Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Boost creativity, intelligence and cognition with Music

Today, many parents or aspiring parents are familiar with the technique of incorporating music into a toddler’s upbringing. It has become accepted that music can play a vital role in giving the young ones’ brains a creative, intelligent boost. The most common ways this is done are by playing music to the child on a regular basis, or teaching them how to play music on their own, which has its own amazing set of benefits (the hand-eye coordination and the counterbalancing of one hand’s motions with the other when playing an instrument do wonders for a developing mind, whether toddler or teenager).

And then there is music that you didn’t even know was there – like the sing song tone of a mother’s voice, or a softy hummed lullaby.

In fact, talking to a baby in a sing song voice, in baby language (known as infant directed speech), helps the baby to attach the soothing tune and tone to a mother and her love.

Children process music, melody and sound patterns right from the beginning
From birth up till the age of 3, the brain is 2.5 more active than the adult brain. It is constantly learning, with an unquenchable curiosity for all the things their senses and the environment around them are exposing them to. Learning and absorbing of new information is happening every hour of every day, and there is no better time to give your baby’s brain a strong mental, emotional and logical foundation on which it will function for the rest of their precious lives.

How Music does its Magic
Music is the arrangement of structures consisting of sounds and beats following a distinct, layered pattern. If we took even a relatively simple song, broke it down into its separate components and asked you to listen to them individually and form, let alone remember, the tune, it would be a pretty hard task. But put them together (a song), and voila, not only can you remember everything about the melody with ease, but it can even get stuck in your head! This is not because the mind is somehow muting complexity, but because of the order and pattern found in music, it can process the separate components subconsciously and easily form a coherent, recognizable whole. This entire process, especially in young, developing minds, is a brilliant, tested way to vastly improve memory and cognitive skills.

As we talked about earlier, Myelination is programmed to majorly occur during this period, wherein neural connections and key neurological infrastructure are being formed. It is important to feed the brain and the nervous system with stimulation, love and learning experiences during this period so as to help the baby’s brain develop a strong, robust foundation.
  
Let their little worlds rock!
Their minds are at a point where every pleasure, no matter how small, is eventful. A melody that a baby enjoys, stays in her/his mind, and whenever she/he hears it, happiness ensues. Fill your child’s life with such experiences and you’re guaranteed to raise a cheerful, upbeat little firecracker!

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

What is your Parenting Style?


Suppose your child, let’s call him Sid, goes and pinches his little brother in his sleep when he thinks no one is looking and runs away. Sid is very young, how would you discipline him?
There are many ways to deal with the above situation –
  1. You tell Sid to go to his room for the rest of the day and take away his favourite.
  2. You, rather mildly, tell him that he did a bad thing and should not repeat it.
  3. You sit down and ask your child why he did what he did, tell him why it was a bad idea and should not be repeated in the future, how he may hurt his younger brother and give him a minor punishment like not giving him desert after dinner.
  4. You ignore the incident and let the children settle it themselves.

The ways of disciplining a child reflect important parenting styles as put forward by the psychologist “Diana Baumrind”. Each pattern of parenting tends to produce certain patterns of behaviours in their children.

1) “Authoritarian Parenting”. Parents are strict and controlling. They expect unquestioning obedience from their children. Their general rationale is “because I said so”. They are demanding, but they do not value their children’s opinions.
Children of authoritarian parents tend to be socially withdrawn. Girls become dependent on their parents and boys are unusually hostile. They have low self-esteem. They are good followers but because their parents make decisions for them they never learn to be self-reliant or have self-control. They aren’t independent since they are never encouraged to explore on their own. They start associating obedience and success with love.
Restrictions are important for children but so is warmth and love, and this is lacking in this style of parenting.

2) “Permissive Parenting”. This is often known as indulgent parenting. Parents place few restrictions on their children and give inconsistent feedback. They don’t expect self-control from their children so they rarely discipline them. They may be loving and nurturing but they don’t feel like they hold any responsibility over their children’s actions. They act more as friends then parents.
Their children tend to be dependent and moody; they display a lack of self-control and low social skills possibly because they were never taught any, for e.g. they may have good interpersonal skills but they may have never been taught to share.  They are often self-involved and demanding. They may be unruly at school, and have less motivation to do well. They often have problems with authority. Studies suggest that permissive parenting is linked to many forms of misconduct like underage drinking, drug abuse etc.

3)  “Authoritative Parenting”. This is largely considered the most effective style of parenting. The parents tend to be relatively strict and place clear and firm restrictions and demands on their children. They are also loving and warm. They explain why they are giving certain punishments and why they should not act in a certain way. They let their children explain the situation and change their responses accordingly; they are firm but also flexible. They encourage their children’s independence and help develop their reasoning skills. They act as role models so they help their children internalise these skills!
Their children tend to be happy, independent, friendly, assertive and cooperative. They are successful, likable and have a strong motivation to achieve. They learn to control their behaviour, emotions and relationships quite well since they know what to expect and what is expected of them in social situations. They are confident about their abilities to learn new skills.

4)  “Uninvolved Parenting”. They are emotionally detached from their children and feel that their role is simply to provide food, money, shelter etc. they display no interest in their children and in this way communicate rejection. They have no expectations from their children and often show very little warmth, love and affection towards their children. In fact in a more severe form this results in neglect which is a form of child abuse.
This style often develops because parents are too busy with their work or their problems to realise how uninvolved they are as parents and sometimes because their own parents were uninvolved.
Their children have a disrupted emotional development. They feel unloved. Their physical and cognitive development is lowered; they perform badly in almost every area of life. Their lack of social skills may be because they were never taught appropriate behaviours in social situation. They may be afraid of depending on anyone else. They often exhibit delinquent behaviour as adolescents and are at a high risk for substance abuse.

There are of course many exceptions, children of authoritarian or permissive parents may be successful, and of authoritative style may not. It is best to use an adaptable style of parenting, switching into a more dominant style of parenting in certain extreme cases (where the children’s safety in concerned) and sometimes being more permissive as they grow. Parent’s actions are very important in shaping their children’s behaviour and success in life! 

Friday, 10 May 2013

Brain Food for your Child


As we’ve spoken about in our previous posts, the brain of a young child/ toddler is undergoing crucial, rapid development and is going through a sea of changes as it forms and matures, becoming the most complex and fascinating organ of our bodies.

The Importance of Diet
It goes without saying that diet, nutrition and both physical and mental well
being plays a huge part in shaping our young brains. The brain is the body’s most demanding unit, consuming more calories than any other. According to Dr. Vikram Singh, a neurologist at Moolchand Medcity in New Delhi, “It uses up roughly half the calories we consume every day”.

It is essential that the brain gets its regular supply of vital nutrients, minerals and other forms of nourishment to ensure its healthy development.

What to Eat

Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Foods containing Omega 3, such as fish and plant oils, are on the biggest contributors to brain health. Peanut Butter is a great brain food that contains Omega 3 and it’s something that all kids love. Add a touch of sweetness and health by adding chopped berries, like blueberries, to a peanut butter sandwich, your kids will love it! Berries are also rich in antioxidants, which are responsible for keeping your brain and your body fresh and maintained from the inside.

Veggies!
Broccoli, Cauliflower and Beans might not by your child’s favorite food, but they’re all high in choline, a nutrient essential for developing memory and the channels through which the brains communicates with the rest of the body. There you go, another reason for your children all their greens!

Whole Grains
By now, most people know about the benefit of whole grains to our diet, and it’s not surprising that they do wonders for children too. These complex carbohydrates are one of the most important sources of energy (Glucose). Unlike sweets and other sugary foods, which have glucose but lack fiber, whole grains such as whole grain bread, pasta and cereal deliver and create energy in the body in a slower, more natural process, so you won’t have to worry about hyperactivity and crankiness usually displayed by small children upon consuming sugary foodstuff. This is also relatively simple to inculcate in their diets, since all kids love cereal. Simply buy a whole grain version the next time, it might cost a little more, but your kids are worth it. Same goes for the bread you make their sandwiches with.

Milk and Ghee
The importance of a regular supply of cow’s milk cannot be understated. Rich in so many essential nutrients, it is described in Ayurveda as an essential brain food, along with Ghee. Especially at a young, tender age, milk protein helps form neurotransmitters and mental acuity. Combining milk with another well known, ayurvedic brain food – Almonds, gives it an even greater nutritional punch.

Be wholesome and Holistic
As always, remember that a wide variety of food and a balanced diet is what is required for a healthy body as well as a healthy mind. Avoid foods that contain additives, preservatives and other chemicals you’re not sure about. Don’t assume that food companies always have your child’s best interests in mind and always be aware. Buy fresh food, and only feed your child organic, unprocessed produce.