Pre-kindergarten is the first significant milestone in your child’s education. Yet, it’s also challenging because you and your child are separated for most of the day. Your child will be learning many new things, so it’s vital that they feel comfortable and secure in their new surroundings. Knowing exactly what to expect during their first day of school can make the separation anxiety a little bit easier on both of you and ensure that they are making the best possible transition into their new classroom.

The following activities will help you and your child be fully prepared for kindergarten.

👉 Talk about the classroom

Talk about what you know about the classroom, like where it is located, what it looks like, who goes there, and why. Then, ask your child questions about their thoughts and feelings on going to pre-k. Are they excited? Nervous? What do they think might happen? What do you think will happen? Tell them about how their day will go, what activities they will do, and who they will have as teachers or other staff members at the school.

The best preparation for this transition is knowing that this is just one more step in the growing-up process. Maintain a sense of excitement for this new experience with your child, but also make sure to ease any worries they might have about leaving you for the first time. Leaving for a few hours doesn’t mean your parent/child relationship will change, it is just another step toward independence!

Here are some ways to help your tot experience the class environment:

• Sing songs together that promote good behavior and positive interactions with friends and family members.
• Read books together that focus on getting ready for school or starting a new adventure in life, such as going to the dentist, or visiting grandma’s house for the first time!
• Have pretend playtime with toys that represent items found in a classroom setting like desks, chairs and pencils etc.

👉 Teach your child how to follow directions

You know that your child will enter a classroom full of new challenges, but you probably haven’t given much thought to how they will learn to handle those challenges. Your child is used to playing freely in the house and doesn’t have much experience following directions. If your child is not used to listening, this is the time to start practicing. You can start with simple commands like “Put your shoes on”, or “Pick up the Toys”. 

If they don’t listen the first time around, don’t give up! Keep repeating the command until they comply. This will help them learn to follow directions when teachers ask them to sit still, listen and behave appropriately in a group of other children. Practice at home will make all these things easier for your child.

👉 Help them learn how to share

Many kids struggle with sharing even though they want something or someone else has something they want! Teaching them how to share early on will help them be more willing to do so in pre-K. How you approach the issue of sharing will depend a lot on your child’s age, developmental level, and ability to communicate with them effectively.

Younger children may not understand the concept of ownership and therefore have difficulty grasping why they can’t just take something another child has. To explain why it’s important to share with others, you can start by teaching them about fair play and fairness—that if one person is playing with a specific toy, then everyone who wants to use it should take turns.

These lessons can also be reinforced at home through routines where you’re all using the same item at the same time, like when one sibling is drawing at the table while another is playing with blocks nearby. Show your child by example that sharing space is essential for everyone to get along.

👉 Establish a Routine

A new routine can be challenging for tots, and it will take some time to get them used to it. This is why you should start weeks before school starts. You want to ensure that your child’s sleep schedule is in order, their eating habits are correct, and they know what their day will be like when they return to school. 

Begin by creating a schedule for the day with specific times for meals, snacks, playtime, and quiet time. Be sure to include special events like going on walks and trips to the library in your schedule. Ensure your child is well rested and fed before beginning your daily routine. Tired children are much more likely to have trouble adapting to a new schedule.

The first week of school is always filled with tears, but it doesn’t have to be this way. By setting up a routine for your child that follows their natural daily rhythm, you can avoid many pitfalls of adjusting to the demands of school life. 

At Square Panda India, we are committed to building the future of education. We bring together educators, parents and children, using cutting-edge technology to directly improve learning outcomes. To know more, visit ecce.squarepanda.in

The parent-teacher relationship is one of the essential factors in a child’s education. Good relationships between teachers and parents can help create an outstanding learning environment that allows children to overcome the difficulties they face academically. When parents and teachers work together, they can build upon the home-school relationships that are already in place, creating an environment where kids can excel.

When parents feel connected to the school, they are more likely to receive information about their child’s academic performance and behavior from teachers and administrators. This helps families understand how to be effective partners in their child’s education by knowing what resources are available when needed and how to support their child at home. A recent study demonstrated that a robust parent-teacher relationship during the pandemic lockdown helped students academically and emotionally.

Role of Parents and Teachers in Child’s Education

👩‍🏫 Teachers

Teachers are often the first contact point for parents with their child’s education. A great parent-teacher relationship is based on mutual respect, understanding, trust, and a shared vision for the child. To build this relationship, follow these tips:

• Create a welcoming environment: Make sure parents know what’s expected at drop-off and pick-up times. Post directions for parking, early dismissal, and late arrivals in your classroom. Provide directions to get to the school, as well as information about upcoming events and activities.

• Be friendly and approachable: Parents may not have time to visit with you during the day, but they still want to feel like they can come to you if they have questions or concerns about their child’s progress or behavior in class. Be available after school so that parents can easily reach you by phone or email when necessary. Patient is essential when dealing with parents reluctant to be involved in their child’s education, since not all parents feel comfortable communicating with educators. Some may simply lack the confidence to speak up during meetings or conferences. Initiate conversations with such parents and let them speak their minds. 

• Be honest: Don’t hide information from parents about their child’s progress or behavior. If you’re concerned about something, talk to the parents about it as soon as possible so they can help their child improve. Parents should also feel free to share any concerns with you, so they can work together to solve problems.

• Listen carefully and respond thoughtfully: Parents may have questions about their child’s behavior and performance at home, so listen carefully and try to address their concerns without making judgments or assumptions about what might be going on at home that could be impacting schoolwork or behavior issues in class. Don’t get defensive or blame parents for their children’s problems. Instead, offer suggestions for ways they might support their child’s learning at home that will help improve performance in class.

• Don’t make promises you can’t keep: Teachers shouldn’t promise results from anything beyond what they’re responsible for — if you’re a reading teacher, don’t promise improvements in math skills because there is little you can do to influence those skills outside your classroom directly. However, if you see the potential for growth in those areas, encourage parents to seek assistance elsewhere.

👪 Parents

The benefits of having a solid parent-teacher relationship extend far beyond the classroom. Parents are a child’s first teacher and are often the most influential in shaping their child’s behavior. Parents can be a valuable resource for teachers, helping them understand students’ needs and challenges outside school. In turn, teachers can help parents become better advocates for their children at home and in the community. The following tips can help you build a positive relationship with your child’s teacher:

• Get to know your child’s teacher: After the first few days of school, ask your child what they like and don’t like about their teacher. This will give you insight into how to approach them when necessary and allow you to get acquainted with your child’s class teacher. 

• Be supportive of your child’s teacher: It can be challenging for teachers when students misbehave in class or don’t pay attention during instruction time. But instead of making excuses for them or complaining about the situation, try being supportive by offering encouragement. You can do this by saying, “I know he’s trying his best” or “I’m sure she’ll figure out how to help him.” Your positive attitude will go a long way!

• Parent-teacher communication: It can be intimidating to talk to your child’s teacher, especially if you’re unsure what to say or feel you’re wasting their time. But it’s vital that you communicate regularly with your child’s teacher, so they know who they will be teaching and how best to reach them. If there are any issues or concerns about behavior or progress in school, tell the teacher, so they can address them early on before they become more significant problems down the road.

• Avoid missing PTA meetings: Be involved in school activities like open houses and parent-teacher meetings. This helps build relationships with other parents and shows them that you’re serious about being involved in the education process at all levels. Parent-teacher conferences are a great way to get a feel for how your child interacts with their teacher. At these meetings, you can ask questions about your child’s progress, address concerns and learn more about what your child learns in class daily.

• Be respectful: It can be challenging for teachers when parents disrespect them or believe they’re responsible for their children’s behavior at school — but it happens more than we realize! If you don’t agree with something a teacher says, respectfully explain why and try to devise a solution that works best for everyone involved — including yourself!

Square Panda’s learning interventions seek to engage every stakeholder of the learning ecosystem in a comprehensive manner, and help them realize their learning objectives. To know more, visit ecce.squarepanda.in  

In today’s world, we live in a highly competitive environment. Children are surrounded by different media, which may lead them to develop materialistic values often associated with the pursuit of money, fame and power. This can be detrimental to their development. To mitigate this, parents usually work hard to make their children feel safe and secure by creating a happy, healthy, and vibrant environment at home. But there is something that parents commonly miss: instilling community values in children. 

Community values refer to a set of beliefs and behaviours that make society a better place for everyone. These include kindness, tolerance and empathy towards others, respect for human rights, equality of opportunity, peace, freedom, justice, truthfulness, honesty, sincerity, trustworthiness, integrity, and more. 

The importance of building community values in children cannot be stressed enough. Connecting with the community helps children develop empathy and compassion towards others. They learn that everyone has different needs, abilities, skills, and experiences, and they should respect others and appreciate their differences. This helps them understand what it means to be part of a community, where each person contributes something unique to society.

Why is Community Involvement Important?

When children are involved in their community, they develop a sense of belonging and responsibility. They understand that their actions have consequences on other people’s lives as well as their own lives. They start learning to take responsibility for their actions instead of blaming others or other circumstances for anything that goes wrong in their lives or the world around them. 

Children get an opportunity to learn new things about different cultures, traditions and beliefs by interacting with different people from different backgrounds. This helps them become more tolerant towards others and allows them to appreciate the values unique to each country or region. Children also learn how important it is to be part of a team or group. They learn cooperation, sharing and respect for one another’s ideas and opinions. They also learn how to compromise, negotiate and resolve conflicts peacefully without resorting to violence or aggression.

If you want your child to grow up into a well-rounded individual with good values and character who knows how to work with others, you must involve them in your community from an early age.

Community is not just about living in a house next door to someone on the same street or in the same building. It’s about interacting with people from different walks of life and learning from each other. Parents must start engaging their children at home by talking to them about the surrounding community — its people, culture, and traditions.

Family and Community Involvement in Early Childhood Education

As a parent, you are the first and most important influence on your child’s life. Your actions, words, and example all contribute to how your child grows into adulthood. Instilling community values into your children will help them feel confident in social situations and allow them to know what they should or shouldn’t do in certain situations. For example: if a child sees his father stealing from another person, he may think it’s okay because his father does it too, and he doesn’t know any better.

Parents must model good behaviour and encourage their kids to do the same. Here are some ways that parents can help their children learn about community values:

👉 Encourage them to volunteer at their local library or animal shelter. Volunteering is one of the best ways to teach children about giving back to their community. It also allows them to meet new people while helping others who might not have as much as they do.

👉 Talk about the news with your kids. It’s essential to keep current on what’s happening in the world and how it affects our community. When you read a story, discuss it with your children and ask them what they think. This is an opportunity to discuss how we should treat other people and why certain things are wrong. If you read an article that says someone did something terrible, talk about how they should have handled it differently or why they shouldn’t have done it in the first place.

👉 Use language that reflects the values of our community. When you’re talking with your children, use words like “kindness” and “respect” instead of “good” or “bad.” If someone does something good, tell your child why it was good — not just because it was nice or helpful, but because it reflected kindness and respect for others.

👉 Talk about recycling and why it’s essential to keep our planet clean. You could also talk about ways to recycle at home — for example, by separating your recyclables from your trash or composting food scraps.

👉 Help your child understand their own feelings and emotions better to control their actions and reactions in any given situation. For example, if your child is angry, help them learn how to express it appropriately instead of shouting or hitting others when mad (like other children might do).

👉 Let your child know what is expected of them. This includes letting your child know what behaviour is acceptable and what behaviour is not acceptable. Also, let your child know that they should do what is right even if no one else is watching or if no one else knows about it.

Benefits of Community Involvement in Schools

Community involvement in schools creates a sense of ownership for students, parents, and teachers. When people feel like they have a stake in something, they tend to care more about it. This is especially true in schools where students are often very attached to a particular school or principal because they may have gone there since kindergarten or had an influential teacher who greatly impacted their lives.

Many students feel disconnected from their school because they don’t see how they fit into its plans or goals. When teachers involve the community in their lessons, however, students can see exactly how they fit into the school’s mission of education and may feel more motivated. This sense of connection between students and school helps create a sense of belonging that makes students feel more invested in their education and learning environment.

Research has shown that when students are involved in activities outside of school, they are more likely to be engaged in the classroom. They have more resources for learning and can bring their knowledge and experience into the classroom. For example, students who participate in service-learning often report that they are better able to understand issues related to sustainability because they have seen first-hand how their actions affect the environment. 

Service-learning also helps communities by providing students with opportunities to give back and make a difference. In addition, student groups working outside of school may develop lasting friendships that make it easier for them to work together as a team both inside and outside of school. Exposure to other cultures through community involvement can also help students become more culturally aware and sensitive, promoting understanding among people from different backgrounds.

It provides opportunities for young people to practice leadership skills. As part of community involvement programs, students may be asked to take on leadership roles, such as helping plan events or serving as student representatives on committees that oversee school activities. These roles give young people valuable experience in decision-making and teamwork before they graduate high school and enter the workforce or college.

Community involvement gives students insight into careers they might not have considered before. For example, suppose your school has an environmental club that works with local groups to restore wetlands or clean up beaches. In that case, some students may realize that ecological science is an exciting career path for them! The possibilities are endless, and only limited by your imagination. So put on your thinking cap, and start coming up with new ideas to involve students in the community.

Square Panda India’s programs are created to have a holistic impact, including developing the community and engaging all stakeholders, such as parents, teachers, and children, in its upliftment. To know more, visit ecce.squarepanda.in.

Holi is the festival of colors celebrated by Hindus worldwide to honor and welcome spring. People usually spend this day with their family, and visit friends and relatives as they look to color one other. But with growing environmental concerns, water conservation and pollution, we see many people celebrating the festival in a humbler fashion. However, there are still ways you can get kids excited about Holi and make it a fun time for all.

👉 Design Color Bouquets

Let your kids express their creative abilities in making eco-friendly flower craft as part of the festival of Holi. You can use a wide range of colors, all of which are widely available in chemical-free variants. Children can create flowers from a small paper plate, plastic cups, and paper tubes to resemble a real flower. This can be a great activity with children because of its engaging nature, allowing them to learn new skills and develop their minds in the process. 

👉 Holi Puppet Show

These days, children can be found staring at the television for hours. This is especially true during the holidays, when your child may have more time on their hands. While children may enjoy watching TV shows and movies, teaching your child about Holi by celebrating it in your own home can help instill pride in their cultural and religious heritage. Whether springing out of a pre-planned puppet show or spontaneously within a play session, these alternatives can help your child learn in an interactive environment.

👉 Make Organic Colors

Most people purchase synthetic, non-toxic powders, but there are many ways to make your own organic colors at home using natural ingredients and common kitchen spices. Natural ingredients like ground turmeric, henna powder, beetroot, sandalwood paste, and flowers like the red hibiscus can be used to make wonderful colors.

👉 Color Hunt

Another easy way to teach kids about Holi is to arrange a color hunt. Bring home three different colored balloons — red, yellow, and blue — and ask your kids to find matching objects in the house for each color. If you have more than one kid, you can organize a race. The one who finds more matching items first wins the race! This will add a fun element and help them recognize colors faster.

👉 Organize an art competition

Painting competitions can help children discover their hidden talents and boosts their confidence. Art competitions can inspire joy and excitement among kids, with the best paintings possibly made into greeting cards that you can send to family and friends. This would help remind them that we all have an artist within us who needs an opportunity to be discovered.

👉 Dance-offs

The festival of Holi is incomplete without some peppy Bollywood songs being played in the background. Get your kids to dance along with you on some upbeat numbers, and have a blast!

The Bottom Line

While throwing colors and having fun is certainly a significant part of the Holi experience, other aspects are to consider for added excitement. An unexplored yet captivating choice of activities would be to add some learning. By making activities educational and rewarding, learning will suddenly become quite enjoyable, with your kids being eager to participate in your next Holi celebration—passionately engaged while they are at it!

At Square Panda, it is our constant endeavor to deliver joyful learning experiences that engage children and empower teachers to better impart their wisdom. To know more about our comprehensive learning solutions and programs, visit our website: ecce.squarepanda.in

The pandemic has altered almost every area of our daily lives. Teachers and students, in particular, have had to adapt to online education, which has proved difficult for many learners. Educators agree that online courses are no substitute for in-person learning experiences. In 2018, the New York Times reported that online classes do not allow for the same level of individual attention as in-person classes, and children studying online perform worse than those directly studying with teachers.

Despite this, some students have managed to thrive by embracing this remote style of learning. Learning styles can be deeply individual, and students who respond well to online learning usually have a strong sense of independence and self-motivation. Those students often choose this learning style because they can work at their own time and pace.

Let’s look at why some kids are succeeding in online learning.

👉 Self-Paced Learning

There is a lot of flexibility in online learning. The choice to learn at your own pace instead of being forced to go through the material in a certain way can help you stay focused and attentive. Therefore, students who do well in self-paced, flexible learning situations thrived while learning online. It allowed students to remain focused and attentive to course materials. Students could take any past classes they may have missed or repeat them as many times as needed. Anytime students wanted to repeat a lesson, they could replay it at their own pace, allowing them to fully comprehend the material and gain an understanding that would not be found in a classroom setting.

👉 More Time, Less Distraction

It is not an overstatement to say that today’s students had a grueling schedule in a pre-pandemic world. They attended school and were also expected to manage different extracurricular activities, such as sports and arts, alongside their classes. In addition to this, most students had to receive additional support from private tuitions and preferred going to these sessions in the evening or on weekends. As a result of the pandemic lockdown, many students had to curtail social activities, focusing on their online courses and studies, which proved to be beneficial for many.

👉 Mental Well-Being

Mental health is an integral part of overall wellbeing, and it varies from person to person. Regardless of the child’s age, some students may suffer from anxiety about going to school or the thought of being in a physical classroom where they feel uncomfortable. For these students, online schooling provided the opportunity to learn without all the pressures and expectations of being in an actual classroom. Even if they weren’t able to keep up with their classes at first, they were still able to complete their assignments at a later time without worrying about falling behind.

👉 Family Support

While it is widely known that school-based interactions and relationships with peers helps develop a child’s academic and emotional well-being, many children thrived while learning remotely. Parents play a significant role in how well their children flourish at school. Since online learning was new for children, many parents were actively involved with their children’s education. Most children were able to cope well with the demands of online learning because parents assisted them with the technology being used. This helped in boosting their child’s self-esteem and confidence.

The Bottom Line

There are several reasons why some kids thrive during remote learning, but it’s important to remember that every child is different. It’s never a good idea to compare your child with others or expect them to perform just as well as their peers in every subject area. While the thought of virtual schooling may have been far from parents’ minds when it first emerged, they can now view it as a viable alternative to attending classes physically in school, for now and the foreseeable future.

Our comprehensive interventions span across the lifetime of a child’s education journey, and impact multiple factors that influence a child’s educational achievement – such as learning, teacher support, parent support, educational infrastructure, access to technology, health & exposure to other skills. 

To know how our array of products and programs improve learning outcomes from pre-primary through secondary grades, visit ecce.squarepanda.in/ 

As parents, we all want high grades for our kids, and no one wants to see their child struggling in school. But sometimes, things just don’t work out that way. There are few things more frustrating than seeing our kids spending so much time with their homework and trying so hard, but not getting the grades they deserve for all that effort. Now, it might be tempting to scold them for not studying better or longer—but aren’t there enough stressors on kids already?

The first step to building an effective study routine is identifying the problem areas that most frequently sabotage your child’s ability to learn and retain information. Once you understand where your child is struggling and what techniques they need to stay focused, the process of creating a study routine can help them build skills for academics that will last and serve them well.

Here are some reasons why your child might have trouble studying effectively:

• Lack of Planning: Students who do not plan their time effectively will often have trouble with deadlines and miss opportunities to get good grades. Lack of planning leads to disorganization, making it hard to stick to a study schedule and commit enough time for a task.
• Hesitant to Clear Doubts: Students are reluctant to seek answers to their doubts, as they fumble over a lack of clarity about how such queries should be raised. They fail to clarify whether the teacher can be approached personally or during a proper time slot. While the bigger class size and more number of students can make the task of teachers really difficult, the lack of confidence in oneself and the fears that one’s query might be repeated by someone else could be other reasons why students refrain from asking questions.
• Poor Results despite Efforts: Children are typically assigned numerous tasks at school and are instructed to study specific topics. However, these instructions might not be sufficient for the students to reap the maximum benefits from their study time. Even for the really bright kids, getting good grades is a constant concern that haunts them. Therefore, it is essential for you to understand your child’s study habits and how they learn best.

Below are strategies that could be hidden in plain sight, which can help young people develop the skills they need to learn that bit better!

📍 Leverage New Technology

In the 21st century, learning is no longer confined to books and classrooms. With internet connectivity reaching almost every household, it has become possible for children to learn from the comfort of their homes through the available learning platforms. Help your child use their educational apps and study platforms with gamification at its core. Game-based learning has shown positive results, especially in areas where students find otherwise tedious subjects interesting. By choosing the right learning platform for your child, you can increase their interest in specific topics and help develop their cognitive abilities.

📍 Remove Distractions

For most students, distractions are everywhere and can interrupt the learning process when it comes to studying. The biggest distractions in a student’s environment are often their mobile phones, iPads, or television. To keep these things at bay, it’s helpful for parents to find a place for studying where there is no television or other distractions. One way to do this is by setting up your child in a designated study area to focus on their homework without the worry of being disturbed. 

📍 Encourage Short Breaks

Studying for too long can cause symptoms of “brain fade”. Brain fade occurs when your child feels like they are losing concentration, or their brain just doesn’t want to focus anymore. In order to avoid brain fade, parents should encourage their children to take occasional breaks while studying. Recent studies have shown that taking a break during learning is vital for the brain to be able to absorb and retain information.

📍 Encourage Play and Sleep

The world today is a rat race for all. There is no room for error, and every kid feels pressure to be the best they can be. But as parents, we need to understand that our kids are going through a crucial stage in their lives where they need the best possible care. It’s crucial for them to have an active social life and an active lifestyle outdoors. Encourage your kid to play sports and allow them to have a good night’s sleep. When kids are outside playing and having fun, they tend to keep themselves free from worries, which keeps them relaxed. Research has proven that kids sleep better after playing, thus helping them perform better at school the next day.

📍 Appreciate Them

Positive parenting is one of the best ways to raise happy children. While it’s good to put your child in a time-out now and then, helping your child see that their behaviour leads to positive consequences will help them build effective study habits. Kids love to be praised for their efforts and achievements, regardless of whether it’s a big or small win. Celebrating even the smallest of victories can be just the encouragement they need to keep going.

Square Panda India employs a unique learning approach that makes the learning journey engaging, joyful, and often more productive than traditional studying methods. We do this by utilizing techniques like gamified learning, group work, mixed activities, and utilising a personalised adaptive learning platform to adapt content and curriculum to the unique needs of each child. Our programs help children discover and develop the best study habits. To know more, visit ecce.squarepanda.in

Learned helplessness is considered a debilitating mental state, where a person believes that they cannot influence the outcome of a situation. This condition, as well as crediting “failure” to be a learning opportunity, has had dramatic effects on the education system, most notably by contributing to chronic underperformance and high dropout rates.

Research indicates that students who have experienced repeated failure from a young age can develop an emotional state of helplessness. These kids actually start to believe there isn’t anything they can do to change their situation, and even if there were, they think they don’t have the skills to do it.

For many students, failure is accepted as a normal part of their school experience in India. They see themselves as helpless to control their own grades and outcomes, but educators can encourage students to reframe their experiences in positive terms. This leads to more engagement with learning, and it offers students the opportunity for more engaging learning experiences.

Students who have learned helplessness may experience several negative traits while learning in a classroom context. These include: 

• Refusal of help because they feel they won’t need it 
• Frustration with whatever situation comes up. 
• Using whiny or negative language when trying to solve a problem 
• Lack of motivation or initiative for complex tasks 
• Lack of self-worth and self-efficacy (a feeling that indicates whatever will happen, you decrease your chance of success).

Educators need to adopt practical strategies and techniques that target these feelings to effectively address learned helplessness. Here are a few things they can do.

Rethink the Grading System

In many schools around the country, teachers hand out low scores for poor performance on homework or exams, and even a zero. The idea of a zero may be too negative and off-putting, especially when there are so many other ways to highlight the best work. If possible, allow for retakes on some or all assignments, and emphasize that only one opportunity is offered. If a student can show that she tried her best, then giving her another chance to do the assignment may be the best option.

Normalize Failing

Failure is a part of what makes us human. However, failure can often be hard for kids to handle. Kids are very emotionally sensitive, and failure can lead to frustration, discouragement, and even shame. Teachers can help kids reframe failure to see it as a necessary part of life that leads to success. This allows students to create a growth mindset, reinforcing the idea that challenging problems are an essential part of problem-solving activities in school. It also teaches students that effort, not talent, is the critical ingredient for success.

Praise and Encourage

Research shows that praising effort over an individual’s ability has long-lasting benefits on children’s motivation, self-esteem and intrinsic interest towards a particular task. An effort is a more malleable characteristic, so praise for it can have a more significant impact. Efforts are also less prone to attribution error; we are just as happy to praise someone’s effort as we are with their intelligence or skill. Praising effort can change the way students think about themselves and their inherent abilities. When we praise only innate ability, students feel they have limited control over their success. But when we applaud the effort, students see that their actions play a role in determining their success. It reframes success as the result of effort, not because of an already existing, intrinsic ability. And that reframing can be very helpful to help them with learned helplessness. 

At Square Panda, we are passionately focused on enabling children to succeed. Our personalized learning programs enable each student to learn at their own pace. We believe that everyone needs a little extra push to overcome learned helplessness and start believing in themselves again, and realize not just their learning and development goals, but also their full potential. 

To know more about us, visit https://www.squarepanda.in/

An understanding of language is the foundation of literacy, with vocabulary development impacting all aspects of communication. Building a stronger vocabulary in preschool will improve reading comprehension and prepare a child to learn and grow. A child’s vocabulary can have a profound effect on their future success in school, so the child must be surrounded with reading material that is varied, interesting, and stimulating. By expanding their vocabularies before entering school, young children are better prepared to understand the classroom literature they are about to read.

Research suggests that for young children, language does not just talk. It is a primary vehicle for formulating new concept. A child’s language abilities are directly correlated with their cognitive growth, with words representing increasingly sophisticated ideas. And the more words children use, the more new words are available to them, and the better they can make sense of the world around them. They can talk with their parents about new topics, follow along with stories on television, and follow directions from teachers. 

Why does vocabulary instruction need to be in preschool?

The preschool years are crucial for laying a good foundation for language development. Children grow and learn about words through experiences with their environment. In addition to gaining knowledge of meaning from everyday interactions, preschoolers can enjoy building their vocabulary by learning new words from books and rhyming with silly songs. The failure to develop a rich vocabulary in the preschool years has a cascading effect on later reading skills that often hampers academic progress in school. 

Comprehension is a critical component of reading, but comprehension can be nearly impossible for a child without a solid vocabulary base. A study shows that vocabulary instruction should begin in preschool. This will benefit students by building a professionally prepared vocabulary and tone with teachers and peers in an organized setting. The ideal preschool setting provides various opportunities to explore and play with new objects and materials not commonly available in a home. It also allows children to learn from one another as they build relationships and facilitate communication skills. 

Ways to build a child’s vocabulary in preschool

Good teachers have a specific style in which they unleash their knowledge on students in a way that they can grasp. Teachers who have a good understanding of how to use words, especially when discussing themes or subjects, ensure that their students receive a more cultural understanding of the world and its meanings. While there is no one way to teach vocabulary to preschool-age learners directly, there are several methods teachers can use to encourage their students to learn new words and practice them outside the classroom.

📍 Verbal Storytelling

Verbal storytelling provides children with a way to think about the language that is far removed from the formal written word. It enhances children’s sense of audience and their ability to edit what they say, focus on the point they wish to convey, and respond to feedback from others. Children can improve their actual speech abilities using this approach.

Good storytelling begins with an engaging opening. Young listeners are more apt to be drawn into a story if you grab their interest early. Children are also more attuned to your voice, the pitch, the pattern of stress, and even your breathing pattern as you tell them a story. By recounting real-life incidents or telling familiar fairy tales, you can weave information about the world around little ones by using familiar vocabulary.

📍 Share Rhymes and Songs

Songs, rhymes, and poems are familiar features of the classroom in every preschool. Songs help children remember things. They can also help children express feelings and ideas. Rhymes and humorous poems encourage children to talk in sentence patterns that are more complex than they might use when speaking informally or in single words or short phrases. You can use songs, rhymes, and poems to stimulate language growth in young children and help them become increasingly confident using language for their own purposes.

Children can reap tremendous benefits when they hear, say, and learn nursery rhymes. These catchy rhymes can build literary language skills and enhance sound-symbol relationships that lay the foundation for later reading success. As early as one-year-old, children benefit by hearing classroom songs and nursery rhymes. These joyous tunes teach basic language skills and general animal sounds, which lay the foundation for reading. Include at least one nursery rhyme daily in your classroom instruction.

📍 Use Synonyms

Another way to help your children better their vocabulary is to model the appropriate use of new words in daily conversation. The most powerful tool in this regard is a simple substitution of synonyms in place of common words. For example, when referring to a large living space, avoid using the word “big” and try calling it spacious or enormous instead. A child’s mind absorbs and retains more detailed and descriptive information, and they are more likely to remember words, such as spacious and enormous.

Each child is unique and has their own potential, which should be identified and channelized at the right time. Preschoolers are at a unique place where they can readily learn previously encountered concepts, thus creating opportunities to open learning horizons. At Square Panda India, we create research-based programs that aim at making children ready for school. 

To know more, visit https://ecce.squarepanda.in/

Nowadays, most parents are keen to give their children the best they can, especially regarding education. The challenge lies in the fact that most of us are taught by someone with a performance mindset, which believes students learn best when motivated by punishment and reward. Now, this may work for some, but more than likely will result in extrinsic motivation that will create stress, anxiety, and fear. However, just understanding what a growth mindset is and how it can help your child could bring about noticeable transformations at home and school.

What Does a Growth Mindset Mean?

A growth mindset is a psychological concept born from developmental psychology. It was primarily developed by Carol Dweck, and is mainly inspired by work on cognitive development and self-perception in the 1960s and 1970s. A growth mindset hypothesizes that you can develop your intelligence and abilities through hard work and dedication. 

A person with a growth mindset believes that with effort and determination, you can continuously transform your capacities. It views abilities as malleable rather than static. Research suggests that people can change their capabilities through learning and effort, which will positively impact classroom behaviour and academic achievement. 

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset 

Students believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits in the fixed mindset. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success — without effort. But the effort is where the growth mindset of students really shines.

In a growth mindset, students understand that intellect and talent are just the starting point. This allows them to follow a healthy mix of passion and perseverance to achieve more than they thought possible. A student with a growth mindset will know that mistakes are typical and there is always room for improvement. The key to success lies in learning from such errors and using them as a platform to grow.

How Do You Foster A Growth Mindset In Your Child?

It’s no secret that today’s educational environment is more focused on students meeting grade-level proficiency on standardized tests than embracing a passion for lifelong learning. In fact, the current emphasis on testing has negative implications for children’s development and subsequent achievements. Here’s how you can change this and develop a growth mindset for your child. 

📌 Reward the Process

Rewarding the effort and strategies they put forth during their assignments rather than praising the outcome or final grade will teach them to focus on getting better at tackling different kinds of problems, not just trying harder. Encourage your child to celebrate their ability to persist and improve. Rewarding even small steps toward a significant achievement helps develop the mindset needed to reach any goal. It’s essential to be clear about your expectations, so your child knows how to achieve success. This way, if they struggle with a concept or aren’t quite there yet, you can identify the issue, and find the solution together.

📌 Mind Your Language

The way we talk about children’s accomplishments and challenges can impact how they view themselves. Schools tend to employ language that makes children feel like failures when it comes to the grade system. For example, teachers use terms like “see me” or “remedial reading.” These phrases can sound scary to kids, even though the assignments are not particularly difficult. The language schools use tells students that they are failing instead of needing some extra focus or skills work. This creates an impossible standard for kids to live up to. It reinforces negative thoughts that can lead to further issues down the road.

Language and the words we choose to use in talking about intelligence and ability can significantly impact how children view themselves and their future life opportunities. If you talk to kids in this way, they’ll feel more self-confident about themselves. You can ask them, “What strategies are you using when you study?” Also, discuss current events your child is passionate about. They’ll be glad that someone is interested in their hobbies and interests. Showing that you care will encourage kids to stay connected to the ones they love.

📌 Show Them What a Growth Mindset Is

The best way to teach a child a growth mindset is by example. Children learn visually, and they also learn from the behaviour of their parents. Parents who practice fixed mindset behaviour can inadvertently teach their children fixed mindset thinking.

If you want to raise a child who believes they can master challenging tasks and reach their goals, you need to model the right kind of thinking and behaviour. Hard work and perseverance are crucial. If you’re able to develop a growth mindset along with your child, he or she will be more likely to maintain it throughout her life, regardless of the challenges faced.

Generate opportunities to model behaviours related to a growth mindset in both learning and non-learning situations. As you model a growth mindset, be specific about working through mistakes to approach challenges with a growth mindset. This helps children learn how they can use their own thinking in similar ways.

At Square Panda India, we provide education and interactive learning programs that instill a growth mindset. Our learning programs are humanized and dynamic. Unlike a traditional school, we design lessons based on each student’s unique pace and requirements and monitor their progress through these metrics instead of giving them grades. To know more, visit https://ecce.squarepanda.in/

Diwali brings with it a lot of fun, frolic, and loads of festivities. It is a time when you get to enjoy your favourite dishes, buy new clothes and gifts, and celebrate with friends and family. Children enjoy this festival more than anyone else, lured by the bright colours and lights, bursting of crackers, and Diwali-inspired artifacts. But with online learning and proliferation of technology, kids are so hooked to their gadgets, they have a hard time making out the colours and the feel of the festival. So how do you make your child’s Diwali special? And how can you make sure they enjoy the festivities to the fullest?

To make your little one’s experience of Diwali more meaningful, we bring you five simple activities that will ensure everyone has a heart-warming celebration.

Rangoli Sketching and Painting

With the colourful festival of Diwali around the corner, there’s a natural tendency to think of it as a celebratory time. However, this Diwali, you may want to go a step further and focus on at least one aspect where you can help your kids tap into their creative instincts. And what better way could there be than going over the age-old tradition of rangoli pictorial art, which has been seeing increased interest in recent times. 

Rangoli is a quintessential and essential part of almost every Diwali festival celebration in India. It’s, in fact, just as important as the diyas and crackers you to mark the occasion. The trend of rangoli art is becoming popular even among young kids, thanks to the internet and other avenues amplifying their popularity.

Glitter Diwali Cards

Holidays are always exhilarating for children, and a special day like Diwali seems all the more remarkable for kids. Therefore, it is essential to be creative when you decide to celebrate this festival through the eyes of your kids. A project that will help them have fun and develop some creative ideas would be to get them some Diwali greeting cards. Let them add a bit of sparkle and colour to the cards they design on their own. In this way, they can exercise their creativity and learn a lot about Indian customs and celebrations. 

Storytelling

One of the best activities to engage kids in Diwali celebrations is to tell them stories associated with the festival. The different versions of why Diwali is celebrated will ignite their interest in the significance of the festival. There is a different story about why we celebrate Diwali in each part of the country, so your child will be aware that people from different ethnicities commemorate this holiday. Provide them context behind the reasons we celebrate Diwali and answer any questions they might have. This helps engage them and may get them to ask more, which encourages them to participate further in festivities.

Diwali-inspired Artifacts and Origami

Adding origami to a child’s craft repertoire provides them with a fun method of art-making. And what better way to introduce them than Diwali-inspired origami? Origami creates a significant impact on children’s brain development, fostering their creativity & imagination. By teaching them origami, they can make colorful earrings, flower garlands, greeting cards, and more. All you need is origami paper along with glue or double-sided tape to create lovely designs they’ll love to wear, give as gifts, or display at home.

Green Diwali

Climate change is a cause for concern, and we must understand the environmental impact of our actions. Educate your children about the importance of eco-friendly Diwali celebrations. Allow them to use their creativity to create alternatives to traditional firecrackers. This will teach them about caring for the environment in a fun and engaging way. You could try cutting thin pieces of paper into animal-shaped rhombus, playing with the shape to create an aesthetic appeal for your papier mâché firecrackers.

At Square Panda India, we believe in the importance of playful discovery and learning during early childhood. Incorporating joyful learning about Diwali helps children develop skills that contribute to their creative and intellectual development. Let your child be fascinated about this festival of lights!

Happy Diwali! ✨