GalaKidz

Every family who has recently moved to Bangalore with their children either from abroad or from another city within India - has one common concern - Bangalore Schools! How good are these schools ? Which one is the right one for our kid? What’s the fee structure like? And the list of questions just goes on.. Following two articles are worth reading that will highlight the two major factors related to schools: Fees & Quality of Education

Banglued: Raising School Fees in Bangalore, Where will our Kids study?

“Can you please brief me the fee structure” and the fun started all over again.She said “Sir, we charge Seventy Thousand rupees per annum (With her American accent I heard it as Seventeen i.e. 17) which does not include Uniform, books and School pick and drop. I had to ask her again to know that what she meant was Rupees Seventy thousand and not seventeen thousand.Quick Math: Fees = Rs. 70,000 + Uniform (~ 3000) + Books (~ 2000) + School cab (~ 8000) all-inclusive it was about Rs. 83,000. “

Blogpourri: Life in Bangalore: Schools

“The reality here is that the schools, especially in Bangalore, are catering to a wide variety of demands - those of the returning NRIs many of whom have had their children in Montessori or alternative environments in the US, a burgeoning expat population, and those of the local parents who are more intimately aware of the demands put on young children in grade schools. So the schools call themselves Montessori schools to attract the NRI population, but follow a strict, rigorous, traditional curriculum (writing work beginning in nursery, local language and multiplication tables in upper kindergarten, cursive writing in lower kindergarten, etc.) to train the children to pass the inevitable entrance tests. I’ve heard of parents complaining that the schools don’t work the children hard enough.”

So, is it worth sending your children to these schools?

My cousins Saavan Nanavati (8 yrs) and Sunay Nanavati (10 yrs) are chess champions residing in Austin, Texas. From my recent conversation with my aunt I found out that Sunay is already teaching beginner chess lessons in his chess community. That’s great! So I asked my aunt to guide me on some books or websites that can teach chess tactics to my daughter who is now 4 years old. She is taught weekly chess lessons at her school and I try to play with her on regular basis. During my childhood I played basic chess with my father without knowing any strategies or tactics. But now I would like to give to my daughter what I have missed out in my youth. Chess is a game that teaches young mind to not only focus but also learn critical thinking.

So here are some of the resources that will help you teach your child chess.

Software:

1. ChessMaster 10 ^th Edition
2. Fritz and Chester 1
3. Fritz and Chester 2
4. Fritz and Chester 3
5. Chess School for Beginners: Search for beginner and download demo version to play around before purchasing it
6. Chess for Kids: Database of chess softwares for kids aged 6 to 8 years

Websites:

1. Chess Kids Academy : learn to play chess free with the online chess course.
2. Chess in 30 minutes: basic chess instructions
3. Learn Chess: a flash movie that shows you the basic moves of the chess pieces
4. Chess for Kids: basic principles, chess strategies and tactics
5. Chess Tutorials & Lessons: Database of websites offering free chess tutorial

Books:

1. Chess Rules for Students written by John A. Bain is an instructional workbook designed for students just learning the game of chess and for beginning students returning to the game after an absence.
2. Chess Tactics for Students written by John A. Bain is an instructional workbook containing 434 carefully selected problems presented in a worksheet format. This has become one of the best selling and most popular books ever written for beginning chess players.
3. Checkmate! Ideas for Students written by John A, Bain is an instructional workbook for students that have mastered basic chess rules, beginning chess play and the use of chess notation.
4. A World Champion’s Guide to Chess written by Susan Polgar, four-time World Chess Champion, became a living legend by following the methods taught by her father, Laszlo Polgar. Susan reveals her masterful tactics and techniques to players of all ages. With co-author Paul Truong, an eleven-time National Champion, she begins with the basics of understanding the moves and leads the reader through checkmate and defense, pawn promotion and opening and endgame patterns. Accompanying the lessons are personal glimpses into Polgar’s famous career and how she became the first female Grandmaster.
5. Chess School for Beginners written by GM Yury Razuvaev, well-known GM and one of Anatoly Karpov’s coaches, this friendly interactive course is intended for both children and adult beginners. It is divided into 3 main sections: chess rules, development of intellectual abilities, playing - all to improve your chess knowledge. No additional software is required.

Take a look at these softwares, books and websites and pick the one that fits your child’s style. Encourage younger children below 6 years of age to spend more time playing chess and practicing versus the software/books/websites (maybe 90-10 or 80-20). Most books and softwares are recommended for children above 8 years of age. Even so, practice is critical for students while on the journey to Advanced-Expert level.

Hope this helps.

Etiquette simply means the way people interact with each other and show respect to other person based on the norms of the society. It varies from culture to culture, what means an excellent etiquette in one society may shock in another. But no matter where you are - at work or at school, at home or at some other place, its important to have the right etiquette. Etiquette teaches a person how to behave decently in public.

Here is a collection of articles showing ways to teach etiquette to young children.

Bella Online: Teaching Children Etiquette

“Lead by example; don’t just tell your children how to act, show your children correct behavior. Cover your mouth when you cough, say excuse me when appropriate and use the three basic phrases of polite behavior (please, thank you and you’re welcome) both at home and in public. If you are rude to your family, you are giving them less status than the stranger you meet on the street. You are also showing them that good manners need only be used when convenient instead of being necessary for all forms of social interaction. “

Kids learn from what they see their parents do.

American Psychological Association: What makes kids care?

“Parents, of course, can’t completely control all of the things that affect their children’s lives — after all, children spend a lot of time out in the ‘real world’ which can often be harsh, uncaring, or just plain unhappy — and children have their own personalities and characteristics that parents can’t change or control. But there are some things that a parent can try to help encourage their children to become caring, just and responsible.

The most important thing you can do is to let your children know how much it means to you that they behave with kindness and responsibility. When you catch your child doing something that you think is thoughtless or cruel, you should let them know right away that you don’t want them doing that. Speak to your child firmly and honestly, and keep your focus on the act, not on the child personally: something along the lines of ‘What you did is not very nice’ rather than, ‘YOU are not very nice!’”

After all Action speaks louder than words.

Today’s Parent: Missed Manners

” Manners, whether the table or the social variety, need to be taught, says Benjamin. And that’s a task that today’s parents sometimes balk at. Most of us are products of the let-it-all-hang-out 1960s, and we have a tendency to reject rigid codes of behaviour, she points out. But Benjamin prefers to define manners as “a philosophy of respect,” and the finer points of etiquette as the way to express that respect. What’s more, she says, children who aren’t equipped with social graces are likely to have a more difficult time with friends, family and teachers. “When you teach your children manners, you’re giving them some lifelong survival skills.”

While manners are important, if you’re constantly harping on your children, you may turn them off the whole process. “I think if you can just work on one thing at a time, then the idea of using manners is at least planted,” observes Drew-Pennington.”

It’s agreed that manners need to be taught.

Parent’s Talk: Teaching Good Manners

” Don’t nag and complain. Tell your child what you want, rather than what you don’t want. Instead of saying, “Link, don’t eat with your hands!” Tell him what you DO want, “Lincoln, please use your fork.” Maintain a positive mood during dinner. Focus on pleasant conversation, don’t use the time to reprimand or lecture. A happy environment is more conducive to teaching good manners.”

Sensible advice.

Sesame Street: Do manners matter?

“Politeness gives kids an edge that will help them succeed throughout life. “When you teach children manners, you give them the self-confidence to handle any social situation they’re thrust into,” says Dr. Ginsberg. People also respond better to kids who show their respect for others by using good manners. “When children wait their turn, don’t grab, and don’t interrupt,” she says, “it makes them more attractive to everyone, including teachers and other kids.”

Fortunately, it’s easier than you might think to raise a child who truly values politeness. Here’s how to teach manners so they become automatic, even from an early age.”

Helpful article on how to raise polite kids.

Just a few days ago, I met a family who discussed with me about their child, facing one of the most common problem “lack of concentration”. The reason I mentioned common problem is because its not the only family I know that is facing this situation. In my past few gatherings I came across some mothers who had the same common problem to discuss about but had no solutions for the same. This article is based on the research I have done since then on this topic.

Being able to concentrate means keeping your mind focused on one task for a reasonable period of time. Most parents complain that their child is unable to sit at one place, doing one particular task. Their attention span is minimal and they tend to weaver around, thus unable to spend time doing one thing and being focused on the task that’s given to them. It doesn’t matter whether this task is play related or work related. So first lets find out why do most children lack concentration?

Here are some factors that affects a child’s ability to concentrate:

1. Age - younger children tend to lack concentration more than older children
2. Motivation and Interest - children tend to concentrate more on things that interests them or motivates them
3. Personal Circumstances - children find it hard to concentrate if there is something that’s bothering them in their personal life
4. Health - lack of nutritious food and sleep affects a child’s concentration skills. Its important that your child maintains good health in order to stay focused.
5. The Surrounding Conditions - more noise and activity taking place around your child may reduce his/her concentration. TV & Music are the most common distractions that could affect your child’s concentration.
6. Knowing what’s Needed - your child will find it easy to concentrate on a task that is well defined - so he/she knows clearly what’s supposed to be done and in what time-frame.

136 medical conditions causing concentration difficulty

Things you could do to improve your child’s concentration:

• Watch your child carefully - note the times your child seems to be able to concentrate vs. doesn’t concentrate. Look for what’s happening when your child is concentrating. This might tell you about her natural interests and the conditions under which she finds it easier to concentrate.
• Be reasonable - don’t expect the unexpected. Normally a 5 year old child will be able to concentrate for about 5 minutes at a time whereas a 7 year old might concentrate for at least 15 minutes at a time and a 11 year old will concentrate for no more than 20 minutes.
• Try to interest your child in what he/she is doing - if you get your child interested in what she is doing she will concentrate better. Apart from their natural interests, children tend to follow what interests their parents and older siblings. So if you want your child to concentrate on things that she is not naturally interested in, your taking interest in that task might help.
• Praise more than criticize - even we as adults appreciate praise a lot more than criticism. Praise encourages a positive environment in which a person tends to listen more than usual. Praise will give your child the confidence to keep going.
• Give rewards - to encourage your child to concentrate more give him/her a small reward (something your child wants) when she has shown an improvement. This will work wonders.
• Be clear - let your child know what you want him/her to do and how long he/she should take to do it.
• Create the best conditions you can - choose a quiet place where your child can work without any distractions like TV/music, young siblings, etc. Conditions don’t need to be perfect - just try your best to help your child.

Here is a list of Games that you could play with your children while at home or during travel. This will not only increase their concentration but will also make them intellectually smart.

If none of the above helps your child to concentrate, he/she might be facing some personal problems which only a child psychologist or a doctor could solve.

“There is a time scale to brain development, and the most important year is the first,” noted Frank Newman, former president of the Education Commission of the States.

The day when my mother knew I was pregnant, the first things she suggested me was to listen to good music and form good habits and routines. Why I asked? She explained “Everything I do, hear, or see affects the child in my womb.” Hard to believe what I had just heard, I started researching on this fact. I came across many good articles that proved what my mother had explained and soon I started getting deeper into this topic. Whatever little I learned along the way I followed and thus benefited my daughter in the first three years of her life. Till date I continue reading articles on this topic to help developing my daughters brain who is now 4 years old. Today I will share some of these sources that helped me in my journey of motherhood.

Following chart explains the developmental milestones a child achieves during the first 18 months of his/her life

Source: Brain Connection

Articles that explain how a child’s brain develops physically and intellectually:

Stages in the development of a child’s brain

Stages of intellectual development in children and teenagers

A scientific approach to understanding the brain development:

Fertile Minds

A book by Lise Eliot on this topic:

“What’s Going on in There? How the Brain and Mind Develops in the First Five Years of Life”

Finally, its never too late to start influencing your child’s brain development.

Music is everywhere, from the supermarket and shopping malls to the doctor’s office. Everyday either at home or while commuting children listen to the radio commercials or programs that broadcast music of all forms. Simply by stepping out of the house a child can listen to the sounds of birds chirping and squirrels chattering. At home TV is one more source of musical entertainment for the little chaps with programs like Boogie Woogie, Sa Re Ga Ma, Indian Idol etc. A child may also have different types of toys that play music or lullabies.

So how does listening to music benefit a child? “Nurturing music skills should be considered essential in early childhood simply because of the richness it brings to one’s life” (Feierabend, 1990, p. 27). Music develops a child’s listening, discriminating, and expressive skills. Children first show their awareness of and respond to musical sounds by holding still and concentrating or by turning their heads to the source of the sound.

Music & Movement tend to go hand-in-hand. Different children respond to music in different ways - either by wiggling their toes or tapping their feet, moving their heads or their entire bodies. Children experience more enjoyment with music and action songs as they gain more discrimination, coordination, listening, attending, and communication skills. Therefore, its important for each child to get exposed to music as early as possible. Its also important that parents get involved with their children in some sort of music and movement activities daily.

Here are a few benefits of music and movement activities illustrated by Misty Bass and Trish Collins:

• Music stimulates language development and social interaction
• Creative movement can boost a child’s self-esteem
• Music improves children’s ability to comprehend and recall
• Music can help improve attention span and memory
• Music and movement programs can advance listening skills and concentration
• Music can enhance vocabulary acquisition
• Movement is one of the first forms of communication
• Music can increase creativity and cultural awareness
• Music bonds people together
• The ability to feel and maintain steady, rhythmic beat helps children master mathematical concepts
• Movement and dance activities improve coordination and balance
• Music and movement activities provide natural connections between singing and reading out loud, listening and communicating through literature books
• Cognitive learning is stimulated by moving
• Movement activities can help young children develop fundamental movement patterns and healthy, active lifestyles
• Creative movement provides children with opportunities for noncompetitive, success-oriented and creative experiences

There are a large number of excellent private and government schools in Bangalore and of course quite a few international schools that boast for their extra curricular activities. Most private & international schools are known to be among the best and a large percentage of children attend these schools. There are also equally outstanding government schools with great teachers who truly care about giving children the best education.

An obvious option is to screen which school is best suited for your child by looking at the school’s statistics and getting feedback from other parents. But is there any guarantee that you have picked the perfect school for your child. Perhaps that particular good school is not teaching what your child should be learning. Or may be your child is not getting along with some of the teachers which may lead to learning disadvantages. Or perhaps, your child is bullied by some older children class just because he/she is the younger one.

There could be many other factors that hold back the progress of your child. But what if you choose homeschooling your child? Well, you can select to teach your child just what he or she needs to learn at his or her own pace. You can be as encouraging and intensive as your child can personally handle. So the question arises is homeschooling method better than traditional schooling method? Frankly speaking the choice is yours as you are the best judge for your child. Although the decision differs from parents to parents one common thing is that each parent knows what is best for their child. Here I have outlined a few differences between the two methods to help you decide which one would you pick for your child.

Home Schooling

• Your child gets one-on-one attention
• Your child has no peer pressure and learns at his or her own pace
• Your child gets to practice what he or she has missed and skip what has been mastered
• Your child will be in a safe environment with no bullies and conflicts with teachers
• Cost of schooling your child at home is much lower than most private & international schools
• Your child will appear to be more confident than those attending these schools
• Your child is unlikely to have problems expressing his/her opinion to adults on an intelligent and equal basis
• Your child can explore his/her own interests and develops his/her individual styles
• You can spend quality time together, not only learning and exploring things, but also working together on day-to-day tasks
• You aware of what your child is learning and can monitor their behavior
• The responsibility of teaching your child rests solely on you
• You may have to give up some personal time and dedicate it to your children
• For a child getting his/her work done and keeping his/her priorities straight can be difficult
• A child used to being at home and enjoying the freedom may face difficulty with settling in a regular school life

Private School

• You will get a break from your child while he/she is at school
• Your child will work together and problem-solve in groups with other children, gaining knowledge and experience from these interactions
• Your child will face the pressure to do the “right things at the right time”. This invariably means he will feel forced to conform to the most current and fashionable standards
• In some schools the teacher-student ratio is 1:25 but in most schools it varies from 30 to 65 students per class per teacher
• With a big class, more children get left behind even if its unintentional
• Your child learns the same curriculum at the class’ pace. So if your child is brighter than his/her average classmate, your child will have to slow down
• However, if your child is slower than the class, he/she will not have the attention needed to progress. There is a slight possibility that your child may be left behind and be teased by other kids
• Whether your child is smart or average there could be peer pressure causing a learning blockage in a child’s ability to learn
• With your child gone for all day, you cannot keep an eye on him/her
• If your child does not understand something, he/she is more likely to pretend to understand it to avoid embarrassment and to move along with the class

The four most common myths about homeschooling:

• Homeschoolers can’t get into college
• Homeschooling isn’t as good as “traditional” schools
• Homeschoolers always do school in their pajamas
• Homeschoolers aren’t well socialized

Here are some links that supports Homeschooling:

Homeschooling Vs. Public Schooling

Children retain their love for learning

Why Homeschool?

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

Here are some links that are against Homeschooling:

Why some people are against homeschooling?

Arguments against Homeschooling

Why it’s not right for us?

Does a parent’s responsibility stop at a child’s school door? Probably not. Parents play the most important and influential role in their child’s life. From the moment the child is born, he starts learning from his parents - how to smile, how to eat, how to talk, how to love, how to play and be happy.

The first five years (period between birth and kindergarten) are the most crucial years in a child’s learning and emotional development. 85% of a child’s intellectual, emotional and cognitive ability is formed by the age of 5, making the early years a vitally important time in their life. These are the years when the parent can make a difference and influence their child most. So here are the 3 most important tips for being your child’s first and best teacher -

1. Observe & respond to your child’s cues and clues
2. Talk, read and sing with your child face-to-face
3. Use discipline as an opportunity to teach

Inspiring articles worth reading on this topic:

Tips for families as their children’s first teacher

Parents as Teachers: Every Parent can be a child’s first and best teacher

I am Vaibhavi - owner of GalaKidz. I love being around children and feel extremely happy to see their joyful faces during my classes or birthday parties. I started GalaKidz in June of 2006 after failing to search one good activity in Bangalore, for my daughter (Ilisa), that would provide her learning while having pure fun. Unlike USA & UK, India has very few options for very young children, especially the ones below 3 years of age, to explore learning through fun-filled activities.

The idea behind GalaKidz is to fill this gap and provide the early foundations that each and every child needs, through the media of play and music. Its a journey that every child and its parent will enjoy and cherish for many years to come.

If you feel that you can make a difference in your child’s life and contribute to his early childhood years then you have come to the right place.

You are welcome to share your thoughts and join me in building a strong future for your child!