Posts Tagged ‘child development’

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The merits of arts and crafts for children

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

The merits of arts and crafts such as drawing and coloring  for kids are regularly argued by child development experts, educators and parents alike… especially so for the real impact they have on child development. However, it is difficult to argue with the top three reasons why we should all encourage the children in our care to  take part in arts and crafts.

Creativity – If you were to ask a cross section of individuals what is the first personality characteristic that arts and crafts will develop in a young child – most would answer ‘creativity’. And they are  correct.Everyone has natural talents & skills and it is certainly possible to improve and boost them… even if you only have a tiny amount of natural talent. Creativity enables your child to try out and profit from new ideas, options and alternatives in a future career. Kids learn to do things in new ways and literally profiting from thinking “out of the box”.

Perseverance -  Perseverance is  perhaps the single most important quality for any successful business person, sportsman, professional or  individual.  In fact, most well-known breakthroughs in life have been attributed to perseverance alone. Arts and crafts improve everyone’s level of perseverance.For instance, children learn to keep trying until they accomplish the task, be it a sculpture or a coloring in sheet.If something unexpected goes wrong… they are encouraged to persist by trying new ways and means and the pay-off is a wonderful piece of art that they have created.

Concentration – Similar to having perseverance, developing concentration is another quality well-worth having as an individual.Drawing, colouring, sculpting clay or aluminium foil, painting and even doodling will definitely teach your child to focus on one specific task at hand… ignoring other distractions. In a nutshell, their overall concentration will definitely improve.

Even when very young, children can draw and color – so give them blank pieces of paper or coloring in sheets so that they can scribble to their hearts content whilst also improving their dexterity and fine motor skills.

For example at sites like Spiderman Coloring you’ll find free Spiderman coloring as well as coloring pages, funny pics and more.

Little girls on the other hand tend to prefer images of fairies and princesses – however, favorite characters such as those from Disney movies  are also hits.

Give your child several opportunities to experience being creative, concentrating and perservering through the fun medium of arts and crafts. Provide them with materials as well as resources and the occasional canvas so that they can be creative and feel pride in what they create. 

 


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Understanding Attention Deficit Disorder

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Statistics show that as many as 4.4% of adults suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder. Statistics show that people with this disorder are less likely to achieve academically and can have difficulty holding down long-term, full-time employment.

ADD is actually caused by problems with the brains dopamine neurotransmitter systems. The theory that this condition can be caused by poor diet has been disproven. And ADD is never caused by bad parenting. Genetics are the biggest cause with most cases of ADD inherited from parents. A child is 30% more likely to exhibit the symptoms of ADD if a parent or close family member has the condition.

Its during childhood that the symptoms of ADD can become readily apparent. Children are known to develop through three distinct stages. The first stage occurs as babies when they start to focus on various objects around them. The object will hold their attention for a period of time.

The next stage will be familiar to parents of toddlers as this is when their attention is continuously shifting from one thing to another. A child that continues to exhibit this type of behavior may be diagnosed as having ADD.

It’s the during the third stage that children develop the ability to focus for longer periods of time and to shift that focus at will. This pattern of attention and concentration is what is required in classroom situations.

One of the key aspects of ADD is not only that sufferers can’t focus on something for very long. ADD sufferers can’t choose what they are focusing on or what attracts their attention. This can become very apparent when undertaking a routine task like crossing the road. If they are required to wait then their attention can quickly be drawn to something else.

In the ADD sufferers brain there is inadequate stimulus to release neuro chemicals and this forces them to look for something else. For ADD sufferers this is a reflex reaction over which they have no control.

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Hopefully these notes will have provided some insight into what underpins Attention Deficit Disorder. Many forms of treatment exist, including drugs, but outdoor activity has been found to be therapeutic. Bushcraft courses can be a great way to learn about the outdoors at any time of year. Just make sure you are wrapped up in some warm outdoor clothing and you take along a good sleeping bag.


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Don’t Give In to Tantrums – Provide Alternatives

Monday, October 19th, 2009

Parenting with Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

Many parents will be only too familiar with this problem. Your child is doing something that is potentially dangerous, or annoying, and when you try to stop them they throw a tantrum.

How parents deal with these situations is one of the big questions of parenting. It is recognized that high levels of parental tolerance accompanied with praise can help children to develop social competence and self confidence. But parents always need to remain in charge.

A toddler can typically be presented with up to 20 restrictions on their actions every hour. Nione of us would like to be told what to do or not to do every three minutes?

Parents often need to assert control when a child is doing what comes naturally but can be risky to them or to others around them. Putting a sharp metal knife in their mouths, fighting or poking one another in the eyes are all common examples of how children will test boundaries while investigating the world around them.

Giving the child an alternative can be an excellent way to allow them to continue to safely investigate and learn. For example, changing a metal knife for a plastic one might be all that is needed. Or get them to poke themselves in the eye so that they know how much it can hurt.

Alternatives can provide an effective way to head off a potentially tense situation, but they don’t always work. It’s a good idea to first acknowledge what the child is trying to do and then introduce them to the alternative. Its then important to engage the child with the alternative by using it yourself and makign it appear more attractive than whatever they were doing previously.

There are goind to be many occasions when it isn’t possible or convenient to provide alternatives but these can provide a valuable lesson that the world has its limits. Distracting children from risking or potentially harmful behvior with interesting and engaging alternatives will help to reinforce parental authority and teach them that altermatives are often available.

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I recommend camping as a great way to bond with children, to provide them with freedom to investigate the world around them and engage with their parents or carers. But always remember to ensure safety by using the right camping equipment. You may like to take part in a bushcraft course where children will learn a variety of skills including how to handle a bushcraft knife, start a fire without matches and tracking skills.


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