Author name: shemford

Examination-related Anxiety Anxiety, during examination time, among children of all ages is virtually universal. Except for the very innocent preschoolers, most school students tend to suffer from this problem. However, it isn’t such big a problem as long as it doesn’t reach frightening proportions and starts to affect the child’s performance and his perception of education itself. Understanding the Affects of Anxiety? Anxiety could lead to a host of other problems in students. The most common ones include a bout of sudden headache, some loss of focus, abnormal fears, greater irritability, sudden bursts of anger and acute depression episodes. Stressful conditions can inhibit a student’s ability to retain and recall what he had learnt during an examination. This is primarily because anxiety creates a chemical imbalance in the brain. It has been proven without doubt that anxiety inhibits a child’s cognitive behaviour. This can be further understood by the impact of negative emotions. Anxiety causes the nervous system to function too fast or too lazily and the child’s ability to think clearly is hindered. There are some tips than can be taught by parents to prevent their children from developing anxiety. • Practicing Deep Breathing Most students face exam-related stress and anxiety. When such a moment occurs, try and make them focus off the negative sphere of mind. Make the child breathe deeply by involving the centre of the chest. This exercise can be done during the days prior to a test or just before appearing in a test. • Turn Around Self-questioning Usually when anxiety acts up, students start to think negatively and a lot of ‘What-if’ questions enter their minds. Students should be taught to turn around the negative questions into positive ones. For example, instead of thinking, “What if I can’t remember my notes?” try and tell your child to think, “What if every question comes from what I have learnt? How great would that be?” • Sleeping to be Calmer Examination days usually involve long, extended study sessions. However, parents should make sure that the child catches up on a minimum of seven hours of sleep per day. Sleep deprivation could lead to actually forgetting what one had learnt. • Last-minute Tips Children should be prevented from cramming too much information hours before the examination. Rather than last-minute preparations, parents should focus on keeping sure that their child is calm and revises what he has already learnt.

Every Parent’s Nightmare Most of the parent-child conflicts are those centred on daily activities like going to bed or waking up, limitations of going outdoors and school homework. Many parents feel as they are engaged in a constant power struggle with their children. Parents feel frustrated and worn out and the children feel questioned and irritated. In cases of extreme hostility between the two, a child may feel threatened and determined to resist his parents’ wishes. Trouble in the Making A parents’ attempt to control their children through authority could trigger resistance and violence in children. Even if young children react well to parent authority it could be just a case of temporary submission. The resentment, if any, inside the child would surface later when he grows up. This is when parenting turns violent as both the parents and the child try to control each other and there is a general loss of trust and goodwill in the whole family. Authoritative Parenting? Some parents are prone to threatening or using extreme authority over the children. They tend to make many demands and enforce them with punishment or promises. When the child crosses teenage years, such parents usually find themselves involved in a bitter struggle with their child. Even if children aren’t immediately resisting parental demands, parents could still be generating a negative environment every time they attempt to exert supremacy over the children. The Dilemma Most parents want their children to have the characters and the skills which enable them to make the best choices in life. However, they seem to ignore the fact that these skills can’t be developed if a child develops a fear of blame or parental punishment. Anger and resentment is common among children today as they try and fight out the level of parental control exerted on them. These negative feelings of anger and bitterness are sometimes expressed through self-destructive habits that a child develops. Many such children become violent at school, start using abusive behaviour or may get hooked on to bad company and the use of alcohol or even drugs. Finding a Solution Peaceful parenting begins from the time children are toddlers. The child at that age has to be made to realise what is wrong and not acceptable. The best way to make him follow a rule is leading by example. Again, to let him feel empowered, try and make the child responsible for certain household issues when he grows up. This could include taking care of the toolbox or buying the weekly quota of fruits for the family or keeping an eye as to which member of the family has been overspending. This process combines self-realisation and responsibility for the child. These skills help to create children who can embrace understanding and peace and are at ease with the idea of being disciplined and liberated at the same time.

Need for a Parent-teacher meeting Issues like a child’s speech delay or developing temper-related mannerisms are often discussed at parent-teacher meetings besides the obvious subject of the child’s classroom performance. These are many advantages for a caregiver and a parent to attend a parent-teacher conference. An insight into the psychology of the parents and the ability to evaluate the kind of atmosphere they are providing to the child at home, is of vital importance to a teacher. Parents too need to look beyond their child\’s academic performance and should seek an honest opinion regarding his shortcomings. Understanding the Parent Perspective It becomes vitally important that an open line of communication and responsive relationship is established between the parents and teachers who are attending such a conference. In order to do this, the parents and teachers need to stay in touch via informal conversations over a period of time. During the meet, it is crucial for the teachers and caregivers to be sensitive to the fact that most parents may have a thought process. The caregiver needs to ensure that they establish an open dialogue with the parents with the welfare of the child as its main theme. Even if the teacher has some serious issues with the child, it is imperative to establish a positive tone for the conference before embarking upon the discussion regarding the weaknesses of the child. Holding a Parent-teacher Meeting The teacher should try and arrange the parent-teacher meet at a convenient timing and should begin the meeting with some positive anecdotes about the child. The teacher should try and focus more on the abilities and competencies of the child before discussing his inadequacies. The teacher should try and encourage the parent\’s side of the discussion and their inputs. These contributions by the parents provide valuable insight in evaluating the child’s home environment and the kind of parent support he has. Tackling the Problem If the teacher has a grievance or a specific concern regarding the child’s performance, he should work out a methodology that involves the parents. An involved parent is a key component in sorting out the problems that a child faces. It is important to remember that the child’s upbringing combines a classroom and his home. The emphasis should be on planning a cooperative action plan with an honest follow-up. As the meeting reaches its conclusion, the parents should be encouraged to approach with any further questions or concerns that they might have.

Gifted children are indeed gifts for the parents. They make parents feel proud and achieve great success during their lifetime. It is important for parents to clearly understand the proper treatment that these children should receive, for they are often highly sensitive to relations. They are different from the normal children and need considerable attention for their proper development. Who is a gifted child? How are they identified? Gifted children are identified from their behaviour and acts. A gifted child may be a fast learner, very sensitive to feelings and emotions, inquisitive, methodical and deeply involved in subjects from an early age. Sometimes, gifted children are exposed to negative tendencies and may get involved with equal enthusiasm and vigour. Gifted children usually don’t mix up with the kids of their age. Their IQ and mental level may make them misfits in their respective age groups. Therefore, socializing is one of the aspects that need to be properly looked after. In classroom also, such children may feel bored or not interested. This can have impact on their studies. Gifted children may also face problems responding as emotional beings. They may be too sensitive to small issues and may alienate themselves from others. Social alienation is also found to be common problem with the gifted children. The parents should understand the needs of such children and try to avoid any situation, which might excite them more than they can safely handle. Like parents should be careful as not to scold the child or rebuke in public.

Some parents may assume that a playschool is a lot of fun, filled with the use of crayons and play-pens. The kids and the setting of all preschools may appear very innocent and similar but the kind of a preschool a kid steps into has far-reaching consequences on the child’s growth and development. A preschool lays the foundation for later academic success during formal education. Considerations When Choosing a Preschool (In order to provide an easy overview of some of the basic factors to be considered while choosing a preschool, examples have been quoted by assuming a preschool, called abc preschool for the sake of comparison.) • Credentials — most preschools are privately-owned and managed. Thus, they have the freedom to make their own rules. A defectively-managed preschool, for example, abc preschool employs teachers that don’t have the essential Early Childhood Educational qualifications. Now, compare this with a reputed preschool like Shemrock. Every staff member there is well-qualified and experienced. Parents should check out a preschool’s accreditations and certifications. • Time Schedule — this is something that parents often overlook as they can’t differentiate between a day care facility and a preschool. Day care centres often provide extended hours for taking care of kids, especially for working parents. However, a neighbourhood preschool, for example, abc preschool may offer shorter but more planned activities for the kids. Thus, the parents have to consider their personal schedule and the nature of preschool education they would prefer for their children. • Discipline — the most integral part of preschooling is introducing the children to the concept of discipline. This is where preschool policies become very crucial. The parents have to be beware of schools with very a very liberal outlook towards teacher authority. For example, a preschool, abc preschool insists upon scolding the children harshly or punishing them severely for the slightest of mistakes. Does it make sense to introduce your kids to such an extreme form of authority, so early in their lives? • On the other hand, a reputed preschool like Shemrock helps the children to make this transition into education and disciplining easy, by delving into child psychology and sorting out the emotional aspect of child behaviour. • Nutrition — one very important aspect of any good quality preschool is the kind of meals/food provided to the children. Some neighbourhood preschools may insist upon feeding the children tasty but unhealthy/fast-food/sugar-loaded kind-of-meals. Whereas, prestigious preschools like Shemrock have personal nutritionists to make sure that kids are provided healthy, tasty and wholesome meals. • School Safety — a close-by or neighbourhood preschool may be very convenient, but it could be compromising on the safety facet of a child. The security aspect is a very comprehensive concept and includes security in terms of the construction, infrastructure, transportation and even accessibility to the preschool campus by strangers.

Educators in India agree that formal education should ideally begin at the age of five. This is also the pattern followed and accepted across the nation. However, with many schools operating their own nursery grades, the definition of the term ‘formal’ education has been slightly altered. Generally, parents prefer that children start their education at the age of five, though there is a scope for some leverage in different parts of the country. However, rather than being obsessed about the age at which children start school in India, parents should also address issues like — • Good Preschooling • Helping the Child Start School Preschooling As the terms suggests, preschool is all about making a child prepared for his formal education. A child graduating from a preschool has better cognitive and learning skills and can easily adapt to the setting of a structured schooling programme. Skills taught at a preschool are essential before the beginning of statutory education. Preschool is addressed by different names. A preschool could be called a playschool, day-care, pre-primary, pre-nursery or kindergarten. Young parents are prone to be concerned about the age at which children should start school India, but they should first take care of the preschooling aspect as this gives the child a structured foundation for further learning. The basic skills developed at this age last throughout a child’s life. Helping the Child Start School Most children find it difficult to acclimatize themselves to the proper classroom setting of a school. This is because the environment in a school isn’t as liberal and fun-focussed as that of a preschool. Thus, once the parents are through with the headache of gaining admission to a good school and the anxiety pangs of the correct age at which children start school in India have subsided, they should concentrate on helping the child with getting ready for school. Some tips for parents have been listed below – • All the supplies mentioned by the school including things like books, school bag, crayons, etc. should be bought beforehand. • For the sake of the child’s safety and to make easier for others to guide him/her in the school premises, make sure that some of the items like the child’s clothing, lunch box, etc. are labelled with the child’s name/class/section. • The child should be made aware about the commuting plan, inclusive of the drop-off and pick-up details. • The parents should also prepare a hand-out for the school teacher or nurse, in case the child depends on particular medications. The night before the first day at school is very important for the child. Most children are very apprehensive and may ask a number of questions. The parents should — • Discuss the most probable morning routine with the child, including things like bath-time/bed-time/waking-up. Make the child aware that sticking to the schedule is necessary. • Try and talk to the child about the things that should be expected on the first day at school.

More and more people are turning towards the internet in order to search for information regarding the various preschool options. However, few of them are able to get the desired information. Yes, the perfect webpage to answer all your queries regarding the preschool is out there! The problem lies in the method of searching employed by the people. Most parents tend to use a search engine when searching for such information. They usually type a few words in the Query Box and then start scrolling through all the possible matches the search page displays. Search Phrase Usually, the words chosen to conduct the search play a very crucial role in finding the best-possible results. Typing in a vague phrase like — admission in playschool + kidzee, will lead to many off-target web pages that don’t deal with the required information. In fact, on most search engines, this phrase would list various websites that contain some articles/information related to Kidzee. This is because search engines are unable to decipher as to what is the exact nature of the query, from such a search phrase. The search phrase — ‘admission in playschool + kidzee’ could be interpreted as information sought related to: 1. Admissions in Kidzee 2. Some general information about Kidzee 3. What things should parents check out when seeking admissions for their child in a playschool? or 4. What are the issues related to admission in a playschool. Neither does conducting search with the term — admission in playschool + kidzee, lead to the main website of Kidzee. This is because the search term itself is too generic. The solution to this confusion is rather easy. • If a parent is seeking information about admission in Kidzee, then the search term has to be more specific like — admission in kidzee or “admission” kidzee. Both these search terms essentially lead to the main website of Kidzee, providing the necessary information on the page related to admissions. • However, if the parents are searching for information regarding issues like the appropriate age, things to check-out, etc. for admission to playschools, they could key in the phrase — admission in playschool — in the Search Box. After having gone through the articles/information related to playschool admissions, the parents could then seek further information regarding the playschool of their choice by typing in the name of the playschool in the search box, which would invariably lead to the main website of that playschool.

There are various methods of searching for the best-suited preschool for your child. Some parents make such decisions based the various forms of advertising that are used in the media, while some depend upon the feedback they receive from parents who already have children enrolled in a preschool. Many parents use the online option when searching for a preschool for their child. A common method of searching about a particular brand of preschool in Delhi is to type-in the name of the school, preceded by the main nature of the enquiry and lastly, the location is typed in. For example, keying in a search phrase like — admission age mother’s pride new Delhi — will initially list websites that are directly related to Mother’s Pride, followed by other websites that would be attuned to subjects like, the age for admission, perfect age for admission and even listings of websites highlighting the term ‘New Delhi’. Thus, it becomes apparent that the search term — admission age mother’s pride new delhi — doesn’t list the websites that provide the accurate and sought after information. So, what is the best approach towards making an online search for a parent? A Better Alternative The best and perhaps the easiest way to go about searching for information related to any preschool is to visit the main website of that particular preschool. Thus, instead of typing-in — admission age mother’s pride new delhi, a better option would be to type-in the brand of preschool or the preschool name, followed by a comma, followed by the city/location of your preference. For example, a search term like — mother\’s pride, new delhi or shemrock, new delhi would invariably bring you to that preschool’s main website. Now, the parents can not only checkout the various locations/availability of that preschool in New Delhi but also get a better idea about the activities and facilities that are provided by the preschool and any new changes in the curriculum/certification/affiliation that the preschool has incorporated. Further parents would realise that the availability of some facilities might vary from branch-to-branch. Most of the main websites of preschools are very informative in this regard. For example, Shemrock’s main website lists every kind of information that would be sought by a parent including — • Admission information • Activities and facilities • The education system at shemrock • Contact details • Resources for Parents and even • A Franchise Section Buzz up!

Overparenting is sometimes also called hyper-parenting. Both the terms signify the same thing — a wrong parenting style. It refers to a parenting style in which parents are overly-involved with their children. Such parents are often seen fighting at the school games or arguing with the school-coach because they felt that their kid was undermined in some way. Such parents are overly competitive and would go to the extent of writing and doing their child’s homework and assignments. A small drop in the child’s test scores is equivalent of the world ending for them. Hyperparenting is not limited to the big cities only. Over-ambitious parents are found in small towns and rural areas also. Basically, such parents are over-involved, over-controlling, too demanding and obsessive. Concerned Parenting versus Hyperparenting It is not uncommon to find parents who are very concerned about their child. The increasing stress in our daily lives and the ever-growing ambitions and frustrations of the parents often leads to a tendency of being preoccupied with the achievements and performance of one’s child. Many such parents feel that succeeding in every subject and every sphere of activity at school is an absolute necessity. They begin to associate the child’s success as their own. Concerned parenting is essential for being good parents, but when the concern of a parent turns into a fixation, it turns into something ugly — hyperparenting. Seeking Perfection An obsessive parent can be understood as someone who seeks perfection. This perfection should be reflected in both individual output as a capable parent and his child’s performance in terms of being a perfect student, an outperformer. Such parents are very determined to make every possible sacrifice for their child’s education. They begin to micromanage every aspect of the child’s life including social and academic aspects. Children of Over-involved Parents • Such obsessive parents don’t allow the child to take any independent decision. Thus, the children develop little self-confidence. The 24×7 scheduling and analysis done by the parents makes the child vulnerable to be acutely self-critical. • Children of such parents might also develop trust issues. They could start believing that the parent doesn’t trust them at all. Usually such children grow into over-dependent, hypercritical and untrusting individuals.

This is because of a very simple cause — children are just too young to be able to modulate or alter their emotions. They cannot exercise the same level of control as parents. Two-to-four-year-olds try to express their frustration via these angry outbursts. Children this age can’t express their needs or feelings to their parents or caregivers and tend to develop a kind of nervous energy, i.e. anxiety or anger. Adults too have the tendency of temper outbursts but they can usually control their frequency or the acuteness of such emotional outbreaks. Parents could follow a few tips in order to take control when their children present such situations. • Staying Calm The very first and most elementary of advices while handling an angry, irritated child is for the parents to stay calm and composed. The parents should acknowledge the child’s feelings which could be either of frustration, boredom or tiredness. They shouldn’t engage the child in a long conversation regarding how he feels. Rather parents should keep the dialogue short and communicate to the child that they are willing to help. It is advisable, when handling irritated toddlers, to have some of distraction distract the child. Parents could try and use some treat like his favourite chocolate shake to calm the child. • The Wiser Approach No matter how helpless the parents feel themselves, they shouldn’t reward a child’s repeated tantrum with too much attention. The idea behind is that the child shouldn’t start believing behaving angrily is just an easy way to garner the parent’s attraction or an easy treat. Secondly, the parents are a child’s perspective of what is good. Thus, the parents themselves can’t behave inappropriately. Sometimes neither of the above-mentioned steps seems to work and then the parents have only option, i.e. to leave the child alone. How to Avoid Tantrums? Tantrums are a sign of a child’s anger, frustration or something that is making the child very uncomfortable. In this context, it is important to realise what is the child’s tolerance level. The parents should work upon it and try and raise his level of tolerance against stressful situations and train him to be a calmer and more confident individual. One easy way of doing this is complimenting and rewarding the child’s good behaviour.