Month: July 2020

Categories
Development Parenting and Childcare

Tips on Raising Bilingual/Multilingual Kids

If you and your husband speak different languages, you may wish your children to develop learning these languages. Raising bilingual or multilingual children has several benefits. For instance, it can enhance communication and bonds in your immediate and extended family. The most excellent way to assist your children to learn broad vocabulary in different languages is to always use those languages with them, particularly in the early years.

Raising multilingual or bilingual children: the family’s options

The decisions you and your husband make about assisting your children learn to utilise your languages depend on your family situation.

One person-one language

If you and your husband have different languages, the one person-one language model for supporting multilingualism or bilingualism may work for you. For instance, if your language is English and your husband is Tamil, you speak English to your children and your partner speaks Tamil to them. This model can work with more than one language other than English. For instance, if you speak Telegu and your husband speaks Hindi, each speaks their language to your children at home. If you both speak English as well, you might choose to use English with them when out. Your children will also learn to use English at school and in the community.

It is perfect if you both know each other’s languages so none of you feels bad.

Tips for assisting your kid’s bilingual or multilingual development

Take part in games
  • Read and narrate stories in your lingo, and persuade your child to join in.
  • Be creative and use dress-ups!
  • Play games in your language, particularly games that focus on language.
  • Sing songs, play music, and dance in your language. Children love music, and melody is a great way to assist them to remember things.
  • Search for word game apps in your language for your child.
Community activities
  • Search for schools, child care centres or multilingual and bilingual programs that back your child’s use of your language.
  • Organise playtime with other kids who speak a similar language.
  • Organise visits to or from speakers of your language. You can also take your child to visit countries where individuals converse your language as this can enhance his/her interest in the culture and ability to speak the language.
  • Visit the library and borrow magazines, DVDs, CDs, age-appropriate fiction, and picture books in your language.
  • Search for cultural activities that you and your child can do together to tap into your family’s identity and cultural heritage.
At home
  • Observe radio programs in your language, including popular music channels and programs for kids.
  • If you have friends and family who reside overseas, you can encourage your children to associate with them utilizing a video-messaging app.
  • Think a typical recipe from your community and about what your kid is fascinated in – for instance, music, soccer, cooking, TV shows, and so on. Try including your language into these curiosities. For instance, you can find your child’s favourite recipe or cook it together using your language.
  • Watch sports or movies in your language.
  • Assist your child find secure, interest-based online communities in other languages.

Remember that you can teach a kid a second language at any age. However, experts say that under the age of seven is the optimal time for children to find it relatively easy.

Categories
Activities

Spark Your Child’s Imagination by Promoting Creative Skills

A highly creative child is imaginative and thinks out of the box. So there is a strong connection between a child’s creative skills and imagination. But how to ignite a toddler’s imagination? Here are some cool ideas that will give you and your little one a lot of pleasure:

Imaginative Home Activities for your child

Children are naturally creative and it does not take much effort to ignite that little spark of imagination in them. 

Sparking your child’s imagination with stories

Bring out all your childhood fairy tales full of adventure and imaginary creatures. Describe them and their actions using different voices for the various characters. 

Children’s encyclopedia

Invest in a good children’s encyclopaedia. The ones for kids are normally full of beautiful pictures. As you point out animals, birds and insects from the book, imitate their sounds or movements. 

Books

While reading aloud from books, embellish your story with sounds, voices, and movements. These graphic descriptions will teach your toddler to image the existence of those creatures even if he has never seen them. 

Enacting the stories

Use soft toys, dolls, or other items in the house to represent characters in the stories. Enact these stories along with your toddler and turn it into the most enjoyable parent-child bonding activity. 

Developing your kid’s imagination with artwork

Colouring books

These books are the easiest way of igniting your child’s imagination and creative skills. Motivate your baby to use unusual colour combinations on every page of the colouring book. 

Doodling

Another fun-filled activity is doodling. Let your kid scribble with an ordinary pencil on a piece of paper. In the maze of scribbles, identify shapes like circles, triangles, squares, animals, faces, etc. and teach your kid to colour only those areas. 

Abstract art from waste

One of the most inexpensive ways of using creativity to spark your kid’s imagination is making art pieces from waste. Recycle cans, boxes, wrapping papers, grocery bags, plastic bottles, etc. and indulge in abstract art projects. The waste items can be painted, dried, and glued together to form different shapes. 

Other creative games that ignite a child’s imagination are stone art, sand art, puppet-making with waste, Origami (paper folding), paper cutting, and more. 

Outdoor Activities to Ignite your kid’s Imagination

When we go to parks or the zoo, we would normally just point out trees, flowers, birds, animals, and other objects. Even in the outdoors, there are immense possibilities to spark your toddler’s imagination with creativity. 

  • Nature’s tale – Carry a small bag to the park. Ask your toddler to pick up small pebbles, shells, buttons, string, flowers, seeds, or any other small items found on the ground. When you come home, ask your kid to arrange them on the floor and create a story around those items. 
  • Garden tent – Set up a tent in the backyard so that your kids can pretend they are camping. You can join in the fun and encourage them to think of something new every time they use it. The tent can be a cave, spacecraft, aeroplane, ship, or anything else. 

Have fun…

Categories
Health Sleeping Habits

Signs, Causes and Treatment for Sleep Deprivation in Toddlers

Sleep deprivation refers to inadequate sleep. As grown-ups, we tend to become sluggish when we are tired. But if your toddler is not getting adequate sleep, she may become more active. So the signs can be challenging to find.

It is important to note that usually, a one-year-old will sleep for about 13 hours and 30 minutes each day, together with a two-hour daytime siesta. By the time she is three, this will be decreased to around 12 hours, which may or may not include a one-hour siesta during the day. If your toddler seems to be sleeping less than she is accustomed to, it may just be that she needs less sleep, now that she is a little older.

But, at times your toddler might not be getting the sleep he needs. If he continues to lose sleep, he may become sleep-deprived.

Signs that indicate your toddler is sleep-deprived
  • Having difficulty getting to sleep. Sleep deprivation may make it difficult to get your toddler to settle at bedtime and at night.
  • Being short-tempered and grumpy during the day. All toddlers have their cranky moments, but if your toddler appears to be in a bad mood all the time, inadequate sleep could be the reason.
  • Sleeping late in the morning. Most toddlers wake comparatively early in the morning, so if your toddler likes staying asleep till late in the morning, he may not be getting adequate sleep.
  • Overactive behaviour. Inadequate sleep can make it harder for your kid to focus, and he may become unfocused easily. This might make him appear over-thrilled and more fidgety than typical.
  • Falling asleep outside of his normal nap and sleep times regularly. After a routine has been set, toddlers typically like to stick to it. Thus, if he is falling asleep in weird places at random times, he might need a bit more shut-eye.
Causes of sleep deprivation in toddler

Changes to the routine or surroundings of the toddler may at times affect his sleep patterns. The arrival of a new sibling, going on a family holiday, moving house, or moving to a big bed can affect his capability to settle himself to sleep. He might need time to settle into his new routine or get accustomed to any changes in his world.

Teething or illness can also disrupt your toddler’s sleep owing to pain or discomfort. Cough, a stifling nose, or a molar coming out, may make it difficult to settle back to sleep if he wakes up or drift off at bedtime.



Few paediatricians believe that sleep disruption can be a sign of a growth spurt or a suggestion that your toddler is learning a new skill. If this is the case, you will possibly find that he settles back to his usual routine in a few days.

Occasionally, difficulty sleeping can be a symptom of something else. Sleep apnea is a condition where the airways in the throat become either completely or partly blocked during sleep and interrupt breathing. Even though it sounds upsetting, sleep apnea is a common and treatable condition. Your paediatricians will be able to verify a diagnosis and suggest the best treatment for your kid.

Tips for Improving Your Child’s Sleep

  • Set up a regular time for bed every night and do not differ from it. In the same manner, the waking time must not differ from weekend to weekday by more than 1 to 1 and a half hours.
  • Make a soothing bedtime routine, such as reading a story or offering your child a warm bath.
  • Do not offer any drinks with caffeine at least six hours earlier than bedtime.
  • Avoid offering big meals to children around bedtime.
  • Ensure that the bedroom temperature is comfortable and dark.
  • Ensure the noise level in the house is low.
  • Make playtime after-dinner a soothing time, as too much activity near bedtime can keep children wide awake.
  • There should be no radio, television, mobile phone, computer, or music playing while the child is going to sleep. Video games and TV should be switched off at least one hour before bedtime.
  • Infants and children should be put to bed when they look tired but are still awake.

Consult with the healthcare provider of the child if these tips do not help or if you need added guidance.

Categories
Development Potty Training

Potty Training Mistakes to Avoid

Potty training is often considered as one of the trickiest features of the early years of parenting. While toilet training a toddler will never be as easy as 1, 2, 3, you may be making your life harder by committing one of these common potty training errors. While several parents are willing to speed up the development oftentimes and make the change from diaper to toilet as effortless as possible, specific mistakes can delay the process easily.

Here are some of the common potty training mistakes and issues that parents should avoid:

Pushing kids before they are prepared

A child’s wish to graduate out of diapers is a developmental landmark, and just in the same way you would not push kids to walk, you cannot force them to potty train before they are prepared and if you still do it, you will be unsuccessful. The key errors parents make in potty training are associated with not understanding the basic principles that the kid must first be able to manage their potty functions, and then they should have the eagerness to do it.

Solution: You should look for signs that your kid is interested in. For instance, he may follow you into the bathroom to watch you flush and pee. Also, you may find that he hates wearing a dirty diaper and asks via his actions or words to have it changed.

Switching to diapers at bedtime, on road trips, or other moments when it is simply easier 

Most of the parents wish to toilet train till bedtime when they frequently resort back to diapers. However, when we switch back and forth, the kid loses the understanding of being pooped/wet or uncomfortable and is getting mixed messages. The same applies to difficult times such as road trips or family occasions such as weddings. While it is enticing to go back to diapers, constancy matters.

Solution: Get rid of the diapers at bedtime and get a few plastic mattress liners in its place. Avoid setting up potty training around large social occasions or when you take a trip, or if you have to, pack lots of additional outfits to whisk out in case of untoward incidents, and take your kid to the toilet every hour to keep such issues at bay.

Not waiting until you are ready

If you cannot wake up at 2 a.m. to change the sheets, make the rugs clean, and do loads of laundry a day, or have any other issues, you may need to wait to potty train. Potty training is an untidy, time-consuming dedication, so you need to be hands-on.

Solution: Choose a potty-training time when you would not have many other pressing responsibilities, such as over summer vacation, or a long weekend. That way, you can dedicate your undivided attention to the task.

Not keeping an eye out for signals

Kids would not just come up and say that they want to go to the potty. Rather the signs are much more important. One of the most common errors is for the parent to not follow through when the child offers the signal.

Solution: First, find out the signs your child displays when he wants to go. Then watch for them and once you spot them, take your child to the bathroom and set your child on the toilet. After repeated attempts, the child will make the connection between the urge to go and the toilet and will go there naturally.

These are some of the potty training mistakes to avoid.

Categories
Development Health

Tips on How to Encourage Your Toddler’s Physical Development

Toddlers develop and grow fast in their first five years across the four primary areas of development. These areas are motor (physical), cognitive, communication and language, and emotional and social.  
Motor development indicates the strengthening and growth of a child’s ability, muscles, and bones to move and touch the surroundings. A kid’s motor development is classified into two categories: gross motor and fine motor.

Fine motor skills refer to small movements in the tongue, wrists, lips, feet, fingers, toes, and hands. Gross motor skills entail the development of muscles that allow babies to hold up their heads, crawl and sit, and eventually skip, walk, jump, and run.

Here are some of the ways to encourage your toddler’s physical development:

Climbing and balancing

One of the things toddlers love to do is take their new walking skills and up the stake just a bit. It might be climbing up and down a sofa or chair or balancing on the edge of a stair.

Drawing and scribbling

Applaud these early sketches, which offer assurance a whole raft of new capabilities. Drawing with a crayon includes fine motor skills such as holding and grasping.

Dressing and undressing

Placing things on and taking them off is a toddler delight. Undressing and dressing herself or a toy offers a host of prospects for her to practice her hand and finger coordination.

Filling and emptying

Your toddler will soon learn that vacating a container necessitates a lot less accurate than filling one. As infuriating as it might appear this dumping is an essential cognitive exercise, as well. Your toddler is beginning to understand that one object, like a bucket, can hold another object.

Running and jumping

Toddlers love to run, jump and climb but getting both feet to leave the ground at once, is difficult than most of us remember and exasperating for the child who wants to, but cannot.

Moulding and squishing

Toddlers love to touch, taste, and smell. If you offer your child lots of fun-to-feel materials to keep her little hands busy, she will have fun while developing the agility and strength of those little hands.

Stacking, stringing, and sorting

Balancing one block on top of another carefully or placing coloured rings on a pole or stacking and knocking down everything excites almost all toddlers. It is also an incredible way for your kid to use his fingers and to work on building and sorting skills.

Catching and throwing

Balls of several sizes to be rolled, caught or thrown develop hand-eye coordination as well as agility. This skill is a physical development: your child will begin with rolling, then go on to bouncing a ball and throwing underhanded before lastly learning to throw overhand.

Rolling and pedalling

After your toddler studies that his legs are vital to mobility, he will love using them to roam. Your child might start by utilising both feet at the same time and then start “walking” with feet.

Pushing and pulling

If he is still learning to pull, push and walk toys are ideal for your kid. They mix the skills that are developed already, such as pulling into a standing position and pushing up from the floor.

Swimming and splashing

Water play is an ideal way to construct coordination and assist your kid get at ease with his body, but it is essential to take your cues from your child when introducing him to the water.

These are some of the simple ways to encourage your toddlers’ physical development.

Categories
Fun Parenting and Childcare

Tips on How to Design Kids’ Rooms to Foster Creativity

Although most people believe that creativity is a natural talent and that their children either do or do not have: just as all kids are not evenly intelligent, all kids are not creative as well. But in reality, creativity is a skill rather than innate aptitude, and it is a skill that parents can assist their kids to develop.

Every child is born with the ability for imagination and creativity, but that capacity can be limited if, for instance, you do not give them the opportunity and space to use and develop their creative energy. That chiefly means offering your child the liberty to make something creative on their own. But, it is also about being able to test new ideas.

How to foster the creative process?

It is essential to emphasise the creative process. That means showing your appreciation and support for their efforts, not the result. You should offer the stimulation for creativity but do not attempt to control the play. Rather, it enables kids to develop their sense of liberty.

The tools you offer for this creative play should thus not be limited, but leave room for their thoughts to begin. You can change equipment often to keep it thrilling and provide the prospective for them to come up with new ideas, but also an enhanced challenge, so they do not start to become bored with this type of play.

Why make kids room a creative hub?

When we are talking about kids’ room ideas to motivate their imagination, what we mean is that you can create a little station or hub where they have a range of activities and tools on-hand to chase an interest. By setting up a creative station in a kid’s room, you are making it easily accessible, and thus, more likely to be used. You are also providing them ownership of it.

A creative space must welcome clutter and supplies must be put on a show. This motivates your kids to feel like there are no limitations on them. Your children must not inbuilt with any fears about using the space.

Best kids room ideas to support their creative pursuits
Kids room design Ideas for Arts And Crafts

Arts and crafts are favourite for kids and maybe the first area you think of when it comes to bringing out your kid’s creative side.

Craft corner

The craft table is possibly the most renowned creative space in family homes. But, instead of putting out supplies that seem to surpass your kitchen bench or dining table always, you can set up a chosen space in your child’s room and design it nicely.

Chalkboard

Chalkboard paint indicates you can turn the whole wall into a drawing space. On the other hand, you can paint an extensive stripe across the room or even in a corner if you like a more concentrated area for your kid to get creative.

Gallery wall

A gallery wall in the room is the most excellent way of displaying your kids’ latest artistic creations. This way, it also enhances as beautification for your kids’ room that can easily develop as they grow. You can simply utilise frames to exhibit the artwork or twine up a line with some hooks attached to make it simple to convert the art.

Reading corner

Reading can be entertaining for your kids with a cosy spot to enjoy their books. Your kid will love to have a tent at the corner with soft cushions and favourite stuffed animals.

These creative interior designing ideas can motivate and assist offer your kids the room of their wildest dreams.

Categories
Activities Behaviour and Discipline Parenting and Childcare

Helpful Tips for Busy Parents to Keep Homes Clean

It can be difficult to keep the home clean with kids around. Once you get one room cleaned another room becomes a mess. It is an everlasting job of picking it up, put it away, and do again. The good thing is that a home does not always have to be untidy just because children are there.

Here are a few tips and tricks that make home cleaning simpler for parents:

Establish playtime rules and designate a place for toys

Teach your children to take out one toy set at a time. Before they move on to their next playful venture they need to put the previous items away. Kids do not need to spread toys throughout the house; the dining room, living room or even the bedroom of the parents’ can be a toy-free zone. Educate them not to take toys into that one room. Or if you do not have that type of space, then choose an area, like the table or a countertop.

Keep a huge vacant box or container around to throw things in

When you require diving through the areas and cleaning fast, or if anyone leaves something laying out overnight, throw it all in the large basket. This way, it is all in one area and everybody knows where to search for their things. As the basket gets filled, the entire family can get fifteen minutes to vacant it all out and put it away.

Have a cleanup time each day

Just before bedtime, get everything cleaned. Lift everything that has been taken out and put it away. It is so fast and easy, and once you get in the routine, the messes are less irresistible.

Have a specific spot for everything

If no one understands where it goes, then how will they be able to place it away? Ensure everything you bring in the house has a place where it belongs. If you are having a difficult time finding a place for everything, it is time to take inventory and dispose of a few things or rearrange.

Educate kids to clean up what they are playing with

Kids tend to move from one game to another fast. They leave a section of the room scattered with toys and go off to do something else. When you see the games or toys abandoned, have them stop what they are doing and come back to clean it up. They might not like it, but they will get accustomed to it and with your assistance, they will be trained to place their things at the proper place. Make it entertaining by being joyful as they put their things away fast.

Get rid of things

If you see you are getting overrun and it is becoming very challenging to get it cleaned up, then it is time to cleanse Make it a goal to get rid of everything that you do not have space for.

Practice what you teach

If you want the kids to be a bit clean, be sure you are doing your best to stay neat too. Before you go to bed spend a few minutes picking up the things that are around the house.

Let the kids do some of the work

Get the children to do a cleanup of the house once a day with dad or mom. Remember that cleaning together can be entertaining if mom or dad keeps their attitude happy and humorous.

These are some of the simple tips using which you can keep your home neat and clean.

Categories
Behaviour and Discipline Parenting and Childcare

Here’s How to Help Your Child Overcome Fears

Fears are a normal part of childhood—and thus are learning to get over them. Few children are scared of the dark while others believe that there are giants under the bed and some shouts when they find an insect on the pavement.

Before you begin to panic that these perplexing fears indicate there is something incorrect with your child, understand that these fears are completely usual part of their growth. Ultimately, learning to handle fear is an essential life lesson. Usually, these fears are not completely sensible but what they are feeling, along with their physiological response to it, is very genuine indeed. 

Take comfort in the fact your kid will grow out of these fears. Here are a few things you can do to make the evolution just that little bit easier for your little one:

Introduce role models

The fears of children are common and for this reason, there is a range of resources out there to help you in teaching your kid how to deal with them. Search for age-appropriate children’s films, toys, and books with characters that help in overcoming fears and being brave.

Be patient

Do not force your child to deal with their fears before they are ready. Keep in mind; while the fear might be puzzling to you, it is still very real to them. Rather, be patient, sympathetic and let them confront their fears at their own pace. You can talk to them through the emotion they are feeling in a comforting and calm manner.

Give them control

Fear can be a direct response to feeling helpless and physically threatened. Children who are frightened of the bathroom, for instance, are worried they will be flushed down; kids who are frightened of the monster under the bed are feeling at risk on their own in the dark.

Offering your child an aspect of control in the management of their panic will help them feel safe and sound. For instance, if they are frightened of burglars in the night, make locking and shutting their bedroom window one of their night-time tasks.

Answer their questions

Even though childhood fears are typically based on exaggerated or imaginary perceptions, that does not mean they are not very real to your kid. Discuss with them about their fears and try and understand where they are coming from.

Motivate your child to ask you any questions they like and do your best to answer them in simple, age-appropriate ways. If you do not know all the answers, research them together online or at the library.

Motivate and applaud

Ignoring your child’s fears or laughing at them will attain nothing optimistic. Ignoring or belittling your kid may compel them to internalise their fear instead of dealing with it and also shatter their belief in you.

Rather, talk to your child about their fears, assure them that you are there for them and persuade them to deal with their fears in their way – and in their time. It is also vital to praise their efforts when they do something out of their comfort zone. It will go a long way towards building their self-confidence and overcoming their fears.

However, if your child’s fears appear like they may be something more severe, consult with a doctor to see if more assistance is needed.

Categories
Behaviour and Discipline Parenting and Childcare

Tips on Teaching Your Kid to Say Sorry

Most child experts’ consent that kids should not be compelled to say “sorry” when they do anything wrongly. But, that does not mean kids should be let off for bad behaviour. Adults should take the opportunity to educate kids about why their behaviour was wrong and learn about good etiquette simultaneously. Forcing a young child to apologise after he hits or bites a friend, may mean just saying a “sorry” statement without making their behaviour change. In such cases, what should parents and providers do?

Teaching your kids etiquettes for saying sorry is harder than it seems. For beginners, your kid needs to let go off his self-esteem and ingest his arrogance to say sorry. Also, your child may not think or consent that his behaviours call for a confession at all. And finally, also if they are eager to say sorry to run away your anger, it is hard to make sure that they mean it.

Why teaching your kids etiquette for saying sorry is important?

Saying sorry is not just a social gesture. It assists your child to identify right from wrong, take liability for his wrongs, modify his errors, clear the air and cure a relationship. For raising an adult who is accountable enough to accept his errors and say sorry, practice the below-mentioned tips with your child.

Teach your kids etiquette when to make an apology

It is hard to teach a small kid what is always incorrect and correct. But it is also vital that you start making them alert of these two concepts in the early hours. To aid them to understand their errors motivate your child to understand – enquire them how they will feel if something similar was done to them.

Explain to your child how to apologise correctly

A good apology is not just saying sorry. Teach your child different “elements” of a good apology:

  • Stand still and straight
  • Make eye contact
  • Motivate your kid to put in language what he did incorrectly so that the listener knows that your kid knows why he/she is disturbed.
  • Conclude with a promise for future behaviour
  • Follow up with a question to ensure that he is forgiven
  • Use the correct tone of voice. For saying sorry you can utter it in diverse tones and assist the child know when it sounds like you does not mean it and when it does.
Be unbiased

Maximum parents fall on two edge – they are either very guilty about their kid’s behaviour or they are too nice, blame their kid and support the other children. But none of these are excellent ideas. Explain to the kids that it does not matter who did it, however, now that there is an issue both kids need to make an apology to one another. If your kid feels awful about it, later on, clarify to him that argument typically happens when more than one person is involved, may not be equal but both add towards it. Thus, it is essential to say sorry even if your child did not begin it.

Though it might be difficult initially, slowly your child will develop a sense of liability and understand the implications of his behaviour and actions. Empathy will grow and you will feel proud to have raised a well-bred child.