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Stress Of Online Classes: How Parents Can Help Kids Cope with Virtual Learning

First, parents should know why online classes are stressful for children. 

Online classes have increased screen time for kids. It causes headaches and affects physical wellness, and makes the brain restless—a restless brain results in decreased sleep. Change in sleep patterns then leads to stress.

Children feel lonely as they miss their friends and social connection in online classes. It is one of the reasons for the increase in stress among students.

Physical activities are stress busters. The lack of which affects the emotional, physical, and mental wellness of a child.

Some children feel more pressured when they have to attend classes before the watchful eyes of their parents.

Parents helping kids for online classes should start to act immediately if they notice symptoms like changes in behavioral patterns, excessive anger, too many arguments, and withdrawal, etc. What should the parents do for stress management for online students? 

      1.  Be calm and kind

When children are stressed, parents must stay calm. If parents lose their cool and yell, then it will make kids more stressed. As a parent, you should be kind, gentle, and patient and let the children adjust to the new learning system. Your child’s brain will be calmer if you are calm and cool. 

      2.  Communicate freely with your kids and teachers

It will help if you communicate freely with your children. It would also help if you encouraged them to express and share their feelings with you. Lack of communication will stress the kids. It would help if you also communicated with the school teachers. 

     3.  Plan a schedule with breaks in between 

Children are used to following a routine at school. You should maintain it during online classes too. Breaks are not only important for children but the parents as well. If your children are too young, you can’t leave them alone. It will make you too stressed if you don’t take breaks either. Taking breaks will save both you and your kids from stress. Make sure you don’t allow your children to play mobile games during breaks. They need a break from the screen, and they need some physical activity. 

    4.  Make learning more fun and interesting.

Children are taught new concepts with the help of many learning tools. It makes learning easier, fun, and interesting. There are schools that use a wide range of kits to teach their students, which keeps the children interested and involved. It also helps reduce stress. Parents should enroll children in schools that follow new, updated methods to teach children. 

    5.  Have some fun time with the kids

Children are not allowed to step outside the safety and comfort of their homes due to coronavirus fear. Without any outings, children are sure to feel stressed. Hence, the parents must play with their kids and let them have some fun. It is the right time to strengthen bonds with your family. Don’t miss the opportunity. If you have no idea how to entertain your kids, you can look for an online learning guide for parents. 

    6.  Let them keep in touch with their friends.

If your kids are a little older to make video calls, allow them to do so and talk with their friends. If they are too young to make calls on their own, you should arrange for video calls and let them socialize with their friends. It will reduce stress considerably. 

    7.  Let them learn something that they love.

Too much academic learning will make children stressed. Parents helping kids for online classes should make arrangements for them to learn something that they love. When they learn something that they are interested in, it helps in getting rid of stress. If your child is interested in technology, learning coding can be beneficial for their success in the digital world. 

How can your child’s school help in reducing the stress during the pandemic? 

Teachers should maintain relationships with their students. A good relationship helps in building feelings of trust, safety, and attachment. It helps release hormones called oxytocin, which reduces stress and decreases the effects of stress-causing hormones, cortisol. 

Teachers should be role models to the kids on how to control emotions and regulate behaviors. They can create fun activities for students. 

They should support the parents by encouraging healthy meals, exercise routines, and other good practices to keep children physically and mentally fit. 

They can give online learning tips for parents.

Of course, this is an extremely challenging time for kids, teachers, and parents alike. No parents or teachers want their kids to spend more screen time; however, given the point that we will have to adjust to the new normal, it makes sense for the parents helping kids for online classes  to try these common-sense practices. It will allow your kids to cope with virtual learning in a better way. Ensure to keep communicating with your kids to know their pain points. Take out some time and sit with them to discuss their issues. The more they will express themselves, the better you as a parent will resolve them.

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5 Simple Habits to Improve your Child’s General Knowledge

As it is said that good habits formed at youth make all the difference, every parent wishes to implant such habits in their little ones so that it aids them in becoming sensible and smart human beings. All parents want their kids to shine like a star and achieve greater success in their lives.

So, the milestone of achieving this lies in developing an interest in general knowledge from the very beginning. To survive in the cut-throat competition, you have to make sure that your child is conferred with requisite guidance.

General knowledge plays a crucial role in nurturing a child’s personality. The stronger one’s general knowledge is, the easier it is for them to grasp anything. So, it becomes a paramount to improve a child’s general knowledge as it is directly linked to developing analytical thinking and a broad mindset. How can you help your child in improving their general knowledge? Well, that’s an uphill and a systematic task. The only mantra is to feed their curious minds with more and more knowledge. According to child psychology, what a child comprehends during his childhood remains in their mind forever.

An endeavour has to be made from the very beginning of their education. Parents should plump for a school that focuses on teaching general knowledge along with their regular curriculum. Following are some of the methods to improve your child’s general knowledge:

1. Encourage pleasure reading

General knowledge is something that comes by reading and not by mugging up. Reading does not only enhance one’s vocabulary bank but also helps in understanding things easily. Reading general knowledge books is one of the best ways to improve your child’s general knowledge. Make your child read such books instead of comic books but don’t overburden them with lots of G.K. The motive is to make them realize the importance of general knowledge. Reading helps in generating curiosity to perceive more and improve a child's general knowledge at the same time.

2.  Play interactive educational games

Sports and education should go hand-in-hand. Excess of any one of the two can be detrimental. If there is a balance between sports and education, then children will voluntarily engross themselves in the learning process. There are various general knowledge activities for students. Games such as ATLAS, where you can ask your kids to tell which country is in which area shown on the map are helpful. Such games make them curious resulting in their engagement in the activity. Solving various types of quizzes and puzzles daily will assist your kids in learning new words. 

3. Use television cleverly

We all use television for entertainment be it watching news, movies, or daily soaps. Today’s kids spend most of their time watching cartoons but television can be a great medium for imparting knowledge by simply monitoring what the child watches. Encourage your child to watch channels like Discovery, Animal Planet, National Geographic, etc. There are various educational channels whose sole motive is to improve a child’s general knowledge. This method is said to be one of the most effective ways to improve a child’s general knowledge.

4. Healthy Discussion

The end product of a healthy discussion is always meaningful. Parents must always encourage discussion at home. A discussion can be done anywhere, at the breakfast table, during lunch, or dinner. Encourage your child to ask everything that makes them curious.. Motivate them to ask questions, and if your kid is aged between 3–4 years, ask them G.K. questions accordingly. Ask general knowledge questions for four years old as there are different things to learn in general knowledge, which vary from age to age. It has been seen that parents who exchange ideas and views, their kids tend to have strong general awareness.

5. Newspaper reading

Newspaper reading is one of the finest and easiest ways to improve a child’s general knowledge. Reading the newspaper daily helps you keep a track of what is happening around the world. Inculcating this good habit in your child from a very early stage will pave the way for them to face today’s intense competition. There are various child magazines available in the market, purchase them and ask your child to read them daily. It undoubtedly improves a child’s general knowledge. It will not only improve your child’s general knowledge but will also improve their writing skills.

The above-mentioned methods will be proved helpful in improving a child’s general knowledge if obeyed diligently. It will help your kid to have the edge over others. As we know, all competitive exams have a compulsory general knowledge section now. To stand out of the crowd, it is significantly important to have a strong base of general knowledge.

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Happy Earth Day!!! Be responsible citizen we owe to our mother nature.

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Top 17 Ways to get kids learn coding

In these modern times, coding has proved itself as a technological boon, as well as a fundamental skill that serves as an asset for a student’s profile. Almost every industry and business requires coding on some level, which makes it all the more significant. Thus the basic principles of coding must be introduced at an early age, to enable better learning curves. Where many schools lack the infrastructure required to integrate coding within the syllabus, few schools have designed a dedicated curriculum that promotes coding at an early age. Here are 17 ways in which parents can encourage their kids to learn coding from the get-go:

Define Coding:

It is highly unlikely that the child will have any prior understanding of what is meant by coding, and its intricate yet widespread range of applications. Explaining the essence of coding and its purpose initially, will improve their inquisitiveness, while adding a relatability factor to the world of coding. 

      2. Purpose before concepts:

Explaining the purpose of coding, before defining the conceptual aspects of it, would work wonders for building up the curiosity for it, at their own pace. Functions, classes, databases, programming language, tend to be significant, yet secondary and burdening for kids who would need to know why they’re engaged in coding, before developing the aptitude for it. 

       3. Incorporating Open-Source programming: 

Open source programming is an all-inclusive approach to coding that motivates learners to code free of charge, while providing the source-code to the original application, to offer a better coding environment. Open-source coding helps us learn how to teach programming to 8-year olds, by providing direct access to the source code.

      4. Scratch the coding surface:

‘Scratch’, MIT’s brainchild project, establishes the absolute basics of coding, by utilizing a top-down approach for instructing coding. Skipping the specifics of coding language, Scratch programming adapts a chain of code-blocks, thus introducing the child to the wonders of coding without the complexities in it.   

   5. Python’s coding interface:

Python, with its wide variety of real-life applications, is a great way to start teenagers with coding. Object-oriented and intuitive, Python is the best programming language for teenagers, for learning the initial workflow of coding without diving deep into the complex details of programming.    

    6. Stress on algorithm design than cramming:

Algorithm design and flow-charts form the basis of programming languages and establish the purpose of specific and generalized forms of coding. Cramming the code’s lines, functions and other components of PL tends to compromise its innovative nature. 

    7. Emphasis on problem-solving:

The intent of coding has always been to solve problems, make processes convenient, modify workflows, and reduce redundancy. When we establish that coding is being carried out for problem-solving, it helps us guide our kids towards the right mindset that is necessary to imbibe coding habits amongst them.  

    8. Co-relate coding with their real-life:

Associating coding with their inherent interests, hobbies, preferences, and likes/dislikes can add realism to the tech-based nature of coding. Arts, sports, media, and other industries are deeply connected to and depend on coding. Encouraging coding mindset through their real-life examples, would provide them with the necessary exposure, and host a better outlook for it. 

   9. Video games can help: 

Video games can be an extremely beneficial educational tool for coding since almost all of the aspects of video games rely on programming. Often pegged as a distraction, video games can make the learning process more tangible, and directed towards an output. Finding the best coding games for kids will serve as a focal point for understanding how the coding process is integrated. 

    10. Guide, don’t spoon feed:

Parents tend to spoon-feed the coding related technicalities to kids, thus making the learning process mundane, by reducing the challenge. These challenges are necessary to develop a problem-solving approach, and resisting from the urge to solve every issue ourselves, can enable children to develop that approach.

 11.  Avoid the complex technical jargon (initially)

The technical jargon and verbiage need to be introduced slowly, gradually and especially ‘eventually’. Initially, words and concepts need to be defined only as they come, and burdening the children’s intellectual load will reduce their interest while adding to the difficulty of it.  

 12. A programming language based on the kid’s preferences:

By a certain age, kids start displaying their interests in specific domains and can establish their inclinations to the myriad options available as probable careers. Selecting programming languages that reflect upon these options and choices, will ensure their dedication and focus onto these coding platforms. 

 13. Interesting study structure:

Following a captivating and engaging study structure for coding that enhances the approach of a kid for coding, the syllabus should be designed to offer the right set of academic guidance for coding. An interesting study structure, followed by the right balance of conceptual knowledge and real-life examples, can help to initiate an extensive approach for coding. 

 14. Knowledgeable tutors and teachers:

Expert professionals that are well-versed with the intricacies of coding, and experienced with imparting the knowledge for the same, should be selected as guides for establishing the foundation of coding for your child. 

 15. Rely on well-defined coding resources:

Coding resources, repositories, teaching aids, and coding environments are necessary to establish the learning cycle for coding amongst kids. These academic and non-academic resources are essential for getting your kids to code effectively. 

 16. Prefer interactive and fun coding environments:

Coding does not necessarily entail a rigid conceptual and programming approach, and fun, interactive coding sessions can prove to enhance the learning experience while enabling better retention and higher forms of innovation. 

 17. Choosing the right academic institution:

The academic institution plays a significant role in developing a coding-based approach for children. Nowadays many schools have been embracing technology within their curriculum, that enables teachers to provide their students with the best-in-class coding resources, guidance, and education, that will go a long way in improving their profile. 

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6 Tips To Get Your Kids Excited About Coding

There was a time during the ’50s when human life was miles away from understanding how we can get access to billions of bytes of data with just one click. In the late 1960s, when the first working prototype of the internet was established, little did we know that it would become an inseparable part of human existence. This communication language between the machines can be referred to as a ‘code’ & the process of writing this language to communicate with machines is called ‘Coding’. As we have seen the expanse of technology, we believe that a skill like coding is a must-have skill in students’ repositories! Coding has been proven to develop skills like problem-solving & critical thinking, which are essential to thrive in this skill-centric environment. As coding is very similar to learning a new language, our survey says that students are more likely to grasp coding quickly if taught early in school. Schools nowadays have realized that coding is a must-have skill for the future & thus have introduced coding classes for kids in their curriculum. As we get adapted to the digital world, here are 6 tips for coding for kids, which can help you get your child excited about coding!

Making your apps & games

In 2020, almost every kid is aware of using smartphones & other smart gadgets, but they are generally unaware of how these apps work behind the scenes. Coding can provide an avenue for making apps and help them understand what goes behind the construction of an app. Right from conceptualizing the purpose of the app to designing the interface, they get the freedom of doing it how they want & the way they want! We encourage our students to put the knowledge that they gain in the classes into practical implementation.

2. A never-ending demand for coding

As we discussed before, a tremendous amount of data is being generated daily & the need for a skilled software programmer who understands how to use this data & create a fast and robust platform for people to use! With the technology evolving every day, there is a steep demand for professionals who have the acumen & skill to do coding, making it a favorable career option. No a days in every school at their core, they have a technically proficient backbone of teachers who are passionate about tech and stay abreast of the latest technological innovations.

3. Coding nurtures creativity

It has been proved scientifically that coding can enhance kids’ creativity if taught using the right medium of delivery. Block coding for kids is a very effective way and the most important tips among the 6 tips for coding for kids. It helps them understand concepts by gamifying them & breaking complex concepts into smaller fragments. Schools lay a strong emphasis on using visuals & gamification of the topic by employing kits while teaching, ensuring that maximum attention span is utilized along with kindling a sense of creativity among the kids. Various platforms test kids on coding for free, where kids can use and apply their knowledge in school.

4. Exploring their passion with Coding

Yes, you read that right. Coding can play a huge role in helping your child find their passion and exploring new areas of interest through coding. For example, if a child is inclined towards sports, he/she can build their app for tracking various stats of the players! For avid readers, they can develop their website about reviewing & writing blogs about the books they read recently! Parents are advised to encourage their kids to explore new avenues & try new things, eventually leading them to discover their passion.

5. Coding with peers

Kids have a natural tendency to follow the things that their friends are doing. Many schools help your child build the technical & logical acumen for coding and instill in them optimism & teamwork at an early age. They regularly undertake group coding & team-building activities to learn skills like problem-solving, cooperation, time management, stress management & project management. Statistics have proven that kids possessing management skills tend to perform better academically & later on professionally in their respective careers.

6. Right mentoring promotes affinity towards the subject

We all know how important a mentor is in a student’s life. A good mentor can change the child’s entire outlook towards a particular subject, which can potentially chart out their life course! Parents are generally concerned about ‘how to teach coding’ to kids at such a young age! Our mentors are well-versed with the most advanced teaching strategies that will ensure that your child understands coding and falls in love with it!

We realized the demand for coding professionals in the industry is expected to increase by 77% in the next 10 years & hence nowadays schools have ensured that they leave no stone unturned to ensure that the students acquire the best skill-set, from the BEST! When it comes to coding with kids, they deeply focus on reviews & feedback. There are parent apps too that ensures that they are regularly updated with the latest information daily, providing efficient tracking of their child’s progress!