Value Bookshop's Reading Notes

Do you know what is the secret to raising an A+ student? The answer is revealed in Reader’s Digest Asia. Here is a statement from their feature article:

Dozens of studies have shown that the most consistent indicators of student achievement – more than income or social status – are the home environment and parental involvement.

They highlighted 3 families where the children have excelled – a Malaysian homeschooling family, and single Filipino mother of three and a Singaporean mother.

Reading the comments and experience of these 3 families, I found a common trait — they all read to their children and encourage their children to love reading. Here are excerpts about the 3 families.

• The Malaysian family – “Most critical of all, there are books – a home library with all kinds of books for adults and children. Their parents began reading to the children when they were just a few months old, instilling a love of books. “
• The single Filipino mother – “…she had to get her kids reading early on. So she took them to the local public library. “They borrowed books after their nursery classes and read at home.” At night, she read aloud to them despite being tired after a full day of work.”
• The Singaporean mother – “She reads to her children ‘all the time.’”

So as you can see, the “nursery” for raising an A+ student is not at school or tuition centers but at home. Parents need to be involved in their children’s learning and one of the most important thing you can do for your children is to teach them to love reading. It starts with 2 very simple acts:

• Read to them often
• Create a home library so they are always surrounded by books

This is one good parenting skill we should all strive for.

One way to encourage your child to read and write is by giving certificates and awards. Here are links to some free printable certificates:

• First Time Reading A Book
• Reading Award
• “Bear-y” Good Reading Award
• First Time Writing Name

Keep track of your child’s reading with this reading chart. You can also award your children’s good works and give awards to show your appreciation.

Go ahead and start filling up your walls with these special certificates and awards. I’m sure your children will feel proud of themselves when they see all the achievements displayed and will want to do more.

What do you do when your child starts doing badly in school and frequently dishes out complaints such as:

“I hate school.”
“School is so boring.”
“My homework is too difficult.”
“There’s too much work to do.”
“I don’t like my teacher.”
“I feel sick; do I really have to go today?”
“I’m not going to do the work. I don’t care.”

At first glance, you might think your child is just whiny, lazy and having a bad attitude. However, if you take time to dig deeper into the problem, you might discover that such complaints are underlying signs of stress. It is a sad reality that study stress is now prevalent among children even as young as preschool age.

What are the contributing factors to study stress?

1. The times have changed and the world has become very competitive. Having straight A’s in school does not guarantee a place in a university anymore. The standards have been raised resulting in parents pushing their children to be better and smarter.

2. Exam oriented education systems. The education system now has increased workload and content compared to before. There is much to learn and much to do in so little time.

3. Overly hectic daily schedules. Parents enroll their children in countless tuition classes, enrichment classes, music classes, art classes, dance classes etc…. Children are chauffeured from one activity to another with hardly time to rest, to play or just to be with family.

4. Parents putting extremely high expectations on their children because they believe it reflects their parenting skills. Isn’t it true that society grants a higher status to parents with successful children?

5. Children are told to study hard but have not been taught effective study skills. Neither have they been equipped with the necessary skills to handle stress.

There are many ways study stress affects children. It is advised that parents pay attention to the signs of study stress that may emerge in the following three areas:

1. Physical.

Stress is known to weaken a person’s immune system. Therefore, the child may be more susceptible to falling sick. He may also frequently experience stomachaches and headaches.

2. Behavioral.

Be aware when there is increased anger, tantrums or aggressiveness. The child may also start to bite nails, stutter, or twitch. He may also become an antisocial. Some may even resort to smoking, drugs or alcohol.

3. Mental.

Stress may lead to the child having a mental burnout, depression or anxiety.

So how do we combat study stress? What can we do to help our children have a more positive educational experience?

1. Provide children an environment that is conducive to learning. Their study area needs to be well equipped with necessary materials and stationary and free of distraction such as toys, video games or television. The place should also have good ventilation.

2. Increase their fitness level through games, sports and exercise. Children will have a higher tolerance to stress and better concentration.

3. Teach them some stress management skills like physical relaxation techniques.

4. Encourage positive thinking and positive self talk. As parents you should also be more positive with the children. Be generous with praise, help boost their confidence, be encouraging and take time to listen and empathize.

5. Help them develop effective and efficient study skills. For example, teach them how to be effective note takers such as mind maps and flow charts. Teach them a revision method that goes along with their learning style.

6. A healthy balance of study and play. This would include teaching children to exercise time management skills. Parents need to accept that there are benefits to allowing children free time to play.

In a world that demands more of your children, may you be sensitive to their challenges. Do not add to their existing stress but adequately equip them to manage and adjust to it. Help them find the joy in learning and in so doing, bring out the potential that lies within them.

*Thanks to Marlon for the great photo.

Many children now enter preschool at a very early age, some even as young as 2 years old. Through my observations, the three main reasons for this early schooling exposure are:

1. No stimulation at home because the mother is working and the child is either left with a maid, grandparents or babysitter.
2. Parents feel that the child needs to learn social skills.
3. The fear that a child may not be able to cope when they start formal school at 7 years old and therefore, needs to be given a headstart and undergo full preparation.

There is nothing wrong with the first two reasons, but the last may be a cause for concern. If you are a parent, please do not push the kindergarten to give your child more homework. I remember talking to my daughter’s kindergarten principal 3 years ago and she mentioned that due to the many parent’s request, they had to pile on the homework and drill the child to be prepared for Std.1. That made me sad. I imagined preschool to be a fun experience for a child. Instead, we start stressing them out early in life getting them to finish their dull, boring homework. Remember when you were trying to coax your child to go to preschool or kindergarten for the first time? What did you tell them? How did you tell them kindergarten was like? Is it really like you said?

Now and then I hear stories from parents that worry their child is working on academic material way beyond their age. Some children may be able to cope, but there will be many who struggle. Well, such kindergartens will continue to exist but you don’t have to follow in their suit. As a parent, you are still your child’s no.1 educator. Here are some things you can do to motivate your children and put back some love into their learning.

1. Give them time to play. Yes, you heard me. Let them PLAY! Play is not a bad thing. Young children need play for their development. Don’t drown them in extra classes. Encourage physical activities, especially outdoor activities. Let them run, jump, climb, hop, catch, throw, and skip. Give them room to explore, create and imagine.

2. If you think your child needs some motivation to learn, DO NOT go out and get them more worksheets. Instead, try to tune in to their interest and adapt the lessons accordingly. Make the learning informal and personal. Give them a breather and get away from the school syllabus. For example, create funny and zanny stories together and have your child illustrate it. Maybe your child is a dinosaur fan. Learn to count using his dinosaur toys. Make up your own song to learn the days of the week. Learn about fruits by making a fruit salad and then gobbling it up afterward.

3. A child does not need to sit down for 1 hour or more before learning occurs. Learning could happen in 5 minutes. So if you did an activity that lasted just 5 minutes, don’t feel that it is not enough. It is okay to do short lessons throughout the day. Sometimes it is more effective than doing one loooooonnnng lesson.

4. Learning is not confined to reading, writing and arithmetic. EQ is important too. Help them deal with their feelings and emotions. Teach them lessons to build character and arm them with knowledge to choose the right.

5. Read together for fun. Don’t always think that the goal of reading together is to teach them how to read. Instill first the love for reading. Get them to associate reading with good feelings. If you have a preschooler that can’t sit through a read-aloud session for very long, don’t worry. Books are not the only things that have words. Read to them signboards, notices, words on the cereal box, letters that come in the mail (yeah, even junk mail), magazines, words on their shirt etc… words are all around us. Just point it out to them.

6. Build a home library. Get your children a shelf (or shelves) of their own. Fill it with books that are beautifully illustrated and that are well written. Key in on their interest and get books that address that interest e.g. princesses, dinosaurs, trains, cars etc….

7. Have interesting discussions during or after your reading sessions. Bring up thought provoking questions such as “what would you do if you were in that situation?” or “why did she do that?”. You could also think of follow-up activities to do. For example, after I read a book about Henry the whale, we searched on the internet for whale sounds. We also looked up pictures of different kinds of whales. The idea is to get them excited about learning by being excited yourself.

8. Anything can count as “learning”. Learning doesn’t have to just come from books. Talk about the things you do, the things you see, the things you use, the way you do things etc…. Basically, talk about life and things that go on in life. For example, have them observe how you prepare food — wash the rice, cut the vegetables, why do you need to refrigerate food. If you bake, ask them how to know when the cake is done? (stick in a skewer and if it comes out clean, it’s done). Pull out weeds in the garden and show them what the roots look like, tell them what the leaves are for and how they always grow towards the sunlight. When you are driving home, ask them where to turn. Show them how to fold the clothes and let them try. Point out the different kinds of clouds in the sky. All these little lessons surround us and can be counted as “learning.” These kind of learning do not show up on a test paper or school evaluation.

So, don’t limit your child’s learning to what goes on in school. Their love for learning begins at home. Your attitude and vision influences their education. So share with me how you have put back some love into your children’s learning?

What’s the formula in making a gifted child? According to research, intelligence is influenced by a person’s genes and also the environment. There’s nothing we can do about genes, so let’s talk about the environmental influence. With the right stimulation, the brain can develop new neurons and interconnections, resulting in increased intelligence.

Parents should be aware that a supportive environment fosters many aspects of intelligence. Here are 10 ways how you can enrich your child’s environment that will stimulate their intelligence.

1. Show Love and Boost Their Self-Esteem
   You have to be careful how you talk to your children. Choose your words carefully. Are you building them up or tearing them down? Do you make your children doubt their abilities or do you make them feel like they can achieve anything? I’m sure you will agree that it is easy to pick our children’s faults. Seems effortless right? Decide today what phrases you can use to make your children realize their self worth. You could say things like “that’s a very good question”, instead of saying “don’t talk so much.” Help your children belief in themselves and they will be able to work to their full potential.
2. Breastfeed Your Babies For Optimal Brain Development.
   Mother’s milk contains essential micronutrients for brain development. The longer you breastfeed your baby, the more the brain is nourished. Danish researchers found infants who were breast fed for 9 months were smarter than infants only breast fed for two months.
3. Provide Proper Nutrition
   Children have a knack for gravitating towards junk food — foods full of sugar, fat and high salt content. It is very tempting for parents to “bribe” their children with these treats. However, junk food does nothing for brain development. You may get your children to be obedient temporarily, but you are doing them a greater disservice. Examples of brain food are omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, egg yolk, wheatgerm, vegetables, peanuts, fruits, and vitamin B complex. Feed your children the right kind of food and you will be able to boost their IQ, improve their memory and increase their concentration.
4. A Proper Breakfast Improves Attention At School
   Have you heard that breakfast is the most important meal? There is a strong correlation between between breakfast and mental alertness. Did you know that children who consume nutritious breakfasts have better memory? It also helps them concentrate better and absorb more information during class time. A child with no breakfast or poor breakfast may become irritable and distracted.
5. Get Your Children Involved In Exercises and Sports
   Exercise not only benefits a child’s intelligence but helps to build personality too. Research conducted by the University of Illinois showed that fitter children performed better academically. Physiologically, exercise improves oxygen intake, blood circulation, immune stimulation and neural transmission. Exercise also effects children psychologically and sociologically. Fitter children display higher self esteem. And those who participated in organized sports exude more confidence, more cooperation, and spontaneous leadership.
6. Give Children The Opportunity to Learn Music
   I’m sure you’ve heard it before, that musical training improves a person’s IQ into adulthood. Long-term research by the University of Toronto supports this statement. They found that the longer the child studied music, the higher their IQs as adults. Music students also had better academic achievements throughout their educational years.
7. Give Video Games a Chance
   Not all video games are bad. Some actually do enhance mental acuity. Research by the University of Rochester found that certain video games improved sensory perception, strategic thinking, and pre-planning skills. The video games that created positive mental improvements had an educational element that improved motor skills and enhanced memory. I guess that means instead of eradicating video games entirely, we just have to be highly selective of the games our children play and impose stringent rules on video game time.
8. Encourage Mind Games
   As part of you family entertainment, play games that need creativity such as building blocks, Lego, jigsaw puzzles, win-lose-or-draw or charades. Board games are good too like chess, monopoly and checkers. Let’s not forget brainteaser games such as Sudoku, crosswords, boggle, cryptograms and riddles. Apart from being fun, they function to improve intelligence. Yes, even yours! Specifically, they are wonderful tools to stimulated better decision-making, smarter analytical thinking, and more accurate problem solving.
9. Cultivate In Your Children The Love For Reading
   Reading improves both creativity and logic. Reading also increases left and right brain intellectual growth. Read aloud to your children often, even if they can already read. Encourage them to also actively read books on their own, whether silently or aloud.
   Fill your house with both fiction and non-fiction books to improve creative imagination and logical, sequential thinking.
10. Nurture Your Children’s Curiosity
    Nurturing curiosity creates an open, absorbent mind. I know sometimes it can be annoying to constantly hear your children ask “why?”. Plus the fact that learning usually goes hand in hand with “mess” can be quite stressful. However, curiosity, the urge to seek knowledge, is essential to improving intelligence in children. Therefore, do give room for safe exploration. Also, don’t just feed your children with answers, teach them where to find answers too. Try to include in your yearly calendar 1-2 educational outings. Identify new skills that your children would like to learn and support their hobbies.

I hope you’ve found these 10 suggestions easy to apply, practical, and doable. You want to bring out the genius in your children, then start creating the environmental support needed to develop their intelligence.

Think of your preschooler’s mind as a sponge, just waiting to expand as your child learns. While structured learning doesn’t start until Kindergarten, the years leading up to this are just as important for your child’s mental development. Neural pathways are still forming in the brain and the more you challenge your child intellectually right now, the more of these pathways in the brain will form – making it easier for him to learn for the rest of his life.

Now is the best time to introduce your child to learning. You have the chance to ensure that this is a positive experience for your child. Wouldn’t you want him to associate learning with something that is fun and exciting? By working with your child now you can make sure that learning new things becomes something he looks forward to and you can also create good study or learning habits right from the start. Not only will this help him throughout his school years, but you will be raising a person that’s inquisitive and curious about the world around him.

The next question is of course what can you do to challenge your preschoolers mind? Your everyday life is full of learning opportunities; you’ll just have to open your eyes to the endless possibilities. Start by reading to your child each day. Curl up on the couch together with a couple of good age-appropriate books and read them to your child. Stop from time to time and talk about the story, the characters within it and the illustrations in the book. Start with simple questions like what is this character’s name, or what happened to the girl in the story. As your child becomes used to engaging in the story this way, encourage him to form his own opinion about what is happening. Also ask him what he thinks will happen next and why.

Ask your child to help you prepare dinner or lunch. Count out ingredients together and have your child guess what you may be making with noodles, sauce and hamburger meat. Explain why ingredients change color or texture when you cook them. You can even introduce simple math by adding one apple to two other apples etc. Engage your child in conversations about what is going on in his life as you cook. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn about what happened at daycare or preschool or on a play date just by asking your child.

Take your child along on your weekly trip to the grocery store and quiz him on shapes and colors. You can also talk about the different fruits and vegetables in the produce section, where they grown and how you eat them. You can even talk about the different countries that a particular fruit is traditionally grown in, such as bananas come from South America, or kiwis from Australia and New Zealand.

Set some time aside each week to draw, color or make some sort of craft together. This doesn’t have to be anything too difficult. Even the simplest things like a few crayons and a piece of blank paper can turn into a lesson in color theory or into your child’s first writing lesson. Remember to keep it simple and fun. Draw a letter and ask your child to copy what you just did. Give lots of praise for the effort. Use alphabet cereal or noodles to spell your child’s name on a piece of construction paper.

We are surrounded by colors, shapes, numbers and letters. They are on cereal boxes, street signs and billboards. Just keep an eye out for them and use them to challenge your preschooler’s mind. Every day brings new learning opportunities for your child.

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Are you ready to challenge your preschooler’s mind even more? Take a look at www.kidsactivitycalendar.com for Alphabet Fun for your preschooler. The alphabet audios, coloring sheets and other activities are a great way to prepare your little one for kindergarten. Find out more at www.kidsactivitycalendar.com.

UPDATE (14 Jan 2010)
Kids Activity Calendar is no longer available. Click here for Preschool Printable Worksheets.