A Peek Into Our Little Oxfordians' Days

Keeping busy the whole day with kaleidoscopic range of activities makes our little ones happy, excited and joyful.

Designing purposeful activities aimed at the holistic development of every child is the core of our curriculum.

Looking forward to every new day is how our little ones spend the night.

Preparing, designing and planning is how our teachers spend their entire time at home.

Delivering and executing the plan with love and care is how the teachers function during the day.

Watching their child engrossed, involved and immersed makes our parents feel content and satisfied.

Spiritual Development in Young Children

“Spirituality refers to the child's relationship to a higher power, whether that be nature, God, the universe - even a tree. The key is that the force has a guiding and active place in the child's daily life.” – Lisa Miller

The holistic development of a child includes physical, social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and linguistic development. However, spiritual development has not been understood or researched as well as the other areas of child development. Moreover, there is this misconception that promoting spiritual development in a child is equal to imparting religious education as it is difficult to separate spirituality from religion. But the fact is that, religion without spirituality is dangerous and detrimental to oneself and to the world around.

Children have an innate inclination towards spirituality. They have no difficulty in believing in things that are not visible to the human eye. They live in the moment and are naturally curious about the world around them. Young children may not really understand the seriousness of this aspect of development but as an adult we must inculcate spirituality in them; qualities of kindness, compassion, empathy and love of nature to name a few. These foundations make children rational and deep thinkers, resilient and patient in times of trials and difficulties.

Theories and research studies support the correlation between spiritual development, well-being, and academic achievements. Spiritual development in children can help the world to become more just, egalitarian and full of opportunities for one and all. Children learn to recognize, respect and accept individual differences with dignity and love. They learn to protect the earth and work towards its preservation and protection. It raises children to partake in and contribute to society in positive ways.

What role can parents play in the spiritual development of their children?

Decide your take on spirituality: You have to decide what you believe in. Do you believe in God and in the divinity of creation? Do you believe in life after death? It’s not only about you but also about your child. You have to decide on the spiritual course your child will take on; Ask yourself - will your child pursue religious education and which faith would he/she follow? If you and your spouse / partner are from different religious orientations then you have to decide on your approach to your child’s spirituality and prevent him/her from undue stress and confusion in later life that may arise due to the non-clarity of your own beliefs. You may not believe in the existence of God, but a day will come when your child will ask you – Who is God? Where is God? You need to know your take on these questions.

Start early in life: A child’s mind is a treasure chest of wonder and imagination. Children are dynamic learners, amazing visualizers and have an uncanny art of bringing ideas to life. Their imagination is free from all dependencies. A child may not know who a grandparent is but still you start talking to your child about his/her grandparents early on in life, because you want your child to know how important they are and the child believes your word even when he/she has not seen them. Similarly, children believe in God as they take your word for it.

Big ideas and ordinary actions: Spirituality should be made an inseparable part of our daily lives. Every day is an opportunity to connect with nature. A walk in the park, a morning by the sea, a cup of milk (for your child) and coffee (for you) by the window provides innumerable opportunities to discuss about nature, its beauty and its blessings. Every day at the table, talking about the blessing of having food and at bed time thanking the Lord for a blessed day – these daily experiences promote spiritual development in young children.

Children are nature lovers by birth: Children love to be outdoors, explore the environment, and indulge in heuristic play. Talk the walk – be the role model – jump in the puddle; dance in the rain; chase a butterfly; plant trees, clean your immediate environment; water the plants; feed the birds; visit the zoo and indulge in natural experiences with your child. Communicate your love of Mother Earth to children. They see you do it and they follow.

Be the story teller: Children love stories. Tell stories from religious texts and mythology in a simplified language. Children have an amazing ability to comprehend ideas when told in a story form. This will encourage imagination, curiosity and foster a literal interpretation of the religious Scriptures and most importantly seek rational and logic behind these stories. They become rational thinkers rather than just blind followers later on in life.

Build family connections: Family traditions should be passed on to your children. These may not necessarily be religious traditions. These help children to connect to each other, instill the importance of a family, and feel valued by being a member of it. They learn to contribute, add value and enhance the fabric of familial ties thus strengthening them and developing life long bonds. Children prefer to stay home than to involve in family gatherings. Discourage them from doing so. Make them a part of such gatherings so that they meet their extended family members, learn from them, connect with them and develop a sense of belonging and feel socially accepted.

Encourage the spirit of giving: ‘Giving’ enriches and brings immense joy and internal peace. Teach your children to give away their possessions to the less privileged. This act of charity instills in the young a sense of sharing, caring and empathy and in the process they develop the most critical virtue of love for mankind over love of material.

Educate them on diversity: By employing various means, show them children around the world - where they see the diversity and the inequalities prevalent round the globe. You play a significant role in teaching children respect, tolerance and acceptance towards differences of all sorts. They grow up to be individuals with broad mindsets and big hearts who champion the cause of equality and inclusivity.

The role that childcare practitioners play:

Child care practitioners should promote and nurture in children spiritual development which is an extension of social and emotional development.

Educators need to strengthen a sense of self, nurture curiosity, kindle amazement and ignite learning that leads to an existence of empathy and care. By knowing one self, children develop connections, and learn social behaviors such as sharing, caring, respect, empathy and compassion. This aspect of personality helps children to develop, explore, grow and play in a conducive environment filled with cooperation and togetherness. They wonder and in their wondering, they ask, reflect and contemplate on the meaning of life, truth, justice, peace and death. They question about their own existence and never tire of exploring the world around them, tangible as well as the intangible. The constant ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions asked by the young may drive adults crazy at times but these questions steer the young mind into the realm of philosophy and ethics.

Conclusion:

Research has shown that children who receive positive spiritual upbringing are

40% less likely to use and abuse substances

60% less victims of depression than other teenagers

27% happier than other children - happier children are more social and less shy

A Non Profit Initiative

Be a part of our Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
Saturday, 23rd Oct 2021
9.30 am to 10.00 am
In Arabic and English
Join Zoom Meeting
https://lnkd.in/g5Y5wdgW...
Meeting ID: 547 880 5987
Passcode: 7kvdmw

مبادرة غير ربحية
كوني جزءًا من حملتنا للتوعية بسرطان الثدي
السبت 23 أكتوبر 2021
من 9.30 صباحًا إلى 10.00 صباحًا
باللغتين العربية والإنجليزية
انضم إلى اجتماع Zoom

 A Lonely Entry – Born During Lockdown

         

        The COVID-19 pandemic broke out and the entire world was in the throes of a lockdown. We were all trapped in our homes; struggling to make sense of the unknown; grappling with the sudden loss of livelihood, freedom, togetherness and loved ones.
        However, in the midst of all this angst and uncertainty, there were bundles of joy being showered on this planet, approximately 142,000 in UK alone during the lockdown. Babies were born. As they grew they knew no one else other than their parents. A lonely entry and a lonely journey till the world gained some control over the situation; till the deserted streets became busy again; till students got back to schools and families were reunited.

A question needs to be asked – Did the lockdown affect the babies born during the lockdown?
      We all know that the first five years of a child’s life sees 90% of brain development which develops nearly double its size. This development depends mainly on a stimulating, responsive and varied environment that promotes physical, emotional, social, language and intellectual capabilities. However, these babies spent nearly the initial two most crucial years of their lives indoors, in seclusion. To add to their woes, the economic pressures faced by families, lack of proper early childhood support, disrupted contact with health professionals and social workers placed these little ones at a great risk of harm, malnutrition, maltreatment and in some cases fatalities as well.
      Children depend on high-quality interactions to support holistic development. During the pandemic, parents were forced to juggle between work and childcare, leaving the home environment more stressful and frustrated. They were unable to indulge in quality interactions and to create stimulating and enriching environments at home. Infants spent more and more time in front of screens and parent-child interaction decreased substantially. The impact of mask-wearing led to the infants’ inability to see facial expressions thus eliminating the chances of the infants picking up non-verbal cues, facial gestures and instructions.

The role we played as Early Childhood practitioners:
      As an experienced Early Childhood practitioner, I have had the firsthand experience of observing these babies and toddlers when they walked in my nursery for the first time after the pandemic protocols were relaxed. These little ones were not used to new faces. They were very hesitant and unwilling to engage or even make eye contact. Their physical movements were restricted as well; they were unable to hop, jump and even walk independently. They were socially withdrawn; clinging on to their parents continuously. We knew that it would not be easy for these little ones to move into a group setting and interact socially. However, the resilience of children is remarkable and their ability to adapt is commendable. 

      With a lot of interventions from our caring educationists, focused on helping them to share, befriend, learn how to communicate and to take turns, they absorbed information readily. They observed their peers, picked up social cues and learned to regulate emotions; soon their initial shyness faded away, they became more relaxed and confident and eventually came out of their inhibitions.

Advice for parents:

• Nourish your child’s body with healthy food, proper sleep and adequate exposure to the sun
• Spend quality time with your child
• Provide more opportunities for parent-child interaction
• Create more opportunities for social interactions
• Inculcate independence
• Reduce screen time
• Encourage outdoor play
• Increase talk time through read-aloud sessions, story times and play
• Establish communication channels with your child’s teacher and caregiver.
• Extend the classroom learning to your home. Recreate learning experiences for your child at home.

Conclusion: 

      Oxford Brookes University conducted a Social Distancing and Development Study consisting of nearly 500 parents of children less than three years. The study is investigating the impact of social distancing and lockdown on children’s intellectual development, social interactions, sleep, screen time and time spent outdoors. The study aims to identify best practices to aid parents and to keep policy makers informed about ways of further reducing the detrimental impact of the lockdown on their development and growth. The study is still ongoing and we will soon get to know the findings and obtain deeper insights on how the pandemic has affected the very young. 

      But as of now, we do not have a clear understanding, thus highlighting the fact that early childhood and child development needs to be given its due attention.
       Till then, we as a community of parents and early childhood practitioners have to take over the reins and put best practices into action.

Poem courtesy – Catholic Care

Think Pink Day 2021

Every year in October, the world comes together to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month. In support of the month and all that it stands for – resilience, triumph over illness, and strength from the community.

Little Oxford Nursery and Day Care extends its support towards the awareness campaign and wish all the wonderful and beautiful ladies a healthy life.

في شهر أكتوبر من كل عام ، يجتمع العالم للاحتفال بشهر التوعية بسرطان الثدي. دعماً لهذا الشهر وكل ما يمثله - المرونة والانتصار على المرض والقوة من المجتمع.

حضانة ليتل أكسفورد تقدم دعمها لحملة التوعية وتتمنى لجميع السيدات الرائعات 

والجميلات حياة صحية