Exploring Our Children’s Potentials

According to an article by News Canada titled ‘Learning Through Senses – The Key To A Child’s Development‘:
‘The first few years of a child’s life are full of new and exciting experiences that are absorbed like a sponge through the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and sound.’

…

The kids did this simple ‘sensorial’ activity the other day.

For Vai:
I pasted some glue on a piece of paper, and Vai spread some coloured glitters on it using his fingers. This way, he got to feel the sensation of the sticky glitters on the tips of his fingers.

For Anya:
She did a simple ‘painting’ using coloured glitter sand.

Basically she sprinkled the coloured sand onto some specific areas (the paper is already sticky), then she rubbed the sand to even out the coloured surface.

These activities were simple yet nice for the kids that afternoon!

Jakarta … here we come!

The kids and I are flying off today for our family reunion, and I so look forward to this (hopefully) refreshing two-week break!

This is btw my very first attempt of going on a flight with the kids WITHOUT anyone else (hubby’s joining us later). And so yes, I’m completely clueless as to how everything will turn out today.

Will Vai wriggle constantly and refuse to sit on my lap? (since he’s under two, he doesn’t get a seat)

Will Anya get cranky and start asking for the impossible while I’m busy with Vai, the stroller, my bag and our luggage? (she’s been having occasional bouts of tantrums lately)

Oh well, at least it’s a relatively short flight (about an hour and fifteen minutes).

And I sure hope things will go well with the kids.

…

As for this site, I’ve got some pre-written posts that will appear automatically ‘on schedule’ during the two weeks that we’re away. So do come and visit!

Or, you can always check out my past posts on parenting, principles and values, or activity ideas for kids!

Till then!

PS: Btw, that photo was taken with an iphone at Singapore Changi Airport by Wilson, as he was about to leave for Perth a couple of weeks ago

From : www.kidsource.com

“You never listen to me” is a complaint heard as often from children as parents. Good communication helps children and parents to develop confidence, feelings of self-worth, and good relationships with others.

Try these tips:

> Teach children to listen. Gently touch a child before you talk. Say their name.

> Speak in a quiet voice. Whisper sometimes so children have to listen. They like this.

> Look a child in the eyes so you can tell when they understand. Bend or sit down. Become the child’s size.

> Practice listening and talking: talk with your family about what you see on TV, hear on the radio or see at the park or store (Talk with your children about school and their friends)

> Respect children and use a courteous tone of voice. If we talk to our children as we would our friends, our youngsters may be more likely to seek us out as confidants.

> Catch children and teens being good. Praise them for cooperating with you or their siblings, or for doing those little things that are so easy to take for granted.

> Use door openers that invite children to say more about an incident or their feelings.
“I see,” “Oh,” “tell me more,” “No kidding,” “Really,” “Mmmhmm,” “Say that again, I want to be sure I understand you.”

> Praise builds a child’s confidence and reinforces communication. Unkind words tear children down and teach them that they just aren’t good enough.

> Children are never too old to be told they are loved. Saying “I love you” is important. Writing it in a note provides the child with a reminder that he can hold on to.

> Give your undivided attention when your children want to talk to you. Don’t read, watch TV, fall asleep or make yourself busy with other tasks.

While we’re on the topic of ‘hypersensitive’ kids, you may want to check out this month’s Mother and Baby Indonesia.

It has an article on what hypersensitivity is about and lists out a few handy tips we should know when it comes to caring for a hypersensitive child.

Anyway, if you understand the language, just click here to read the article in Indonesian.

[And oh yes, that’s Vai in one of his very cranky moments *smile*]

When Vai was still a much smaller baby, I remember how he used to cry and fuss so much and so often.

He’d scream and cry for a very long time when we take him out. He’d fall asleep and be soothed only if he’s breastfed. Often, he’d wake up in the middle of the night crying for a very long time and none of our many soothing attempts seemed to work on him!

He woke up so easily from his sleep that he hardly slept in his cot (because soon after I – however gentle – put him on his cot, he’d wake up!). And when we’re out and about, he’d only fall asleep IF he’s carried in a sling and/or breastfed.

Getting him to drink his formula also seemed impossible. He rejected the bottle and was totally not interested in formula milk. A 30-minute attempt of squirting drops of formula from a bottle into his mouth while I constantly walked around the house – carrying in him a sling, talking and distracting him with anything that I could find – usually led to him drinking at most 50 ml of formula.

He cried, shook his head, looked away and swatted my spoon during most mealtimes. Getting him to eat basically was almost always challenging.

The thought that perhaps this child is a little on the ‘hypersensitive’ side did cross our minds.

Anyway.

Looking at how things are with him now, I have to say that he’s tremendously changed, especially in the past few months.

He doesn’t cry and fuss much. He eats relatively quite a lot and well (he now ASKS for food and fruits!). He’s fully weaned off breastfeeding about three weeks ago. His formula is still spoonfed, three times a day, but in general he finishes up his 200ml within 3 – 5 minutes.

He falls asleep by himself – on his bed – when we’re at home (I still need to accompany him in the bedroom until he falls asleep though as otherwise he’d start playing, jumping up and down on his bed and distracting his sister!). And when we’re outside, he can now fall asleep on his own WHILE sitting upright on his stroller too!

Of course it doesn’t mean everything is always easy.

I remember the time when he found Anya’s marker and scribbled on my bedsheet, walls and floor, or when he often purposely spilled water all over our living room floor, or the time he threw my mobile phone across the room and plonked our cordless phone into the toilet bowl!

And just like any other toddlers, he does insist on things and screams when he doesn’t get it, etc.

But really, when I look at how he’s doing right now and how he was before, I have to say I’m still very happy with his progress so far! Overall, I’m finding it much easier to deal with him now than before.

Oh btw, I do bear in mind though that he’s turning two in less than three months! Which means I may face challenging ‘Terrible Two‘ moments from him real soon!

Ah anyway.

I’d just like to enjoy our moments spent with our little guy, regardless of how our days ahead will be like later on.

We all constantly experience ups and downs in our lives. And while we’re still in this world, none of us can truly be exempted from life’s difficulties.

The Bible writes how a good and honest man like Joseph seemed to have not been ‘blessed’, at least not in ways that we normally would expect. He was sold as a slave, and he was thrown to jail too.

Joseph loves God but yet in the eyes of our world, he was unfairly treated.

If we only look at parts of Joseph’s life, and not as a whole, we will never understand God’s wonderful plans. It is only when we look at his life as a whole that we can see and find out God’s guidance.

A good song can’t be thoroughly understood and enjoyed if we only hear a few seconds of it. To understand how grand and wonderful a particular symphony, we must listen to it from start to end.

The same thing applies when we’re observing a painting. To understand its beauty, we need to stand back and look at the painting as a whole, not focus on just a small part of it and enlarge that particular part with a magnifying glass.

This is how we should look at our life as well. We should look at it as a ‘whole’.

When we experience difficulties today, don’t be quick to complain and ask, ‘Where are you God?’, because God’s reply will most likely be, ‘You wait and see. i am the Master of history. I am the One who care and guide you throughout your whole life.’

Let’s put our life and our trust in Him, who is the Giver and Source of life.