FROM OUR DESK
How Do You Teach Children It’s Okay to Lose?
Children should be taught the positive benefits of competition when winning and losing. While winning is associated with happiness and contentment, losing has essential lessons that can make a child a better adult.
Winning and losing. Someone has to be a winner, and someone has to be a loser. It can be the end of the world for some kids, but for many, the focus on an outcome can also discourage them from sports altogether. So, how can we change a ‘winning at all cost’ perspective in children and also in parents? It’s a tricky dilemma that many parents face when they’re trying to be supportive, but also want their children to be the best. After all, there’s a lot of time, effort, and money put into the sport by many families.
The approach to winning doesn’t need to be aggressive. It’s important to understand that even if children aren’t winning; they can still enjoy what they’re doing and learn from the experience. It’s not necessary for children to always win because they will never experience what it feels like to lose. This takes away crucial life lessons, empathy skills, and development for a child. Let’s be clear, winning is not bad. However, there is a crucial difference between winning and winning at all costs. Winning brings many benefits to children’s development such as an increase in self-esteem, confidence boost, and strategic thinking skills. With winning at all costs however the experience that children have in sport is often inhibited by well-intentioned adults and it becomes very unenjoyable. Both winning and losing teach a child many lessons which are important for growth and development. Part of this, as a parent, is supporting your child through the good and bad times. Cracking the perspective of win at all costs is challenging, but once you understand why a child must experience both winning and losing, this perspective can change, and the focus becomes on nurturing a child’s social development.
Winning a game or being the best in the class gives children a good feeling about themselves and makes them proud. It shows them that they are good at something which builds their self-confidence. A confident child is more likely to develop a ‘can-do-attitude’. This is because the experience of winning helps children get motivated to take the next steps to achieve even bigger goals, such as jumping even further. Competition is also helpful to inspire children to do more than is required. This is an ability that prepares children for a variety of situations in their future lives , when it is up to them to make the decision whether they want to be part of the crowd or to be recognized for going a step further. In that sense, winning competitions helps children to succeed.
Life is competitive, and children learn that it’s best to be good at things from a young age.
Swapnali Medhekar
Center Head.
Classroom Connection
The more knowledgeable children become about the world and its cultures, languages, and people, the more prepared they will be to lead and thrive in our interconnected world. What better way to accomplish this than through a cultural exchange, both in-person and virtually? It is exciting to build relationships with new friends and hear about their lives and experiences. However, traditional mail makes it challenging to establish and sustain these connections.
Nursery
English
Teaching kids English will help boost memory, problem-solving skills, critical thinking skills, and develop the ability to multitask. English includes many topics like Alphabet, Words, Patterns of standing lines, sleeping lines, slanting lines, etc. Our teachers solved a worksheet where learners had to circle the pictures that begin with the sound /h/. By looking at the pictures kids can identify the pictures given in the worksheet which makes them easy to circle them. Later, learners were also given art paper and blue color crayons where they had to write a slanting line with the help of dots given. In English, learners are taught alphabets using their phonic sounds with their respective letters. The teacher did focus coloring for sound /h/ hat and learners were happy to do the coloring. For better reinforcement worksheet book was given where Learners circle the pictures that begin with the sound /h/.
Teachers gave an introduction to sound /i/ with the help of associated pictures, by singing and playing phonic songs and a story of sound /i/. By doing this activity learners developed their vocabulary, and communication skills, also able to identify the pictures with associated letters. To explain travel for kids it is easy to say in simple words as Transportation. Little tots love to explore from place to place by using different modes of transport. Here our learners learned a new rhyme “Travel” with actions. By signing rhymes tiny tots developed their listening, speaking, and communication skills. They enjoyed themselves by singing the rhyme with actions and also helped them to understand the topic.
Math
Teaching and learning mathematics aims to encourage and enable students to: recognize that mathematics permeates the world around us appreciate the usefulness, power, and beauty of mathematics, enjoy mathematics and develop patience and persistence when solving problems. Hence, the teacher solved a worksheet from the workbook where learners had to draw a path using blue crayons to help the fish to reach the sea. This helped them to develop their observational and fine motor skills by holding a crayon in their hand. Later, she gave a recap of number 2 with its value by using some concrete objects. She asked learners to count the objects that they saw and say the number. Later, she gave an art sheet to learners and asked them to draw the objects for value 2 using a blue crayon. Learners enjoyed the sessions and were able to understand the topic.
Learners wrote the number 2 in their math notebook, which helped them to gain recognition and also know its formation. Writing helps learners develop the ability to hold and move a pencil easily and write legibly. Also, the concept of Far and Near was introduced where the learners got to know and learn the distance between the two objects. The concept was made even more clear by showing the related flashcards, audiovisual.
Theme
In the introduction of the topic of transportation, the Teacher introduced different types of roadway vehicles to learners by showing flashcards, rhyme, and objects. As transportation is an important part of our life, the learners need to learn about the different types of vehicles and their usefulness. Learners learned that vehicles are used for moving goods and people from one place to another. For a clear understanding of the topic, The Teacher asked the learners to name different vehicles, such as cars, buses, bicycles, auto rickshaws, etc. Also, learners performed a tire printing activity where they dipped the wheels of the car in the blue color paint and printed it on an art sheet by moving the car freely.
Learners have also learned about different vehicles that are used for road transportation. They enjoyed sorting the activity of emergency vehicles through picture flashcards. The teacher then guided them to understand the traffic lights and what each color indicates through activities and songs. The teacher also explained the primary purpose of traffic signs is to help prevent accidents and protect people on the road. Learners were given a black rectangle and a red, yellow, and green circle. The teacher encouraged them to look at the traffic light and position their colors in the correct order. Learners discussed the three colors: red, yellow, and green and also shared that red indicates the vehicles to stop, yellow indicates the vehicles to slow down and get ready to stop, and the green light indicates the vehicles to go ahead.
English
Math
Theme
Zumba
Zumba is a fun and versatile total workout. While grooving to its beats, it improves overall health, coordination, and endurance without even realizing it. When it is combined with Zumba choreography, it feels like a party rather than a workout, that's why this workout is so popular with all age groups like kids, teens, and adults. Zumba for kids is one of the emerging trends. Jumping, dancing, shaking, swinging, and moving freely are children's favorite activities. Zumba is the perfect way to incorporate exercise into children's routines.
Zumba sessions for our learners are modified according to their routine, and age-appropriate intensities, and majorly tailored to make them creative. It also includes games and activities to improve coordination, self-confidence, and teamwork. Our learners danced along with the balloon activity which they enjoyed and had great fun hitting the balloon without letting it go down on the floor.
Art
Art forces children to engage in out-of-the-box thinking and can help them hone their creative problem-solving skills. This week in our art session recapitulation of 'Circle shape' was done using the circular-shaped object. The art teacher showed and explained to them how to trace many circles on the art paper using the circular-shaped object, later to which they were instructed to color the traced 3 circle shapes using 3 different colors, red, yellow, and blue. Learners enthusiastically traced the shapes on the art sheet and also did their best to complete the assigned activity by coloring the circles. This activity gave a boost to our learners to enhance their fine motor, imaginative, and eye-hand coordination skills and also enhance the colors taught to them.
Jr.Kg
English
Letter knowledge means recognition of letter names and letter sounds. The knowledge of the letter generates understanding and imagines the words. Our Junior Kg learners participated in a letter writing activity where they had to dip their finger in paint and trace the letter ‘n’ with dot painting in their scrapbook, which they enjoyed to the fullest. Teaching good manners through stories always helps the child to understand the concepts better, so they learned the importance of sharing through the story 'sharing is caring. The introduction of the lowercase letter 'o' was done along with phonic sounds and associated pictures. To make it more fun while learning a palm printing activity with brown color was done, in which they made an OWL and associated it with the letter 'o'. This is an effective learning technique that helps our young buds to develop verbal, communicative, and cognitive skills.
Math
An early step in understanding numbers and letters is to recognize their shape. Learning shapes not only helps children identify and organize visual information, but it also helps them learn skills in other curriculum areas including reading, math, and science. Rectangle shape was introduced to the learners by showcasing flashcards and related objects. For a better understanding of the shape, an activity of rectangular photo frame was done in their scrapbook which they enjoyed doing it. We introduced the color ORANGE to our Junior KG learners by showing them objects of the same. Learners were able to recognize the orange color objects around their classroom and surroundings. They enjoyed making car activity with the help of orange color paper cutouts. Writing numbers 1- 15 followed with tens and one's number formation was also done by the learners. A new concept of ‘After numbers’ was introduced. The teacher taught this topic with the help of a number line which made it much easier for the learners to understand what comes after which numbers.
Theme
Transportation is an important part of everyday life, and as such is a topic many preschool-aged children are interested in. A transportation theme not only teaches children about what different vehicles are for and how they work, but you can also use it to teach other important
Concepts such as safety when riding in a vehicle or walking. The introduction of transportation was done by the teacher through flashcards. She also explained the 4 different modes of transport. The teacher gave the learners a brief idea about the transport that was used in ancient times. In the centers, learners were asked to count the wheels of the vehicles they were shown. They also made vehicles using different shapes. During this session Introduction to modern transportation was done with flashcards. To make the session fun-filled sorting of ancient and modern transport and wheel printing activity was done at the center. It helped the
learners to name the different modern and ancient vehicles and enhanced transportation
vocabulary.
English
Math
Theme
Music
Exposing children to music during early development helps them to learn the sounds and meanings of words. Dancing to music helps children build motor skills while allowing them to practice self-expression. Music is one of the only activities that require you to use your whole brain, and this leads to benefits like improved social skills and overall coordination. The music teacher taught the song on transportation and learners enjoy the song very much.
Horticulture
Horticulture is the care of gardens and plants. Learners acquired knowledge about taking care of plants through pruning, taking out dead leaves from plants, and fertilizing it. Learners enjoy watering plants. Learners watched videos on taking care of plants in different ways and understood the concept of Horticulture.
Sr.Kg
English
Learning the English language at an early age is essential for a learner's development. It helps them be more successful later in life and explore new cultures. In the session of English teacher explained and introduced of vowel ‘O' family words . Learners understood the words and the meaning of O family words with the help of charts and flashcards.The teacher also took dictation of three letter words in the notebook of vowel family ( a, ,e , i ,o u ) . learners wrote words according to the teacher’s instructions.
In the new session of English, The teacher explained the words of vowel ‘o ' family words. Learners wrote the words of the vowel ‘o ' family in the English notebook ( op and ot words) and understood the concept.
A book for learners who are learning to read, to help them become accustomed to looking at and understanding written words. The teacher explained the new story in the reader book and also ask learners to guess what the story might be about. When learners have positive interactions with books, they are developing good feelings about reading, which will motivate them. The teacher read the letters and words and the learners repeat after her and then the teacher asked the learners to try to read independently. Learners understood the story and moral.
Math
Young children should be encouraged to develop their mathematical thinking since math is vital. Compared to early reading or attention abilities, a child’s math proficiency at the beginning of kindergarten is a greater predictor of later academic success. Children use math in their daily lives. Our students were introduced to shapes square and cube during Math class. They also learned and wrote backward counting 30-1 and numbers 1-60 . They then completed an assignment on what comes before, between, and after these past weeks in math class. Students also worked on writing the names of the numbers 11 to 14. Additionally, the ideas of above and under were introduced to them. Post this In their notebooks, our students did a recap of writing the numbers 1 to 60. It was a week full of learning for them.
Theme
A theme creates a context for children to see the meaningful applications of academic knowledge and skills. When children can relate what they learn to the real world, they will understand and retain the new knowledge better.This week means of communication were introduced, Learners were also taught about the uses and misuses of technology. Teaching effective communication skills to children helps them to express themselves clearly and convey their feelings in a better manner. Communication skills can facilitate learning and meaningful exchange of information with others.
Math
Theme
STREAM
Activities that we do in stream sessions will make learners refresh and boost their minds healthy. In the stream session, the teacher recapitulated all the games and activities which she had done in the previous class. Learners were happily involved in a recap of all the activities and immensely enjoyed playing the same.
Sports/Yoga
Yoga develops Focus and Concentration. The act of practicing poses encourages children to clear their minds and focus on the effort. As a result of this single to achieve a particular pose or stay balanced, yoga helps children to focus and concentrate in school. This week learners tried Tree Pose with the effort that made it a success.
Children's Council Elections
Young children learn by playing. If a child’s first introduction to classroom learning is in an overly academic environment, they may fail to develop a strong sense of curiosity and be turned off from school. Preschool provides opportunities for children to learn in ways that interest them, building a positive association with learning. The best preschool helps children develop a drive to learn that they will take with them throughout their time in school.
Children spend extended amounts of time with other children and adults outside their families. The environment provides plenty of opportunities to learn how to make friends, cooperate, listen, and build foundational conversation skills. When children play and engage in activities with their peers, there will almost inevitably be minor conflicts that bring frustration, anger, and other emotional challenges. Teachers can encourage children to notice how their behavior impacts others and practice interpersonal problem-solving skills. Preschool graduates leave class with emotional skills they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. During this week, the elections were held where each learner, the teaching, and the non-teaching staff came out to cast their vote for the little council members. There was great enthusiasm in each one of us and we also had an exact way of casting the vote as it happens during the elections in the country. The results were out and finally, we got our head council members for the various ministries that we have for our preschool.
Independence Day
Independence Day is celebrated in the memory of our great freedom fighters who gained Independence from British rule and this day is dedicated to paying them a tribute. This day teaches us about the power of unity as well as nationalism among the Indians. On August 15, 2022, India is celebrating the completion of 75 years of independence. Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of its people, culture, and achievements. Teacher explained the importance of Independence Day and the sacrifices done by freedom fighters. Children sang the song Nanha Munna Rahi Hoon with full enthusiasm and a spirit of patriotism. Children made our National flag with Popsicles and colored it with a tricolor in a scrapbook. They were so excited and completed an activity with full effort.
Janmashtami Celebration
Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated to observe the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. Janmashtami is celebrated as a symbol of the end of darkness and rooting out of the evil forces. Dahi Handi is the most ancient joyful game played and celebrated, for the birth of Krishna in Janmashtami. It is celebrated amidst merriment. Young men and boys form teams, make a human pyramid and attempt to reach or break the pot.
Children came dressed in ethnic wear as Radha and Krishna. Children played Dahi handi and made pyramid to reach the handi and broke it. The students were overjoyed when they broke the ‘Dahi Handi’ to grace this occasion. Splendid and colourful performance by the Students made the event memorable. It was a beautiful presentation with joyous melody and twirling dancers.
