How to Teach Kids Empathy?

Being empathetic in today’s times is a virtue only a few have. But it’s the most important quality that one should carry to make the world a better place to live in.

It's pertinent that we understand what empathy is since many people mix it with sympathy. ‘Empathy’ is the ability to put oneself in the same situation as another and feel the emotions that the person would perhaps be going through. This capability is the very basis that can help build sustainable relationships. It leads to building happy and content bonds between friends and family. 

Hence, parents must plant the seeds of empathy in their children from early on. 

Kids are very sensitive and tend to feel and capture everything that happens around them. The experiences that they gather during this time leave a very long-lasting impression on their minds. Since the concept of emotions is new to them, parents must guide them through this process. Since they won’t know how to express themselves at this stage, you can help them and label different kinds of emotions as positive and negative. This will also strengthen their understanding of the complexity surrounding it.

We all want to change the world so why not begin at home.

Parents should ensure that the child’s emotional needs are catered too. Help them express. Connect the various happenings on a day to day basis at home and how exactly do they feel about it. This can serve as a learning medium for them to develop a coping mechanism. Also if they start sharing, they will not keep it bottled up. 

Parents at this juncture should also teach them how not to feel negative about things. And if it does happen, how to let it go. The child should understand from the start that keeping grudges of any sort is not good. The same goes for mocking, bullying, and even unintentional hurt caused to anybody else. If you see any such pattern, teach them to accept their mistakes and say sorry.

Family can provide the biggest and warmest emotional support that a child will need. They must know they have this safe place to come back to no matter how difficult the situation.

If the child starts understanding the meaning of emotions, it becomes very easy to understand the people that carry these emotions. That is the very foundation of being empathetic.

At Childventures Early Learning Academy, we understand the importance of the emotional and social development of a child at an early age and partner with families in the development of children to their fullest potential.

Take a look at our blended curricular model for your child's overall development.

How to Teach Your Child Good Behaviour?

Raising a kid is a full-time job. It is the foremost duty of any parent to ensure positive character-building within a child to instil good behavioural patterns. Here are a few tips that can help parents:

1.     Importance of hard work – Children should be motivated right from the beginning to work hard to achieve their dreams. They should understand that there can be no short-cuts to reach greater heights and hard work is the key.

2.     No negativity – Children have a clean slate for a mind. They will learn from the experiences they draw from their surroundings and if they see any kind of negative pattern at home including the use of cuss words, shouting, and fighting; it will have a long term negative imprint on their impressionable minds.

3.     Healthy eating habits – Food is always going to remain a very important part of anybody’s life. Hence it becomes even more essential that children are taught the balanced way of eating. Dining manners set apart and define good body language in any public setup.

4.     Saying thanks- Saying thank you is the easiest thing a person can do but only if they understand its value and meaning. This is something that only parents can teach right from the start. Kids need to understand the impact simple positive gestures can make. 

5.     Gratitude – To feel truly content and happy, a person needs to practice gratitude. Being grateful for this life we have been given, for the place we call home, our loved ones, comfort and luxury we receive in the form of education, clothes, money, etc. Having this gratitude to hold on to brings a sort of power which can help overcome any kind of obstructions we face in life. 

6.     Exercise or Yoga/Mediation – Parents should help their kids indulge in sports and exercise from childhood. This can be easily introduced as recreation and if parents themselves practice yoga or exercise then even that can be taught in an interactive way. It will help them remain fit and healthy as well as mindful. 

There is no hard and fast rule or formula for good parenting. Everybody learns on the go. But the best any parent can do is lead by example. If your behavior reflects what you want your kids to learn then the process becomes very easy and simple. There is also a need for constant dialogue between parents and children so that there remains no room for any kind of communication gap. This will empower the trust in your bond. 

At Childventures Early Learning Academy, we understand the importance of the emotional and social development of a child at an early age and partner with families in the development of children to their fullest potential.

Our Childcare centres are located in Burlington, Vaughan, Ancaster, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Aurora and Milton. We provide full-day programs from infancy to full day JK/SK at all of these centres.

For information about our early learning programs for children visit www.childventures.ca.

How to Develop Personal Hygiene Habits in Children

Personal hygiene helps one in keeping diseases at bay and our bodies healthy. It also has a huge impact on mental well-being as it fosters self-esteem and confidence. 

Personal hygiene should be a way of life, a habit so engrossed in our routine that it must become a part of our behaviour. Only parents can inspire their children to follow and maintain personal hygiene.

Parents need to school their young ones and help them understand the importance of having good personal hygiene.

Below are a few activities that need to become a part of every child’s routine:

1.     Brushing their teeth twice every day.

2.     Bathing daily with soap.

3.     Cutting nails frequently.

4.     Washing hands with soap before eating/drinking anything, after coming home, after touching any outside material, after using the toilet, etc.

5.     To change clothes as soon as they come home after playing outside or from school.

6.     To not eat anything which has fallen/dropped on the floor.

7.     To never pick your nose.

8.     To keep outside footwear separate than the footwear being used inside the house.

9.     To use a handkerchief while sneezing or coughing.

10.To always use clean undergarments and socks.

11.To always wear fresh clothes.

There are so many diseases that spread with the exchange of germs and take a heavy toll. If your child can start developing healthy habits, then not only personal hygiene will be developed but also many diseases will be avoided.

At Childventures Early Learning Academy, we partner with families in the development of children to their fullest potential. 

Our children are offered the highest quality childcare services and instill in young minds the importance of moral values, character formation, and respect for others.

To learn about our many educational programs, visit www.childventures.ca.

How to Stop Kids from Biting Their Nails?

Biting nails, cracking knuckles, shaking legs and sucking thumbs are some of the common bad habits that kids exhibit. For some, this is fidgety while for others it is a way of hiding anxiousness. Nail biting can drive the parents crazy because looking at a child who continuously bites their nails is uncomfortable and not hygienic.

Go through the following strategies to make your child get rid of this habit:

1.     Cut their nails: Infections happen because of lack of hygiene and if your child bites their nails, make sure that you trim them regularly, clean their cuticles and ask your child to wash their hands frequently so that the chances of getting an infection are minimized.

2.     Find substitutes: Whenever you see your child biting nails, hand over a carrot or celery stick to your child for a substitute.

3.     Divert attention: Nail biting happens as a habit. So give a small, safe object to your child which can be kept in their pocket. The texture of the object and hands-on feel for something new can shift their focus.

4.     Get the manicure done: Though boys might be reluctant, girls may love it and once they get compliments for their well-done nails, the chances are high that nail-biting will stop automatically.

5.     Give rewards: Every child needs some enticing motivation to get rid of a habit. So why don’t you reward your child when he/she doesn’t bite their nails?

Nothing is better than self-realization and at Childventures Early Learning Academy, we try to understand the psychology of the child and then formulate a strategy which works well and delivers results.

To learn about our early learning education programs and curriculum models, visit www.childventures.ca.

The Benefits of Teaching Sign Language to Toddlers

Teaching sign language to babies is a great mode of communication to understand their basic needs. Toddlers can learn to talk in sign language between 4th and 8th month. Focus on the everyday things that you expect the baby to tell you, such as need to eat, wanting milk, needing sleep and others. 

In this article, you will learn about some of the benefits of teaching sign language to toddlers.

1.     Helps Them Communicate

Infants and toddlers love to express more than their ability to talk. It is a form of communication that grows better with time. With the ability to express themselves through signing, they will have a better time speaking to express their thoughts clearly when they grow up. 

2.     Fewer Tantrums

If the toddler or the infant knows how to call for assistance and has ways to express things, then there will be less chance of any baby chaos in the house. With the right kind of teaching, toddlers will show their satisfaction without causing much trouble.

3.     Better IQ

As per practical research, it is clear that children who are taught to speak using sign language in their early days have a better IQ and speaking skills later in life. 

4.     Better Visual Attention

If you teach sign communication to the children, they will eventually have a better visual understanding in the future. It is essential in social situations as well as during the learning phase.

5.     Better Bonding

Parents find it more convenient and are most likely to create a better bond with the toddler using sign language. Therefore parents must give efforts to teach common signs of expressions to the baby.

At Childventures Early Learning Academy, we incorporate baby sign teaching methods in our early learning programs to facilitate early learning and brain development. To learn more, visit www.childventures.ca.

The Benefits of Reading to Kids

The significance of reading to kids cannot be stressed enough, and it has to be a high priority for both parents and teachers. After all, reading to kids offers a host of benefits to them, right from improving their vocabulary to enhancing their concentration. Below are the top five benefits of reading to kids.

Helps in absorbing more knowledge

When you read to children, they get to absorb knowledge which is important in every aspect of life. Reading to kids is like giving them a head start and helping to prepare them for the future stages of school life. It gives them skills they need to start reading themselves.

Develops language skills

The vocabulary that you use to communicate with your child is usually repetitive and limited. Reading books makes sure that the child gets exposure to an extensive vocabulary that covers different topics. They get to hear words and phrases that they don’t hear every day.

Enhances the concentration of a child

Reading can get them to calm down. It will make them concentrate on the story and sit patiently for a long time.

Develops their love for reading

Reading to a child can help in developing a child’s love for reading. The more you read to them, the more they would wish they could read it themselves. Thus, the motivation to be a reader will come to them easily.

Makes their imagination grow

Watching the imagination of children grow is one of the greatest joys of reading to them. As they hear the stories, they start creating those scenarios in their mind, which is the first step to developing their creativity.

We, at Childventures Early Learning Academy, believe that lifelong readers are created when the efforts are made from the first day of the preschool. And, that is exactly what we do! Get to know more about our rich curriculum and focused teaching approaches by calling us today.

Why Play is Beneficial for Your Child’s Health?

Play is considered an important exercise for the physical well-being and mental health of the child. Play not only provides your child enjoyment and entertainment, but playing is also essential for good health and overall development of your child. Play helps in keeping the children active, happy, and healthy. To ensure good physical as well as mental health for your child, make sure to encourage them to get engaged in different kinds of play.

Play helps in stimulating the brain development of your child and enhances early development. By reducing the emotional as well as social problems in a child, play helps in the early development of the brain. According to researchers, outside play helps in decreasing the chances of your child suffering from short-sightedness or myopia.

Play also helps in developing fine motor skills of children. It helps in strengthening the different muscles of your child. Playing helps to improve memory, learning, and intellectual abilities of the children.

Physical play like running, riding a bicycle, or skipping helps in maintaining the proper weight of your child, thereby preventing them from risks of different diseases. By maintaining a healthy weight, play aids in eliminating the chances of obesity. It also helps in developing balance, agility, coordination, as well as stamina among the children. 

Play is also an important activity for the development of self-control in your child. It offers them an opportunity to regulate and gain control over their emotions and feelings. The ability to regulate emotions is important for good mental health and resilience of the child. Attaining self-control at a young age will help your child to achieve better success in the later period of life. 

Along with good physical health, play also provides strength as well as endurance to children. Play helps in keeping the minds of children happier and healthier. For the overall growth and development of your child, playing is important. 

At Childventures Early Learning Academy, we understand the importance of play for children and offer a mix of many extracurricular activities in our blended curriculum and education programs.

Take a look at our winter break camp programs for children. For more information or to enrol your child, visit www.childventures.ca or call us at 905-332-7539.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Snacking for Children

You need to teach a healthy snacking habit that can ensure your children are getting all the nutrition needed to grow healthier and to strengthen up their immunity levels. Snacking must be used to get good nutrition rather than letting your child become addicted to mindless munching.

Following is a list of the do's and don’ts that every parent must get to know about snacking for their children.

Establish a routine:

You need to establish a snack and meal routine. Let your child have only one snack session between meals so that they do not get filled up too quickly. This way, you are able to create a three meal and snack routine that can help in getting all the nutritional benefits needed to overcome any kind of nutritional deficiency present.

Bring in whole foods:

You need to think of snacking as a mini-meal session. Bring in whole foods that are super rich in protein, healthy fats and hold onto tons of fiber content that is needed to help your child’s stomach. Avoid providing packed foods and be creative in decorating the plate to get your child to be eager and wait for the snacking sessions every day.

Compromising with the snacks and treats:

You cannot make your kid eat healthy foods all the time. Once in a while, treat them with ice cream or other food items they tend to crave. Treats like candy and ice cream shall never harm the immune levels of your kids unless they become addicted to consuming them regularly in the first place.

Finding it difficult to get your kids to eat the right way? Visit our website and learn about our early learning programs and curriculum model we have on-board to teach the right behavioral habits for your kids.

For more information and to enroll your child, visit www.childventures.ca.

Importance of Family Time for Your Kids

Has your child suddenly developed an aversion to socializing and avoids spending time with siblings and family? Chances are that you don’t give importance to family time and the same has percolated down to your child. Get up before it is too late.

What is family time?

Spending time with your family members, sharing problems, laughing heartily, playing games together and sharing chores while having fun is what constitutes family time! Family time reassures the fact in the saying that nothing is as important as family.

Why is family time important?

1.     To build a strong bond with family

Bonds of love, strength and companionship can be developed among family members only if they spend time together and understand each other’s requirements.

2.     To inculcate family values in children

Cases of single parents are on the rise which adversely affects the mental growth of children. Be a good role model whom your child can look up to and that will induce family values in him/her.   

3.     To tell the importance of family rituals and traditions

Feeling of belongingness will creep in if you celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions together and this will make the child respect family rituals and traditions.

4.     To respect the distinct nature of every individual

Aware of the differences in everyone, every member should be encouraged to express his/her opinion and due respect should be given to this. It will help the child in understanding the uniqueness every individual has.

5.     It is a means to show love, affection, and appreciation

Hold hands, give hugs and appreciate each other to make your child understand the importance of having a family and instilling love and care.

6.     To share the chores

When you divide the daily chores amongst family members, you make the children independent by teaching them the small things.

7.     To instil confidence in a child

Family time instills confidence in the child that he/she is not alone and lowers their stress hormones.

Childventures is a home away from home. The importance of family is well taught by the teachers here who spend quality time with children and make them understand family values. We also partner with families in the development of children to their fullest potential. For information about our educational programs for children visit www.childventures.ca or call us at 905-332-7539.

How to Soothe a Crying Baby

There is nothing more heart-wrenching and sometimes nerve-wracking than a wailing infant. Understanding the cries of the baby, looking after their needs and appeasing the child is a difficult task. Some of the basic common reasons why babies cry are:

Basic Checks

●       Hunger – Following a schedule for feeding the baby and looking for indications of hunger like licking fingers or lip-smacking and rightly feeding enough can omit the hunger cry of the baby.

●       Soiled Diaper – Infants, especially new-borns wet diapers frequently. A quick change of diaper will ease their discomfort.

●       Sleepy – After an energetic play or a sumptuous meal, infants take a nap which rejuvenates their energy and helps them grow. If they do not sleep adequate amounts, babies feel exhausted and get grumpy.

The five S’s rule can help struggling parents soothe babies.

1. Swaddle – After resting in the womb for nine long months babies need time to settle themselves in the new environment. Swaddling helps the baby to experience a similar snug environment as in the womb and helps them stay calmer for longer periods.
2. Stomach/Side Position – Putting the baby sidewards or resting on her stomach will stop the baby from wailing as it helps reduce colic.
3. Shushing – Babies need light music or rhythmic tunes to sleep. They do not need silence. They have been hearing the blood flow in the womb, which sounds noisier than a vacuum cleaner. Hence singing the baby a lullaby or comforting them with music is proven to do wonders for fussy babies.
4. Swing - Babies in the womb have a roller coaster ride. Recreating a similar slow swaddle or rocking movements will calm the baby.
5. Sucking – Many fussy babies find their tranquillity in sucking their thumb or pacifier which gives them immense pleasure and happiness.

Babies are energetic and less fussy when they are with other babies. A regular play date, fun, activities with similar age groups will increase their learning ability and skills. Childventures is a unique academy with highly experienced faculty, which promotes balanced growth right from early childhood benefitting the baby’s overall development.