Cognitive Therapy for Children

It is distasteful but true that panic attacks children! It is more agonizing because they are innocent and highly vulnerable. Most parents think that their children are under no pressure of bearing life’s responsibilities, meaning they are kept away from stress and worry. But this is more a misconception than reality, in fact panic attacks actually effect children, but the nature of how they effect and form is a little different.

Before dealing with the safe ways to treat panic attacks in children, let us briefly discuss the term ‘Panic Attack’.

The AACAP (an American research department of children) defines Panic Attack as “recurring periods of discomfort or/and intense fear, besides an amplified heartbeat and longer interval of breath. This period of time is called ‘panic attacks’ and can survive somewhere between a couple of minutes to quite a few hours.”

In order to prevent panic attacks in children you should observe the reasons and influences under which panic actually effects the child. First of all try to work out his/her past happenings and observe their daily behavior. Panic attacks in children can be easily treated by knowing and identifying the root cause. So following, are 3 safe ways you can follow to treat panic attacks in children:

1. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in children – The child who feels too much anxiety about upcoming events, family, friends, conversations, or any other event, are commonly influenced by generalized anxiety disorder. Therapy and relaxation techniques are most effective ways to treat children influenced by GAD.

2. Separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in children – At the time of separation from parents or loved ones, commonly a child can experience panic. The cause of separation may be studies, i.e. boarding school. Try to make your child understand the reality of life, as well as train them to cope with emotional stresses. This simple and natural method is very effective when panic attacks children.

3. The fear factor of attending school after a long academic holiday – Commonly, a child can panic when school resumes after long school holidays. Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) are useful in treating such panics: - Positive reinforcement like a reward system for attending school – Systematic desensitization- A technique used in behavior therapy to treat phobias and other behavior problems involving anxiety can both help to treat panic attacks occurring in this situation.

4. Anxiety and panic usually arises through something happening within the child’s life. Sometimes it may be school and other times it may be a life experience such as a death in the family or parents separation. There are self help guides available online that can help to treat Anxiety and Panic, however severe! This may be an avenue that is worth taking!

If you feel your child is suffering from panic attacks, you should refrain from getting worried; such symptoms are not abnormal and are easily curable. Just follow the above mentioned safeguards and in most of the cases you may find it effective. There are also self-help methods available to treat anxiety and panic attacks in both adults and children and they may also be worth looking into if you feel your child suffers severely.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychological treatment that helps children and adolescents experiencing anxiety disorders, depression, Obsessional Comulsive Disorder (OCD) or trauma (PTSD). It is also used as part of effective parenting programmes.

You will find on this website articles for parents and professionals about CBT .

We have also included many articles on parenting skills (scroll down or click on our tags).

You can also find reviews of useful books and DVDs resources that will help you as a parent or professional working with children and adolescents.

The words “Schools Out For Summer” strike joy into the hearts of children and often a sigh of relief for parents who are just as eager to take a break from homework as their progeny. However taking a complete break from the books for the entire summer can be problematic.
Studies have shown that children forget between 1 and 3 months of school during the summer vacation. While reading is the least effected, the most impacted subjects are spelling and math. Obviously it is important for children to have time to play and relax — to just enjoy being kids during the summer. Children should not be pushed into a high-pressure study schedule over summer vacation. But parents can take steps to slow down that loss of knowledge and erosion of skills.
First and foremost, keep children reading over the summer but try to work in some nonfiction as well as fiction onto the reading list. Take a lesson from many experienced teachers and pick a few spelling words from the books children are reading. Perhaps tie test results into some special summer reward and you will have eagerly awaited spelling bees.
Writing is one skill that often erodes during summer, but you can give children a writing journal and a weekly goal. They can write about whatever you think will interest your child. They can report on their baseball games, make up elaborate games, or simply report on the books they are reading. There are lots of great writing prompts out there for kids if you run dry of ideas. It does not matter so much what your child writes so long as they spend time writing so they can work on handwriting skills as well as keep in the groove of putting words on paper. One easy writing prompt is to have the child describe people, places, objects, pets and other animals, insects, and games. Lists are another easy writing prompt — favorite things, worst things, etc. Then on another day you can use those descriptions and lists to generate another writing prompt.
Math skills might seem the hardest thing to work on during summer but in fact these can be the easiest. Math does not have to come out of a book and you can easily work a lot of math lessons into those long car rides or plane trips as you go on a family vacation. Try counting car headlights (counting by 2s) as you drive or fingers in a restaurant or plane (counting by 5s). Find various shapes around the house and then trace them to create yet more complex forms. Get the kids involved in cooking and learning about measurements. Give the kids a ruler and notebook and tell them to measure various objects around the house. Empty out your pocket change and have the kids sort it and create word problems with the coins.
There are lots of activities you can do at home without the expense of special tools, workbooks or programs that will actively engage your child in learning and help keep their school skills sharp. They will not even notice they are learning because they will enjoy these projects so much.

Study skills are a subject that is breezed over by students around the world. Each student has a different learning style that needs to be optimized.  When you compare two students one seems to naturally grasp the importance of good study skills.  Another student may face challenges because they don’t know were to start.  Students need to get their minds focused on learning something new every day.  It’s easy to see why students are distracted because study skills are taking second place to all of the technology. Students make sure that their ipods and cell phones are working. They offer a more convenient way to mentally escape from their obligation to study..

Teachers complain about their students poor study habits.  Their student’s lack of study skills is clearly evident on the first test of the school year.  Many students and parents struggle with having a good study plan.  Of course most parents would love for their son/daughter to earn an A+ in every class.  Most parents know the value of good study skills but they struggle to convince their student of its importance.

Good study skills begin with the altitude in the attitudes of students.  A student with good study habits realizes that it takes time to memorize information and to give it a personal meaning.  They know that studying for 20 minutes after school will not lead to success.  Students need a study guide that will teach them how to study.  Books such as the “Seven Secrets of How to Study” offer effective study skills strategies. Students need test taking tips that will launch them into a successful academic year.  There are seven ways to optimize your study skills:

1.         When you read the assigned text book write notes about important points. 

            Review your additional notes everyday.

2.         You can improve your study skills memory by using 3 x 5 cards to review

            important terms.

3.         Create study skills activities that you will use every week.  For example have a weekly session where you write down important facts on a sheet of paper using your memory alone.

4.         Start your own study skills lesson plan for each subject.  Your study skills lesson plan should include test taking ideas that you will use for each class.

5.         Don’t allow test anxiety to creep into his emotions.  Reduce your test anxiety by spending more time preparing for each test.  Spread your test preparation time out over five days.

6.         The main helpful study skills resource is your teacher or tutor.  Don’t be too prideful to pursue help when you need it.

7.         Write down notes on important facts so that you can review them the morning of your test.  If you are involved in a math or science course write out all of the important formulas on one sheet of paper and review these formulas the morning of your next test.

Study skills as a way of life is the key to your success in school.  Prepare a list of questions before you go to class.  If your questions are not answered during class meet with your teacher or send an e-mail that contains your questions.  You need to be pro-active in using creative study skills activities that tap into your own learning style.

Lastly, maintain a positive attitude and don’t let test anxiety overcome you.  Expect to have success on every test and you will.  A belief that you will fail will lead to failure.  Develop a new study skills list each day and follow it.  Implementing all of these study skills strategies will lead to a successful learning strategy and the best grades possible.

Every Parent’s Nightmare

Most of the parent-child conflicts are those centred on daily activities like going to bed or waking up, limitations of going outdoors and school homework. Many parents feel as they are engaged in a constant power struggle with their children. Parents feel frustrated and worn out and the children feel questioned and irritated. In cases of extreme hostility between the two, a child may feel threatened and determined to resist his parents’ wishes.

Authoritative Parenting?

Some parents are prone to threatening or using extreme authority over the children. They tend to make many demands and enforce them with punishment or promises. When the child crosses teenage years, such parents usually find themselves involved in a bitter struggle with their child. Even if children aren’t immediately resisting parental demands, parents could still be generating a negative environment every time they attempt to exert supremacy over the children.

The Dilemma

Most parents want their children to have the characters and the skills which enable them to make the best choices in life. However, they seem to ignore the fact that these skills can’t be developed if a child develops a fear of blame or parental punishment. Anger and resentment is common among children today as they try and fight out the level of parental control exerted on them. These negative feelings of anger and bitterness are sometimes expressed through self-destructive habits that a child develops. Many such children become violent at school, start using abusive behaviour or may get hooked on to bad company and the use of alcohol or even drugs.

Finding a Solution

Peaceful parenting begins from the time children are toddlers. The child at that age has to be made to realise what is wrong and not acceptable. The best way to make him follow a rule is leading by example. Again, to let him feel empowered, try and make the child responsible for certain household issues when he grows up. This could include taking care of the toolbox or buying the weekly quota of fruits for the family or keeping an eye as to which member of the family has been overspending. This process combines self-realisation and responsibility for the child. These skills help to create children who can embrace understanding and peace and are at ease with the idea of being disciplined and liberated at the same time.

Teaching reading skills is a wonderful gift that you can bestow to your child. In today’s fast paced technological age, reading as a hobby and for pleasure has taken a backseat. Children are so involved with television programs, extracurricular activities, friends and computer games that they hardly have any time for exercising their reading skills. Now, even if there is no harm is watching television or being engrossed with computer games, they don’t come anywhere near reading in terms of the benefits that it imparts to your child. Reading has the potential to open up a whole new world for your child and by indulging in this activity, your child will have an active imagination, great vocabulary, identification and empathy with other cultures and a broader vision of life.
If the merits of reading are so manifold, shouldn’t you as a parent be taking a more serious interest in teaching reading skills to your child? Many parents are cognizant of the important part that reading plays in the personal development of their children but have no clue about the ways of inculcating the reading habit in their kids. This article will provide suggestions and tips that you can use to make reading a very attractive option for your child. By doing so, you will be ensuring that your child is never lonely and has trusted friends (in the form of books) to guide and illuminate him throughout his life.
It is never too early to plan the development of reading habits in your child and a great way of teaching reading skills is to start when your child is merely a toddler. At this stage, your child is not equipped with the ability to read, but you should never let this be a drawback and come in the way of your child’s enjoyment with reading. Reading out to your child can help in enhancing his language skills at a very tender age. Even if your child does not understand everything that you read out, she will enjoy hearing your voice. If you combine this with interesting and exaggerated facial gestures as well as a nice range of voice modulation, your child will look forward to reading time with you.
With very young kids and toddlers, buying books with beautiful pictures is a way of capturing their interest. So, when you read out to your child, she will have the added pleasure of gazing at the pictures to her heart’s content. As your child grows up, you can start reading together since this is a great method of teaching reading skills. You do not have to restrict reading time to the home, but can also extend it to other places. So, rather than getting bored while waiting for your appointment with the doctor or waiting for your order in a restaurant, you could resort to reading with your child. This will not only help improve communication skills and thinking abilities, but it will also make your child feel as if she is sharing a secret pact with you. After all, how many people do you usually find reading in public?
Reading time with your child should be kept flexible so that your child can air her opinions or thoughts about the characters in the book when you are actually involved with the process of reading. You could also contribute by asking pertinent questions that set your child thinking about the book from a different perspective. Teaching reading skills in such a scenario will present no problems and will come very easy to your child. If you make this routine a part of your daily activity, your relationship with your child will also improve along with her reading skills. Another reason for the importance of regular reading is that children who take large breaks find it difficult to return to the reading hobby.
However, this does not mean that you force your child to read. There will be times when your child is a voracious reader while at other times; he will be totally disinterested in reading. You need to respect the different phases that your child goes through rather than being critical about his lowered pleasure in reading or the kind of books that are being read. What you can do is to have books lying at strategic points in the house, so that he is tempted to pick one and start reading. To do so, you do not necessarily have to spend a fortune in buying books as second-hand bookstores and yard sales will give you plenty of opportunity of buying good books at affordable prices.
If your child has an extremely busy schedule that allows no time to read, you could pick up collections of short stories or other magazines which do not take too long to peruse and ensure that the reading habit does not die down. An innovative way of teaching reading skills is to find taped books that can be listened to when you are driving your child to school or some other activity. Taking a trip to the library once a week along with your child is another way of introducing him to the world of books. You could even direct him to a book series meant for kids of his age since children usually get addicted to the characters that inhabit such a series.
Apart from this, you could also let him have a monthly allowance for books in addition to his pocket money. Teaching reading skills by doing so will be money well spent and your child will start building a list of books that he wants to buy each month. By arousing this kind of an interest in your child, you are ensuring that the reading habit will be a life-long one rather than short-lived and sporadic. Gifting books on birthdays and other special occasions is again something that you can do for obtaining the desired results.
Every child likes to have his/her own room in the house. If you extend this idea and create a small and exclusive reading area for him in the house, you efforts will be truly appreciated. Making this space special by arranging all your child’s favorite books and posters in an attractive way will enhance the appeal of this place for your child. Teaching reading skills could be reinforced by allowing your child to read late into the night on a Friday or a Saturday and dispensing with the bedtime rules on this particular day. Most children will lap up this chance as it is a deviation from their normal and boring routine.
Finally, you need to communicate to your child the enormous amount of pleasure that you yourself derive from reading. A child who sees his parents reading frequently and for fun will do so himself without too much persuasion on your part. So, teaching reading skills will be a lot easier for the parent who is an avid reader. In other words, make reading an integral part of your lifestyle and you will have an intelligent child who is bitten by the reading bug.

Kids can be picky about who they play and mix with.Popularity should not be confused with sociability. A number of studies in recent decades have shown that appearance, personality type and ability impact on a child’s popularity at school. Good-looking, easy-going, talented kids usually win peer popularity polls but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee they will have friends.Those children and young people who develop strong friendships have a definite set of skills that help make them easy to like, easy to relate to and easy to play with.Here are twelve essential skills that children have identified as being important for making and keeping friends:1.  Ability to share possessions and space 2.  Keeping confidences and secrets 3.  Offering to help 4.  Accepting other’s mistakes 5.  Being positive and enthusiastic 6.  Starting a conversation 7.  Winning and losing well 8.  Listening to others 9.  Starting and maintaining a conversation 10. Ignoring someone who is annoying you 11. Cooperating with others12.  Giving and receiving complimentsFriendships skills are generally developmental. That is, kids grow into these skills given exposure to different situations and with adult help.In past generations ‘exposure to different situations’ meant opportunities to play with each other, with siblings and with older and younger friends.They were reminded by parents about how they should act around others. They were also ‘taught’ from a very young age.Arrested developmentThe NEW CHILD grows up with fewer siblings, fewer opportunities for unstructured play and less freedom to explore friendships than children of even ten years ago. A parenting style that promotes a high sense of individual entitlement rather than the notion of fitting in appears to be popular at the moment.These factors can lead to delayed or arrested development in these essential friendship skills, resulting in very unhappy, self-centred children.Here are some ideas if you think your child experiences developmental delay in any of these essential skills or just needs some help to acquire them:(1)  Encourage or insist that kids play and work with each other: Allowing kids the freedom to be kids is part of the message here but parents have to be cunning with the NEW CHILD and construct situations where kids have to get on with each other. For some kids “Go outside and play” is a good place to start!!(2)  Play with your kids: Interact with your kids through games and other means so you can help kids learn directly from you how to get on with others.(3)  Talk about these skills: If you notice your kids need to develop some of these skills then talk about them, point out when they show them and give them some implementation ideas.Kids are quite ego-centric and need to develop a sense of ‘other’ so they can successfully negotiate the many social situations that they find themselves in. As parents we often focus on the development of children’s academic skills and can quite easily neglect the development of these vitally important social skills, which contribute so much to children’s happiness and well-being.

So you are a new parent? Congratulations! Welcoming a new child into a family is an exciting, thrilling time. It can be scary, too, of course. And rightly so. No where else in life will you experience the rollercoaster of life more than in the game of parenting. I know because I have four children and have been parenting for more than two decades. What words of wisdom for new parents can I offer you? Well, if I was to start all over with my kids, I’d want to know that there is an art and a science to the skill of raising a child.
The Art of Parenting.
This is the heart of your parenting. You love your child. You want the very best for him. You envision years of happy times together. This is all good! The feelings and desires you have for your family will motivate you when times get tough. And you can be certain, times will get tough. It’s simply the nature of the beast.
You can establish strong heart bonds with your child by intentionally cultivating the relationship with her. Starting as a baby, spend time with your little one. As one who has been there, done that, I can assure you there is no substitute for time spent with your child.
Get to know this new human. Figure out her personality, her quirks, her talents, her frustrations. This will do several things for both of you as your child grows.
* Allow you to be the person she trusts. Your tender knowledge of her will prove your trustworthiness to her time and time again. She will know you are the person she can come to, anytime, with anything. This will be invaluable all through her young life, and especially as she travels through the teen years.
* Give you knowledge that will help you guide her through the pitfalls she must traverse. Instead of wringing your hands and worrying, you will be in a much better position to take positive action as necessary. Remember, you cannot control your child, but you do have tremendous influence over her as her parent.
* Cause you to deepen your love for your child. Whenever you deepen a relationship, the result is a tighter bond. Yes, I’ll admit this is why you will hurt at times over your child. But deepening your love for your family is what will enable you to make the necessary sacrifices to care for them in the ways they will need.
No one said parenting is easy. But it can be extremely rewarding.
The Science of Parenting.
This is the head or thinking side of your parenting. This is where you apply all the skills you use in other areas of your life to improve yourself as a parent.
For example, you probably had some sort of education to be trained in your current job or career. Perhaps it took you years to learn your career skills. Perhaps it was simply a matter of on-the-job training. Whatever it was, you knew there was a learning curve involved. You may have continuing education requirements for your career, as well.
Thoughtful wisdom in parenting dictates there is also a learning curve. This is definitely an on-the-job type of training, but you needn’t feel overwhelmed. Parenting is the most popular career field on the planet. There is no shortage of books, seminars, classes, and mentors available to you concerning this topic.
Like any career, you’ll need to do a little research to determine which voices to listen to. I recommend making a list of all the parents you know who are raising their children in ways in which you respect. These are the voices to begin to listen to.
Be flexible in your parenting. What works in one season of your family’s life may not work as well in another. And what works beautifully with one child may fail miserably with another child. As you maneuver through the science of parenting, let your heart (art) be your guide. I am a firm believer that no one knows a child the way that child’s parent does. As you listen to other parents and learn through parenting resources, listen with your heart. Will this material work in my family? Could I adapt it to work more specifically for my family’s situation? Feel free to try parenting ideas and make adjustments over time. Very few ideas will work the first time, but many ideas will be invaluable over the long haul.
The last bit of wisdom for new parents I’d like to offer is this: give yourself a break. If you are loving your child and working to learn what you can about the parenting game, you are probably doing a wonderful job. Kids are flexible and can stand up to most of our mistakes. Have a humble and grateful heart and be determined to do whatever you need to do as a parent and you’ll do great.

ABSTRACT

The importance of parental involvement as an accelerating and motivating factor in their children’s education is a worldwide-accepted fact. This research project provides an in depth explanation along with specific reasons, the importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s education. It also discusses the parenting techniques, their types and their consequences if neglected. It also describes the ways to measure the outcome of the positive parental involvement. Furthermore, it mentions the teachers involvement and the difficulties faced by the teachers in getting parents involved in their children’s (this is further supported by the examples of two teachers who with their deliberate efforts won the parents over to devote their maximum attention towards their children), single-parent involvement, children’s own efforts to improve their academic levels and joint home-school based interventions. A detailed analysis of the different main ideas is given, based on the findings from other research surveys and projects.

INTRODUCTION:

Parental involvement can be seen to fall into three types: 1) Behavioral, 2) Intellectual and 3) Personal. The research explores the effect of multi-dimensional participation of parents and the resulting progress of children in their studies when different parental resources were dedicated to them. Actively participating parents help their children in their academic development by going to schools and participating in open houses. By keenly observing the behavior of their children they can rightly judge the kind of behavior or the allocation of resources required by their children. Such caring parents can also motivate teachers to become more attentive towards a particular student, thus maintaining the cycle of parent-teacher involvement. Encourage Building up cognitive and perception abilities in a child are a major concern in the upbringing of the child. The way the parents involve their children in cognitive learning is by exposing them to different cognitively stimulating activities and materials such as books, electronic media and current events at home. This helps the child to practice all sorts of language comprehending skills at the school. The results show a remarkably positive behavior at the school and with peers.

Two parenting processes namely the Supportive Parenting (SP) and Harsh Parenting (HP) helped a lot in the research of parental involvement in their children’s education. By adjusting the levels of supportive parenting, different levels of successful outcomes were observed. Supportive parenting in even kindergarten students yielded positive results. Four measures of supportive parenting were used in the study, they were:

1. Proactive teaching.

2. Calm discussion in disciplinary encounters.

3. Warmth.

4. Interest and involvement in peer activities.

The assessments were conducted when children entered kindergarten and when they reached grade 6. There was a factor noted to hinder children’s development: family adversity. It was the result of a multipurpose negative process that included the risk of low socio-economic status, single-parenting and family stress. Child maladjustments were found to be more common in families with such adversities. No matter how much negative impacts were cast, SP was found to overcome the risks associated with family adversity. SP was strongly related to adjustment procedures in grade 6 children who had single parent family or experienced low socio-economic status (SES) in their early childhood.

In a way to socialize their children, parents adopted the techniques of calm discussion and proactive teaching. They helped lessen the behavioral problems by carrying long discussions with their children, cultivating in them a sense of respect, calmness and peace of mind. Mothers also participated actively in reducing the peer stress among their children. It is also a widely accepted fact that supportive parenting plays an important role in the children’s development of empathy, prosocial behavior and emotional competence. On the negative side, the absence of supportive parenting may be related to the development of internal problems such as anxiety and depression.

Lack of the necessary parental care and attention is the main factor for the subsequent rise in the percentage of juvenile delinquency (crime among children). The absence of parental instructions causes children to develop irreversible behavioral and emotional problems. They in order to seek attention, resort to crimes thinking that in this way they could fulfill their wishes. They may revert to uncontrolled violence if not kept an eye upon. Such criminal activities cannot be brought to a halt until their distressing symptoms of low self-esteem, depression, dysphonic mood, tension and worries, and other disturbances are relieved. And the importance of parents’ role in this regard cannot be over-emphasized.

In an effort to describe parental involvement, many researchers use a term “Transition”(Lombardi, Joan). “Transition” is used to describe the time period in which children move from home to school, from school to after school activities, from one activity to another within a pre-school, or from pre-school to kindergarten. The untiring endeavors of teachers in the phenomenon of transition cannot be ignored. They prepared the children and their parents to face the problems of adjusting to elementary school programs that had different psychology, teaching styles and structure than the programs offered at the kindergarten level. In the elementary level schools the teachers had to face serious challenges in motivating the parents to take interest in their children’s activities. The teachers adopted different methods to involve the parents in day-to-day classroom and home activities. They used to send notes, invitation of parent-teacher meetings, invitation of parental guidance sessions and training sessions, continuously directing the parent’s attention towards their children. Patricia Brown Clark suggests that it is very important to keep the line of communication between teachers and parents open, so that the parents can interact with the teachers and get up to date information of their children’s school activities. One way to involve parents is to schedule school events and arranging classroom activities such as volunteering for libraries, acting as classroom aides or efficiently organizing lunch breaks. The teachers also opt for making phone calls at the children’s houses to keep in touch with the parents and getting to know the extent to which they are contributing towards the welfare of their children. Apart from the above activities, the teachers also assign home activities for both the parents and their children so that the parents remain indulged in their children and the children get to study at home. However, it was a bad and disappointing experience for the teachers when many of the parents failed to respond as expected. Many of the parents were so overwhelmed with their official work that they could hardly take out some time for their beloved children.

Moreover, for some parents their schoolings were not positive and character-boosting experiences, therefore they preferred to keep a distance from their children’s school as well. This made it really difficult and at times impossible for teachers to bring the parental involvement to the desired level. Nevertheless, the activities of two teachers proved greatly fruitful in making parents involved in their children. They were Carlos Valdez, an art teacher and 8th grade class sponsor, and Mike Hogan, the school’s band director. They did it by involving parents in music festivals and other school ceremonies. They proved to be great examples for the future teachers to come.

If the children’s academic development programs are to prove successful they must share two characteristics:

1) Developmentally appropriate practice:

A child’s academic progress is clearly reflected by the appropriate practice he/she administers while in school life. During transitions from pre-school to kindergarten, a child if given the exact developmentally appropriate practice tends to learn a great deal of language and playing skills. He develops a keen interest in exploring his environments and interacting (without hesitation) with his adults.

2) Supportive services:

These include the assistance that the school provides to low-income family students. The services include health care, childcare and community care. This strengthens the relation between school and children and creates a sense of security and confidence among the children. They get to learn that their communities are a part of their school since the school’s supportive services strive to help community development.

It is commonly believed that children are good self-teachers. Their self-initiated strategies help improve their expression, creativity, intellectual capabilities and extra-curricular skills. This idea is proved by the documentation of young children’s work provided by Reggio Emilia :

“The Reggio Emilia educators highlight young children’s amazing capabilities and indicate that it is through the unity of thinking and feeling that young children can explore their world, represent their ideas, and communicate with others at their highest level.”(Edwards, Pope. C, Springate, Wright.K)

The climax rests in the fact that how the parents would know that their sincere involvements are really proving worthwhile for their children. The answer lies in the attitude of the children. The degree of parental involvement can be judged by a child’s attitude towards his school subjects, his academic desires and achievements. There is a direct relationship between academic achievements and the attitude towards school. Schunk in 1981 had the following idea of aspiration or academic desires:

“Level of aspiration is defined as one’s subjective probability that he or she will reach a certain level of education.”(Abu, H. & Maher, M)

As a result children who received adequate parental concern were found to be much more confident in their academic desires and achievements than those who could not get the right amount of parental concern. The individual involvement of mothers and fathers also plays a vital role in the behavioral development of a child. Students from one-parent household were observed to show less positive attitude towards schools and studies as compared to students from two-parent households. One study aimed at investigating parental concern showed that despite mothers’ sincere endeavors, the role of fathers could not be ignored and both served as an important foundation for the future progress of the child. This can be proved from the following fact:

According to a recent report from the National Center for Educational Statistics (1997), compared to their counterparts, children with involved fathers are more likely to have participated in educational activities with their parents (e.g., to have visited a museum or a historical site with their parents in the past month), and are more likely to have access to multiple types of resources at home as well (as measured by the proportion of parents who belong to community or professional organizations, or regularly volunteer in the community). (Flouri, E. And Buchanan, A, Pg.142)

Also, the parental involvement has been discussed and implemented in terms of interventions or prevention programs, which are nothing but safety measures taken to assure healthy and perfect upbringing of the child. The study uses school-based and home-only intervention programs to find out the extent of intellectual capabilities found in children from different family backgrounds. The success of one school-based interventions can be proved from the following fact, which was a part of “Education Service Improvement Plan 2001-2005” of Edinburgh:

—-The Scottish Executive Discipline Task Force, which studied the causes of poor behavior among pupils in schools produced a report of ‘Better Behavior – Better Learning’ in June 2001. The report included 36 recommendations for action, which were then turned into an Action Plan in 2002. Many of these have implications for the Education Authority. (Craig Millar Instep Project)

Students in Elementary Schools love to share their talents and to basically ‘show off’. Teachers have found a multitude of ways to let them share their talents and knowledge through Science Fairs, History Days, Plays, Musicals, Programs, Spelling Bees and many other things, but rarely have they done anything with PE Skills other than to play sports.

Science teachers use Science Fairs to display science skills and knowledge. History and Social Studies teachers developed History Days so that students could display their knowledge and skills in the history area. Music teachers put on musicals and drama teachers us plays to show those skills. Elementary teachers use a variety of all the above.

What about a Physical Education teacher? Sports is different that Physical Education. Some parents think that PE at school is just play time. Maybe it is in some schools but in many schools it is a time to teach students different skills. It’s a time to be active, a time to learn about different sports, a time to exercise and gain coordination skills. So after a year of teaching all of these skills why not showcase these skills and show parents what their students can do. I think this is a great idea because it will give parents a better appreciation for what the PE teachers all over this country are doing.

These PE teachers are not just giving the classroom teaches a break or the students a break from book work. They are trying to instill in the students a desire to be active and healthy. They are trying to teach those skills and activities that they can use beyond high school.

PE teachers in the elementary school could show case what they have been teaching their students as young as first grade. By the time the students reach 6th grade they have learned enough that the teacher could also include a section where the students can display skills that they have learned else where. Such as; in gymnastic classes, dance classes, all the different sports and just plain fun activities like playing a game of tag. Anything that shows off active, happy students.

PE teachers take a chance and display what you have been teaching and let those students show off all the skill they have been learning. It really could be fun. Put the audience on the stage and have the students use the gym floor as their stage. During the skills, and different routines have a couple of games where the parents can come down and have some fun with them. This was a real winner when we did it. We had parents in shorts, and suits, dresses and work clothes out on the floor having fun with the student. It was a real success

Right Brain is creativity, imagination etc. Children at age 3 to 6 are very dominant in their right brain. They are creative, imaginative, asking lots of surprising questions. Parents have to be often observed this behavior and find the correct ways to teach them how to make use of this talent!

Here I share the 7 Secrets to Teach Your Kids Life Skills Start from Right Brain

Secret #1 Observation skills by visiting local art museums and watching art performance at art theater.

Often bring your children to museum to explore and observe art, sculpture, paintings etc. This is giving your child an cultural education tour, while at the same time they learn imagination and observation skills from the art works of artists. Bring your child to watch art performance such as ballet dancing or drama is helping your child in terms of performing art appreciation while they are learning how to express art in various creative ways.

Secret #2 Creativity skills by playing games and toys with siblings or friends.

Try to invest in games or toys that required creativity skills. Toys such as art and craft kits, bead threading kits, car or robot assemble toys. Your child will be automatic trained on creativity skills while playing those games.

Secret #3 Social and communication skills with friends and siblings.

Never forget, social life is part of your children future. Train them how to socialise is critical in our society, we are in the world of society and we can not survive without social and communication skills. There are many ways to learn communication skills, the most popular way is send your kids for performing art drama classes. Through the drama classes, your child get a chance to learn proper speech and language to communicate while doing role playing. Other method is organize home party or gathering with friends and their kids. This method will give a chance of your children to learn how to get along to other children.

Secret #4 Self management skills.

Self management skills such as learn how to be tidy and neat, how to bath, how to toilet, how to wear cloths, how to cook a dinner at home, how to bake a cake, how to wash cloth and dishes etc. Parents show an example of being clean and neat will indirectly teaching your child to be clean and neat as well. Parent can also requesting your child involve in home activity such as washing dishes, cleaning the rooms, baking a cake to get them learn a simple skills can train them be a hardworking person, and able to self manage their own needs.

Secret #5 Problem solving skills.

Yes, problem solving skills is important for life. When there is a problem faced by your child, try not to solve the problem for them. Instead, guide them on the path on how to solve the problem. Simple problem such as while your child playing with the toy car, he is unable to unlock toy car lock, try to guide them how to get the key to unlock the toy, instead of parent unlock for them.

Secret #6 Learn to be patient.

Let your child learn to be patient by using ‘please wait..’ or ‘please queue…’ methods. ‘Please wait…’ method is by using the words ‘please wait’ when your child wanted parents to attend immediately for their request while parents busy with some house work. Children are young and also impatient, parents can reduce their restless behavior by saying ‘please wait’ with a clear explanation on why they have to wait or queue for their turn. Other patient learning skills can be applied by asking your child to queue for buying at food stalls.

Secret #7 Practice, practice, practice!

Practice make perfect! Practice is the last secret. The more you practice all the above secrets, your child life skills will be perfect!

Hope you enjoy and practice above secrets to teach your children life skills! To your success!

Parents help us discover the gifts and the callings that God has for our lives. Parents help children and teens discover their vocational interests and the motivational gifts. Parents identify the steps and resources that are necessary to develop the qualities and talents that children and teens possess.
Parents know that children and teens receive the vocational interests, abilities, skills, and talents in a seed form. These seeds will develop into careers, jobs, tasks, assignments, or ministries. Then, the talents and gifts will produce earnings, wages, and spiritual rewards as the children receive pleasure from knowing that they are fulfilling the callings that God has placed on their lives.
The Goal of a Parent
A parent receives direction from Proverbs 18:16, Proverbs 22:6, and 1 Peter 4:10.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
1 Peter 4:10 As every man has received a gift, even so minister the same gift one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Proverbs 18:16 A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.
To learn about abilities, interests, and motivational gifts, parents have many tasks:
Assess children’s and teens’ vocational interests, abilities, skills, beliefs, and values.
Discover potential careers that are linked to children’s and teens’ identified interests.
Help children and teens choose the suitable post-secondary education and training.
Provide resources that help children and teens utilize their vocational interests, abilities, skills, beliefs, and values.
Understand the relationship between education, training, and specific occupations.
Introduce experiences that meet career, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral goals.
Present information on the current and future labor market.
Introduce problem-solving and decision-making strategies, and
Solve career issues, conflicts, and concerns.
The Steps Towards Completing Career Exploration Process
Step One: Preliminary Assessment
Parents must gain access to computerized, online, or paper/pencil career assessments. From these assessments, parents, teens, and children gain knowledge and understanding of our abilities, ambitions, aptitudes, identities, interests, life goals, resources, skills, and values. During this assessment period, parents will evaluate children’s and teens’ readiness for career planning.
Gary W. Peterson and others of the Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development University Center, discussed the differences in career planning readiness. Children, teen, and adults can be categorized as:
Decided
Decided yet needing a confirmation
Decided yet not knowing how to implement their decisions
Decided choosing to avoid conflict or stress
Undecided
Undecided with a deferred choice
Undecided yet developmental unable to commit to a decision
Undecided and unable to make a decision because the individual is multi-talented
Children, teen, and adults transition from indecision to decisiveness when they complete the following steps in the career decision making and planning process.
Step Two: Educational and Occupational Exploration
Parents, children, and teens gather information about:
Educational choices
The benefits of educational achievement
The economy or labor market
Occupational choices
Specific occupations and programs of study
Training opportunities
The relationship between work and learning
Positive attitudes towards work and learning
Personal responsibility and good work habits
A typical working day for a specific occupation
Career exploration systems
Step Three: Problem solving
Parents, children, and teens solve career problems by:
Identifying educational and career planning obstacles
Creating solutions or courses of action
Setting achievable goals
Resolving conflict and tension
Making a commitment to reach our God-given potential
Problem solving should take into consideration personal values, interests, skills, and financial resources. Big problems are broken down into smaller, more manageable steps. Achievable goals result in the production of new competencies, attitudes, solutions, as well as educational and training opportunities.
Step Four: Goal Setting and Decision Making
As individuals, parents, children, and teens:
Set, formulate, prioritize, and rank goals
Clearly state our vocational interests, abilities, and values
Derive plans or strategies to implement the solutions
Make a commitment to complete the plans
Understand decision-making processes
Evaluate the primary choice
Consider a secondary occupational choice, if necessary
Decision-making processes include:
Developing learning and career plans
Identifying suitable occupations
Selecting appropriate educational programs
Figuring the costs of educational training
Considering the impact of career decisions.
Step Five: Implementation
While implementing and executing our learning and career plans, parents, children, and teens translate vocational interests, abilities, and skills into occupational possibilities. Parents, children, and teens do reality testing through interviewing current workers, job shadowing, part-time employment, full-time employment, and volunteer work. Parents, children, and teens obtain skill training, for example, social skills, resume writing, networking, and preparations for interviews.
Career Planning Resources
In order to assess gifts, talents, and abilities, parents, children, and teens need career resources. Career planning resources include books, videotapes, audio-tapes, games, workshops, self-assessment inventories, career exploration web-sites, and computer-assisted career guidance programs. These resources are found at libraries, community colleges, and resource centers.
The basis for most of the resources is the National Career Development Guidelines. In 1987, the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee (NOICC) developed The National Career Development Guidelines. The guidelines were organized into three areas: Self-knowledge, Educational and Occupational Exploration, and Career Planning.
Self-knowledge deals with our self-concept, interpersonal skills, growth, and development.
Educational and occupational exploration reveals the relationships between learning, work, career information skills, job seeking, skill development, and the labor market.
Career planning includes self-assessment, career exploration, decision making, life role formation, goal setting, and the implementation of career choices.
Conclusion
We are each significant, different, and special. Yet, God knows our gifts, talents, and abilities. God has chosen us for special positions and tasks. Our occupations should reflect the callings that God has placed in our lives. Our vocations represent the gifts given to us by God. Our destinies come from God. Parents help children and teens discover God-given talents, abilities, and interests so that children and teens can fulfill God’s purpose for their lives.
As parents, we will use prayer, the Word of God, other books, videotapes, audio-tapes, games, workshops, training materials, self-assessment inventories, career web-sites, computer-assisted career guidance programs, and resource centers to assist us in helping our children, and teens.
References
Miller, Juliet V. (1992) The National Career Development Guidelines, Eric Digest ED347493, ERIC Clearinghouse on Counseling and Personnel Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Peterson, G., W., Sampson, J., P., Jr., Reardon, R., C., and Lenz, J., G. (1996) A Cognitive Approach to Career Development and Services, Center for the Study of Technology in Counseling and Career Development, University Center, Suite A4100, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-1035, http://www.fsu.edu/ ~career/techcenter/html