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Posted by Shiny Vikas in Personal on September 24th, 2009


The importance of play in children’s development


There's a lot happening during playtime. Little ones are lifting, dropping, looking, pouring, bouncing, hiding, building, knocking down, and more. They are learning key scientific concepts, such as what sinks and floats; mathematical concepts, including how to balance blocks to build a tower; and literacy skills, such as trying out new vocabulary or storytelling skills as children “act out“ different roles.”And when your children play with you, they are also learning ? that they are loved and important and that they are fun to be around. These social - emotional skills give them the self-esteem and self-confidence they need to continue building loving and supportive relationships all their lives.


“Play” doesn’t necessarily mean an organised activity or a dedicated period of “quality time.” Play - and learning - can happen anytime you are with your child.” From a set of statements that are either true or false, Parlakian and Lerner set out the following important truths regarding how children learn through play:




Babies and toddlers have an inborn desire to learn and develop new skills. Rather than needing structured classes, flash-cards, special videos or programmed “teaching time”, they need lots of time to explore and play in a variety of ways, indoors and out. They need their parents and carers to respect their individual style of play, to join in their play and to be their coach in making new discoveries.


Outdoor play is important and helps children develop many physical skills. In addition, using slides, sandboxes and other play equipment promotes social skills like peer play, friendship-building, language, conflict resolution and negotiation skills.


Making literacy materials - like paper, pens, envelopes and books - available to children encourages reading and writing. Playful experimentation with paper and other print materials supports literacy development.


An 18-month-old cannot be expected to share toys during a play date. Toddlers simply have not developed the skills they need to succeed with sharing. Parents can help children learn this skill by modeling how to share and by playing turn-taking games, such as rolling a ball back and forth.


A set of of tips following the true/false statements provide ideas for how to make the most out of a child’s playtime:




Follow your child’s lead - Watch your child play with a toy. It’s okay if it’s not the “right” way to use the object…let him show you a “new way.”


Go slowly - It’s great to show your child how a toy works but try not to do it for her every time. Providing just enough to help keep frustration at bay motivates your child to learn new skills.


Read your child’s signals - Your child may not be able to communicate using words, but he can use sounds, facial ex-pressions and gestures to tell you when he is frustrated or has had enough. Reading his signals can tell you what activities he prefers.


Play it again, Sam - The more children practice and master new skills, the more likely they are to take on new challenges and the learning continues.


Are children being deprived of play skills by parents?


Children are being stripped of their natural creativity by structured activities and hi-tech toys, leading academics warned yesterday. Innate play skills are lost as parents pay for them to attend classes and clubs or buy televisions and video game machines for their bedrooms. Even at school they are told what games to play in sports lessons and sometimes even in the playground. But the regimentation of their leisure time is stifling their initiative, says a report.


Entitled the Trouble With 21st Century Kids, it was compiled by Peter Smith, professor of psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and nutritionist Rachel Biggins. It says: “Some structuring of play can be helpful now and then to get children going or help children who have difficulty playing. But this should not go too far.


Regimented play activities can have negative consequences on the social and emotional development of a child because they are too organised and take away a child’s initiative and freedom of choice. In contrast, freeform play encourages the creative and multi-sensory development of a child because it has no structure.” It adds: “Play or games with rules, where it is the outcome that motivates the participation, train a child’s thought patterns, leaving less time for their imagination or creative thought process to establish itself and mature.” The report warns of the stifling potential of television and videos. “Although it can be said that there are some positive effects to these activities, such as hand-eye co-ordination, there is growing concern that children are spending too much time on sedentary, solitary pursuits that can inhibit their mental and physical well-being,” it says. “Experts agree that pre-programmed electronic toys monopolise the brain, because children respond to a scenario constructed by someone else and this is having an impact on their creativity.”


What shall I play with today?


As adults, while at times we find making decisions a challenge, we see having opportunities to do so as one of our human rights. Other people behaving towards us as if they expect us to want and have the ability to make decisions is important for our self-esteem. This link between the opportunity to make decisions and self-esteem is not confined to adulthood. It begins in early childhood, through a process where the opportunity to make decisions helps self-esteem to develop and increasing self-esteem promotes children’s ability to make decisions.


The link to self-esteem
This interdependence between decision-making and self-esteem is reflected in the frameworks with which pre-school practitioners work. In the Birth to Three Matters framework, the aspect ‘A Healthy Child’ has a component ‘Healthy Choices’ that highlights the importance of a child being able to make choices including:




Discovering and learning about his/her body ,Demonstrating individual preferences ,Making decisions Becoming aware of others and their needs .


One of the early learning goals in the ‘confidence and self-esteem’ aspect of the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage is ‘have a developing awareness of their own needs, views and feelings and be sensitive to the needs, views and feelings of others’.


Age appropriate toys and games


0-3 months: Wind chimes, unbreakable mirrors (babies tend to look right 80% of the time so make sure you put any objects in their line of vision), high contrasting mobiles, cloth books .

3-6 months: Baby play gyms, rattles, squeaky rubber toys, colourful teethers, socks with bells .

6-9 months: Textured books, soft blocks to knock down, activity boards, toys that pop up when your baby pushes the button, balls - throw the ball and encourage your baby to crawl after it .

9-12 months: Walker, rocker, toy, telephone, shape sorter, books with flaps, bucket and spade for natural sand play - your baby will love the texture .

12-18 months: Simple puzzles such as cut-out circles and squares, stacking, pull toys for confident walkers; climbing frame, washable non-toxic crayons, ride-on vehicle, toy buggy .

18-24 months: Musical instruments such as keyboards, drum, plastic tea set, play house or den (throw a blanket on the old baby gym), shopping trolley, gardening tools, building blocks .

24-36 months: Illustrated books, dressing-up clothes, child-size household equipment, construction toys, eg Lego, wooden puzzles, dolls to undress .

36 months +: Basic jigsaw puzzles, memory games such as snap, child-size pots and pans, plasticine, bats and balls, golf sets, reference books .


(Baby and Toddler Gear, Nov/Dec 2005)

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Posted by Shiny Vikas in Personal on March 27th, 2009

Family values: The importance of strong family bonds


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As a potter molds clay to form a beautiful creation, so does the strong bond of family and good values. Family bonds are a link to our beginning and a guide to our future. Early influences are fundamental to our individual development.


We all want to “belong” and feel accepted. A sense of belonging is derived from the strong bond of family. Family is where our roots take hold and from there we grow. We are molded within a unit, which prepares us for what we will experience in the world and how we react to those experiences. Values are taught at an early age and are carried with us throughout our life.


A close family bond is like a safe harbor where we find refuge. From trusting that someone will pick us up when we fall, as a toddler, to someone being there for us as we experience the storms in life - family bonds help to instill trust and hope in the world around us and belief in ourselves. Rituals of bedtime stories, hugs, holidays and daily meals shared together, provide a sense of warmth, structure and safety. These rituals and traditions, not only create memories and leave a family legacy, but create our first path in life - one that is positive.


Our very spirit can either blossom or wither within the family unit. When we don’t have the security and influence of strong family bonds early in life, the ground work is laid for an emptiness, that is often sought to be filled, through destructive venues. If one isn’t loved as a child, they may later seek love and acceptance in a way that brings them harm. There is a deep yearning to fill that hollowness, residing in the heart and soul, from never knowing what it’s like to be loved, accepted and appreciated for “being”.


There can be long-term effects from living in a detached or dysfunctional family. The cycle is often repeated through generations. Children often grow up believing this dysfunctional unit is normal and they may gravitate toward people and situations that mimic the dysfunction they were accustomed to. A healthy relationship won’t be easily recognized because it’s foreign to someone who hasn’t lived within a close and loving family. Often drug and alcohol abuse or domestic violence is repeated, whether by a learned behavior or an escape from behavior that was poured upon an innocent child.


A child may have poor self-image, isolating themselves from peers at school or holding anger and pain inside. This not only affects the emotional well-being, but also physical well-being. The poor self-image may be with them throughout life, causing an inability to make positive choices or be close to others. It’s hard to succeed in life when the core of your being has never been nurtured. Healthy development begins before we are born by the choice parents make for the path their children will follow.


Strong family bonds help us to thrive in all aspects of life. Lack of these bonds can lead to forever seeking that something which is missing. Don’t take the value of family bonds for granted. You can mold a beautiful creation for today and the generations that follow!


Life can be difficult at times and it at those times we may need a support system. The best support you can get is an unconditional bond from your family.


Family is defined as any group of people closely related by blood. It can also be a group of people who are generally not blood relations, but who share common attitudes, interests or goals and, frequently, live together. A bond is defined as something that binds, fastens, confines or holds together. It is also to establish a close emotional relationship to or with another.


Family bonds have to be constantly worked at and renewed, but can grow stronger every day. Once in place you are held together no matter what is thrown at you. You know you are never alone. You work together day by day as a unit which can make life seem easier when times get tough.


A strong family bond can help you grow into a well rounded adult. Knowing there is a unit of support available whenever you need it can give you a confidence that nothing else can.


Family bonds are very important with the uncertainty in the world today. Loss of jobs, tight finances, divorce, serious illnesses and even gang related crime are some of the things that if you faced alone you may not be able to cope with. Standing united in your family unit is like a wall protecting you from a mighty force. It prevents you from being knocked down to the point where you cannot get back up again. There are people there behind you to pick you straight back up again.


To build a family bond it is vital to spend time together doing many different activities. Everyday things to build bonds with children make them feel special. Whether it’s putting washing in the dryer or cooking dinner, they love to be involved. Spending time with a partner if you have one will keep a bond tight so that you can work together to strengthen the family unit. Even if you can only manage an hour after the children have gone to bed to just sit together and forget any problems for a while. Then there is the most important part. Spending time as a family. A walk or a bike ride together can be fun and inexpensive. All of these things make sure that as a unit you are as strong as you can be.


Whatever size your family is, whether you are a single parent and one child, or a couple raising twelve children, the family bond is essential. Why is it essential? Because it helps shape our futures and make us who we are. This is important for the next generation and those generations still to come.



“The saying goes that you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family. Spend your life showing those you love that they will always have their family no matter what happens"

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Lets start our day with prayers

Posted by Shiny Vikas in Personal on November 15th, 2008

Ganesha Shlokams


Gajananam Bhuta Ganathi Sevitam
Kapittha Jambu Palasara Bhaksitam
Uma Sutam Shoka Vinasha Karanam
Namami Vignesvara Pada Pankajam

He who has the face of an elephant, one who is worshipped by the Bhootha ganam, He who eats the essence of kapitha and Jumbu fruits, He who is the son of Uma Devi and He who allieviates the ill feelings in us. O! Lord Vigneshwara who is an embodiment of all the above, we offer our Namaskarams at your Divine feet.

Shuklambara Dharam Vishnum
Shashivarnam Chatur Bhujam
Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayet
Sarva Vignopa Santaye

Sanskrit to English Word Meaning
Suklambaradaram-one who wears a white garmetn; visnum; all pervading; sasivarnam; who ahs a brilliant complexion; chaturbhujam-who had four hands; prasannavadanam- who has an ever smiling face; dhyayet- I meditate upon; sarvavighnopashantaye- for the removal of all obstacles

Translation
Lord Vigneshwara, who wears a white garment, who is all pervading, who has a bright complexion (like a full moon), who has four hands (representing all power), who has an ever-smiling face, upon that deity I meditate, for the removal of all obstacles.

Brief Explanation
Lord Ganesha is the older son of Lord Shiva son Goddess Parvati. He is invoked before any undertaking for the removal of obstacles. He is also worshipped for knowledge and wisdom that he bestows upon devotees.

Sri Vakratunda Mahakaaya
Koti-soorya samaprabha
Nirvighnam kuru me Deva
Sarva-karyeshu Sarvadaa

O, Lord Ganesha of the curved trunk and massive body, the one whose splendor is equal to millions of Suns, please bless me to that I do not face any obstacles in my endeavors.

Mooshika vahana modaka hasta
Chamara karna vilambita sootra
Vamana roopa Maheswara putra
Vigna-vinayaka paada namaste

He who has the mouse as his vahana(vehicle),
He who always keeps Modhakam (a traditional type of sweet)
He who has ears that resemble a hand held fan,
He who wears a chain-like ornament around his waist,
He who is short in stature,
He who is the son of Parameshwar,
O Lord Vinayaka who is all the above and he who always removes our obstacles,
We worship your Divine Feet.

Gajavaktram Sura-shreshtam
Karna-chaamara-bhooshitam
Paashaankusha-dharam Devam
Vandeham Gana-naayakam

I bow before that God, who is the leader of Shiva's ghosts, whose face resembles that of an elephant. Who is supreme among the deities, Who sports ears that look like fans and Who is armed with noose and goad.

Ekadantam Mahakayam
Lambodara Gajananam
Vigna Nashakarma Devam
He Rambam Prana Mamyaham

I bow to that God, Who has one tusk, one Who has a large body, one Who has a big stomach, one Who has the face of an elephant; He who destroys all obstacles and Who is also called Herambh (beloved of the Mother).


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