How to deal with exam stress?

What is exam fear?

How do we deal with exam anxiety?

How do I stop getting panic in exams?

All these questions are breathtaking for children today.

 

Exam fear is a very common phenomenon among many students and it has a disastrous effect, no doubt. But, have we ever tried to think about the causes of the fear, to remove the fear and make exams an enjoyable task rather than a scary one, to focus upon the students in order to make them capable of overcoming their fear especially on weak students to make them stronger.

Let us understand this with a few tips and learn how to overcome this problem:

 

What does exam stress look like?

Some signs of stress include:

  • Feeling confused
  • Losing touch with friends
  • Feeling moody and low
  • Having trouble making decisions
  • Feeling overwhelmed
  • Lack of motivation to do anything
  • Trouble sleeping or getting out of bed
  • Tense muscles or headaches
  • Having an upset stomach or feeling sick
  • Fidgeting, nail-biting, teeth grinding

 

 

Let us understand a few tips for the same and learn how to overcome this problem:

  • Try to relax, keep your stress level to a minimum.
  • Prepare a revision timetable and set out what topics, subjects you want to cover each day.
  • The best way to study is usually in short periods and build your timetable in such a manner that you keep some time for relaxation.
  • Think positively
  • Visualize success
  • Eat before the exam
  • Form a study group
  • Exercise is a great stress buster

Teachers facing challenges to handle children at the start of the year in School and tips to overcome these challenges

Being a playschool teacher seems to be an easy goal for many people. But looking deep into reality, it is not something everyone can do. Becoming a playschool teacher is not just about following the routines and taking care of kids. When you get inside a room full of different types of kids, a playschool teacher is given a super teacher dimension altogether.

When a child gets enrolled in a playschool, he or she is expected to enter a world full of strangers by leaving the protective environment at home. Here, the young child is shown a very different perspective and made to learn basic mannerism. All this that has to be served to a budding mind comes from a preschool teacher. It takes a core hardship and perfected dealing mechanism for a teacher to deal with a toddler, make him understand things better, groom him in the right direction, and perfect the behaviour for future academic goals. Along with all the responsibilities, there are enormous things that a playschool teacher is expected to take proper care of and to justify the role taken up by them.

 

Let’s expand our knowledge about the challenges faced by a preschool teacher in a playschool…

Kids

Managing a room full of young children can be delightful, but it can also be hard and can drain a lot of your energy. The day-to-day challenges a teacher will face can range from dealing with difficult behaviors to crying and cranky children. Throughout the day, a teacher must balance all of their unique needs to keep the classroom function smoothly.

Parents

Each and every day, you will have to deal with parents, some of whom may be quite demanding. It can be difficult to manage parent requests, questions and complaints as they drop off or pick up their child when you have other things on your mind, like the day’s lesson plan.

 

 

To overcome these challenges teachers can follow the below-mentioned guidelines

 

  1. Paperwork

On top of keeping an eye on children and managing your relationships with parents, you also have piles of paperwork to handle on a daily basis – attendance, records of children’s activities, lesson planning, meal planning and more.

 

  1. To identify desirable and undesirable behaviors in children

The task of identifying or defining ‘misbehavior’ is an important one if a teacher is going to develop strategies to deal with them. There is a need, at the outset, to describe exactly what any unwanted behavior actually comprises.

 

  1. Be playful

Gain children’s attention with a dramatic voice, by putting on a sensational hat, or playing a clapping game. Also, try holding up a secret hand sign for children to duplicate or rolling a ball to different children to keep them alert.

 

  1. Be welcoming

Use children’s names to get their attention. Engage children with facial expressions, such as smiling and making eye contact. Use your body language to convey warmth and acceptance.

 

  1. Describe what you see

Get children’s attention by labeling objects or activities, and pointing out similarities and differences. Ask them questions to get them to look at the object and focus on the activity.

 

  1. Be clear and specific

Children are more likely to hear your requests and pay attention when it is clear what you want them to do. Keep directions short and simple.

 

  1. Give timely tips

Allow children time to process your requests for their attention and follow the directions given. Consider that afternoon are low energy times for many children and it may take longer to process attention-getting techniques.

 

  1. Be aware of the temperament

Some children can be easily distracted and/or exhibit impulsive behavior. When this is the case, speak calmly, use one-step directions, and give them gentle touches. Other children are more reflective and may need a five-minute warning before they can attend to the next project.

 

  1. Keep groups small

If you have difficulty gaining children’s attention, try working with a small group or one-on-one. Giving a child your undivided attention lets him know you care and that what he is saying is important.

Skills to be imparted in Pre-School Curriculum

Childhood is the time when kids have countless opportunities for play. A child is the happiest when he is engrossed in play that can happen in different forms, such as imitating the family members, playing with toys, or playing outdoor games like tag, hide-and-seek or simply running. Children can improve their motor skills, enhance their power of imagination and creativity by indulging in play.

Children pass through the first stage of education (preschool education) by taking part in various activities such as games, music, art, communicating with peers and teachers, learning and inculcating skills. Various aspects of a child’s development such as physical, psychological, intellectual, and development of motor skills are enhanced because of these activities.

 

Why the Play-way Method?

  • Makes learning easy and enjoyable.
  • Each child is given equal opportunities for full participation.
  • Develops not only knowledge but also skills.
  • Brings satisfaction at the cognitive level.
  • Creates an apt learning environment
  • Better retention of knowledge.
  • Paves ways for self-discipline.
  • Provides more opportunities for learning.
  • A most suitable method for the pre-primary level children.
  • Helps children connect with their teachers easily.
  • Facilitates holistic development (cognitive, linguistic, aesthetic, social, emotional, fine and gross motor skills)

 

How effective is the Play-way Method of Teaching?

An activity that is done for enjoyment without thinking about the end result could be called play. For generations, there is a current of thought that while play is fun, it is also a waste of time that could be spent more productively doing something useful, or gainful, for that matter.

 

5 basic principles that guide the play-way method of teaching:

  • Doing things practically helps in easy learning.
  • An atmosphere of freedom is conducive to learning.
  • Learning should be related to life and not to books.
  • The method should suit the needs and interest of the child.
  • Ample opportunities for children to express themselves.

 

Teachers should:

  • Develop customised learning activities.
  • Create a joyful learning environment.
  • Prepare relevant teaching-learning material after designing the learning activities.
  • Plan the activities ranging from simple to complex.
  • Be guides, supervisors and leaders for the learners during the learning process.
  • Evaluate children through play-way activities.

 

Here are the skills your preschooler should be developing.

  • Attention Span
  • Early Reading Skills.
  • Early Writing Skills.
  • Early Math Skills.
  • Listening Skills.
  • Problem-solving skills.
  • Communication Skills.
  • Creativity.

 

Social skills

  • Initiates and maintains independent play (for example, plays alone in the sandbox, or role-plays independently)
  • Enjoys doing things on their own sometimes, such as reading, crafts or getting dressed
  • Can separate from you for several hours, such as an afternoon at a friend’s house or a sleepover at Grandma’s
  • Appears interested in going to a “big-kid” school, learning new things, and/or meeting new friends
  • Enjoys participating in group activities
  • Can express emotions, needs and requests
  • Responds well to consistent routines, such as quiet time or naptime following lunch
  • Anticipates what comes next during the day (for example, knows that naptime follows lunch)

 

Motor skills

  • Increases proficiency in gross motor skills, strength and balance, such as jumping in place, standing on one foot, running and kicking
  • Develops gross motor coordination, such as to navigate around obstacles
  • Rides tricycles
  • Runs to kick a stationary ball
  • Improves hand-eye coordination when playing with building blocks and simple puzzles
  • Begins to improve pencil control by using fingers rather than the whole fist to grasp pencil and stylus
  • Begins to show left/right-handedness

 

Language skills

  • Uses language to communicate with others for a variety of purposes (for example, describing something, making requests, greeting someone, etc.)
  • Speaks clearly to be understood by others
  • Uses accepted language and communication styles (for example, using polite manners, using appropriate volume and tone)
  • Tells simple stories
  • Uses accepted nouns, verbs and adjectives in familiar contexts
  • Understands words for common categories (for example, toys, food, clothes)
  • Uses sentences with two phrases or concepts

 

Math

  • Identifies some shapes such as circle, square and triangle
  • Understands and explores empty containers and full containers
  • Recognizes and matches small quantities to the number words 1, 2 and 3
  • Shows interest in numbers and recites some number words
  • Can count along with help, although might make mistakes
  • Distinguishes between “some” and “all,” and parts of a whole
  • Uses some size words, such as “many”
  • Uses words such as “same as” to make comparisons
  • Shows interests in patterns and sequences
  • Classifies or sorts objects into simple groups (such as by colours and size)
  • Understands the order of the day, and begins to use some time words such as “morning” and “night”

 

Creative arts & music

  • Begins to use a variety of art tools such as crayon, construction paper and coloured pencils
  • Knows a few colour words
  • Drawings have a basic resemblance to objects and people
  • Articulates what he/she is drawing
  • Likes to imitate sounds and rhythm; might have a favorite song
  • Uses realistic toys in pretend play or to imitate household routines
  • Engages in dramatic play with others to act out simple play scripts, such as playing house

Simple Games to teach children

Fire Safety

Fire safety does not necessarily need to be a serious or scary topic for kids. The key is for the kids to learn how to escape from a fire safely; not to become scared of being in a fire. By tailoring activities and lessons to the age of the child, kids can learn and have fun in the process.

 Listed below are the fun activity ideas that child care providers, parents, and teachers can utilize to get the safety message across while still having fun in the process.

 

Arts & crafts

  • Red paper and fire-fighter helmet model
  • Colouring pages related to the theme.
  • Use 2-litre soft drink bottles to make oxygen bottles for your little fire-fighters.
  • Make your own fire extinguishers.
  • Use paint or construction paper to represent fire.

 

Roleplay

Fire-fighter helmets and uniforms.

Old garden hoses or swimming pool noodles for extinguishing pretend fires.

Plastic axes (Halloween accessories).

Oxygen bottles (2-litre soft drink bottles).

 

Fire safety puzzles

Red, yellow, and orange modelling dough.

 Laminated fire prevention theme picture game.

Laminated hot and cold theme picture game.

A sequential story illustrating the steps to follow for an evacuation, a fire drill, or if clothing items are on fire.

 

 

Field Trip

Since kids are sometimes frightened by fire-fighters and may even hide from them, adults can plan a special trip to take them to a fire station and introduce them to uniformed fire-fighters. Call the station and schedule an appointment in advance, so that staff can be on hand to spend special time with the children. Plan a Fire Drill

Plan a fire safety evacuation drill. Assign one child each day to hold a bell or other “alarm” and let them choose the time anytime throughout the day to ring it and shout “Fire! Fire!” and for the other kids to evacuate. Providers/teachers of older kids can create some unexpected roadblocks/obstacles from time to time such as taping up an imaginary fire that means kids cannot leave the building through that route.

 

Find the Meeting Spot

Have kids brainstorm where they should go once they leave a burning house or building. Have parents provide this information so that teachers can reinforce it. A fun game is to have kids sit in a circle and the first whispers to the first kid, who then passes it to the next one, and so on, as to the meeting place. Sound the alarm, have kids meet at the place, and then the teacher must find them.

 

Fire cup knockdown game

Take some red solo cups and add some craft foam flames, and then stack them up. Ask children to load up the water in the bottle and to spray on the fire.

 

Fire safety for kids with a practice fire crawl

When talking about what it would be like to be in a real fire, explain to children that although fire seems bright, it makes a lot of smoke and the room would be very dark. So crawling low to get below the smoke, and a way to try to show what it would be like.

 

Stop, Drop and Roll

It is important that children know how to best extinguish their clothes if they are on fire. Teach children to stop and drop to the ground, lying flat with legs out straight. From here, children need to use their hands to cover their eyes and mouth and roll over, back and forth until the flames are out. Parents need to make sure that children know to only do this if their clothing is on fire.

Rainy Day Activities for Pre Schoolers

There are lots of adventures you can have with your kids, even when the weather is bad.

Rainy weather will let the child experience the world in new ways from every one of our senses and discover a whole list of things we can only find in stormy weather, like rainbows and lightning, umbrellas and puddles. List of activities to help kids explore all the sights, sounds, smells, feelings, and yes, even some rainy–day–specific foods to taste!

Activities and games on a rainy day can keep children learning and laughing. Here are five ideas pre-schoolers are sure to enjoy when they have to stay inside.

 

Frog Jump

Learning about frogs on a rainy day can bring a little action and some creativity into the classroom. Children will enjoy this frog jumping activity that strengthens their gross motor skills, introduces math concepts, as well as, builds their imagination. To begin, lay a piece of tape on the floor marking the point of the starting jump. As children line up and jump as far as they can like a frog, place pieces of tape where they land.

 

Sandbox

Kids love to get their hands dirty while learning through sensory play. A great way for children to engage in education on a rainy day is to create an edible sandbox. Provide a plastic scoop, cup, and bowl, and watch children explore with all their senses. Toddlers can dig for treasures, practice scooping, and work on their pouring skills. Learning through sight, touch and taste will make this activity popular with little learners.

 

 

Block City

Head over to the block area to help toddlers construct a block city. Making the town up of blocks of all different styles, colours, and sizes, children can line up, stack, sort and organize their block buildings into a city. Encourage important community buildings such as a school, library, police station, and fire station.

 

Sponge Painting

Supporting creativity and strengthening fine motor skills, arts and crafts provide a number of enjoyable activities on a rainy day. For colourful sponge paintings, gather a variety of paint colours, a number of sponges, and some art paper. Toddlers can squirt, dip, and spray their sponges full of colours and press them onto the paper, creating sponge paintings. After they have made their sponge painting designs, display them around the classroom to brighten up the rainy day.

 

Art Projects

Art projects featuring rainy-day icons like umbrellas, rainbows and clouds. Try Different techniques to implement and would keep the kids happily creating for a while.

 

Fruit Rainbow

A snack like this fruit rainbow is a great way to bring some colourful cheer to a cloudy day.

 

Paint Rocks

An easy activity is to collect rocks from outside and paint them. You can use acrylic or washable paint. We can also add googly eyes.

Planning a Diet for a Preschool Child

What is a balanced diet?

 A balanced diet is a diet that contains an adequate quantity of the nutrients required in a day for the child. A balanced diet includes six main nutrients, i.e. Fats, Protein, Carbohydrates, Fibre, Vitamins, and Minerals.

 

The importance of nutrition and a balanced diet

Nutrition is essential for our body. Proper nutrition intake will help the child to maintain a healthy weight, reduce body fat, provide energy, promote good sleep and generally make the child feel better.

The foods which are unhealthy can have a negative effect on the child’s health. Having a healthy diet and focusing on nutrition are some of the simplest and most important ways to prevent the onset of any disease. Preschool-age children are still developing their eating habits and need encouragement to eat healthy meals and snacks. These children are eager to learn, especially from other people and will often imitate the eating behaviors of adults. They need supervision at mealtime as they are still working on chewing and swallowing skills.

Healthy eating can help prevent many Chronic Diseases. These include Obesity, Heart disease, High Blood Pressure, and Diabetes.

Proper nutrition is vital at every stage of life, therefore Kids need a balanced diet to fuel their growing brains, muscles and bodies. All it takes is a little bit of food and nutrition knowledge and of course lots of patience.

 

 

Healthful eating has many benefits for children. It can:

  • Stabilize their energy.
  • Improve their Cognitive Skills
  • Help them maintain a healthy weight.
  • Help prevent mental health conditions. These include Depression and

          Anxiety

 

Diet for a PreSchool Child

  • The diet should be sufficient in quantity and quality having different Nutrients
  • Offer Children at least one serving of fruit each day.
  • Offer Children at least one serving of vegetables each day.
  • Encourage children to eat most of the meals at home together as a family.
  • Milk should be fed to the child twice a day to fulfil the protein needs of the child.
  • Offer at least one Whole Grain food each day, such as whole Wheat Bread, Oatmeal, or a Whole Grain Breakfast Cereal.
  • Cook foods by baking, grilling, or roasting as far as possible, instead of frying them.
  • Prepare and serve fresh foods instead of processed and readymade packed kid’s meals which are high in fat, calories, salt, and low in fibre.
  • Do not skip breakfast.
  • Keep fresh fruits ready for the child to eat for e.g. a bowl of apples and bananas.
  • Hide veggies in other food: You can shred or grate veggies such as carrots or cabbage and prepare them in an attractive way and serve the child.

Physical Disabilities in Children

 

What is a Physical Disability?

The inability to use legs, arms, or the body trunk effectively because of paralysis, stiffness, pain or other impairments is common. It may be the result of birth defects, disease, or accidents. These disabilities may change from day-to-day. They may also contribute to other disabilities such as impaired speech, memory loss and hearing loss.

 

These are some Types of Physical Disabilities

Acquired brain injury

Acquired brain injuries are due to damage that happens to the brain after birth. They can be caused by a wide range of factors including a stroke, alcohol or drugs, infection, diseases such as Aids or Cancer, or a lack of oxygen.

It is common for many children with a brain injury to have trouble processing information, planning, and solving problems. They may also experience changes to their behaviour and personality, physical and sensory abilities, or thinking and learning.

Cerebral palsy (CP)

Cerebral palsy is typically due to an injury to the developing brain before or during birth, caused by a reduced blood supply and lack of oxygen to the brain.

Cystic fibrosis (CF)

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited genetic condition, which affects the body’s respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems.

It specifically affects the mucus and sweat glands in the body, causing mucus to be thick and sticky. In the case of the lungs, this can clog the air passages and trap bacteria causing lung damage and recurrent infections.

 

 

Here are some specific ways to support the learning of children who have physical disabilities.

 

  • Make it easy for children to move around in play areas.
  • Use heavy, stable furniture and equipment that cannot be easily knocked over.
  • Remove rugs that can be tripped over, or tape them down.
  • Provide a safe place for walkers, crutches, wheelchairs so other children do not trip over them.
  • Work with parents to find comfortable ways for a child to sit. A corner with two walls for support, a chair with a seat belt, or a wheelchair with a large tray across the arms are three possibilities that may help children with certain physical disabilities.

 

Adapt learning activities

 

  • Provide tools that children with motor disabilities can use for grasping, holding.
  • Be sure objects are age-appropriate. For example, a bean bag made from dinosaur fabric is much more appropriate for a 5-year-old than a rattle or a baby toy.
  • Provide materials of different textures such as play dough, fabric swatches, ribbon, corrugated cardboard and sandpaper to stimulate the sense of touch.
  • Be sure activity areas are well-lighted. Add lamps if needed.
  • Plan activities to encourage all children to move all body parts. Work with parents and specialists to choose special exercises for the child, and encourage the whole class to do some of them as part of a large group activity.
  • Place tape on crayons and markers to make them easier to grip.
  • Secure paintbrushes into a glove, or provide paintbrushes with large knobs on the ends.
  • Consider buying scissors that open automatically when squeezed, or scissors that do not require children to use finger holes.

Phobias in Children

What is Phobia?

A phobia is an excessive fear of an object or situation. It is a type of anxiety disorder.

 

Types of Phobias:

Specific phobia: A child has anxiety when exposed to a certain object or situation. He or she stays away from the object or situation, dreads it or endures it with so much fear that it interferes with normal activities. Some common phobias are a fear of animals, insects, blood, heights or flying.

Panic disorder: A child feels an unpredictable, unexpected period of great fear or discomfort. He or she may have a panic attack. Symptoms include shortness of breath, dizziness, shaking, fear of losing control and a racing heartbeat.

Agoraphobia: This is a fear of open spaces, such as being outside or leaving home alone. It is linked to one or more phobias or the fear of having a panic attack.

Social anxiety disorder: A child is afraid of one or more social or performance situations with others of the same age group. Examples are acting in a school play or giving a speech in front of the class.

Separation anxiety disorder: A child fears being apart from an attachment figure, such as a mother or father. This condition interferes with daily activities.

 

 

Symptoms of phobias in children

Each child may have different symptoms when exposed to a phobia. But these are the most common

  • Increased heart rate
  • Sweating
  • Trembling or shaking
  • Shortness of breath
  • Feeling of choking
  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Upset stomach
  • Feeling dizzy or faint
  • Fear of losing control or going crazy
  • Numbness

Natural Remedies to fight cold and cough in children

Coughs play a role in clearing irritants and infections from the body, but persistent coughing can be annoying. The best treatment for a cough will depend on its underlying cause. There are many possible causes of coughs, including allergies, infections.

If a cough is severe or persists for more than a few weeks, it is essential to seek medical advice.

Natural Cough Remedies

Honey tea

Honey being drizzled onto a spoon and into a mug of tea with a lemon slice.

A popular home remedy for coughs is mixing honey with warm water. Which may relieve coughs.

To use honey to treat a cough, mix 2 teaspoons (tsp.) with warm water or herbal tea. Drink this mixture once or twice a day. Do not give honey to children under 1 year of age.

Ginger

Ginger may ease a dry or asthmatic cough, as it has anti-inflammatory properties. It may also relieve nausea and pain.

Some anti-inflammatory compounds in ginger can relax membranes in the airways, which could reduce coughing.

Brew up a soothing ginger tea by adding 20–40 grams (g) of fresh ginger slices to a cup of hot water. Allow to sleep for a few minutes before drinking. Add honey or lemon juice to improve the taste and further soothe a cough.

Be aware that, in some cases, ginger tea can cause stomach upset or heartburn.

 

 

Fluids

Staying hydrated is vital for those with a cough or cold. Research indicates that drinking liquids at room temperature can alleviate cough, runny nose, and sneezing.

 

Hot beverages that may be comforting include:

  • Herbal teas
  • Decaffeinated black tea
  • Warm water
  • Warm fruit juices

 

 Steam

A wet cough, which is one that produces mucus or phlegm, may improve with steam. Take a hot shower or bath and allow the bathroom to fill with steam. Stay in this steam for a few minutes until symptoms subside. Drink a glass of water afterward to cool down and prevent dehydration.

Alternatively, make a steam bowl. To do this, fill a large bowl with hot water. Add herbs or essential oils, such as eucalyptus or rosemary, which may also relieve decongestion. Lean over the bowl and place a towel over the head. This traps the steam. Inhale the vapors for 5 minutes. If the steam feels hot on the skin, discontinue until the skin cools down.

 

Salt-water gargle

This simple remedy is one of the most effective for treating a sore throat and wet cough. Saltwater reduces phlegm and mucus in the back of the throat which can lessen the need to cough.

Stir half a teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water until it dissolves. Allow the solution to cool slightly before using it to gargle. Let the mixture sit at the back of the throat for a few moments before spitting it out. Gargle with salt water several times each day until the cough improves.

Avoid giving saltwater to younger children as they may not be able to gargle properly, and swallowing salt water can be dangerous.

Insecurities in children

There are many diverse causes that an insecure child may experience and which can produce certain states of sadness, anxiety and even much more serious pathologies such as social isolation, depression or guilt if these are not caught and handled in time.

 

Signs Your Toddler Is Stressed

  1. Change in regular sleep and eating habits.
  2. Change in emotions (showing signs of being sad, clingy, withdrawn, or angry)
  3. Increase in crying or tantrums.
  4. Nightmares and fears at bedtime.
  5. Physical ailments, such as headaches or stomach-aches.
  6. Anxious tics, coughs, or body movements

 

Ways to make your child feel secure

  1. Give Your Time. The most important aspect of having a child feel secure is giving them your time.
  2. Give Affection.
  3. Praise Them.
  4. Consistently Hold Boundaries.
  5. Listen To Them.
  6. Let the Good Times Roll.
  7. Provide Balance.