All posts tagged: Education

Baby with a board book

Encouraging the Love of Reading: Tips for Parents to Inspire Kids to Read

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Reading is an essential skill that is fundamental to a child’s development. However, in recent years, there has been a growing concern that children are reading less due to increased screen time and a lack of interest in books.
In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of reading for children and provide tips on encouraging kids to read. We will also examine how the lockdown has affected reading in kids and provide insights into the types of books that children prefer.
I hope that this inspires parents and caregivers to foster a love of reading in children and unlock the many benefits that reading has to offer. You might even be inspired to start a reading habit for yourself!

A Guide To Using Social Media Safely: A Parent’s Primer

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Social media has taken over the world in every aspect of our lives. From businesses and social communities to our personal lives, it’s everywhere.
We as adults choose what we want to post for the world to see. But, how about our kids? If they fully understood the concept of social media, would they approve of us posting their pictures and information for all the world to see?
We as parents also reap the benefits of social media, too. It is a great way to connect, de-stress, and have fun.
Here’s what you need to know about how to introduce your kids to social media in a safe manner so you can both reap its benefits without exposing them to unnecessary dangers.

view of 3 kids from the back sitting on a beanbag watching a TV screen with a movie playing

Screentime Dilemma: Awesome TV Shows for Kids Approved by Parents

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Do you allow screen time for your kids? Or are you able to follow a zero screentime schedule? We figured early on that zero screentime was not an achievable goal for us. Instead, we focused on curating the content he consumes.
There are plenty of fun shows that are also sneakily educational. These would rate higher in my curated list. Our son also loves these shows and will sometimes surprise us with information and vocabulary he’s learned from them.
Here are some of the shows we have loved to watch over the years. There are best TV shows for toddlers to educational and adventure shows for older kids.

DIY trinket trays with air dry clay embellished with beads

An Ode to Teachers and a Handmade Thank You Gift for Teachers

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Teachers no doubt shape the lives of their students in a multitude of ways. With a word that’s thoughtful or sharp, they can make or break a student. A good teacher is a rare gift that not everyone is lucky to experience. They nurture, educate, and inspire beyond their own classrooms.
Thank you to all teachers who touch the lives of others every day. We don’t always notice teachers’ efforts or impact on our lives, but they do so in many ways, and we are forever grateful.
Here’s an easy and awesome gift idea for a teacher’s day gift or a thank you gift at the end of the school year.

Father and son spending quality time with a science-themed activity box for kids

6 Awesome Activity Boxes for Kids

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When my son was a toddler, I had gotten one of the popular activity boxes for him to try. I was pretty disappointed with my purchase because I felt I could’ve done all of it at home without spending half as much. As he got older, especially during the lockdown, I looked for ways to engage him constructively. We tried the activity boxes again and were pleasantly surprised. They were things to build, to learn, and to experiment. Most of it he could do without our direct supervision since he was already building Lego sets. There are so many good options for activity boxes for kids now. I prefer to buy individual boxes instead of starting a subscription. That way I can be sure I’m getting things that would interest my son and not go to waste. Here are some of them we tried and loved. 6 Awesome Activity Box for 4-year-olds and above Skillmatics This is an excellent activity box offering many different themes. My son loves vehicles, so we got him the Transport …

Kid making rotis while his mom supervises

Kids in the Kitchen: Kitchen Chores by Age

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I am not fond of cooking. I cook for sustenance or because I happen to be craving something, rarely ever for enjoyment. I first saw the programme Masterchef Australia Kids before I had even thought of having kids. The show gave me a new perspective on how they could be helpful to have! Do men belong in the kitchen? Jokes apart, I was sure I wanted to raise a child who would be self-sufficient and independent. Especially as a mother of a boy in South Asia, I’d did not want him to grow up to be a man-child. I’d seen enough men who couldn’t find their way around a kitchen even to get a glass of water, and the women (mother, wife or sister) who found it funny or exasperating but never did anything to correct that behaviour. My husband has, over time, become pretty proficient in the kitchen. He took up more kitchen duties after our son was born. Our kid has not known a day when his dad hasn’t been part of the …

Child with a curry leaves plant in home balcony

Getting Back to the Basics: How to grow your own food?

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Have you ever thought about growing your own food? It doesn’t interest me, to be honest. It’s too much work. However, during the lockdown, I had some time on hand, and I wanted my son to experience the joy of growing something from seed then harvesting it to eat. We have a small balcony garden, so I wasn’t sure how to accommodate growing vegetables. We started small by growing some methi (fenugreek) from seeds from the spice cupboard. We just used a paper cup with holes poked at the bottom. They were quick to sprout, and the handful of micro-greens were enough to make one roti for my son. He was mighty pleased. Armed with some confidence, we turned an unused under-bed storage box into a flatbed by drilling holes at the bottom and filling it with soil. We planted some spinach and amaranth seeds.  Once they grew about 7 to 8 inches long, we harvested the leaves by cutting just the matured leaves and leaving the stem as is. This way, we got another …

Struggling with your kids’ screentime? How much screen time is too much?

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Screen time is one of the most common parenting terms around. While it might seem like a simple concept, it can get complicated when you’re trying to figure out how much screen time is too much. The average screen time during COVID lockdowns have increased drastically for all age groups, and not all of it can be avoided. How much screen time is too much? There is a lot of conflicting advice when it comes to how much screen-time children should have. Sitting in front of the TV or computer all day has long been considered unhealthy, but it’s only recently that doctors have delved into some of the effects and how much screen time is too much. There is no doubt that the current generation of children and teenagers are using computers, smartphones, tablets, and TV for a lot more than just playing games. In fact, children are spending excessive amounts of time in front of a screen. According to statistics, the average screen time for a teenager is about 6 hours in front …

Kid with The Construction alphabet book and construction vehicle toys on the bed

5 Books for Kids Who Love Big Vehicles

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My kid loves big vehicles. The biggest ones he’s seen are construction vehicles. He would sit and watch them work, full of amazement at how they moved.  I was surprised at how many things you can teach a young kid just by using different construction vehicles: Counting, rhyming, ABCs, and behaviour modelling.  We have been reading to our son since he was about 4 months old. We gave him picture board books to flip though and enacted some of the sentences. It’s never too early to start reading to them.  Here are some of our favourite construction-themed books. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle and Illustrations by Jill McElmurry This was one of the first books he enjoyed reading. He would point it out to us and we would read it to him.  The book talks about how we need to be kind to people around us. The catchy rhyme and the animal sounds make it fun to listen to since babies can try and mimic some of the sounds as well. My Big Truck …