Hands-on Activities

Physical development and mental development should not be considered as two separate entities. The two go hand – in – hand during early childhood development and education. The integration of both is essential for an enriched experience that stays with the child through his entire life.

Our curriculum promotes physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual development. We make use of different types of learning materials and our little ones have ample opportunities to use their senses through hands-on activities. The hands-on activities allow children to have longer attention span, build knowledge, increase their long-term memory and more importantly develop a lifelong love of learning.

THE ROLE OF PARENTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

The First Five Years:

The first five years of a child’s life, sees the most and the fastest development of the child’s brain. The brain of a child grows 80% of adult size by age 3 and 90% which is nearly full growth by age 5.

What are some misunderstandings?

It is a general belief among parents that their role is limited to getting their child enrolled in a preschool and connecting to the preschool only if there is a concern or a complain. To belief that by packing high quality food in expensive lunch boxes and buying expensive stuff as bags and shoes, their role is done, is totally a wrong notion. There is more to parents’ participation and involvement in their child’s early education.

Why is parent participation important?

Parents’ involvement and active role in the early childhood education of their child ensures that their child receives full support in order to develop to full potential. Parents’ participation in their child’s learning does not only extend the teaching outside the four walls of the classroom but also connects preschool and home. The child feels confidence of his classroom learning and becomes an active participant in the learning process, thus, helping the child to perform better academically as well as in future life. The child tends to lead a more successful, productive and a healthier life as an adult.

Why connect classroom and home?

Parents are catalyst whose role might not be obvious in the beginning, but it does become evident gradually as the child climbs the ladder of life. When parents actively engage with their child’s learning in the preschool on a daily basis, it helps them to understand child’s behavior and establish their child’s learning patterns. The child feels more confident and open ups in front of them as he would not open up in front anyone else. They learn about their child’s insecurities, peer pressures, difficulties and concerns. When parents address these issues, the child develops trust and respect for the parent and this underpins the foundation of a long term friendly relationship between the child and the parents. The impact that the parents have on the little mind can never be replaced, be it positive or negative.

What should parents do?

· Give positive affection and attention

· Always be available for your child

· Teach independence

· Teach the difference between right and wrong

· Teach ways to control emotions

· Teach to communicate ideas and opinions

· Teach good behavior and conduct

Parents are active facilitators and guides for the child: As they facilitate the child’s learning, they become aware of their child’s competency and areas of concerns. They are then in a better position to guide their child to improvement. Due to their active participation, they promote school-readiness, social-emotional development, cognitive and language development. The child becomes more aware of the world around and becomes responsible global citizen, impacting positive change in the environment in the long run.

Helpful Tips:

· Regular engage with a talk with your child’s teacher. Learn about your child’s interest, likes, dislikes, concerns and areas that need attention.

· Make your home an extension of your child’s classroom.

· Engage with your child’s friends in preschool and peers, thus, connecting classroom and home.

· Attend PTA meetings and other events organized by the preschool.

· Participate in all extracurricular activities organized by the preschool.

· Ask questions to your child e.g. How was your day at preschool? what did you learn today? What did you like the most today? What was the hardest part of the day? This helps your child to reflect on their learning and also open up in front of you.

There are two main actors in your child’s life – Parents and Teachers

Holistic Development at LONDC

EYFS recognizes the connected of mind, body and spirit.

At LONDC we take a Holistic approach to child development that helps little minds to make sense of the world around them. We take activities that help children enjoy and learn in a fun way. Holistic development is the key to learning. The five aspects of holistic development are:

Physical

Emotional

Social

Spiritual

Intellectual

By focusing our attention on the connectedness of a child’s body, mind and spirit, we embrace the real and authentic development opportunities regardless of the children’s culture, socioeconomic background, gender or race.

التنمية الشاملة في LONDC

يتعرف EYFS على ارتباط العقل والجسد والروح.

في LONDC ، نتبنى نهجًا شاملاً لتنمية الطفل يساعد العقول الصغيرة على فهم العالم من حولهم. نقوم بالأنشطة التي تساعد الأطفال على الاستمتاع والتعلم بطريقة ممتعة. التطوير الشامل هو مفتاح التعلم. الجوانب الخمسة للتنمية الشاملة هي:

بدني

عاطفي

اجتماعي

روحي

مفكر

من خلال تركيز انتباهنا على الترابط بين جسد الطفل وعقله وروحه ، فإننا نحتضن فرص التنمية الحقيقية والحقيقية بغض النظر عن ثقافة الأطفال أو الخلفية الاجتماعية والاقتصادية أو الجنس أو العرق.

SHOW AUTHORITY WITHOUT BEING AUTHORITARIAN

    Misbehavior is part of being a 3 year old. He is curious, learning and developing with every passing day. His little brain is still struggling to make sense of the world around him and the rules and standards of acceptable behavior. He is not able to understand the rationale behind the rules set by you. He may not have the needed words to communicate his likes, dislikes or desires vocally. Hence, he employs unsafe and challenging behavior to express his feelings. These behaviors are distressing and frustrating for everyone involved and moreover it makes learning, relationships and play difficult for the child.

    Anger spells, tantrums, aggressive behavior, short outbursts are pretty common in many 3 year olds. But it is important to know when things have crossed the red line.

Look for these signs to know if your child is crossing the red line:

· Frequent and longer tantrums

· Cranky and angry even outside of the tantrum

· Difficulty in indulging in co-operative play with other children

· Aggressive behavior towards other children

· Breaking and destroying things

How do you handle it?

Do not rush for professional help. Take on the reins and be in control. Give extra kisses and hugs, talk to your child, lend a hearing ear, and read between the lines to understand what disturbs him. Do not give in to his tantrums, unruly behavior and unreasonable demands. If you do so, you make him feel empowered and confident about his misbehavior. But at the same time do not ignore him and let him continue with his disruptive behavior. This will further intensify his anguish.

Distractions: Young children easily steer off from one emotion to the other. As a parent, you may need to experiment the techniques to see what distracts your child’s attention with ease and towards a happy child, such as peek-a-boo or voice modulation or a song or a toy, etc. The list may differ depending on your child’s preferences.

Look for indicators: What is it that triggers such behavior in your child? Is he hungry, is he sleepy, is he tired or is he not happy with a particular person around him or is he simply bored or is stressed due to some family issues? Be flexible and easy going. Tend to your child’s need and calm him.

Set clear expectations: Clear and specific rules followed with a logical explanation of consequences helps the child understand why misbehavior or a risky behavior is not acceptable. For example: hitting other children – set rules and clear expectations when exceeded, the child faces the consequences of his misbehavior.

Childproofing: Avoid unnecessary situations by childproofing the child’s environment. For instance, if your child constantly fidgets with the switch board, then move it to a higher level so that it is beyond his reach; if your child is fond of opening kitchen cabinets and messing up with the contents, then lock these cabinets. These measures help is minimizing confrontations, stress and rows.

Positive feedback leads to reinforcement: Positive feedback and instructions, motivate the child to be at his best behavior. It promotes cooperation than conflict, understanding than criticism. “Why don’t you put away the toys so that we can go to the beach.” or “If you park your bike in the garage, it won’t get dusty if left in the open.” Suggestions help your child to figure out the progression of events in a meaningful way.

Specific communication of your displeasure: Be cautious, your conduct does not imply that you dislike your child. Let your child know that it is one specific behavior that displeases you and not your child.

Teach him with empathy: Teaching empathy will allow your child to step in other’s shoes and think about the consequences. Teach him how he would feel if it was done to him. “When you hit a child, he will cry, it will make him sad and he will not play with you. Soon you will have no friends.” This will help him to see the consequences of his behavior and would act in a responsible manner.

Provide choices: When your child is adamant on a thing, give him choices that would drive his attention towards selecting the best options. This gives him a sense of control and save you from conflict. Rather than ordering him to put the books away in the shelf, give him options, “Which one would you prefer to put away first, Dr. Suess, or The Rainbow Fish?” Keep the choices offered specific, goal-oriented and limited.

Time-out: When all your strategies have been laid to rest, time-outs give you and your child to calm down and he gets the message that negative behavior does not get your attention. Remember that time-outs are in places that are uninteresting, dull and boring away from siblings or friends. It could be a brief time-out away from friends and peers. Keep the disciplinary action light and symbolic. Consistency is the key. The disciplinary action should always be followed and the child gets the message that what was said has been executed. Your child gets the point that your words of caution were not in air but has realistic dimensions.

Appropriate behavior deserves to be rewarded: When your child is showing signs of improvement, you need to acknowledge his every good behavior and is rewarded. Shower your child with intangible rewards more than tangible stuff. Intangible rewards are verbal praises, smiles, hugs, pats on the back, extra attention, and special privileges such as a walk in the park, extra playtime, etc. Tangible stuff will not be possible every time and may inculcate a habit of being bribed to act in accordance to other person’s wish. These should be rewarded judiciously to show your child you are aware of his good conduct and respectful of his feelings. It gives integrity and credibility to your set expectations.

Activities and Play

Various activities planned in our nursery aim at enhancing the quality of learning in kids. We provide our little ones with a comfortable environment, well-qualified teachers, student-friendly classrooms, a variety of toys and games and more importantly limited study time and more time for play. Through these various activities, kids learn to converse with one another, play together, co-operate with each other, share and care for each other and resolve conflict amicably.

الأنشطة واللعب

تهدف الأنشطة المختلفة المخطط لها في حضانتنا إلى تحسين جودة التعلم لدى الأطفال. نحن نوفر لأطفالنا بيئة مريحة ، ومعلمين مؤهلين جيدًا ، وفصول دراسية ملائمة للطلاب ، ومجموعة متنوعة من الألعاب والألعاب ، والأهم من ذلك أن وقت الدراسة المحدود والمزيد من الوقت للعب. من خلال هذه الأنشطة المتنوعة ، يتعلم الأطفال التحدث مع بعضهم البعض ، واللعب معًا ، والتعاون مع بعضهم البعض ، والمشاركة والعناية ببعضهم البعض ، وحل النزاعات بشكل ودي.

 

WHEN YOUR CHILD SAYS HE HATES PRESCHOOL.

As a parent it is very upsetting and disturbing when your child says that he/she hates preschool. Before you decide to pull your child out of preschool or change his/her preschool, you need to study the situation carefully. You need to investigate and get to the real problem.

Ask yourself questions that may help you to understand why your child dislikes preschool - questions such as:

1. The preschool’s learning style: Is it in accordance with your child’s interests and likes.

2. Did anything unpleasant happen in the preschool that has impacted your child?

3. Is it you who is rushing? Have you given ample time to settle and adjust to the new environment and people?

4. Did the preschool change the teacher, the caretaker, the classroom, or any of his/her favorite peers?

5. Separation anxiety is a very normal emotion. Your child simply needs time to adjust. Is it you who needs to calm down and take it easy?

Steps to develop love of preschool and help your child to adjust well:

Establish communication: Talk to your child about the preschool. Specific questions about their favourite friends, time of the day, area of the classroom, adult in the preschool. It is very normal that children experience separation anxiety and it is a phase that soon fades away.

Establish routines: Routines help children to feel in control of themselves and of their surroundings. It gives their day a structure and they do not feel insecure that sets in due to uncertainty.

Language for expression: Teach your child specific vocabulary to express specific emotions and situations. This will help you to gauge your child’s likes, dislikes and difficulties.

Meet with the preschool: Meet with your child’s preschool to discuss your child’s interests, progress, likes, dislikes, concerns, or any particular struggles that you are not aware of. It could also be a particular activity, song, adult or even a time of the day that your child dislikes or is uncomfortable of.

Once you are convinced that this emotion is not due to any abusive situation or safety concerns or just the child wants to stay at home, then…..

a. *you need to work on a plan along with your child’s preschool. You and the preschool should be partners in finding ways to make the preschool experience a happy one where your child feels he is at home away from home.

b *ask for the weekly schedule so that you may discuss the next day’s routine with your child.

*you may establish a quick goodbye routine.

*plan for a gradual increase of separation time

*make use of methods as used by the preschool to strike familiarity with the child

*sing same songs as sung by the teacher in the classroom

*most importantly, give them more attention, hugs and kisses so that they feel their attending of preschool is a feat that their parents are proud about.

This will make your child love preschool and will rise every morning excited to be at the preschool.

If all this fails, then you may consider a change of care and environment.

 

SETTLING-IN

Do Not Rush:

All stakeholders namely parents, educators and child are clearly involved in the transition from home to nursery. It demands sound organization, proper arrangements and meticulous planning. Parents and children should feel comfortable in the nursery. Each child is a unique individual and settling in differs from child to child. Some may settle in a day, some in a week and some may take longer. So do not be upset if your child takes longer to settle in. DO NOT RUSH. Let him/her take his/her time. Give your child time and take it easy.

Recognition, Trust and Companionship:

As of now, parents are the only reference persons that matters the most to the child. It will take some time for the child to recognize a new reference person, experience her, hear her, and rely on her. This will lead to building of trust. The new reference person will soon become the child’s best companion with whom he/she builds a sustainable relationship.

Preparation in Advance:

Settling-in does not happen overnight. It requires good preparation a few weeks in advance. The child should be given the exposure to situations where he/she experiences separation from the parents. All such experiences will ease the settling-in phase for the child.

Let the Child Cry:

It’s perfectly normal and okay if the child cries or screams. It is in fact a huge step forward in the settling-in period. It is the comfort and distraction offered by his/her teacher and caretaker that he/she will learn to trust them and soon the grief and sorrow will diminish into thin air.

Trust the Nursery:

Let the teacher and the caretaker take care of the crying child. They play an important role in the settling of the child in the nursery. Your trust empowers them and also sends signals to the child that you are comfortable in handing him/her over to them. This underpins the beginning of a long term reliable and a dependable relationship.

Gradual Increase of Separation Duration:

Young children do not understand the meaning of phrases such as, “I will come back in half an hour”. They cannot comprehend time phrases until they experience it. The parent leaves the child for a short period of time and then returns to collect the child. Soon the separation duration gradually increases from short durations to an hour and then half a day to full day. The child is reassured every day that the parent returns and he/she will not be left in the nursery.

Different Times – Different Ways:

Keeping the safety of the children at the helm of all affairs, we are unable to let the parents stay with the child in the nursery as practiced earlier, due to COVID-19 precautionary measures. It was a matter of worry for us initially but we soon realized that children actually settled in quicker than before and we are amazed at the resilience of the little ones.

Parents set the Tone:

Parents are role models and have a deep impact on a child. When a child sees that the parents are excited and proud of him/her attending nursery, he/she will soon adapt to the new situation. When parents talk positive about the nursery and the staff, the child senses that they are happy with the new situation and in turn the child is happy to go to the nursery.

Saying Goodbye:

Don’t sneak out. This will make the child feel insecure, deceived and abandoned. Always say a loving but a quick goodbye and once it’s done, just leave immediately. A prolonged goodbye may result in the child refusing to let you go and may end up in a stressful child. Establish a consistent goodbye routine. It could be a handshake, a high five, a cuddle or a big tight hug. Transitional objects such as soft toys, a blanket, a favourite toy – help in comforting a child.

Be Patient:

Most kids do well after the parents have left the nursery. If settling-in is taking time, you need to be patient. The trio (parent, educator and the child) make a strong team together. Even if takes longer, it is worth all the wait. The child will surely settle in.

Remember:

We are there for you. You may call us, talk to us, ask as many questions as you may, follow your child and enquire about him/her. Communication is the key to success.