If you missed the conference, you missed a lot. I saw people all around me taking lots of notes and I could easily understand why.
Mrs Nkoyo Rapu, Mrs Chiadi Ndu and Mr Stephen Omojuyigbe all nailed it. My mind was blown and I had so many “Aha” moments.
Been finding it hard to summarise what they said. I honestly believe I can’t do justice to what I heard. Here are a few nuggets.
Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure. ~ John Rohn ~
We might not generally agree on various methods for discipline but I think we can all agree on the fact that discipline is important. Discipline is vital for healthy child development.
Discipline should not mean only punishing a child for doing something wrong but about setting clear parameters and consequences for breaking rules so that they learn how to discipline themselves. So before you discipline, a key pre-requisite is to set clear expectations and parameters.
Whatever method you use to discipline your child, here are some 10 important things you must know:
- Always listen to them before you discipline Always find out from them what happened before you discipline
- Let them know why exactly they are being disciplined
- Never discipline in anger
- Let the discipline be proportionate to the wrong
- From age 0-10, do less reasoning and more discipline
- For ages 10 and above, do more of reasoning and less of forceful discipline
- Always follow through with discipline – don’t make empty threats.
- Dont send conflicting signals – be consistent
- Encourage and embrace after the discipline.
- Finally let your actions and behaviour reflect what you expect from them.
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become such an integral part of all our lives. Like most things in life, social media is not evil in itself but should be used with moderation. Today both adults and children are getting so caught up interacting online that we forget to really live in the real world. Adults and children are getting “addicted” to social media.
School resumes for most on Monday (I can hear shouts of joys 😂😜 from the parents and groans😬😬😬 from the children) and it’s time to get the kids ready for back to school. Here are a few tips that has helped me avoid those first week arguments and frustrations.
1. Introduce a Bedtime Routine😴😴😴 – At the minimum a week before school starts get them back into an earlier bedtime routine.
2. Waking Earlier🛀🏾 – Start waking your child(ren) at the time they will need to get up for school.
3. Early, Early Night🛌– The night before the first day of school let them go to bed very early. If normal bedtime is 8pm, let them sleep at 7.30pm.
4. School Messages📨 – Time to check and read all the emails/messages from school that was earlier ignored 🙈🙈🙈
5. Prepare for School Supplies 🌂✏🖍📚– Start now to pick up on all school supplies – snacks, stationery, lunch bags, school bag🎒, etc.
6. Back to School Clothing👔👗👞 – Go over your children’s clothing now. You will be surprised at what is missing, torn or out grown. Don’t forget trip to the barber/salon.
7. Waking Up The Brain 🧠 – Two weeks to school, start to introduce worksheets, reading and writing to help them prepare for school work. VERY IMPORTANT!!!
8. New Term Goals 📝– Review their last term assessment reports/results to determine areas to work on with their class teacher and have a discussion with your child.
9. School Day Routines📜🗓 – Plan out school day routines. Time to wake, eat, go to school, do homework, house chores, play and go to bed.
10. Finalise Logistics 🚌🚗⛹🏾♀️🏊🏽♀️– Don’t forget to check you have covered pickup and drop off arrangements, carpooling details, after school activities, etc
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A friend came to my house with his 8yr old son who went to use the toilet. Once he had finished, his father actually went in to check on him. My mind was literally doing an eye roll as it shook its head and went, checking to see if an 8yr old has good toileting habits??? There is something wrong here. (more…)
What a great week it has been here at 9ijakids. We have seen an 100% jump in subscription. Thank you for the vote of confidence. Keep spreading the word. (more…)
Science Jeopardy Game
All our games in November are focussed on helping the children prepare for their upcoming exams with these fun games.
The Science jeopardy is designed after the popular TV game Double Jeopardy. The game quiz covers a wide variety of topics, including parts of a plant, sorting living and non living things, animals and their babies, our five senses ,etc.
Our kids would most likely name more states in America than they can in Nigeria. They know all major landmarks in London, America, Paris and South Africa but may have never been to Olumo Rock or heard of Yankari Games Reserve. They know a lot about American Presidents but maybe only 1 or 2 Nigerian Presidents. They learn about King Henry VIII but never heard of Queen Amina of Zaria or King Jaja of Opobo.
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Sometimes this phrase can sound like a broken record. Children make boredom sound like a crime.
I was at a church programme where an 11 year old girl was crying because she was bored. My first reaction was to ask her age. A few minutes later, her father shows up to pick her up. He said she called them to come pick her up and service wasn’t over yet. Inside me, I rolled my eyes, then I told her father that boredom is part of life. I don’t know anyone on a constant high, except people on drugs.
Constantly filling a child’s time with screen time, games, outings, activities, etc teaches them nothing but dependence on external stimulus. You have to learn to create “lemonade from lemons ”. A very important life skill.
A Nigerian child that thinks the favourite sports of Nigerians is karate. And one that doesn’t know the current president of Nigeria not to talk of the governor of Lagos State/their state. Watching children of middle class parents play the Nigerian Citizenship Game made it glaring that there is a major gap in our children’s education.
