How to Encourage Learning at Home

How to Encourage Learning at Home

By Baljit Sadhal

Home is where the heart is, and home is also where the heart of learning is. It is where we grow and flourish as children, and a place we never forget. Home is also the first stage where learning takes place. This article offers parents some tips on how to create a home that promotes and encourages the love of learning.

Making the effort to ensure your home encourages an open and fun attitude towards learning will make a big difference on how your child feels about learning. As a parent your attitude towards learning is vital. Does that mean you turn your home into a library or a class room? Not at all. Making learning FUN in your home can be easy, key items to consider for your home which encourage and foster learning and creativity are:

• Building Blocks
• Puzzles
• Finger Painting
• Drawing
• Play-Doh
• Clay
• Books and Magazines 

Stock up on colorful books, toys, games, pencils, paper, crayons, paint, play-doh. These items are fun to play with but are also helping your child to explore and learn by DOING. Each of these items challenges the mind to be creative and imaginative thus learning as you play.

As a parent your role is to create an ambience of happiness and enthusiasm through your fun-to-learn attitude. This includes showing your acceptance and approval of something your child has worked on. Your praise encourages your child to work harder and the desire to learn more

Nothing can replace sharing your time with your child. Not the best toy, book, movie, or best music....by sharing your time with your child you are telling your child that they are important and thus building their belief in themselves.

For more tips and information about brain building toy products that promote learning and creativity check out http://bestbrainbuildingtoys.com/


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Baljit_Sadhal

Whew! This saved me from my unnecessary worry

I'm so glad I had found this article from BabyCenter. This really helped a lot and knowing that I'm not the only mom undergoing the same situation.

Is it normal that my preschooler pretends that everything is a gun?

Expert Answers
The BabyCenter Editorial Team
Yes. It may be a little unsettling to see your cherubic little guy blasting away at everything in sight like a miniature John Wayne, but this behavior is definitely normal.

"I hear this question quite frequently in my practice, particularly from parents of boys," says pediatrician Ari Brown, co-author of Baby 411 and Toddler 411 and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. It seems there are quite a few mini John Waynes stomping about.

Why do children do this? According to Brown, part of the reason might be that they're mimicking grown-ups. This doesn't mean that these children come from violent homes, however. Images of guns are all around us — on the evening news, for example. Children who pretend to shoot each other may simply be playacting what they see on television.

But we can't chalk it all up to exposure. Even children with limited access to violent images can become enthralled with pretend guns, and experts can't really explain why.

While the behavior is common, there are times when it can get out of hand. Perhaps your child is playing pretend shoot 'em up to the exclusion of other games. If this is the case, you may want to help him branch out.

Brown suggests that you start by thinking about what your child sees and hears. Is the news on during dinner? Is an older brother playing aggressive computer games in the living room? Reducing your child's exposure to these types of things will give him less fodder for his own reenactments.

Along with working to discourage pretend gunplay, Brown suggests parents go a step further and offer suggestions for other types of pretend play. For example, suggest playing "restaurant" and have your child be the waiter, or play "school bus" and your child can be the driver.

"Sometimes offering suggestions to a child who's obsessed with guns will help him start to think outside the box," says Brown. Your little one may be stuck in a gun rut for now, but once he understands the sheer vastness of the make-believe world, he'll probably step out of it.

Article Source:  BabyCenter - Is it normal that my preschooler pretends that everything is a gun?

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Hubby sent me this link - http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/

Please go to the link and read the article. As I was reading this, I remember when Lyle and I were at the kiddie pool at Yishun swimming complex some months ago. He loves the water and could stay for long hours playing in the pool. The kiddie pool is 0.5 meter deep and the water is just below Lyle's waist. We are playing, splashing water and then he walked away to see other kids playing in the pool. While walking, he got off balance and the next thing I saw was he was totally submerged in the water. I stood up and went to check on him and I saw him lying on his back under the water and staring blankly. There's no sound and movement. It was only when I picked him up and hold him tightly that he started to cry. He was scared and terrified. The same feelings for me too, it was so scary and terrifying to see him that way and so helpless. I comforted him and said that everything is okay and then after some minutes he forgot about it and was back again in the pool. And there I am again keeping both my eyes on him.