Friday 28 July 2017

Ways To Help Students Who Struggle With Anxiety

Everyone experiences a bit of fear of being judged, but for students with social anxiety, the fear is much worse.
In children, anxiety can be more than just “worries.” Anxiety can affect classroom performance and overall development in a child, because, an anxious brain can’t absorb new information or adapt to new things as effectively as a non-anxious brain.

But, the good news is that social anxiety in children is treatable with the help of a good network of parents, counselors, and teachers.

However, here we bring to you a few ways to help calm anxious kids:

Be Understanding

If you start over-controlling and being harsh towards your child, chances are high that your child will suffer from high levels of anxiety. Instead be understanding and encourage your child to face different situations and help him participate in various decision-making tasks.
Remind yourself that everyone faces difficulties in life and that by helping to cope with the situation, he or she will be gaining life-long skills, that will allow him to face the challenges in future.  

Tell Your Child That It Is Okay To Be Imperfect
It is important to encourage your child to work hard but equally important to accept and embrace your child's mistakes and imperfections.
Your kid must be studying in one of the best International Schools in Mumbai, or in one of the best

IGCSE schools in Bhayander, but you need to keep in mind that he/she is not a superman or a wonder woman to excel in everything...... and that is ok.
Striving for perfection will reinforce low self-esteem and increase anxiety in young children. Moreover, throughout the life, there will always be a flaw that needs work, a pound to be lost or a skill to be improved.  And while trying to make everything perfect, you cannot goof up with your child’s mental development or have a down day with them.

Stop Competing Your Child With Others
This is the worst thing that you can do with your kids. Competition is fine, but it has to be a healthy competition that enforces motivation and not discouragement.
However, in reality, you should encourage your child to be competitive with his own self. Just encouraging him to keep up with his own achievement, will not only make him stronger but will help him tackle the anxiety without much effort.

Spend Quality Time
Every child needs quality time with their parents to feel secured and loved. Many a time’s children are lost in negative thoughts and in criticism. And by spending quality time with the kids, you will be able to share their thoughts and give them some positive suggestions and ideas. The more you spend time with them, the more will you be able to reinforce positive attributes in your child.  In short, this activity will help kids overcome their anxiety and help them live a better positive life in future.

Today even the education system is focusing on how to handle anxiety and fear in students. Some nursery schools in Mira Road are taking novel approaches to help anxious students. By providing a comfortable and holistic learning environment, the school promises to hold your child’s hand throughout the life and direct them to their goal and win the victor's cup.

In fact, many schools in Bhayander and other parts of Mumbai have been successful in combating anxiety, with meetings arranged involving the teacher, psychologist and parents or caregiver.
So, if you really wish to bring put the best in your child, ensure you pick a school that specializes in working with kids and helps them overcome fear and anxiety.

Tips to Stop Bad Habits In Your Child

Kids are immature, innocent and generally unaware of their actions. They are easily susceptible to developing unhealthy habits. However, if these practices go unchecked at early stages, they become rigid and hard to give up in life later.
So while the bad habits seem to be annoying, you as a parent need to ensure that you deal with it in a positive way. So that it doesn’t leave a negative impact on the child.
In this article, you will find some really helpful tips that would help you stop bad habits in your child.

Enroll Your Child in a Reputed School   
There's a lot your child is learning in school besides seemingly complicated science, maths and advanced vocabulary. As your little one works on learning new subjects each year, they're also forming new habits in school - some of which can be less than desirable. Hence it becomes important for you to enroll your child in one of the best schools in Mumbai. Whether it’s a top international school in Mumbai or one of the best CBSE schools in the state, ensure you pick a school that focuses on all round development of your child.
Well reputed schools play an important role in empowering your child to blossom as a personality. And when this aspect is taken care of, your half the trouble is eliminated automatically.

Be a Role Model At Home
You may be a satisfied parent with the thought that your child is studying in one of the top schools in Mumbai - that’s addressing the behavioral and educational needs of your child as a twenty-first-century global citizen. However, there are certain things that you need to do at home as well.
You as a parent need to follow good habits yourself. Remember, you are your child’s role model. If the culture at home is set right with good behavior and good atmosphere then the rest becomes just a cake walk.

Do Not Give Extra Attention To The Wrong Habits 
When children realize that their bad habit is gaining a lot of attention, they tend to feel encouraged to do more. Extra attention at wrong habits makes the child more stubborn and rigid. Hence it's best to ignore the annoying habits and allow your kid outgrow the habit on his/her own with time.
Identify the Root Cause and Understand Them

It is important to talk to the kids, observe and identify the reason causing the stress. Children generally practice unwanted bad habits because they are stressed, worried or nervous. Being patient, listening to their problem, and showing support can help them deal with the situation which is vital in getting rid of annoying bad habits. Once you identify the cause, you can find creative alternatives and substitutes to deviate the child’s mind and help him change his behavior patterns.

Appreciate and Reward When You See Improvement
Appreciating and rewarding children when they engage in good habits is a great way to eliminate the bad behavior. Appreciation works like a magic in reinforcing confidence in children. Even a small clap or a hug or kiss will give them a reason to quit bad habits. It will not only boost their morale, but such rewarding gestures will also make them feel special.

Importance of Music in Early Childhood Development

From birth, we all instinctively use music to calm and soothe our children. We sing and dance to engage and play and to express our love and affection towards them. However, many do not know that singing and music play an important role in early childhood growth and development as well.
Let’s find out how:

Music Teaches Children Self- Regulation Skills
Self-regulation is nothing but the ability to stop, think, and then make a choice before acting. This skill develops rapidly in the early years and is a critical predictor of educational and life success.
CBSE schools in Bhayander that strives to mould children in the right attitude and behaviour, find music learning as a great device to create a positive expression.
When music is used as a part of early education, it can help children learn to tell their bodies what to do, when to stop, when to go, and when to move to another activity. When children participate in musical activities they practise self-regulation skills. Those same skills will help children pay attention in school, act and behave appropriately, and help them in transition from one activity to another.

Music Helps Learn Language 
Music aids language development. When children sing with action movements, they practice pronouncing words and putting sentences together. Even if the child really cannot understand what is being said, he or she is able to absorb some of it in context.  It provides a fluid way to process sounds that your brain automatically enjoys.

Learning the lyrics of songs is also an effective way to remember information. It’s a fact that many people first learned the alphabets by singing the ABC song. That’s because our brains remember language better when it is set to music.

Develops Creativity
Music boosts creativity in young minds. It has the ability to make discoveries and create innovations. A box can become a drum, a stick can be transformed into a horn, or a broom can become a dance partner.

Just like, playing a musical instrument gives you the ability to tell a story without words, in the same sense, listening to music challenges one to listen and tell a story about what one hears. Both require maximum right brain usage which not only exercises ones creativity but also ones intellect.
Hence, many high schools in Bhayandar and Dahisar who believe in stimulating children through an environment that is creative, use music as a part of education. It helps children generate new ideas and venture into newer horizons.

Make Kids Interesting and Happy
No one really knows why or where it comes from but many studies have shown that musical scales, chords, and harmonies uplifts mood and makes children more cheerful.  It enriches his or her appetite for things that bring pleasure and happiness.
Music not only makes your kid interesting and happy, but also extends their life span, right from an early stage.

Creates a Social Bond
Music provides children with a framework on which they can socialize and acts as a sort of communication among them.

Music connects children who may not otherwise discover they have anything in common.. When children participate in school activities like dancing and singing it encourages them to interact with others. Moreover, it creates a bond between two individuals -  that is nourished and cared for in the future.

Music is not just for normal growing children. Music therapy is also effective in reaching out to children with severe behavioural difficulties or with multiple handicaps. We all have some musical threads in our lives: singing, humming, whistling, clapping etc; all these provide vital tools in everyone's learning processes, so does it apply in children with Down syndrome.

The benefit of music education is just un-measurable and massive. However, the horizons are higher when children are involved in music. It has a great capacity to change and understand the world around them. Moreover, it makes a child a better person in life. Hence, many CBSE schools in Dahisar and other parts of Mumbai are taking initiative to bring out the musician in every child, and help them learn more easily and more effectively.

4 Teaching Strategies To Keep Class Interested And Engaged

Classroom teaching is a challenging task. No matter, what the subject be, it becomes essential for teachers to find a way to keep their class interesting enough so that students take in the information that is being presented to them. Because if students aren’t paying attention and their minds are wandering, there is no use of conducting the classroom session. So to overcome this boredom we have listed few teaching strategies that can be used to keep the class interested and engaged.

Role Play
Dividing the class into groups of two or three, and having each group come up with some role play that is related to the classroom topic can be a very effective method of learning. This way, the students aren’t just simply sitting in the classroom. Instead, they are actively involved in the class and passively taking notes. Moreover, their involvement in the role play will stimulate their mind in a specific way and help them overcome crowd-facing fear.

Create A Real-World Connection
A teacher or an educator should always try to create a real-world connection in relation to what students are learning in the classroom -  by taking them on outdoor educational trips.
Outdoor education trips can be anything – it can encompass biology field trips searching for insects in the school garden, as well as indoor activities like observing stock control in a local shop, or visiting a museum etc.

When you create a real-world connection to what students are learning, it will give them a greater understanding of why they need to learn it.
In fact, many ICSE board school in Mumbai are using this technique and are encouraging learners to apply the principles of learning experiences to real life situations. With the help of this approach, they have not only made teaching and learning interesting for kids, but have also been able to bring the best skills out of the students.

Introducing Mindful Games
A lot of the time students don’t even feel like they are learning anything because they are so into the game. So if you start introducing some games that are mindful and interesting, that can co-relate to the classroom subject, students will actually learn the content better. Games are a great way to keep students interested and engaged. Moreover, collaborative games will allow students to create a social bond with others and will develop deep thinking and problem-solving skills rather than just memorization of a topic.

Making Use of Latest Technology
Instead of using the same traditional method of teaching, make use of the latest technology to bring a sense of fun and engagement to classroom learning.
Sample tools and ideas to consider are the interactive whiteboards available online. Just browse the internet and you will find several good free interactive whiteboards available online.  If you have a computer and a projector, you can make them work like a smart board.
The more you utilize such technology, the more will students be able to explore new things and the more will they enjoy what they are learning.

Today an increasing number of ICSE board schools in Mumbai are making it easier than ever to leverage technology to create engaging, active lessons that students enjoy working on. Some secondary schools in Bhayander are also introducing communication-based and project-based learning where students can make use of the internet for various research and facts. Through such activities, the school aims to harness the talent present in each student making him/her a unique and complete individual.