empoweringchildren.org

Children are innocent beings at the tender age. This means that they are still very young to comprehend the different aspects of life. It is therefore the task of parents to properly guide their children in their everyday life so that they can become better adults in the future. Everyone can tell you, health is really crucial. So, it is significant to teach your children how to live a healthy lifestyle right from the beginning.

Feeding children with solids from the start can be considered as a disadvantage. When children get used to eating solids, then you might notice processed meals and fast foods as well becoming part of their diets. This can seriously affect the health of children. Fast foods, in no means offer the right nutrients that children need. Even for adults, fast foods represent a disadvantage if consumed regularly. They contain too much fat and can eventually lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. So, teach your children to stay away from fast food as much as possible.

Moreover, cooking at home can really be a fine idea. Doing this will keep your children away from processed or easy food. When cooking at home, make it a fun exercise. Let your children help you in the process of cooking. For instance, if you prepare a homemade pizza let your children help you with the cooking procedures. Pizzas can be fun and healthy for children if cooked at home. The preparation time is not much, so children will not be bored while waiting for the food to cook. Read the rest of this entry »

Television has become a significant social phenomenon in Pakistan. There is no doubt that television has a great influence on children from a very early age itself and it will affect children’s cognitive and social development. The role that Television plays in socializing children is very great. Television can be educational and beneficial, but their negative aspect, such as the amount of aggressive and violent activity it displays daily, is causing grave concern to parents and educators around the world, especially in Pakistan. Whether and how we will manage to control the harmful effects of television and harness its potential for the good of children is a subject of ongoing debate.

Though not yet investigated empirically, TV viewing is, generally believed to generate social forces of undeniable influence in Pakistan. With more than 1.5 million sets in use and about seven hours of daily transmission, the number of viewers is now estimated to be over 12 million. These statistics may be modest by international standard but these are not insignificant in a country where’ the rate of literacy and per capita income are still very low.

Children do not generally become consistent viewers until they are about 3 years old. Even then they do not watch the set constantly because their span of attention is very short. Os they get easily distracted. Now-a-days the working parents are so busy; they don’t have enough time spend with their kids. Read the rest of this entry »

Examining children’s comprehension of TV programs is no easy task, but here’s what the research that’s been done so far has revealed:

* When television content is not understandable to children, they pay less attention to it. Likewise, the proportion of time that children look directly at the television screen increases during the preschool years.
* Children as young as two years old were found to have established beliefs about specific brands that were promoted by television advertising and parental behavior.
* One-year-olds avoided an object after they watched an actress react negatively to it on video, suggesting that infants can apply emotional reactions seen on television to guide their own behavior.

Do you KNOW why Music Education is important? Do you understand how it can put your child above the rest of the class?Well let me tell you the good news….Music lessons in childhood and particularly before the age of 7 can have a lasting effect on a child’s development.

Here are some facts and figures:

1. Students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school or school district.

2. Students in top-quality music programs scored 22% better in English and 20% better in math than students in deficient music programs.

3. Students in top-quality instrumental programs scored 19% higher in English than students in schools without a music program. Read the rest of this entry »

Child abuse is a public health crisis in the United States. Its prevalence and annual incidence in the population have reached epidemic proportions. Child abuse is also a multifaceted phenomenon: By definition it encompasses physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional maltreatment, each of which has a somewhat different set of underlying causes. These diverse types of abuse are by no means mutually exclusive, nor are they found only in certain population groups. While one type of abuse may predominate in a given population group, incidents involving different types of abuse cut across all groups.

Child abuse hurts. The after effects, which are well documented, are devastating. Abused children suffer a wide range of emotional, developmental and physical problems, both acute and chronic. Some children die. These problems often precipitate such social ills as teenage runaways, adolescent prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse, academic failure and school truancy, and juvenile delinquency.

Child abuse is costly, both in terms of human suffering, and in terms of the financial costs that must be borne by society to remedy the social and psychological maladies emanating from child maltreatment. The case for working to prevent child abuse before it occurs is clear. Prevention spares the hurt and can save lives and money.

Child abuse and neglect is a complex phenomenon that encompasses such individual factors as a parent’s lack of understanding of child development, and environmental factors like poverty. To be successful, child abuse prevention efforts must ultimately take into account the various causes — both personal and societal — that play a role in the evolution of this problem.

A comprehensive approach to combatting the problem would entail a public awareness campaign that educates the community about the magnitude of the problem, explores healthy attitudes toward parenting, and delineates positive methods of parenting. Key preventive and intervention services would be instituted to ensure that all new parents get off to a good start; that all parents under stress have access to crisis and support services; that all victims can obtain the therapeutic assistance necessary to break the cycle of abuse; and that all children have the guidance and information they need to learn how to protect themselves from abuse. Read the rest of this entry »

Growing up, my parents read a story to me every night. I always assumed it was the standard in every child’s bedtime routine across the country. As a teacher with my degree in Early Childhood Education, I know the importance of reading to children. The benefits associated with a simple daily bedtime story seem endless. Imagine my amazement when I read the statistic stating that only 39% of parents read to their children on a daily basis (Young, Davis, and Schoen, 1996). In a word, I was flabbergasted. I’ve witnessed the struggling readers and the impact that has on their daily lives. When a child has difficulties reading, everything in school suffers as a result. Would something as simple as a daily ten minute bedtime story interaction between a parent and child prevent these kids from struggling throughout their school years? Could it really be that simple? I want parents to know how vital it is to read to their children everyday. Read the rest of this entry »