ThinkersBox - Child Development

Understanding Working Memory

Ever heard of the term ‘working memory’?

Well basically it is information that our mind retains for a short period of time, such as solving a mental arithmetic sum without utilising pen, paper, calculator or your mobile phone. Continue reading Understanding Working Memory

Childhood Thinking Skills Affect Life Outcomes

Photo Credit: A.D.A.M Inc.

Arthur: Janet N. Zadina, Ph.D. Cognitive Neuroscientist, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA. www.brainresearch.us.

In a study lasting many years, first grade teachers observed a behavior that predicted school and life outcomes. This important behavior is known as executive function, governed by the frontal lobes of the brain. Executive function is observed in early childhood as the ability to control one’s behavior. Researcher Terrie Moffitt reports that, based on teacher observation, the child’s ability to stand in line, raise a hand before speaking, or keep quiet when asked predicted academic achievement, income, criminality, and drug use at age 32.

Continue reading Childhood Thinking Skills Affect Life Outcomes

Spare the rod and still discipline the child

“Spare the rod and spoil the child”

Well, a recent study done in Canada debunks this whole idea of effective discipline with physical punishment.

According to the report, there are several reasons why spanking should be the very last resort to discipline.

Continue reading Spare the rod and still discipline the child

Why is Creativity Important?

Creativity is often the last thing that parents worry about. Truth be told, creativity has much more to offer than we often think they do. Creativity leads to creations. Imagine a world without Tim Berners-Lee’s invention of the world wide web. Creativity leads to the ability to adapt and make changes. Imagine being in survivor mode with limited resources… what would we do if we couldn’t think out of the box?

Before I bore you further with what creativity can do, here’s a video found online created by Creativity Culture & Education.

So let’s not kill the creativity of the next generation by limiting them with the things they can do. Instead, give them the space and allow them to explore their environment. Bring your child to experience different things! Fishing at the kelong, cycling at pulau ubin, having a picnic at botanic gardens, climbing trees… There is much more to learning than assessment books!

Eyes are the window to learning

I’m sure most of us have heard of our eyes being the window to our soul. But did you also know that our eyes are the window to learning? 80% of a child’s learning comes through the eyes (Prairie Vision Center, n.d.). That is to say, the majority of us learn by looking.

Reading is a task that relies heavily on visual skills. Children would need good visual skills to be able to read though a long passage at the same time understanding the information presented.

Answering Math questions relies on visual skills too. Being able to read 6 + 2 as 6 +2 and not 9 + 2 requires the ability to discriminate between numbers. Problem sums is an area in Math that requires the child to read and comprehend the question before being able to answer them. Many times, children dread this component because lack adequate visual skills.

Learning Chinese characters requires a great deal of visual skills to be able to discriminate between similar characters. To understand a Chinese passage and to answer comprehension questions accurately, the child has to first be equipped with visual skills that would help him/her “get pass” the chunk of Chinese words.

In Science, we learn to classify things around us. Classification can only take place when the child knows the properties or characteristics of the things. For example, reptiles are distinguished by their dry scaly skin while birds have feathers. Children have to see the skin textures to understand what “dry scaly skin” is like.

Suffice to say, visual skills are very important for learning.

Therefore, before we start drilling more books and such to improve reading skills, you might consider practicing visual skills.

We have compiled a list of activities and resources (found online) that would help to improve your child’s visual skills.

Activities

Line Tracking (Similar activity can be carried out by drawing the lines for your child)

Flitting Butterfly (Do this activity for no more than 3 minutes. You can challenge your child by adding 10 seconds after each session, starting with 30 seconds)

Maze Craze (An interactive activity that teaches Science and uses visual skills)

Letter Match (Suitable for younger children, aged 5 to 6, to learn to discriminate between letters)

Blue’s Gold Clues Challenge (Suitable for younger children aged 4-6, to learn letters, numbers and shapes)

Spot the Difference Batman Style!

Mystery Case Files: Huntsville (Interactive find the objects game, suitable for older children aged 9 to 12)

Resources

Visual Perception Worksheets (dot to dot worksheets, matching, visual tracking)

Missing Pieces (match the missing pieces)

Compare & Contrast!

Learning how to draw (Learning to draw by following step by step instructions help to improve the child’s visual skills)

Hope you would find these useful!

The “Enough Failure?” Controversy

There are always two sides to a coin. As it is with the topic of children experiencing failure. I’ve heard of parents who are all ready to send their children out to fail and I’ve known of parents who almost never allow their children to even stumble, much less fail. As I read about the implications of failure in children (some good, some bad), I started to reflect on my own experience with failure when I was a kid.

Continue reading The “Enough Failure?” Controversy

11 Reasons Why You Should Laugh With Your Child

So we’ve been told that laughter is the best medicine. But honestly, at times of desperation (to get kids dressed up for school, to get kids to finish their homework, to get kids into the showers…), laughter just seems to be the last thing on your mind. To help you (and convince you!) along, we’ve decided to do a little research and present you with a list of 11 reasons why you should laugh with your child (despite feeling uptight). Continue reading 11 Reasons Why You Should Laugh With Your Child

Acquisition of the Chinese Language

After reading parental forums and blogs, I’ve realized that helping a child learn Chinese is one of the greatest headaches, especially for English speaking families. While some parents succeed in imparting their Mandarin skills, others find themselves feeling frustrated with the lack of improvement.

Continue reading Acquisition of the Chinese Language

Logical Reasoning and its Benefits

Logical reasoning is the ability to “foresee” implications beyond decisions. Honing this skill promotes active learning, whereby the child would be encouraged to ask good questions that could aid his/her own learning. It is also a skill that helps the child get more engaged in his/her own learning process and promotes making the correct and right decisions (based on reasoning logically).

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Cultivating A Motivated Learner

It is the start of a brand new year with brand new goals and expectations. Some of us parents may have a target list of sorts to keep check on our children’s learning progress. Maybe your checklist for your child is something like this:

Able to read
Able to count until 100
Able to add and subtract
Able to write
Able to spell

Continue reading Cultivating A Motivated Learner

Author: ThinkersBox