Thursday 18 February 2010
Sunday 28 December 2008
How important to Read to you Children
Fact. Boys lag behind girls at reading
Did you know that your child would learn to walk without any help from you; they would also learn to speak with out any help from you or anyone else. This is because your baby’s brain was programmed to do these tasks, its all ready built in and working from birth. So baby is of to a good start, but from here on, they need your help
Reading: To just give your child a book is not going to work, they have to be taught, because their brain is not programmed to let them know what the sounds of speech, phonemic awareness, phonics, informal assessment, fluency, vocabulary, spelling, writing, and text comprehension is all about, on top of that every child is different and has to be taught individually and step by step the art of reading.
Some children have a learning disability. These children need extra tuition to help them become efficient readers. If you have not noticed and the child has a learning problem the school will let you know.
For a ship load of information and tips on this subject go to http://www.readingrockets.org/
Fact. Reading standards are no better today than they were 50 years ago and they are no worse either
Fact. You have to teach you child to read, it is impossible for them to teach them self''s
Fact. approx. 40% of fourth graders lack basic reading skills in the UK and USA and Canada
Help. By reading often and regular we can greatly improve these statistics
With out basic reading skills your child is on a cource to failure, if you cannot read you cannot learn. End of story
http://www.kidsgoape.com/kidsbooks
Friday 5 December 2008
Sexting
Monday 25 August 2008
Bully's in schools
Bullying in schools is a major problem; it is not normal behavior and can ruin young lives. The government has made it a top priority to tackle this problem in schools
Kids do not have to be punched or kicked or in any other physical way to be bullied it can take many forms like name calling or teasing being threatened in one way or another about their religion their race are they fat or are they thin. Kids can be wicked and what would seem like fun to the bully can be really hurtful to the victim and isolate them making it hard for them to make friends. They may not tell their parents, or teacher, so it’s essential that parent are constantly looking for tell tail signs in their children’s behaviour that something may be wrong so that it can be stopped
Direct Gov is a handy place to go for advice on how you can deal with bullies
Malc Crawford
Friday 18 July 2008
Shocking Figures
Last year almost 14,000 people needed hospital treatment caused by knives. That works out at an average of 38 victems a day accross the UK.
Another surpriseing figure is that girls make up 10% of these victims. Why are girls getting involved, is it their upbringing or something in their diet or are they just plain bored and want a fight
So far this year 18th July the death toll has reached 20 in London
Monday 14 July 2008
Teaching your child to be organized
One of the best things we can teach our children is to be organized. This will help them learn to take care of the important things first, get in a routine and make good use of their time. As a family you can sit down and look at the areas of life that cause you the most stress. Often this can be fixed with a little communication and a plan of action.
This will reduce the stress levels around the home. Your child may not need every area of their life on a detailed schedule, but some of the bigger things such as homework, sports and helping out around the house would greatly benefit from a schedule.
One way to help your child get organized is to decide what areas should be addressed first. This will teach your child the value of time and that work comes before play.
Create a routine and stick to it. Teach your child to create a routine such as what he/she should do once they are up and getting dressed for school.
For example, my son’s daily routine during the school week is:
1. Make his bed
2. Brush his teeth and wash his face.
3. Get dressed for school.
4. Eat breakfast.
5. Grab his backpack, give mom and dad a hug and off to school he goes.
This routine has helped us ensure he is out the door and will arrive at school on time.
It is very significant that once you have established a daily set of activities that you and your child stick to them. While there are times when you will need to be flexible, you should always stick to the routine whenever possible. Over time, your child will be able to see and understand how this keeps everyone’s life running a little smoother.
A big key to keep your child encouraged in their daily routine is to discuss their success. Pat them on the back for a job well done. This will keep them focused and interested in doing a good job when they realize mommy and daddy notice their efforts.
Keep the lines of communication open with your child, as it is vital, that your child can talk to you about their daily routine. Stay involved with your child as they will still need your help and support along the way. Find out what is working well and what can be done better as a family. Make adjustments as needed to ensure no one person is being overloaded.
Saturday 5 July 2008
Potty Training
“I’m so done with diapers!” groans a mother as she looks at the high price tag on the jumbo pack of diapers. “Is it time for my child to start potty training?”
Potty training is a big milestone for children. But how do parents know when to start? Intuition, expectations, common sense and observation play key roles in initiating potty training.
Step #1-Create a Parent/Child Team
Potty training is a combined effort between parent and child. Some parents may assume that they are in charge, while other parents place the child at the helm. In actuality, potty training is a partnership. Parents provide support, potty training tools, books, and dry clothing; children do the “going.” Stumble It!
Grasping the concept that potty training is a team effort between parent and child, and not a command and control situation, is critical to success. Strict, impatient pursuit of the goal puts undo pressure on the child, resulting in stress, anxiety and in some cases delayed potty training.
Step#2-Starting early doesn’t ensure quick results
In depth research on intensive potty training has proven that initiating the process early is in fact correlated to extended duration of potty training. Those parents who start training prematurely find that the potty training process lasts longer.
Children must develop bladder and muscle control before they are able to control toileting. Parents may adhere to this rough timeline of readiness: 15-18 months the child senses that his or her clothes are wet; 18 months the child may urinate on the potty if placed on it; 2- 2 1/2 years the child might alert the parent that he has to go; and 3-4 years the child may have the ability to “hold it” and visit the bathroom alone.
Step#3-Determine readiness by child’s development
When deciding to begin the potty training process, chronological age may not be the correct indicator for readiness. The parent should look for signs that the child is developmentally ready. This is especially true for babies who were born prematurely and children who are developmentally delayed.
Some good signs of readiness are: child can sit and walk well, child can stay dry for 2 hours or more, child is interested in doing what big kids or grownups do, child is able to follow and execute simple instructions, and child seems to understand what the potty is for and uses words relating to using the toilet.
Parents should assess the temperament of the child. Important questions to ask are: is the child able to focus, what is her attention span, does the child frustrate easily, is the child easily angered or discouraged.
For most children potty training occurs between 2 and 3 years, with the majority of children potty trained by 4.
Step#4-Go on now, go!
Today is the day! Parents should make sure that the child is in good health, and that the household is calm with no impending turmoil such as a move coming up, a new baby being brought home, or a parent going away on a trip.
Dress the child in easy to remove clothing like sweat pants with an elastic waist. Snaps, buttons and zippers are difficult for little hands and time consuming to manipulate when the urge arises. To reduce the pressure on the child, allow him to stay in diapers during the early days of potty training. Gradually transition him into underwear for short amounts of time as his dry times become more and more extended.
After a meal, nap, or when coming in from outdoors are good times to encourage the child to hop on the potty. Parents should be on the look out for indicators of when the child may have the urge to go.
Accompany the child to the potty and stay with him. The visit to the bathroom should be short and sweet; five minutes is plenty of time. Offer reading material, or use a fun potty training tool or toy to make the five minutes engaging. Important: if the child wants to get off of the potty before five minutes, don’t force him to stay.
Praise, praise, praise! Little milestones deserve lots of hugs and kisses. It is really something for a little tyke to hop on the potty by herself, pull up her own pants, or make it into the bathroom (even if only to be a little late.) Be kind, patient, sensitive and proud. Don’t scold the child for having accidents, ever.
About The Author
Elena Neitlich is owner of Moms On Edge at http://www.momsonedge.com