Don't overlook simple gifts (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

In this material world it may be easy to overlook the gifts that kids give us. A gift from a child, perhaps made at kindergarten or preschool or in their own time at home can hold a great deal of meaning for your child.

Perhaps it may be as simple as a painted rock, or a decorated letter.   

In giving such gifts a child is offering all they have, their ingenuity, time and consideration and quite naturally their love.

Put these gifts in a special place of honor where your child will see them, perhaps at your desk or on the hall table. This way you are communicating, validating and reflecting that special relationship that can only be had between parent and child.

Don't threaten to leave your child behind. (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

It's a childs greatest fear to get left behind or separated from his parents in a public place. When our child is acting up or not cooperating we may be tempted to use this fear as a form of leverage to get them to do as we ask. Before we do this perhaps we should ask ourselves what our own greatest fear is and how we would feel if a loved one confronted us with it. When we do this it becomes clear that it is not the right thing to do.

Its far more effective to acknowledge your childs feelings in this situation. To do this effectively squat down at eye level next to your child, touch their hand or shoulder and talk with them as if they were an adult. Your tone of voice is an important way to communicate your message that you really do want them to hurry up. This is usually effective even if your toddler is too young to understand your words. The effect is even more pronounced with older children.

Organize your family (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

The busiest times in any family are usually the hour after waking up and the hour before bed. These times can be hectic and stressful. The best way to cope with this is to be better organized.

One way to do this is to have organizational  a chart on your wall.  You can call one your “Chart for Organization. “ Divide your chart into three columns.

1)  Things that need doing

2)  Things in Progress

3)  Things done.  

Using “Post it” notes each person places their task on a note and starts it in the “Things that need doing” column. They then progress their note across the chart into the next column until it gets done.

If you have young children who can’t yet read, use simple pictures (a tooth brush for example reminds them to brush their teeth).

You can expect that it will take a few days for your family to get used to this but after a week or two you will be amazed at how the mornings and evenings flow much better. Getting your family super focused in this way will make a big difference in the quality of your time together.

If you cant fulfil your child’s request give it to her in fantasy: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Denial of feelings between parent and child is a hotbed of contention, yet as parents we do it all the time.

Your child: “I’m hot, I want an ice cream”

You: “Its not hot, besides you've had enough sugar today”

Your child “But I’m hot…..”

You:  “I told you it’s not hot, have a drink of water instead”

Your child: “I want an ice cream NOW!”

If you find yourself in a situation where you cant fulfill your child’s request for something you may find that if you don't deny their feelings ,and offer it to them in their imagination instead, then you are less likely to face resistance.

Your Child:  “I’m hot, I want an ice cream”

You:  “ Yes its hot, I wish there was a shop around here.”

Your child: “I want an ice cream now”

You:  (waving your finger in the air) “ I wish with my magic finger, that a giant ice cream would come down from the sky…Wow! Look at that, itshuge!”

Your child:  Where is the water bottle, Im thirsty.

As they say, what we experience in our imagination comes very close to actually experiencing reality.

Choose a school that fosters mistakes: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

It’s unfortunate that many schools around the world seem to have forgotten that a child’s growth can only be established by learning from mistakes. Indeed this is actually the very foundation of a child’s mental development. “Live and learn” as we say.

So why is it that many schools don't foster and celebrate mistakes as a clear function of learning, rather than something to be shunned and feared?

Part of the problem can be found in history.

 Schools in many countries were originally set up long ago as a way of providing a class of people who could work the engines of the industrial era. In this context mistakes indicated incompetence. The whole educational system was set up for this and many schools today still reflect this purpose in their culture.

The educational context has now changed: Educators around the world now need to refocus their attention on creativity to take education in new and productive directions.

Creativity is a mistake making process that now needs to be embraced. Indeed the very best art and innovation often came about because of a mistake!

Every child has the right to make 1,2, or many mistake’s. Why not thousands? Give your child an environment which will turn her mistakes into a passion that will drive her growth and development forward.

Treat the kids to Cool Outdoor experiences: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

There are some really cool outdoor playgrounds in Tokyo.

One of which is Koganei Park (close to Musaashi-sakai ), the second largest park in Tokyo, which has a really decent sized adventure playground, complete with flying fox and supervised inflatable bouncing mountain.

On Sundays in summer the park plays host to the local flea market which is stacked with secondhand brick a brack and goodies. Perfect if you don't mind buying used designer label clothing for your young children.

The park also boasts a large area dedicated to the history of Japanese architecture. With many old Japanese buildings and gardens dating back through time this architectural museum is fun for kids and adults of all ages.

You can BBQ in the park too with a well established area just for this purpose, and if you have a dog there are a variety of dog runs for big and little pooches.

Wide open spaces make this park great for kite flying and ball games, and the secluded forest and pond areas make it a shelter and natural habitat for beautiful blue king fishers and mountain birds.  Just the laid back vibe here makes it well worth the visit.

This Park is particularly beautiful in the autumn, delightfully green in summer, and is very famous for the best cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo.

Why where you live matters: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Our environment has all sorts of daily effects on us which we then translate to those around us. If you are moving to Tokyo, try an area that will be conductive to your own mental well being as well as that of your children. 

Where you live will also have a profound effect on your success at work too.  Coming home to community full of trees after a hard day at work may not at first glance seem important, but the long term affect can be profound.

Tokyo has various large parks and several green belt areas. Choosing a place to live near these locations is bound to positively affect your families lifestyle so a wise choice now could save you a lot of discomfort down the track if you want to move later.

Musashino-shi is one green belt area that is only a half hour train ride to Shinjuku on the Chuo Line.  This area encompasses areas like Musashi-sakai, Kichijoji, and Mitaka. Other near by locations include Koganei, Nishi Tokyo and Kodaira .  All these areas are popular family locations with plenty of shade and quaint running streams.

Disciplining your kids: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

At kindergarten and preschool it’s usual for kids discipline to be relatively mild. Professional teachers are more often than not very careful about how they punish a child as this is a very sensitive and personal area. In most cases discipline at international schools will involve moving the child to a new area for a bit of time out. Its very important that a child is always kept under the watchful eye of a teacher when this is done.

But how should you discipline your own child? If at all?

For those that agree that something needs to be done its important that you let your child have some control over the outcome.  To do this you need to give your child a choice over which outcome they want.  Allowing them some degree of control over what happens will promote fairness and will allow them to take the lesson to heart .

 Its also important that the “punishment fits the crime.” In other words that the choices you give them are in some way related to what they did.  This helps them to further digest the consequences of their actions and makes the point that they are not just being punished for punishments sake.

Punishment for punishments sake simply turns the event into a contest between yourself and your child. You don't want resistance, you want acceptance.

The whole point of discipline therefor is to get the point across, and the only way to do this is to get the point accepted .  Understanding, fairness and the child’s own ability to control the outcome will ensure a positive result.

Why constantly praising your teenager can make them underperform: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Many parents assume that if a child believe he’s clever (“because mum and dad always tell me so”) then he wont feel afraid to handle new school work challenges. We assume that constant praise will protect our child from intimidating school challenges, however the ability for this assumption to backfire may be stronger than we think. 

Underperformance at school could well be the end result.

Why is this?  When we praise for intelligence we are, in an indirect way, conveying a message to our child that the game of life is won by looking good and not making a mistake. This is clearly something which is outside of their control.

So what to do? Praise for effort instead. When a child is praised for effort it gives them autonomy over something that they can control (more effort) and this leads to increasing levels of focus on future challenges. 

Once a child or teen comes to know himself as being in control of his own success, then their overall success is much more likely to occur.

Stick the kids in Summer School: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Summer School is a great creative alternative to having bored kids at home during the summer holidays.  Many international Kindergartens and preschools have flexible Summer School programs that run for two, three or four weeks at a time.

Often well organized and with exciting themes like “Whats Inside?”  “How to build and race a go-cart” or“Whats your fantasy?”  these programs provide kids with great learning opportunities and a chance to socialize and make new friends with other kids in the community.

Summer School is certainly not like regular kindergarten and it caters to a much boarder age range.

These sorts of exciting summer memories are bound to last a lifetime.

The truth about kids hygiene: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Its been said that everything is OK in moderation and when it comes to kids hygiene this is also true, particularly in the early stages of growth. Of course washing hands before eating and after toileting is an important life skill that your child will need to learn, whether at home, in kindergarten or at preschool.  Daycare centers are also big on including this as part of their normal routine.

However when your child is still a baby its important to know that a little bit of dirt is actually good for them!  As the body is only able to cope with the germs that it recognizes its important to let your little one become exposed naturally to what is in the surrounding environment. This way her immune system will be able to mount a coordinated response when greater exposure arises.

We have all seen the baby at the park putting dirt in their mouth with a screwed up look on her face- keep it in mind that this has been going on since the dawn of time.

Give your child the chance to adapt to change - Why creative thinking should be a core part of every school. (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

To give your child the best education can offer you will need to choose a school that teaches your child how to creatively adapt to the ever changing environment.

The reason that the world is changing faster than ever is because technology has now caught up with the human imagination. This means that the pace of change can only accelerate.

Choose a school that runs with this trend, not a school that is bogged down by it. If you look around you may well find that it is the smaller, more flexible organizations that are better adapting to meet this challenge.

A small school is like a small pond where the little fish are intimately protected and nurtured, giving them a chance to mature (cope with change) before moving on to bigger environments.

If we look still further we can see that every convenience of modern life has been created by a team of creative people. Such people have already become the most highly valued (and paid) people in the modern work force.

A school that puts creativity at the forefront of its aims may well place the same opportunities before your child.

How to Foster Creativity in your child: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Children are well known for their great imaginations.  Nature provides this so that us humans are able to make sense out of an otherwise complicated world. As young toddlers we draw upon our imagination to experiment with the things around us. Throwing things to see how far they fly, crashing things to see how loud they sound and touching everything in the shop to see how it feels! While the initial adult reaction to this may be somewhat negative,  seeing it as creative discovery in action can reap benefits.  As your child grows they will soon begin bolder experiments, imagining an exciting life living on the moon, mixing strange ingredients fromthe refrigerator to see how they taste and inventing games that test their courage.

All this creative competence and confidence is vitally important for a child’s healthy growth. The internal principles of logic guiding children are the same principles of logic that scientists use in their work. Creativity is a tool that can be used by children to make inquiries, put things in order and even change the meaning found in a given situation.  This meaning making ability of children is a very important aspect of child development. In fact it is the very basis of all learning. As adults we can promote these activities by providing props (think dress up box) and building environments that stimulate your child’s imagination.  How about a FIRE ENGINE bed? or a cozy TENT CASTLE in the corner of your lounge room to get you started?

If you are interested in further exploring and discovering the meanings and interpretations of kindergarten and preschool children  please be sure to view and make comments on our... 

...new BLOG especially set up for this purpose. Coming soon…….

How to bring greater security to your toddlers day. (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Kids, particularly toddlers, thrive on routine.  At this age they are particularly susceptible to the uncertainty thrown up by sudden unwanted change.  Lets face it, even as adults we are negatively affected by this.

A child’s day needs plenty ofcertainty, and the more the better.  If you are at home with your toddler there may be plenty of daily tasks that you can form into a predictable routine.  The point is to regularly do them in some sort of order each day and on time.

Daycare, Kindergarten and Preschool are well known for their strong routines.  You can improve this further by having a good routine at home too.

Mealtimes will always form a central part of your child’s day so it's a good idea to start planning any new routine around this.  Toileting and nappy (diaper) changing are also re-occurring functions that can be done at regular times. You can add any regular daily activity into the mix.  Teeth brushing, turning on the radio, shopping, food preparation etc etc.

 Its also a great idea to set a different sounding alarm on your phone to go off at the right time for each activity. Your toddler will soon become familiar with each sound. You may even be surprised when one day they begin to name the activity just before the alarm sounds!

How to praise your child: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Most parents praise their child with short generic phrases like “Good boy” or Good Girl” or “Great Job”.

Even some International Kindergarten teachers also fall into the habit of doing this. However when studying to become a Kindergarten or Preschool teacher most aspiring teachers are taught that this can be damaging over the long term.

This is because over time the child will form the habit of relying on receiving the reward of praise itself rather than learning to feel positively motivated by concrete reasons.

Its therefore important to praise your child with a specific reason “Toshi you did a great job watering the roses today they really need a drink in this Summer heat.”

This is also likely to stay with the child for much longer than just “Great Job”. Toshi will then want to water the roses because he has a solid reason to do so.

So make an effort to make your praise specific, and give your child some positive food for thought.

How to react when your toddler takes a tumble: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

Lets face it , Kindergarten and Preschool are not the only times when our toddler is out and about andmay possibly take a tumble. As often as not it also occurs when in our company.

Our first reaction when our little one takes a fall is usually not a calm one. Some of us make the mistake of over reacting. We do this out of concern, but the result almost always sends our toddler into greater shock, the inevitable crying takes place, and the greater the shock the louder the crying.

The next time your toddler takes a fall try an almost unconcerned, neutral approach.  Naturally you will want to pick them up, dust them off and say a few words. If your response is calm you may be very surprised at how calm your toddler then reacts.

Its been said that life is a mirror, try a calmer approach and give your little soldier the gift of confidence.

Give the gift of Presence: (Bilingual Kids インターナショナル幼稚園)

The most precious gift any parent can give their child is the gift of presence.  In this busy world its so easy to get caught up in the fast moving world around us that often we don't give our children the type of quality time that they deserve.

Quality time is where we close our mind off to every other thought that is demanding our attention and just be there 100% for our child. Presence is a quality that is very close to love. 

All children need to know that they are loved.  The energy of presence that you convey to your child when you give them a 100% of your undivided attention will stay with your child long after it has been received. It could be argued that it will even last a lifetime.

So make quality time for your child a habitual part of your day, then watch your child return that gift 100 fold!