Thursday, September 30, 2010

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Dear parents,

We'll be having a children's day party on 30 Sep.

There will be little snacks and cakes being served on that day.

All the cookies/ snacks/ treats that your children will be bringing must be halal. Prepare enough for 5 children will do. :)

The theme will be Costume/ Disney/ Cartoon.

Kindly dress your child up on 30 Sep if it's convenient for you. :)

School will be closed on 1st October Friday, being Children's day holiday. School resumes on 4th October.

Thank u.

Best regards,
KinderTots/ EduKinder

Friday, September 17, 2010

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Something to share: Tantrums

Discipline shouldn’t always be about fixing what went wrong. Discipline can also be about changing the way you do things up front to prevent problems from happening. While you cannot stop your child from ever having a tantrum, there are many things you can do that will substantially reduce the number and the intensity of the tantrums.

Solve the REAL problem before behavior deteriorates
Often when a child has a tantrum, the issue that set off the behavior has little to do with anything that requires discipline. Just as adults who are in a bad mood, or have a headache might yell or grumble, children may be struggling with emotions that cause them to respond in a negative way.

It’s not always about how to discipline children, but how to change the environment in order to help them gain control over their emotions. Some of the most common issues that cause children to act out in negative ways are hunger, tiredness, frustration, boredom and overstimulation

You identify the real reason behind your child’s actions you can often solve this at the first sign of negative behaviors, before your child dissolves into a full-blown tantrum.

The power of offering choices
Giving a choice is a very effective tool that can prevent tantrums from even beginning. It’s helpful as a method to move your child in the direction you need him going, without having to deal with him digging in his heels. How this works is simple. Replace direct commands, such as, “Put on your pjs right now,” (which often triggers a battle) with a choice that propels your child forward, such as, “What do you want to do first, put on your pjs or brush your teeth?” or “Do you want to hop to the bathroom like a bunny or crawl like a puppy?”

Playing cooperation games
Children see life as a game – so why not take advantage of that? Nearly any task can be turned into a game. Some games can be a one-time fix; others can become part of your regular routine. You know your child’s typical response when you command, “Pick up your toys and put them in the toybox”? Imagine the response if instead you say, “I bet I can pick up all the blue cars before you pick up the red ones! Ready, Set, Go!”

Instead of the serious, “You need to use the toilet. Put your toy down and go potty now.” How about this fun alternative, “Here comes the potty train. Chooo! Chooo! All aboard!” These simple games can alter your communication in an effective tantrum-preventing way


Sing a song
Even if you can’t carry a tune, putting anything to music makes you easier to listen to and it is fun, too. You can create a particular song to be used as a cue to certain tasks – such as a clean up song that takes place whenever the toys are picked up and put away, a getting-dressed song, or a song that beckons your child to the dinner table.

Tell a story
Children love stories. These will hold their attention and can get them to willingly do what you want them to do. They can be used to ward off boredom, prepare a child for an upcoming event, or keep a child focused on the task at hand. Stories can be told in advance of any event to let your child know what’s about to happen and prevent problems and tantrums when the actual event occurs. You can tell a tale about a boy who goes to grandma’s house for dinner – how he says please and thank you and behaves nicely, and the grandparents are so proud of him. This is in preparation for an actual visit, of course!

Be silly
Often parents are so serious about getting through the day that their rigid presentation incites tantrums that could easily have been avoided. Any light-hearted banter will lighten the mood. Humor – pretending to fall, exaggerated speech, funny accents – can often create a joyful moment. Being silly – for example, putting your child’s sock on his hand instead of his foot while getting him dressed – often elicits a laugh, along with the desired cooperation.

Give fair warning
When children are immersed in play they usually put their entire being into the activity. Because of this intensity it can be very hard for a child to switch from one activity to another without first making a mental adjustment. When a child is in the middle of a wonderful game, and a parent calls him to dinner, it’s an unusual child who can immediately drop the piece in process and run to the table. You can help your children change activities by giving them time to process the change mentally before they follow through physically. Prior to expecting action from your children, call out a five minute alert, then a three minute alert and finally a one minute alert. This forewarning can prevent a meltdown that can occur with a sudden, surprising announcement.

Use positive words
Some of the most overused words in parenting are no, don’t and stop. It’s necessary, of course, that we get our children to stop misbehavior. However, when these words are overused they can create more problems than they solve. Try to save these words for necessary times. When possible, choose more positive words, such as “would you please…”, or “I would like you to...”

Tell your child what you want, instead of what you don’t want. So, rather than, “Don’t jump on the furniture!” explain, “Furniture is for sitting on. Please sit here or go outside to jump”

Creative parenting means fewer tantrums
All of these techniques can be used to prevent tantrums and to help fill your days with more joy and pleasant communication. They require thought and practice, but once you feel the happy results you’ll know it is worth it!
Something to share: Spotting Autism

Scientists at Yale School of Medicine have found that 2 year olds with autism look significantly more at the mouths of others, and less at their eyes, than typically developing toddlers – and they say this tendency may predict how severely a child is affected by autism.

Researchers used eye-tracking technology to quantify the visual fixations of 2 year olds who watched caregivers approach them and engage in typical mother-child interactions, such as playing peek-a-boo.

After the first few weeks of life, babies look into the eyes of others, setting processes of socialization in motion. In infancy and throughout life, the act of looking at the eyes of others is a window into people's feelings and thoughts and a powerful facilitator in shaping the formation of the social mind and brain. The scientists found that the amount of time toddlers spent focused on the eyes predicted their level of social disability – the less they focused on the eyes, the more severely disabled they were.

These results may offer a useful means of screening for autism and assessing how severe it is early in life. “The findings offer hope that these novel methods will enable the detection of vulnerabilities for autism in infancy,” say lead author of the study Warren Jones, a research scientist at Yale School of Medicine’s Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program and the Yale Child Study Center. “We hope this technology can be used to detect and measure signs of an emerging social disability, potentially improving a child's outcome.”

Study collaborator Ami Klin, director of the Autism Program at the Child Study Center, says they are now using this technology in a large prospective study of the younger siblings of children with autism, who are at greater risk of also developing the condition. “By following babies at risk of autism monthly from the time they are born, we hope to trace the origins of social engagement in human infants and to detect the first signs of derailment from the normative path,” she says. “These children may be seeing faces in terms of their physical attributes alone – watching a face without necessarily experiencing it as an engaging partner sharing in a social interaction.”
Something to share- Bedtime

Parental presence at bedtimes appears to have a greater negative impact on infant sleep than actual co-sleeping, according to new research.

Results indicate that children who slept in a separate room obtained more sleep, woke less at night, had less difficulty at bedtime, fell asleep faster, and were perceived as having fewer sleep problems. These clinically significant differences were mostly observed in children who lived in primarily Caucasian countries, and not in countries that were predominantly Asian.

According to lead author Jodi Mindell, PhD, professor of psychology at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pa., past studies have always indicated that bed sharing is associated with increased sleep problems, primarily more night wakings in young children.

“However, it is likely that it is not the bed sharing or room sharing per se that leads to increased sleep issues,” says Mindell. “Rather, most young children who sleep in a separate room fall asleep independently of their parents. These children are able to return to sleep on their own when they naturally awaken during the night, and thus have fewer sleep problems. Children who sleep in the same room as their parents usually have a parent helping them to fall asleep at bedtime, and will need that help again throughout the night.”

The study was presented June 10, at SLEEP 2009, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Something to share:

Top tips for discipline

When your children are really young, discipline simply won’t work – if they’re under the age of about two, and are doing something you don’t want them to, simply pick them up and plonk them down in front of something else.

Try to motivate your kids to be well behaved – it always works better then bribery or threats. Don’t dismiss bribery though!

Pick your rules carefully – make sure there are only a few, that they’re easy to understand and that you ALWAYS enforce them.

Try to have consistency with their mom, even if you don’t live together. Children get confused if there’s no consistency. If mum is disciplining the kids, always back her up in front of them – even if you don’t agree, you can deal with that later.

Try to use praise for good behavior at least three to four times as much as you tell your children off for bad behaviour.

As your children get older, in their teenage years, it’s your job to shift from a ‘manager’ role, where you organize their life and tell them what to do, into more of a ‘coach’ role, where you listen, understand, and offer your advice to them.

Regards,
All the teachers
Dear parents,

Neev from the nursery one class will be celebrating his 3rd birthday tomorrow, 17 Sep.

Halal Cake will be served in school at 1130am.

It would be nice if you can prepare a little gift for Neev.

:)

Happy turning 3 Neev! :)

Wishing you all the very best and have a fun growing up!

Re: Photos Updates on Facebook

Photos are regularly posted on facebook.com (KinderTots)

Key in Kindertots and Search under pages.

:)

Do check out www.twitter.com/Kindertots too. :)

Re: Lantern festival

Children can bring their lanterns to school on 20 Sep for a show and tell session.

Kindly write your child's name on the lantern.

Tips: use a permanent marker or stick on a masking tape and write your child's name on it.

Halal mooncakes will be served to all the children on 20 Sep.

Thank you.

:)

Regards,
KinderTots/ EduKinder

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Dear parents,

Thank you for all the wonderful gifts, cards and wishes on teachers day.

We appreciate it alot. :)

On another note, school holidays will be on 6-10 Sep for the N2-K2 children.

School resumes on 13 Sep.

Happy holidays to all our N2-K2 children.

:)

Monday, August 23, 2010

Dear parents,

We will be closed on 1st September, being teachers' day holiday.

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Teacher Adil Goh, teacher Zura,
Lu Lao Shi (Chinese teacher) & teacher Shah.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Dear parents,

We trust that by now, most of you would have received the year 2011's registration.

(Applicable to children born in 2005-2007)

Do read through and keep safe of the form.

Fill up the necessary and pass it back to school before the date line.

Thank you for your support all these while.

We'll leave you with this and have a beautiful weekend to all! :)

When u scold a child, u diminish them.  
When u respectfully explain their error & how to correct it, u uplift them.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

For children born in yr 2005- 2007:

Parents should receive circular as regards to year 2011's registration by next Tuesday.

Please check your child's bag for it.

Thank you.

Kind regards,
KinderTots/ EduKinder

Monday, August 09, 2010

To all our Taoist & Buddhist families & friends, it's the beginning of the yearly hungry ghost festival.

A little background of the festival- It is a custom of commemorating their ancestors.

On another note, happy fasting month to our muslims parents and children! :)

Regards,
KinderTots/EduKinder

Friday, August 06, 2010