Chinese kindergarten or mandarin class hunting for Alfian @Cheras

'SURVEY MEVEY' CHINESE KINDERGARTEN AKA TADIKA CINA DAN MANDARIN CLASS CHERAS

Agak pening ya utk tentukan apa yg terbaik utk anak..cewahh macam iklan susu pulak ayat aku hahahahaa memang pening la cari tadika utk dia ni. so far krista ok alhamdulillah cumanya tahun depan nak cari tadika yg ada mandarin pulak.kalu aku tanya Alfian,semua pun dia suka semua pun dia nak.. tambah lagi kalu sekolah tu besar,cantik n banyak toys..haruslah jadi pilihan hati dia kan heheee..

so cara yg terbaik,setiap sekolah yg aku pilih utk dia,aku akan bawak dia pegi tengok sekali dan aku akan arrange bagi dia cuba sekolah kt situ sehari dua..tengok dia rasa suka ke tak..kalu dia tak suka,cancel ler. taknak paksa2 ni  sebab taknak nanti setahun seksa sengsara nak pegi sekolah hari2 kalu yg dia tak suka kan..kalu da bayar yuran rugi la kalu cancel nanti bukan bole refund semua,ada sekolah yg langsung x dapat refund..lebur duit aku nanti sia2 jek..so aku cari tadika yg ok,buat list dalam  tiga pat lima nam sepoloh ke sekolah..ngehh byk nyee....then bagi dia try nanti nov mana dia suka yg tu la aku daftarkan.

utk tahun 2014 ni,aku nak alfian explore new field,biar dia belajar mandarin dan violin (jenuh nak bayar yurannye anak oi  lol). nanti aku story pasal kelas violin n music lesson ni.now story pasal mandarin dulu..,okehh aku tak letak harapan tinggi utk dia fluent mandarin pun,xmau nak push2 dia..aku just nak dia expose dgn bahasa lain..sebab aku tgk dia cepat pickup bahasa dan numbers.

plan nak hantar dia tadika cina.sebab aku fikirkan kos kalu aku anta dia mandarin course pun dlm 150-200 monthly kan seminggu sekali je kelasnye,better aku anta tadika cina je,ari2 ada cakap mandarin,yuran tambah sikit duit jela..aku cuma nak dia bole bercakap mandarin je..tapi kalu dia bole baca in mandarin is an advantage la,kalu tak..takpe..utk darjah satu aku tak plan lagi nak anta dia sekolah apa..huhuu..kena survey lagi tu!

ni yg aku plan utk dia.umur 5 n 6tahun pi tadika cina,so ada asas mandarin.darjah satu nanti kalau dia bagus mandarin aku anta sek cina tapi kalau kureng jek aku anta sek biasa je la.tapi continue anta dia mandarin class utk maintain kan..ok tak gitu?hehee..bole cari sekolah keb pun ada yg sediakan kelas extra mandarin  atau cari tuition centre luar la.sebab yg aku tau,ada sekolah yg buat additional class utk pelajar yg nak ambik bahasa cina dan tamil,ada sekolah yg ada bahasa arab jugak.yg terdekat dgn rumah sek keb bukit anggerik ada buat mandarin class utk pelajar yg minat.sek alam damai pun ada rasanya..so dr situ dia bole masterkan mandarin dia, insha'allah dia bole bertutur dlm mandarin nanti..amin...

masa darjah satu nanti..slowly akan perkenalkan dia kepada bahasa arab jugak,dia pegi kelas agama nanti darjah satu,akan belajar jawi,arab dan ngaji alquran.Didikan agama penting,itu asas buat anak,kalau dia ada asas yg kuat,insha'allah dapat atasi cobaan duniawi.umpama pokok dgn akar yg kuat,angin tiup kencang pun tetap utuh,akar itu umpama didikan agama,iman yg kuat,angin tu adalah cobaan...cewahh..perumpamaan yg bisa terungkai dgn kata2..hahahaaaaa apakah ini?skema sungguh..lol

mungkin org bole mengata..'alaaa dia tu anta anak belajar cina,baiklah utamakan belajar agama,jgn kejar dunia je' ada pulak yg cakap 'alaaa sekolah agama belum tentu baik,org kt arab tu tau bahasa arab,faham Quran tapi ada penyangak jugak' org bercakap pandai kan..komen itu ini pasal kehidupan org lain,for me..takpe org berhak menilai,sebab ada sesetengah org yg memang suka bazirkan masa menilai diri org lain tanpa sedar nilai diri sendiri..so biarkan la mereka.aku nak yg terbaik utk alfian,aku bagi dia jalan n pilihan,mandarin utk kesenangan dia nak cari rezeki dan arab utk memudahkan dia mendalami ilmu agama,insha'allah kalu dia menguasainya dia akan berjaya.

haishhh.. aku tengah period ke apa ni..macam stress je kan ayat2 di atas..why so serious? hahahaaa
sebenarnya aku stress tak dapat makan donut jco ni!! sebab apa tak dapat makan? sebab aku gemuk dah ni.. kena diet!! harus jaga badan utk yg tersayang..kekal ramping!

haaa melalut2 dah kan..back to d main point pasal tadika cina ni...aku ada survey chinese kindergarten atau tadika yg ada add on mandarin class..banyak aku survey...meh la kita terjah..

jeng jeng...

jeng jeng jeng..

taraa.......

weh banyak la tadika aku survey..penat nak tulis karang ayat ni.bersambung ke episod akan datang la...

OK...SAMBUNG KAT SINI 

http://akulahputeriraja.blogspot.com/2014/08/2014-alfian-di-chinese-kindergarten.html

Top Five Programs on Television for Pre-Schoolers

While television in the past has been known for 'rotting' minds and making children less active, there are programs nowaday that promote exercise, learning and more importantly getting out and being just plain active. with a slew of programming on nowadays for children everywhere, I've compiled a list of what I feel are the five best baby and toddler age programs on television.

Lazy Town

The best way to describe Lazy Town is to simply say it's a program about a small town (that can be from practically anywhere) that is called Lazy Town. The whole story line began when a girl named Stephanie comes to Lazy Town to stay with her uncle. Stephanie notices right away that everyone has the energy of a sleeping slug in town and her uncle tells her about a superhero who wore a number 9 on his jumper. It makes it appear quite clear why the town is named as it is, however, Stephanie is not too happy with how lethargic the other children (who are puppets for lack of a better description) are.

Meanwhile down underneath Lazy Town the 'bad boy' Robbie Rotten takes notice of Stephanie and her desire for activity. In fact, he begins to panic as she clears away a special tube mailbox and shoots a letter straight up in the air in hopes of contacting this number 9 hero. However, as the letter goes up into the air ship you see the hero within wears a 10 - the follow up to 9.

10 introduces himself as Sportacus much to Robbie Rotten's displeasure and he assists Stephanie in getting Lazy Town to be anything but lazy. Through a series of musical songs, different moral lessons like brushing your teeth and eating fruit (code name: sports candy) the show goes well beyond just being active. It teaches the importance of a healthy diet, the value of friendship and the equally important teamwork.
Lazy Town originated in Iceland, the creation of Magnus Sheving, who also plays Sportacus in the television series.

Dora The Explorer

For the past few years Dora has been teaching children more than just basic spanish words. In fact, beyond this little child teaching language, the show features basic map instructions, such as following directions in order to reach their ultimate destination - be it Dora's house or a sporting event. Dora is a cartoon above all else with catchy, easy to remember songs like, "Come on, Vamanos! Everybody let's go!" using the spanish wording right along with its translation.

Dora The Explorer features a small story line but nothing that is really important to the story. Each adventure starts out with Dora introducing herself and her companion, Boots The Monkey. The story progresses into the duo having to go somewhere else for any number of reasons, such as Dora having to go home for her mother's giving birth (which we learn at the end of the show are twins). Dora and Boots have three spots on the map to get to their location. They start out singing the places in order in a way that is easy to remember, such as, "Bridge, Forest, Dora's House" (merely an example, mind you). As they progress through each area a little band of insects play a triumph song and Dora marks off where they're going, such as "We've crossed the bridge. Next comes the Forest!" However, along the way Swiper the Fox may come and try to steal something of theirs to prevent them from completing their task. This reinforces the 'stealing/swiping is wrong' rule.

As Dora and Boots make it to their destination, they complete their task and perform the "We did it" song in triumph. Then comes the small recap, with Dora asking the user what their favorite part of the quest was, then in turn responds with boots.

The Backyardigans

The Backyardigans are rather newish to children, but, already well loved for their uniqueness and musical spectrum. The Backyardigans, unlike other animations on television, are computer graphics. Yes, just like Shrek and Finding Nemo, only on a much shorter scale.

The program has no plotline except for five young animal children (such as Pablo the Penguin, to name one) share a large backyard and many adventures that take place right within that small perimeter. How can these children have adventures in a small area? Simple. This program is about using the imagination to see beyond what is there.

These little children not only sing a wide variety of styles of music such as bebop, country and even rock, but they also weave vague bits of historic accuracy into their stories: such as an adventure in ancient egypt and even an excursion on a pirate ship to find buried treasure.

While the number of children vary depending on what the episode is about, the children display all the right ways to play well with others and make their time together worthwhile. At the end of each episode the children return to reality for snack time, which is always hosted by a different parent per show and the snack is almost always something healthy.

Blues Clues

Blues Clues is definitely one of the older and best programs on Nick Jr. Having gone seamlessly from one host to another citing them as brothers, Blues Clues is basically a guessing game, when you get down to it with various lessons that you learn depending on the show. Some instill waiting, how to make that more fun if you're little such as singing a song, "wait.. wait.. wait!" instead of whining and getting anxious. Blues Clues also shifted into beyond a person in front of a green screen to a three dimensional puppet-like show for a while that was named Blues Room.
Blues Clues features songs that little children can easily pick up and remember and has numerous memorable characters like Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper, along with their two children Paprika and Cinnamon.

The program is somewhat fantasy, however also on occasion features a deaf person signing. While it's often normally unnoticed by others, at the end of the program during the end song Joe or Steve sign "thank you" as they sing.

What else does Blues Clues feature? Matching games, season learning and even a large variety of color games - expanding beyond just the standard rainbow colors. Mixing colors to get blue green, for instance.
Blues Clues has been a favorite of children for quite a few years and no doubt will remain one for quite a while longer.

Little Einsteins

Everyone who has watched television or has small children knows that according to research young children advance better when given classical music to listen to. That is the basis of Little Einsteins. Music. Secondly art appreciation.

Little Einsteins are four children, one a conductor, one a ballerina, one a singer and one an instrumentalist who have a flying rocketship that takes them on adventures far and wide - all surrounding one particular classic song and artist. What kind of artists have they used? One of the most memorable episodes I remember watching with my daughter involved Van Gogh's Starry Night. They incorporate the music to fit with the art style as well they can, however, they sometimes give the classical music lyrics. However, most of the times the children pick up on the sound and in no time flat your little one will possibly be humming "Fur Elise" out of the blue.

This also teaches children that not all music has lyrics and stresses the importants of giving proper credit to these geniuses of past.

Little Einsteins have games they play on these adventures, such as guessing what instrument is playing based on sound. This reinforces a child to listen carefully so that they can identify things properly.

The show ends with the children going on stage and applauding the musician, naming the song and composer properly, then applauding the piece of artwork and the respective artist. The show plays out in certain ways like a small orchestra, however, is very addicting to little ones... and even us kids at heart.

Children's Programming has sure increased from the days when Sesame Street and Romper Room were number ones. With all the technological advances such as 3-dimensional programming, these shows not only delight the young ones, but also give the parents a chance to learn some new things too, such as the case with Little Einsteins. Each of these programs has some small similarity to the others, but is genuine in its goal to teach the young. For those parents who think these shows won't amuse you, give them a try and maybe you soon will be singing along with your little ones. While setting a child in front of a television for long periods of time isn't considered a good idea, at least you know if you have to there are excellent programs for your young ones to learn from - almost like pre-school at home.

Using "Lesson Plans with a Letter in Mind" Lessons for Kindergarten and Preschool Age Children

Suggested Supplies and Application of Lessons

Suggestions for using "Lesson plans with a letter in mind" -

These lesson plans are based on one letter of the alphabet per lesson. In most lessons there is an animal, snack idea, color or shape, body part or movement, music, fun activity or arts and crafts, and common sight words (these are words that the student should eventually memorize, by sight). The "lesson plans with a letter in mind" lessons can be used in a variety of ways. For an advanced student, you might want to go thru a lesson every day to three days. For a new or younger student, a letter a week is a better pace. Be sure to alter the lessons to fit your student's needs.

Before you start the ABC lessons, there are a few supplies you will need on hand:

You will need lined paper, for writing letters on every day. This can be printed from your computer, bought at most stores or lined paper you have just drawn the solid and dashed lines onto. Everyday have your student trace doted letters, both capital and lower case, at least 3 times, and try at least two on their own. This is very difficult for a new student, so be encouraging!

Make sure you have plenty of pencils and erasers, as well as a pencil sharpener.

Basic color crayons will work, but more colors equal more fun! You might want some washable markers, watercolors, glue and some basic arts and crafts supplies.

Purchase a large print crossword puzzle book, at least 26 pages long. Everyday tear a page out and circle the letter of the day once. Have your student circle all the rest of that same letter. Young kids really enjoy the treasure hunt of finding the letters. If you run out of pages, you can always re-use the pages a couple of times, just circle with different colors.

Have at least one three-ring binder or folder, to keep your students handwriting in. Keep it in ABC order, so they can see their progression through the alphabet. If you have more than one binder or folder you can easily keep track of your students other prized work.

If your student is attending (or will be) public or private school, be sure to find out what writing style the school uses. There are several varieties and you wouldn't want to be teaching the incorrect way to write the letters.

If you have access to a public library, make a regular time to go, every week. Many libraries have activities such as story time, puppets, and arts and crafts. This is a great socialization tool for your student. Make sure to pick up some books for your letter of the day (or week).

Don't pressure the student, and be sure to use positive reinforcement. You will be surprised to see how fast your young student picks up the ABC's and many other skills.

Piano Lessons: Determining the Perfect Age for Your Child to Begin A Professional Piano Teacher Gives Advice on How to Decide If Your Child is Ready for Piano Lessons

GOOD INFO! :

A Professional Piano Teacher Gives Advice on How to Decide If Your Child is Ready for Piano Lessons

As a Professional Piano Teacher, parents often ask me what age is the best age to begin piano lessons. Since all children have different skills and abilities, the perfect age to begin private piano lessons depends on the individual child.

There are three categories to consider when determining if your child is ready for piano lessons: academic skills, emotional maturity, and natural musical abilities.

What many parents don't understand is how complicated reading music can be. Piano students not only need to know the alphabet from A to G, but they also need to know those seven letters in reverse - G, F, E, D, C, B, A.

For example, the song "Mary Had a Little Lamb" begins with the notes E, D, C. In order for a student to play that song, they must know the alphabet in reverse order from E to C. If your child hasn't mastered the alphabet forwards, doing the alphabet in reverse can be very confusing.

Addition and subtraction are important skills used in music. Music is divided into small sections called measures. Each measure has the same number of beats. Students must first memorize the number of beats each type of note gets (a quarter note is worth one beat, a dotted half note is worth three beats.) Then the student needs to make sure each measure has the correct number of beats by adding the different note values together. If your child cannot do simple math such as 1 + 3 = 4, or 4 - 2 = 2, then they may have difficulty when it comes to counting.

Most piano teachers will have the child's assignment written down in an assignment book. If your child cannot read, it will be your responsibility to sit with the child during their daily practice sessions. It is important to make sure your child is following all of the instructions correctly. If you are not willing, or able, to devote that much time for piano lessons, you should wait until your child is old enough to read the assignment notes and practice on their own.

Emotional maturity is necessary because studying an instrument takes a lot of patience, concentration and repetition. If your child has a short attention span, is unwilling to accept constructive criticism, gets easily frustrated or bored, or is unable to behave during the half hour lesson, then they aren't ready for private piano lessons.

Some children will have natural musical abilities that become apparent early in their lives. You will find these children will dance and clap when they hear music. They will sing songs using the correct pitches. They will naturally be drawn to instruments and attempt to create music that is pleasing to the ear. Typically these children will have a much easier time learning how to play the piano. They would probably benefit from starting piano lessons at a younger age of five to six years old.

I have found that the average child is ready to begin private piano lessons at age seven or eight years old. The Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) website gives this recommendation, "Formal music lessons can begin when students are officially starting formal school, usually first grade."

Some piano teachers specialize in younger ages. They will have special training and methods for teaching younger children which use finger numbers instead of letters. They typically spend much of the lesson time away from the piano playing games and doing floor activities. When choosing a piano teacher, be sure to ask what age the teacher specializes in.

If money is an issue, consider the fact that most eight-year-old students learn in two months what a five or six-year-old learns in two years. Starting your child at an older age can definitely save you a lot of money in lesson fees and materials.

Even if your child isn't ready for formal piano lessons, there are other musical opportunities available for your child. Many Community Education programs offer group music appreciation classes. The Music Teachers National Association recommends that 5-6 year olds enroll in programs that "introduce your child to the instrument, but also involve movement, rhythm activities, singing and more."

Five Reasons to Give Your Children Music Lessons

Confidence and Self Esteem Built Through Learning an Instrument

Children love music. Form the time they are very young children begin to respond to musical sounds or repeated melody lines with smiles and their own vocalizations. With even marginal small motor skills they add to their delight in music by banging on a drum , plunking a piano key or strumming on a toy guitar. For school age children, musical opportunities take on a more structured format. Through school, community or private venues music lessons are available that can help transform enthusiastic young people into skilled musicians. But giving your child the gift of music lessons can also provide five benefits you may not have yet considered.

1. Music lessons connect young people with the sheer joy o music. Stimulating the mind and the imagination through sound, music is a language all its own. For young people, music lessons are the first and most important step to making that language their very own. The joy of playing a musical instrument can last a life time. The basics learned as a fourth or fifth grader open the door to more advanced participation in bands, orchestras or combos in junior and senior high school and possibly even into college. Even more important learning the fundamentals involved in playing and instrument allow children to make the joy of music their very own.

2. Music lessons can help children to build confidence and self esteem. Children taking music lessons learn to play notes sequentially from lesson to less. With each simple skill they acquire children add to their own pyramid of musical knowledge and achievement. Learning to play even that very first note provides its own unique sense of accomplishment. Children can listen to and marvel at their own strides. Playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little star is truly miraculous for someone who a few weeks ago didn't know how to h old an instrument in the correct fashion. As a regular activity in a child's weekly schedule music lessons give children the structure within which they will gradually build confidence and self esteem. For children who may be struggling even at an early age with academics or with social adjustment, music provides an avenue for success and socialization with other fledgling musicians.

3. In a world where they may feel bombarded by violent or highly competitive activities, children are likely to find that music lessons provide skills that can be used to build their own calm, peaceful and enjoyable leisure activity. There are many children who do not feel drawn to hard hitting or confrontational sports or games ore even the computerized versions of such games. Providing your child music lessons may well mean giving them an option for the productive and enjoyable use of their free time. In time music lessons can help your child to build the kind of skills that will allow him or her to participate in a band or other musical ensemble. There your child will find large numbers of other young people who have discovered the joy and sense of personal accomplishment that music lessons can bring into their lives.

4. Parents want their children to grow not just in stature but also in their seen of responsibility. Music lessons can help children to become less dependent on adults and more likely to take charge of their own free time. Attending music lessons requires that children practice between sessions. As a results children learn to make decisions and choices about how, where and when they will practice. They will learn that to be successful at the next lesson they have to develop a personal schedule for practice and then they have to stick with it. According to the instrument that your child selects, he or she will have to learn the basic care and maintenance neede to keep the instrument performance ready. Perhaps more than anything they have experienced before , music lesson truly belong to children and this sense of ownership can encourage young people to develop both personal discipline and responsibility.

5. Music lessons can give you and your child a new place to bond. Even though you as the parent are not taking music lessons yourself the experience is something you can actively share, encourage and nurture. Listening in and providing encouragement as your child struggles with a new tune can create a new bond of two way respect . Taking your child to a concert where his or her instrument is featured prominently can give re-enforcement to your child's willingness to develop skills. Providing CD's, even borrowed ones from the library , unexpectedly can show your child your interest and may help you to get a better comprehension and appreciation for his or her own growth as a musician. And of course attending any and ll performances in which your child takes part and then sharing the highlights and the low can help you and your child to see each other with new eyes and new respect.

Music lessons and the skills which they help to produce can give you a new road into the mind, heart, imagination and life of your child. Your openness to music lessons and music in your child's life may help your children to see you in a new way as well.

20 Wonderful Effects Exercise Has on the Mind

Studies find exercise increases stress resilience, fights anxiety, speeds up the mind, protects against dementia, is more fun than we predict, and more…

If everyone got a little exercise, we could put half the doctors in the world out of a job.

But it’s not just doctors who’d be out of a job if people could take the stairs every now and then, it’s also psychologists.Here are 20 wonderful psychological effects that exercise has on the mind.

1. Increases stress resilience

Studies on mice have shown that exercise reorganises the brain so that it is more resistant to stress,It does this by stopping the neurons firing in the regions of the brain thought to be important in the stress response (the ventral hippocampus).

This may be part of the reason that exercise…

2. Reduces anxiety

Exercise has a relatively long-lasting protective effect against anxiety, Both low and medium intensity exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety. However, those doing high intensity exercise are likely to experience the greatest reduction in anxiety, especially among women.

3. Lower dementia risk

Almost any type of exercise that gets your heart working reduces the risk of dementia.

A review of 130 different studies found that exercise helped prevent dementia and mild cognitive impairment among participants.Regular exercise in midlife was associated with lower levels of cognitive problems.Not only this, but participants who exercised had better spatial memory.

4. Escape a bad mood

If you want to raise your energy levels, reduce tension and boost mood, you can talk to your friends or listen to some music.

But most agree that for the difficult job of transforming a bad mood into a good one, exercise is the most effective method.

5. Cut down on cocaine

Or perhaps you’re getting a little too happy?

By all accounts, cocaine is a bit more-ish. At least when you put it into the water of experimental rats, they suddenly develop quite a thirst.Exercising rats, though, while still enjoying a little taste of Columbia, tend to self-administer less cocaine, This suggests exercise may help humans regulate their cocaine intake.

6. Fight depression

Just as exercise fights anxiety, it also fights its close relation, depression.

One review of 39 different studies involving 2,326 people has found that exercise generally provides moderate relief from depression,It won’t cure, but it can certainly help. The effects may be as great as starting therapy or taking anti-depressants.

7. Speed up your mind

Working memory includes what’s in your conscious mind right now and whatever you’re doing with this information.

After 30 minutes exercise, people’s working memory improves. There’s some evidence that accuracy drops a bit, but this is more than made up for by increases in speed.

8. Consolidate long-term memory

The effects of exercise on long-term memory are somewhat controversial.

However, at low-intensity, one recent study has found that exercise can benefit long-term memory.

9. Boost self-control

A review of 24 different studies on the effects of exercise on self-control, found that a short bout provides an immediate boost to self-control.

Although regular exercise didn’t show an effect on self-control, a period of moderate exercise did allow people to take better control of themselves.

10. Help with serious mental disorders

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder often involving hallucinations, paranoia and confused thinking.

Despite its grave nature, there’s evidence that exercise can help for this, as well as alcoholism and body image disorder.

11. Reduce silent strokes

A silent stroke is one that seems to have no outward symptoms, but does actually damage the brain.

Without knowing why, sufferers can start experiencing more falls, memory problems and difficulties moving.

Exercise, though, reduces the chance of these silent strokes by 40%.

It has to be more than just walking or playing golf, though; things like jogging, biking, playing tennis or swimming are probably required to get the protective effect.

12. Alzheimer’s protection

In the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s, the brain literally wastes away; closely followed by the body.

Neurons and synapses are lost and the sufferer’s memory, personality and whole being slowly but surely disappear.

Exercise, though, provides a protective effect against Alzheimer’s by helping to produce chemicals which fight the damaging inflammation of the brain.

13. Improve children’s school performance

Children who are fitter and engage in more exercise do better at school.Incredibly, one study has found that the increased mental abilities of children who exercise makes them safer crossing the road when distracted by their mobile phones.There’s a reason to get kids to exercise if ever I heard one.

14. Stimulate brain cell growth

Part of the reason that exercise is beneficial in so many different mental areas is that it helps new brain cells to grow.

A study on rats has shown that, in response to exercise, the brain regions related to memory and learning grow.

15. Increase executive functioning

What psychologists call ‘executive functioning’ includes all kinds of useful abilities like being able to switch tasks efficiently, ignore distractions, make plans, and so on.

Reviewing many studies in this area,find that exercise reliably improve executive function, especially in older adults.

16. Better sleep

The relationship between exercise and sleep is a little more complicated than most imagine. It’s not necessarily the case that exercise makes you tired, so you sleep better.

For example, one study on insomniacs found that 45 minutes on a treadmill did notmake them sleep better that night.However, the study found that exercise did help sleep in the long-term. Participants with insomnia who kept to their exercise programs over 16 weeks did get better sleep than those who did no exercise.

17. Prevent migraines

Migraine sufferers are often afraid of exercise because it might bring on an attack.

But a study has shown that exercise can actually help prevent migraines, Participants who took part in three sessions a week on an exercise bike for three months showed improvements equivalent to taking the latest anti-migraine drugs.

18. Stop smoking

Even something as simple as a short walk can help people give up smoking.

According to 12 different studies reviewed by  people who take a brisk walk, or similar exercise, experience less stress, less anxiety and fewer withdrawal symptoms when trying to give up.

The reason it helps is partly because it actually makes the cigarettes seem less attractive.

19. Reduce motivation to eat

People tend to think that exercising makes you eat more to replace the lost calories, but new research questions this.

Recent studies have found that, after exercise, people show lower motivation to eat food Exercise may suppress appetite by decreasing the body’s levels of ghrelin, which is a hormone that stimulates appetite.

20. It’s more fun than we predict

The final effect exercise has on the mind is not so wonderful. It’s the effect that we tend to predict it’s going to be horrible.

But this is short-sighted. Research has shown that while exercising can be a drag at the start of the session, people soon warm up. According to people enjoy their workouts much more than they predict. This was true across lots of different types of people and for both moderate and challenging workouts.So, give it a go, it really won’t be as bad as you think. You might even enjoy it.

Irregular Bedtimes Reduce Children’s Cognitive Performance

Study finds that irregular bedtimes at 3-years-old predict lower cognitive performance four years later.

How much do children’s bedtimes really matter for how their brains develop?

To measure the effects of bedtimes on cognitive function, researchers followed 11,000 children from when they were 3-years old to the age of 7.

Parents were asked about their children’s bedtimes at 3, 5 and 7-years-old. At 7, the children were tested on their reading, maths and spatial abilities.

The study found that:

“…irregular bedtimes at 3 years of age were associated with lower scores in reading, maths, and spatial awareness in both boys and girls, suggesting that around the age of 3 could be a sensitive period for cognitive development.”

In other words, regular bedtimes are important for both boys and girls and the earlier these can be implemented, the better for cognitive performance. The suggestion is that irregular sleeping patterns adversely affect development and these may cause permanent damage:

“Sleep is crucial for the maintenance of homeostasis and brain plasticity, including processes to do with embedding new knowledge, memory and skills into developing neural assemblies”

While is true of for both boys and girls, the study found that irregular bedtimes may be particularly bad news for girls.

Although children from more disadvantaged backgrounds tend to have less regular bedtimes, this was taken into account in the statistical models built by researchers:

“It might be that inconsistent bedtimes are a reflection of chaotic family settings and it is this, rather than disrupted sleep that impacts on cognitive performance in children. However, we found that inconsistent bedtimes were linked to markers of cognitive performance independent of multiple markers of stressful family environments. Findings from elsewhere suggest that stressful family environments affect children’s functioning via effects on sleep.”

One Extra Hour of TV Reduces Toddlers’ Kindergarten Chances!

Each hour of TV above recommendations damages toddlers’ vocab, math and class engagement 3 years later!!!

A new study that followed almost 2,000 Canadian children from birth found that an extra hour’s TV viewing at 2.5-years-old predicted worse performance later when they attended kindergarten.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should watch no more than two hours of TV per day after two years of age, and none before that age.

The study backs up this recommendation, finding that the more children exceeded this recommendation at 2.5 years old, the worse their vocabulary, math and motor skills were at 5-years-old.On average the children watched 1.5 hours of TV every day but increasing this by just one hour was enough to put a dent in their psychological scores three years later. Not only that, but they also had weaker attention and were more likely to be bullied by classmates.
The study’s lead author, Professor Linda Pagani of the University of Montreal explained:

“This is the first time ever that a stringently controlled associational birth cohort study has looked at and found a relationship between too much toddler screen time and kindergarten risks for poor motor skills and psychosocial difficulties, like victimization by classmates.”

Although this is the best study available linking TV watching with cognitive performance amongst toddlers, there have been hints of the dangers:

One study found that just 9 minutes of watching fast-paced cartoons had an immediate negative effect on 4-year-old’s executive function, such as their ability to delay gratification.

Another study found that watching noneducational programmes at age 3 was associated with attentional problems at age 4-5.

The first three years of life are a critical period in brain development, a fact of which some parents seem to be unaware. After 3-years of age, there’s evidence that the right kind of preschool TV can be beneficial. Before that, though, many scientists think TV is best avoided or severely limited.

10 Current Psychology Studies Every Parent Should Know!! MUST READ

Whether parents are happier than non-parents, why siblings are so different, the perils of discipline, bedtimes, TV and more…

One of the many reasons parenting is an impossible job is that everyone is giving you advice, and much of it is rubbish.Frankly, it’s amazing we’ve all made it this far.So, bucking the trend of random anecdote and superstition, here are ten recent psychology studies that every parent should know.

1. Parents are happier than non-parents

In recent years some studies have suggested that the pleasures of having children are outweighed by the pains.

“Ha!” said parents to themselves, secretly, “I knew it!”

Not so fast though: new research has found that, on average, parents feel better than non-parents each day and derive more pleasure from caring for their children than from other activities 

Fathers, in particular, derive high levels of positive emotions and happiness from their children.

2. Putting your child first is worth it

Underlining the pleasures of having children, research finds that child-centric attitudes are beneficial.

A study by Ashton James  found that parents who were the most child-centric were also happier and derived greater meaning in life from having children.

Performing child-care activities was associated with greater meaning and fewer negative feelings.

“These findings suggest that the more care and attention people give to others, the more happiness and meaning they experience. From this perspective, the more invested parents are in their children’s well-being — that is, the more ‘child centric’ parents are — the more happiness and meaning they will derive from parenting.” 

So, what’s good for your kids, is also good for you.

3. Helicopter parenting may be depressing

As with many things in life, though, it’s a fine line between caring and smothering; especially when children have grown up.

survey asked 297 undergraduate students about their parents’ behaviour and how they felt about it.

The study found links between ‘helicopter parenting’ and higher levels of depression amongst the students, as well as lower levels of autonomy, relatedness and competence.

“Parents should keep in mind how developmentally appropriate their involvement is and learn to adjust their parenting style when their children feel that they are hovering too closely.” 

4. Avoid strict discipline

Around 90% of American parents admit at least one instance of using strict verbal discipline with their children, such as calling names or swearing at them.

Rather than helping keep adolescents in line, though, be aware that this may just exacerbate the problem.

A study of 967 US families found that harsh verbal discipline at 13-years-old predicted worse behaviour in the next year

And it didn’t help if parents had a strong bond with their children. The study’s lead author Ming-Te Wang explained:

“The notion that harsh discipline is without consequence, once there is a strong parent-child bond–that the adolescent will understand that ‘they’re doing this because they love me’–is misguided because parents’ warmth didn’t lessen the effects of harsh verbal discipline. Indeed, harsh verbal discipline appears to be detrimental in all circumstances.”

5. Regular bedtimes

Regular bedtimes really matter to children’s developing brains.

Researchers followed 11,000 children from when they were 3-years old to the age of 7 to measure the effects of bedtimes on cognitive function. The researchers found that:

“…irregular bedtimes at 3 years of age were associated with lower scores in reading, maths, and spatial awareness in both boys and girls, suggesting that around the age of 3 could be a sensitive period for cognitive development.”

Regular bedtimes are important for both boys and girls and the earlier these can be implemented, the better for cognitive performance.

6. Do the chores together

Bringing up happy children is easier if Mum and Dad’s relationship isn’t too rocky. One frequent bone of contention between parents is the chores.

A trick for achieving marital satisfaction over the chores is to do them together.

When partners perform their chores at the same time–no matter who is doing what–both people are more satisfied with the division of labour.

7. Limit infant TV viewing

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should watch no more than two hours of TV per day after two years of age, and none before that age.

Here’s why: a new study that followed almost 2,000 Canadian children from birth found that an extra hour’s TV viewing at 2.5-years-old predicted worse performance later when they attended kindergarten.

The more children exceeded this recommendation at 2.5 years old, the worse their vocabulary, math and motor skills were at 5-years-old.

More on this study 
:http://akulahputeriraja.blogspot.com/2013/12/one-extra-hour-of-tv-reduces-toddlers.html

8. Exercise boosts kids’ school performance

Kids are increasingly sedentary and,  exercise is a wonderful way to boost brain power, and it has many other benefits.

A new study of 11-year-olds has found that moderate to vigorous exercise was associated with increased academic performance in English, Maths and Science 

These gains from exercise were also seen in exams taken at 16-years-old.

Interestingly, girls’ science results benefited the most from extra exercise.

9. Dangers of intense mothering

Some women say that taking care of children is more stressful than being at work. There are also links between child-rearing and stress and guilt.

How can we square this with the reports and research findings that children fill your life with joy and meaning?

It may be down to differences in attitudes to parenting. In particular, being an ‘intense mother’ may be bad for you.

In their study of 181 mothers of children under 5, found that mothers who most strongly endorsed the idea that children were sacred and that women are better parents than men, were more likely to be depressed and experience less satisfaction with life.
Yes, nurture your children, but don’t sacrifice your own mental health.

10. Why siblings are so different

Anyone with more than one child will have noticed a curious thing: their personalities are often very dissimilar.

In fact, according to a study by siblings have no more in common in their personalities than two completely unrelated strangers.

This is very weird given that 50% of their genetic code is identical.

The answer isn’t in the genes at all, but in the environment in which children grow up.

Far from having the same environments, each child has:

• a different relationship with their parents,
• a different relationship with their other siblings,
• different friends and experiences at school…

…and so on.

And all these differences add up to quite remarkable dissimilarities between siblings–often such that if they didn’t look alike, you’d never know they were related.

All this means, of course, that because their personalities are often so different, parenting strategies that work with one child, may not work with another.

It’s just one more challenge of being a parent!

Time and time again we are reminded of the importance of play...so here is one more! Well, another gentle reminder readers!

Children and adults alike use play to make sense of the world. Here are some things we develop through play: creativity, imagination, problem solving, resiliency and the ability to handle the unexpected.

Back in 1999, after eight years of operating out of a shop front (and eventually several shop fronts), we moved The Grauer School onto our dream site: five, green, coastal acres in Encinitas, Calif. We could have a real playtime at last — a green recess. Running, chasing, throwing, falling. It was then that we made an unexpected finding about the typical California suburban kid: many did not know how to recreate or use unstructured time. They stood around, looked into their computer screens, hung out in corners of the field and slouched on couches in the lobby.

Since I grew up running pretty much all day long, and since my parents’ primary form of discipline consisted of the demand, “Get outside!” this problem had never occurred to me. I assumed that there was something instinctual about play and that, if you let kids alone, they would just do it. However, in the case of many kids, play sometimes is drummed out of them through tightly-managed schedules, too much homework, too many digital devices, too little time in nature, too little sleep, and too much parenting and schooling. Eventually, we stationed teachers outside not so much as to supervise as to nudge the kids into games that they could learn to play together again. We even made a policy that middle schoolers were required to be outdoors during lunch and breaks. It took a couple of years before we finally felt we had established a culture of open space and free play in the out of doors. We still have to work at this regularly, which we do primarily through nudging, encouraging and telling kids: “Get outside!”

At this year’s annual conference of the Progressive Education Network (PEN) in Los Angeles, I was privileged to see a legendary mind address the topic of play: Stuart Brown, a Stanford psychiatrist and producer of a PBS series on play whose home office is a tree house.

Brown embarked on his research early in his career, when he noticed that homicidal young males had little playtime as young children compared to healthy non-murderers! This research would have struck me as bizarre and irrelevant as a young teacher, but since that time America’s nightmare dreams have become real as students have actually attacked several schools. The high school massacre at Columbine seemed to wake us up to a new reality.

Great minds have a way of enabling us all to rededicate our lives more clearly to things that matter. Brown talked for an hour about “What nature wants you to know about play.” Here is some of what he said, and I guarantee you will agree that it matters.

Brown’s first challenge was this, for all of us: “If you are not bringing your sense of play into your work-life, take a second look.” Play is embedded in nature and we must express it routinely to be healthy and happy. Play and laughter reduce anxiety and enable us to “redefine” failure in terms of the growth it brings. “Neuroscientists, developmental biologists, psychologists, social scientists, and researchers from every point of the scientific compass now know that play is a profound biological process,” Brown notes.

One critical aspect of play as we are growing up is imagination. “While you are imagining who you can become, you are them,” and this provides you with essential lessons going forward as you develop. Aside from imaginary play, there is celebratory play, ritual play, aesthetic (artistic) play, rough and tumble play, narrative (story) play, and more. They all belong in school, says Brown. Brown also likened playing to dreaming, one of the most fascinating notions I’ve ever heard, and one I will surely follow-up on. Why are play and dreaming alike? Wow, what a fantastic question!

Compared to others Brown studied in his research, that creative achievers such as Nobel laureates virtually all had high amounts of play in their early lives. Brown even studies obituaries. There, he finds that what we tend to remember most kindly and importantly about people when they are gone are their playful moments and their expressions of joy.

Play, he has realized, is directly related to the development of optimism and a lack of play is associated with addiction, anxiety, and other disorders. We develop empathy at play. One reason for this is that as we play together, we lock eyes, “tune in” to one another physically and mentally, and our mental activity is actually synchronizing. This synching is called “attunement,” and if we get enough of it as we grow up, we develop empathy. Deprived of this attunement as adults, we lead mundane or disconnected lives.

Physical play seems particularly important to many. When the legendary Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) got into a rut not many years ago, they analyzed their new recruits and realized they were focusing on people with the best grades: compliant people who were not solving real problems. Then, they analyzed their older engineers and found that the most successful ones were those who had spent lots of time playing with their hands as they were growing up — an amazing finding that caused the JPL management to completely redesign their hiring process. If you haven’t played much as a kid, you need not apply to the JPL.

“The opposite of play is not work,” he pointed out. “It’s depression.” So play when you are at work! Luckily, we have the capacity of play throughout life — this keeps us happy and creative. Play, Brown strongly believes, is what makes life worth living. It is our “star system,” where many of our actions are designed to guide us in getting along with others.

He cautions against “play hygiene,” where we try to make every environment safe and controlled. Our kids need to learn how to fall. According to Dr. Brown, never in history has there been such deprivation of play. This will bring huge losses according to Brown, since our most essential and distinctive talents are first exemplified in play. Nobel laureates and other such successful people are those who stay true to their play nature. What can we do in the classroom to discover our rediscover our sense of play?

Stuart Grauer is a teacher, founding head of The Grauer School in Encinitas, Calif., and founder of the Small Schools Coalition. He accredits and consults for schools worldwide. He is the author of “Real Teachers.”