Cultivating good handwriting skills requires patience and plenty of discipline to get resultstheSun, Tue, 28 Apr 2009
MY daughter’s handwriting is simply too large for my liking. Filling in the blanks in her school workbook gets difficult and messy sometimes because the space provided is not enough for her large handwriting.
A mother once told me she made her children learn to write ‘properly’ by erasing and making them re-write if their handwriting were found to be unsatisfactory.
Is there a so-called ‘best’ way to teach children to have ‘nice’ handwriting? A search on the Internet provided me a better understanding on teaching children the proper technique of handwriting.
Technically, there are three parts of writing a child needs to learn, focusing on one objective at a time – proper letter construction; consistent letter size; and the same tilt throughout the writing.
Start your child by helping him master proper drawing of vertical, horizontal and circular lines and shapes.
According to an expert, circular shapes should begin at the 2 o’clock position, moving up counterclockwise like the letter "c". Shapes like triangles, rectangles and squares, should be drawn using individual lines that meet. Lines should be drawn left to right or top to bottom.
Once they are adept in forming the letters, they can then learn to size them properly using handwriting sheets with guide lines to help them develop uniformity in size.
There should be solid lines at the top and bottom, a dotted line in the middle, and space before the next guide lines. These can be found at many stores selling educational supplies.
To help children space their letters or words, tools such as an ice cream stick, or one or two fingers, can be placed on the paper for uniform spacing. Check the slant of cursive handwriting by drawing a straight line through the centre of each letter from top to bottom. All the lines should be parallel if the slant is uniform.
For younger children who print, this check may not be necessary if their letters are formed correctly.
Regular practice helps children to gradually perfect their formation and maintain uniformity of the size of the letters.
When I was in school, I remember handwriting was taught as a subject. One exercise book labelled "Tulisan" (handwriting) was allocated specifically for us to practise drawing lines and shapes, and printing letters and words in their correct form, size and spacing.
These days, children are taught handwriting much earlier in pre-school. The degree of importance placed in the teaching of handwriting, however, differs from school to school.
Some schools consciously provide adequate practice like what I received in primary school but I feel some do not emphasise it enough.
Now, when children start primary school, handwriting is no longer taught as a subject as they are expected to have learnt it in pre-school. Unless their handwriting is utterly atrocious, the teacher seldom scrutinises the child’s handwriting, paying more attention to the teaching of core subjects such as math, science, and languages.
It is not whether teaching handwriting should be done at pre-school or primary school that is the issue here. It is the level of awareness of its importance that we should ponder on.
Watch the video at www.teachers.tv/video/24021, where in France, the teaching of handwriting is backed by an educational philosophy that encompasses all creative subjects. The French believe that equipping children with the ability to write will free their minds to perform creatively throughout their lives.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Curb that s-word
Take steps to stop and correct children from using expletives right from the start
theSun, Tue, 14 Apr 2009
WHEN you least expect it, your child comes home from school one day and utters a swear word.
Many parents have found themselves in this predicament since time immemorial.
It was my turn recently when my seven-year-old said a swear word. This led me to finding out how that word found its way into her vocabulary and how best I should tackle the situation if it happened again.
I discovered that she learnt it from a classmate but did not know its meaning.
Before we lash out with a torrent of swear words ourselves or inflict any form of punishment in reprimanding our children for swearing, we must remember that we are their role models.
If parents or other adults in the household swear, the children will very quickly and easily pick up these words.
Young children not only pick up words but also the feelings that come with them when they are used. They observe and learn how you look and act when using those words, so the next time they are angry, they will also use the same words you used when angry.
According to a tip I read in the Internet, do not encourage the child to think it is funny or interesting. If you laugh when he says a swear word, he will pick up your feelings and think you find it pleasing.
As a result, he will very likely say it again, as he wants to please his parents more than anything else.
On the flip side, if you react with anger, he may use it again when he is upset with you in some way and wants you to know about it.
You could tell him firmly: “We don’t use that word in our family and I don’t want to hear it again,” and then ignore it and do not respond if he says it again.
Fortunately for me, I was driving when my child pulled that shocking surprise on me and could only react with a “What did you just say?”
I kept my cool and told her it is not a nice word to use, explaining to her that if she didn’t know the meaning, she should not use it.
Set a rule that everyone in the family must know the meaning of a word in order to say it, and they must mean what that word represents.
If your child says a swear word when he is angry or upset, focus on helping him express his feelings using words he understands and means, instead of fussing over the swear word itself.
Explain to him the meaning of the swear word and that it is wrong and rude to use it, and it may hurt the feelings of others.
Some children use these words to get attention or to show off, thinking that it is a ‘cool’ thing to do. Find out the reasons why your child swears, if he is under any stress, is crying out for attention or just wants to fit in with his ‘cool’ peers.
Explain to him that it is not necessary to swear to gain friends and be ‘cool’. In fact, swearing is not a smart thing to do as it reflects one’s lack of knowledge in using proper words.
Finally, be in tune with your child’s activities and feelings. A child who has a balanced lifestyle and access to open communication and love from parents is more likely to understand that it is not necessary or good to swear and that swearing is simply not ‘cool’.
theSun, Tue, 14 Apr 2009
WHEN you least expect it, your child comes home from school one day and utters a swear word.
Many parents have found themselves in this predicament since time immemorial.
It was my turn recently when my seven-year-old said a swear word. This led me to finding out how that word found its way into her vocabulary and how best I should tackle the situation if it happened again.
I discovered that she learnt it from a classmate but did not know its meaning.
Before we lash out with a torrent of swear words ourselves or inflict any form of punishment in reprimanding our children for swearing, we must remember that we are their role models.
If parents or other adults in the household swear, the children will very quickly and easily pick up these words.
Young children not only pick up words but also the feelings that come with them when they are used. They observe and learn how you look and act when using those words, so the next time they are angry, they will also use the same words you used when angry.
According to a tip I read in the Internet, do not encourage the child to think it is funny or interesting. If you laugh when he says a swear word, he will pick up your feelings and think you find it pleasing.
As a result, he will very likely say it again, as he wants to please his parents more than anything else.
On the flip side, if you react with anger, he may use it again when he is upset with you in some way and wants you to know about it.
You could tell him firmly: “We don’t use that word in our family and I don’t want to hear it again,” and then ignore it and do not respond if he says it again.
Fortunately for me, I was driving when my child pulled that shocking surprise on me and could only react with a “What did you just say?”
I kept my cool and told her it is not a nice word to use, explaining to her that if she didn’t know the meaning, she should not use it.
Set a rule that everyone in the family must know the meaning of a word in order to say it, and they must mean what that word represents.
If your child says a swear word when he is angry or upset, focus on helping him express his feelings using words he understands and means, instead of fussing over the swear word itself.
Explain to him the meaning of the swear word and that it is wrong and rude to use it, and it may hurt the feelings of others.
Some children use these words to get attention or to show off, thinking that it is a ‘cool’ thing to do. Find out the reasons why your child swears, if he is under any stress, is crying out for attention or just wants to fit in with his ‘cool’ peers.
Explain to him that it is not necessary to swear to gain friends and be ‘cool’. In fact, swearing is not a smart thing to do as it reflects one’s lack of knowledge in using proper words.
Finally, be in tune with your child’s activities and feelings. A child who has a balanced lifestyle and access to open communication and love from parents is more likely to understand that it is not necessary or good to swear and that swearing is simply not ‘cool’.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Organising toys
theSun, Tues 31 Mar
When children come into your life, they not only take up your time and energy but they take up lots of space as well! There’s the baby cot, changing table, clothes and diaper storage bins, cupboards, playpen, pram, car seat, other rather bulky necessities, books and of course, toys! As they grow, they accumulate toys very quickly and that’s when our nightmare begins. Every corner we turn, we trip over a doll or get poked on our bare soles by a gun-toting toy soldier. Containing all those pieces of building blocks, teapots and teacups, jigsaw puzzles, stuffed toys and mini figurines in one place is an everyday challenge.
For starters, if you are not able to spare a room and turn it into a playroom, designate a suitable section or corner in your home as your child’s play area. Get boxes or bins with lids and categorise them with labels such as “blocks”, “dolls”, or “cars”. For children who have yet to learn how to read, use picture stickers to denote the items those boxes contain. Teach your child to tidy up his toys according to their categories, and to keep those he doesn’t want to play with anymore before taking out a new set of toys. Sorting and labeling helps your child find and put away toys more easily.
Weed out those that are broken and if they can be fixed, do so when you are free. Put them aside with the forgotten and less-frequently-played toys and rotate them with toys that he gets bored with in future. Some could also be given away to friends and relatives or donated to charity. Giving away toys to less fortunate children is a valuable lesson for a child to learn.
Create mini play sections within the room or space. The box of cooking toys could be placed next to the kitchen set, art and craft items in boxes or shelves nearer to a worktable or easel, and role-playing costumes next to a mirror for example. Place some hooks at a suitable height along a wall to hang bags and pouches to keep other small toys such as stuffed animals, hats, and costumes.
Sturdy shelving units also help get toys off the floor and minimise clutter. They can be used to keep some of his larger, favourite and most-frequently-played-with toys so that they are within reach and sight. Small side tables or sideboards also help in providing counter-top space for toys that need to be displayed for ease of playing such as doll houses and train sets.
Decorate the playroom in his favourite colours, pin up some of his drawings, hang posters of his favourite cartoon characters or superheroes. Making the room or play area a place to call his own would make him more likely to care for it and keep it tidy.
Organising your child’s toys takes some planning and lots of patience. The effort, however, will be rewarded as you begin to see less clutter around the house and more importantly, your child learning organising skills and developing a sense of responsibility.
When children come into your life, they not only take up your time and energy but they take up lots of space as well! There’s the baby cot, changing table, clothes and diaper storage bins, cupboards, playpen, pram, car seat, other rather bulky necessities, books and of course, toys! As they grow, they accumulate toys very quickly and that’s when our nightmare begins. Every corner we turn, we trip over a doll or get poked on our bare soles by a gun-toting toy soldier. Containing all those pieces of building blocks, teapots and teacups, jigsaw puzzles, stuffed toys and mini figurines in one place is an everyday challenge.
For starters, if you are not able to spare a room and turn it into a playroom, designate a suitable section or corner in your home as your child’s play area. Get boxes or bins with lids and categorise them with labels such as “blocks”, “dolls”, or “cars”. For children who have yet to learn how to read, use picture stickers to denote the items those boxes contain. Teach your child to tidy up his toys according to their categories, and to keep those he doesn’t want to play with anymore before taking out a new set of toys. Sorting and labeling helps your child find and put away toys more easily.
Weed out those that are broken and if they can be fixed, do so when you are free. Put them aside with the forgotten and less-frequently-played toys and rotate them with toys that he gets bored with in future. Some could also be given away to friends and relatives or donated to charity. Giving away toys to less fortunate children is a valuable lesson for a child to learn.
Create mini play sections within the room or space. The box of cooking toys could be placed next to the kitchen set, art and craft items in boxes or shelves nearer to a worktable or easel, and role-playing costumes next to a mirror for example. Place some hooks at a suitable height along a wall to hang bags and pouches to keep other small toys such as stuffed animals, hats, and costumes.
Sturdy shelving units also help get toys off the floor and minimise clutter. They can be used to keep some of his larger, favourite and most-frequently-played-with toys so that they are within reach and sight. Small side tables or sideboards also help in providing counter-top space for toys that need to be displayed for ease of playing such as doll houses and train sets.
Decorate the playroom in his favourite colours, pin up some of his drawings, hang posters of his favourite cartoon characters or superheroes. Making the room or play area a place to call his own would make him more likely to care for it and keep it tidy.
Organising your child’s toys takes some planning and lots of patience. The effort, however, will be rewarded as you begin to see less clutter around the house and more importantly, your child learning organising skills and developing a sense of responsibility.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)