Question 1

How To Make The Academic Year Fruitful For Your Child: Expert Tips For Parents

Accepted Answer

Dr Nithya Poornima, a renowned clinical psychologist, and a member of the ParentCircle Advisory Board, answers questions on how to make this academic year fruitful for your child.Q. My nine-year-old daughter usually attends keyboard, chess, and painting classes after school and enjoys all of them. If she pursues all three, do you think we are overburdening her?It would help to have a conversation with her about what she enjoys about each of these after-school classes. This will give you an idea about which of these activities she may look forward to, more than the others. Also, remember, it is perfectly okay to allow her to simply play the keyboard on her own, paint by herself, or play chess with someone, instead of attending classes. Pursuing creative activities without an agenda or outcome can sometimes help children stay emotionally healthy.Q. My seven-year-old&#x27;s screen time has increased. While I am struggling to control it, I wonder how I can make it productive. Any suggestions for good shows for primary school children?As you mentioned, it is important to choose appropriate content when there is increased screen time. Shows such as Ask the Storybots that answer questions through songs and skits can be a good option. You can also try Spirit Riding Free, which is about characters leaving their hometown and attending a riding school. It can help teach your child values, the importance of friendship, and more. It may also be interesting to see how your child responds to Malgudi Days.Have conversations with your child about what she watches, including questions like, "Which character would you be? If you were in this episode, what would you do?" Do not correct your child&#x27;s responses or load her with information. Try to encourage her to share whatever comes to her mind and be accepting of it. And finally, do remember to balance screen time with appropriate and adequate physical activity, rest, intellectually challenging activities, and household tasks.Q. My nine-year-old son loves sports and has been attending cricket and tennis coaching for almost two years now. But these classes have stopped now, and we do not know when they will resume. I would like ideas to keep him engaged during this time. I also want him to pick up useful skills. Any suggestions?It is quite challenging to find equivalent alternatives to cricket and tennis coaching. But there are some things you can do to fill this gap. You could consider providing your son with a basketball hoop so that he can continue to exercise his muscles and improve his hand-eye coordination in a manner slightly different from cricket or tennis. You could also look at some traditional games and identify a few that your son will find interesting and useful. For instance, your son can try to learn how to spin a traditional top or play five stones. Your son could also try something completely different like learning to use a hula hoop. While most of these games can be played solo, you can talk to other parents, and your son and his friends can try a new game that they all agree on, and they can share their experiences. That will add to the fun of the whole experience.Q My daughter is in Class 9. She performs reasonably well at school but does not excel. She loves reading and spends her evenings after school reading a variety of great books. I know reading is to be encouraged. But sometimes, I wonder if she should spend more time studying. What do you suggest?Your daughter is at a developmental stage where her mind is inclined to expand, and reading is a wonderful facilitator for the same. It may even help her relieve any stress that she is feeling otherwise. She may be finding reading a much more pleasant task than effortful studying, and hence the preference. Start a conversation with your daughter to understand her perspective. Thereafter, you could follow her lead to see if she needs any assistance in her studies and then help her with that. You can also help her balance the time she spends on studying and reading in a way that is meaningful for her. Make sure you share your concerns with her while equally expressing your appreciation for her reading habit and your confidence in her abilities.Also Read:Struggling to balance academics and extracurriculars for your child? Discover practical tips and expert advice to help your child thrive both in the classroom and beyond!

Question 2

Mastering The Art Of Storytelling: Tips To Captivate, Engage, And Inspire Your Audience

Accepted Answer

Storyteller and theater-based life coach John Pradeep JL answers your queries on how you and your child can tell a really good story.Q. My 5-year-old daughter doesn&#x27;t show much interest in listening to stories. When I narrate a story, she only wants to know what happens in the end. Can you give me tips to improve my storytelling skills? I do make hand movements now and then. Sometimes, I use my child&#x27;s dolls as props, but how can I make them more interesting for my child?Kudos to you for doing storytelling sessions. I believe in the magic it brings into our family and to our children. There&#x27;s this format of storytelling where you use questions, followed by answers. You convert all your statements into questions and that helps kindle children&#x27;s curiosity.Here are a few examples:Curiosity question:&#xA0;Do you know what the lion did next?Affirmation question:&#xA0;Like the cat, we also become cranky when we don&#x27;t eat food, right?Open-ended question:&#xA0;What will you do if somebody insults you like the monkey did?These questions keep your child glued to your narration. Your child will nod her head in affirmation, answer your questions, or even debate with you on why the monkey would&#x27;ve never done that.Q. My son, who is 6 years old, loves narrating stories, and he narrates them very well. I would like to know how we can encourage him.&#xA0;That&#x27;s amazing! You can encourage your child by documenting his storytelling in whatever medium he is comfortable with&#x2014;write-ups, drawings, voice recordings, or videos. How will this help? Well, with these materials you can start a blog, podcast, or even a YouTube channel.Q. I&#x27;m not able to take my 8-year-old child to storytelling sessions and book releases. Can you recommend good online storytelling platforms?&#xA0;I tell stories every night on YouTube to help put children to sleep. This content is also available as podcasts on platforms such as Spotify. You can search for John Pradeep JL on these platforms. Alternatively, you could check out other storytellers such as Shreedevi Sunil from Mumbai and Janaki Sabesh from Chennai, who are actively telling stories now. Also, your child can visit Lil Trails (@liltrails) on Instagram to hear good stories.Q. I am a primary school English teacher (Classes 3 to 5) and a mother of a preschooler. I often narrate stories to my students. I have noticed my students enjoy some stories, while not showing too much interest in others. Can you tell me what kind of stories work best for storytelling?&#xA0;It&#x27;s always about experimenting and it&#x27;s different for everybody. I&#x27;m a theater person and a clown. So, stories with a lot of expressions and movements work for me. I&#x27;ve seen some amazing storytellers with good singing skills. Some storytellers are good with comedy, while others are great with emotional stories. And some can tell amazing stories without any movement or expression, but still keep the audience captive. So, experiment with different kinds of stories, and you&#x27;ll soon know what kind of story works best for you as a narration.Q. I am planning a small birthday party for my daughter, with about five kids. I plan to narrate a fun animal story to the little ones during the party. I would like to follow up the storytelling session with an interesting storytelling-related activity or game. Can you share some ideas?&#xA0;Take a story that you have fun narrating. Theme the birthday party around the story. Go to YouTube and find a DIY craft activity based on any character in the story. Make sure the craft activity requires just a few items that are easily available. Children will love doing the craft together and will remember your party, along with the story, for a long time.Q.&#xA0;Storytelling is one of my hobbies. Before the pandemic, I used to invite my son&#x27;s friends over and narrate stories to the kids. The children enjoyed these sessions. After the pandemic, I moved these sessions online, but somehow, I feel the kids aren&#x27;t enjoying these sessions as much as the face-to-face sessions. How can I make digital storytelling livelier?&#xA0;I had the same difficulty. Then I found that I should have an assistant when I narrate stories online to manage the muting, spotlighting, etc. Also, start with an interactive activity where you set an expectation for the audience&#x2014;that this is not a session where they are going to just sit and listen, but where they have to do a lot of fun things. On Zoom, put yourself in spotlight mode, and gallery view where you can see everyone and call out the ones that are distracted. Get them to do some activities through the story, and spotlight them to everyone else. Now, others will want to be spotlighted too. So, everyone&#x27;s paying attention and doing things along with you.Also Read:Explore the Benefits of Storytelling for Kids &#x2013; Learn More!

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How To Make The Academic Year Fruitful For Your Child: Expert Tips For Parents

Mastering The Art Of Storytelling: Tips To Captivate, Engage, And Inspire Your Audience