The Missing piece

Some books are just read, some read and understood while some become a part of you forever. Such was this book,”The Missing piece” that was recommended at a book store yesterday while I was at his store. Though it’s a kids’ picture book but for those who are aware of the author Shel Silverstein would know what magic he creates and how he touches the emotions of each and every person who reads them. I would highly recommend, if not for your child but do read this one for yourself and know where your missing piece is.. Though sharing the YouTube version of the book but anyday reading it from the book was actually feeling the story moment by moment. https://youtu.be/evMOK8fBVM0

Happy Reading

*BOOKNOOK*

​What to become when I grow?

A question that was bombarded on us almost once every week in our growing up years. I don’t know about others but I never had an answer to it, and I think I still don’t have an answer to it :). Now when I see my son growing, I see him equally confused when people ask him this question. So one day he finally asked me, “Mom I wish to become an Astronomer, A Scientist, a Cricketer and a Golfer, but I can’t decide which one to pick”..  I said why pick, you can be all of them, why just one… To which he said “The way you are a Storyteller, a Dentist and an Author” .. and now he has an answer to this tough question…
Let’s not limit children to one thing..let them think, try out new things as we give

 them the freedom to pursue  all that they enjoy..
Happy Parenting😊

Find me at facebook.com/storytellershweta

Does your child own a library?

Every Child must own a library, no matter how small it may be.

Do You help your Child Recall ?

let them talk.

My son, who is almost 7 started with his Golf summer camp. When he went on day one I asked him, “So what did you do?” To which he replied, ” I played.”

 Knowing the importance of recall I didn’t give up and re-drafted my question and asked , “Did you get something to drink? Did you get dirty in the mud? Was the instructor strict or funny?” Hearing these unusual questions excited him to answer and so began the conversation.
Similarly it is very important for us parents to do such recall activities with our children to make sure that they are grasping what they are being taught and it also revises the subject with them. Many parents say that no matter how much they ask, the child does not reply. In that case we as parents have to be more creative in structuring our questions. Find the suitable time when your child would like to answer and then listen without interrupting when they talk. Many children open up easily, while others take a lot of time. But the key is more patient the parent is in listening to the child, more excited the child will be about telling.

More about dr.Shweta at booknook

Quote- Parenting

Does your child have a Thinking Space?

Yesterday night while I was sitting in my creative space and working on a new story, my 6 year old Son walked upto me and whispered, “Mom even I want this”. As I enquired what he wanted at almost midnight, he replied, “I too want a Thinking Space”. And my immediate reaction was,”Really, you want a space where you can sit quiet for sometime?”.  With no further ado I wrapped up what I was doing and quickly developed a thinking corner for him in the same room. Giving him his own space and letting his energy flow in it and yet keeping him near me. I was surprised to see him sit in it for next 15 minutes meditating on his thoughts.

Later as he came out of his space, we both discussed what each of us thought in our own space. But he shared only after I promised not to share it with anyone, not even on my blog :).

In this fast paced, gadget soaked world, children rarely get this time where they can be with themselves, be at peace, and use their brains without any instructions or influence. And creating a space like this surely helps them to unwind. But to begin with we first must create a Thinking space for ourself and then let them imitate us. Go Ahead… You will enjoy it!

 

Kids love such creative activities.

Boredom gives birth to creativity. Sunday morning and we had nothing to do when I gave my Son a long skirt of mine as a prop and said… Can you be a Super Hero wearing this?

And here is what he became.. “A Super Crow”…Caw..caw..

How to motivate Children to Read.

Every parent wants his/her child to excel in academics but surprisingly not many work towards developing their interest in reading from an early age. Lot many moms complaint that their child is not at all fond of reading. Some even say that there is so much for the child to study that poor soul gets no time to read storybooks. But, the fact is that children who read better, perform better academically as well.

Though I have been working extensively at developing a love for reading among children, but when it came to my own son,the battle was tougher comparatively. As here the bond was not that of a teacher and student, but that of a mom and a child (and moms are usually taken for granted). But these Summer break I was determined to make him read lot many new books. A week has gone by, and he has already finished over ten stories.

Here I would share a few secrets that can work wonders in developing child’s interest in reading from an early age.

• Storytelling  – In the beginning  my Son was not too fond of reading all by himself.

  

  Story Time

  I used to re-read the same story to him every day. After doing it 3-4 times,when he was familiar with the story as well as the words, I then gave the book to him to read. In one or two attempts he could proudly finish the book all by himself moving on to the next book.

• Audio Story– For children who hate to even look at books, audio stories is a great tool. We can record a story from a book ourselves or get it done by a storyteller and make them listen to it again and again before giving them the actual book. This excites them to see the pictures as well as read and comprehend better since they already know the words in the story.
• Puppet Show– Children who are very creative, for them  story puppets and theater can also be created.

  

  Puppet Theater created by us.

  Narrate the story to them using a theater and once they are familiar with the characters and the setup then they would enjoy reading the same story.   Watch Puppet Show video presented by him.

• Developing a reading program– We can create our own reading program to suit our child’s needs and interest. Since my Son is crazy about Space, So I developed a space theme reading program. Every time he would finish a book, I would draw a planet to his solar system. this way we would keep adding more things to complete his space picture.

But what is most important, is our time commitment towards making a child read. Reading requires dedicated time slot. We can not squeeze it in between classes or tasks. It has to be given due importance. But it is surely worth all the efforts.

Do at Home activities for Summer Break

“Summer Break” is that time of the year where in seeing a Child’s energy itself drains the Parents. Children are clueless about what they will do and yet wait for it. While parents have pretty much scheduled their breaks and yet scared of the monster approaching. Here is how I have planned next 10 days for my Son. They are all “Do it yourself” activities. Every day has a theme. The timetable has also been decided by him, hence it has all his favourite activities which he will be doing at his own pace unlike any class where is he bound to finish the tasks in alloted time period. Since he will be doing them independently (some help shall be provided) so it will enhance his creative thinking and independent behaviour and not allowing him to get bored. Because a jobless child can prove to be very risky 🙂

Here is my planner… Let me know what interesting things did you add to yours.

“Being a Mum”

Once you become a mother not only you realize the efforts behind raising a child, But also for the first time you taste the flavor of unconditional love. As rightly put in “The Book of Children”by Osho- When a Mother hugs a child, energy is flowing. The energy is invisible-we have called it love, warmth. Something is jumping from the mother to the child and from the child to the mother also.

Few days back, lying on the bed, my son(almost 6) wrapped his arms around me as we discussed our day. And then he said in a soft tone, “Mummy, when ever I miss you in the School, I open my diary and look at your photograph pasted there “. Hearing him, my heart melted as I squeezed him tight in my arms and wondered how important I was to him. And how important every mom is to her children. There is immense unconditional love in this relationship, just that we need to be more expressive towards our mothers and reciprocate the warmth when our children express it. After what my Son said to me, I wanted to know what others thought for their moms. I randomly asked a few people of different age groups to write a message for their mom. And here are some beautiful messages to make this Mother’s day even more special..

A little girl who has a younger sister wants to say, “Mummy please help my little sister grow up faster so that I can play with her”.

A young man, who lives in a different city says that he wants to tell his Mom that he loves her a lot, and she means the world to him.

A young MOM wants to give this message to her mom, “Thanks for giving me this wonderful life, your struggle taught me to be strong and never to give up for what you really want in life. Your love for me made me believe that I am special and I must love myself”.

While a Grand mom has a message for her mom, “Maa ke Pyaar ki koi kimat nahi lagayi ja sakti. Ek Maa hai jo apne bachchon ko pathar se heera banati hai. Har din, har pal maa ke dil mein pyaar jhalakta hai. Love you Ma”.

The Vacuum created in this young man’s life by the early loss of his mom is surely beyond words can say. And his message to his mom is heart touching, “Stay…… Don’t go”.

Ability to forgive her child every-time makes a mom unique and special, and that is why a child wants to confide in her. She is the only person who constantly thinks of her child’s well being and makes sure that her day and life is planned in a way that her children are happy and comfortable. She has just one core aim,”Raising happy children”. She might sacrifice her high profile job, shift carrier, give up on her social life, passion, forget about her talent and yet smile at the end of the day to keep her child happy. So wish your mom this Mother’s day and tell her how much you love her because she is constantly thinking of you.

Here is this poem, a message for my Mom- Thankyou for being there always!

She has been a cleaner, for the mess I created.

She has been a teacher, through the studies I hated.

She has been a friend, through my college days.

She has been my strength, in many ways.

She has been a colleague, sharing my work load.

But never did she complaint, nor ever got bored.

Today she is an inspiration, as I raise my Son.

And now I realize, what it means.. “Being a Mum”                      

                                                                            -Shweta