Ten Great Ways to Keep Your Kids Engaged This Summer

The summer holidays are nearly here, and as the long summer days stretch ahead of you, it might seem like an impossible task to keep your kids entertained without turning to screens and devices. Luckily, we are here to help! Here are some simple and creative ideas to keep your children occupied and entertained.

Do it yourself

Why not get your kids to make their own playdough, or slime? There are tons of easy recipes online like this and this, which you can follow to help your kids make some colourful playdough and stretchy slime. And once they are done, you’ll get some peace as they sculpt and craft.

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Gather the kids together, give them a checklist of things to find outdoors and unleash them in your garden or the nearest park. A dried leaf, a spider, a chirping bird, a pink flower– have them tick off what they spot. They are guaranteed to have fun and learn with this activity.

Explore your city

Play tourist in your own city this summer. Take the children to a famous landmark in your locality, a well-known park or a walking tour of a historical site or building. Both your kids and you will learn something new about the city you live in.

Kiddie Olympics

Set up some outdoor activities for the kids and their friends. You can organize a lime-and-spoon race, a mini obstacle course, a crab race, hula hoop competition. The options are endless when it comes to outdoor games. This is a great way to get children moving and get some fresh air!

Learn more!

Children are obsessed with everything from planets to dinosaurs. Borrow some books on the subjects that interest them from the local library, and then take them to the planetarium or museum to learn more. They will have a magical time and you will ignite a love for learning in them.

Cooking 101

Introduce your kids to the joys of cooking with simple recipes. You could have them help pound the roti dough and cut out some fun shaped rotis. If it’s a rainy afternoon, bake something together. Get the children involved in the kitchen by having them wash fruits and vegetables, mix together a salad or spoon out ingredients. It’s never too early to learn the basics.

Creative Clothes

Buy some white cloth and give your kids some fabric paint and let them get creative. You can turn the decorated cloth into clothes for their dolls and in the process, teach your children about the basics of sewing. Another cool idea is to use cloth to do a tie-and-dye project with the kids. There are some excellent tutorials online that can guide you through the process.

Children’s theatre

Have the kids and their friends get together and put up a play. They can be in-charge of the story, acting and directing. Have them use things around the house for props and costumes. Once they are ready, they can perform their play for friends and family. It will be a lovely evening at the theatre for all!

Build a quiet corner

Have your kids put together an indoor tent or fort. Give them cushions and sheets to build it. Let it be their Zen zone. It can be the space where they pretend play, colour, work on puzzles and read. The children will be occupied and you will get some quiet time as well.

Last but not least…

Summer Camp

By sending your kids to summer camps, not only will they be engaged, they will also socialize with their peers and learn new skills. At Amelio’s summer camps, your children will be exposed to a range of activities and subjects—everything from robotics and photography to art and nature—taught by experts. Learn more about our facilities and resources and give your kids a summer to remember!

Why Vijayadasami is the Perfect Time to Start Your Child at a Preschool

Admissions open at Amelio's preschool program

Your toddler is one little busy body and you are probably wondering when might be a good time to start her off at preschool. Have you considered enrolling her in a preschool this Vijayadasami?

Vijayadasami is an auspicious time in South India for initiation of formal education for children. It is usually on this day that children start their learning of music and the arts. Since this is a wonderful day for new beginnings, it could also be the ideal time to start your toddler on her preschool experience. Here are some reasons why:

  1. Rituals encourage readiness:

When the child and the parent go through a ritual of initiation, both ready themselves for commitment into that endeavour. If you think about any ritual you follow at home, notice how it requires commitment, planning and involvement. And these three ingredients are key to any successful initiative. When you start your child with a ritual such as the Vidyarambham, there is a greater chance that you are more committed, planned and involved. And that would mean a much easier transitioning process for your child.

  1. Get a head-start on learning

Most schools start enrolling children from June but initiate admissions only around December/ January of the previous year. Your child could greatly benefit from spending time in a preschool environment as a start to her formal schooling. A good preschool program such as Amelio’s will give your child a safe environment with loving and supportive teachers. She will be encouraged to learn through her own initiative thereby building her self-esteem and readiness to formal schooling.

  1. Make those first besties

Usually, many children enroll in preschools around Vijayadasami therefore creating a lovely, cosy group of children and parents who start their journey of education in each other’s company. They form friendships for life and proceed on to schooling and other experiences together. It’s a beautiful way to get your child initiated into learning, also socially.

At Amelio, we have an award-winning preschool program that is designed to enhance your child’s learning outcomes.

We have limited seats for our preschool program and they fill up fast! To know more about how we help your child get a head start, call us at 91760 24000 now!

Five Reasons Why Theatre is Good for your Child

Girl (7-9) looking out from behind stage curtain
Theatre has surprising long term benefits for kids

 

Schools will close soon, and the season is upon us, parents, to figure out the right ways to occupy and entertain our children. Today there are a dizzying array of choices for summer camps – some entertaining, some fun, and some that teach the child a thing or two. Most parents would like their child to learn something that complements their academics. So they veer towards science, maths and chess. But have you considered theatre? Do I see a look of bemusement? Why, you ask, would theatre teach my child anything except to act on stage. And act she does anyway!

There are surprising and long term benefits to an early exposure and interest in theatre. Here are some proven benefits to indulging your child’s theatrical interests at an early age.

  1. Language and Communication

Theatre is story telling in its most compelling form. And story telling enhances communication and language abilities. Children with an exposure to theatre and performing arts and proven to communicate better and more effectively.

  1. Problem Solving

Experts in early education agree that the fundamental skill that children should learn in their early years is problem solving. Children must develop skills that will help them navigate issues in their own social contexts – such as being away from a parent, being in a new environment, playing together with friends etc.

Theatre gives children a safe space in which to hypothetically navigate their many social issues and therefore learn how to solve their own problems.

The result is better cognitive abilities and a much higher level of self confidence!

  1. Social Skills

Children learn empathy through stories. As a story unfolds, children, in a safe way, and without consequences, understand human emotions, social skills and thereby form the beginnings of learning empathy. Empathy is a tough skill to learn. One learns empathy by being in real situations, but sometimes those learnings can be hard. Theatre is a safe and easy way to explore human emotions, social conduct and therefore understand empathy.

  1. Team Work

Theatre is not an individualized art. Theatre requires the collaboration and coming together of many people and many view points. When children learn theatre skills at a young age, they learn to listen, to follow and to cooperate. In today’s increasingly isolated world, these are essential skills for children to learn and internalize.

  1. Self Awareness

Theatre allows children to explore several skills through one integrated experience. In a theatre project or production, children are exposed to script writing, character sketching, sets, dialogues, acting, coordination and operations. Such a varied set of experiences essentially requires children to jump out of their comfort zone and explore areas of interest they may have otherwise shied away from. And through this process, children subliminally understand themselves and their abilities better. And where they earlier feared such experiences, they now face their fears without repercussions. What a way to become self aware!

Amelio has collaborated with Evam to create a special theatre workshop for children between 5-8 years of age. The workshop will introduce children to various aspects of stagecraft and performance. Needless to say, tons of fun and frolic along the way. The workshop is between 21st March and 30th March 2017 from 10am to 1pm.

Call 92822 00444 to register.

Amelio Shares-a-book at The Hindu Lit for Life 2017

Amelio is a proud partner of The Hindu Lit for Life Children’s Festival 2017. On 15th January, Amelio will create and host a “Free Book Exchange corner” where kids can drop a book and pick up a book. All free!

Amelio hopes to encourage children to get into the habit of sharing and caring for books through this initiatives. Books at the Book Exchange corner will be categorized into Book Lovers (Upto 2 years), Beginners (2-3 years), Early Readers (3-6 years) and Reading Champs (6+ years).

So bring a book and take a book at The Hindu Children’s Lit Fest 2017.

Call 90030 88331 for more information!

The Amelio Book Festival

Amelio Book Fest

We have a Book Festival coming up! Awesome events, fabulous prizes and tons of reading. Here are our events

Amelio Book Fest Schedule

The events are being held at Amelio Adyar and Amelio Thiruvanmiyur.

Do look out for our Book Exchange Corner at these centres where you could drop any book, and pick one up. It’s all about sharing the love of books, right?

Not around to be a part of this event? No worries! Just take a picture of your child reading her favorite book and share it on your facebook page. Add #ameliochildcare and #ameliobookfest and win instant prizes from us!

Call 95979 11122 for more information now! Look forward to seeing you at the event!

 

 

 

 

Exciting Mom and Baby Programs

 

Our exciting new Mom and Baby Program
Our exciting new Mom and Baby Program

Our popular Mom and Baby programs are back! This time, we run this program for a 4-week session at our Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur and Sholinganallur centres.

The Mom and Baby program is a 1-hour program which will comprise of any 3 activities from among
  •  Rhymes & Finger Play
  • Book Reading
  • Sensorial exploration
  • Music and Movement
The program offers numerous benefits.
  1. Moms learn to engage a baby appropriately by providing the required stimulation. Moms who attend this program share with us that it has helped them engage with their children better
  2. Child’s exposure to the right stimulation at this age lays the foundation for their development in later years.
  3. A child’s brain develops faster in the first 3 years, and hence the exposure accelerates their cognitive development
  4. Language develops faster when a child is introduced to books. And we show you the most effective way to read to these little Munchkins.
  5. Babies strengthen their exploratory skills and keep their curiosity alive – a necessary pre-learning skill.

Call us now at 92822 00444/ 90030 88331 to enrol. Very limited seats, so call now!