Archive | Emotional Development

Tips For Developing Leadership Skills In Children

What are some ways to teach leadership to children? Leadership is a skill that can be taught to children sans the pressure and guided through the process at their own pace. Developing leadership skills in children begins at home. The following are simple steps on how parents can develop leadership skills in children.

Hone Your Toddler’s Communication Skills

Good leaders are good communicators, and this can be achieved by teaching your toddler early. Work on your toddler’s reading and speaking. You can do this by reading something to your toddler and then asking him to narrate the story back to you. If he knows how to read, ask your little one to read you a book. Hold conversations with your toddler. Ask him anything under the sun – how his day was, what he did, his thoughts about the movie you watched together, events, etc. In addition, teach your toddler to talk in a calm and courteous manner and to listen carefully when someone is talking.

Promote Independence

Allow your toddler to do things for himself. If he says he can do it, let him do it. Give your toddler responsibilities by giving him age-appropriate chores such as setting up the table, making his bed and sorting clothes. Even if you might have to redo them, at least you are giving your child an opportunity to flourish. Also, encourage independent play. This is an excellent way to encourage your toddler to look for ways to entertain himself instead of providing him a solution.

Encourage Your Toddler To Volunteer

One effective way to develop leadership skills in children is to train your toddler to volunteer. You can encourage this by letting your toddler make decisions. For instance, he can take part in deciding what to eat for dinner, help plan a weekend trip or choose new sheets and linens for his bed.
Furthermore, why not do community service together. Visit soup kitchens, animal shelters and homeless shelters. Or, why not organize an outreach program or a garage sale and donate your earnings to charity. These experiences will help empower your toddler and teach him how to have a positive impact on others.

Hone Your Toddler’s Talents

Another very good way to instil leadership skills in children is to nurture their talents and interests. If your toddler loves to play basketball or likes playing the piano, enroll him in a class. Pursuing something he is passionate about will make him feel comfortable and later take on a leadership role.

Increase Social Interaction

The best way to practice leadership skills in children is through exposure. Organize play dates with other moms in your neighbourhood. Let him spend more time in the playground. Sign him up for art or singing lessons. By surrounding your toddler with people, you are giving him an opportunity not just to lead but to learn teamwork.

Let Your Toddler Express Himself

Encourage your toddler to express himself. When a child is free to voice out his thoughts, ideas and opinions, he feels more confident. You can help by encouraging him to speak out. But, do not disregard angry outbursts or impose silence. Instead, recommend alternative ways of self-expression. Learning how to speak tactfully and assertively are two traits of becoming a good leader.

Give Praise

When your little one accomplishes something, do not forget to praise it whether it is getting a high score in his assignment, learning how to tie his own shoes or writing cleanly or reading faster. You might say, “I am so proud of you that you know how to tie your shoelaces without any help!”. In your toddler’s young age, small steps mean a lot and he will feel good with his achievements. When he feels good, he builds up his self-esteem which is essential to developing leadership skills.

Teach By Example

Keep in mind that whatever parents do, children follow. Your toddler is your best imitator so whatever you say or do, he will surely mimic. Be the type of leader you want your toddler to be by being your toddler’s role model. Be involved. Help others. Volunteer. Take initiatives in everyday life. Explain to your toddler what you are doing and the reason why you are doing it.

Being a leader is not something innate, it has to be taught and nurtured. Every child has the potential to develop leadership skills. Hence, it is imperative for parents to develop leadership skills in children to guarantee them a brighter future.

Posted in Development, Emotional DevelopmentComments (0)

How To Help A Child With Anxiety

Toddlers are at a point in their lives where they are discovering new things. However, these discoveries can be frightening for a young child. Here are some effective tips on how to help a child with anxiety.

Respect Your Toddler’s Feelings

Recognize your toddler’s fears. Telling your toddler to stop being anxious or worrying about his fears does not help at all. It will only increase his uncertainties and make your toddler feel like he is doing something wrong by feeling anxious. Let him know it is normal for a person to feel bad or terrified of something and at the same time reassure your little one that you will stay by his side to help him conquer these fears.

Listen

Listening is a skill every parent needs to learn. Listen to your child as he narrates his nightmare about a three-eyed giant with small feet or how uneasy he is meeting his classmates for the first time. Listening is a very effective technique used to help a child with anxiety. Plus, by getting your toddler to talk, you might be able to identify the source of his fear. For instance, you might find out that his fear of the water is actually a fear of sharks, which, you can clarify, do not live in pools.

Help Your Toddler Identify Feelings

Another way on how you can help a child with anxiety is to teach your little one how to recognize his feelings. Help him name different emotions. Demonstrate how others express their fears by saying “I’m scared.” or “Please do not leave me alone.”, avoiding eye contact, raised eyebrows, flared nostrils, wide eyes, tightly clenched mouth, lip biting, busy hands, butterflies in the tummy, quick breathing and distance.

Stick To Routines

Routines are very important for toddlers because they thrive on consistency. Follow his morning and bedtime routine as much as possible. This way, even if there are some changes, he still has something customary to look forward to which helps alleviate his anxiety.

Provide Distractions

Do something your toddler will enjoy. If he loves being active, go outside and play a game of tag or hide and seek. Go for a run around your neighbourhood. Go to the playground so he can spend time with other children. Help him finish jigsaw puzzles. Doing things he is interested in provides a feeling of comfort and security. But, make sure you do not overschedule or you will end up overwhelming an already anxious child.

Teach Your Toddler Relaxation Techniques

Unwinding is also a very effective activity that can help a child with anxiety. Play some soft music and ask you toddler to lie on the bed. Read books together. Teach him to count to ten and to take deep breaths. Do these 10 minutes each day and watch your toddler’s tense muscles let loose.

Reaffirm

Spend time with your toddler. Cuddle him in your lap. Give him a big hug. Talk about happy things. Tell your toddler you love him and show him you have faith in him by saying “I know starting preschool is tough, but I am very sure you will find a way to handle this.”.

Most of all, set a calm example. This is the most important thing you can do to help a child with anxiety. Keep your emotions in check. When you are relaxed, your anxious child will feel your calmness and this feeling will rub off on him.

Posted in Development, Emotional DevelopmentComments (0)

Activities That Boost Emotional Development In Children

Raising children entails nurturing all aspects of their development, and one of those is their emotions. Here are simple but fun activities to enhance the emotional development in children.

Play Dates

Give your toddler a chance to learn cooperative play by joining play dates. Better yet, organize your own play date and ask your neighbour’s kids or children of your relative and friends to come over your house. Provide them with structured yet entertaining activities such as an arts and craft project, decorating cookies, playing with clay, make-your-own pizza or a puppet show. Play dates allow toddlers to practice social interaction which help them hone their emotional skills (respect, sharing, listening, taking turns, etc.) that are helpful in building friendships.

Play Games

Play games with your toddler that will require him to wait for his turn and follow directions such as rolling or kicking a ball back and forth, Memory game, Noisy Animals, Bounce, Balloon Fun and Following Directions.

Household Chores

Assign your toddler things to do at home. It can be as simple as making his own bed, putting clothes in the dryer, setting the table, feeding the family pet or watering the plants. Praise him for a job well done. This gives him a sense of accomplishment and happiness in his own work which makes him feel confident. If he fails, do not ridicule but give encouragement so he is motivated to try again.

Pretend Play

Gather your toddler’s friends, dress them up in different characters or give them puppets. Give them scenarios such as a friend who does not want to share his toy with his playmate and then let them act out how they will handle the situation. Pretend play teaches toddler how to properly deal with situations they might encounter.

Classes or Workshops

If your toddler loves to play ball, enroll him in a basketball workshop or if he likes tinkering with instruments, let him join a music class. Encouraging your little one to join classes and workshops not only promotes teamwork and sportsmanship, but it also teaches your toddler to focus. Plus, being active helps your toddler deal with negative feelings better since he has an outlet for his emotions.

Go Out

Stop spending time indoors and take your little one outside. Visit parks, museums, zoos, stores, public markets or restaurants. Run errands. Let him help you with the groceries. These simple things teach your toddler how to interact with others by imitating your actions. Sooner or later, he will be ready to mingle with people of all ages.

Have Alone Time

Teach your toddler how to process emotions on his own by giving him space. Choose an area in your home with little distractions as his alone spot, place a small table and chair and some papers and crayons, puzzles, blocks or balls. This will serve as his area to get to know himself, his feelings and thoughts.

Nurturing you toddler’s emotional skills is very essential for it teaches him how to deal with different situations he will face later on in life. So start early and follow the tips above!

Posted in Development, Emotional DevelopmentComments (0)

Promoting A Healthy Emotional Development In Children

Instilling good emotional development in children is one of the most important things parents can do in fostering their toddlers. Naturally, toddlers have certain innate emotional abilities, but their understanding depends on their interactions with others during the early years of their life.

Ways to Enhance Your Child’s Emotional Development

Promote Positive Family Reinforcement

Toddlers always want to be asserted with their parents love and support. Thus, it is imperative to praise your toddler’s good behaviors. Each time he does a good deed, congratulate him. Whenever you see your little one exerting effort to dress on his own or fix his toys, give encouragement. If in case expected outcomes are not attained, give encouragement. Avoid scolding and negative criticism. Once your toddler sees that you are ready to listen, he can openly express his feelings without the fear of being judged.  As a result, a strong emotional resilience is created which will help your toddler in his adolescent years.

Give Feelings A Name

Train your toddler to use language rather than actions. This helps your toddler properly express his emotions. Teach him words like happy, hungry, sad, mad or scared. Once he learns how to name his emotions, he can better articulate them. So instead of crying or hitting, he can simply say “I am hungry.” or “I am mad.”.

Set A Good Example

Be your toddler’s role model. Since he likes mimicking his mommy and daddy, be cautious with your words and actions. Deal with your feelings by using acceptable coping methods. If you get mad, go to your room for awhile to give you time to calm down. Or, you can channel your emotions into something productive like cooking or painting. Once your toddler sees you do peaceful deeds inspite of your anger, eventually, he will follow you.

Nurture Him With Your Love and Affection

One-on-one contact is important to toddlers as it conveys the message that they are loved. Every day, never forget to express your unconditional love for your child. Lots of noisy kisses, cuddling, hugging, singing, talking and laughing whether he is happy or sad, cranky or energetic teaches your toddler that he will be loved under all circumstances. The attention you give enables him to properly develop his emotions molding him into a cheerful and likeable individual.

Pay Attention

If you want to learn anything, then you have to pay attention. Your toddler’s early experiences will shape the way he perceives things. Identify what triggers his tantrums and what makes him happy. Exaggerate your expressions by telling your toddler “Do not hit your brother, you wouldn’t want to make him cry do you?” or “The doorbell rang. Let us see who’s there.”. By encouraging your toddler to be more sensitive with his surroundings and the people around him, he can better grow, adapt and adjust his emotions.

Encourage Creative Play

Structured creative play activities like role playing, puppet shows, craft projects, baking cookies, playing with clay and painting lets your toddler express emotions he may have difficulty verbalizing. This allows him to convey his own thoughts and ideas. Plus, it serves as good practice in handling certain situations (e.g. bullying) he might encounter.

Posted in Development, Emotional DevelopmentComments (0)

Use Toys to Enhance Toddler Emotional Development

Toys are your toddler’s best friend. From infancy to early childhood stage, playtime will always be the number one priority of any toddler and toys will always be your tot’s partner in crime. While these things may seem superficial, toys present to be an enjoyable means of preparing the young for life in human society. These toys also play a huge part in a tot’s emotional growth. Along with the aid of parents, nurturing a child’s emotions becomes effective.

Toddler emotional development can be attained through different things. Toys are one of them. With its versatile functions, a toddler’s life becomes fulfilled and healthy. However, take note that toys can only be useful when it is coupled with parental love. Here are some examples of toys that can successfully boost your toddler’s emotional growth.

Puppets

Puppets of any kind such as a sock, popsicle stick or toy puppet can easily generate abstract ideas in a child’s emotions. Not only will your toddler be imaginative in creating these toys but as well as get the value of compassion and respect. The next time you play with your toddler, try holding a puppet show. Your tot can pick out the characters or the story he wants. To make it more fun, make up your own stories out of your puppets. By doing so, it allows your child to feel that he is important therefore increasing his self-confidence. Also, puppet toys allow your toddler’s emotions to be stirred because of the different character portrayals. Your tot will begin to learn the importance of being kind, helpful and courteous.

Blocks

Blocks have always been one of the favorite toys of toddlers. Cognitive and motor skills are not the only toddler development areas that toy blocks can improve. Building blocks for example are a great way to make your child believe in his own capabilities and strengths. Notice how your child calls your attention when he has finished building up something? This is a normal reaction of any toddler. Your tot instantly feels good and satisfied with his work. The sense of accomplishment is so great that he gets eager and confident to create things.

Storybooks

Books are great toys for toddlers. These toys get your child to grow both mentally and emotionally. Read to your child every day, during day and night time. Books are excellent instruments for instilling your child different values. Also, books allow your child to respond letting his emotions open up. A villain character can make your child feel that doing bad does not bring any good while the protagonist can help mold him to become respectful and loving to others.

Teddy Bears

Toy figures are very important to toddlers and these toys serve as the first step towards letting your child know the importance of self-worth and family. You can try buying your child teddy bears and task him to take good care of it. Aside from that, these toys also bring a sense of comfort to your tot. Teddy bears are like a security blanket for most toddlers. These allow your toddler to find comfort during uneasy times. Hugging a teddy bear during his sleep can also banish his being afraid of the dark or of being alone.

Every toy has a distinct function for developing a child’s emotions. It helps him realize the value of being humble, responsible, giving, respectful, loving, and caring allowing him to slowly discover his identity. Self-worth is also boosted letting him be emotionally fit which in turn allows proper emotional development he can carry on to adulthood.

Posted in Development, Emotional DevelopmentComments (0)


advert
  1. We welcome any feedback, questions or comments

Calendar

August 2020
M T W T F S S
« Feb    
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31