Learning how to write cursive is a fantastic skill you can teach your children! In the age of computers, handwriting seems like a thing of the past. However, there are still many benefits as to why your kid should learn to write in cursive. In this blog, we’ll help you teach your kids cursive and know more about its perks.

Why should you teach your kids how to write cursive?

Cursive writing is more than a life skill of being able to form beautiful letters across the paper. It allows your child to express his uniqueness and creativity through writing. This type of writing can help your kid in the long run. Here are some benefits of cursive writing that your kids can enjoy:

Cursive helps improve your kid’s motor skills

Writing in cursive uses a lot of hand-eye coordination. Like sports, the writing movements cause your kid’s brain to create new connections, allowing them to hone their motor skills and overall developmental growth.

Cursive writing is good for your child’s brain

This form of writing engages the brain of your child more than we know. Research shows that cursive activates regions of the brain responsible for thinking, language, and memory.

This form of brain exercise improves cognitive health and development. Studies also show that kids who know cursive perform better on reading and spelling tests. You can also try activities such as literacy crafts to complement all the brain activity your kid is experiencing due to cursive writing.

Cursive forms discipline and helps with your kid’s self-esteem

Learning how to write in cursive takes time and effort. With constant practice, your kid takes the lead in improving their writing skills and instills self-discipline. As your child gets closer to mastering cursive, giving them praise for their progress boosts their self-esteem.

How to teach your child cursive writing?

Teaching your child how to write cursive may seem like a daunting task. With these steps, we’ll help you teach your kid to learn cursive.

Start from scratch

Remember that cursive writing may seem completely different and new to your kid. Your child has to learn to read and write the whole alphabet once again using his alphabet recognition skills. It is essential to guide them every step of the way.

Teach proper form of writing

Depending on what type of cursive you are teaching, it is important to have an appropriate posture for writing. Make sure that your kid’s hand, paper, and pen are all placed appropriately.

The standard angle to slant paper when writing cursive is somewhere between 30-40 degrees. Right-handed children slant their paper to the left, while left-handed kids have theirs tilted to the right.

Neatness is not the priority

Don’t focus too much on making sure that your kid’s handwriting is prim and proper. Let your child get the hang of the hand movements needed in cursive writing. It is more important for your child to develop proper muscle memory in writing cursive. Their neatness can always be improved later on.

Practice leads to better cursive writing

Learning cursive can be very hard work! Don’t expect your kid to master cursive all of a sudden. It takes a lot of mental and motor skills to develop handwriting. Set up regular practice sessions for writing cursive and celebrate his steady improvements instead.

Teach the letters individually and together

Start with lowercase letters before your progress into uppercase. Your child will find connecting lowercase letters easier and helps him get used to connecting letters together in a flowing way. It also helps to teach your kid cursive letters grouped by similar hand motions.

Write with your child

Show your child how to write each letter when teaching him cursive. It is easier for him to learn and remember how to form the letters if you guide him through it. Try explaining to him each step needed to form the letters. Remember to use a calm voice when doing so.

Don’t be afraid to write long words

Once your kid can write each alphabet letter, teach him how to write words together. Over time, move on to sentences and even paragraphs in cursive.

Read how you can help your kids with their book reports.

In recent years, preschool educational system trying to introduce progressive innovative methods of improving the health of children. It allows to effectively perform the tasks that are facing the teaching staff today. One of the most popular areas is the art therapy technique.

Art therapy is one of the most effective methods of psychotherapy, which involves creativity and various artistic techniques. Correction with art therapy is the gentlest and productive. It allows to solve various problems, ranging from the problems of social adaptation and ending with the development of children’s potential. The leading goal of art therapy is to master the process of self-knowledge in a child and develop his ability to express himself.

Types of Art Therapy

Isotherapy. A productive type of therapy with the introduction of all kinds of art means: modeling, application, drawing. During the drawing therapy, classes are conducted aimed at improving perception and children’s imagination. Creativity helps a child to open up while having fun, improve sensually-motor coordination and specifically imaginative thinking;

Bibliotherapy. The main tool is a literary work. It allows to solve the internal problems of the child. Novels, fairy tales, and stories can be used as literary sources. Bibliotherapy helps to overcome psychological problems, including shyness, insecurity;

Music therapy. An effective therapy that helps to improve the health of the child. The teacher selects in advance the appropriate melodies and sounds, with the help of which you can have a positive impact on the psycho-emotional state of the child. In practice, both individual and group music therapy are distinguished. The first is necessary to restore a trusting relationship between the teacher and the child, the second for the development of communication skills with other children;

Kinesitherapy. Modern therapy, which includes choreotherapy, dance therapy, corrective rhythm. In this case, the child moves as he wants, without subordinating all actions to the coach. Dancing helps children to throw out all the negative energy and get a lot of positive emotions.

The most effective methods of art therapy also include phototherapy, color therapy, play therapy and sand therapy. All of them help to overcome feelings of rejection and allow you to increase self-esteem in your own eyes.

Art therapy methods

Active. In this case, the whole procedure is aimed at designing a new creative composition. The child learns to embody his own creation into reality without evaluating quality and beauty;

Passive. The main purpose of this technique is the use of pre-prepared types of art, for example, listening to a musical composition, watching exciting videos;

Mixed. The child uses the available artwork to design their own personal creativity products.

The use of art therapy is the most productive way of social adaptation. Its introduction into the field of preschool education allows children to take full part in the life of society, develop creativity of thinking and integrity of the personality.

Art therapy in working with children

The main task of modern art therapy technique is the transition from negative experiences to positive emotions. Progressive methods used in preschool educational institutions make it possible to reveal the child’s inner potential and maximize his efficiency.

The main means of art therapy are various materials that are used in art: pencils, markers, pens, 3D pens, paper, brushes, coloring pages, 3D printers, video materials, melodic music and much more. The increasing popularity among children and adolescents is acquired by 3D devices that allow you to create three-dimensional objects. They help children develop their own imagination and volumetric thinking skills, realize their own dreams and relieve psycho-emotional stress.

Why art therapy is useful

The complex development of a child is based on many factors. This is both the intellectual development of the child and physical exercises (for example, choreography for children). The moral and ethical base, the development of leadership qualities is important. But the framework for everything is a harmonious mental state and a child’s self-confidence. Through creativity, the child not only achieves this inner balance, but also acquires many other useful skills:

• Knows himself, forms the concept of himself as a person, individuality;
• Safely and harmoniously living complex and destructive feelings;
• Learns to express oneself;
• Develops a sense of self-worth, significance;
• Improves academic performance and socialization in the team;
• Learns to look for answers to his questions;
• Develops emotional intelligence, learns to feel their emotions and needs;
• Improves the speed of thinking;
• Develops fine motor skills by working with clay, brush, finger paints.

Five DIY Techniques of Art Therapy

The best results can be achieved in developmental sessions with a psychologist or art therapist, but some of the techniques can be applied at home. To practice children’s art therapy at home, you will need creative supplies: wax crayons, gouache, watercolors, crayons, oil pastels. The more variety of colors and materials you offer your child, the more productive the lessons will be.

Technique “Drawing in a circle”

A circle is a closed shape that is psychologically perceived as safe and reliable. The circle often acts as a container for our experiences, anger, resentment, sadness. At the moment when the child is angry or upset, invite him to throw out all the emotions by coloring the circle drawn on a white sheet. You can draw with any paints, pastels, brushes or even your hands.

Technique “Masks”

The art therapy courses offer classes on masks. In part, they resemble exercises related to acting, but the emphasis here is not on acting and creative self-expression, but on the opportunity to look deep into oneself and explore oneself. Prepare some paper blanks of masks and invite your child to draw one mask as he usually is, and another as he would like to be. Discuss the work.

Technique “I am in the form of an animal”

Working with animal images is very resourceful for both children and adults, so it is often used in art therapy centers. It is better to perform this task in the company, it will be more interesting to discuss the results, but it is possible to carry it out individually with the child. Ask your child to paint himself as an animal, bird, or insect. Discuss the drawing? Ask why he chose this look. What strengths does this animal have that the child would like to have?

Technique “Aquatipia”

In art therapy classes glasses of different sizes are used for this technique, but you can take a plastic bag or file. The main thing is that the surface is flat and clean. Invite your child to choose 2–4 colors that best suit his feelings or mood. Better to use gouache. Then, for several minutes, the child can draw his mood on glass or a file – it is better if it is an abstraction. When the drawing is ready, take a blank sheet of paper and print the drawing on it. Take more and more sheets until the print is completely faded.

Invite your child to look for familiar objects and associations in the resulting images. This technique is often used by art therapists to show children how fast and transient negative experiences are, and how to get rid of them quickly.

Technique “My Planet”

Invite your child to dream up and come up with their own planet. What is she like? What is it called? Who inhabits it? Offer to draw to the child and come up with the story together.

Do you know a child who is interested in art?  Explore how they can Doodle for Google.

Music is one of the most rewarding things you can teach anyone, no matter how old they are. However, teaching kids can be daunting since they need more time and effort to grasp new concepts. But there are unique things you can do to increase the productivity of music classes for kids.

The main thing is make the music classes as enjoyable as possible. This is especially when teaching kids music online where there are lots of potential distractors.

In this article, you’ll learn some of the best ways to make music classes enjoyable for learners so that every child can achieve their greatest potential.

1. Keep the Lessons Short

A kid’s attention span is shorter than that of an adult. This makes it vital to keep your lessons as short as possible. Otherwise, your students are likely to get distracted, especially if it is an online class. Thus, the best thing to do is design the length of the classes with the kid’s age in mind.

An average length of time when teaching kids should be between 30-45 minutes. Please make the most of this time with exciting activities that will keep them glued to the lesson. It will also help develop new experiences that would grab the learners’ attention for every lesson.

2. Use Technology

Almost everything that kids know today relates to technology in some way. So, it will be best to bring about things that they can relate to in the classroom. The reality is that music is one of the best subjects where you can run out of options on how to use different technologies.

You can use video sites and applications to make learning more practical. The best thing about using such platforms is that they are filled with a wide range of content. Thus, you can even recommend them for practice at home, especially for kids learning to play musical instruments.

3. Be Aware of Differing Skill Levels

Music is an art, and the skill levels differ from an individual to another. Kids, too, have different skill levels be it in singing or playing musical instruments. That explains why schools that provide online music classes have different learning levels. These levels range from beginner to intermediate and advanced.

Music schools that music classes for kids recognize that some kids need more time to grasp ideas. You, too, need to recognize this fact if you want to become a music teacher. It will help you meet every kid’s learning needs and enhance your music classes’ productivity.

4. Encourage Interaction

Another way to make teaching music enjoyable is to encourage kids to learn from each other. A kid’s best teacher is their peer, and kids enjoy sharing knowledge with others. It would be best to put them in groups to encourage peer collaboration.

This will break the monotony of kids listening to you all the time. Besides, a problematic concept sounds easier when explained to by a fellow kid. Interactive learning will also allow the kids to work in groups and eventually improve their teamwork skills. This is how they also learn to sing or play instruments harmoniously.

5. Have a Positive Attitude

Preparing for a lesson is one of the most tedious tasks teachers have to do. It is even more daunting and requires more time than teaching the lesson in class. Sometimes, this can take a toll on you as a music teacher. However, you need to avoid showing your learners this feeling once you’re in class.

Kids can scan moods, and they will pick on your mood as soon as they read it. This makes it vital to stay positive and show excitement even if the overwhelming preparation had dampened your spirit before the lesson. Staying positive throughout can help make the learning process more effective.

6. Teach Things Kids Relate to Easily

Kids aren’t good at grabbing new concepts that they don’t have any interest in, especially music. It is vital to avoid this type of music content, genres and songs to make your music classes enjoyable. The first thing to do is identify the songs and music genres that the kids in your class loveto relate with best.

It would be best if you then used this music and genre to make learning enjoyable. This also includes musical instruments that they enjoy playing or listening to when played to them. The good thing is that you can never run short of music or instruments to fit the learners’ needs and interests.

Also considering teaching kids about the music industry in case they decide that they want to be a professional musician someday.

7. Introduce Friendly Competition

Competition makes us work harder at work, in business or anywhere else. Introducing friendly competition in your music class can encourage learners to work extra hard. For instance, you can introduce games that kids will enjoy and give prices to those that come out top.

The best way to do this is to avoid making it an individual-to-individual competition. You can divide the class into two teams. Then, make the teams compete against each other. This will ensure that the kids don’t feel embarrassed as individuals if they lose. This will encourage them to work harder as a team.

Conclusion

Learning music is a beautiful way through which kids can mature up quickly. Besides being a talent, it is an art and skill that they can keep growing from a young age into teenage and adulthood. But then, it all starts with attending music school and developing their talents into invaluable skills for the future.

However, teaching music lessons can be a daunting task for music teachers. Even with proper planning, presenting the lesson interestingly isn’t as easy as it may seem. The good news is that there are several ways that teachers can grab the learners’ attention and deliver their lessons more effectively.

This article has explored some of the things you can do to achieve this as a music teacher. These tips can help you relate better with kids and also increase their ability to grab musical concepts. Take your time to implement these tips to increase your productivity in the classroom or online.

Learning how to ride a bike is truly a liberating feeling, and your bundle of joy deserves this. For every child, pedalling and cycling without training wheels is a significant milestone. However, teaching kids how to ride a bike without training wheels can be draining.  This is especially true because kids are usually scared of falling and parents are even more afraid of hurting kids.

Yet, we’re still motivated to do it because learning to ride a bike not only helps them with healthy physical growth but also instills in them a sense of responsibility.

In the age of iPads and other gaming consoles, this post is vitally important to encourage kids to get outdoors.  Learning to ride a bit is a fun place to start.  So, in this post we’ll share some tried and tested steps to ease the process!  And yes, without training wheels!

Prepping Kids for Riding the Bike

First of all, you cannot force a child to ride without training wheels. So, before we start sharing the details, make sure that your child is ready to take up this challenge. Now, let’s see what you need to do before going on the pavement;

• Make sure the child wears a helmet, and it sits properly on their head (the helmet should be one inch above the eyebrows. In addition to the helmet, wear protective gear, such as gloves, shin guards, and elbow guards.

• Check the bike’s tires and brakes. Properly inflated tires will ensure a safe and smooth ride, and they will be able to coast well. And obviously, brakes will assist them to stop whenever they want.

• Learning a new skill is always stressful for kids, so try to take it easy, allow them to loosen up, and just laugh if your child fails (it’s okay, and you must trust the process)

The Learning Process 

1. Walking Without Pedals

• The first step is to take out the pedals and let your child walk the bike while sitting on the seat.

• Now, lower the bike’s seat to make sure the child’s feet touch the ground (they must be flat on the ground). This will help them gain confidence since they will be able to touch the ground.

• Allow your child to walk the bike on the flat surface so they feel in control. Moreover, it gives them get accustomed to the feeling of steering and balancing the bike.

• Show them how the brakes are to be used and have them practice braking while walking along side the bicycle.  Teach them that the back brakes should only be used while simultaneously using the back brakes, so that they don’t fall over the handle bars.  Use of the back brakes can be used alone but using both front and back brakes together gives more control at higher speeds.

These four steps should be followed until they perfect it. As a result, they will learn complete control over their bike.

2. Coasting On the Bike

• Let your child coast down the slightly declining slopes with their feet up. It will help them get aware of the momentum without making them feel scared. Also, it will teach them how to balance (it’s suggested to find small slopes, for this purpose)

• As a parent, you need to stay at the bottom side of the slope, so your child can see when they ride through the slope. It will help them feel at ease and have a target to ride towards

• When they are riding down the slope, start timing them. It will eventually turn into a game, and they will start riding down faster. Moreover, when they are able to coast on continuously for fifteen seconds, install the pedals.

It’s important to encourage a positive attitude towards the entire leaning process.  Speak confidence into your child and tell them they have more than enough ability to be an excellent bike rider.  Relay your own positive experience if you can remember it.

3. Riding Bike with Pedals

 First of all, install the pedals and teach them that the left pedal tightens with counter-clockwise movement while the right pedal will tighten in the clockwise direction.

• Once the pedals are installed, hold to their side and let them start the bike with pedalling (they learn to pedal quicker as compared to balancing, so hurrah!)

• Lastly, don’t forget to teach them about starting pedalling from the stopped position. For this, let them stand with a foot on the ground and have their opposite foot sit on the pedal at two o’clock point. This positioning will let them push the pedals down and create momentum, helping them gain balance (you might need to teach this a few times before they get the hang of it, so stay calm)

Additional Tips to Ease Bike-Riding Learning Experience

• The biggest mistake is buying a bigger bike, thinking, “my child will grow into it.” That’s because if the bike is too big, they won’t have adequate control over it. Of course, riding safety is the key concern but you also want to give your child the best experience learning to ride their bike. Consult this kids bike size chart to determine the proper bike according to their age and height.

• Rather than starting them on rough pavement, teach them on the grass patches because the ground will be softer even if they fall. Secondly, choose a place with lesser people, so your munchkin doesn’t get embarrassed (they must feel confident to learn well).

• When they learn a step or get accustomed to some movement, make sure the next step is manageable and nothing too advanced. If your child asks for a break, allow them because learning can be challenging.

• Lastly, don’t forget to keep your calm. It’s fine to get intimidated when kids aren’t able to grasp an idea, but your yelling will only worsen the situation.

The Bottom Line

Riding a bike without training wheels can be scary for your kids, but it’s something they must learn, right? It not only helps them commute on their own, but it brings a sense of self-esteem, confidence, and balance, which is vital for their personality development. So, when are you hitting the road (or may we say a grass patch?)

Author’s Bio
Ned Anthony Taylor is an editor in chief of Daddy of Steel. A health and fitness Resource portal especially targeted to young dads. Who are kind of lost at the in kids, bills and Netflix.  It’s an attempt to encourage them to break this hamster wheel and have more energy, better health and enjoy more quality time with their kids.