Young children are not conscious of time but with patience and preseverance, they can learn to get their act together
theSun, Tue, 25 Jan 2011
INSTEAD of dressing up quickly for school in the morning, my child reads her storybook between wearing her uniform, combing her hair and coming downstairs for breakfast. If I don’t yell "hurry up", she’d probably be late for school.
A check with other mothers assures me that I’m not alone in this constant battle against time and a dawdling child, be it getting ready for school, doing homework or going out.
It appears that dawdling is quite characteristic of young children, some more than others. This is because young children are not conscious of time and, therefore, lack a sense of urgency.
They live in the moment. They have yet to develop the ability to control their need for instant gratification or think and plan ahead.
Even when they have learnt to tell the time and know what they need to do, they tend to be easily distracted.
In my search for practical solutions, I managed to come up with a few I learnt from reading and others I’m already doing on my own. They include:
Prepare ahead of time
To reduce morning rush stress, prepare as much as possible the night before. Fill her water bottle and set aside all breakfast necessities in a tray. This way, you reduce time spent in the morning gathering up everything from the various sections of your kitchen.
If you need to cook breakfast or school lunch, cut, slice, prepare whatever you can the night before so that they can be easily cooked or assembled in the morning.
Help your child set aside her clothes before she goes to bed so that she doesn’t waste time looking for matching socks or a missing hair-band.
Be specific
For example, instead of saying: "Hurry up", you should say: "Stop reading and please put on your clothes now".
Break instructions down to a few steps
When I’m in a hurry, I tend to ramble off reminders and instructions in a long string of words. Keep instructions short as your child will most likely forget all that you ask, especially when she is distracted.
Minimise distractions
At the time and place where you know your child needs to get ready, keep her away from distractions such as toys, the television, or storybooks. Make sure toys and books are put away and the television is not on.
Build in incentives
Tell your child that if she can get ready or finish her homework on time, she can have extra time to play later. Remind her also of the consequences if she is too slow or late.
Invent games
One mother as mentioned in a Parenting Institute article published by SchoolFamily.com came up with a game called Beat the Clock to help her son focus and finish his homework.
After determining roughly the time taken for him to finish his work, she set the timer with five minutes extra to make it possible for her son to achieve the goal and win the game.
She said: "The game enabled him to concentrate on the task at hand." And it "made him realise on his own what he was capable of doing without being nagged or threatened".
Lastly, don’t forget patience and perseverance. They should grow out of the habit of dawdling eventually.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
On his first pair of wheels
There are many ways to teach children to ride a bicycle but don’t forget the safety gear
theSun, Tue, 11 Jan 2011
I HAD not realised that there is actually more than one way to learn how to ride a bicycle until the time when I had to teach my child. I thought all along that the way I learnt, that is using training wheels, is the only way.
When it came for my child to learn, I wondered if there is a ‘best’ and preferably painless way for her to pick up the skill.
As usual, I turned to the Internet for help. A few keywords in everyone’s favourite search engine turned up numerous suggestions.
One is the method I used when I was a child. Riding a bike with training wheels helps the child learn how to pedal and steer first.
Once he can pedal and steer well, you gradually raise the training wheels off the ground to make the bike unstable so that he then learns how to balance. You later remove both training wheels when they have become obsolete and he has gained confidence.
Another method, however, suggests that he learns how to balance on the bike first. This method requires you to remove the pedals and training wheels.
Adjust the seat all the way down or to the level where his feet can touch the ground. With the child on the bike, push it forward and as it moves, ask him to lift his feet off the ground to get a feel of balancing while moving.
You can practise this on a slight, even incline or grassy slope.
This helps him control his balance and allows him to put his feet down when he feels he is going to fall.
Once he is comfortable balancing while moving forward, he can practise steering to the left and right. Upon gaining confidence, you can then reattach the pedals for him to practise pedalling.
You may need to hold the handlebars and seat to keep the bike upright for him to start off but once he is riding, remove your hands so that he can feel the balancing and steering on his own while pedalling.
Keep practising this way until he is stable and you can then raise the seat to a more comfortable and suitable position.
Meanwhile, another method is to immediately get him to pedal and steer without training wheels. You need to hold him by the shoulders to help him keep his balance. Do not hold the handlebars or seat as he will not be able to feel the balance or steering on his own.
As he loses balance slightly and leans to one side, he will feel the pressure from your hands on his shoulder and will try to correct the lean and keep his balance.
This requires you to work a little harder as you have to run along with the bike. Be careful not to trip as the bike swerves out of balance or if he brakes suddenly.
Whichever method you use, remember to keep your child safe by having him wear a helmet, gloves, wrist, knee and elbow pads. Do not rush him to master the skill but let him take his time.
theSun, Tue, 11 Jan 2011
I HAD not realised that there is actually more than one way to learn how to ride a bicycle until the time when I had to teach my child. I thought all along that the way I learnt, that is using training wheels, is the only way.
When it came for my child to learn, I wondered if there is a ‘best’ and preferably painless way for her to pick up the skill.
As usual, I turned to the Internet for help. A few keywords in everyone’s favourite search engine turned up numerous suggestions.
One is the method I used when I was a child. Riding a bike with training wheels helps the child learn how to pedal and steer first.
Once he can pedal and steer well, you gradually raise the training wheels off the ground to make the bike unstable so that he then learns how to balance. You later remove both training wheels when they have become obsolete and he has gained confidence.
Another method, however, suggests that he learns how to balance on the bike first. This method requires you to remove the pedals and training wheels.
Adjust the seat all the way down or to the level where his feet can touch the ground. With the child on the bike, push it forward and as it moves, ask him to lift his feet off the ground to get a feel of balancing while moving.
You can practise this on a slight, even incline or grassy slope.
This helps him control his balance and allows him to put his feet down when he feels he is going to fall.
Once he is comfortable balancing while moving forward, he can practise steering to the left and right. Upon gaining confidence, you can then reattach the pedals for him to practise pedalling.
You may need to hold the handlebars and seat to keep the bike upright for him to start off but once he is riding, remove your hands so that he can feel the balancing and steering on his own while pedalling.
Keep practising this way until he is stable and you can then raise the seat to a more comfortable and suitable position.
Meanwhile, another method is to immediately get him to pedal and steer without training wheels. You need to hold him by the shoulders to help him keep his balance. Do not hold the handlebars or seat as he will not be able to feel the balance or steering on his own.
As he loses balance slightly and leans to one side, he will feel the pressure from your hands on his shoulder and will try to correct the lean and keep his balance.
This requires you to work a little harder as you have to run along with the bike. Be careful not to trip as the bike swerves out of balance or if he brakes suddenly.
Whichever method you use, remember to keep your child safe by having him wear a helmet, gloves, wrist, knee and elbow pads. Do not rush him to master the skill but let him take his time.
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