Author Archives: Jerry Graves

About Jerry Graves

As a children educator, I pride myself in acquiring various knowledge and methods in order to cultivate the next generation of leaders for our society. As such, I enjoy writing to share my expertise with parents and guardians that are concerned about the development of their children. This platform records my sharing and love for the little ones around me. Hope you enjoy reading!

How to effectively decorate a kids playgroup?

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Are you a school teacher who is planning to before you finalize a playgroup for kids ? There are several ideas you will get but there is a need to select the one that best suits the goals. Kids of the playgroup are at a learning stage in which they should be provided with the right opportunities to maximize their learning. Apart from providing the equipment, it is essential to create an effective and stimulating surrounding as well. For this purpose, here are some ideas to consider for decorating kids playgroup:

Furniture:

As the goal is to create a stimulating environment, the furniture of the playgroup must have all the essentials in it. Comfortable furniture plays a major role in the comfort ability of the kids. If they are comfortable spending time in the playgroup, they will be able to concentrate in an effective way. On the other hand, if the furniture is not comfortable, kids will fail to set their attention towards a specified direction.

Wall decorations:

The next important thing to consider is the wall decorations of the classroom. Interestingly decorative walls can contribute to the better performance of the kids. As they will be looking at different images and pictures on the wall, it will be easier for them to sit and spend a lot of time without getting bored. There are several ideas that can be considered to decorate the walls of the classroom. A great tip is to decorate the wall with the creativities and master pieces of the children. Apart from that, you can spare some space for alphabets or images that will help in the learning procedure of the kids.

Play area:

The next thing that must be included in the kids playgroup interior is the play area. This is what they need the most. A play area within the classroom is essential for inspiring the creativity and imagination of the kids. However, make sure the environment and surroundings of this play area are stimulating and friendly. Also, there should be no shortage of space. Within this area, teachers will be able to encourage students in participating in various activities. This play area can also provide opportunities for the kids to socialize with each other and play at the same time.

Incorporation of decorative supplies:

The next idea that can make a classroom of the kids playgroup much more interesting is the inclusion of decorative supplies. With these supplies, they will be able to engage themselves with a variety of material. As a result, their learning will increase. There are several options of decorative supplies that can be used within the classroom.

The range includes posters, oversized calendars, pocket charts, storage cabinets and bulletin boards. However, it must be noted here that the inclusion of decorative supplies must be done in accordance with the size of the classroom. Oversized and over stuffing will make the area a boring place. Also, the kids will not be able to move freely into the classroom.

Organize the decorations:

There is a lot that can be done if the planning is effective. A teacher will have the liberty to use the decorations in a class room along with the proper organization. For example, a type of equipment can be used which is decorative and has the ability to organize the things at the same time. This is a great way to do two important tasks at one time.

The kids playgroup needs to be decorated in a way that it encourages the learning of kids.

Value Education – Teaching future generations the importance of morals

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Value Education (VE) has always had an integral part in the education system of many countries. However, over the years there has been a decline in this trend. What was once revered and actively practised has now become ‘lame’ or ‘not cool’ and has reached a dangerously low point in active practise. What has happened? How has this happened? Why has this happened?

As active members of society, we need to ask ourselves if we are responsible for the decline of common courtesy and basic human compassion, through our self-centred approach to life. Harsh words, indeed! But perhaps there is a kernel of truth in them.

With the rise in competition and the mad scramble for jobs, what is commonly referred to as the ‘rat race’, has taken a stronghold in our society. Nowadays, with both parents working hard to make ends meet, children are left to their own devices, free to explore new things without parental guidance. In some cases, it may be a good thing as it encourages them to be independent. However, in most cases it is just the opposite. Children are exposed to things they are not mature enough to understand and handle, leading them onto a path that is damaging. And as parents have no time to spend with their kids the teaching of life and morals falls to the teachers in schools.

Most schools have value based education classes for their students. However, more valuable to children and more effective than those classes are the behaviour and interactions of their teachers with colleagues and strangers. For example, as a student, what good is it if my teacher tells me not to cheat people and then cheats someone? To me, the entire lesson has lost its meaning!

Teaching future generations morals is not hard. It is a proven fact that children imitate their parents, elders, role models, etc. Values and morals are best taught (along with classes) if kids see the practical applications, with their parents, teachers and elders behaving honestly, courteously, compassionately, kindly, with tolerance, with sensitivity, non-violently, with concern and respect for oneself and another, etc.

The importance of values is that it helps individuals to ascertain which behaviour and acts are healthy (good) and which are not (bad). Children who have had values instilled within them from a young age during classes where they particpate in activities for toddlers , grow up to be upstanding and extremely productive members of society. They base their lives on working towards the betterment of mankind. Their satisfaction is obtained through emotions rather than transient material gains. And, the former is a better and more peaceful way to live a full life!

To know more, visit http://www.chengzhu.edu.sg/mandarin-centre/adult-accompanied-programmes/playclub/ RSVP now.

What Are The Milestones A Toddler Can Achieve

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Milestones are worth celebrating as you cross obstacle after obstacle to reach your dream. Classes for toddlers too have milestones that their parents set for them as they grow. A toddler’s milestones aim to achieve overall development of the toddler as he learns and imitates new concepts.

These milestones vary from child to child, they are:-

1) Behavioral milestone – a child waving goodbye, playing, listening and smiling are behavioral milestones for a child. Crossing milestone after milestone displays the mental, physical and psychological growth of the child. There are certain standards that help determine the rate of development of a child. Exploring new concepts through touch, taste, and sight helps the child learn faster through examples and tangible objects. Recognition of familiar faces, names and objects are also part of these milestones.

2) Learning milestone – the parent and teacher encourage the child to learn by captivating the child’s interest with interesting teaching tools which keep the child engaged. Certain aspects that contribute to overcoming this milestone are reading to the child every day, identifying body parts, solving puzzles, sorting shapes, improve vocabulary, encouraging curiosity and growing independently. These can be done in interesting ways by which the child does not feel the pressure of learning something new.

3) Judgment milestone – when the child can make a simple but right judgment about what needs to be done in certain situations is what this milestone is all about. When parents and teachers tell children to do something that is called obedience. But when a child is told not to do something and follows through, it shows the child is able to make the right decision based on the teachings given before. Walking too close to water areas like pools, lakes, ponds, and bathtubs is one such example. Playing close to a plug point or electrical outlet, touching appliances, going into rooms that they are not allowed to go unaccompanied, opening drawers containing medication, knives or detergent; all examples of events where the child has to make a decision based on previously taught instructions.

4) Health milestone – when the child is able to maintain a well-balanced diet, a health milestone is conquered. This indicates that the child is playing and has an active lifestyle because of which he eats. Inculcating the values of healthy eating will directly reflect upon the child’s physical health.

Each milestone is crucial for the development of the child. At http://www.chengzhu.edu.sg/mandarin-centre/adult-accompanied-programmes/playclub/, these milestones are essential and also constitutes as the core of the curriculum.

How To Pick Summer Camp Enrichment Classes

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Summer camps are such a natural part of toddler’s lives around the country. Every year hundreds of summer camps are organized by different groups and organizations.  Summer camps provide lifelong skills and memories for your toddlers. Even then, you have to shop around for the summer camp that will suit your goals for your child. No two camps are alike. That’s why you have to raise certain questions and compare several camps before making a decision.

  1. The History of the Camp. There are lots of camps out here. Some are new while others have been around longer. In fact, some have been operating for decades. In today’s world, a summer camp can’t stay open for long if it offers poor services. Staying power is usually a testament to their superior services, excellent staffing, proper marketing and high quality of services. You can also visit the review sites and get the feedback from previous clients before making a decision.
  2. Its Focus and Philosophy. You need to find out what is the focus and priority of the particular summer camp enrichment classes for toddlers Singapore. Is it sports, counselling, career training, motivation, building social skills, religious teaching or is it a mix of all these? How does its focus shape the games, itinerary, skill training and focus of the mentors? While some summer enrichment camps offer generalized services, some have a particular focus on a few areas of interest.

III. Emphasis on creating community. The best camps teach kids on how to get along with others and grow in their ability to be good students and citizens. These camps have the most comprehensive experiences for all toddlers. The other major hallmark of a good summer enrichment camp is a focus on scholarship. That’s because it tends to be the central focus of enrichment for most schools around the country.

  1. Properly Well-Trained Staff. The average number of staffers per child ratio should 1 for every ten campers for kids aged 8 to 14 years. This is ideal since it enables them to monitor what each and every child is engaged in. This ratio can go higher or lower, depending on the activity and the focus of the specific camp. These are issues you can raise with the management prior to making a decision. You should also ensure that the staff does not have a criminal record or history of abuse.
  2. A Communications Plan. The best summer enrichment camps have properly planned communication with parents. They regularly inform you what your kids will participate in. They also have emergency numbers through which you can reach them in case of urgent or emergency issues. The best camps have a consistent and well-spelled-out phone use policies for the campers.

5 Activities to Encourage Preschool Independence

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Introduction. Teaching your kids independence is one of the hardest aspects of raising toddlers. That’s because most parents fear the moment their children will no longer need them to do necessary activities. That sense of losing control causes grief in so many parents of toddlers. However, it’s very critical to teach your kids independence. That’s because at one point, they will need to live alone and be able to take care of themselves. Here are some activities for toddlers to nurture independence in pre-schoolers.

  1. Getting Themselves Dressed. Teaching them how to get dressed is pretty difficult. However, this is more a question of habit rather than skill. Most kids get distracted when they have to dress up. One of the ways of going about this is to incentivise the process. Let them know that they will get a reward if they dress themselves up. Along with this, you have to teach them to pick after themselves, especially when it comes to gloves and socks.
  2. Fixing breakfast or lunch. When it comes to breakfast, there are necessary skills that don’t need your help or supervision. You can teach them how to make waffles in the toaster oven or even prepare their cereal on their own. You can also teach them how to spread butter on their toast. The major issue will be how to teach them that certain foods are not for breakfast e.g. sweets. This is really helpful, given that most mornings are very busy in many households.

III. Preparing toothbrush and brushing teeth. Kids who have older siblings have an easier time learning this activity. That’s because the older sibling can easily guide them. You have to teach them how to squeeze the tube and place the paste onto the brush. You also have to teach them how to brush their teeth and how to clean up after. This can be a very long and messy teaching process.

  1. Putting Away Toys. Misplaced and poorly stored toys are a hazard in the house. One can step on them and slip or get a fracture. They can also be easily swallowed. That’s why you have to teach a toddler how to put them away after playing with them. You have to do it many times until they internalize the process. This is often made harder by the fact that most kids lose interest fast and simply shift to something else after playing with the toy.
  2. Setting/Cleaning Up Table. This training not only builds a sense of independence in them, but also enables them to learn to partner up during chores. It could begin with simple tasks such as taking their own plates to the sink. This could be followed by teaching them how to wipe the table. You could also show them how to arrange plates and cutlery on the table. Soon enough, you can teach them how to clean the utensils.