All work and no play makes jack a dull boy – very true indeed. We need our kids to have the perfect balance of studies and play time but these days, with the intervention of technology, balance is a far cry from the truth.

As parents, we need to understand that both playing and studying are an essential part of our children’s lives. Playing develops a sense of social and emotional well-being in them whereas studying develops a sense of confidence and intelligence in them.

Even though it might be a little difficult to achieve a perfect balance between the two, here and some tips and tricks that you could follow to reach as close to that balance as possible: [Read more…]

Is your child falling behind in his school these days? Do you think he is unable to achieve his full potential? If you are worried about your children’s progress and want them to achieve more, one of the easiest solutions would be to give them your quality time.

In today’s world, where every parent has their own set of chores, be it inside or outside the house, the kind of time that you spend with your children has a direct impact on their achievements. Parents can help nurture their children’s talents by utilising the time spent with them in an effective way. [Read more…]

If you observe you will notice that kids love to play in the dirt. Mums will know after all those days of washing muddy clothes. How about you channelize this liking of theirs into something creative and fun?

Get out those gardening tools, put on your gloves, roll up your sleeves and get some dirt into those nails for it’s gardening time! This is a fun way to engage your children in learning about nature, nurturing and nutrition in the most fun way possible.

Here are a few gardening activities for your kids. [Read more…]

We often stop our children from slouching in front of the infamous idiot box. But is it really that bad?

Maybe spending short periods of time either in front of the television or the computer screen is good. Let’s find out how.  

A research study on the said subject shows that media like everything else has its good side and bad side when it comes to development and is inevitable considering the modern world we live in. It’s all about having and maintaining balance.

Moving on to rules for young children. [Read more…]

It has been observed that a child expresses a desire to autonomous at two stages of his life – when he is a toddler and when he enters his years of adolescence. In this article we are going to talk about what autonomy seems like from the tween to the teen years, and how this is in fact a healthy stage which most parents would fear.

It is quite important for a child to learn to be autonomous at the right stages in life so that they go on to lead successful autonomous and individual lives.   [Read more…]

It is that time of the year where all the houses are brightly lit and the aroma of delicious sweets and savouries waft through the streets! Yes, Diwali – the festival of lights is finally here, bringing into your homes heaps of love, peace, hope and unity. Being considered as an auspicious day to start anything new, there are a couple of rituals associated with this festival. While most of them add to the beauty of the festival there are few others that lead to various kind of pollution and inconveniences. Bursting of crackers is one such inevitable ritual. Although it is feast to the eyes with all the various colours and patterns lighting up the sky, it does cause a lot irreversible damage to the atmosphere with all the smoke that it ends up in. [Read more…]

Art is one of the best ways to get children to learn irrespective of their learning challenges. This is a great tool to use especially when you teach at a school. It becomes your most used and favourite teaching aid be it math, science, history, social studies, reading or language arts. [Read more…]

Children with special needs are generally those who suffer from severe intellectual disabilities. They have a tough time adjusting to their environment as a result of their IQ which is significantly lower than average – between 70 and 89, when the average IQ score is 100. Ordinary tasks like engaging in conversation, or using a pencil for instance seem like a difficult task for children with such disabilities. Here is how you can give your child a better quality of life while giving him an opportunity to develop and grow with structured activities that will help promote fundamental skills in a fun environment.

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In the line of festivities that will follow Dussehra is considered to be one of the most important and auspicious festivals in India. This festival is celebrated in various forms of grandeur across the Asian Sub Continent. The name Dussehra comes from the Sanskrit term Dasha-hara which means ‘remover of bad fate’. This festival also goes by other names; Vijaya Dashami or Vijayadasami, Navratri and Durgotsav.

According to the Hindu Calendar this festival falls on the tenth day of the bright half (Shukla paksha) of the month of Ashwin (Ashwayuja). It is a very auspicious holiday in India and celebrates the victory of good over evil.

The Puranas also state that warrior Goddess Durga slayed the buffalo Demon Mahishasura on this day because of which she also referred to as Mahishasura Mardhini.

The festival of Dussehra is celebrated by having special prayer meetings and food offerings in homes and temples from the 1st day to the 10th day. Huge fairs and special parades are held with large effigies of Ravana. The streets throng with the sound of song and drums bringing out the creativity of the locals as they burn the mythical king of ancient Sri Lanka on bonfires.

Now let’s get to the Crux of the Matter. Why should we celebrate Dussehra? [Read more…]

Who doesn’t like the outdoors. One should take it upon themselves to make an effort and do their part in preserving nature’s beauty. It’s a boon to live in a place blessed with a bounty of scenic beauty. For those who appreciate this beauty it is not easy to watch these surroundings get disturbed and deteriorated by those who don’t seem to care about the natural environment.

In this situation as parents it would be a good decision to take the first step and do better in how you protect and preserve the environmental sources. Reducing the ‘carbon footprint’, making use of green power, and recycling are issues that everyone faces on a day to day basis. [Read more…]