Numeracy skills play a big role in a child’s life. Literacy and education are incomplete without numeracy skills. Children below five years old are at their peak and this is the time when they can absorb and retain basic numeracy skills more efficiently. And as they grow learning numbers becomes easier for them.

So what are numeracy skills?

Simply put it is the ability of a person to use and understand numbers which include knowing basic subtraction, addition, division and multiplication. Many a time in life, one faces mathematical demands and basic numeracy skills are what get us through. The lack of knowledge of numbers can have a negative impact on our lives.

So, start early and equip your child with the much needed numeracy skills. Make numbers fun for them and the best part is you can teach them anytime and anywhere!

Here are some tips that can make learning math fun and simple for your child:

1)      Games are the best way to teach them mathematics at home – cards, dominoes and other board games like Ludo and Snakes & Ladders that involve counting can come quite in handy.

2)      Ask your kids to count their pocket money at the end of every month. How much did they get, how much did they spend and how much did they save?

3)      Make going to school also a game of mathematics. Your school starts at 8:00 a.m. You need to reach by 7:45 and your home is 30 minutes away. So, what time do you need to leave to reach by 8:00? Let them figure these out on their own and in the meanwhile learn too!

4)      While travelling ask your children to notice car numbers and to add them up as quickly as they can.

5)      Get a packet of Gems and empty the contents. Let your child count how many candies of each colour are there. For example how many reds and how many yellows. Which colour is more and by how many numbers?

6)      You can do this with laundry as well – ask them to separate the whites from the colours and count how many are there in each category.

7)      Help them memorize your phone number and show them how to dial it on the phone.

8)      Mark important dates on the calendar and help them count how many days left until the next important day.

9)      Measure your child’s height every month and ask them to calculate how much they are growing and compare the height to other people in the house. Who is shorter and who is taller?

10)   Also help them learn about shapes while reading a book, or playing in the park or while visiting places.

A few simple tips to keep in mind and you can help develop your child’s numeracy skills!

I have grown up on a diet of healthy praise. Especially from my father

In many families praise does not come easily to people. Even if something is good, it would be treated in a matter-of-fact manner.

Let me give you an example. My mother was a good cook. On some days her sambhar would simply be out of the world. We kids would praise the sambhar and say “Good”.

However my father would say “Oh, our daughter & son-in-law are coming for lunch is it?”

Whenever my sister and her husband came home, the sambhar was indeed special. Hence this would be the way we would all tease her ‘special’ sambhar on an ordinary day.

My mother would laugh it off but I could make out that she was really pleased.

For a long time I thought that praise was natural in all families, but soon discovered it was not so. For instance in my classmate’s family his father would never praise anything my friend did, even if it was outstanding.

His father belonged to the school which said “Never praise your son to his face, because it will go to his head.”

There is a theory that if we praise a child often, he will get used to the praise and start craving for it. Therefore the child will start doing things just to get that word of praise.

I beg to differ. If our praise is authentic, and well communicated then I do not believe that any child will get ‘addicted’ to praise and crave for it.

Take a look at this situation.  My wife and I are on a visit to our daughter’s place. It is a Saturday morning and starts in a nice leisurely way. Her husband is busy fixing something in the garage and I am playing with her two sons (6 & 4).  My wife is in the kitchen chatting with our daughter. Our daughter gets a call from her friend to check whether they could drop in that evening; it seems fine. When the visitors arrive in the evening – husband, wife one kid (6 years old), we are all at home. Within minutes our grandsons take the kid to their play room and get busy. I am curious to see what they do so I excuse myself and go to the play room to observe the kids. There is a lot of play, sharing, some fights, but on whole the kids seem to have fun.

After the visitors leave, I ask our grandsons

“So was that fun?”.

They shout a cheerful “Yes” in a chorus.

Then they tell me what happened and how they played etc.

“I wish I was a kid too” I said.

“Why Thatha?”

“So I can have so much fun playing with you.”

Both the kids came gave me a big hug.

When the kids went back to their play our daughter asked me “Did you notice what happened?”

“No. What happened?”

“When you said ‘I wish I was a kid, so I could play with you’, you acknowledged that they are nice kids to play with.   But you said it with feeling and they could make out you meant it.”

“How do you know?”

“That is why they gave you a big hug, Appa.”

“OK, but I am not getting the hang of what you want to say.”

“It is just this. Praise is not about words. It is a genuine acknowledgement of someone’s good work. It is a reinforcement of their belief in doing the right things. Kids do a lot of good things instinctively. All we have to do is to let them know that they are doing right.”

“So praise is good?”

“Of course praise is good when it is genuine and authentic. As long as you don’t make it as part of some carrot & sticks formula.”

So to praise or not praise is NOT the question.

The question  is “When to praise and how to praise authentically”

Re-published with permission from the blog of ParentEdge, a bi-monthly parenting magazine that aims to expose parents to global trends in learning and partner with them in the intellectual enrichment of their children.

 

Don’t you just love the moments when you can curl with a book and read to your child? But, you may wonder what good might reading do for your baby who is barely 3 years old.

Here is the fascinating thing. Reading to your baby from such a young age will actually help him/her develop listening skills. They might not understand what you are saying but the sound of your voice can be quite stimulating for their growth. And as they grow, reading will become an inherent part of their lives.

What’s more…it is also a great moment of ‘bonding’! Create warm fuzzy memories of a great book that will make you and your family laugh, cry, gasp, wonder – something that you and your child will reminisce years down the lane.

Here are some great choices of books for your 0-3 year old baby:

1) Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

A beautiful children’s story with dreamy illustrations, this book is perfect when you are trying to put your little one to sleep. Read out in your most soothing voice and wish everyone – the room, the moon, the clock, the socks, the chairs etc. – a goodnight!This classic modern children’s literature has been a best-seller for years and has been putting babies to sleep for generations!

2) The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Distinctive illustrations and a sweet storyline have made this book “one of the greatest childhood classics of all time.” It follows the story of a caterpillar that eats everything on its way and finally grows into a beautiful butterfly! This beautiful picture book is a must for your baby’s early collection.

3) Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt

This book was way ahead of its time. Not only did it tell a story and entertain children, it also had ‘touch and feel’ elements to it – it was unique then, it is unique now! This interactive book will have your children quite excited and fascinated. On one page they can pat the fake fur of the rabbit and on the next the ‘scratchy face’ of their dad. No wonder ‘Pat the Bunny’ became one of the fastest selling books ever!

4) Corduroy by Don Freeman

Every child wants his/her toys to come to life and take them on a fun adventure! Well, here is a story of a very lovable teddy bear that comes to life and explores the wonders of the department store. With a happy ending, this exciting journey of a teddy bear is definitely going to win your child’s heart!

5) Freight Train by Donald Crews

With larger and easy-to read texts, this book is a great way of introducing words to your children. Beautiful and bold illustrations make it even more exciting for toddlers. The Freight Train is a great book to read to your child (especially if they love trains). You can make train noises while reading it to them and have a whole lot of fun! Choo Choo..!

 

Birthdays are always special. It is that time of the year which brings out the child in everyone. No matter what your age, everybody wants to get pampered and get that special attention!

And as a child the excitement is more! As parents it is up to you to make their day extra special and memorable – give them something that they will cherish all their lives.

So how can you do that? Besides a huge birthday bash there are things that you can do right from the beginning of the day.

First of all take a day off from work – let your child know that nothing is more important than him/her and work can take a backseat when it comes to their special day!

This is how you can start their day:

1) Quietly wake them up at 12:00 midnight (something children don’t do normally so it can be quite exciting for them!) and wish them happy birthday and tell them how special they are. Then tuck them back in and kiss them goodnight.

 2) Prepare a special breakfast for your child. Whip up their favourite pancakes and put a smiley face. With chocolate or maple syrup write happy birthday on their plate.

 3) Dress them up in new clothes and head to an orphanage, an old age home or a pet shelter. Let them start the day on a good note. Birthdays usually involve getting gifts from people and sometimes kids can get cranky when they don’t get what they want. Not only will they be more grateful for what they have but they will also share the gift of love and laughter with others who aren’t as fortunate.

 Make them proud of themselves on their special day!

 4) You can then take them for a movie or to the park for some special family time before the party begins and all your friends come over.

 5) Buy a range of small inexpensive gifts and arrange a treasure hunt. It will be a fun birthday activity! Save the best gift for the party.

6) While you and your spouse may have arranged for everything for the party, leave some things to do for your child as well. He/she can decorate the party hats or the balloons – a fun arts and crafts thing to do. They can proudly display their art work at the party later!

 7) Then comes time for the birthday party – have fun games, great food and nice music organised.

8) Once it is all over and all guests have gone home you will be left with a tired yet a very happy child. Tuck them in and don’t forget to tell them how special they are.

 Have a great birthday for the apple of your eye!