Parent Newsletters - Issue 36

No Limits Learning
kids goals Ezine

Issue 36, 2nd June 2007

IN THIS PARENT NEWSLETTER

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS
2. HELP YOUR KIDS WORK SMART NOT HARD FOR THEIR EXAMS
3. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS 4. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)
5. WORDS OF INSPIRATION
6. SPONSORS

1. A WORD FROM THE EDITORS

Welcome to the next issue of the kidsgoals.com Newsletter. During June we hope to bring you some articles that will help you to help your children cope with exam stress. Even young kids are often faced with tests and exams at school, and for some children the pressure can prove distressing. In extreme cases, some children can even sink into depression. The article for this issue aims to give you some ideas to help your child develop the essential skill of concentration. Once your child can concentrate well, he will be able to study more effectively, and to enjoy it more. The most important thing when teaching children concentration, or any other important skill, is of course to MAKE IT FUN! So we hope you'll find that you can use some of the ideas and games in the article in an enjoyable way for both you and your child. Thanks to all who entered the competition on the site for the "100 Daily Parenting Reflections" book and the "Loving Affirmations for Children" CD. The winners will be announced in the next newsletter! Happy parenting,

Monicka and Cassie

2. HELP YOUR KIDS WORK SMART NOT HARD FOR THEIR EXAMS: How to Improve Concentration.

When it is here, we do not notice it at all, but when it eludes us it seems so hard to get it back. Concentration. That intangible element that we need so much when we're learning. And it can be so elusive that merely thinking about it can chase it away!

Here are some tips that can help your kids improve their concentration when studying:

1. Plan study time out into sections with scheduled (short) breaks. Older kids and teens could start at 20 minutes and build up until they can concentrate fully for an hour. Young children may need to start with 5 or 10 minute bursts of study.

2. Teach your kids to have specific goals for each section of study time, whether to read a certain chapter, or create or review notes up to a specific point. Reaching a goal is motivating and helps us to focus on what we are doing, and when your child exceeds his goal for a study period you may find him getting quite excited!

3. During each period of concentration, every time your mind begins to wander, yank it back by saying to yourself sharply, "Be here now!" You can increase the effectiveness of this technique by creating an anchor to attach feelings of concentration and being in control to that phrase (see "The No-Limits Child" for more information on teaching your kids to create anchors).

4. Remind your children that if they feel that they have concentrated well, it's important for them to reward themselves at the end of that study period, even if it just with a glass of juice or a short walk.

5. One of the best ways to improve your concentration without really noticing is to get more involved and participate more actively in your study. This can range from taking notes as you read instead of just reading, to making up questions about each paragraph you read, as you go along.

6. For older kids, as they progress and continue to improve their concentration, they may like to play a game of measuring their progress by keeping a tally of how many times they get distracted during a specific learning period. Don't let them do this all the time, otherwise it could become a prop - and a distraction in itself. But they may find it fun and enlightening to do once or twice a week during periods when they are actively trying to improve their concentration skills. To keep track, they would simply make a note of every time that their mind wanders during the measurement period.

7. To finish, here is another enjoyable game you can play with your kids - I've saved the best for last, as this is my favorite! The game is called PURE CONCENTRATION.

First of all, you and your child need to choose an object to concentrate on. Let it be something that inspires you both - maybe something beautiful from nature, a flower or stone.

Take your object and go sit in a quiet place, comfortably but sitting upright, ideally at a table. You don't want to be so comfortable that you start to get sleepy. Now gaze at your object and concentrate on ONE THOUGHT for as long as you can. Just one simple thought. It could be a positive affirmation about yourself, "I am loving and loved," or any other simple thought that takes your fancy. You and your child can pick one together and use the same one, or choose to have a different one each.

Then you concentrate your gaze upon your object of concentration and your thoughts upon your thought of concentration. Try to do this for 1-5 minutes to start with (depending on the age of your child), gently but firmly bringing your mind back each time it begins to wander. When you can do this for 5 minutes easily, start to aim higher. This exercise is very beneficial for your concentration skills, and if you and your child play it daily for a while, you'll both feel the benefit and you should see your child's ability to concentrate on his study improve.

by Cassie

3. KIDS CORNER COOKING AND CRAFTS

Quick and easy Tomato Cheese Snack

(Contributed by Sam - thank you!)

Ingredients: Two fresh tomatoes, and a few slices of Mozzarella (or alternatively your child's favorite hard cheese)

1. Slice the tomatoes and spread on a small baking tray

2. Top with the slices of cheese

3. Warm under the grill until the cheese starts to melt and bubble

4. Serve, perhaps with chunks of granary bread or salad if you want to make a larger meal of it. Yummy!

Tips for Paper Airplane Pilots

When you and your kids need some stress relief, playing at paper airplanes is cheap, fun and easy!

We've uploaded some nice designs for you to try on the kidsgoals website at easy to make paper airplanes, courtesy of Nick Robinson at http://www.origami.me.uk - Thanks, Nick!!! - you'll also find a couple of interesting links that Nick gave us, for the UK and US origami associations.

Some tips to remember when you're building airplanes with your kids:

1. The best paper to use for your planes is plain old A4 photocopy paper. It has the right weight for an ideal paper plane!

2. Fold on a flat surface. Treat your paper gently - remember it's the strong and aerodynamic material you're creating a flying machine with!

3. Fold carefully and accurately, and keep both sides of your plane symmetrical

4. It helps to make your creases firm and sharp, by running your fingernail over them, especially the creases that create the front of the wings.

5. Use a straight, smooth throw. The smoothness of your throw is more important than the speed, for long flights!

4. TICKLE YOUR FUNNYBONE (JOKES FOR KIDS BY KIDS)

Why was the boy staring at the orange juice?
Because it said concentrate!

Sam: "Would you tell me off for something I didn't do?"
Teacher: "Of course not."
Sam: "Good, because I didn't do my homework."

A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family.
She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"
The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

Father to son after exam: "Let me see your report card."
Son: "My friend just borrowed it. He wants to scare his parents!"

5. WORDS OF INSPIRATION

"If you don't concentrate, you'll end up on your rear." --Tai Babilonia

"Concentration is my motto -- first honesty, then industry, then concentration." --Andrew Carnegie

"Other people's interruptions of your work are relatively insignificant compared with the countless times you interrupt yourself." --Brendan Francis

"Concentration, itself, is nothing but a matter of control of the attention! ... Learn to fix your attention on a given subject, at will, for whatever length of time you choose, and you will have learned the secret passage-way to power and plenty! This is concentration!" --Napoleon Hill

"When you write down your ideas you automatically focus your full attention on them. Few if any of us can write one thought and think another at the same time. Thus a pencil and paper make excellent concentration tools." --Michael LeBoeuf

"Concentration is everything. On the day I'm performing, I don't hear anything anyone says to me." --Luciano Pavarotti

6. YOUR FEEDBACK

If you would like to request any topics for the newsletter for 2007, please email Cassie or Monicka at kidsgoals.com.

Thank you, from Cassie and Monicka

To receive regular installments of the kids goals parent newsletters please scroll to the top of the page and subscribe today!

Join Today! FREE Parent Newsletter for Kids Goal Setting and Parenting Resources