How to Help A Child be Successful in Kindergarten

Your child’s first year of school should be a fun and exciting time. Children who are comfortable with and prepared for this first school experience are more likely to have rewarding and productive years, and therefore associate positive feelings with education. Since parents are children’s first and most important teachers, you can play a key role in preparing your children for a successful school experience by pre-exposing them to key concepts they will experience in school. This can be done in a fun, enjoyable manner by making everyday play experiences learning experiences as well.

New learning builds on prior knowledge, therefore the more exposure or background a child has with a concept the easier it is for new learning and deeper comprehension to occur. Providing your child with pre-exposure to concepts such as the alphabet, numbers, following directions, listening, reading, cutting, tracing, etc. will help them feel more comfortable and confident when they experience these similar concepts in school, thus better enabling learning to occur. Schools are becoming more academic, dependent on standardized tests, and fast-paced. Giving your children some familiarity with concepts they will encounter can help lessen the anxiety and stress that often accompany these experiences. Children who are overly stressed or uncomfortable are less likely to be able to concentrate and learn.

Children have a natural motivation to learn and a curiosity about the world. You can enhance and nurture this natural motivation by making enjoyable play experiences learning experiences as well.

For example, children’s games are great resources for combining learning with physical activity. Duck, Duck, Goose can be a way of reinforcing concepts such as the alphabet by having children say the name of a letter in place of the word, duck, and a word that begins with that letter in place of the word, goose.

Hide and Seek can become a learning experience by hiding numbers, letters, colors, your child’s name, phone number, address, etc. around the house and asking your child to find them.

Simon Says is a great game to practice following directions and positional words such as on, above, below, etc.

Bingo can be used to reinforce number recognition, letter recognition, the difference between upper case and lower case letters, letter sounds, colors, etc.

You can have a treasure hunt while shopping, driving, or at home by seeing how many letters, numbers, colors, or shapes your child can find.

You can also play I Spy where you state, “I spy with my little eye something that is”, and you describe a letter, number, shape, color, etc. that you can plainly see. Your child then tries to guess what you are describing. Your child can also take a turn describing something (this helps develop verbal skills).

Children’s individual interests can also be incorporated into learning experiences.

Blocks or Lego’s can be used to teach patterns (have them build towers with alternating colors), counting, sorting (separate the blocks by colors, shapes, size), etc.

If your child likes to color, have them create rainbow tracings of letters or numbers by tracing them with as many colors as possible.

Play dough can be made into shapes, letters, and numbers.

An interest in cars and trucks can be used when learning how to trace by telling your child to keep his car (crayon or pencil) on the road (whatever is being traced).

An interest in animals or dinosaurs can be used when learning how to cut with scissors by relating the opening and closing of the scissors to the opening and closing of an animal’s mouth. You can pretend the animal is “eating” the lines on the paper.

Your child’s surroundings can also play a part in preparing them for school. Providing a number and variety of books for your child and taking time to read to them is one of the most important things you can do for their education. Reading to a child teaches them vocal skills, vocabulary, listening skills, left-to-right orientation, cause and effect, knowledge about the world around them, and pre-reading skills. Most importantly, it instills a love for reading and books which will benefit them throughout their entire education. After all, every subject (even math) requires reading.

Our brain absorbs information from our surroundings on a conscious and unconscious level, and between 80-90% of all information absorbed by the brain is visual. Therefore, providing visual displays in your child’s room or elsewhere can actually aide in learning. Things such as the alphabet, colors, numbers, etc. can be hung up or displayed in places where your child will see them. Even magnetic letters on the refrigerator can aide in retention and learning. This is why many schools have plenty of visuals displayed in the halls and classrooms.

Young children can also learn many concepts through music. For example, they usually learn their abc’s by the alphabet song. There are many children’s tapes available that teach concepts through music. Playing these while in the car or while your children play can aide them in learning. Even though they might not be singing along or seem like they are even paying attention, subconscious learning can be occurring.

You may also want to practice separating from your child for short periods of time, such as enrolling in a program or play group or having them spend time with a babysitter. Separation anxiety can be traumatic for some children if they are not used to being away from their parents, and this anxiety can inhibit their ability to learn and relax while in school.

Lastly, no matter what methods you try with your child, the most important thing to remember is to make them enjoyable. You want your child to associate positive feelings with learning. Take turns choosing activities; give your child some choice sometimes. This makes them feel less dictated to and more willing to learn. Also, offer them some variety in activities, do not always use the same learning methods all of the time as this can create boredom and disinterest. Choose the methods that work best with your child (every child is different) and have fun!

Children are like flowers, they all bloom at different times. But, parents can help nurture them by providing experiences that enable them to blossom into children who love learning and school.

Challenges Of Postpartum Depression

Being pregnant can be one of the most happiest moments in life that a woman could ever have. It is a time for new beginnings, a time of change, a season of growth for her and the entire family. Pregnancy and the sweet anticipation of having a baby can really help improve the family’s relationship. The wait for the arrival of the new baby puts the entire family in a good mood of expectation. In the process, the family members feel closer to one another.

During this trying stage of a woman, she constantly feels and experiences different thoughts and feelings about her pregnancy and her baby. Sometimes, she can feel good and bright about life. On some days, she can be so depressed and irritable. This sudden shift of feelings can be considered normal for other women, but it can be disturbing not only on the part of the new mother but also to the rest of the family if these episodes of sadness go on for long periods of time.

After giving birth, a woman can experience a thousand thoughts about the baby, whether good or bad. This is what others call the “baby blues” — a point in a woman’s life, usually right after childbirth, when she feels heightened emotions concerning their baby. This state can be felt by the woman three to five days after delivery and can last for up to two more weeks, or perhaps even longer. At this point, the woman experiencing “baby blues” may cry more easily than usual, may have trouble falling asleep or can feel irritable, or she can be so sad and always “on the edge” emotionally. Since “baby blues” are experienced is very common and is almost always expected of every first-time mother, it is generally not considered to be an illness. In most cases, the depression does not interfere with the woman’s ability to care for her baby.

However, some women may experience these heightened state of emotions by having postpartum depression, a type of depression that also occurs after childbirth. Also called postpartum non-psychotic depression, this condition affects about ten to twenty percent of women, mostly within a few months of delivery. If a woman is experiencing postpartum depression, she may exhibit any of the following symptoms:
l depressed mood
l easily provoked to tears
l have trouble falling asleep
l poor appetite
l failure to enjoy pleasurable activities
l feelings of inadequacy as a parent
l impaired concentration
l suicidal thoughts.

These symptoms can be seen in a woman if she acts differently towards herself and her baby as well. Having this type of depression includes risk factors such as previous major depression, psychosocial stress, previous premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and inadequate social support.

If a woman has postpartum depression, they may worry a lot when it comes to their baby, particularly regarding the baby’s health and well-being. On very rare cases, women with this form of severe depression may harbor negative and harmful thoughts about their baby. This type of depression can interfere with the woman’s ability to take care of the baby, and it can even come to a point where suicidal thoughts occur.

A big part of preventive care for postpartum depression entails becoming fully informed about the risk factors and effects of pregnancy and childbirth. Regular consultation with the obstetrician-gynecologist would also allow the new mother to get information about the numerous physical, chemical or hormonal changes that will come as a result of pregnancy and childbirth.

Doctors will always play a key role in identifying and treating this type of depression. Women should be screened by their physician to determine if they are at risk for acquiring postpartum depression, since this can give them a chance to prepare themselves for their childbirth at the physical, emotional, and mental levels.

Postpartum Depression and the Baby Blues

Having a baby can be very challenging for every woman, both physically and emotionally. The birth of a baby can trigger a mix of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety. It is natural for many new mothers to have mood swings after delivery, feelings of joy one minute, and moments of sadness the next. But it can also result in something one might not expect like the onset of depression. These feelings are sometimes known as the “baby blues” depression that normally fades away within 10 days of delivery. However, some women may experience a deep and ongoing depression which lasts much longer. This is called postpartum depression.

The earliest medical records about postpartum depression dates back to as far as the 4th Century BC. However, despite the early awareness about this form of depression, the postpartum sadness has not always been formally recognized as an illness. As a result, it continues to be under-diagnosed. There is no single cause for depression after childbirth. Physical, emotional, and lifestyle factors may all play a role. Unlike the ‘baby blues”, postpartum depression does not go away quickly. Very rarely, new moms develop something even more serious. They may stop eating, have trouble sleeping or develop insomnia, and become frantic or paranoid.

Postpartum depression affects 10-28% of new mothers. It can begin days, weeks, or months after delivery. Studies show that depressed mothers are less involved with their infant. They are also shows signs of inconsistentcy in terms of how they respond to their infant. They can be loving and attentive one minute, and withdrawn the next. In addition to the signs mentioned, some other symptoms of postpartum depression may include:

Exhaustion

Excessive sleeping but still feeling exhausted

Loss of sexual interest

Crying spells without obvious cause

Feelings of guilt

Sadness

Anger

Feelings of despair and/or worthlessness

Forgetfulness

Difficulty making decisions

Poor concentration

Treatment for postpartum depression can be as varied as the symptoms. Some of the more common approaches to therapy or treatment include:

Creating a supportive environment for the mother;

Self-Care;

Joining a support groups;

Counseling;

Psychotherapy; and

Medication

More often, postpartum depression is not recognized or adequately treated because some normal post-pregnancy changes which cause similar symptoms in new mothers. Moreover, some women do not tell anyone about their symptoms because they feel embarrassed, ashamed, or guilty about being depressed about their pregnancy and childbirth when the normal response would be that of elation or happiness.

Early detection and treatment of postpartum depression is critical not only for the mother but for the infant as well. It can also help if the father or another caregiver can assist in meeting the needs of the baby while the mom is depressed or is still recovering from depression. The less exposure the infant has to the mother’s depression, the lower the risk of long-term problems in the child.

Research shows that infants of depressed mothers are at increased risk of behavioral problems, emotional difficulties, and delays in growth and language development. If the mother’s depression is not treated promptly, the baby can be greatly affected. Women with postpartum depression may feel like they are bad or inefficient mothers and might become increasingly reluctant to seek professional help. It is crucial to remember that hope and treatment are available to them. With a combination of proper medication and therapy, a woman can overcome postpartum depression and regain the ability to love and care for her newborn child.