Parenting Views

My views on education, mutilingual parenting and other parenting topics
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March 12, 2009

Educating your child- Building up EQ(Part 1)

Dominique Parenting Views Emotional intelligence

: Image by GinaMig via Flickr

EQ- (Emotional Quotient) A measurement on how you manage your own & others feelings.

Understanding your child’s feelings and teaching him how to express himself correctly is key for EQ development.

Emotions are and important part of ones survial. Most of us, especially our kids are directed by their GUT feeling. They are not afraid to tell/show their likes and displeasures. However as one grows older society teaches us that displaying our emotions may not be favourable in every situation.

I, personally, am still learning how to keep my emotions in check and understanding what are the red flags and triggers to my emotional stability(balance).

As they say as one grows older it gets harder to understand his/her true feelings. This is absolutely true as through your life’s journey you learn how to act “appropriately” based on the good/bad experiences that you had in life.

For a toddler there are basically 2 different types of emotions that are readily displayed.

All smiles and a feeling of bliss when he gets what he desires

Frowns and howls when he is denied what he wants.

As your child grows older screaming and shouting- throwing tantrums are not as socially acceptable. This is especially in Asian societies whereby children are expected to be respectful and well behaved.

To build up your child’s E.Q. the basics would be to teach him how to express himself clearly. He would first of all need to identify and differentiate between the different type of emotions that he is feeling.

Once identified , the child needs to be taught how to express feeling in an open and non hostile way.

In the next post I will identify some methods which you can use to raise a child with high EQ.

March 10, 2009

Educating Your Child- IQ Boosting Activities

Dominique Parenting Views Intelligence quotient

: Image via Wikipedia

IQ(Intelligence Quotient) -relates to ones ability to think and reason.

As the poster for the movie I.Q on the right when one thinks of intelligence the 1st person to mind would be Albert Einstein, the famous scientist who discovered the theory of relativity and the formula –.

The 1st IQ test that kids have in Singapore would be the GEP(Gifted Education Program) screening test that Primary 3 students may opt for. Upon passing the two rounds of screening the child may opt to transfer to one of the schools which has the GEP program.

There are many ways and even products which claim to boost your child’s IQ. I, personally, do not believe that by listening to tapes, watching DVDS or reading books would increase a child’s IQ significantly but nurturing from birth.

Here are some easy to follow tips which you can implement without having to spend a fortune

Be expressive in your description. This is especially towards toddlers and preschoolers as they are really observing each and every movement of yours.
Advocate reading on a frequent basis (daily if possible). Through reading your child improves in his understanding of text, language and voice signals. It also builds up his vocabulary bank and understanding of the various cultures, environments that we live in.
Schedule play dates, visits to playground/park so that your child is able to mingle with others. In this way he would understand how to interact with others as well as the need for partnership.
Play games like charades, chess or puzzles with your kids. These games help to encourage your kid to exercise their analytical thinking skills. Memory recall games also would aid in building up their memory and concentration skills.
Introduce your child to music. Rhythm and movement has been known to help in developing the right brain.
Being there for him. Children, especially toddlers, are very affected by your physical presence. They feel a sense of security when their moms or dads are around them and are more confident to carry out tasks you assign them.
Keeping your child physically active. Sign your kid up for rollerblading or swimming. Physical activity boosts blood flow throughout the body and brings more oxygen to the brain. It would enhance your child’s ability in concentration, attention and thinking.
Physical activity will also help develop your child’s fine motor and cognitive skills.
Getting sufficient rest. Experts recommend that a child gets a minimum of 8 hrs of sleep daily to be able to function at their optimal level.

Dominique's Desk

Parenting Views

Educating your child- Building up EQ(Part 1)

Educating Your Child- IQ Boosting Activities

How do you boost your child’s IQ?