How To Inspire Your Kids To Write And Why.

Writing is a magical medium. It’s a vehicle for communication, connection and creativity. It’s an opportunity to learn and grow, have fun and sharpen your senses. Kids need to start writing early because writing helps to cultivate emotional growth, develop critical thinking skills and improve school performance.

Being able to express yourself is a skill and gift. By cultivating this capability in your child, you are giving him the priceless power to share his thoughts and ideas with the world in a meaningful way.
 
Keys to inspire their kids to write. Here’s a bit on each key to get them started.
1. Word Power. Kids love learning new words, and they typically pick them up very quickly. In fact, before kids even know how to read, they learn at least nine words a day, on average. Teach your kids new words regularly. These might be words you read in a magazine, newspaper or on the Internet. Also, share with them words that involve their interests.

2. Reading Life. There are many benefits to reading aloud to your child, including indirectly teaching them about grammar and syntax and how stories are told. These helps to support their future writing. Read books from all genres, even using picture books to create your own stories.
Also, pick books based on your child’s interests and passions. Keep reading books to your kids; this helps them develop a “writer’s ear". Look for heart-stopping moments of beautiful language, or the just right phrase, or simply an unbelievably perfect turn of the plot, or a glorious description of a character that makes you fall in love with him or her.

3. Time. Between school and extracurricular activities, you probably feel like there’s little time left to add another activity to an already overflowing pile. But making time for your child to write gives them the opportunity to express themselves and to practice.
Gives your child the gift of an outlet for all of the thoughts, ideas, questions and creations that fill his or her mind.Parents should create a writing center with different writing tools, and keep a notebook and tools in the car, too. This way your child can write whenever they want.


So what do you suggest your kids actually write? Use these four prompts to kickstart kids’ storytelling. You can ask your kids “to write, draw or talk in response.”

• What he remembers (use baby photos, artifacts, your own stories to get him going)
• What he observes (everything around him, something he noticed on his way to school or on a class trip)
• What he wonders about (this is a fun one; find out what your child is thinking by asking about his thoughts. These will change on a daily basis!)
• What he imagines (about the future, by creating a pretend universe, by inventing a news story)

Many of us have a negative reaction to writing. We associate it with painstaking research papers, anxiety producing exams and a whole lot of hard, gut-wrenching work. Now, don’t get me wrong. Sometimes writing is hard and emotional and exhausting. But it’s also a lot of fun.
Like many of us, children have come to equate writing with hard, laborious work. But the pleasure and excitement of writing something that matters to you personally is uplifting and often really energizing.

" Living a writing life is living with our eyes wide open. "

A Child's Education Begins at Home

Being parents is never an easy task. If parenting can be classified as a job, it is one of the hardest that you have to perform. Raising your child to be a success takes time and effort Start their education while they are young, and you'll find that those teachable moments will come early and often. You will also find that these life lessons are important in raising a successful child.

Earning Their Freedom.
Studies have shown that when parents give children more freedom and responsibility, those kids start to develop stronger values and principles. An example might be the next time your teenager asks to stay late at a friend's house. Instead of telling them, ask them what time do they think would be appropriate for them to be home. When they give you a time, ask them why they picked that. If they don't give you an answer you like, you can always say no. But you've given them an opportunity to learn appropriate time boundaries in your home.

Nobody Likes a Quitter.
Your child needs to know the pain of giving up. It's not a decision that should be taken lightly. If your son or daughter wants to quit the soccer or netball team, tell them they need to tell the coach and his or her teammates. Chances are they don't want to make that decision and have to face those who they will disappoint. Make them responsible for their decisions so that they will understand the importance of them.

Your Words are Important.
The language development in children starts at an early age. As a parent your words to them are important. Remember to never talk down to your child, but use age appropriate language. When doing activities with them, discuss with them what it is that you're doing. Let them interact with you in a conversation about what is happening in their world. You can use big words, even if your child is unfamiliar with them. Kids will pick them up by the context they are used in.

Fighting Gets You Nowhere.
This becomes the lesson of compromise. When children fight amongst themselves, they are usually caught up in the moment. They will see the conflict with the other child, but rather than find a solution, they would rather just fight. They will try hard to drag you into it. Don't take a side, even if they beg you. Tell them that if you decide it will not be a decision that either of them will like. They will have to find a resolution and therefore a compromise.

Build Their Confidence.
Competition starts at a young age, especially with siblings. Children are always trying to compete for mom and dad's attention. Let them, healthy competition leads them to more confidence. When playing games with them, let them win in the beginning. As they get older, make it harder for them to get those victories. This will stretch them and build their confidence so that they can have the "can do" attitude that leads them to success later in life.

Don't Reward a Bad Temper.
When your child begins that tantrum in the middle of the store by sitting in the middle of the aisle and screaming, don't ignore it. Instead be calm and attentive towards them. Let them know that you will not be upset by this, and they will not be getting what they want. When the child recognizes that their tantrums are futile, you win. This one probably will take more patience than most lessons for parents. It probably won't work the first few times you try it. Stay with it, by the seventh or eighth time you will have won. Your child will learn that it's not the loudest screams that get rewarded but a calm, cooperative attitude.

As a parent, you will have a huge impact on your our child's success. Celebrate their victories and make sure that they understand your expectations. Remind them that life is like a marathon and not a sprint. Let your children test themselves, but gradually and only one challenge at a time. Success takes time and focus; it is achieved by those who eventually set their sights on one passion and master it.

Great Educational Websites for Children.

Once children cultivate the habit that learning is fun and when they reach school going age, asking them to study will be an easier task for parents. Hope the websites below will be able to provide that for your kids and may you and them spend quality time exploring these sites and build up a special bond that will bind you and your child.


Starfall - http://www.starfall.com/
This is a fantastic educational site for 5 year and 6 year old!  Starfall.com opened in September of 2002 as a free public service to motivate children to read with phonics. The systematic phonics approach, in conjunction with phonemic awareness practice is perfect for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education, home school, and English language development.

PBS Kids - http://pbskids.org/
Children between 4 and up may not need much help getting around this site. It's pretty straight forward with plenty of pictures your children can navigate with.

Nick Jr. - http://www.nickjr.com/games/index.jhtml
Here your children will have fun playing and learning with some of the characters they may be watching on TV. Navigation is also very easy on this site so not much assistance is needed.


Learning Games For Kids - http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/
Learning Games are a great way to build the foundation skills that today's elementary school curriculum requires. These learning games and songs are fun, teach important skills for preschool and elementary school kids and they're free. Children will themselves work to develop their focus and skills with these learning games. Want educational games that help build skills? This is the right place!"

Fun School Kaboose - http://funschool.kaboose.com/index.html
This is a good site and very easy to navigate. It also has a lot of games from preschool to 5th - 6th grade.

Jumpstart - http://www.jumpstart.com/Default.aspx
"JumpStart is an award-winning adventure-based 3D virtual world that is super-personalized, wildly imaginative and really fun, but don't let that fool you - it also teaches math, reading, and critical thinking skills so kids get a real jump start in life."

I know that - http://www.iknowthat.com/com
"iknowthat.com’s mission is to ignite a love of lifelong learning in every child by harnessing internet multimedia and social communication to produce an environment for engaging, interactive and dynamic learning."

Learning Planet http://www.learningplanet.com/stu/index.asp
This is a fun site that is pretty easy to navigate. It has a lot of games and activities from preschool to 7th grade and up.

What Tuition Does Your Child Need?

Deciding whether your child would benefit from tuition and then choosing the best tutors, can be a daunting task. So how should you set about it? As tuition can be expensive you should understand what it can achieve because tuition can help children in a number of ways but it's not all about getting the best tutors.
Tuition is a considerable investment in time and money. So you need to choose the best possible tuition. Making the right choice is important from the vast range of tuition schemes available. So ask yourself some important questions and do some research on the center if time allows you.
There are many different types of tuition service available. So make sure you get the service best suited to your child's needs. I have grouped these into several categories, each one having something different to offer. 
One-To-One Tuition 
So you think one-to-one is the best? Perhaps you think it must be because it is usually the most expensive! It may be true in the short term, just before exams but generally the tutors are dominant, and one-to-one tuition does not allow the child to enjoy learning independently, and it does not provide a forum for discussion, to express their opinions, their difficulties, or to interact with other children in the learning process. Moreover, the best tutor and teacher assess through watching children interacting with each other, discussing problems, and working and playing with other children.  
It can be effective, and certainly children should make progress. However, in addition to cost, it is harder to make the sessions ‘lively' and ‘fun'. Teachers will spend a large part of their time waiting for the child to finish their work. And it is also difficult to foster independence in one-to-one tuition. Children often stop thinking through concepts and just wait for the teacher to teach, and explain it to them. In the long term, this is unhelpful. It is possible to find very cheap one-to-one tuition in some areas, but whilst this might appear attractive, parents should ask about the qualifications, and the skills of such tutors. 
Small Group Tuition 
It is usually cheaper than one-to-one tuition, and so makes better use of the teacher's time. It also provides children with the opportunity to share ideas, and for the teacher to use competition and games to enhance the learning of each child. As the session comes alive in this way it becomes easier for teachers to assess, build confidence and inspire children.

Between four and six children per tuition group is an ideal number as this allows good group dynamics and individual attention. If a group falls below three it becomes difficult to encourage group dynamics. 
A large group cannot guarantee, and often fail to provide each child with the individual attention they need and often seems no different to an ordinary school classroom. If your child is having difficulty then putting them in this situation is likely to make the emotional barriers worse. 
Large Group Tuition
There are many large group tuition centres in some areas, some with between 15 and 30 children. Again, some of these groups do not use qualified tutors. So whilst these centres are often cheaper per session, the parent should ask whether the tuition provided is able to provide something different to what is being offered at school. If your child is not achieving their academic goals or has a barrier to learning in large classrooms in school, why should large tuition groups be more effective? 
E-Learning Program
One of the current and popular learning method available. This system require the child to log in into a website where worksheets are provided for the child to do. It is interactive in nature and require output participation from a child.Children are then expected to work through them on their own. The amount of teaching done is minimal. The success of this system is proven with the excellent results students obtained and the number of excellent testimonials by parents attesting to this method.

How To Communicate, Educate & Share As Your Child Develop.

Children grew up quickly. By the time we realized that, it may be too late. Thus it is important as parents, we should be there for them during the formative years to communicate, to educate and to share their early childhood days so that they grow up to be what we want them to be.

0 - 1 YEAR
At this stage in life, the concepts of right and wrong are not possible to teach. Rather, an infant who is shown warmth,cuddling and loving attention is likely to grow into a healthy and happy adult.

1-2 YEARS
 Rather than scolding a child or arguing with him about misbehavior, try to take preventative measures beforehand. If you don't want him pulling things out the cupboards, make sure they are secured. At this age of short attention span, discipline beyond a simple "no" is unnecessary and can have undesirable effects.
2 - 4 YEARS
Children of this age, unable to understand abstractions such as generosity and truth, imitate their parents. So set an example.Be firm in disallowing undesirable behavior, but do so in a kind and friendly manner,without attempting to explain why.
4 - 6 YEARS
This is the time where you can really take some positive steps to reinforce your child's positive behavior. Give him lots of praise when it's due. Children of this age respond well to simple reasoning and explanations. Concepts such as truthfulness and generosity can be introduced. Continue to set an example of acceptable behavior. The child at this stage wants to please you and wants to be liked by others.
5 - 8 YEARS
Children develop a greater social awareness at this age. They understand the basic rights of others when taught fairness,values and the need to follow certain rules of behavior. Rules and limitations not only seem just to the child, but give him a good feeling of security.
8 - 11 YEARS
Due to natural growth and influences outside the home, your child has likely become more independent. He may begin to question your decisions, contradict or argue. You must remain firm in the important matters and flexible in less important ones. Demonstrate and discuss the child's duties and responsibilities to friends, relatives and society. Set examples of moral behavior.
12 - 17 YEARS
These are normally rebellious years for most teenagers. In fact, teenagers who never rebel are probably in emotional trouble. As a parent you must weather the storm when your teenager begins to question and test conventional values, rules and beliefs. If you've instilled a sense of values at an early age, chances are he still retains many of those ideas. Try to keep lines of communication open and don't push the panic button. If communication does break down and tensions mount considerably, seek professional help.
18 YEARS AND OVER
At this stage most young adults are forming, or have formed, their own set of values. However, life still holds for them many unanswered questions, and a warm yet honest relationship can still go a long way in helping them reach mature adulthood.

Happy parenting. The journey maybe joyous and frustrating, but do remember that we were once a kid and our parents went through the same for us. Now it's our turn and hopefully we can do better for our kids than what our parents did for us. If you are not a parent yet or going to be one, my hope is that you will be better prepared when you read this.