down what we say, and that they are able to write too. Look over your child's writing, and keep writing supplies in a special place where you can bring out while keeping an eye on your child.

Write messages to your child- When you are away, leave a message for your child to read. Leave a note on the fridge, or in their lunchbox.

Label your child's possessions- Children need to see their names everywhere.

Make alphabet books- Staple together 26 pieces of paper, write a letter on each page. Get your child to fill each page with words or pictures that begin with the letter that is on it. She can also write her own name, and her friend's name too.


Put magnetic letters on the refrigerator- Many children learned to read from magnetic letters on the refrigerator. You got to form the letters into words, especially your child's name, and get your child to do the same.

Setting achievable goals

One skill that you can teach your child is the ability to set small and achievable goals. When a target is reached, a positive upward spiral of accomplishment is created and your child's self-esteem is heightened. Goals should be specific and have a time frame. When your child has a goal that really matters to him, you will be amazed by his determination and the tenacity that is unleashed in him. Let him begin with small things such as improving his Mathematics grade from B to A and completing his art project in a given time frame. Once this habit is developed, the consequences can be far-reaching.

Dealing with children to do their homework?

"How do you get your children to do their homework? Instead, you leave homework up to your children, and let them deal with the consequences directly."

Here are four effective ways to inspire your children to do their homework:

1) Let your children experience poor grades.

This is difficult, I know but critical. When report cards come out, sit down with your children and ask how they feel about their grades. Discuss which areas they want to improve in and which areas they are proud of. Sometimes going to summer school and missing out on summer fun is a big motivator to do better next time.

2) Pay attention to the subjects they are interested in

Ask them about their interests, hobbies, and projects. Support them in their activities any way that you can.

3) Attend as many of your child's school events as possible

Go to the parent-teacher interviews, the concerts, and the games, and demonstrate your interest, care, and support.

4) Stop reminding them about homework

Leave the responsibility for their homework to them. In order for your children to do well in school over the long-term-and ultimately in life!-they need to care about their homework and responsibilities more than you do do well in school over the long-term-and ultimately in life!-they need to care about their homework and responsibilities more than you do.


Gimmicks, lies, guilt trips, and similar homework motivation techniques don't help.

Instead, choose to make a small investment in your kids' future success: Give them the support and encouragement they need now. They'll ultimately feel more confident about making their own choices and taking responsibility for their achievements-and then you won't have to motivate them to do their homework any more. After all, chances are you have already passed your schooling and don't need to do it again.

General Knowledge

Many children are poor in general knowledge. The minute they start formal education, the emphasis is on schoolwork. Some parents may be so grade-orientated that they overlook this aspect of a child's development.

Cultivating a thirst for knowledge in the child is important. The wider his field of knowledge is, the better a person the child becomes. Thus, finding time to help your children increase their general knowledge is important.

Apart from borrowing illustrated reference books from the public libraries, gathering round the computer and surfing the internet for more information - the topics could range from atomic bombs to zombie.

The children's curiosity and ability to learn are limitless. All they need is an opportunity!

View  A Child's Frist Library of Learning for your child Knwledge

The route to success in goal setting and achieving for your child

It is a very old saying, but a true one: if you don't know where you are going, you could end up somewhere else. Hence, goal setting and achieving the goals set are a valuable skill for your child throughout his/her life.

1. Let your child decide on a goal
Children's dreams and ambitions are their own, as are their gifts. When children work from the foundations of knowing what they are good at and what they want to achieve they have a much better chance of achieving that goal because they will have the personal motivation.

2. Refine goals. The brain likes precision and detail in goals
There is a big difference between a wish list and a goal. Typically a child might say, 'I wish i could do better in my homework.' To the brain this doesn't mean anything because you haven't told it what 'better' means. Is it getting a better and precise grade? Is it presenting your work more neatly?

3. What the brain sees it believes
Since prehistoric cave paintings, humankind has always used pictures to help spur them on to greater things. Visualization works in the same way and is great brain training.

4. 'Keep on going', don't let anything get you down
Ask anyone who has achieved brilliance in any given field and they all have the same story to tell: at many turns in the road they had to face and overcome obstacles - and then move on.

5. Break down big goals into little ones and give them precise timescales
Think of climbing a mountain and you have to build in little goals to get to where tou want to go. Help children achieve their big dreams by showing them how to break down their gial into little steps, all of which they can take in their stride confidently and happily.

6. Celebrate the wins and let children reward themselves
Always celebrate the wins. No matter how big or how small, they all count. The operative words here are 'let children reward themselves'. Real reward for achievement is all about feeling good inside, it is not about the size or cost of the prize. The prize is the achievement itself.

Reading activities for special times

Life is not all about work and no play. During weekends, birthdays, holidays, vacations,rainy days, books make a difference. Books are the right medicine for happy times and sad ones.


1- Make a rainy day book
Put a few sheets of paper together to create a book with your child illustrating it. Write down the sounds made by the rain, the splash, patter and ping of rainfall. Draw pictures of rain equipment, like umbrellas, raincoats, boots. Also, draw pictures of the neighbourhood in the rain, the buildings, people, animals.

Go to the library to get the book "Rain Talk" by Mary Serfoza, where a child listens to the "ping a ding, plip plip, and drum a tum" sounds of the rain. "Get Umbrella" by Taro Yashima, in where three-year-old Momo is awaiting the rain to come, so that she can use her new red boots and umbrella. Seeing what other children do to celebrate the rain gives your children models for their own books.


2- Read before vacations
When preparing for a vacation, get some books from the library. Find books to read about the places you are going. There are informational books about their national parks, historical sites and resorts areas. Also, there are fictional stories set in all parts of the country and world. Ask your chilren's librarian to point out books set in the area you will be visiting. If the books are too difficult for your child to read alone, read aloud to them. Your child will learn that reading is a source of information for all endeavors.



3- Read during vacations
If you travel, books are a important part of your luggage. Bring books along. Encourage your child to keep a journal or diary. Together, write a book about the places you visit and see. If you stay at home, books are even more important to your vacation time. Vacations are a good time to read the more difficult books that take up more time to read.

Did you know -
Kids who are read to do better in school.
Reading aloud to a child raises their self-esteem and reading ability.
Becoming a better reader helps a child do better in social studies and math.
Keeping a diary helps a child become a better writer and reader.
Allowing your child to read in bed is a good habit to start.
Children will read on their own a book that has been read aloud to them.

Characteristics of Infants-Preschoolers

Infants

• Enjoy action nursery rhymes
• Fall asleep to nursery songs and lullabies
• Copy actions of children in books
• Join in making sounds of animals in the books
• Relate book to real life
• Like to see babies in books

Toddlers

• Like to read the same books multiple times
• Choose their favourite book from the shelf
• Explore the world by their senses
• Like short stories which rhyme
• Prefers large, clear and realistic pictures
• Like to name objects in books and magazines

Preschoolers

• Use words to express themselves
• Struggle for independence, want to do things themselves
• Play around with language, singing, making sounds
• Fascinated by other children
• Enjoy simple folktales, but not fairy tales.

Ideas for getting started on reading

It is never too early, nor too late to start reading. Once you have the desire to make your child a reader, the rest is simple. There are only a few things you have to do to create a reader, and there are some which are already done. You can't begin too soon, so start today!


Here are a few ideas on getting started to make your child a reader.

1- Keep books handy and accessible
A stack of books in a basket beside the sofa makes it convenient to use those moments anytime an activity is needed. Books put by the bedside table shows that reading is a natural part of the bedtime routine. A home library can be set up at a low cost, maybe even lower than buying breakable toys.

2- Choose books your child likes
A good book that your child likes, would be read over and over again. Compared to an uninteresting book that doesn't hold your child's attention, good books are a lot more effective.

3- Set up a special time for reading
Besides bedtime, there are other times which you can read to your child too. For example, before dinner, while waiting for the other family members, you can entertain them with a book.


4- Read at bedtime
Reading at bedtime works well. When children are tired, read them a story. Maybe short with a short poem or two. Pick a good time that works for you, even better if there would be three or four times a day!

5- Read for 15minutes every day
Or even longer. When you establish book time on a regular schedule, your child will not let you forget about it.

6- Talk about the story as you read
If the story is set in the city, talk about how the pictures in the book look like the ones in your town. If there is a grandfather in the story, say about how he is similar to their grandfather. If your child doesn't understand things in the story, explain as you read.

With these tips, it would be easy to develop a active reader in your child!

How to Teach Your Toddler the Days of the Week?

10 STEPS in Communicating with preschoolers

1) Give your preschooler your full attention

Even a quick but focused connection can fulfil your child’s need for communication. If your child says, ‘Play with me’, and you’re not available, you might explain why. You could say, ‘I had a hard day at work today. I need three minutes to change. Then I can play with you’. Preschoolers can understand your feelings – to a point – and will appreciate your honesty.

2) Be aware of your tone

Preschoolers are new to sentence-making, they might have a heightened awareness of your tone and body language.

3) Reflect your child’s unspoken emotions

This helps put your child’s feelings into words. If your child didn’t get a turn at the playground, you might say, ‘You wanted to play with the ball next, didn’t you?’ or ‘I can see you feel really cranky!’

4) Enlist your preschooler’s help in figuring out a problem

For example, you might say, ‘Did something in that movie scare you?’ If your child doesn’t answer, you might follow up by saying, ‘Could it have been the look on that person’s face?’

5) Help your preschooler develop emotional awareness

Even if there is misbehaviour – you can talk about it together. Most preschoolers can understand a sentence like, ‘Sometimes, I get mad too. It helps me to go into another room and take some deep breaths’.

6) Offer limited choices

Preschoolers gain a sense of control by making their own decisions. You might say, ‘Do you want to get dressed before or after breakfast today?’

7) Don’t end your sentence with ‘OK’ unless you are ready for your child to say ‘No’.

Asking your child if an activity is OK can lead to a lengthy discussion and even a power struggle.

8) Grant a preschooler’s wish in fantasy

If your child expresses sadness that a toy has to be shared, you might say, ‘Would you like it if you had the toy all to yourself? What would you do with it?’ By expressing a wish and talking it through, even if it can’t be granted, a child begins to calm down.

9) Create safe opportunities for preschoolers to express their BIG feelings

For example, if your child is extremely angry, instead of saying, ‘Stop yelling’, you might say, ‘Go in the bathroom and scream as loud as you can for one minute’.

10) Don’t over-explain

Simple explanations can be more effective than long discussions. If your preschooler is having a tantrum, holding your child close – or just staying nearby – can mean more than any words you can say