Tip of the Week: Words to Inspire!

As a parent and someone who works with children, I am always looking for
ways to build a child's self-confidence. It's one of the hardest things to
teach, and one of the most important life lessons to learn.

“The Dot” and “Ish” by Peter H. Reynolds<http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_m?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Peter+H.+Reynolds&x=0&y=0>are
two short books that teach this lesson in a simple and touching way.
The author received the Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in
Children's Literature, and it is well deserved.

"The Dot" is about a girl who is frustrated because she thinks she can’t
draw. All she can put on paper is a single dot. Even so, her art teacher
encourages her to sign her name and hand it in. When she comes to class the
next day, her dot is framed and hanging above her teacher’s desk.

In “Ish,” a little boy is devastated when his older brother makes fun of his
artwork. He is so ashamed that he crumples up his latest piece, and his
younger sister grabs the discarded work and runs to her room. As he opens
her door to confront her, he sees that all of his art has been hung on her
bedroom walls!

Both of these books illustrate the unlimited potential of children and
encourage them to reach it!

A Tip from 2008: Important Parenting Advice!

Hello Triple B Members,

I wanted to share with you two pieces of advice I have received as a mother that have proven to be very valuable to me:

1) Give your child compliments rather than criticism. Just like adults, when children receive compliments their self esteem goes up and their sense of security and belonging are strengthened. Although love is unfortunately not enough to raise a child, nurturing and love are part of discipline. Children who feel loved and cared for have the desire to please their parents and therefore are better listeners.

2) If you take your child to class and they don't want to participate, don't push them. I remember taking my daughter to class, and really being disappointed that she would not participate. I would try and bribe her, and I would threaten to take away toys and make nap time earlier. You name it, I tried it! In the end, all that happened was that I left very frustrated and so did my daughter. We hadn't accomplished anything except a cranky mother and child.

Rather than to push, gently encourage your child and allow them to participate in class at their own pace, a little bit at a time. Be sure to praise their actions when they do participate. By allowing them to set their own comfort level, you are teaching them to become independent and helping them to build self confidence. When you push, they not only will be liable to do the exact opposite of what you wanted, but in addition, they will remember one of their first learning experiences in a negative way. When you leave class, discuss the positive aspects of the class with your child even if they happened from the sidelines. They will get a lot more out of it, rather than concentrating on why your child didn't participate.

Enjoy and have a great week!