Developing Reading Habits in Preschoolers

Ever wondered, how children learn to read? Considering the rules of grammar and phonetics along with the flummoxing shapes of alphabets, how do children really learn? It’s surprising, isn’t it? In any case, it is you – the parent and teacher who has to help your little one in his or her growing up years to help read and learn better. It isn’t necessary that you have to be heads on with the job, but as long as you enjoy reading and follow some useful strategies, you can easily make your preschooler not only learn reading, but also enjoy it.

 1.      Observe them: Studies have shown children around the age of 2 and 3 take interesting in reading, nevertheless, it is not a hard and fast rule as every child is different. To begin with, ask yourself if the child is ready to read? The best way to find out is to observe. If you find them flipping through the pages of a book; or shows some form of keenness when you teach them letters, it is a clear cut sign of their enthusiasm, and you should not stop.

 2.      Make reading a fun activity and not a task: Teaching kids to read should be enjoyable and not give them pressure to do so. Use books that have a big font and lots of pictures to support the story. If the story is boring or is picture-less your child may show signs of boredom and eventually give up reading. You can also bring interest by singing the letters and words, or simply make use of flashcards.

 3.      Read together: When you sit down with your little one and genuinely take interest in the story book or any other children’s book it automatically arouses interest. It is the best way to help a kindergarten learn to read. Read the words out loud and keep your finger on the words as you read them. Children see the printed words and accordingly try to relate them with the sounds they hear the parent make. Thus, they learn reading as well as talking.

4.      Read and write: Studies have shown that if the children are taught reading as well as writing together it makes it simpler for them to read. So, persuade them to write even if it is just squiggling and doodling.

Teaching children to do anything requires a lot of patience and practice. And when your kindergarten learn to read it will become one of the most significant accomplishments that will be needed to make it to school. After all, it is the key to success in all subject areas and overall academic improvement and development

How Playing Can Be Beneficial For Children

Playing and learning, the very thought of it for some parents is crazy. Quite a lot of us come to believe that learning is all about getting good grades in school, so, what is the playing all about? However, when you dig deeper you realise that learning is not just about grades, and a lot of things depend upon how kids are taught. Don’t believe me even now? Read on.

Playing is the ideal source for relaxation and stimulation for the brain and body. It is a definite way to enhance your little one’s imagination, ingenuity, problem-solving abilities, along with mental health. The concept of learning by playing is not very new. Children who are involved in games and various activities have always shown better results than the ones who have spent time with books alone. This is because; when the activities are it automatically helps in enhancing personal learning experiences as well as give a boost in the child’s growth and development. A preschool will definitely provide the needed education, but it is understanding that helps a child to be a responsible matured individual. Studies have shown that playing has a positive effect on kids and thus aids them in building their personality and skills. When children play they learn how to respect choices. Moreover, they are exposed to a variety of thought processes.

For case in point, it is human nature to discover by experience, instead of being described by someone else. Thus, it is best to let children be involved in activities of their interest than bringing in boring, taxing task that stresses only on cramming information. Playing helps preschoolers to bond with others: When toddlers play they learn the importance of sharing. It helps to promote bonding and reinforce a sense of community. You can help develop compassion, kindness and reliance. It promotes creativeness thus motivating the imagination and solving problems. When children engage in activities it stimulates curiosity that leads to innovation and ingenuity. Additionally, activities are the best way to boost self-esteem in preschoolers and beat lonesomeness, isolation, anxiety, and depression

Anger Management for Your Child

Preschoolers are complicated little people. They have their own set of mood swings. They are pleasant and welcoming as long as life seems to go their way. However, warn them or stop them from what they want — and all hell breaks loose. If it is your first child it indeed is very difficult to understand their emotions. Moreover, as working parents it gets tougher as you cannot sit and find time to read parenting books and magazines. Therefore, I have come up with a blog that will help you in dealing with an emotional child especially the aggressive ones.

Make eye contact: You need to know what is troubling your little one. Acknowledge what they are feeling. However, don’t get mad at them when they are whining, instead, keep your voice calm and try to help them through it. Corroborate their emotions. Let them know that you understand what they are feeling i.e. don’t be judgemental.

Spot the early warning signs: Preschool emotions are emotional outbursts, we all go through them. Therefore, work together and try and find out what sets off the anger. Talk to them, give them your time. If talking doesn’t help, you can always be a good listener. Your children will be grateful to you in the long run.

Support them: When they have an aggressive behaviour or cry out of nowhere, let them. Remind them it is okay to release their emotions than to bottle them up.

Praise them: Praising your little one is extremely vital. Giving them a positive feedback or appreciating their efforts no matter how small helps in enhancing their self-confidence.

Meet their basic needs: Let them have their time to play and sleep. Don’t bog them down with several activities; it will only lead to irritation, thus adding to more frustration and anger.

Step back: Mean words and violent behaviour in preschoolers is at times more offensive and nasty to the adults who witness it than to the children themselves. So, take your cues from them and if you think they are dealing with it all right, let them work things out for themselves, because, if you interfere it will only add to more problems.

It is quite common for anger to cover up other more vulnerable feelings and aggression more often than not is a sign of more than what just happened. Anger often relates to a preschooler’s emotions of being misconstrued, false blames, unfair treatment, or lack of confidence. Let them know, you will be there for them as and when they need you!

Seven Tips for Reading with Kids

A child’s accomplishment as a reader instigates much before the first day of school. Reading, and the sheer love for reading, cannot be inculcated in a school; it has to begin at home. You need to read early and read often to your little one. The early years are essential so as to develop and enhance a lasting love of reading. If you follow a few basic tips for reading you can make learning a lot easier for your preschooler. This way, your child will not only be able to read, but also see learning as a fun activity making them happy and confident readers.

• Pick a spot that is relaxing and cosy. If they are not comfortable they’d never have the interest to do anything.
• Make reading a habit. You can either choose to do so by reading before you serve breakfast, or before you go to bed. This will make for a pleasant and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.
• Tell your preschooler how much fun it is when you read with them. The idea is to give lots of support and encouragement. This will help in reading readiness.
• Don’t read when you’re bored. One vital reading tip is to do so with lots of humour and expression. When you use different voices and point out pictures, it makes the child want to know more. You have to engross them with reading, and therefore, make it an interactive session.
• When you finish reading a certain story, ask your preschooler about their favourite text, character, or picture. This will make them feel they were a part of the story and give them the much needed morale-boost.
• Talk about the written words you see around you. Ask your child to find a new word on each outing. You can read out the road signs or take them to a shopping mart and name things as you see them.

Alphabet activities for preschoolers can be in the form of singing songs to different tunes and rhythms. Don’t restrict to the ABC song, find songs that soothe your little one and sing along!

Things to Keep In Mind before Finalising a Nursery

As a parent, the first priority is giving your child good education and good education comes when the nursery you choose has a structured schedule together with a well-organized environment. Well, let’s just assume you have liked the nursery and are comfortable with their rates and working hours. However, don’t you think there are other factors involved before you decide to pick on one? You bet. Given below are some of the cardinal rules to consider before making a decision.

Ratio of Adults to Children: The most important thing you need to know about any of the children’s nursery is to know what the ratio of adults to children is. This will give you a rough idea about how well the children are managed, and how much attention is given. If the rate of turnover is frequent it will definitely affect your child’s comfort and sense of safety. Thus, the lower the turnover rates the better.

Trained Staff: The nursery may have a good staff, but then again you need to make sure they have gone through some formal training. Furthermore, what is it that the nursery looks for when they hire teachers and supervisors? After all, even in the best nursery schools there can be mishaps and accidents, and it is a good practice to have people who are trained and will take care of your little one if something has to happen.

Facilities: Quite a lot of nurseries in Dubai provide snacks and lunches as part of what you pay for. Nurseries should look and feel welcoming to the children, but cleanliness also plays a major role, thus make sure they are clean and dust-free including the toys, cabinets, play areas, etc. Along with this, you could also get a feel of the various facilities they have to offer. For instance, where do the children sleep? Are they given mattresses and blankets; or do you have to provide your own?

Given above were some vital elements to check before you make your final choice. Besides, make sure your child is learning as well as getting the necessary play time. If you ever feel the need to voice your concerns or worries, don’t think twice, your child needs to be happy and comfortable at all times be it at home or the nursery.

Why Should You Consider a Day Care For Your Little One?

One of the hugely discussed topics is when can a child be enrolled in a playschool. It is after all, a major transition for a child to shift from the comfort of a home to the demands and rigors of school. A child’s early years are formative in shaping his character. These experiences play a vital role in his growth and development. Day care nurseries are often the only option for working parents. These nurseries ensure that the child is in safe hands and is being taught various skills at the same time. The concept has nothing to do with academics, but is a great way to help children grow and develop his cognitive, social, emotional skills behaviour. They give a lot of time to play as well as socialize, so the parents need not worry. Preschools are focused on learning through play creating an environment where child can explore and discover his own talents as well as developing relationship skills with his peer group.

A qualified Early Years practitioner is skilled to teach children the age-appropriate behaviour through observation and imitation. A number of well-known day care nurseries in UAE are well-resourced with a plethora of options for little ones to learn as well as discover. The children are taught to share their food with others, talk civilly, eat with the right table manners, etc. All of this is done with the help of motor skills room, drama and theatre room, together with a language room.

Besides, educational and recreational programmes, some preschools even offer basic toilet-training. The main purpose is to provide a good quality, safe, positive, healthy and educational environment to children. However, one needs to keep in mind that there is a vast difference between babysitting and a playschool. Babysitting is short-term care for a child during the absence of his parents; whereas preschools are centers where a child is taken care of for a fixed duration.

Importance of Nursery Rhymes

I wish childhood lasted forever; I would sing more poems and live more. Has this thought ever come to you? It comes to me often. If only life gave us a second chance to relive all those careless days again! The following blog is just to show the importance of nursery rhymes and how much children can learn when reciting poems. Read on.

Learning nursery rhymes is imperative because they help in improving the language, cognitive skills, physical and social development. Children develop and enhance their mouth and tongue muscles by reciting nursery rhymes. This in return also helps to add to the memory and recalling skills. In fact, hearing nursery rhymes also aids children in learning how different sounds are put collectively to make different words and sentences. After all, children can only understand the rhythm and intonation of a language when it is used in a certain manner. The lessons that we learn as children do not stay with us for long because we have not comprehended them in a manner so as to get the concept clearly. Whereas, the ways in which the rhymes are taught make it almost impossible to forget them.

Nursery rhymes, as a matter o fact are always exciting and fun for children. Since, they are short, children are able to pay more attention and like the experience even more. Learning them by heart facilitates children to appreciate and identify with the rules and patterns of a language. When children learn to distinguish the way people use words and sentences, they thus find it easier to communicate too. Learning rhymes cultivate and promote creativity; as hearing or acting them out puts up pictures and thoughts together with the words. This in return allows children to use their imagination. Also, if rhymes are not used on a daily basis, it will be more difficult for kids to read and speak, furthermore, it may perhaps impede creativity. So, continue singing those rhymes with your children it will help them to grow and develop.