Not only are our kids being raised indoors, they are also being confined to even smaller indoor spaces. Parents pay heavily for children to clamber through purple, rubber tunnels and slide through blue plastic slides. In schools, playgrounds have become a rarity. In today’s world when we say “summer camp” it usually means sending your kids to a place where a set of activities has been curated for kids in one place —usually indoors. While taking my book Vriksha from school to school I realized that most kids had not touched a tree. Parents who attended the session had themselves touched a tree trunk after a long time. I strongly feel that we need to weave in the outdoors in our schools and our homes. Read on.
The shift to indoor play spaces
We’ve become a sedentary society. Not only are our kids being raised indoors, they are also being confined to even smaller indoor spaces. Our generation of adults grew up playing in the outside. Our schools had massive grounds attached to it. When we got home, we flung our school bags and ran out to play. We didn’t need props. We had the outdoors and we devised games. We may or may not have had huge wide spaces to play at home, but playing ball, or hide and seek, or hopscotch or jumping rope were always in the open. As a fellow parent summarised, “We had a playroom growing up, it was called the outside.”
The schools our kids go to no longer have the luxury of playgrounds. We live in mad metros and that if there is space then we have to, have to, enclose it. The new landscape of childhood is the indoors.
Within the span of a few decades the way children understand and experience nature has changed radically, say Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods. In the introduction to the book he says:
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Releasing Your Teens From Internet Lockdown
The new normal demands a large chunk of time to be spent online. For teenagers, time spent in online classes, assignments, project work, homework, tests and exams - all these add up to many hours a day, glued to screens. Furthermore, the current generation's usage of social media and online gaming is increasing day by day. So is parental anxiety about their children's wellbeing. How do parents help their teens and themselves?
Helping Children Manage Big Emotions
Parenting is a roller-coaster ride filled with loads of fun as well as moments where we feel as if we are walking on eggshells. When our child has an outburst, we either make frantic attempts to soothe them or end up having a fit ourselves. Though it appears as if we are stumbling in the dark when it comes to understanding our child's emotions, there is still hope. When armed with information about how to help them deal with their emotional challenges, we will be able to sit back and enjoy this ride. Read on.
HANDLING Fussy Eaters
Fussy eating is a part of normal childhood development — how we handle it will influence our children's future eating habits. Many mothers struggle with their children's eating habits. Some children are fussy eaters, while others are not as troublesome; so is fussy eating something to do with the child, or parents, or both? There is no one right answer, but there are things we can do so as to not fuel this problem further. Read on for some tips on dealing with your child's fussy eating.
DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES: 6 TO 16 YEARS
As parents, we eagerly look for the early milestones in our child's life - the first step, the first word. There are other equally important markers, rites of passage into independence, when our children are primary schoolers, adolescents or teens. What are these? When do these typically happen? What should a parent be watchful about? Read on. A child learns to ride a bicycle A teenager takes the local train by himself for parents, these milestones are as important as teaching opportunities as they are occasions to rejoice (with a sense of apprehension, of course). Let us examine some of these:
Cooking up stories together
Children and stories go together like birds and the open sky. Stories offer a place to soar uninhibited and unrestrained in their flights of imagination.
Books for Children
Book Reviews
Preventing Obesity In Children
Obesity in childhood has wide-ranging consequences hypertension, cardiac issues, emotional disturbances such as inappropriate behaviour, relationship problems, depression or an inability to learn.
Managing Exam Stress With Ayurveda
Stress and anxiety could hinder the thinking capability of students, especially in the times of pandemic when there is so much uncertainty around. For teenagers, appearing for exams is not just about the exam preparation but also about taking all the necessary precaution to safeguard their health. Read on.
Safety Products for Children
It is an undeniable fact that young children are our greatest treasure. The way they are nurtured and protected will have a huge impact on their future as well as society as a whole. So, is it not our foremost duty to safeguard them? Of course it is. That’s why we have featured below a list of products that will not only ensure your child’s physical safety but also give you peace of mind!
Boosting Immunity In Children
Children who learn to love physical activity in all of its forms will grow up to be adults who are active.
