Enhancing Right Brain Learning - Methods and Strategies

By Andrew Loh

In many areas of our educational system, the right hand side of the brain has no role to play or very limited role to show. Under utilization of right lobe of brain could be the biggest deterrent to your children's academic and professional success. Using the right side of the brain can provide your children a number of benefits and advantages. The left side of the brain always relies on academic drills, repetition of exercises, periodical tests and quizzes and linear and methodical approaches that eventually help your children enhance and build memory. On the other hand, right lobe of the brain depends on visual and graphical stimulation that relies on developing excellent photographic memory abilities, very strong visualization skills and extra ordinary creativity.

Applying Edward de Bono's Principles - Lateral Thinking

By Andrew Loh

 "Intelligence is something we are born with. Thinking is a skill that must be learned." - Edward de Bono

Lateral thinking theory developed and pioneered by Dr. Edward de Bono, provides a deliberate, well-planned and systematic process that eventually results in creative thinking and problem solving abilities. Lateral thinking process assists you in many ways like:

•  Think in a creative manner
•  Convert difficult problems into definite opportunities
•  Help increase number of ideas and new vistas by using and adapting unconventional thinking techniques and methods.
•  Tap the hidden talents and skills to find solutions to problems.
  

HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN THAT CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES

   Experiencing the consequences of their choices is one of the most effective ways children can learn self-discipline. These lessons really last because they come from real life. Most success in life depends on making wise choices. Being able to think ahead about the positive or negative consequences of an action and choose accordingly is a skill we want our children to learn.

Praise and your kids

   Praise is a valuable shaper; children want to please you and keep your approval. Yet, you can easily overdo it. Praise the behavior, not the person. Praises like "good girl" or "good boy" risk misinterpretation and are best reserved for training pets. These labels are too heavy for some children. ("If I don't do well, does that mean I'm bad?") Better is: "You did a good job cleaning your room." "That's a good decision." "I like the way you used lots of color in this picture." The child will see that the praise is sincere since you made the effort to be specific; it shows that you're paying attention. For quickies try "Great job!" or "Way to go!" or even "Yesss!" To avoid the "I'm valued by my performance" trap, acknowledge the act and let the child conclude the act is praiseworthy. If you praise every other move the child makes he will either get addicted to praise, or wonders why you are so desperate to make him feel good about himself. Be realistic. You don't have to praise, or even acknowledge, things he just does for the joy of it, for his own reasons.

Elementary School Curriculum Design

  It is believed that 2/3rds of a human being’s intellect is formed in the initial years of life. The years of elementary education are truly the magical years of a child’s life that can either make or mar the child’s personality. The foundation of 
The school authorities and the facilitators who have taken upon the responsibility of nurturing children through these formative years should definitely be clear with their objectives. The curriculum at the elementary level should be designed in such a way that all realms of child learning are tapped to the best potential.

Teaching Your Children Independence Thinking Skills - How Parents can be Proactive in Training their children

   Tying shoelaces, buttoning the shirt, cleaning the study table, doing laundry and doing homework on own without parents' help - these are some of the most common, yet important responsibilities for a child. These simple activities may look and feel very simple to many of us. However, they can pose a big challenge for most of the children, who are under the age of 10 years. To an adult, these simple jobs may look monotonous and regular. However, these perceived simple tasks may look humungous to all children. Children must learn and master many skills and techniques, before they leave home for their higher studies. Acquiring independence thinking skills at an early age will help your children build confidence and self-esteem.

   Young children and toddlers often like to do and perform very meaningful and understandable “adult-type” tasks. Many times, they are too enthusiastic about doing things on their own. What they lack are the techniques or methods to perform these tasks. To help your children succeed in learning independence skills, you may need to set up a congenial physical environment to assist them become more independent.

Developing Child Independence Thinking Skills

   

   Critical independent thinking skills are very important for your children. These important skills can enhance self-esteem and promote an ability to meet any challenging situation with ease and optimism. However, as parents we can hinder our children's ability to develop independence thinking skills, by helping or doing more than they actually need. Sometimes, we may even never realize that we are actually doing all the work for them. In life, parents just love their children and they want to take care of their children in every possible way. However, parents may also forget that going all the way to help their children, may actually hinder their children's ability to develop independence thinking skills.

   One of the primary goals of parents is to help children develop the intense desire and ability to think on their own and without other's help. Independent thinking is the desire or wish of a person to convince him or her that the information and detail being presented is true, worthy or reasonable.

Teaching your children to pick up their toys

   When children are taught from an early age to pick up their toys after playing, the process becomes routine. Not requiring immediate cleanup when kids are little leads to difficulty later on. Solutions can be achieved, however, at any age. The goal of this article is to both offer advice on how to make very young kids learn to pick up after themselves so the process becomes second nature and how to teach older children the same responsibility even if they have not been required to do so in the past.

Communicating With Kids

   It is vital to be responsible, consistent and loving with your kid. This holds true for the relationship you have with your spouse, your parents, and other family members and friends that are part of your child's life too. Own up to| mistakes as soon as you make them, and communicate open and truly with all family members.

   Many of us believe that someone's behavior and the way they perceive themselves are identical. However, these are completely different things.

   If you start to attack a child's manners as though it were the same as his value, then he will become defensive, and naturally will protect his behavior, even when he knows he is mistaken.

Albert Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory

   

   Behaviourism is based on the notion that development is learned and is strongly influenced by environmental factors. Many behaviourists stand by the fundamentals of this belief but feel that Skinner was short-sighted in believing that cognition doesn't play an important role. Social Cognitive Theory emphasises the principle that behaviour, environment, and cognition operate together, each exerting important influence on the others.

Factors That Influence Child Development

   A variety of factors influence the overall growth and development of the child -- structure of the family, home environment, sibling rivalry, marital relationship of the parents, social circle comprising of relatives, friends and peers.

   A child may be brought up in different family structures -- nuclear family, joint family, extended family circle, single parent family or even reconstituted family.

Types of Child's Play

 
   You often hear the phrase “child’s play” bandied about when something is deemed easy or unimportant. In reality true child’s play is anything but. Play is the means by which children explore their worlds and make sense of their surroundings, which is what ultimately informs their worldviews and opinions. What may look like frivolous activity to some adults is actually very important research on the child’s behalf.

Ideas for Teaching Manners to Children

  Teaching your child manners can be challenging. She might not understand fully, become defiant or resist your teachings. However, manners are a necessity in polite society, and a providing a proper learning environment can help your child grasp these ideas and become fully prepared for social situations at an early age.

The Advantages of Games in Teaching Children

  A good game provides multiple learning opportunities for children. Selecting a quality game is the key to using recreational time as a learning experience. The game, according to Rheta DeVries for the University of Northern Iowa, should be challenging enough to hold the child's interest, but no so challenging that the parent must constantly explain the process to the child. Participate in the game, rather than supervise, to model good behavior.

How to Teach Your Child Manners

It's never too early or too late to teach your child about proper etiquette.

- Set a good example. It's unfair to expect politeness of a child if his parents are not polite themselves.

5 Step to Talk to Kids About Money

   

   You first start learning about teaching your kids about money on that special trip to the supermarket when your child first throws a tantrum because you won't buy her a Barbie doll.

   Some people will grab the child from the shopping cart and leave the store fuming and red in the face.

   Other parents might opt to purchase it (hey, it's only five bucks) just to continue shopping in peace and avoid any future humiliation. Eventually you will have to learn to say "No" and teach your kids about money.

Only children still develop social skills

   No brothers or sisters? No problem, according to a U.S. study that found growing up without siblings did not diminish teenagers' social skills.

   A study of more than 13,000 middle and high school students found that only children were selected as friends by schoolmates as often as youngsters with brothers and sisters.

   "I don't think anyone has to be concerned that if you don't have siblings, you won't learn the social skills you need to get along with other students in high school," said researcher Donna Bobbitt-Zeher of Ohio State University.

   Bobbitt-Zeher, who conducted the study with Douglas Downey, said a trend towards smaller families in industrialized nations had raised concerns in recent years that a lack of siblings might hurt children's social skills.

   "The fear is that they may be losing something by not learning social skills through interacting with siblings," she said.

Sharing Hobbies

  While children often have a natural love and appreciation for their grandparents spending time together can be even more enjoyable when the two generations have a few things in common. One of the best ways for grandparents to form close and lasting bonds with their grandkids is to spend time with them when they are young, introducing them to Grandma and Grandpa's hobbies and interests.

Little Buddies

   Most times, when children get together with their grandparents, the goal is to have fun. Grandparents and grandchildren are frequently the best of buddies and the kids are likely to enjoy most any activity that includes their favourite family members. Sharing interests with grandchildren provides more than just some fun and memorable days; many times, kids will develop lifelong interests in golf, fishing, painting, bird watching, sewing, or flying radio controlled airplanes because a loving grandparents took the time to introduce them to a new hobby.

Kids and Art

   

   Kids are naturally creative and enjoy expressing themselves through various art forms. Grandparents can help to encourage their grandchildren's artistic endeavors by providing materials and participating hands-on with their grandchildren as they explore various media.

Fostering Creativity
   Young children are often uninhibited in their expressiveness happily creating without regard to the idea that there might be "right" and "wrong" ways to use materials. In order to allow children to be truly engaged in their art, this type of attitude should be promoted and encouraged to last as long as possible. All too often, creativity is squelched in young children by well meaning adults who try to guide kids to repeat what has been done before, rather than allowing them the freedom to create in their own unique methods and styles.

Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader

1. Never read where your children can see you.
 

2. Put a TV or computer in every room. Don’t neglect the bedrooms and kitchen.
 

3. Correct your child every time she mispronounces a word. 

How to Improve Your Child's IQ: Learning the Basics

By Andrew Loh

   Many of us will do whatever we can to assist our children reach success both in the school and future life. Parents try hard to make their children smart and talented by sending them to best school and by creating highly conducive environment for emotional and physical growth. But, in spite of putting hard effort, most of us are not really satisfied with the progress that our children achieve. In many cases, parents try to measure the degree of their children's success with the grades or scores achieved in the classroom. Sometimes, parents also try to compare their children's score with their peers in the class. Experts believe that such comparisons could be wrong and counter-productive in the long run as intelligence or talent are those characters that cannot be created nor can one establish. Now, the big question is can parents raise their children's intelligence? The expert opinion and feelings are equally split, with some of the experts agreeing to this hypothesis while others totally disagreeing to the idea.

How to say no to your child

   How to say no to your child and being a consistent disciplinary figure is crucial for your child's sense of security.

   When our children are babies they can be so darn adorable that we hate to do anything that displeases them. Most of our time is spent trying to make our children laugh or smile and when it comes time for discipline, many of us take the soft road to spare our own hearts as well as our children’s. It can be soul-wrenching to see a baby’s lower lip turn down and see his entire body shake with sobs from the insult of being reprimanded by those whom he loves so very much. However, if we want to raise children who understand the meaning of the word ‘no’ and want to keep the number of screaming, kicking tantrums to a minimum, we must start from the very beginning with a firm stance that shows we mean business and won’t back down, no matter how adorably sad our little one’s face may be.

Disciplining Children

  
   Disciplining children can be a parent’s worst nightmare. No one enjoys having to tell children that they are acting inappropriately but on occasion it does need to be done. Disciplining children, however, is an integral part of teaching children about our cultural norms. Discipline is distinct from punishment in that all discipline strives to show children what is considered appropriate, and why this is the case. Through discipline children learn personal responsibility, societal norms and how to function healthfully and happily in their society.

B.F. Skinner's Behavioural Theory

   

   Parents have long known that children respond to a system of rewards and punishments. While to say that this is a simplification of the theories of famed behaviourist B.F. Skinner would be an understatement it is accurately descriptive of the most basic aspect of his beliefs. Operant behaviour and operant conditioning, Skinnner's most widely acclaimed work, is based on a system of both positive and negative reinforcement.

Homework Tips on Reading: What Parents Can Do

1. Have your child read aloud to you every night.2Choose a quiet place, free from distractions, for your child to do his nightly reading assignments.

 

2. As your child reads, point out spelling and sound patterns such as cat, pat, hat.

 

3. When your child reads aloud to you and makes a mistake, point out words she has missed and help her to read the word correctly.

 

4. After your child has stopped to correct a word he has read, have him go back and reread the entire sentence from the beginning to make sure he understands what the sentence is saying.

 

5. Ask your child to tell you in her own words what happened in a story.

6. To check your child's understanding of what he is reading, occasionally pause and ask your child questions about the characters and events in the story.

 

7. Ask your child why she thinks a character acted in a certain way and ask your child to support her answer with information from the story.

 

8. Before getting to the end of a story, ask your child what he thinks will happen next and why.

Right Brain Kids at Home - 7 Secrets to Teach Your Kids Life Skills Start From Right Brain Training

   Right Brain is creativity, imagination etc. Children at age 3 to 6 are very dominant in their right brain. They are creative, imaginative, asking lots of surprising questions. Parents have to be often observed this behavior and find the correct ways to teach them how to make use of this talent!

10 Family Guidelines for Living with a hyperactive child

1. Accept your child's limitations.
Parents should not expect to eliminate the hyperactivity but just keep it under reasonable control. Hyperactivity is not intentional. Any undue criticism or attempts to change your child into a quiet child or "model child" will cause more harm than good. You must accept the fact that your child is intrinsically active and energetic and possibly always will be. Nothing is more helpful for the hyperactive child than having a tolerant, patient, low-key parent.

10 Tips for Talking with Kids About the News

   

   Whether and how kids should consume the news really depends on the child and how that news is presented. As parents, we all sense that kids today are growing up too fast. The simple truth is that they have access to much more information than previous generations. To help you decide what's right for your child, Talking with Kids describes three different age groups and possible effects of their exposure to news. Keep in mind these generalizations may not be true for all children.

Child Brain Building through Smart Play - Basics of Brain-Building

Here are some major factors that you need to consider while building your baby's brain:

Sense of touch: Deep love and affection are two magic potions that can help your baby build its brain and its processing powers. The power of touch may include loving gesture, smooth touch, gentle massaging, cuddling, holding, hugging. These simple gesture work like miracles to develop your baby's fine senses as well.

Child Brain Building through Smart Play - Understanding the Basics

By Andrew Loh

   All babies are born with their rudimentary brains ready to adapt to the ever changing external stimulus and internal needs of the body. An infant's brain is a complex organ that is designed to perform a series of highly complicated and difficult functions. A typical baby brain grows at a lightening pace to build a series of connections as the babies start learning and experiencing the essence of life. A baby's primary brain grows and develops throughout the life though the rate of development is always the fastest during the first 20 years of human life.

How Parents Can Encourage Teens to Read

You know that reading is important, and you obviously want to make sure that your teenager grows into adulthood with all the skills he or she needs to succeed. The following is a list of ways that to encourage your teens to read.