December 6th, 2009 by author
MTV Parental Control 2008* "Dotsan"
Most parents have encountered this situation at one time or another. Your child wants to do something, or play with something that is unsuitable or dangerous and when you try to stop them or take it away all hell breaks loose.
The way in whcih parents deal with these sometimes frequent situations is one of the biggest trials that they must face. It is recognized that high levels of parental tolerance accompanied with praise can help children to develop social competence and self confidence. But parents need to assert their authority and remain in charge.
The typical toddler will, on average, face up to 20 restrictions on their activities every hour. Nione of us would like to be told what to do or not to do every three minutes?
Parental control is often needed when a child is doing what comes naturally but putting themselves or their peers at risk in the process. Putting a sharp metal knife in their mouths, fighting or poking one another in the eyes are all common examples of how children will test boundaries while investigating the world around them.
Providing the child with alternatives can be an excellent way to enable them to continue to investigate and learn. You may, for example, sway the metal knife for a safe spoon or maybe a plastic knife. Or demonstrating how much it can hurt to be poked in the eye.
Alternatives can provide an effective way to head off a potentially tense situation, but they don't always work. Its important to first acknowledge what the child is trying to do before suggesting and introducing an alternative. Its then important to encourage the child to engage with the alternative by using it yourself and convincing the child that it is more interesting than whatever they were doing before.
There are goind to be many occasions when it isn't possible or convenient to provide alternatives but these can provide a valuable lesson that the world has its limits. Providing yourr children with appealing alternatives to dangerous or harmful behavior can be a great way to develop a positive relationship and teach them that other options often exist.
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I recommend camping as a great way to bond with children, to provide them with freedom to investigate the world around them and engage with their parents or carers. But always remember to ensure safety by using the right camping equipment. You may like to take part in a bushcraft course where children will learn a variety of skills including how to handle a bushcraft knife, start a fire without matches and tracking skills.
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October 3rd, 2009 by author
Letters are the building blocks towards a lifetime of reading, writing and learning and should not be taught solely with paper pencil worksheets. Instead, parents can plan entertaining yet educational activities their child will enjoy taking part in. There is no better way to help kids learn the ABC of letter than by making the learning fun.
Any alphabet learning activity you start with your child should only last around five to ten minutes per day depending on your child. As a parent, you already know your child’s attention span and can time each activity accordingly. Also, plan only one activity per session introducing five letters at a time. Learning the alphabet in no particular order is difficult for children, but is an essential skill needed for their success as readers. Keeping activities short and engaging will make an enormous difference to children as they begin to learn the basics of reading.
Here are some ideas for you to try at home.
Letter of the day
Nominate a letter of the day – for example the letter S - and plan a couple of activities around that. For example, print and color coloring sheets of a favourite character such as Spongebob Squarepants whose initials are SS and at sites like Spongebob Coloring Pages you’ll find the best . Also, eat food beginning with S such as sausages or sweetcorn and do some of the other activities mentioned in this article involving the letter S.
Bath time foam letters
Parents can purchase a bucket of foam letters from any dollar store. These letters are fabulous fun for a young learner in the bathtub. Parents can place letters on the side of the bathtub, or wall (if tiled), spell our words and review letters.
Shaving cream letters
Parents take a cookie sheet or spray shaving cream directly on your kitchen table. Ask your child to smooth out the cream to form a square. Hold your child’s index finger and assist him with forming a letter. Then ask your child to wipe that letter away and begin again.
Letter art
Using bingo dabbers or finger paints have your child create one large uppercase letter filling the entire space of an A4 piece of paper. Create each letter in alphabetical order and decorate the child's bedroom or playroom with these letters. The art your child creates will mean so much more to him than any store bought alphabet poster.
Magnetic letters
Place five magnet letters on a cookie sheet and tell your child the letter you would like for her to find. Be sure to alternate turns when your child has mastered all letters.
Rice printing
Spread out a thin layer of uncooked rice on a cookie sheet. Choose a letter with your child and ask him to draw it in the rice. Repeat using other letters. This will give a child who enjoys sensory learning another way to internalize letters.
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September 29th, 2009 by author
Fine motor skills are described as the coordination of the small muscle movements which usually occur in the fingers and usually in coordination with the eyes. When related to the hands (and fingers) the term dexterity is most commonly used.
Manual dexterity is the ability for the hands and fingers to make coordinated movements. Strong fine motor skills, such as those used when writing, knitting, sewing and other activities that involve the hands and fingers, rely on manual dexterity.
In young children, manual dexterity is developed normally through routine activities that also require hand-eye coordination. Some children’s fine motor skills develop faster and are stronger than those of others and some children with weak fine motor skills may struggle when learning to form letters and beginning to write.
Because there are many reasons why fine motor skills and the associated manual dexterity may be affected, paediatric occupational therapists often work with children to improve their manual dexterity.
Thankfully however, there are many ways to help your child improve manual dexterity through simple every day, hands-on activities. Exercising a child’s fingers and hands can dramatically improve their manual dexterity so do try some of the following activities:
Threading cereals that have an O-shape – Threading cereal onto yarn is an activity that requires fine motor skills and is repetitively exercising the same muscles, all the while practicing hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity.
Sewing with yarn (wool) and cardboard – This is another great activity that can improve manual dexterity and builds on fine motor skills. Children simply feed the yarn back and forth through holes which requires concentration and can also satisfy a child creatively.
Color in pages – Coloring in - more so than ‘random’ drawing, requires children to hold crayons firmly to stay within the lines of the image they are trying to color. This too requires concentration and gives the child an end result to be proud of. At sites such as Bratz Coloring Pages you’ll find the best Bratz coloring for little girls, while little boys would perhaps enjoy the Pokemon coloring sheets at Pokemon Coloring Pages.
For particularly young children who cannot color yet or play with small objects, a classic shape sorter toy is a great place to start. For older children, small, interlocking building blocks such as Lego or Duplo are great ways to play while improving and strengthening their manual dexterity.
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