Category: Education

Book of the Week – The Magic Paintbrush

Posted on by sridevi

Julia Donaldson has mastered rhythmic storytelling for children. This book is yet another reading delight from her stable.

The Magic Paintbrush a rhyming version of the traditional Chinese story in which a child (in this case a girl called Shen) is given a magic paintbrush which will bring to life everything that she paints – provided she only paints things for the poor and needy. When the greedy Emperor hears of the magic brush he demands that Shen paint him a tree of golden coins, and when she refuses he flings her into prison. How Shen escapes the prison and continues to use the magic paintbrush for the needy forms the plot of the story.

As a die-hard fan of Julia Donaldson, I found the narrative to be a deviation from her regular style, which is usually infused with humor. Inspite of this, the plot is gripping, written in simple, captivating verse and the illustrations are very charming.

It is a great read-aloud book for children, and chances are, after a few reads, your child will start narrating it all on his own, thanks to the rhyme.

 

So pick up this book and make this the night-time read for your child today. It’s a journey to a world you’ll both love.

Angry at your toddler? Ask yourself this

Posted on by sridevi

 

Ask yourself just one questionI know better. But I still have those moments with my 5-year old. For instance, she sometimes plays with her food and resists eating what is on her plate. I am usually very patient but there are days when I lose it.

And immediately after, I feel a huge sense of remorse and guilt. So I make it up to her, and explain to her why I got upset, and what I really meant, and after an additional 10 minutes spent undoing that moment’s damage, we move on.

I have often wondered why I get angry at all and here is what I have learnt.

When I see my daughter resisting her food, I subconsciously extrapolate this act of hers far into her future. So while my daughter is playing with her food, I am creating an image of her as a fussy eater through school and college. I am already worrying about her future calorific intake and how I will be judged as a parent. While she is innocently playing with her fork, I am shifting blame and guilt in my mind and making up a set of strategies to “fix this forever”. And all my imagined failures as a parent and anxieties of the future make me explode. All this while my child is desultorily flicking the peas on her plate.

This was a startling revelation, and as I spoke about this with other moms, I realised that this is exactly the reason that most of us moms get angry with our children.

  1. We predict (and worse, assign) characteristics for our children based on their momentary behaviours. Eg: Child disliking parathas at dinner is interpreted as her being a very fussy eater.
  2. We subconsciously judge the “predicted behaviour” of the child and react to that behaviour now. For example, when our children say rude things to us, we immediately worry that our children will become brusque and arrogant teenagers and feel the need to set that right immediately.

Our children live in the NOW. But we don’t. We constantly think and worry about the future in ways that we don’t even realise.

So the next time your child’s behaviour gets your back up, ask yourself this:

Am I most worried that this behaviour will become a habit in the future?

If the answer is yes, drink some water, calm down and tell yourself to forget about the future. Get back to the moment and look at that gorgeous child of yours who is reveling in the NOW. And then, you can calmly deal with what is in front of you. In that moment.

Book of the week – When I Grow Up

Posted on by amelioadmin

The best books for early readers are the ones that allow us to engage in the conversation from the book long after we’re done reading. Such books allow us to take off from the core idea of the book and drift into realms of imagination with our children. When I Grow Up is one such book.

The writing is simple and conversational, exactly the way you would overhear two kids speaking with each other. The illustrations are simple, colourful but highly evocative. Appu and Lola discuss what they want to be when they grow up. Lola, the older one, is the know-it-all and critiques the vivid imagination of Appu and his ambitions. But through the conversations, adults reading the story to children can question stereotypes and break those initial prejudices children just begin to form.

But through the conversations, adults reading the story to children can question stereotypes and break those initial prejudices children just begin to form about gender. It is also a lot of fun to indulge in some interesting dual career combinations – my daughter went on for days about becoming a “spycher” (a teacher who is also a spy) and a “momook” (a mom who is also a cook)!

A great book and most valuable when parents really continue the conversation beyond the book. Happy reading, and do share with us if you had any interesting observations from reading this book out to your child.

Best Books for Children Under Three

Posted on by amelioadmin

Reading books can be one of the most fun and beneficial activities you can do with your child. It is never too early to start reading to your little one. It is never too early to start reading to children. Babies love looking at the colours and hearing your gentle soothing voice as you read to them.

Reading to your child has significant advantages – it creates a strong bond between you and your child as she hears your voice, feels your touch and gets cozy time with you while you read to her. Reading to your children helps them develop language skills through listening and repetition.

Children as early as eight months begin to cue what will come next as you turn pages of their favorite books. They’ll make familiar sounds to imitate the ones you make as you read them their books. We can’t think of a more fun and interactive way to learn!

Here are Amelio’s top five great first books for babies and children under three

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This all-time favorite is a great first for children. Kids love the counting, and the holes in the book as they pretend to nibble through the different fruits as a tiny caterpillar.

Mala’s Silver Anklets by Annie Besant

This book, published by Tulika Books is a delightful story of a little mischievous girl who startles people around her by sneaking up behind them. The illustrations by Nancy Raj are arresting. The repetition of words and fun interjections deliver pure delight to the little reader or listener. This is a highly addictive book; prepare to be asked to read and re-read this by your little one.

Peekaboo Farm by Emily Bolam

This lovely book has flaps and simple, colourful illustrations of farm animals. A great start for children to recognize sounds animals make. The mirror at the end makes for a great way to end the book, because children can’t get enough of seeing themselves in the book.

Grandma and Me by Karen Katz

This lift-the-flap book is great for children as they follow a grandma visiting her grandchild. The simple, short sentences and colourful pictures make for a lovely read to your child.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

This classic is a great nighttime read for children. Children love the repetitive words, rhymes and interesting pictures. It is also a great book to get children into bed because of the nighttime images and quiet and calm descriptions. Moms, this might just be the book that helps get your children to bedtime faster!