Preparing the new age children for success – the intelligent way!
QRS #2: On Creativity
This is a QRS Series – Question, Recommendation and Saying – focusing on things that are important for us, as parents and as professionals. Question: Are you doing enough to increase your creative skills? Are you exercising your brain to think beyond the obvious? Almost every job requires creativity, some more than others. With automation…
QRS #1: On Priorities and Health
This is a QRS Series – Question, Recommendation and Saying – focusing on things that are important for us, as parents and as professionals. Question: We all talk about priorities, but urgent work takes precedence over our ‘real priorities’ in our daily life. Thus, the question arises: What are your top priorities? What percentage of…
Healthy Resolutions for the New Year
It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. Mahatma Gandhi In our busy schedules, the one thing that ends up taking a back-seat is our health. Simply because its usually not urgent. The problem is that, that unlike a project deadline, when health becomes ‘urgent’ it is scary. It…
Toys and Gift Ideas for Space Lovers
“Space is for everybody. It’s not just for a few people in science or math, or for a select group of astronauts. That’s our new frontier out there, and it’s everybody’s business to know about space.” Christa McAuliffe The Universe is an incredible place, with stars, planets, galaxies, black holes – a little that we…
Books for 4–6-year-old
“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” – Stephen King Reading is a habit that is best inculcated since childhood, and it is never too early to begin. For the first few years of my son’s life, I bought large sized picture books for him. I told him stories, pointed out the pictures and told him…
Gift Ideas for 5-7 Year Old Kids
This is the age when children transition from little kids to grade-schoolers. They are slowly learning to read and understand, have better motor controls and can start thinking a little independently. This is the age when they start developing likes and dislikes, have a lot of creative firepower and an equally high amount of energy.…
Gift Ideas for Tweens (8-12 year old)
“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” ― Mary Oliver 8–12-year-old is an age when a child’s individuality starts shining. They start understanding their likes and dislikes better and start forming their opinions. This is also a great age…
Best Strategy Board Games for Tweens (8-12 years)
“Life is more fun if you play games.” ― Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald Board games are a fun way to learn about life, strategy and many other skills. More importantly they are a great way to spend some enjoyable time together as a family. Most board games are interesting for both the children and…
10 Incredible Facts About Hammerhead Sharks
Hammerhead sharks are one of the most easily recognisable sea creatures. They have a huge distinctive hammer like, large head which gives it it’s name. Here are 10 incredible facts about these unusual creatures. 1. They are relatively new on Earth What is interesting is that while sharks have been around for around 420 million…
Raising Children as a Feminist
“A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.”― Gloria Steinem Am I a feminist? I am. Do I shout it out or display it on every platform or mention it in every conversation? No, I don’t. Does that make me less of a feminist? No, I don’t think…
Protein Rich Vegetarian Foods
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”– Luciano Pavarotti I know many parents who worry about their child getting enough protein on a vegetarian diet. While it is easier to get the daily requirement of…
Fantasy Book Series for 8-12 year old
Book Series for 8-12 year old “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” – Walt Disney If your child likes fantasy, and enjoys reading books like Harry Potter, here are some suggestions that he might enjoy. These are series that my child, an avid reader, and a…
10 Interesting Facts About Tulsi or Basil
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”― Hippocrates Tulsi or Holy Basil has been used in India for over 5000 years. It is regarded as a sacred plant in many cultures of the world. According to the ancient Vedic Bhagavata Purana, Tulsi is noted as the plant embodiment of Lakshmi, wife of…
Book Review – Wonder
“I wish every day could be Halloween. We could all wear masks all the time. Then we could walk around and get to know each other before we got to see what we looked like under the masks.” R. J. Palacio, Wonder My son is an avid reader. He devours books like there is no…
How We All Can Contribute to Fight Climate Change
Environment is no one’s property to destroy; it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect.Mohith Agadi 5 June is World Environment Day, and this is as good a time as any to remind ourselves of the seriousness of the impending catastrophe that we are heading towards. As we are all aware, Earth’s temperature is rising steadily. As per…
Horse Gram/Kulthi – The Super-food You Don’t Know About
“Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments.”Bethenny Frankel When we talk of vegetarian sources of protein, we think of pulses, black gram, red gram, kidney beans. We usually forget one of the richest sources of protein and other minerals – the horse gram. A horse gram is a short, climbing…
10 Interesting Facts About Elephants
“Nature’s great masterpiece, an elephant ― the only harmless great thing.” – John Donne Last week we visited the Madumalai National Tiger Reserve, near Ooty in Tamil Nadu, India. It was an amazing experience, not only for our 9-year-old son, but for us as well. We have been to other tiger reserves but this time…
10 Interesting Facts About Brain
“I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose.”Arthur Conan Doyle Brain is the control centre for all living things. We have heard everyone say that for humans, the brain is the biggest differentiator from other animals, the thing…
Narinder Singh Kapany – The Unsung Hero, Father of Fibre Optics
“My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones.”George R.R. Martin We have all heard about optical fibers, the backbone of optical data transmission that carries the internet around the world. Today, we…
Nutrition for Kids
“Good health shapes an expression of experiences.”― Arif Naseem Over the past many years, the science linking health and food has become stronger. We know, more than ever before, what our body needs, how much it needs and when it needs it. However, our diet, is at it’s nadir. We are surrounded by products that…
How Many Hours Should You Sleep?
Sleep is the best meditation.– Dalai Lama Sleep is essential at every age. It is required for a healthy body and brain. Insufficient sleep has been linked to the development and management of a number of chronic diseases and conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression. For young children, sleep is extremely…
10 Interesting Facts About Hummingbirds
“A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies.”John Banister Tabb These tiny, colourful birds are predominantly found in the Americas. There are over 300 species of hummingbirds. They have a variety of beaks from long, sword-like beaks to serrated ones. These birds, however,…
3 Games to Increase Creativity that Can be Played Anywhere Anytime
“I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.” – Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was a great believer in the power of creativity and so have all the great thinkers and scientists of all time. No great breakthrough was ever done by people who did not think out of the box.…
10 Interesting Facts About English
I love the English language. Words have power. John C. Bogle English is a fascinating language, and the most global. It borrows words from many languages including Italian, Spanish, Greek, Dutch, Russian, and more. It is the official language of over 65 countries and is the second most spoken language in the world, after Mandarin.…
10 Interesting Facts about Rhinoceros
We visited a zoo recently and my son was fascinated by the rhinoceros couple that we saw there. It’s huge size, the way it walked, it’s seemingly thick skin, and it’s amazing horn (which gives them their name: the name “rhinoceros’, means “nose horn”) held him spellbound for many minutes! As soon as we reached…
7 Ideas on How to Keep Calm with Kids
“Between the stimulus and response, there is a space, in that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness” Viktor Franklin While we all know that we should maintain our composure in front of kids, we still fall into the trap. It could be…
10 Interesting Facts About Giraffes
“However much you know giraffes, to see one in the wild for the first time feels prehistoric.” Jane Goodall Giraffes are beautiful tall animals found in the savannas in Africa. Here are 10 interesting facts about these gentle giants. 1. Tallest Mammals on Earth Not surprisingly, giraffes are the tallest mammals on Earth. An adult male…
4 Easy Craft Ideas for Kids
It is a struggle to keep children engaged. “I’m bored” is a common phrase most parents are tired of hearing. First of all, we have to understand that it is okay for kids to be bored at times and it is not our duty as a parent to keep them entertained. Read about the importance…
Everyone Should Learn Juggling – Why and How?
pic credit: Pexels.com Juggling has been practiced for over 4000 years and evidence of this has been found in many cultures around the world. During the middle ages, juggling was looked down upon by the elite as jesters and even now, it is largely seen in children’s parties or circuses as mere entertainment. Juggling however…
10 Interesting Facts About Moths
All of us have seen moths around our homes, near lights at night. While they look like the drab relatives of the more beautiful butterflies, there is much more to them than meets the eyes. Here are some fun facts about these almost omnipresent insects. 1. Moths outnumber butterflies 9:1 Both moths and butterflies belong…
Best Ways to Introduce Coding to Kids
“I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.”Steve Jobs The above holds true today more than ever, when programming has been made simple and interesting enough for young children to be introduced to it. Benefits of Coding It helps children learn to solve…
10 Interesting Facts About Turmeric
Turmeric has been used for over 4000 years by humans. It has been used both for its medicinal properties and as a spice in curries. In India, we use turmeric everyday as a spice in most of our food preparation. We mix it in milk and drink it especially if not well. We even apply…
Fun Home Experiment – How to Make a Temporary Tattoo?
“When we make Play the foundation of learning, we teach the whole child.” -Vince Gowmon Experimentation is the foundation of a creative mind. Starting off the process early in a fun-filled way is one of the greatest gifts that you can give your child. It builds a sense of wonder, curiosity and questioning that will…
5 New Year Resolutions for Effective Parenting
The year 2021 is drawing to a close. As I step into the new year, I look back and see various aspects of my life – as a writer, wife, citizen, and parent. In every sphere, I try to note what went well, what has to be improved, and what needs to be added. These…
The Story of Santa Claus
We have all grown up with Santa Claus as the bearer of gift during Christmas. As kids, the big, jolly man, dressed in red, riding on his sleigh, had made the end of the year so special. But how did he come into being? Was he always believed to be the bearer of gifts and…
5 Fun Games to Increase Focus and Concentration
The power to concentrate was the most important thing. Living without this power would be like opening one’s eyes without seeing anything. ― Haruki Murakami There is one sentence that most parents say almost everyday to their children. Can you guess what it is? “Can’t you just concentrate and finish your work on time?” The…
5 Easy Ways to Spend Quality Time with Your Kids
“There are no perfect parents, and there are no perfect children, but there are plenty of perfect moments along the way.” ― Dave Willis I was recently having a conversation with a few of my friends. As always happens, the discussion veered around kids and how they are growing up so fast. It is a…
How to Prepare Children for School Reopening
The road to freedom –here and everywhere on earth-– begins in the classroom.-Hubert Humphrey With the Covid cases on the decline, many schools have slowly started reopening physical classes across the country. With children undergoing the stress of online classes and not meeting and playing with their classmates, it is understandable that they are excited…
Letting Your Kids Fail
“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki Seeing children fail and flounder is difficult for any parent. We all want our children to succeed, to be happy, to never see the face of failure…
Why Should You Read a Variety of Books?
Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ― Charles W. Eliot Reading is a habit that we all will do well to develop, and it is therefore easy to understand why most parents want their children to read…
10 Interesting Facts About Insects
Insects have been around for millions of years on our planet. Every year scientists are discovering more insects and finding amazing and incredible facts about them. Here are some such fun-filled facts. 1. Insects outnumber all other terrestrial animals combined The sum of all terrestrial animals (those living on land) is only one third of…
How my 7-year-old read 80 books in 2020!
Books are a uniquely portable magic.Stephen King Last year I made two ‘reading-related’ resolutions. One was to read 36 books in the year and the other was to ensure that my then 7-year-old son would start reading some books. Now, I am an avid reader and I gobble up all types of books – fiction…
Tackling Mealtime Battles with Kids
“Till some months back, mealtimes were battle times at home,” said the mother of a 7-year-old boy. “I dreaded every meal that we all ate together at home. I would either have to force my son to eat what I had cooked and listen to his constant cribbing and crying and protests, or give in…
Am I a Good Parent?
Parenting is the easiest thing in the world to have an opinion about, but the hardest thing in the world to do.Matt Walsh Most of us, even the most confident ones, are wrought by this anxiety and fear and time and again haunted by this question – Am I a Good Parent? It doesn’t need…
Introducing: The Tales Next Door
I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them. – Emma Thompson First, let me be upfront and tell you that this post is not about parenting or children’s books. This post is about a book that I have recently published, a collection…
Book Review – D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths
Mythology and science both extend the scope of human beings. Like science and technology, mythology, as we shall see, is not about opting out of this world, but about enabling us to live more intensely within it. Karen Armstrong Mythological stories have always influenced our cultures, thinking, writing. They are fun to read while giving…
10 Interesting Facts About Ocean Animals
Ocean covers around 70% of the Earth’s surface and is home to many species of plants and animals, some of which are still not known to humans. Here are some interesting facts about a few of the incredible creatures that reside in the ocean. 1. Shrimp’s heart is in its head Shrimp’s heart is located…
Benefit of Pets for Kids
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.– Josh Billings Pets are a part of many of our lives. If we treat them well, having a pet as a part of the family can lead to invaluable benefits for a child, especially a single child. Trained animals…
10 Interesting Facts About Dogs
Dogs have a long-standing relationship with humans. Scientists have found archaeological evidence which suggests that dogs were the first animals to be domesticated, over 30,000 years ago, long before horses or any other animal. Dogs have served and still serve multiple roles in the human civilization. While in earlier days, dogs served as companions for…
Game to Develop Creativity and Thinking – ‘Follow the Instructions’
Almost all creativity involves purposeful play. Abraham Maslow This is a fun filled game which can be played by two or more players. It helps build creativity in children and an ability to observe in detail and give instructions in detail – a skill which is essential in building algorithms as they grow up. Age…
10 Interesting Food Facts
1. Tomato The heaviest tomato was grown by Steve and Jeanne Marley. It weighed 4.377 kg when it was harvested on 20 September 2019. Tomatoes are believed to have originated from Peru. The Tomatina festival is celebrated every year in Spain where people throw ripe tomatoes at each other for fun. 2. Banana There are…
Book Review: Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, go throw your TV set away, and in its place you can install a lovely bookshelf on the wall.” Roald Dahl Reading is a habit which is essential for a growing mind. It helps children not only to learn more but also to expand their thinking. Fantasy…
10 Interesting Facts About Earth
Here are some interesting facts about the planet we call home. Earth, the third planet from the Sun in our Solar System, is the only planet not named after a Greek or Roman Deity. We have come a long way today in understanding this incredible planet from the times when humans believed that Sun and…
10 Interesting Facts About Weather
Tornado A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud. Tornadoes can be detected before or as they occur through the use of Pulse-Doppler radar by recognizing patterns in velocity and reflectivity data. Fact 1: Debris from a tornado can…
Game to Develop Lateral Thinking – The Game of ‘Why’
Many of my posts deal with lateral thinking and creativity. These are skills which are very important in today’s world and will become even more important in the future. Therefore, if you want to make your children future ready, you must make efforts to develop this skill. Also Read 2 Activities to Develop Lateral Thinking…
Book Review – Room on the Broom
This book was one of my son’s favorite books when he was 4 or 5 years old. In fact, the book is so much fun that even I enjoyed reading it, as I did many other books by Julia Donaldson. As I have mentioned in some other post as well, books like Room on the…
2 Activities to Develop Lateral Thinking
Creativity or lateral thinking are the skills which are fast becoming one of the most important skills to grow and succeed in life. The skill is not only required by artists and authors of fictional stories but these are required in every field. Also Read How to Develop Creativity? The ability to think differently, to…
How to Develop Self Esteem in Children
The dictionary meaning of self esteem is “confidence in one’s own worth or abilities”. Children with a high self-esteem feel good about themselves. They are confident and are willing to try new things. They can cope well with the mistakes they make; they try again without feeling ashamed of their failures. On the other hand,…
7 Simple Ways to Get Children to Listen
Parents and teachers struggle to make children do the things they want them to do – keep their room clean, finish their homework on time, pay attention in class, the list is endless. Children might have their own ideas and designs on what they want to do. Thus begins an inevitable ….. The parent says:…
Vocabulary Building Game for Children: Word Runner
With children spending so much time at home because of the pandemic, not going out to play with friends, it is a natural tendency for them to want to watch more television or play games on the tablet. However, excess screen-time can be very harmful. Read ‘Screen Time – How much is too much?’ to…
How to Develop Sound Mental Health in Children
Sound mental health of children has become very important in today’s world where they have to live amidst constant changes. Even as they grow up, they will have to face continuous pressure from ever changing technologies, newer work-streams and challenging situations which no one would have faced before. To prepare children for such a future…
10 Interesting Facts About Eyes
Eyes evolved millions of years ago (Around 500 million years ago) to help animals sense light and be more aware of their surroundings. Since then eyes have evolved from simple organs being able to distinguish between light and dark to complex systems second only to the brain able to distinguish millions of colors, focus on…
Book Review: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr Seuss
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” – Dr Seuss Also Read: Developing the Habit of Reading in Children About Author:…
Brain Development Game for Children- Guess What?
By playing games you can artificially speed up your learning curve to develop the right kind of thought processes. – Nate Silver Games are a great way to develop skills, especially in children. They help parents and teachers engage with children in a fun way while increasing 1 or more skills in them. Also Read…
Book Review: George’s Marvellous Medicine
Love of reading is a perfect recipe for never being bored, never being alone and always learning. As parents, we must try and help develop the habit of reading in our children. Also Read: “Developing the Habit of Reading in Children” Author: Roald Dahl Roald Dahl is one of the most wonderful author of children’s…
How to Increase Online Class Effectiveness at Home
As parents, most of us have been happy to outsource the education (by education I mean academics) of our children to schools. The model was working perfectly, with our involvement being limited to ensuring that they do their homework every day, buying charts and papers needed to complete their projects and attending the Parent Teacher…
E-Learning during Covid Era – Effectiveness and Impact
The article was written by Ranjana Joshi and published in Indian Observer Post on 15 May 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on almost all aspects of our lives. Our way of living, as we knew it, has transformed dramatically- the way we work, the way we shop, the way we exercise…
Eye Health and Eye Exercises for Children
Vision plays a key role in our quality of life and in our ability to learn and work. For children especially, good vision is very important. With screen exposure of children increasing significantly due to lockdown, online classes and online assignments, I hear many parents worrying about the impact that this exposure will have, especially…
10 Interesting Facts About Jellyfish
Most children are fascinated by these colourful, translucent and beautiful sea creatures and you can see them crowding round the displays in an aquarium. Jellyfish are amazing creatures, can be dangerous as well and range in size from small ones which you can hardly see to gigantic ones. Here are 10 interesting and astonishing facts…
5 Habits for Better Health in Children
It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.- Mahatma Gandhi Researchers say that it takes only 21 days to develop a new habit. This is really a very short time if it can lead to life changing positive changes in our lives. With health being a priority for most…
Phonics – How to Teach Easily at Home
In the recent past, phonics has become an important way to teach English language to children. It is especially important and useful for reading at an earlier age. Some months back (when we could still go out and meet other people), I met my friend, a mother of a 4-5 year old boy. Both she…
Book Review – The Magic Faraway Tree series
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one. – George R. R. Martin Reading is one of the best habits that you can develop in your child. We bring you reviews of some books or series of books that we have seen help parents…
10 Interesting Facts About Dinosaurs for Kids
If you are a parent or teacher or have any interaction with young children, you would know that one thing which seems to fascinate most children is dinosaur! They will probably know more about the various types of dinosaurs than most adults. Here are some interesting facts about these amazing creatures that might help you…
10 Interesting Facts About Plants for Children
Children are very interested to learn about amazing facts about plants, animals, planets, dinosaurs. We are therefore compiling some interesting facts – many of them might come as a surprise to parents as well! This is the first article in the ‘10 Interesting Facts’ series. Plants are all around us and we use them everyday…
Book review: Adventures of the Wishing Chair
Reading is one of the most wonderful and useful habits that you can help your children develop, and introducing them to the right books can make it so much easier to develop the habit of reading. Also Read: “Developing the Habit of Reading in Children” In today’s times, when all of us are advised to…
Game to Develop Financial Skill – The Moneylender
Being in a crisis makes us all realise some hard and basic truths of life. We understand the importance of money, of saving and of investing. This is an important lesson that we should also teach our children from an early age. Saving and investing should be a habit – a habit which will help…
Fun Activities to do at Home with Children
With lockdowns happening throughout the world due to coronavirus, we are getting much more time at home and with our family. Not being used to it, most of us really don’t know how to make the best use of this opportunity that we have. I was talking to a parent recently and she said –…
How to Raise Creative Children – Let Them Find Solutions
Creativity is an important skill for success in the future and therefore it is important for us to develop this skill in our children. Here are simple ways to make our kids creative.
Games To Increase Creativity: Fastest Sketcher First
With most schools across the world being closed, children spending more time at home and parents being advised to work from home – it is a great opportunity to spend quality time with our children and engage them in a fun and constructive way. It is a great time to develop their reading habit. So…
How to Boost Your Child’s Immunity
With the onslaught of multiple viruses and bacteria all around us, it is imperative that we maintain a strong immune system, more so for our children. This will prevent them from getting sick often and even if they do, it will help them recover faster. Most of these are simple suggestions that can be incorporated…
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