Child Development

Safety Precautions for Children

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:23:00 +0000

There are lots of things parents can do to make homes safe for children. You might like to use the ideas here as a check list that you can go through to make sure your home is safe.

General

Matches, lighters and candles must be kept out of the reach of children.
Install window opening restrictors.
Install a smoke detector on each floor, and test them monthly.
Ensure that doors and low-level windows have safety glass or film installed.
Unplug appliances that children could trip over.
Ensure floor finishes are non-slip and securely fitted, especially in the kitchen, bathroom and on the stairs.
Put plug guards into sockets so children can’t stick things into the holes.
Put fire guards around open fires and heaters.
Teach children to tidy their toys away after they have finished playing with them. Toys can be a trip hazard, especially on stairs.

Kitchen

Have a well-equipped first aid kit in the house.
Use a secure medicine store.
Household cleaning chemicals should be stored in a secure place.
Use a short or curly flex on your kettle, or preferably use a cordless kettle. Make sure there are no trailing flexes.
Keep children out of the kitchen during cooking. A safety gate can be fitted in the kitchen doorway.
Keep children away from the iron while it is still in use or hot.
Keep sharp knives and scissors out of reach.
Turn panhandles in, and well clear of hotplates.
Keep hot meals or drinks out of reach of children.
Make sure that the tablecloth does not overhang the table.
Keep alcohol out of the reach of children.

Stairs

Install safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs and at kitchen doorways.
Ensure there is sufficient lighting in hallways, stairs and landings.
Check that spacing between stair banisters does not exceed 100mm.

Bathroom

Check the bath water temperature before children get in, and always run the cold water first before adding the hot.
Use a non-slip mat in the bath or shower.
Children must be supervised in the bathroom at all times.

Bedroom

Keep furniture away from the windows, to prevent children climbing up and falling out of open windows.
Fit safety bars and a secure ladder to bunk beds.
Ensure cosmetics, perfumes and aftershaves are out of reach.

Garden

All garden/DIY chemicals should be stored in the correct containers, clearly labelled and in a lockable garage or shed.
Keep garden/DIY tools tidied away and stored in a lockable garage or shed.
Ensure garden play equipment is secured, well-maintained, and sited on a soft surface.
Keep children away from the greenhouse or cold frame.
Ensure all fences are secure, to prevent children wandering onto the road or into a neighbour’s garden.
Check for any poisonous plants or berries in your garden.
Supervise children in the paddling pool and near any garden ponds.

"I'm Sorry Dad"

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:59:00 +0000

This is a story about a men who take care of his child after his wife pass-away. Four years ago, an accident took his beloved wife away and very often he wonder, how does his wife, feel right now? She must be feeling extremely sad for leaving a husband who is incapable to taking care of the house and the kid 'cos that is the exact feeling that he have, as he feel that he have failed to provide for the physical and emotional needs of his child, and failed to be the dad and mum for his child.

There was one particular day, when he had an emergency at work. Hence, he had to leave home whilst his child was still sleeping. So thinking that there was still rice leftovers, he hastily cooked an egg and left after informing his sleepy child. With the double roles, he often exhausted at work as well as when he reach home. So after a long day, he came home, totally drained of all energy. So with just a brief hug and kiss for his child, he went straight into the room, skipping dinner. However, when he jumped into his bed with intention of just having a well-deserved sleep, all he heard and felt was broken porcelain and warm liquid! he flipped open his blanket, and there lies the source of the 'problem'... a broken bowl with instant noodles and a mess on the bed sheet and blanket!

Boy, was he mad! he was so furious that he took a clothes hanger, charged straight at his child who was happily playing with his toy, and give him a good spanking! He merely cried but not asking for mercy, except a short explanation:

"Dad, I was hungry and there wasn't anymore leftover rice. But you were not back yet, hence I wanted to cook some instant noodles. But I remembered you reminding me not to touch or use the gas stove without any adults around, hence I turned on the shower and used the hot water from the bathroom to cook the noodles. One is for you and the other is for me. However, I was afraid that the noodles will turn cold, so I hid it under the blanket to keep it warm till you return. But I forgot to remind you 'cos I was playing with my toys...I am sorry Dad..."

At that moment, tears were starting to run down his cheeks... but he didn't want his son to see his dad crying so he dashed into the bathroom and cried with the shower head on to mask his cries. After that episode, he went towards his son to give him a tight hug and applied medication on him, while coaxing him to sleep. Then, it was time to clear up the mess on the bed.

When everything was done and well past midnight, he passed his son's room, and saw that his son was still crying, not from the pain on his little buttock, but from looking at the photograph of his beloved mummy. A year has passed since the episode, he have tried, in this period, to focus on giving him both the love of his dad and mum, and to attend to most of his needs. And soon, he is turning seven, and will be graduating from kindergarten.

Fortunately, the incident did not leave a lasting impression on his childhood memories and he is still happily growing up. However, not so long ago, he hit his boy again, with much regret. This time, his kindergarten teacher called, informing him of his son's absence from school. He took off early from work and went home, expecting his son to explain. But he wasn't to be found, so he went around the house, calling out his name and eventually found him outside a stationery shop, happily playing computer games. He was fuming, brought his son home and whack the hell out of him. His son did not retaliate, except to say, 'I am sorry, Dad'. But after much probing, I realized that it was a 'Talent Show' organized by his school and the invite is for every student's mummy. And that was the reason for his absence as he has no mummy....."

Few days after the caning, his son came home to tell him, the kindergarten has recently taught him how to read and write. Since then, he has kept to himself and stayed in his room to practise his writing, which he sure, would make his wife proud, if she was still around 'cos his son makes he proud too! Time passes by very quickly, and soon another year has passed. It's winter, and its Christmas time. Everywhere the christmas spirit is in every passer-by... Christmas carols and frantic shoppers.... but alas, his son got into another trouble. When he was about to knock off from the day's work, the post office called. Due to the peak season, the postmaster was also on an edgy mood. They called to tell him that his son has attempted to post several letters with no addresses. Although he did make a promise never to hit his son again, he couldn't help but to hit him as he feel that this child of his is really beyond control. Once again, as before, his son apologized, ' I'm sorry, Dad' and no additional reason to explain. He pushed his son towards a corner, went to the post office to collect the letters with no addressee and came home, and angrily questioned his son on his prank, during this time of the year.

His answer, amidst his sobbing, was : "The letters were for Mummy". His eyes grew teary, but he tried to control his emotions and continued to ask him: " But why did u post so many letters, at one time?" His son's reply was: " I have been writing to mummy for a long time, but each time I reach out for the post box, it was too high for me, hence I was not able to post the letters. But recently, when I went back to the postbox, I could reach it and so I sent it all at once..."

After hearing this, he was lost. Lost at not knowing what to do, what to say.... he told his son, " Son, mummy is in heaven, so in future, if you have anything to tell her, just read the letter and it will reach mummy". His son, on hearing this, was much pacified and calm, and soon after, his son was sleeping soundly. On promising that he will read the letters on his behalf, he brought the letters outside and started reading.

And one of the letters broke his heart....

Dear Mummy,
I miss you so much! To day, there was a 'Talent Show' in school, and the school invited all mothers for the show. But you are not around, so I did not want to participate as well. I did not tell Dad about it as I was afraid that Dad would start to cry and miss you all over again. Dad went around looking for me, but in order to hide my sadness, I sat in front of the computer and started playing games at one of the shops. Dad was furious, and he couldn't help it but scolded and hit me, but I did not tell him the real reason. Mummy, every day I see Dad missing you and whenever he think of you, he is so sad and often hide and cry in his room. I think we both miss you very very much. Too much for our own good I think. But Mummy, I am starting to forget your face. Can you please appear in my dreams so that I can see your face and remember you? I heard that if you fall asleep with the photograph of the person whom you miss, you will see the person in your dreams. But mummy, why haven't you appear?

After reading the letter, he can't stop sobbing. 'cos he can never replace the irreplaceable gap left behind by his wife....

For the females with children:
Don't spend so much time at work. If you cannot finish the work, it must be some kind of problems within the company, and it is not your sole problem. Feedback to your boss. Endless over time may not necessary be the answer to the problem. Take care of your health so that you can treasure and take care of your little precious.

For the married men:
Drink less, smoke less, cos nothing can replace your good health, not even business nor clients.Try thinking this way, are you able to work till your clients are totally dependent on you? or your boss is totally dependent on you? In this society, no one is indispensable. Take care of your health, so that you can take care of your little
precious and your loved ones.

For those singles out there:
Beauty lies in loving yourself first. With confidence and loving yourself, you will see the beauty in other
things around you. You will be able to work better and happier. Don't let your health be affected by your work or your boss, so nothing matters more than your well being.

Designing Learning Environments

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:47:00 +0000

The prospect of designing any environment for children can be intimidating for many people, as they are not sure where to start or how to go about it. It is a complex process, but for the person who just wants to improve their learning environment, simple changes can make a world of difference. Adding a variety of activities and physical spaces within your room, as well as a variety of sensory detail, adds richness to your environment. Adding these things in a way that they are able to change regularly ensures that your environment will have an enduring interest for your children across time.

A child's development is directly linked to its ability to interact with its environment. Children develop an understanding of themselves through their interactions with events and materials outside themselves. All environments have the ability to contribute or retard this process. Anita Old states that " the motivation to interact with the environment exists in all children as an intrinsic property of life, but the quality of the interactions is dependent upon the possibilities for engagement that the environment provides".

A first step in making changes is to acknowledge the role of the environment in children's lives. The environments that children experience in their early years of life are responsible for creating their understanding of many concepts, giving them spatial awareness, educating their senses, nourishing their curiosity, and encouraging their interaction. For some children with special needs this process does not happen so spontaneously. For these children you need to be aware of their skill level and preferences in order to piece together activities and sensory information in a way that will entice them to interact with their surroundings.

When running a practical workshop, I get the participants to name their favorite recreational environment as a child. Ninety nine percent of the time, they name an outdoor environment. I also get them to list their reasons for choosing this environment and these consistently include:

Child playing in ball pool.

Constant variation - seasonal change;
Flexibility/manipulable parts;
Physical challenge and interest;
All kinds of sensory richness - visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory;

As many of these elements as possible should be present in any children's environment in which learning takes place. There is no better world to witness wonderful examples of variety and richness of textures, colours, light effects, smells, sound and even tastes than the natural one.

"The textures, colours and forms applied to all the surfaces of the environment are the close-at-hand qualities of the environment with which occupants come most in contact, and what they "read" continually in experiencing a setting". It is these features that leave the most lasting impression of an environment on children, as these are the features that are happening on the child's scale. For children with special needs, the detail of colour, texture, smell and lighting can have a much greater impact, depending on their disability. These things can be a source of discomfort and pleasure, as well as information, entertainment, education and reward.

Texture, colour, smell, lighting, sound. These are your best tools. It is through these features that you can soften an institutional space as well as add richness and constant variation.

Knowing About Child Development

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:56:00 +0000

More and more parents are interested in the basis of child development, and this is because of the proliferation of information and that more and more of them are now aware of the mighty range of developmental diseases that are out there, and how they can actually understand how they work. For one thing, child development is always down to the sort of exposure that they are subjected to when they are young, and this is really down to the simple fact that the mind is a sponge when they are young. You can look at things that happen beyond their control, like during the gestation and uterial stage when the baby is in the womb.

Adding narcotics and chemicals could be the catalyst to trigger things like mental diseases and the stunting of their own learning. This is why mothers all over the world are reminded of the importance that they should not smoke, drink or even take any form of drugs that are not prescribed by doctors when they are pregnant – if they are interested in the development of their child at all.

One thing that is quite important when it comes to this is that exposure to these elements may cause diseases like Down syndrome and autism, things that you definitely want to avoid when you are planning to have a child and bring a life into this world and these are the things that you really need to be aware of when thinking about being a parent as well. One other thing that we can look at when thinking about child development is the experiences when they are developing pay a crucial role in the process of their learning and the growth of their mental faculties.

Things and elements like trauma are common elements that greatly reduce the potential of a child to grow, and this is why they need to be protected from these, and the subconscious power of association, which will stick in the brain for the longest time, and this is what you need to avoid as well. In the arena of child development, the mind of a child when they grow up is very vulnerable and they depend plenty on the guidance of their parent or caretaker.

This is why the period of time when they are being developed is perhaps the most important period of all. In the end of the day, it is all about how you are going to be able to understand these concepts and apply them to the child that you have or about to have. When you are able to better prepare yourself for most of the eventualities, then you will have a much easier time when thinking how best to mould your child and protect them from any negative experiential elements that might alter or even slow down their minds? very important and critical development.

MindMatters Psychology Practice provides depression child treatment support services for children and young adults. They also provide an IQ Testing for children to pinpoint any possible asperger’s syndrome.

Vomiting In Children

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:09:00 +0000

Most of the time, vomiting in children is caused by gastroenteritis, usually due to a virus infecting the gastrointestinal tract. (Gastroenteritis is sometimes called the "stomach flu," which can also cause nausea and diarrhea.)

These infections usually don't last long and are more disruptive than dangerous. However, kids (especially infants) who are unable to take in enough fluids and also have diarrhea could become dehydrated.

It's important to stay calm — vomiting is frightening for young children (and parents, too) and exhausting for kids of all ages. Offering plenty of reassurance to your child and taking measures to prevent dehydration are key for a quick recovery.
For Infants Under 6 Months

Avoid giving plain water to a young infant unless your doctor directly specifies an amount.
Offer your infant small but frequent amounts — about 2 to 3 teaspoons, or up to ½ ounce (about 20 milliliters) — of an oral electrolyte solution every 15 to 20 minutes with a spoon or an oral syringe. Oral electrolyte solutions (available at most supermarkets or pharmacies and also called oral electrolyte maintenance solutions) are balanced with salts to replace what's lost with vomiting or diarrhea, and they also contain some sugar. It's especially important for young infants that any fluids given have the correct salt balance (unflavored electrolyte solutions are best for younger infants).
Gradually increase the amount of solution you're giving if your infant is able to keep it down for more than a couple of hours without vomiting. For instance, if your little one takes 4 ounces (or about 120 milliliters) normally per feed, slowly work up to giving this amount of oral electrolyte solution over the course of the day.
Do not give more solution at a time than your infant would normally eat — this will overfill an already irritated tummy and will likely cause more vomiting.
After your infant goes for a period of time (more than about 8 hours) without vomiting, reintroduce formula slowly if your infant is formula-fed. Start with small (½ to 1 ounce, or about 20 to 30 milliliters), more frequent feeds and slowly work up to the normal feeding routine. If your infant already eats baby cereal, it's OK to start solid feedings in small amounts again.
If your infant is exclusively breastfeeding and vomits (not just spits up, but vomits what seems like the entire feed) more than once, then breastfeed for a total of 5-10 minutes every 2 hours. If your infant is still vomiting, then call your doctor. After 8 hours without vomiting, you can resume breastfeeding normally.
If your infant is under 1 month old and vomiting all feeds (not just spitting up), call your doctor immediately.

For Infants 6 Months to 1 Year

Avoid giving plain water to an infant under 1 year unless your doctor directly specifies an amount.
Give your infant small but frequent amounts — about 3 teaspoons, or ½ ounce (about 20 milliliters) — of an oral electrolyte solution every 15-20 minutes. It's important that any fluids given to infants under 1 year of age who are vomiting have the correct salt balance (again, oral electrolyte solutions are balanced with salts to replace what's lost with vomiting or diarrhea).
An infant over 6 months of age may not appreciate the taste of an unflavored oral electrolyte solution. Flavored solutions are also available, or you can add ½ teaspoon (about 3 milliliters) of juice to each feeding of unflavored oral electrolyte solutions. Frozen oral electrolyte solution pops are often appealing to infants in this age group; this approach also encourages the slow intake of fluids that's required.
Gradually increase the amount of solution you're giving if your infant is able to keep it down for more than a couple of hours without vomiting. For instance, if your infant takes 4 ounces (about 120 milliliters) normally per feed, work slowly up to giving this amount of oral electrolyte solution over the course of the day.
Do not give more solution at a time than your infant would normally eat — this will overfill an already irritated tummy and will likely cause more vomiting.
After your infant goes more than about 8 hours without vomiting, you can reintroduce formula slowly to your infant. Start with small (1 to 2 ounces, or about 30 to 60 milliliters), more frequent feeds and slowly work up to the normal feeding routine. You can also begin small amounts of soft, bland foods that your infant is already familiar with such as bananas, cereals, crackers, or other mild baby foods.
If your infant doesn't vomit for 24 hours, you can resume your normal feeding routine.
For Kids 1 Year and Older:
Give clear liquids (milk and milk products should be avoided) in small amounts (ranging from 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons, or up to 1 ounce or 30 milliliters) every 15 minutes. Clear liquids that are appropriate include:

o ice chips or sips of water
o flavored oral electrolyte solutions, or add ½ teaspoon (about 3 milliliters) of nonacidic fruit juice to the oral electrolyte solution
o frozen oral electrolyte solution pops

If your child vomits, then start over with a smaller amount of fluid (2 teaspoons, or about 5 milliliters) and continue as above.
If there's no vomiting for approximately 8 hours, then introduce bland, mild foods gradually. But do not force any foods — your child will tell you when he or she is hungry. Saltine crackers, toast, broths, or mild soups (some noodles are OK), mashed potatoes, rice, and breads are all OK.
If there's no vomiting for 24 hours, then you can slowly resume the regular diet. Wait 2 to 3 days before resuming milk products.

Nose Bleeds In Children

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:58:00 +0000

For a parent, nose bleeds in children can be extremely distressing. Seeing your child bleeding, often heavily is not a very nice experience, but many parents are confused as to the best form of treatment. Many try to remedy the situation by incorrectly getting the child to lean back, pinching the bridge of their nose, putting ice on the bridge of their nose, or simply letting it bleed until it stops on its own. With any or all of these steps for nose bleeds in children, it is not uncommon for a nosebleed to last for 45 minutes or longer. A far more successful solution for nose bleeds in children would be to have the child lean forward and squeeze the tip or soft part of the nose, just below the bony part, so that the nostrils are closed.

Nose bleeds in children are very common between the ages of 3 to 10 years and particularly with the younger child it can create a lot of anxiety, so staying calm is of the essence. Prevention is obviously the best cure for nose bleeds in children, so if you can establish a cause then it may be possible to avoid further episodes. Most nose bleeds in children are caused by zealous blowing or picking, therefore it’s advisable to keep the child’s nails short. In the wintertime, especially, if your child's bed is near a heater, the membranes inside the nose can become dried and itchy, causing your child to pick at his or her nose and further irritate the nasal tissue and this very often leads to nose bleeds in children. Keep the inside of your child's nose moist with saline nasal spray or dab petroleum jelly gently around the opening of the nostrils.

Nose bleeding in children is normal and very common. The lining of the inside of the nostrils is fragile, and dry air or very minor injuries can cause nosebleeds. It's rare for nosebleeds to indicate a serious medical problem. In fact, some children are prone to having them several times a week. Although the condition usually isn't dangerous, taking steps for prevention can help avoid the discomfort of frequent nosebleeds.

Causes
It's not always possible to determine why a child has a nosebleed. Some of the most common reasons are dry air, a cold, allergies and injury. They can happen when children pick their noses or blow them too hard. Placing a small object in the nose can cause minor damage to blood vessels. More serious reasons include a chronic medical condition, blood clotting disorder and abnormal tissue growth.

Treatment
If your child gets a nosebleed, stay calm and try to keep him from getting upset. Ask him to stand or sit with his head leaning forward. Hold an ice pack at the top of his nose. Pinch the nose at the nostrils, below the bony part, for 10 minutes. Don't let go to see if it's still bleeding; this can prolong the nosebleed. Do this for another 10 minutes if the bleeding hasn't stopped.

Prevention
Nosebleeds that happen due to dry air are the easiest to prevent. Use over-the-counter saline nasal spray in your child's nose once a day and run humidifiers in your home. Put petroleum jelly in her nostrils to prevent dryness. Consult your pediatrician about managing allergies. If the child is old enough, explain why she shouldn't pick her nose, place anything inside it or blow it too hard.

When to Seek Help
Call your pediatrician if you can't stop the nose bleed after pinching it for 20 minutes. Seek medical help if the blood loss is significant or rapid, the child has difficulty breathing, he is younger than 1 year old, or if there could be a serious injury, like a broken nose. Some signs of excess blood loss include being abnormally sweaty, pale, weak, dizzy or losing consciousness.

Misconceptions
A common misconception is that you should tilt your head back if you have a nosebleed. In fact, tilt it forward. Leaning back or lying down causes the blood to drain down the throat and be swallowed, and that can cause vomiting. Avoid placing tissues in the nose while it's bleeding.

Active Learning through Creative Play

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Look to Nature

With the change in weather, this is a great time to get kids outside and interacting with nature. Picking up leaves on a walk in your local park can be great for active learning. Once you are home, have them identify the trees that produced the leaves, and create a leaf pressing and preservation book. Slightly older children may be interested in the science behind the changing leaf colors. Encourage them to take some time to look into how and why this process occurs.

Living History

Depending on your child's age, they may or may not be familiar with the story of history While they will be exposed to it in school, try and delve deeper into the origins and history of the holiday. Have older kids research and put together a book on the history, using pictures, paragraphs, or illustrations and ask them to present their findings. For your more "dramatically inclined" learner, have them create and act out their interpretation of history. Role playing is a fun way to help children gain an understanding of history.

Active Involvement

No matter the season, there are always plenty of ways to get children involved in the world around them through creative play. By taking the time to organize a few simple activities, they ill get to learn while having fun and you will be amazed by the results they produce.

Fun Learning With Toys

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:52:00 +0000

One of the most fun things to do as a child was to play with a wooden toy that consisted of a mallet and colored pegs. The toy helped me develop my motor skills as I drove each peg in with the mallet, and it also helped my mom teach me my colors. Now that I’m older, I still play with toys–they’re just usually more complicated than the mallet and peg game. That’s why I wanted to briefly talk about the benefits and potential negative outcomes that can result from childrens’ toys and games.

There’s a lot of money to be made in toys, games, and educational instruments to help a child learn more effectively. Parents usually ask themselves what toys their child should use. What they should be asking is what will be the most beneficial and realistic for my child’s well being. In a physical sense, children can learn how to control their motor skills through exercise. According to an internet article, a great example for a physical learning toy is the “Corn Popper.” (The toy that looks like a vacuum that has multiple colored balls inside that pop as you push it.) The child not only gets the much needed exercise (the parent also gets exercise) but also can learn the relationship between cause and effect.

Games and puzzles are also a great toy for a child to grow. Most games and puzzles require mental exertion and involvement with others. They reflect social, religious, economic, and artistic qualities that come from each respected culture.

Puzzles are another great tool for cognitive development. Lots of problem solving goes into puzzles and they help child cope with making mistakes and trying again. A great thing with puzzles is that if they seem a bit difficult for a young child to decipher, another more experienced person such as a caregiver can aid in the task. Scaffolding takes place and a child can succeed at the task as well as build their interactions with the caregiver.

One must be cautious when purchasing or letting their little one play with a toy. Some toys can actually leave long-lasting negative effects on a child. For example, violent toys can leave a child open to use the knowledge gained from a violent video game or something like a toy gun. Playing with a toy gun isn’t necessarily going to turn them into a gun wielding maniac, but they tend to make a child more aggressive. Of course, by monitoring a child’s play you can help them understand that things like that are serious and that things of that matter shouldn’t be taken lightly. I played with toy weapons, such as a bow that shot suction cup tipped arrows, guns, and rubber knives. When I played with these things my parents always told my that even though it was make believe and couldn’t fire any projectiles, I was never to point a toy gun at a person. This helped me learn that guns, whether fake or real, were a very serious matter. This later helped me become a someone who respected firearms and how to use them in an orderly matter.

Again, I’m not advocating anyone to allow or forbid their children to play with violent toys. It’s up to a parent on how to raise their child. However, I will go as far as to say that parents should steer their young children clear of things like Grand Theft Auto or violent television like Dexter. This sort of age-inappropriate entertainment could probably really mess up a kid.

Hands-on experience is a great way for a kid to learn, and what’s more hands-on than conventional toys. Games and toys help us in several ways, socially, physically, mentally, culturally children are able to grow. Really you don’t have to spend a whole lot of money in order for your child to grow. Interaction with a child and letting them act naturally as they play is the key.

Caring For Your Child’s Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:34:00 +0000

Fluoride has been shown to have definite beneficial effects on the growth of strong teeth, as it hardens tooth enamel. Fluoride in higher doses has also been shown to be detrimental to health in other ways. The controversy over fluoride rages on today. You will have to make your own decisions about the use of supplemental fluoride, as there are compelling arguments on both sides of the controversy.

Normally, tap water in most cities contains some fluoride supplementation. If not in your area, check with your dentist about a prescription for regular daily fluoride supplementation. However, to avoid possibility of harmful effects do not exceed recommended doses of fluoride.

Cavities are the most common dental problem among children. If you allow your infant to sleep with a bottle of milk or juice, sugar present in milk or juice can remain on the gums and teeth for a prolonged period. This leads to cavities. Don’t allow your child to walk around all waking hours with a bottle. Instead, teach your child to start drinking from a cup as soon as they are able.

Additionally, if your child consumes lots of sugary foods like candy, cookies, raisins, and many sweetened fruit juices, there is a high risk of developing cavities. If most of your family members suffer from cavities, your child could also develop cavities early in life. The tendency towards tooth decay may be hereditary, but the actual development of cavities requires bacteria. Since bacteria thrive more in a high sugar environment, feed your child good nutritious non-sweetened foods and teach them to brush and floss at least twice daily. Flossing once a day is equally essential.

Caring for Your Child’s Teeth – Before Birth to 6 Months

A healthy pregnancy contributes to healthy formation of teeth in your baby. A woman should eat a nutritious and balanced diet with lots of vitamins and minerals during her pregnancy. She should also, undergo a thorough dental examination and have any decayed teeth filled or oral infections resolved. Your baby’s teeth start forming from the second trimester of pregnancy. A baby at birth has all twenty teeth, although within the jaws beneath the gums.

After the birth of your child, in addition to a good nutritious diet, follow simple dental habits. As mentioned previously if bottle-feeding your child, do not put your child to sleep with a bottle of milk or juice. Sugars from juice and milk stay for prolonged periods and cause bacteria to develop. Remove bottle soon after feeding. Breast-feeding to sleep does not cause any problems.

Clean your child’s mouth and gums with a wet gauze after feedings and at bedtime. If anyone in the household smokes, you will want to keep your child away from the tobacco and cigarette smoke. Aside from the obvious harmful medical effects, this could cause gum inflammation.

Caring for Your Child’s Teeth – 6 Months to 3 Years

Infants start the eruption of their first teeth from the age of six months. They normally have six teeth around their first birthday. Use a wet cloth or sponge to wipe their gums after feedings. After the first few teeth appear, use a soft brush and water to clean your infant’s teeth. Develop the habit of drinking from a cup around nine months of age to discourage bottle-feeds.

Put a pea-sized amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush to brush your child’s teeth after your child is a year-old. Until the age of three, you should brush your child’s teeth both in the morning and at night. Teach your child not to swallow toothpaste.

Develop good eating habits in your child by giving foods that help in growth and development of strong gums and teeth like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Do not give sugary or high-carbohydrate foods like pastries, pasta, and processed carbohydrates.

Caring for Your Child’s Teeth – 3 Years to 6 Years

At three years of age, your child may be learning to talk and starting to understand a few things. This is a good time to teach your child good dental habits.

Teach your child to brush their teeth on their own with your supervision. You can encourage your child to watch other elder siblings and elders brushing their teeth to learn the correct techniques.

Flossing is essential as soon as teeth start touching each other. Use plastic flossing tools available in the market to teach proper flossing habits to your child.

Infants and small children often suck their thumbs. A four-year old normally stops thumb sucking on their own. If not, you can take necessary guidance from your dentist to stop this habit and avoid unnecessary orthodontic complications.

Caring for Your Child’s Teeth – 6 Years to 16 Years

From the age of six, your child starts losing all primary teeth and permanent teeth start growing in their place. By now, your child should be able to brush their own teeth independently. Make your child realize importance of brushing regularly in the morning and evening. Teach your child to floss regularly. You can ask your dentist to guide your child on correct technique of flossing.

Take your child to the dentist regularly. If your child develops cavities, the dentist will suggest proper treatment remedies. Give chewable disclosing tablets to your child regularly to detect any plaque left on your child’s teeth after brushing. These are available at local drugstores. They cause the plaque on the teeth to stain red so that it can be seen.

You can discuss with your dentist if it is essential to put dental sealants on the molar teeth of your child. Sealants are of hard plastic. The sealants are a flowable liquid when applied, and flow into the grooves and pits of the chewing surfaces and then are hardened. This protects these surfaces from bacteria.

Teach your child to eat nutritious food like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Educate your child about ill effects of highly processed carbohydrates and sugary foods. These habits, if started early, will instill good eating habits in your child and will lead to healthy teeth and bodies.

Emotional Development - Influence Behavior

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:39:00 +0000

Many theorists have suggested the emotional development of a child, or the core of one's self esteem needs to be understood and fostered at home and in the classroom. Teachers and parents should focus on children's emotional development or the "feelings that generally have both physiological and cognitive elements which influence behavior" at a young age. These feelings need to be positively reinforced to develop a high self-esteem through out the child's life. Most theorists agree that there is a link between a child's development and their respective emotional levels.

The views of the theorists also clarify the most influential stages in a child's life when emotional development is necessary and how this development reinforces a child's self esteem. A child's emotional development needs to be built at home and school in order to develop a high self-image. By the time a child is three years old, he or she is an emotionally complex person who has experienced a wide range of emotions. As parents, teachers, and caregivers we need to help promote our children's emotional development so that they will be able to develop healthy relationships with their peers and learn how to manage their emotions effectively. This will help them get the most benefit out of their learning and eventually adulthood development.

A child's emotional development begins with the relationship with their caregiver. The type of responses that a child receives from their first caregivers (i.e. parents, daycare providers) will determine how that child will learn to deal with their emotions later on in their live. A child who has a secure relationship with their caregiver will initiate positive interactions and respond positively to initiations with others. Conversely, a child who has an insecure relationship with his or her caregiver will show more negative emotions while interacting with others. Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said, "Self-development is a higher duty than self-sacrifice". Having a good self worth or attitude about oneself can define self-esteem. Children with a "healthy" self-esteem feel, "that the important adults in their lives accept them, care about them, and would go out of their way to ensure that they are safe and well".

In younger children, self-esteem is not measured by their self worth, but by how well the loved ones in their lives respect and respond to their particular needs. For example, children with a lack of role models or a lack of parental support tend to have a lower self-esteem because they feel that these adults do not accept or care about them. This is the main factor which children base their level of self-esteem on through out their childhood and then on into adulthood. An example of this can be seen in early childhood development of infants who respond and attach themselves to the adults who love and are responsible for them. What this is pointing out is that the infant is responding to the trusted adult's touch basing its emotional development on this form of communication and overall establishing the child's future trust and self-esteem. One big question about self-esteem is, "The more you praise your child, and the more self esteem your child will have. This is correct, isn't it?". The answer to this question is not as simple it seems. It has been said that if you continuously praise a child, it may make the child question the sincerity of that adult, causing them to soon dismiss these praises as "fake" and eventually hindering their self esteem.

Even young children can see through excessive praise and flattery. This is very important in today's classroom. Research suggests that we should praise, but also challenge and encourage the student to take risks. Praising your children and your students should be only one aspect of raising self-esteem. The main aspect of this development should focus on how, "Helping children develop self-esteem involves listening, accepting, and praising. Self-esteem comes from acceptance. Provide positive self-esteem. Help your children grow self-esteem". A child's self-esteem is not something imprinted in their DNA when born, self esteem is established and planted by parents and teachers through a lot of time, dedication, and positive reinforcement. Remember that a child, also, does not and really cannot develop self-esteem over night.

Self-Esteem is something that is trail and error for each child and with the positive help and influence of parents or teachers, a proper and high self esteem can be established, building upon each event through out their life, representing their emotional development. It has been established for a long time that emotion does play a role in learning. Recent research has also shown that a deliberate approach to teaching social and emotional skills in the classroom increases test scores and grades, increases students' enthusiasm and motivation to learn and reduces behavior problems. Children who are distracted by emotional issues do not learn effectively. By focusing on developing emotional and social skills, teachers and parents can help students to maximize their learning potential. There are many ways a teacher can establish a child's emotional development. As we have stated previously, children build their self-esteem and emotional development based of the adults who they are close to and whom they spend a lot of time with.

Teachers need to encourage children by building upon their self-esteem in their lesson plans so that their students will feel comfortable and confident with themselves. A teacher can make their students feel more confident by giving each child a specific responsibility. This is not only exciting for the child, but it also provides an opportunity for the student to gain some ownership of the classroom. A teacher can also show the students to how to learn from past failed attempts. In order to make this work, a teacher needs to let go of their instinct to overprotect the students and allow them to be creative and encourage any questioning. Building or growing a child's emotional development is different than teaching it. Teachers also have to keep in mind that they might be the sole provider for this form of development if the child is not receiving it at home. Thoroughly planning lessons around positive thinking will help to reinforce this theory. There are many lesson plans teachers have access to via the internet. Most of these can easily be adapted to fit a teacher's specific situation. The collage allows the students to create and present a piece of work about them. This allows the students not only to talk about their interests and characteristics, but also to work on presentation skills with peers. The chain lesson plan allows the student to list five talents on separate strips of construction paper. Then with the teachers help they will be linked to form a chain.

The students each present their talents to the class, then link the entire chain together. This serves as a reference point and a reminder throughout the year. A student can always look up and see that he does possess talents, and so do his peers. Lesson plans building child development can be found on the internet at sites such as www.eduref.org/, which these lesson plans were located at. Another route the teacher can look into is character education which is a theory based on teaching children character. Really the focus of the teacher should be to learn about emotional development then implement it into the classroom. There are outlining stages for emotional development and children. Parents and by teachers need to understand these stages so that they can aid in building their children's emotional development and positively mold children's self esteem.

Emotional Development is important to understand because it can really help the child all the way into adulthood. Amos Alcott once said, "The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence". Teachers and parents are responsible for the emotional development of the children and the influence they share with these children can affect the children's lives forever.

Drawing and Coloring - Child’s Fine Motor Skills

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:19:00 +0000

The simple acts of drawing and coloring are literally childs’ play, however, they both play an important role in a child’s physical, emotional and cognitive development. Like no other activity, drawing and coloring allows young children to express emotions, experience autonomy and build their confidence. Drawing and coloring are also excellent pre-cursors to developing writing skills because the toddler is honing his or her fine motor skills which are essential when learning to write.

Parents and caregivers can promote drawing and coloring as a way to improve physical, social, emotional and cognitive development – and to have a lot of fun along the way too. Here’s a few pointers:

1. Provide kids with nontoxic materials, blank sheets of white paper and coloring pages.

2. Model drawing. Show children that you like to draw and color too - make designs but do not show your children what they should draw.

3. Encourage all drawing and coloring efforts by talking about the beautiful colors, the lines and shapes the child has made.

4. Rather than ask, “What have you drawn?,” say “Tell me everything about your drawing”. Asking “What is it?” suggests to the child that she/he has failed to depict what they intended.

5. Talk about concepts like thin, thick, wide, narrow, dark, light, edge, shape, contour, etc.

6. Display their art in a prominent place – such as the kitchen fridge, in their room and in places where visitors to your home will see them. Point them out to visitors – the praise for the work will boost a child’s self esteeem and confidence.

7. Give children the freedom to choose the subjects of their drawings and of their coloring sheets. For example little boys may enjoy coloring images of cars, trucks or a favourite character such as Pokemon - and at sites like Pokemon Coloring Pages you’ll find Pokemon colouring pages. Little girls on the other hand prefer images from fairy tales such as Princess pictures - choose whatever pleases your child to encourage their enthusiasm for the activity and their interest in it.

8. Always supervise younger children while they draw and color – crayons pose a choking hazard.

Vision Key Component

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:21:00 +0000

There is a wealth of research about the important role early childhood vision plays to support sensory, motor, spatial, behavioral and cognitive development.

During the first three years babies learn how to use their senses together in a way that is unique to this phase of development and unmatched during all the rest of their years combined. They are learning how to learn, thus laying the foundation from which all other understanding will develop.

How much and how well our children learn throughout life is determined largely by the variety of beneficial experiences in which they participate in their first few years of life.

Vision impairment, even small irregularities, can have a profound impact on development. Early diagnosis and prevention are the best approach to infant vision and eye health care because most conditions respond best to early treatment, before additional complications arise.

The American Public Health Association encourages a complete vision and eye health examination at the age of 6 months, as does the American Optometric Association which also advises that screening does not replace a comprehensive examination. The goal of early examination, diagnosis and treatment is to prevent vision and eye health conditions that can impede normal child development.

Many infants can have eye problems without any family history, predisposing health condition or triggering event. These children, unfortunately, are the ones we often see long after the damage is done because there were no easily detectable signs of trouble. Amblyopia with no eye turn; high nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism which no one suspected; even a small tumor way off to the side in the retina which could not be seen during a screening — these could all be diagnosed during a comprehensive vision examination.

Some conditions and events increase your baby’s risk of vision problems. These include the following: infection, fetal drug or alcohol exposure, prematurity, birth weight less than 5 pounds 8 ounces and medical conditions such as drug sensitivities, Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Fragile-X syndrome or deafness.

Family history of congenital or acquired conditions such as Retinoblastoma, congenital cataracts and metabolic or genetic disease increase this risk. Any history of eye or head injury or abuse as an infant or toddler can lead to accompanying eye health and vision problems.

A baby’s eyes should look clear and healthy, without crusty eyelids, redness or excessive tearing. They should look about the same size and color with equal eyelid openings and symmetrical appearance. Frequent eye rubbing, excessive blinking or a tendency to close or cover one eye can indicate a problem. The eyes should be still when your baby looks at you, not shaking or vibrating side to side. They should not be excessively sensitive to light.

By 6 months of age, the eyes should line up and work together at all times and when looking in all directions. A “lazy eye” is not normal after 6 months of age.

Babies should be able to follow objects with their heads and eyes; make eye contact; respond to facial expressions; look toward objects and accurately reach for them. They should also be able to look toward sounds, favorite toys and especially Mom and Dad.

There is not always an obvious correlation between behavior and underlying vision problems. More than once I have seen an infant with significant visual impairment and the only symptom was delayed motor development. If you can’t see what is out there, you are not very motivated to creep and crawl around to reach anything.

We only get answers to the questions we ask. If we want to know if our baby’s eye health and vision are developing normally, it makes sense to have that early eye examination.

So, as parents, grandparents, guardians, aunts and uncles, what can we do? Now that we better understand the need for early vision and eye health care, we can advocate for the children in our lives. If our toddlers and preschoolers have not yet been examined, make the necessary arrangements to do so.

Learning Music Helps Develop Some Skills

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Raising kids is one tough job. Parents can only ensure what is best for their little ones. Most parents want to expose their children to early education in order to let them be independent at an early age and also to allow them to have interaction with the outside world. Many parents are sending of their little kids to preschool as early as 2 years old. There are also those parents that send their children to learn dancing like ballets, enroll them to voice lessons and to let them learn play some musical instruments. One good example of having children in music school is enrolling them in violin lessons for children.

Sending children to early school allows them to develop their intellectual and physical skills at an early age. It allows them to be self-confident with whatever they do and expose them to other children for them to have interpersonal relationship with others. Honing the talents and skills of children by sending them to school early has many advantages.

Learning music at an early age helps kids develop some skill that they can use when they grow up. For example, learning the violin at an early age by enrolling them to violin lessons for children will give the child an opportunity to become a violin pro when he or she grows up. When that time comes, they will be well recognized and they can make it as their source of income or way of living.

Sending children to music school will also provide an opportunity for the kids to develop or discover their God-given talents. Violin lessons for children as an example above helps kids learn patience. Violin lessons are quite difficult to learn but if kids will learn to love it, they will really try their best to master it so that they will be skilled violinist in the future. Violin lessons for children will also help develop the child's confidence because their will be events such as music or violin recitals where the kid will have to perform onstage in front of many audience. Exposing children to people will build their self confidence and composure. Later on, when they get into formal school, they will not have difficulty facing people and interact with them.

Many developmental experts would really encourage that children be exposed to an early education at a young age to prepare them for the challenges that awaits them in the real school on formal education.

Physical Development - Skills active

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:46:00 +0000

When I talk to practitioners about 'active learning', responses range from 'it's all about letting them run round' to 'children need to be active, don't they?'

Well, yes, but active learning is about far more than the purely physical. It embraces all aspects of a child's cognitive and social development, and in so doing, often challenges practitioners to reassess their role in children's learning.

For 'active learning' to take place, practitioners need to become co-partners in children's learning story, a role that is rewarding for the adult and intellectually stimulating for the child.

Getting Engaged

When children are engaged physically and cognitively in an activity, adults engage better too. Likewise, when adults are truly engaging with them, the children display higher levels of concentration, motivation and perseverance in the learning process - as Laevers states, 'deep-level learning is taking place'.

However, a growing problem is that too many practitioners are devoting too much time to observing children, so failing to interact with the children and take their learning forward - and often failing to even use these observations as starting points for planning!

To embrace active learning, practitioners need to re-evaluate their philosophy on early learning, their purpose as practitioners and their interactions with the children in their settings. What is important is that they reflect on not what they can 'provide' for the children, but rather what they can achieve together.

Surely, the purpose of early education is to help develop in young children open, independent, autonomous minds, capable of assimilating skills and knowledge and adapting them to tackle new problems.

If practitioners' current role is only to instruct, then they are simply imposing on children their ways of doing things and so preventing the children from fulfilling their potential.

Active learning builds upon children's inherent drive to explore relationships and meaning, to take risks, to discover, and it builds within them the capacity to make sense of their world, to solve problems and advance their learning.

To achieve this, the practitioner must be the pro-active co-researcher - a role that may conflict with some of practitioners' notions about being an 'educator'.

Starting Points

To embrace active learning, start by re-evaluating your belief systems.

- Plan a series of staff and parent meetings (it is imperative to have parents on board, so you can explain what you do in the setting and why).

- Agree a joint vision for the children. What do you want for them? How do you want them to develop? Draw up a list of adjectives for discussion - for example: independent, curious, rebellious, adventurous, talkative, obedient, co-operative, solitary, creative, loud, quiet, compliant, questioning, competitive, risk-taking, sociable, imaginative, domineering. Such an exercise can engender discussions between staff and parents about what the adjectives mean, what they look like in practice, and which ones should be promoted or discarded from the list.

- Debate current practice with staff before drawing up an action plan to monitor developments: what needs to stay the same? What needs to change? What continuing professional development is available to your team? What resources do you have?

Observation

- Set up a system of observations so that all the children are observed regularly at both child- and adult-initiated activities.

- Assess the quality of observations. What are they telling you about a particular child, the context, the cross-referencing of learning areas? Talk to key people at the end of a session about what the children have been doing and, most importantly, how learning will be extended and reinforced. It's vital to act upon observations immediately, to ensure they aren't stuck in the 'observation box' and then ignored. 'Little and often' should be the approach when it comes to observations.

Personalised Learning

Essential, too, is that you make learning personal, meaningful and developmentally appropriate for each child - remember, each child is unique. Regular dialogue with parents will help you achieve this.

Take account of each child's interests, skills, knowledge and experience. Remember, too, that children will often learn the same things in different ways and at different times in their development. Some children prefer to tackle problems independently; others might need greater encouragement from a sensitive adult.

Personalised learning depends on how activities are presented. As with adults, children will engage in an activity only if they see the point to it, or if it appeals to their interests and learning styles. They will consequently feel confident that they can carry it out.

Decision Making

Ask yourself: 'How often do I sit and talk with the children about their interests and what they want to do?'

Make it your job to watch children's TV. You must have knowledge of children's culture if you are going to respect and value their decisions and actively engage in their play.

Children need to be able to make decisions about their learning and environment, for only then will the learning opportunities match what both you and the children want to achieve.

Some practitioners feel uncomfortable about handing control to the children. But this approach allows practitioners to share, accept and validate the children's thoughts and feelings. It helps children respect their environment more, and so their learning becomes inspired by them rather than imposed on them by adults.

Without the opportunity to choose and make decisions, children become bored and disengage from their learning. Likewise, if their wishes are ignored, they lack enthusiasm for adult-directed tasks and comply only to please adults.

This is not to say that children are left to their own devices. A structure needs to be in place, ground rules and expectations shared and understood.

Practitioners must take on board the children's suggestions and knowledge garnered from their observations and involve the children in constructing the environment. The challenge, however, needs to be meaningful and pitched at the correct level, or else children become bored, frustrated and insecure.

The whole staff team should also be involved in decision-making. Inviting them to make suggestions about what works best will help them feel more valued and, consequently, more engaged with the children's learning and development.

Practitioners also need to address children's basic and emotional needs, for only when they are cognitively and physically comfortable can children feel able to learn.

With this kind of encouragement, support and control over their learning, children will gain greater confidence, a positive disposition and an increased drive to take control of their world.

Planning

Planning should be short-term and evaluated regularly, as every cohort of children will have different needs and interests. Every day, ask yourself:

- What went well today?

- What can we provide tomorrow?

Talk daily with key people about key observations.

Many settings use three types of planning: daily, weekly and medium. Medium-term planning, usually covering two to three weeks, is flexible, adaptable and responsive. What is important is that all participants are involved in the planning process, and practitioners never stick to the plan if it is not working.

From their observations, practitioners will see how even the youngest children are responding to the provision and making sense of their environment.

As a child's language develops, so practitioners can engage children in a dialogue about their interests, or sometimes about adult-initiated ideas. For example, I recently supported a nursery class of children fascinated by bugs and beetles - an excellent starting point for discovery, as follows:

Key questions and children's responses

- What do you know about bugs?

They fly; they have loads of legs; they eat dirt; they can't talk; they are all different colours; they are on the telly; some are big and some are really small.

- What would you like to find out about bugs?

Can they fly backwards? Are bees the same as wasps? How many bits does a caterpillar have? Where do they live? Is Spiderman a bug - because sometimes he is and then he is not?

- How shall we find out?

Look in books; use the computer; read stories; ask grown-ups; find some bugs and put them in a jar

This simple exercise provides a basis for planning and something for the children to monitor their learning against. As the children become more confident with this way of working, they will start to plan their own learning.

Practitioners can begin a session by asking the children to share their ideas about what they are going to learn today, and end the session with a discussion about the day's learning. This routine benefits children's speaking and listening skills and the personal, social and emotional aspects of learning. The practitioner's role is to note children's responses and learning and monitor and record their development.

As the children develop, a useful strategy to employ is the 'could, should and must' technique, in which you provide the children with graded challenges: some the children could do, some they should attempt, and perhaps one that they must do. Such an approach leads to the children learning independence, responsibility and greater autonomy.

Limit Noise Distractions

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:11:00 +0000

Background noise in the environment including the sound of television, radio or someone talking on the phone can possibly have adverse effects on a child's ability to focus. These types of back ground noise are potentially distracting because they contain elements of language.

Cognitive psychologists term the phenomenon "divide attention". Your child's brain automatically pays attention to these environmental noise while trying to listen as you teach them something else. The trick to ensure the learning environment is free from any alternative sources of language. Having some soft music playing in the back ground however should not be a hindrance as long the music is instrumental.

Teach How To Treat Injuries

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:40:00 +0000

As parents, we do our best to learn as much as we can about health issues that affect our children. We do our best to feed our children healthy food, take CPR classes, learn how to treat wounds, and work out an emergency plan should we need one.

But did you know there is one element we’re forgetting? And this one element is one of the most important things we can do to keep our kids safe and healthy: teaching them how to treat injuries in case no adult is around.

When you think of teaching your children how to care for themselves, a good starting point is to consider their age. It is pretty obvious a toddler will not know how to do CPR, but they could learn how to put a towel on a scrape. Consider the age and development of your child and think of ways you can teach them to care for themselves in case of an “emergency”.

Below are just a few ideas to consider teaching your child when considering kids and health issues:

Kids and Health #1: Treating Scrapes and Cuts

Teach your child what they can do to treat a scrape or cut. Show them how to stop the bleeding, cleaning the area, and placing a bandage over the wound. Also teach your child what a serious cut looks like and what to do in the case of severe bleeding.

Kids and Health #2: Choking

Teaching our children how to help themselves or other’s when they are choking is vitally important! If your child is old enough to understand what happens when one chokes and how to administer the Heimlich maneuver, make this a priority!

Kids and Health #3: Nosebleeds

Teach your child what causes the nose to bleed and what to do in the case of a nosebleed. If the nosebleed was caused by an injury, like being punched, a doctor should be consulted. But what if it just starts bleeding on its own, follow these steps:

Avoid lying down but make sure to sit up or stand.
Use tissues or a damp washcloth to hold up right against the nose.
Never lean your head back as this can cause the blood to run down the throat. Instead, keep your head upright.
Pinch the nostrils together and breathe through your mouth for 10 minutes without stopping.
Never pick, rub, or blow your nose as it can cause the nose to bleed more.
If your nosebleed doesn’t stop after 10 minutes, continue for another 10 minutes. If it still hasn’t stopped, an adult should be consulted .

Kids and Health #4: How to Use Emergency Number

Learning how to dial Emergency Number in the case of an emergency is critically important! Children as young as 2 years old have been known to dial Emergency Number when their parent needed help. As soon as your child is able to understand what Emergency Number is for, teach them how to call for help should a parent or adult not be present.

Kids and Health #5: CPR

CPR is such a valuable skill to have and I believe everyone has the responsibility to know how to administer it. Contact your local Red Cross and sign you and your child up for their CPR class and make sure to keep your certification up.

Creating A Learning Environment That Encourages Attention

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:16:00 +0000

The learning environment plays a very important role in helping a child build his/her attention span. Psychology teaches us that our physical environment help shape our mental processes. The following are some ideas to create a learning environment at home that enable children to concentrate better.

Limit noise distractions
Limit visual distractions
Keep things convenient and accessible to children
Mirroring effect
Limit television time

Tips :
Get comfortable but not too comfortable. Try not to let children who lack mental stamina get too comfortable as they may get tired or sleepy very quickly. Learning on sofa or a bed may not be a good idea.

Child's Definitions

noreply@blogger.com (wed14) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:50:00 +0000

A child is a human between the stages of birth and puberty. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority. "Child" may also describe a relationship with a parent or authority figure, or signify group membership in a clan, tribe, or religion; it can also signify being strongly affected by a specific time, place, or circumstance, as in "a child of nature" or "a child of the Sixties."

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as "every human being below the age of 18 years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier." Biologically, a child is anyone in the developmental stage of childhood, between infancy and adulthood.

All children go through stages of social development. The infant or very young child will play alone happily. If another child wanders onto the scene, he may be physically attacked or pushed out of the way. Next, the child is able to play with another child, gradually learning to share and takes turns. Eventually the group grows larger, to three or four children. By the time child enters kindergarten, he or she is usually able to join in and enjoy group experiences.

Children with ADHD and learning disabilities may need extra help in developing social skills. The impulsiveness characteristic of an ADHD child may lead to poor peer relationships. Children with poor attention span may not tune in to the social cues in their environment, making it difficult for them to learn social skills through experience.