» primary school in whitefield

Why Is Unstructured Play Important For Kids

admin — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 09:20:32 +0000

In today’s times when parents are very much concerned about over all development and even schools offer a holistic approach, structured activities have somehow replaced unstructured or free play for children. Ask parents if their child gets to play, most of them have the excuse of no time available due to study or structured play where kids learn sports like skating, badminton, tennis and more.

Even traditional preschools and kindergartens are into more of structured activities or play and more of indoor ones that too. But a recent study carried out at San Diego State University by Jean Twenge has revealed that there has been a rise in the rates of depression and anxiety in children during the past half a decade. This is due to the lack of unstructured play as well as recreation in kids. The almost wipe away of unstructured play in schools as well as hope has led to children scoring well in exams but increasing levels of anxiety.

Free play forms and integral part of child development. It allows them to explore their own interests and develop them and decreasing social disorders or depression. So how do you use the available time for play that’s not only fun but relaxing and beneficial too? Here are few tips.

Play is Fun – Don’t treat unstructured play very seriously like you do for study or structured play even though it is important to include it in daily activities of your child. Let the time just flow by its own and allow your child to take charge of the same and have a good time playing.
Praise honestly and frequently – Children need some boosting every now and then. It’s motivates them to make new friends, play and try new things too.

Use creative toys – While playing make sure you provide a generous supply of brushes, paints, crayons, clay and more to your kids so they can explore, engage and have a great time.

Do not pressurize - Forcing children in situations they aren’t comfortable with is not a good idea so while into play just let them be and supervise them.

Music and play – Music inspires your imaginative and creative thinking so when playing you might as well play the favorite album of children or let them decide what they want to play.

*Sourced from Internet

The Teched Families – Parenting Leveraging Technology

admin — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:02:17 +0000

Present-day, technology is penetrated through every single strata of India right from the low income levels to the high income groups. Technology has become an integral part of our daily lives and we cannot shy away from the fact that children are exposed to the most. Be it games or music, children do use parents mobile phones and keeping children away from gadgets is one of the major challenges parents are facing today. Even parents look for solutions to their children’s needs on the internet. There are many apps already available online to help people around parenting be it before or after the birth of the child. A few examples of apps including pregnancy care, baby growth monitoring, sleep tracking apps and more. Furthermore, there are brands who are already in the process of a making child possessions like Prams and mobiles into smart devices. Hence, we could aptly say that technology has influenced education to a great extent. Now, the question is how can we leverage technology and make it a win-win situation for parents and kids as well. Mr Jairaj Bhattacharya, MD ConvenGenius says “ Parents are choosing to provide digital devices to children. This is because children are exposed to gadgets like smartphones for entertainment and games anyways. If these gadgets could further learning outcomes and improve them psychologically, it serves as a win-win for the parent and the child. Also this serves as a great approach to fill the gaps that working parents face today due to lack of time towards their study.”

So, apps that educate children can really work well. There are already a few there that include apps connect Parents, Teachers as well as students on one common platform. Then there are one on one tutoring apps also already there for tutoring the child while there’s a facility for the parent to monitor progress of the child as well. Apps like appystore.in objective is to provide quality content for kids of different age groups right form 1.5 years to 8 years.

Having said that, continuous exposure to smart phones is not a good idea anyways. Smartphones of parents could have other content not suitable for children plus their eyes could be at risk as well. Tablet manufacturers have already taken this problem into account and have created tablets exclusively for kids with hard cases for resisting a few bumps as well like Eddy tablet by Intel. It’s a treasure trove for over 100 books referred by Educators and over 160 applications for children. Another innovative initiative is toys on rent initiative. No parent would disagree when we say a child cannot play with the same toy for long and does not have the interest to keep it safe for a long time. Rent a toy is the only easy way out to this problem. You can rent toys for your child and return them once the child is done playing. The toys available are sanitized for the safety and hygiene of children and come with amazing rental plans as well. Many of us are already aware of tools like video baby monitor that help parents monitor their baby remotely day and night.

Well, technology could be a boon only if it is used for the betterment and development of your child smartly. Though, it could never be a substitute for the time parents provide to their child or spend with them. So, using smart apps as well as technology for the betterment of your child is okay but balancing the same by spending quality time with your child is of utmost importance and no gadget or app in the world can ever be a substitute for the same.

*Sourced from Internet

Just know about the the Top CBSE School in Whitefield Bangalore

Summer Vacations Are Equally Necessary For Kids With Special Needs

admin — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 09:45:35 +0000

Even though kids with special needs require some extra help with their overall development and some particular areas where they are challenged, their basic needs are same as that of their abled peers. This stands true even when it comes to taking summer vacations. Specially abled children also need to have their summer vacations spent doing interesting recreational and activities. These activities not only help them enjoy their time and engage but also aid their social development and skill sets. Be it creative activities or recreational activities both help your child grow in one way or the other besides them having fun while doing so. Many parents with special needs are more comfortable putting their children in group activities that are designed for children of special needs because of their concern around the safety of their children as well as because parents feel at times their kids do need help around doing certain activities and groups for specials needs children have special educators who can help the kids around with their activities. Having said this, there are parents who prefer to have their specially abledkids indulge in activities alongside their abled peers also and it’s a good idea as per experts also because an inclusive environment helps improve the communication and social skills of children in a better way. Though having them enrolled in a normal group or special group for activities may depend on individual choice, the objective is always the same, viz. engaging your children into activities that enable your kids to develop their fine motor skills, communication skills and explore what could turn out to be their passion and even their occupation for life. Summer activities like indoor sports, cooking, pottery, adventures, outdoor sports, photography and creative activities like dancing, painting, sketching, music, help them come out of their shells and explore their interests, hone their fine motor skills, social skills, communication skills and more. There is every possibility that these explorations and experiences could turn out to be life changing for many kids.

So, if you are a parent of a special abled child, make optimum use of their summer vacations by engaging them into various different group based activities that they enjoy and learn from at the same time.