As the new school year has just started, it's time to gear up your kids to go back to lessons and homework without turning a blind eye to developing their aesthetic skills. In this light, “Kids workshop center program” held on Friday a back-to-school fun filled event at Diwan Heliopolis bookstore. It provided kids who attended an opportunity to experience seven different activities aiming to bring out children's creative sides. The activities mainly focused on teaching children how to create something useful with their own hands such as making their own personalized mirror frames to put up in their bedrooms, decorating fabric shoulder bags using glittering colors and customizes stencils, coloring pots, and designing their copybooks with canson paper and favorite stickers. “It's our first time to experience holding such an event,” said Nardeen Atro, the owner of the kids' workshop program. “The idea was met with great enthusiasm from both kids and parents, so we're planning to arrange other events celebrating special occasions including Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.” Besides edutainment activities, the event also included a parenting session providing guiding tips on how to encourage kids with a positive attitude and a little scheduling to study. Here are some interactive methods by Ghada Osama, an English teacher at New Cairo British International School, to get your children motivated at school: - Do not impose your own choices on your kids. Leave them to discover their inclinations by giving them the freedom to select their interests and value what they want. This will make them end up successful in the field they like the most. - It is common mistake among parents to pay more attention to their kids' scores, without teaching them how to enjoy their journey to education. The main purpose of being well-educated is not getting high grades or acquiring more information, but getting the most out lessons and gaining new experiences. - Teach children time management by making schedules for everyday so they know how much time is essential. Valuing time at young age instills in children the importance of planning, the ability to stick to a schedule, and not wasting their leisure time on nonsense. - Help your kids organize their school papers and assignments so they feel in control of their work. This builds self confidence and self-independence. Through trials and errors, they'll learn how to do things right. Self-experience is the best way for children to discover their mistakes, and teach them to avoid making the same ones next time. - Apply the reward/pay off strategy with your children. Never take back your word or forget it. This will instill mistrust. When you promise something, you must really mean it. Stick to your word whether it is reward or punishment. - Teach your children to love reading (novels, newspapers, even posters) and hanging posters with words on them in their bedrooms. They need to read daily for 10 minutes at least. If they read on a regular basis, they will adopt the habit for life. They will be more knowledgeable and aware of what is happening in the world, not only focusing on their lessons. - Encourage them to explore the surrounding world by answering their questions and building a good relationship with them. You must devote at least 15 minutes of your time every day to talk to them and know what they did at school. They need to be listened to by their parents to feel appreciated. Sometimes parents do not give enough time to spend with their children, saying, “you can see I am busy now.” This negative attitude disappoints children and encourages them to seek bad advice from friends. - Celebrate achievements. It spurs them to continue challenging themselves. Maybe it is not significant for you, but it leaves a very positive impact on them and pushes them to achieve more. - After following these tips, you need to be patient. Give them enough time and never give up quickly. It will take more than months - maybe years - but the result definitely worth waiting. It is like setting up the base of a building; once you have started, they will know how to carry on and become independent in the future.
