What to Teach Young Children From the Bible

Young children can be taught the same Bible truths we adults hold dear, just in smaller pieces. Here is an illustration. Think about what you feed your little children. You give them the same food you eat except in smaller quantities and cut up into smaller pieces (or even blended). Now with the Bible, we can do the same thing. For example, the Bible teaches that Jesus is interceding for us in heaven right now.

Normally, we would think this is too complicated for young children to understand. But they can easily understand if you tell them, “Boys and girls, did you know that Jesus is talking to God about you right now?” In your Bible lesson, all your stories, crafts and activities can reenforce this truth over and over. As an adult, they may never remember when they learned, “Jesus is talking to God about me right now.” But this will be the first thing that comes to mind when they need it most.

Young children need to learn about the character of God, before they learn about their responsibility to God. Once they understand His character, they will want to respond to Him with all their hearts. For example, when they understand that God is love, and that He loves them, they will respond to Him in love.

Different Econony’s Inpact On Child Care

Child care costs are sometimes being axed in family budgets as parents scramble to save dollars in today’s tough economic times. As parents lose their jobs or have hours reduced, less costly child care is sought instead of traditional organized daycare or family child care. And as parents pull their children from these child care programs to save money, childcare providers are finding themselves at risk of losing their jobs due to shrinking enrollments. Reports show an increasing number of daycare centers closing or laying off employees.

How are struggling families coping? Parents may remove their kids from organized programs and make due with having relatives or neighbors watching their kids, having older siblings babysit younger ones, or even leaving young kids at home alone until times improve. While some arrangements can certainly work, others may pose health or safety dangers to young kids. Recent news reports portrayed a mall worker leaving a daughter in a locked car in the parking lot while she worked (checking on her at every break) or of 5 or 6 year-old-children walking home after school to an empty house until evening.

Child care advocates are urging a child care funding stimulus be included in any federal economic proposal being considered. Additional child care funding will help more parents afford quality child care while helping to retain the child care workforce. If quality child care centers close and child care state subsidies shrink or eliminated, working parents have even less options available to them during hard economic times.

Is Your Child Happy With Your Daily Care

Just as most providers plan special field trips for children, why not plan a special “field trip” with your child? After coordinating with your caregiver, plan to accompany your child on a special event or just drop in an visit and help out in the classroom. Then, watch and learn. Do you see happy faces, hear laughter, and observe learning. If so, chances are your child is benefiting from the placement. A key to ensuring a happy child is involvement! An additional plus is that most caregiver will welcome the extra set of helping hands and your enthusiasm!

Middle Tennessee – Back to School Hints

A list of ways for parents to prepare your child’s return to school in Middle Tennessee, get Back to School help and hints to ease into a new school year.

Top things that a parent can do to help develop communication with your child’s teacher

Being prepared for school is the number one thing that you can do for your child’s Education. Studies show that children do better in school, when there is an active involvement from the parents. There are number of ways that parents can do this:

First Impressions
Make sure to attend the Welcome Meeting at the beginning of the year-this is your first contact with your child’s new teacher and your first opportunity to let your child’s new teacher get to know you and your family.

Communications
Once School starts, maintain close communications with the teacher, make sure to find out from your child’s teacher, (every teacher will be different), the most convenient ways to communicate with them.

Volunteer
Teachers always need help. Let your child’s teacher know that you would like to volunteer in some capacity. Most of the time, depending on the teacher’s needs and your interest and availability you can find something, however minuscule, to help with.

Involvement
Become involved in your local PTO (parent-teacher organization). You will have added opportunities to communicate with teachers, and be better informed when you participate in the PTO’s activities and events.

Some tips To Share In Parent Teacher Meeting

Here are a few guidelines to consider before sharing too much at your next parent teacher meeting.

1. Let the school know that that the child is in a foster home and remember to include the foster child’s worker’s information on the pupil information form during enrollment. It would also beneficial to take this time to mention that the child is under stress and will need time to adjust.

2. Remember confidentiality, this means only share what is needed for the care of the foster child. Medical information, safety concerns and learning disabilities are some examples of things that a teacher would need to know. Gossip about the birth family is not necessary information.

3. If school staff ask questions that seem nosy and not necessary be prepared with a quick response such as, ‘I am not sure’ or ‘we are not allowed to discuss.’

4. Do not discuss anything around other children or parents. Children can be cruel and curious about a child in foster care. Your foster child could be faced with teasing or lots of questions causing unnecessary stress.

Kids should Attend The Parent Teacher Cenferences

Parent-teacher conferences are typically scheduled several times each year at schools everywhere, including at many preschools and daycare centers. The meetings serve as a way for parents and early educators to work together to ensure a child’s success academically, socially, and even developmentally. It also provides a prime opportunity to give and get helpful feedback. A new twist on these traditional meetings, however, is inviting kids to sit in on the discussion.

Some educators at school districts and early education settings encourage kids to actively participate in these meetings to help make them accountable for their work and behavior. It also helps to lessen any possibility of information getting twisted or “lost” in the translation between parent-teacher meetings and then subsequent talks between parent and child. Simply put, a parent hearing comments from a teacher while a child is present helps to keep conversations on a truthful path, plain and simple. In addition, since kids will also have a chance to be an active part of the discussion, they can also be a part of any solution concerning behavior or work effort.

Since parent-teacher conferences have not traditionally involved kids, parents who want their child to attend may need to make the request in advance. This allows a teacher time to present information in an age-appropriate fashion. Some may be initially reluctant while others are all-to-eager to involve the child, but a parent should avoid a surprise of bringing a child to participate unannounced. A compromise approach to the debate of whether to include a child or not has sometimes been resolved by having the parent and teacher initially talk alone, and then include the child in a follow-up conversation immediately after.

Montessori kindergarten – What Is It

Montessori education is based on the belief that children are individuals with their own strengths, needs, likes and learning styles. To used the latest educational catch phrases, Montessori education is “multi-modality, differentiated instruction.”

In more everyday terms, Montessorians disagree with the idea that all children learn in the exact same way at the exact same time of their life. They believe that a good teacher doesn’t say, “It is the 4th day, of the 3rd month, of second grade, so open your math book to page 49 and…” Instead we observe each child and ask ourselves, “What does this child understand? What is the next concept this child needs to learn? In which way does this child learn? (Are they observers? Talkers? Someone who needs to physically experience things? Do colors make things more clear? How about singing a song about the concept, will that help this particular child learn?…) What things interest this child so that I can use his/her natural interests and abilities to teach this concept that they need to know?

To achieve this a Montessori classroom is not filled solely with text books, writing paper and pencils. Instead it is filled with many materials that teach a range of levels and concepts all set up so that at a moment’s notice a teacher can reach for a material and teach a student or students the concept they need to know. Or students can reach for the same material and use it in the way that they were taught so that they can practice a concept that they are working on.

Obviously, a Montessori classroom will not look like a normal classroom. Rarely, if ever, will you find the whole class sitting with their books out looking at the teacher show them how to fill in a worksheet. Instead you will see children, some in groups, some by themselves, working on different concepts, and the teacher sitting with a small group of children, usually on the floor around a mat.

Some people talk about the lack of “structure” in a Montessori Classroom. They hear the word “freedom” and think “chaos” or “free for all”. They seem to think that if all children are not doing the exact same thing at the exact same time that they can’t possibly be working, or that they will be working only on the things that they want and their education will be lopsided. Yet, if the teacher is organized this does not happen. Children will be given a work plan or a contract and will need to complete an array of educational activities just like in a more traditional classroom. The main difference being that the activities will be at each child’s “maximum plane of development”, will be presented and practiced in a way that the child understands, and the child will have the freedom to choose which he/she does first.

Other people talk about Montessori children being able to do whatever they want. This is a misunderstanding of the word “choice” Montessori children do have the choice as to which they do first, reading or math. They do have the choice as to which material they will use to complete the lesson, but playing all day, only working in one area, hurting children, themselves or the environment are NEVER choices. Either are eating candy all day, or and so on (All things people have posed in the past about Montessori schools.)

In the past few years there have been more and more studies published comparing Montessori Education and traditional education. Contrary to what some people state, Montessori children DO NOT have problems in social situations, in fact, ALL studies show just the opposite, Montessori children are ahead of their peers when it comes to social interactions.

The most comprehensive longitude research on Montessori Education in comparison to traditional education was published last year by a psychology professor at the University of Virginia, Dr. Angeline Lillard.. Her recent article was so well researched and documented, that it is the only educational article ever to be published in a scientific magazine.

Increase your Child’s Concentration

The power of concentration has innumerable benefits. Children when small are gifted with superior concentration levels which can definitely affect their performance as a human being in all possible areas of importance. you might have a question here: Why confidence is so important for my child?

When a child is small, a child’s focus is not developed that it can perceive life in its most original form. Concentration is required to develop your child’s focus in general. Once your child starts developing a focus, he/she can gain expertise in all areas of life as and when required. Thus, concentration is essential to develop a child’s focus in the most brilliant manner.

Another thing: A child’s capacity to discover life in the most beautiful way can only be done if the child’s focus is clear. Hence, to develop a clear focus, a parent must encourage steps such as games which improve your child’s concentration levels drastically.

Teachers Vs Computers – A Tough Battle

It seems to be a very arguable issue whether the computers may replace the teachers and whether the machines may be better than people in teaching. There are two reasons for me why human-teachers are more beneficial for pupils.

To begin with, in school child is learning not only how to read and write, but also how to interact, communicate and respect others. In other words, if live is a social experience, the school is the foundation of it. The contact with teacher lays the basis of relationship with elders and superiors. Without this contact, which is likely to happen using computer-teacher, the child may suffer to some extend.

Beyond the lack of socializing, there is a chance that children will also lack the supervision. Without a careful eye of a teacher pupils are likely to use aids which are not allowed while writing a test, for instance. This, in turn, may cause a decrease in pupil’s knowledge while achieving better results.

Finally, teachers who are really enthusiastic about their jobs perhaps are able to inflame the interest in the subject, whereas computers do not have such opportunity. Inspiring teaching method might influence the future path of a child, or, that is more possible, may help him learn efficiently and faster.

To sum this up, for me humans are far more preferable than machines, for they are capable of giving a social experience, supervision, and absorbing with a subject.

Parents Should Teach Their Child To Respect Their teachers

Apart from parents, teachers play a major role in shaping up the future of children. Teachers love their profession simply because one, they get the opportunity to pass their knowledge and secondly they have a passionate attachment with their subject and job. Yes, money is one factor but then that is one-off case. Having said that, teachers must be accorded the highest respect but that’s easier said than done. Most of the children are not exactly fond of their teachers because of homework, punishment, and discipline etc kind of things.

So how your child treats his teacher? This is a very important question because the attitude of your kid will also reflect your attitude towards the teachers. For parents, it is important to talk in a respectful way about the teachers. Hey should not indulge in any sort of bickering or low-talks when confronted about teachers. It’s true that few teachers command respect but few others who have mild nature and more light-hearted in nature ten to suffer more from tantrums of kids. Parents must guide the kids where to draw the line when indulging in pranks or jokes.

Children are quick learner and when it comes to learning slangs or abuses, they get it in even more quicker time. Parents must take notice of any behavior or words that indicate abusing of teachers by the child. It should not be tolerated at all. A child who abuses teacher will simply show what kind of upbringing he has received. There have been instances of students using abusive language with the teachers and that’s a poor sign.