When you have children, whether it’s one or many, you are responsible for quite a few things. You are obligated to protect them, shelter them, clothe them, feed them, and keep them healthy. Over time, you’ll also be responsible for how they grow as a person. Knowing ways to boost your child’s self-confidence in their early years will pay dividends when they’re teens and adults later.
Help Them Learn Before You Let Them Learn
When your child is trying something new, show them how to do it once. Then, help them with it. After that, you can let them try and do it on their own. That can be hard, because you know they’re going to struggle. In many cases, they might even fail quite a bit. As badly as you want to step in, remember that when you were a kid, you wanted to prove yourself, too. Even if they don’t learn how to do what they’re trying, they’ll always learn from dealing with adversity.
Summer Camp
Summer camp is a great way for kids to learn how to operate independently of their parents and families. Depending on the activities they do, they might also develop confidence in trying new things they’ve never done before. If you’re not sure what summer camps might specifically help them grow in this area, then go to websites describing options in your area that you can choose from.
Praise Them, But Do It Right
Parental praise can go a long way in building confidence in children, but you need to build the confidence right. Praising attributes, such as talent, or concrete results, such as A+ grades, can artificially inflate them or put their confidence in the wrong direction. To establish the right foundation for their confidence, focus on praising the work and effort they put into things.
Be a Great Role Model
Your children will learn more from your example than everything you decide to deliberately teach them. Carry yourself with confidence in your own life, and they’ll mimic that until they figure out how to do it on their own. You’ll both benefit.
You’ll always remember the first time your child stood up on their own and started walking. The first few times they use their self-confidence to stand up for themselves are more subtle, and you might not recognize those moments. Prepare them for it anyway by boosting their self-confidence in any manner possible.
Little Mynah had a lot to explore about the world but she feels that the world doesn’t notice her coz she is not special like the other “fancier” birds. Will she be able to find her confidence?
With a daughter who is on the smaller size, this book was read and re-read multiple times in our home. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story is empowering. As if that is not enough, this story also is multilingual and a wonderful addition to multicultural libraries looking to show kids the beauty of world languages.
My kids are 8 and 11, who enjoy reading. They give this book a huge thumbs up!
I specially liked the fact that I could also bring home the importance of different species of birds, and the impact the current environmental changes have had on birds recently. I think it is wonderful to have stories that highlight crucial issues in a light and vibrant way.
BOOK DESCRIPTON
Little Mynah wishes she was not so ordinary. But when her friend, the magnificent Heron, gets into trouble she flies into action and discovers that even ordinary little birds can do extraordinary things. This is the first multilingual picture book in a series to be published by Epigram Books that introduces preschoolers and early primary kids to the diverse languages and cultures of Singapore. Underlying this first adventure with Little Mynah is the importance of environmental conservation.
The book includes a link (via QR code) to an audio recording of everyday words and phrases used in the story in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil. A useful glossary is provided at the back of the book for easy reference. The QR code also links readers to free games and activities so the fun and learning keeps going.
When you think of meditation, perhaps the first image that comes to mind is of aging yogis in saffron robes seated peacefully in the lotus position. Or perhaps you imagine some fresh-faced young woman with her high ponytail and leotard, palms together, legs crossed, and a gentle smile on her face.
Chances are, though, that when you conjure a mental picture of someone practicing meditation, you’re not going to envision a chubby-legged preschooler sitting sedately, criss-cross applesauce, on a cartoon-themed exercise mat.
The truth, however, is that meditation provides immense mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits for every human, regardless of age. This article examines the benefits of meditation for children and how you can effectively incorporate it into your child’s life.
An Ancient Practice Given New Life
Historians speculate that the practice of meditation may be nearly as old as human civilization itself, potentially dating back as far as 5,000 BCE. Originally, it was the exclusive provenance of ancient Eastern Asian religions, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism.
Though meditation remains a cornerstone of spiritual practice for millions, by the 20th century, meditation had become largely severed from its faith-based origins. In Western societies, in particular, meditation came to be incorporated into secular practice as an important tool for supporting physical and mental health.
The Benefits of Meditation for Children
In the modern West, meditation is often conceptualized as a principally secular practice designed to help overscheduled, over-stressed adults manage the chaos of their daily lives.
However, it is not only adults who are under pressure in our fast-paced, high-anxiety world. Children, too, are facing greater social and emotional challenges than perhaps ever before. Not only this, but children today are also at significant risk of endearing adverse events that may negatively impact their brain development, leaving them vulnerable to cognitive impairments and emotional and mental health disorders throughout their lifespans.
These events may range from the severely traumatic, such as abuse and neglect, to the chronically stressful, such as prolonged financial hardship in the household.
Whatever the cause, kids need a way to calm and comfort themselves now more than ever. Meditation can fit the bill brilliantly, equipping kids with techniques to refocus, reassure, and relax themselves in an increasingly tumultuous world.
In most cases, your child’s meditation practice is going to look a lot different from yours. It’s neither feasible nor kind to expect a child under five, for example, to sit quiet and still for minutes at a stretch.
That doesn’t mean, though, that you can’t teach them to meditate until they’re older. You just need to get a bit creative. For instance, tying your meditation practice to your read-aloud time with your little one is the perfect way to reap the rewards of both reading and meditation.
Books like the Yogi Superhero series can help your child learn about basic yoga poses and breathing techniques, which you can then use for guided meditation practice with your child.
Remember, as well, that you don’t have to keep still to meditate. If your child is more comfortable when they’re always on the go, then try intertwining your meditative practice with some simple, repetitive physical action.
Something as simple as stomping your feet while chanting a positive affirmation can become a form of meditation. It can also help your child refocus and release their physical energy and prepare them for less kinetic sessions.
As your child grows older and more practiced in various meditation techniques, you can gradually increase the difficulty level, such as incrementally extending each meditation session or adding an early morning and pre-bedtime session.
This can teach your child to implement meditation-based relaxation techniques at various times of the day and based on their specific needs at any given time, whether they’re preparing to take a test, compete in a ball game, perform at a recital, or simply settle down to sleep at night.
The Takeaway
Meditation isn’t just for yogis and yuppies. Meditation has gifts to give humans from cradle to grave. That means that you don’t have to wait for your child to grow up to introduce them to the enormous power of meditation. Indeed, in our stress-saturated world, children need the calm and comfort that meditation provides every bit as much as adults do.
However, children’s meditation practices may differ greatly from those of adults, especially when the child is very young. It may be integrated with reading aloud activities to better enable the child to understand the practice and use it effectively in guided meditation. It may even involve a significant amount of simple, rhythmic movement and chanting. There’s no one way to meditate, and you simply can’t do it wrong. The key is to try it out and discover the techniques that work best for your child!
I simply loved this book. What a great connect to nature it provides.
With the beauty of this earth in the forefront of our minds, the story of this beautiful tree that spans the life of one reader and helps them create a legacy is transcendent! I so love what the author has said without saying, that our legacy is our children and our stories. It is so important for us to reach out with our kindness to those we love and all that provides for us. A timeless and much needed lesson of our times.
Another thing which will strike you is the trip down memory lane, if you are an avid reader. Of how your love for reading grew and got passed on to your children and your community.
My kids and I often take books to the park and sit and read. This brought up so many fun memories.
A very well written book with illustrations reminiscent of my childhood story books. This would make a great read for kids aged 5-9. My kids and I had wonderful conversations that spanned our love for reading to our responsibility to the environment and much more.
BOOK INFO
Reading age : 5-9 yrs
ASIN : B09DVYHK2T
Description : In this illustrated ode to books and reading, literacy and libraries are promoted and celebrated. A little tree and a little boy form a friendship over their love of books. In time, the tree is adorned with every book the little boy reads to the tree. Soon, a whole community of people can enjoy the magnificent tree of spectacular books. But with time, both the tree and the boy grow older. Now the boy is an old man and must say goodbye. What is to become of the grand old tree?
Is it even possible to give multicultural children a sense of belonging? To help them see that the worlds within them provide them a unique identity which belongs as much as a native citizen of a country?
The Girl From No Where. For the longest time I used to feel those were the words that defined me. Being Indian, raised in Kuwait, never Indian enough for India, never Kuwaiti enough for Kuwait, not even belonging to one cultural state within India, I never fit into any neat little box. My sense of belonging was beyond labels. The confidence within my sense of identity developed came from knowing that I would never fit in and that was okay!
It was only after I started writing about the challenged of raising multicultural kids and empathizing with their sentiments as a woman raised as a third culture child, did I understand where we belonged. The beauty of diversity within my family unit owing to being exposes to various cultures growing up was a boon to my children. I realized then that we in fact belonged every where.
What is Belonging though?
Belonging is the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group. It is when an individual can bring their authentic self forward to voice their opinions.
Difference Between Identity and Belonging
Difference Between Identity and Belonging?
An identity is who or what a person or thing is. Your identity defines who you are. It is a self-representation of your interests, relationships, social activity and much more. Our sense of identity and belonging is impacted by various factors, including our experiences, relationships, and our environment. The journey to find identity and belonging can often be a struggle, since we ask ourselves, ‘who am I?’ vs. ‘who do others want me to be?’ and ‘where do I belong? Where do I fit in?’ This point in our lives is completely subjective, meaning that it is our personal view that influences our decisions. The issue of identity and belonging has encompassed humans for many generations, and will remain a key turning point for many to come.
Often I hear people mock their situation saying, “Oh! My kids are confused desis. Half Indian, Half American. In my book Strong Roots Have No Fear, I have explained how and why I do not believe my children to be half Indian or half American. They are whole. 100% Indian and 100% American. The many tools we can provide them to feel the same of which belonging is foundational.
And yet, I am not naive enough to believe that my children will never question their own identity. It is natural to question if we belong where are from or where we are?
But giving them a sense of belonging is a long road to building a strong self identity.Because when children feel a sense of belonging, they develop confidence and self-identity.
Taking Pride in Your Abilities or Culture
My children often tell me about conversations they have with their friends from different cultures. They all take pride in their heritage and often that can lead to questioning one’s own identity or if someone wonders why your community follows certain traditions.This is why it is important to help children understand via our own stories of upbringing, history, books and know the reasons why we nurture the traditions we do.
Children belong to many boxes, their family, a cultural group and their country. It is important for children to develop an understanding of themselves to take the first step in developing a sense of identity. Helping children understand their strengths in any given situation is crucial for confidence building.
Speaking a native language, walking down memory lane of places you have lived, cooking cultural foods, celebrating festivals are other ways to encourage pride within.
Seeing the Beauty in Diversity through Relationship Building
Belonging acknowledges children’s interdependence with others and the basis of relationships in defining identities. A child learns and develops a sense of identity through their relationships and experiences at home, family interactions and their environment. As they play, learn and try new things, they will develop an understanding of their own identity.
Creating an atmosphere of learning helps children feel safe to share ideas. This can be done by building relationships with the world via play dates, community building etc. All children should feel that their world is a safe place where people care about them and their needs, they can develop positive relationships and where they will be able to seek help when needed. When these needs are met, children can develop a sense of belonging.
Respect is the Foundation of Belonging
We all spend a life time wanting to belong. And yet, sometimes we forget that others want the same too. Our unconscious biases sometimes transfers onto children translating to disrespect in their eyes. Often the different paths we all walk for need to be accepted as their truths, with respect. We may question it to understand it but if we question it to try to change their path, that is disrespect that have a ripple effect. For children too, fear being respected for their beliefs.
Encourage Curiosity
I remember once my son asked me, “Which country should we be cheering for?” I responded, “We are blessed to live in two worlds. We have a rich Indian culture that we can learn from and wonderful American history to now call our own. If it is a match between any two countries you can cheer for either one, but if it is a match between the two countries, you simply have to let the best team win.”
“What if they go to war?”
“In that case, I would say what I would say if even your two friends are fighting, stand by who is right. ”
A child’s sense of identity evolves with times. If we do not create a safe space for questions, we lose the chance to help shape our child’s identity.
One’s Sense of Belonging Can Exist Beyond Labels
The world will see us in a certain way, based on existing stereotypes, personal biases and experiences. It is critical that we let our children understand that it is up to us to prove that one’s identity can be different from that which is portrayed in movies or books. Living our lives beyond the confines of traditional cultural norms and educating those around us about our home culture.
We can help our children see how our home culture is different that other home cultures from the same community, for eg. how Diwali is celebrated in different ways in South Asian homes around the world or how some Hindus practice different traditions in their homes.
Below are the Ways in Which One Can Help Multicultural Children Feel that they Belong
There are lots of things we do to create a sense of belonging by being inclusive.
Names – calling children by their names is so important. To be greeted by and understanding the correct pronunciation of their name helps them see themselves respected.
Interests –Activities can be structured around specific preferences and children will be keen to engage more effectively.
Adult interaction – Adults can help to model social skills, which children will observe and grow to understand. Be open about your lack of knowledge or personal experiences.
Sensitivity – Needs and emotions vary hugely between children so it’s useful to be as culturally sensitive as possible with each individual.
Encourage a sense of community – whether it’s within the classroom or around the center as a whole, community is so important. Parents, staff and children are all integral parts of any childcare setting and a sense of community creates an identity that a child can really belong to.
Education – Learning about the world through diverse books, own voice shows or events like International nights help children see the world and know that they too would be accepted.
The beauty of belonging is that where we are from is as much a part of us as the where we are or the places that shape us.
Belonging relies on us forfeiting our individuality. Our identity is influenced by how others view us. Sometimes one’s sense of identity can cause more harm than good. Our belonging is not dependent on whether others accept us, but whether we accept ourselves.
Teaching children US history is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. As a teacher, you have your preferred method of conducting your American history lessons. It’s entirely up to you and your pupils to decide how you want to teach your classes.
You may prefer a well-structured classroom, with pupils adhering to the same routines throughout the year. Alternatively, you might use a variety of activities to keep the kids on their toes by varying the content for each unit.
It’s possible to use either method to great effect! I have developed various teaching methods and tools as I’ve taught US history to multiple students. These five teaching strategies/resources can be used as the foundation of your curriculum, or you can use them to switch things up so each unit has a unique feel.
Packets of Instructions for the Unit
Teachers have been utilizing packets for decades, and they’ve shown to be an effective strategy. They aid in student organization by ensuring that everything they require is conveniently located. Because they don’t have to record a lot of different paperwork, they can focus on their work.
Everything they need for the entire unit is contained within a single, convenient packet. My packs are created to aid students in grasping the most important concepts. There are nine pages in each box, and the first page has a brief history of the era or unit in question.
Then there are sections on vocabulary, geography, a timeline, basic themes, and visual analysis, among other subjects.
Computerized Diaries
Activity packets are comparable to 9/11 picture books in that they contain all of the necessary information for a course in a single location. Picture books are engaging for younger students and provide them the chance to get some basic knowledge of historical events. Activities, on the other hand, give older pupils some more interesting and interactive tasks to perform.
In each set, you’ll find between 8 and 12 pages devoted to the most important topics of that section of American history. Students engage in fun and interactive activities by typing right on the pages, adding images, and dragging and dropping material.
You may use them to integrate into your classroom without printing a single sheet of paper effectively! Using computers, iPads, or any other gadget that accepts Google Drive, you may complete them all online!
If you’re going to the computer lab, it’s a must-have. It’s not a good fit for kids who prefer to study from notes or paper because they are fully digital. They’re fantastic, though, because students can use them from anywhere and don’t have to be concerned about misplacing important papers throughout their studies.
Notebooks with Touch Screen Interactivity
In the classroom, active pads have been around for some time and are still a useful tool. The visual organizers aid students in classifying and better comprehending the material they learn. Aside from that, they’re fun for the students to make.
Students can use these graphic organizers to help them understand any subject matter you assign them. It’s up to you whether or not you incorporate them into your lesson plan regularly. You can use interactive notebook exercises to stimulate student creativity and demonstrate their mastery of core ideas in your curriculum because of the hands-on and imaginative nature of the activities.
For example, the 13 Colonies through the conclusion of the Cold War are all covered in aUS History curricula, with more than 100 interactive notebook pages. Cut-and-fold graphic organizers and complete answer keys accompany each set of completed sheets.
The “Flipped Classroom” Experience
In a “flipped classroom,” students view a video at home and then complete the traditional “homework” in class, in which the teacher can offer more support. Taking presentations out of the classroom and free up more time for assignments, primary source study, and other in-class activities.
37+ videos are included in my US History program, which covers every key idea. In each, the most important concepts, individuals, phrases, and events are explained so that pupils can comprehend them. One of them is about the Watergate Scandal, and you can check it out here.
Guided PowerPoint Presentations
Of course, lecturing or delivering knowledge via PowerPoint is a conventional method of education. Despite the stigma attached to it, most of us still have to go through a PowerPoint presentation with our children from time to time to cover important material.
We also don’t use PowerPoints, as you recall from school. Students will find them all visually appealing and thought-provoking. There are also 3-D visuals and moving portraits of historical individuals that bring them to life.
Conclusion
Teaching American history is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. I have developed a variety of learning methods and tools over the years. Packets of instructions for each unit aid in a student organization and ensure that everything they require is conveniently located. Digital notebooks contain all necessary information for a course in a single location. Packets contain between 8 and 12 pages devoted to the most important topics of that section of American history.
Growing up, whenever we visited India, every family we visited, my mom would whisper in my ear, “Make sure you touch their feet.” I would do so dutifully, only to have some of the men always say, “Daughters shouldn’t touch feet.” This was because in many sub Hindu castes, the daughter is a reflection of Goddess Laxmi and thus, her touching feet is not considered good luck for the one whose feet are being touched in Indian culture.
One day I asked my mom, “Why do you make me do it, when they say I don’t need to?”
She replied laughing, “What does it matter? What do we lose by giving that respect to them. It gives you a good workout none the less!”
There are many ways people touch feet. Also known as Charan Sparsh, it has been followed for ages, probably since the Vedic period. Many people over the phone even simply say the words to relay the feeling. Sadarpranam is another phrase used.
Today, I do request my children to touch our feet. One their birthdays and the day they succeed at something or achieve a milestone. Do I force them? No. As with everything, I will let time and them decide what they do as they grow older. For now, I have explained the below to them for …
There are many reasons behind the Indian tradition of touching feet.
Giving Respect
The truth is, whether they want to, or not, the smile an elder gets when you give them that respect is truly wonderful to see. A simple act of bowing down to touch someone’s feet to seek blessings from their aura, setting our ego aside is just a sign of respect. Respect for the experiences, age or success of another.
There is science and tradition behind the act itself, but that smile is an indulgent one that shows us that they appreciate it. And the beauty of blessings and good wishes cannot be denied.
Get Blessings
I have always believed in earning good will.
Every single time, I am in trouble, stressed or happy about something, I go online and share it or ask people for wishes. I do believe in vibes and the fact, that wishes when passed on in a moment of pure feeling always help us succeed.
And who has the purest of wishes for us, more than those ahead of us in age, wisdom or familial link?
Positive words of “Long life” or “May you succeed” or “Be successful” simply slip out of the mouth the moment you touch someone’s feet and there is nothing untoward about that. The elders touch your head with emotions filled with Karuna (affection) and bless you. This emits positive vibes from the elders, which are passed on to you.
Science
The human body is said to contain negative and positive current. The left side of the body is said to carry the negative current while the right side of the body carries positive energy. When a person touches the feet of another person, the two bodies connect with each other, which creates a complete circuit of positive and negative energy.
It is said that touching the feet of elders also has a biological significance. The nerves are spread all over the body of a human. Some of them end at the toes of the feet and the fingertips of our hands. So, when the fingertips of a person touch the toes of his her elders, the finger becomes the receptor of energy, thereby, accepting energy emitted from the body of the elders, while the toes of the elders become the giver of energy.
Health Benefits
And bending over touching our toes is a legit exercise. Imaging touching the feet of elders in the home every single day (in a joint family). Half a work out done!
As per Indian scholars, there are three ways of touching feet. The first one is the basic way of bending forward and touching the feet. The second is to sit on your knees and then touch the feet of the other person. The third and last one requires you to lie down on your stomach, with your forehead touching the ground, which is also known as the Sashtang Pranam, generally practiced by devotees in Hindu temples. While bending forward to touch feet, your back and waist are stretched.
When you sit on your knees and then touch the feet of an elder, your knees are bent and all of the joints in your body are stretched, which relieves you from joint pain. While engaging Sashtang Pranam, your entire body stretches and body pain is cured.
Defining Relations/Hierarchy
In India, people touch the feet of their elder brothers, parents, grandparents, teachers, spiritual gurus and other senior citizens.
Only the feet of elders and such respectable people are touched because all through their life, they have acquired a lot of knowledge, experience and virtues, which prove to be extremely powerful and benefitting for the ones who show them respect and seek their blessings.
In recent times, as people live far from their direct family, we often touch the feet of those who we would love to develop a bond with. Like on my 15th anniversary, my friends’ parents came over and I touched their feet out of how much I miss my parents and told them how they represent all OUR elders back in India.
Now, coming to one controversial aspect of this is whether women should touch their husband’s feet? Or siblings each other? As for me, I do touch my husband’s feet once every year on Karvachauth. He is one year older than me, and the rudder of my life. Always pointing me in the right direction and helping me reach for my dreams, so yes, I do not feel any less touching his feet.But this ofcourse is very personal and not everyone should and would choose what another does.
Occasions for touching feet in India
Indians touch the feet of their elders on various occasions in their daily life, such as:
• When starting something new • When milestones are achieved • Before going on a trip • Before an exam or an important meeting • When an elder guest comes to your house or you go their house
So, contrary to the times we live in, there is really no downside for putting our ego aside and touching the feet of those who are older to us in various respects. Tomorrow though, if my children choose not to, I would not force them. But if they do carry forward this beautiful tradition, I hope they remember these wonderful benefits.
I would add the caveat though the respect should be given to only those who you feel the same for. Not just to get “points” in a relationship or as an obligation. If the feeling does not come from within, or your gut says otherwise, do whatever your heart says. For any exchange of energies is beneficial only when done so with honesty.
What a great topic to break down into byte size pieces for kids!
An early reader, this book is a great opening into chapter books. While content heavy, this book is full of great information for the child in your care, this book is simply wonderful to teach and talk to your kids about the science behind all the electronics in our lives. Your kids are sure to get into technology after reading this book and if they are already into technology, they are going to love this book as a gift.
With the various children shown in this book, you also get a diverse perspective from each child. It is funny in parts which is always a great hit with my kiddos, each 7 year old and 11 year old.
The colorful illustrations are another big plus. You see the children doing their own thing and even interactions with the adults. Each one unique in it’s own way, as is the interrelation aspects between the kids.
Daily we face multiple issues in our gadgets. This book helps build conversation around how to be more responsible with gadget use as well, a BIG PLUS for moms raising children in the digital age. LOVED !!!
Book Description per Amazon
‘The Flying Chip’ is about a unique adventure embarked upon by a bunch of curious kids along with a flying microchip. The geeky and friendly Chip takes the kids into the fascinating world of technology. It allows them to make notes and learn fun things about electronic gadgets and encourages them to pick pearls of wisdom sprinkled subtly along the way. This book offers an aerial view of gadgets and their insides.
It also talks about Artificial Intelligence and the way it has crept into every fabric of human life. In a world where STEaM has been steadily gathering steam, ‘The Flying Chip’ would be a great read. This book is recommended for children between 5 to 10 years of age.
Fear of speaking on stages – is one of the most common fears among children. Most kids hesitate to speak in public, but child psychologists recommend motivating and giving them opportunities to speak on public stages from a young age.
Public speaking for kids helps them develop their personalities and boost their self-confidence. But how?
How Can Public Speaking Benefit Kids?
Boosts Their Confidence Level
Gaining public speaking practice develops unconscious knowledge in your child that they can deliver something of great value. This acts as a huge ego boost and, in return, increases their self-confidence. Public speaking helps your child view themselves in a different light. They start feeling better about themselves and their communication skills. Developing communication skills in shy kids is an absolute necessity as it helps them gain confidence and create a positive self-image that makes it easier for them to communicate.
Prepares Them for a Better Future
Public speaking has a lot to do with overcoming fears. If your child is not confident facing a huge crowd, they can get over it by developing their public speaking skills. Additionally, public speaking teaches kids skills such as critical thinking, develops their research skills and creates self-awareness in them.
Develops Their Planning, Organization and Leadership Skills
Preparing for public speaking takes a lot of skills – right from planning the speech to executing it properly, your child requires to sharpen their planning, organising and leadership skills. Hence, public speaking makes your child a great planner and organiser. Moreover, public speaking skills boost your child’s leadership skills as they start feeling comfortable talking for themselves and representing others – qualities of a good leader. It helps your child understand how to speak their mind without any fear. If your child grows up believing they can lead their peers, they are more likely to develop a strong leadership sense as adults.
Improves Their Pronunciations and Vocabulary
Vocabulary and pronunciation are interrelated because if you mispronounce a word, then the vocabulary knowledge that you know becomes ineffective. Public speaking helps your child develop their vocabulary and get better at pronunciations. How? Through daily speech, writing, and proper delivery guidance, public speaking improves their pronunciation and widens their vocabulary knowledge.
Enhances Their Social Connections
Through giving speeches, presentations, attending workshops and seminars, your child can find people with similar interests and expand their social circle. They can start interacting and making more social connections.
Helps Them Develop Great Communication Skills
To become an excellent communicator, your child has to practice dealing and interacting with random people in public. If your child develops their public speaking skills, they will learn to put ideas and thoughts into words, sharpening their communication skills.
Stories are a great way to keep your audience engaged and help them retain information more accurately. Search a photo online and ask your child to develop a story around that picture for this activity. Discuss what kind of backstory you can give to the people in the picture, their dreams, motivation, and everything else that can make the story interesting.
Q/A Session
Give a topic your child is not well aware of and ask them questions like they are a well-versed expert in it. Through this activity, your child will be able to work on his delivery and authority.
Presentation
Help your child make a presentation on their favourite book, movie or cartoon, which will encourage them to express their opinions on topics they love. Your child will get comfortable presenting their ideas and thoughts in front of different people through presentations.
Make Up a Definition
Choose a word that your child does not know the meaning of and ask them to say what they think must be the meaning of that word. Public speaking is all about building authority through confidence, and this activity will teach your child how to build authority by using their voice and intonation.
Conclusion
Getting your kids started with public speaking from an early age is beneficial. It offers numerous advantages – from building confidence to improving their communication skills, there is no end to the list! Read more articles for an empowered life today.
Samidha Raj works as part of the content marketing team at PlanetSpark, a platform that provides online classes to K8 learners on “New Age Skills” like English Communication, Public Speaking, Grammar, Creative Writing, Debating, etc. She is passionate about empowering the youth by educating parents about the importance of 21st-century skills. In her free time, you can find her watching documentaries or animated movies and organising game nights (board games are her thing)!
Concepts like skin color, melanin and colorism are difficult for children to understand. In a world where we are still struggling as adults to grasp the importance of these conversations, it is critical to help children understand early how we can only build acceptance by understanding ourselves and those around us.
The Ace Compeers does a great job of breaking down the science behind our bodies and how we are all different and yet similar.
Through engaging conversations and wonderful illustrations, we see a group children understand the science behind our bodies. What is melanin and how it impacts our skin tone an color.
My children 8 and 11, enjoyed the book and learned a lot of facts that they were previously unaware of. They specially enjoyed the humor sprinkled through out the book. The brain breaks and discussion points allowed us to introspect as we read. I am a big fan of conversation starters within non fiction books.
A huge point needs to be made about representation though. This book is by far one of the only books that I have come across that does a phenomenal job of representing different cultures and ethnecities. My children saw so many characters that they could relate to their friends or classmates. The subtle cultural nuances shown are also a great point of consideration.
A great reading resource for children who enjoy non fiction books and are early readers, this is book would make a great addition to any multicultural library for children 9 and above. With the many facts and lessons packed in this informative book, this is a book that any child can read and re-read at any given time.
From the Amazon Book Page —
Open your eyes! Ready your ears! It’s time to learn with the Ace Compeers!
The Ace Compeers are a diverse group of friends committed to learning all about the world and helping others. Join Ang, Basma, Riley, Erika, and Manjeet as they learn about skin colour and the ways people are both different and similar.
Using kid-friendly language and an antiracist framework, this first book of The Ace Compeers series uses inquiry-based learning techniques to draw connections between skin colour, genetics, geography, and history. It sets the foundation upon which children can shift their preconceived ideas of race and adopt an accurate understanding of skin colour. This book also features study questions to foster a hunger for learning and guide discussion with young readers, making this book an excellent resource for parents, schools, and educational organizations.
Heritage language or Mother Tongue? Which do you carry forward? Every year on February 21st, the world celebrates “International Mother Tongue Day”. For those of us in the South Asian diaspora, raising kids outside of India, what does this mean?
I’ll start by telling you my story. My parents came to NY from Kerala back in the 70s. They were part of a vibrant Malayali community in NY, but eventually they moved to South Florida when I was in preschool. My parents sought out and helped to establish the Malayali community there, but it was not the same as living in NY – where you are surrounded by so many of your people that you can have a completely insular upbringing. Going from churches to social events to even the grocery store – you could speak and hear Malayalam spoken all day. In Miami? I heard more Spanish than I heard English, let alone Malayalam.
My language story is the same as many immigrant children. Here is the common lament of an immigrant parent, reflecting on their child’s inability to speak their language:
“She spoke so well until she was 5.”
“After she started school, she only wanted to speak English.”
“The school discouraged us from speaking our language at home.”
“I was afraid it would confuse her. I thought it would affect her ability to speak English without an accent.”
“I don’t know how to teach her. She doesn’t seem to understand me. It came much easier to me when I was growing up.”
“There are no classes or proper books.”
“What’s the point? She’s not going to use it anyway.”
Does this sound familiar to you? Are you facing this situation with your child now?
Don’t give up. The truth is – language is inextricably woven with identity. To lose your language, is to lose a piece of your connection to your homeland and your family. To better understand why this happens, it’s important to draw a distinction between 2 key terms: “mother tongue” and “heritage language”. What do they have in common? What’s the difference?
Both terms refer to the language we were first exposed to as babies. But they have different outcomes. A mother tongue is easy to recall and may be practiced on a consistent basis with friends, family and the community. A heritage language on the other hand, is a language “inherited” from one’s family, but is lost as a child ages. It is literally crowded out by the dominant language of the environment. In almost all cases, that language is English.
Parents raising kids outside of India need to recognize them as “third culture kids” (TCK). Their identities are a mix of their Desi heritage, their religious upbringing, their race, but also undeniably, a different nationality – be it American, British, Australian, etc. Our goal should be to help them navigate this intersectionality, recognizing there is strength in embracing it all. Raising them with our food, dress, customs, and holidays, can strengthen their identification with “being Desi”. Language is no exception, when it comes to identifying as Desi.
Studies show that,“the most commonly observed pattern among the U.S. immigrant population is the language shift phenomenon.” This means that as families settle in the US, and children grow up, marry and start their own families, the ability to speak the heritage language diminishes. In fact, “A consistent finding in the field of sociology of language is that heritage languages are lost by the third generation of immigrants.” That means if the grandparents came from India, it is very likely that the grandchildren will not speak the heritage language. Furthermore, “Such a shift was even more rapid among Asian-Americans as compared to Latino-Americans across generations.”*[1]
Why do you think heritage language loss is so prevalent in our South Asian community? Logically – we are far away from our homeland, we lack resources, these languages are very different from English, as well as the fact being a native speaker is not a qualification in itself for being a good teacher. But that doesn’t get to the heart of the matter. It is beyond logic and eludes most language teachers and parents – as it has to do with the heart.
“Heritage language is not just academic…it’s psychological, rooted in shame and longing.”
As language is tied to identity, if a child is unsure of who they are, ashamed of being Desi or even afraid to try to speak the language – we can’t expect them to be successful, least of all become fluent. Kids can feel a greater degree of perfectionism and the fear of failure is more acute. It’s not as simple as failing an exam. It means you fail at being Indian, that you let your family down. For TCK to have a chance, they have to want to learn. They have to accept that this language is not wrong, bad or “other” – that multilingualism is normal.
Think of the slew of microaggressions (negative messages)*[2] a TCK may experience daily at school:
Amma is not a word – we say Mommy in this country.
Your skin is so dark, like the color of poop!
OMG your dad has an accent!
Your name is Arjun? Wait…can I just call you AJ?
What kind of Indian are you? Feathers or forehead dot?
Or from home:
You’re not Indian enough.
LOL you have a terrible accent when you speak [insert HL here]
It was so easy for me to learn when I was a kid. What’s wrong with you?
Don’t you know the difference between “pali” and “palli” in Malayalam? You’re hopeless!
If you can’t learn the alphabet, then I can’t teach you
It’s not something we do often in our culture, but we need to talk about feelings. From a young age (even younger than you think) our kids will need help processing these questions and the feelings they create. Before we judge them for resisting our language, why not explore what is making them uncomfortable? Could they have received criticism or have been mocked by a relative for speaking incorrectly? Did someone at school make fun of them for their [insert language, food, dress, culture, skin color] ? Do they just want to blend in and be like everyone else?
Imagine your kids being able to connect with your family back in India. Can they ask Patti “How are you” in Tamil? Can they enjoy playing with their cousins and pick up the slang? Do they understand the priest during a pooja or the preacher in a bilingual sermon?
It is possible. There are so many more resources available today than my generation had growing up in the 80s and 90s. There are initiatives cropping up around the globe everyday with the vision of growing multicultural and multilingual South Asian kids. Take advantage of the resources out there, ask for help, and if it doesn’t exist – maybe you can help create it! Expect your kids to resist at times, but keep the big picture in mind. Learning their language will help them find themselves.
How did my language story turn out? I just finished my first formal course in Malayalam and I can already start sharing this knowledge with my kids. They were shocked that even Amma had to study and do HW. I did better than a novice, but I still made a lot of mistakes and constantly mispronounced words, but … I absolutely loved it. It has fulfilled a part of me that I didn’t know was missing.
Anita K. Sachariah Srinivasan is the Founder of BhashaKids, a startup that aims to create bilingual learning materials for kids learning South Asian languages. A public speaker, facilitator, mompreneur and Learning Coach, Anita started BhashaKids in 2019 to help other South Asian diaspora families connect their kids with their heritage languages and culture. Frustrated by not being able to find quality learning products to help her kids learn their heritage languages, she set out to create them herself. Her work includes creating bilingual and inclusive learning materials for kids, coaching parents, coaching language teachers, working with language schools to develop their curriculum, as well as supporting authors of underrepresented children’s books, including bilingual books. Raised in the US by South Indian parents, Anita speaks English, French, and some Spanish. She is (re)learning Malayalam, her heritage language. Raising a multilingual and a multicultural family, you can hear Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Spanish (besides English, of course) spoken in her home. –> Social Media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @bhashakids
[1] Cho, Grace. “Perspectives vs Reality of Heritage Language Development”, Multicultural Education Journal: Winter 2015.
[2] These are all anecdotal statements I’ve heard said in classrooms, to my kids and even myself.
Making the decision to home school your children reaps many rewards, but it also comes with some sacrifice. Because of this, wise families always think about whether or not home schooling will work for their family, before committing to such an endeavor. If you’re in the process of deciding whether or not to home school your kids, then you might want to keep the following four points in mind when you’re making your final decision.
You’re Already Disciplined
Committing to home schooling your children means that you must be disciplined enough to work with them each day, whether you feel like it or not. If you already have a family routine that includes kid-based activities, like regular homework times, soccer, and other activities (and you do them like clockwork), then home schooling will probably work for your family.
The Pandemic Showed You Home Schooling’s Benefits
Maybe you never thought about home schooling your kids but now that you’ve been forced to teach them at home, you find you prefer this style of education better. You have developed a daily rhythm to help them and you keep up with their lessons and school activities. You may have also found that you like the offerings of independent home schooling curriculum companies like CLASS Home schools better than you do the curriculum that your child’s “real” school has. This gives you more control over what your children are learning, which is a bonus, too.
Your Child Flourishes in Home Schooling
Some kids just do better when they’re home schooled. They don’t face the same peer pressure. They learn at a pace that’s good for them and not the whole class. They get more individualized attention at home than they do at school. If all of these things appeal to you, then this is a definite sign that home schooling could be a better option for your family.
You Like the Freedom It Offers
Home schooling provides your family with a lot of freedom. According to Crosswalk, the day is shorter for home schooled kids, which means that they have more time to play, explore, and spend time with family.
It also means that the whole family exists on the family’s schedule instead of on the local school’s schedule. This expands a family’s ability to work when and where they want, to vacation at their leisure, and to experience life at a pace that feels good to them. If this resonates with you, home schooling will likely work for you.
Before you start home schooling your kids, you need to ensure that it will work for your family before you commit to this path. If you’ve read the previous four points and find that you resonate with them, then that’s a good indication that home schooling just might work for your family.
We all dream of getting our favorite things on our birthdays. And sometimes, the disappointment of not getting exactly what we want can make us feel big emotions like anger, hurt, and more.
The same thing happens to our friend Isaiah.
He has a wonderful birthday celebration. But ends up getting the thing he hates the most, chocolate. This story is a great resource for helping children understand how to handle themselves in a social setting and build social emotional skills they can use in their daily lives.
An ideal read for those looking to move from picture books to chapter books, this is a must have in every classroom be it home, school or home school. I specially liked how Isaiah finds his way to handling his big emotions through an adventure that he takes through something that he does not like. Often it takes us experiencing something we don’t like, to appreciate the importance of it.
This would make an interesting read for children 7-11 years of age.
The activates in the back are a great addition to the conversations this book is bound to create.
From the Amazon book page:
Educators endorse Isaiah and the Chocolate Mountain. “Wow, what a wonderful book! “As a child psychologist, I wholeheartedly endorse Isaiah and the Chocolate Mountain as a great read that addresses a multitude of child-rearing issues ranging from listening and knowing the child, to being responsive to the needs of his/her character. The fact that Isaiah is a child of color gives the book an added dimension since racially ethnic children’s books are in short supply. “Most who work with young children agree, anytime we can produce positive reflections of children, it takes them a step higher in self-esteem. Aside from the serious and psychological aspects of the book, there is pure delight and whimsy in this tale that I am sure every little boy would enjoy. “I wholeheartedly recommend Isaiah and the Chocolate Mountain be added to the collection of great reading materials in children’s libraries and preschools nation-wide.” –Fran Williams Ed. D.
The solace of looking a character you relate to. The pride of seeing your beliefs, culture, and traditions embraced on the pages. The joy of seeing a person going through the problems so many face daily and yet no one talks about.
That is what representation is all about.
Multicultural books share something unique—whether opening our eyes to a life vastly different than ours, enforcing a lesson previously beyond our perception, or unearthing our roots as individuals, society, and humanity as a whole. Too often misrepresentation and a lack of diversity in media negatively impacts marginalized communities, including racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, disabled people, and women. This issue is prevalent and important, and the Multicultural Childrens’ Book Day Event seeks to solve this problem as diverse books in the past decade have rapidly evolved into a widespread medium for raising representation, specially with the rise of indie published books.
Reading books with accurate representations of students’ own cultures can contribute to self-worth within students, while allowing them to connect with themselves and their culture on a deeper level. Diverse representations of characters in multi-cultural books are beneficial to all readers.In the classroom, students have a strong urge to feel seen, heard, and represented. … It’s often said that books should serve as mirrors and window for students. Mirrors so they can see themselves and feel validated, represented, heard, seen; windows so they can learn about others and their experiences and build empathy. This helps prevent bullying as children learn to accept that which is different from them and others learn to accep their own culture as not “different” but unique.
Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCBD) is an online and offline celebration that attracts thousands of supporters, educators, parents, caregivers, book reviewers, and quality authors and publishers who join forces to shine the spotlight on diversity in children’s and YA literature. Celebrated annually on the last Friday in January, this global non-profit offers a plethora of free resources, teaching tools, booklists, downloads, and a year-around initiative to get multicultural and diverse books into the hands of young readers. To date, 10,000 books have been donated to underserved kids, classrooms, and organizations, and that number continues to climb. Multicultural Children’s Book Day was founded by bloggers/authors Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen who volunteer their time to run this event. Valarie is the daughter of Swedish immigrants and the first to attend college in her family. She speaks five languages including Arabic which is the language they speak at home. Mia is half Japanese and half Chinese American and married to a Korean American.
Criteria for Promoting “Multicultural” or “Diverse” Children’s Books
Books that contain characters of color as well as main characters that represent a minority point of view.
Books written by an author of diversity or color from their perspective. Search #ownvoices to discover diverse books written by diverse authors.
Books that share ideas, stories, and information about cultures, race, religion, language, and traditions. These books can be non-fiction but still written in a way that kids will find entertaining and informative.
Books that embrace special needs or even “hidden disabilities” like ADHD, ADD, and anxiety.
Books that show IBPOC readers what is POSSIBLE–like a book that shows an Asian child as an astronaut 👩🚀, a child from Sudan as an actress, or a biracial child as a world leader.
So, how can YOU as a parent or teacher celebrate REPRESENTATION within books ?
Go out of your comfort zone or interest
Often we look for books that talk about problems we face or that looks like our families. This year, we encourage you to consciously pick up books that are not something you would usually bend towards.
The mission of MCBD is to raise awareness about diverse children’s books and get more of these books into classrooms and libraries. When you’re selecting your next set of books, seek out ones that challenge stereotypes by featuring positive and realistic multicultural characters who empower role models to young readers. Look for books with storylines that have universal appeal, so every child will be enthusiastic about reading.
Want to get free diverse children’s books for your classroom or library? MCBD wants to help build libraries with diverse, inclusive, and multicultural books. Sign up on their Diverse Books for Classrooms Program page.
Share about unique books you have enjoyed
Take that growing collection of multicultural children’s books, and get them out into the world! Parents can start a book-sharing group and pass on their favorite multicultural children’s books, so more families are able to benefit from them. Teachers choose diverse books to read aloud to students. If they are learning virtually this year due to COVID-19, include diverse books in take-home packets.
Review diverse books on platforms of your choosing
Often parents find a unique book that they absolutely adore. Head over online and review the book on Amazon, GoodReads, Barnes and Noble, Target etc to let the world know this book is valuable.
Have the hard conversations with the children in your care
Reading diverse books is not enough. You need to make sure you talk about the book after. Here is a list of questions and conversations you can have with your children after each book read.
Through each multicultural book a child reads, it creates a new level of understanding and empathy. When we can see through the eyes of another, when we can share a loved book with a friend regardless of religion, culture, race etc., we create a sense of belonging not only in our classrooms and homes but more importantly in our communities. The world outside our window becomes ours to shape and create.
This year, as with every year, we are striving more persistently than ever to place books into children’s hands as possible. Our unwavering mission is to share our love of reading from a multicultural perspective while also sharing the storytelling talents of authors and publishers alike.
Show Your Support of MCBD
Spread the world about MCBD and its mission by posting on social media. Use #ReadYourWorld and tell everyone why multicultural children’s books are important to you. Join the MCBD Twitter party on January 28, 2022, 9-10pm EST, to discuss issues surrounding multicultural books and diversity in publishing with educators, authors, and parents.
You can also participate in MCBD’s eBook fundraiser, where 100% of the proceeds are used for gifting multicultural books to classroom libraries.
In addition, MCBD offers a gallery of free posters to print and display in your classroom or home.
Comment below and tell us about your favorite multicultural children’s books and how you’re celebrating Multicultural Children’s Book Day this year. Or, post on social media using #ReadYourWorld to spread the word!
Do you want diverse books kids for ages 3 to 8? Diversity is already a hot topic in today’s world. However, children might be confused about their own identities, or that of others.
The good news is, you can talk to your children about how great diversity is. And, what better way to teaching children about the importance of diversity than with engaging children’s books! Many children’s books talk about things like difference, empathy, inclusivity, and so on – perfect for teaching about diversity.
Need ideas on what children’s books to read about diversity?
Here are 7 diverse books that you can read to your children today!
Here is the list of diverse books kids ages 3 8 !
Everybody Cooks Rice (Norah Dooley)
“Norah Dooley offers a multicultural take on a well-known food product – rice,” says Amanda Whittaker, a book blogger at UKWritings and Studydemic. “In Everybody Cooks Rice, a girl named Carrie discovers the types of foods that people eat at their dinner tables. As she canvases each of the different ethnic heritages, she sees that people cook and eat rice. This goes to show that food and eating – and even rice – are universal things, rather than something exclusive to certain groups of people.”
Families, Families, Families! (Suzanne And Max Lang)
Diversity also comes from families, which is the central theme for Suzanne and Max Lang’s Families, Families, Families! This book, with its rhyming schemes and charm, shows preschoolers how families can come in not only all shapes and sizes, but also in many combinations. A charming rhyming book that shows many different combinations of families. This overall shows readers how to appreciate how families can be different and still be loving towards one another.
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina (Monica Brown)
Biracial relations are one of the hot topics, when it comes to diversity. That’s where Monica Brown’s children’s book comes in!
Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match/Marisol McDonald No Combina tells a story of a girl named Marisol McDonald, a Peruvian-Scottish-American with red hair and brown skin. Marisol is often ridiculed for not “matching.” But regardless of the criticism from the people around her, she still sees herself as already perfect as is. Most notable, this book is bilingual with both English and Spanish text, along with wonderful illustrations that show off Marisol’s creative mismatches.
Say Hello! (Rachel Isadora)
There are many ways to say “hello” to someone. Rachel Isadora knows a lot about that!
In her children’s book, Say Hello!, children can celebrate diversity by learning the different ways to say “hello.” The main character Carmelita loves to greet everyone in her neighborhood as she walks her dog, Manny. It’s during these walks that she learns how to say “hello” in different languages.
The Colors Of Us (Karen Katz)
Another children’s books about diversity, The Colors of Us tells a story about a girl named Lena who wants to paint a self-portrait. She plans to use brown paint for her skin; but then, she discovers that there are many different shades of brown skin. When she sees this, she comes to appreciate her world in a different way.
The Skin We Live In (Michael Tyler)
“The Skin We Live In is a definitive children’s book about diversity,” says Christine Samuels, an educator at Via Writing and Top essay writing services. “Based on the theme of race, The Skin We Live In shows how everyone is different in skin color. There are many skin colors, including ‘cookie dough rolled’ and ‘butterscotch gold.’ The book comes with illustrations that are charming for all readers, not just children. The overall message is that it’s okay to be different, especially when it comes to race.”
We’re Different, We’re The Same (Sesame Street/Bobbie Kates)
Finally, who wouldn’t want to read a book about diversity… courtesy of the longest-running children’s show?
In We’re Different, We’re The Same, the classic Sesame Street classic show how diverse the world is, especially when it comes to children all over the world. No wonder Sesame Street is said to be the longest street in the world! The overall message of the book is that while everyone may look different from each other, they ultimately have plenty in common, thus establishing a diverse world.
Conclusion
Ultimately, talking about diversity starts with the family. With diversity and inclusion at the forefront of today’s discussions, it’s important to show your children how special they are from the inside out. As you read these 7 books to your children, you can get the ball rolling, and answer any questions that they might have.
We hope that you’ll consider reading these select children’s books today!
Emily Henry is a writer and editor at Assignment Services and Top Writing Service. She is also a contributing writer for Academized Review. As a content writer, she writes articles about literature, education, and child health.
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Anita K. Sachariah Srinivasan is the Founder of BhashaKids, a startup that aims to create bilingual learning materials for kids learning South Asian languages. A public speaker, facilitator, mompreneur and Learning Coach, Anita started BhashaKids in 2019 to help other South Asian diaspora families connect their kids with their heritage languages and culture. Frustrated by not being able to find quality learning products to help her kids learn their heritage languages, she set out to create them herself. Her work includes creating bilingual and inclusive learning materials for kids, coaching parents, coaching language teachers, working with language schools to develop their curriculum, as well as supporting authors of underrepresented children’s books, including bilingual books. Raised in the US by South Indian parents, Anita speaks English, French, and some Spanish. She is (re)learning Malayalam, her heritage language. Raising a multilingual and a multicultural family, you can hear Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Spanish (besides English, of course) spoken in her home. –> Social Media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: 
