Children don’t always express their disappointment and pain. They often get insulted, compared, humiliated and hurt when they fail to meet their own and others expectations of them.
Here are two tested ways to build your child’s self-esteem. When you praise, tell your child exactly what she has done well instead of being […]
Do you often have mealtime and bedtime battles with your children?
Here are a few things to think about:
You aren’t alone. Most families have regular dining table and bedroom battles. This awareness may not improve your situation, but it might help in making you feel less helpless and more confident that such battles […]
Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor gush about the pleasures of parenting. The media, now and always, loves highlighting happy parent-child photos and stories. Yet down-to-earth parents know that parenting is not quite the joyride it’s made out to be.
Sure, there are moments of joy, tenderness and pride, but children’s tantrums, bedtime battles and […]
Do you enjoy helping your child with homework? Most parents would say an unequivocal ‘No.’ With all the other tasks that need to be completed, this just becomes another chore.
We all want our children to experience the joy of learning. But do we experience it ourselves? Like most other sentient beings, children learn from […]
Peh Yong, a Singapore-based six-year old, invented an umbrella that makes one feel cool in hot weather. It uses the process of evaporation to create and circulate cool air.
Many such child inventors have invented amazing products born of curiosity and desire to create something new.
Encouraging children’s natural curiousity positively can build a […]
Juggling parenting, household work, office work, socialising and multi-tasking can drain your energy. Therefore getting kids involved in household chores
to help out is beneficial in several ways
Helps children learn skills and responsibility
Builds their self-esteem, knowing they are making a meaningful contribution to the family unit
Enables quality family time together
Makes work easier for all […]
My son often comes home with complaints that someone took his stationery and bullied him. We have complained to the school but they are not able to do much. How can I help him?
If the problem is big enough to result in serious injury or make your child fearful, investigate and meet the child’s […]
If you have been attending ‘What kind of parent are you?’ quizzes, you are like most parents who aren’t sure if they are doing right by their children. Parenting can sometimes be such a difficult balancing act that you don’t know whether you are getting it right.
Friends or parents?
All children want democracy and […]
Minu Sarin was a Mom who loved books. And both her kids — Ashutosh (10) and Veena (6) grew to love them too.
Minu always found it a challenge to accomodate all the books she bought. And she didn’t have the budget for purchasing a large number. So she started the ‘10-Book Club’.
Parenting 24×7 is a demanding full-time job. While we manage the myriad chores involved in getting through the day, there are several issues like our own health, sleep and marital harmony, which could be relegated to the back burner.
Therefore now is a good time to step back from the roles of SuperMom or SuperDad […]
My son is tired by the time he reaches home from school although he eats a good lunch. He gets home at 4 p.m in the school bus. As a result, he is in a bad mood for one-two hours after coming home, and I am sure lack of nutrition is the main reason. How […]
Older students in schools often pick on younger children especially during recess periods. How should a bullied child react?
The best advice to give bullied children is to keep away from bullies to the extent possible. This isn’t cowardice, it’s a passive defence mechanism. The more exposed they are, the more vulnerable they become to […]
Your child may be a great chatterbox at home, but may well be hesitant and awkward in a new school, neighbourhood or city. Here are some ways to help your child make new friends with confidence and ease. – Nisha Daniel
Throw a party.
Hosting a tea party is worth the effort. Ask your child to […]
Recently I had the pleasure of observing tiny sparrows in our garden learning to fly. They were babies of a set of seven sisters that often visit. Around the time I also saw a woodpecker boring his way into a tree. I would have missed these simple pleasures but for the enthusiasm of my […]
Homework hour can be demanding with one child. And more demanding if you have children.
When you have one child, you can focus on homework during homework time and once it gets done, you put away the books and relax, satisfied with a job well done.
Enter child number two and homework hour isn’t picture perfect […]
Our children are usually more tech-savvy than we are, and are much more knowledgeable about some types of internet activity. This could give us a false sense of security, prompting us to trust them to manage their social networking and other online activities well. But we need to ensure they aren’t subjected to cyber-bullying.
The joy on a toddler’s face as he walks with both parents, holding hands and skipping along never ceases to amaze. Likewise pre-teens brighten up as much when their mothers accompany them on outings.
Simple joy on children’s faces is an emotion all parents value.
Yet, how often we miss it because we are too stressed […]
After-school programs offer great benefits to working parents, providing them with opportunities to keep children engaged and out of trouble. But how do you choose the most suitable program?
There are a huge number of social, academic enrichment, and health programs available, offering art, technology, reading, math, sports, civic involvement, and other learning opportunities. Scheduling […]
School toppers, achievers and record-breakers are hailed as winners. But what about children who are not in the Top 10, or have not made a mark in any field? Are they losers? Certainly not. Every parent knows how talented and special her child is. Here are some ways to make your child feel like a […]
Ever been embarrassed by your child hiding behind your legs when a visitor greets her?
While some children are shy and reserved by nature, and may remain so throughout life, most children experience short phases of shyness which will soon pass. Your attitude can make the difference between permitting low self-esteem and building confidence.
Our children are usually more tech-savvy than we are, and are much more knowledgeable about some types of internet activity. This could give us a false sense of security, prompting us to trust them to manage their social networking and other online activities well. But we need to ensure they aren’t subjected to cyber-bullying.
While you can keep lines of communication open, it helps to prepare your child to handle cyber-bullying by herself. Here are a few solutions you could ask your child to follow if she encounters cyberbullies.
1. Block unwanted posts. Removing a cyberbully from your contact list and blocking posts and messages from them is the first […]
chools and parents are steadily introducing new and more activities to encourage digital and interactive learning. Here are some ways to enrich your child’s education.
Theme-based sleepovers
Organise monthly sleepovers or parties that focus on a theme like ‘Mars’ or ‘marsupials.’ Every invitee must bring some interesting inputs in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, […]
Between school, television and homework, my six-year-old just doesn’t get enough outdoor activity. I’m working and there’s no one to pick and drop him to sports coaching classes. He spends free time on the internet. How do I ensure he gets enough physical activity? — D.K., Mumbai
Browse the net and youtube for videos which invite […]
I did not do it!”
“You did!”
“I didn’t!
“You’re lying!”
Parents often feel cheated and betrayed when told blatant lies. But angry words won’t fix the problem. Such behaviour needs to be tackled at a deeper level.
Pre-schoolers who lie
For pre-school children, the line between imagination and reality can sometimes be thin. When asked […]
While struggling to meet school bus timings, packing lunchboxes, and getting children ready for school, it’s not easy to make breakfast the most important meal of the day. Try these options to add power to your family’s breakfast with minimal extra effort.
Stock up dry grains
Rice flakes, cornflakes and muesli don’t need cooking. If children […]
My son has no interest in science and maths, though I’d love to see him become a professional engineer or a scientist. He likes to draw and sketch and is mad about music. How do I convince him that drawing and music can only be leisure pursuits? — F.R, Delhi
It’s hard for children to avoid junk food altogether unless they live in remote outbacks. Even as mothers struggle to serve healthy nutritious meals, there are some innocent-looking snacks which can be dangerous to their health and well- being if consumed in excess.
These are the easiest snacks to serve. Available in a wide variety […]
An HR (human resource development) vice president quit his company job at 45 to start a new career in teaching. A 28-year-old electrical engineer decided to call it quits and go back to college when he realised he should have qualified as a media professional instead.
To go with the flow, hundreds and thousands of […]
Authoritarian parents insist on children following hard and fast rules based on the ‘because I say so’, philosophy. Permissive parents give their children great latitude to choose what they want to do and tend to fudge discipline issues.
Progressive parents balance the need for rules and regulation with encouraging freedom combined with responsibility, Take this quiz […]
I seriously believe I have a very gifted eight-year-old child. She’s amazing at painting, craft and clay modelling. I feel her school’s art education and the hobby classes she attends are not helping her develop her potential to the fullest — R.K, Pune
It’s wonderful to be able to spot a gifted child early. Helping her […]
How often we wonder if the young generation truly understand the struggles of people in pre-independence India!
Here’s an activity to help your children understand how one man with a fistful of salt changed the course of history. In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi decided to give the British a taste of his unique brand of satyagraha. And […]
As children survey the world around them, they naturally want to emulate people they admire — teachers, sports stars, actors, astronomers. They become interested in computers, spaceships, fire engines, and often want to make them. These inspirations don’t always come from their school syllabus and curriculums, but arise out of sheer amazement that such things […]
For parents, the possibility of a school massacre, a bomb blast in the city and sexual abuse in schools is a nightmarish prospect. What we don’t often dwell upon is how insecure such incidents make our children. With television and newspapers headlining horrific incidents, their hyperactive imaginations can go into overdrive.
Skill-building classes and courses aren’t the only way to develop a child’s talents. Children need to be inspired and motivated, to keep their passions and interests alive. They often get bored with hobby classes and lose interest after a while.
The best way to ignote children’s passion is by way of exposing them to great ideas, […]
It’s not unusual these days to meet youngsters unwilling to conform with formal schooling systems. A growing number of smart and savvy students are disillusioned with the annual scramble for marks and grades, and rebel against the system in different ways.
Recently I met a class X student who refused to write his exams, though […]
“You learn something new everyday.” This oft-used phrase indicates that learning is a 24 x 7 process. We never stop learning which started in the womb. It’s happening right now, as you read this article!
The key to learning something new every day is to redefine what we mean by learning. Everything we see, every […]
My 12-year-old daughter has great academic potential, and I want to do my best to help her realise it. I just don’t know how to ensure she doesn’t lose the best opportunities available. What should I get her involved in?
You shouldn’t hurry to enrol her in too many courses or get her involved in multiple […]
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