Problem Solving Skills: 8 Simple Ways to Teach Your Child

Children have to face a lot of challenges daily from examination stress to peer pressure.

Researchers have found that children who lack problem-solving skills are at a higher risk of depression and suicidal tendencies. Thus, inculcating problem-solving abilities can improve mental health and sharpen their skills.

Instead of getting frustrated or simply lecturing them, parents should motivate their children to solve problems by themselves to help them become confident, independent, and successful individuals in the long run.

Remember: Parents or teachers shouldn’t provide correct answers but equip them with problem-solving skills to arrive at a solution. The best English Medium School will equip your child with the right survival skills.

8 Simple Ways to Teach Your Child Problem-solving Skills

1. Never play the role of Mr./Mrs. Fix-it

Your child may get frustrated if you offer a solution directly. Allow them to make mistakes but also teach them how to move forward. All they require is a little guidance and set them free to make their own decisions.

2. Motivate creative play

Encourage your child to play with wooden blocks or Lego to make sure their play involves enough challenges and creativity. This way problem solving becomes its own record.

Also read: 10 Ways to Foster Creativity in Children at an Early Age

3. Teach the art of surviving ‘difficult’ or ‘unpleasant’ feelings

Emotions like frustration, disappointment, embarrassment, sadness, shame, regret can be difficult to handle for your child. Like every responsible parent, help them to manage these feelings accordingly. It’s essential to build resilience and coping mechanisms.

4. Offer multiple potential solutions

This can help in facilitating your child’s decision-making skills. Parents should keep the ball rolling by giving options to guide their children. You need to make sure your child doesn’t routinely avoid making tough choices as you issue a default solution.

Nalanda International School (NIS) known as a good English medium school in Vadodara gives the right guidance and support for holistic development.

5. Acquaint your child with the necessary problem-solving steps

Children need to have a basic understanding of identifying their problem. Teach your child to break it into manageable parts to make each task seem simple.

For example: Ask your child to make a list of his/her problems and then find a solution accordingly. Make sure you help them throughout the process.

6. Ask your child to have a support network

Parents, family members, friends and teachers are the primary support system. You need to make this journey easy by holding their hands to reach a destination. While walking the path, you need to observe, learn, and appreciate their efforts to embrace their experiences.

7. Teach them: It’s okay to ask for help

At this tender age, you need to nurture your child well to survive in the long haul. Remind your child that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a brave thing to reach out to make the process easy.

8. Cheer for your child

Don’t hesitate to applaud your child’s effort and tell them that you’re proud of their attempts. This will give them the strength to walk through many such difficult situations.

Every parenting journey is different. Huddle up with your children and mould them into not perfect but an amazing human being. Enrol your child into a reputed English medium school in Vadodara.

Importance of Awards and Certificates for the Development of Students

There are various arguments about academic recognition and whether student awards are beneficial. Some say it is detrimental to those students who do not receive an award. But research recommends recognition for effort and success motivates and encourages participation. Affiliating students with awards and certificates other than academics to sports, cultural activities, etc. motivates them and builds a zest in them to reach their results. Awards are usually distributed to those few students who achieve above-and-beyond. Recognizing students for qualities like dedication, discipline, proactive, participation as well, can increase self-confidence, offer a sense of accomplishment and develop respect in a peer group. This way it spurs improvement among students.

Acknowledging academic, social and behavioural achievements will set students up for success later in life. Nalanda International school, known as a renowned ICSE schools in vadodara understands the importance of awards and certificates for thedevelopment of students. Here are a few reasons why student recognition is essential:

1) Encourages Children to Keep on Learning

Appreciating good behaviour, leadership or the achievement of a goal will teach your children that learning is fun. Whether appreciating students verbally or with medals, trophies or certificates will keep them motivated to learn more and more. Parents should encourage their children to strive for such achievements, stepping every foot towards success.

2) Students Develops Focus and Good Study Tips

Children become even more focused towards their academics, sports and behavioural development and imbibe some good study tips when their performance is appreciated. Make your children understand the importance of awards and certificates in school.

3) Builds Confidence of Children

Certificates and awards builds the self esteem of students. They feel appreciated and optimistic about their performance. The acknowledgements sets as a reminder of their achievement.

4) Award Good Behaviour

Awarding a student who holds discipline and behaves well sets an example for other students as well. When children follow the rules of the classroom, you create a secure environment wherein students can learn without any hindrances.

5) Make Children feel Appreciated and Happy

Identifying your students’ achievements will let them know that you recognize their efforts and are impressed of their achievement. When a student is appreciated, he/she won’t give up on their work and they will realize their importance of doing something that matters. Handling students a customized certificate can turn out to be a perfect appreciation gift which would make them feel happy and motivated.

Nalanda International School strives to be among the top schools in Baroda, indulging knowledge, self-confidence, sense of responsibility and freedom in students for 15 years.

Play some Fun Quizzes and Games with your Child to Relieve COVID-19 Stress

Do you remember the days when as a child, you used to grab your daily newspaper or weekly magazine and start solving puzzles? Decoding those fun quizzes and riddles made you feel satisfied and accomplished, which just made our day! With the storm of the online world, how many quizzes or puzzles that pop on your social media account you have solved? Even today, we have the zest to solve such quizzes, so why don’t our children also indulge in the habit of conquering various puzzles.

Play some entertaining quizzes and puzzles with your child in this COVID-19 pandemic, make the utmost use of your child staying at home. We at Nalanda International School, one of the top schools in Baroda have brought some exciting ideas for the development of your child.

What makes a quiz an interesting classroom tool? Here are 8 reasons for you’re a few minutes of tea-break that might get you thinking about using quizzes in your in-house classroom:

1. Quizzes Boost Confidence

Imagine, the first time when you play a quiz game and score 4/10. This instigates you to remember the answers where you went wrong, and you play again till you reach the score at least 8/10. This urge to accomplish builds confidence in students.

2. Quizzes are Fun

Most of the students’ love playing quizzes in their break hours. And if learning is fun, then we learn better. Playing quizzes can be a few minutes of relaxation with learning and building knowledge.

3. Quizzes help to Retain Information

Reading information is useful, but playing a fun quiz after reading information is even more useful. Your brain retrieves the data, ensuring that it can be used in the future. So, of course quizzes do help us retain information.

4. Quizzes can help in identifying gaps in knowledge

When children play quizzes, they realise the areas of knowledge they lack and come up with ways to improve those areas.

5. Quizzes are less stressful

Playing quizzes at one's home is much less stressful and is effective to test oneself especially for shy children who rarely raise their hand in class for fear of getting a wrong answer and making a fool of themselves.

6. Quizzes are useful for revision

Playing quizzes is a great way to revise the topics your child studies. This way, a child knows where they stand and what areas they yet need to study more.

7. Quizzes make children more enthusiastic.

Playing fun quizzes also makes children feel good and so, makes them enthusiastic about playing more. Basically, the more oftentimes they play, the more extra they will learn. This develops their interest to learn things.

8. Help children to concentrate.

Playing a quiz or games requires concentration. A child learns to focus and with time, learns to concentrate at one task at a time. Unlike reading textbooks, which can make your child distract after a point of time.

Read more: 20 fun activities for students after schools shut down due to coronavirus.

Quizzes and games not only build knowledge but also helps in the personality development of your child. Children are stressed in the pandemic, use some of the stressbuster games mentioned in the blog and make your child play some fun quizzes. Enrol your child in one the best schools of Baroda, Nalanda International School, we believe parents and students both need support and guidance in the COVID-19 scenario. Contact us!

5 Tips to Invigorate Good Behaviour in Children

Every top English medium school will recommend parents to inculcate good parenting and discipline habits that focuses on teaching good behaviour using kind and firm parenting techniques.

Imagine this:

Your 3-year-old preschooler is throwing a tantrum because you poured the gravy on her rice instead of letting her do it herself. She throws up her hands, thrashing back and forth, screaming and crying for what seems like hours. Out of frustration, you shout or even hit your child.

Sounds relatable?

Many of us are guilty of having done this more often than we'd like to admit.

The obvious question is, how should we discipline our child without falling into such traps?

The simple solution is 'positive parenting'.

Positive parenting aims at teaching instead of punishing the child. It means giving your children the attention and appreciation when they behave well or do something good.

Let's give you some practical tips to put this positive approach into action.

1. Be a good role model

Parents are a child's first teachers and role models. Set a positive example by incorporating positive attitude and behaviour within the family.

There's nothing like 'perfect' parents’; we all make mistakes. However, your actions after a misstep can break or shape your child's behaviour.

Make the best of such moments and demonstrate challenging emotions like gratitude, forgiveness, empathy and humanity. Take a moment to talk to your child about what just happened.

2. Be honest about your feelings

If your child was rude with you on the dining table, then tell him/her about how you're feeling. It will help him/her to see their feelings in yours. Frame sentences starting from 'I' as it gives your child the chance to see things from your perspective. The next time they would likely think twice before reacting in a certain way.

Send your child to a good English medium school that incorporates positive teaching techniques.

3. Appreciate the ‘good’ things

Whenever your child says ‘thank you’ when given something or shares his/her toys with other children, don’t hesitate in showering praises and loads of cuddles and kisses.

Remember this: When children have a choice between no attention or negative attention, they’ll often seek out negative attention.

4. Get close to your child to understand them better

You must get close to your children to understand what they're feeling or thinking. Listen to whatever your child has to say to make him/her feel cared. By doing so, you can earn his/her attention, making them comfortable to share anything and everything with you.

5. Keep promises

Your child learns to trust and respect you when you follow through on your promises. Your child knows that now that you’ve promised something, you will never let him/her down. If you’ve promised your child to go to the park, never change your mind. In case you couldn’t make it, then take time to give the necessary explanations to your child. Make a point to fulfil your promise.

Nalanda International School (NIS) is the best English medium school in Vadodara that gives equal and fair importance to both curricular and extra-curricular activities to help children decide and build their own future. We are the right choice for your children as we focus on the overall development of the child. Contact us for more!

Shaping Young Minds through Quality Child Care

Experts have revealed that the early years (i.e. 0-5 years to be exact) are the most sensitive time for the development of children. It is because over 90% of brain growth occurs during this period. Your infant is ready to learn from the moment they are born.

Everything that the child learns in the first 5 to 8 years is considered to be the foundation for their future knowledge and skill acquisition. Parents need to take full advantage and provide quality child care to shape them into better individuals.

Look for the best english medium school in Vadodara that promises holistic development of your child!

The connection between quality child care and development

Studies have proved that enrolling children to quality pre-school centre leads to social and cognitive development. Several brain researchers have revealed that during this age, the child has the greatest opportunity to set the stage for realizing his/her full social, cognitive and academic potential.

According to Nobel Laureate economist James Heckman, high-quality early childhood programs can reduce retention rates in school, decrease the need for special education services, reduce high school dropout rates, lower teen pregnancy rates and prevalence of living in poverty.

Working in a positive environment, along with experienced caregivers, tend to impact children’s brain activity and bring out the best in them. Such a situation also helps children to be helpful, caring and kind.

Parents should engage their children in activities that will enhance their child’s linguistic, mental, physical and social development. It will help them to grow up as socially smart individuals.

In the U.S., about two-thirds of children ranging from 3-5 years are sent to pre-school centres. They are common in India too, owing to the increase in working parents.

The need for pre-school centres will continue to increase as parents are opting for playgroup programs and engaging children in various activities like sensory, physical, and cognitive development.

Make sure you look for some of the below components while selecting one for your child:

• Opt for a pre-school centre that receives a small group of children such that individual attention can be given to every child.

• Brain development depends on consistent relationships. Keep your child with the same caregiver as long as possible.

• Opt for programs that keep the same staff for long periods.

• Choose high-quality programs that adhere to active parent participation.

Over to you!

Nalanda International School offers the most child-friendly methodology apt to suit the curriculum needs and caters to high academic standards. We are one of the Best English Medium School In Vadodara that aims at instilling some of the other moral values and ethics in our students. Contact us for more!

Children with Fewer Toys are more Focused and Creative: Study

Having fewer toys helps children to focus and engage in more creative and imaginative play, states a study from the University of Toledo in Ohio.

If you are thinking to pamper your child with lots of toys, then you are going the wrong way. The above study emphasises that fewer toys can result in healthy play and initiate the cognitive development of the child.

According to the study, about 36 children ranging between 18-30 months were given 4 and 16 toys on alternative days to understand the change in their behaviour. Children playing with four toys exhibited one-and-a-half-times more interactions with the toys.

Such interaction leads to positive implications in terms of the development of the children such as imaginative play, self-expression, physical skills like problem-solving and motor coordination.

While the children with 16 toys had the least interactions and just moved from one toy to another.

It's simple: Children with fewer toys are found to be more focused and played creatively. Nalanda International School - one of the best schools in Baroda also believes in enhancing a child's capabilities, the creative way.

It's finally proven that children are happy with fewer toys.

Too many T-O-Y-S spoil the broth

Eager to know the real culprit?

Researchers claim that the ‘number of toys’ given to children matters a lot. Toddlers don’t have high-level control over attention; this creates a distraction and doesn’t allow them to enjoy their playtime.

Fewer toys help children learn to be possessive about their things, appreciate what they have and develop perseverance.

More toys back them from taking the toys that challenge them since they don’t stick it for much longer. It also acquaints them to play with patience and determination.

A few tips to help you decide the right course:

While buying toys for your child, make sure you answer the following questions:

• Do my children really need this?

• Will it help to enhance my child’s playtime?

• How can I encourage my child to play in the best possible ways?

We are not telling you to stop buying toys for your child. Instead, think if the toy will help in your child’s overall development. You can do this:

• Introduce them to new ways of playing without leaving them confused with a pile of toys.

• Rotate the toys periodically.

• Encourage your child to play outdoors and try to spend more quality time with your little one or even play with your child.

Nalanda International School is one of the best schools in Baroda that focuses on enhancing your child’s potential for holistic development. We always believe that the first step of the child's overall development starts at home and how they are raised.

What more can you do?

Always remember that memories are better than presents. Parents should focus on creating better bonding with planning a weekly or monthly movie date, game night, picnic, bake-in Sunday or weekend meals together.

According to Cornell University psychologist, Thomas Gilovich, “ People tend to look back on memories with more satisfaction than material purchases.”

Invest in free-activities or painting at home. The key is that you need to create more memories than the pile of your toys.

Nalanda International School is the best school in Baroda that focuses on the all-round development of the child in academics, activities and sports. We believe that every child is born with a unique talent and our work is to identify and foster their abilities so that they come out with flying colours.

6 Tips for Developing Healthy Food Habits in Children

Raising healthy children can prove to be a task for some parents, and it isn’t about questioning their ability.

It’s just that children can be stubborn at times. Even when children are admitted to the best playschool in Vadodara, it is possible that they do not learn healthy food habits.

It becomes crucial for parents to keep a check on what goes into their child's tummy. When healthy habits are developed at a younger age, the chances of them sticking for life are higher.

It can be tough to teach the same things as they grow older.

Let’s take a look at the 5 tips that you should follow to ensure that your child grows more healthily.

1. Clean Plate Rule

You need to take away the clean plate rule off the charts. Instead, explain to them the nutritional value of each food and allow them to decide when they’re done eating. Overeating is not a part of a healthy diet. They need to be able to recognize when they’re full.

2. Counting Drink Calories

You don’t need to have your child hear the calorific count of a drink, but you must keep a check on it. Soda and sugary drinks come in the way of your child being healthy. 100% pure juice is an excellent choice, and then there’s always everybody's favourite, milk.

3. Controlling the Supply

Being strict and overbearing is different. When you start stocking your house with more healthy foods than unhealthy foods, your child will automatically begin to steer away from the temptation of wanting to eat less nutritious foods. Their snacks for when they go to the best playschool in Vadodara should include veggies and fruits, that’s how you train them.

4. A New Menu

Is it necessary for children to have junk food when going out for dinner? Pizzas, burgers, and pasta should not be made the standard. Encourage your child to try new foods they see on the menu, talk to them about its taste and have them experiment with their taste pallet. If you’re ordering something unique, let them have a bite or two of it.

Encouragement goes a long way in their development. In fact, emotional intelligence needs to be developed in children as well. Read more about it here.

5. Food Isn’t Love

Indian moms have one way of saying I love you, and it’s not the only way. Instead of showing love through food, change the pattern and start to actually say it. Being attached to food can have them become a stress eater or use food as an excuse to cope with emotions. This is simply unhealthy.

6. Offer Choices

This one will affect how they lead their lives as adults as well. You want to offer them a choice when it comes to food, clothes, and various other things. This is a good habit to cultivate in your child, especially if you’re going to be following tip #3.

Following these tips aren’t necessary, rather advisable.

Improving your and your child’s lifestyle is in your hands. When you begin the process at a young age, you can ensure that their lives turn out to be happier and healthier without the consumption of random foods.

Here’s to raising smarter and healthier children!

At Nalanda International School, Vadodara, we encourage children to develop and maintain good values, ethics, punctuality, and provide the means for holistic development, for which poetry is often used in the curriculum. Since we are one of the best playschools in Vadodara, we have a strict ‘no tuition’ policy, and our students are left with a lot of time on hand that can be utilized for various activities.