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How to Encourage Children’s Social Development

2010
01.06

Most children develop healthy social interaction skills quite naturally. They easily move from depending upon adults to begin and sustain interactions to creating and sustaining their own interactions with others. In doing so, children learn to see things from another point of view, to make compromises and resolve conflicts, and to share, collaborate and negotiate for themselves.

Some children need a great deal of support learning to develop and sustain social interactions and all children need support at some times. Teachers can help encourage healthy social interaction in the following ways:

The Teacher’s Role

Step 1

It’s important to plan and implement group games and activities that entice children into sharing, turn taking and other social interactions.

Step 2

Create learning centers within the classroom that accommodate small group play. Small group play can be less intimidating to children who are reluctant in social situations.

Step 3

Offer activities that children can do in pairs. Assign ‘buddies’ so that children who have trouble finding a partner get a chance to practice games and activities in pairs.

Step 4

Draw attention to mutual interests among the children. Comment on the things children have in common and make suggestions that draw them into social play. For example, “Bill, I notice you like to play dominoes. Sue is great at dominoes. Perhaps you two can start a tournament!”

Step 5

Set up equipment to encourage social play. For example, place two paintbrushes at an easel or three puzzles at the puzzle table.

Step 6

Watch for children who are having trouble finding play partners. Invite these children to join an activity. For example, “Sam, we are starting a game of lotto. Would you like to join?”

Step 7

Arrange classroom equipment to encourage face-to-face interactions. For example, set chairs across the table from one another or pull tables away from walls so children can surround the table rather than using only one side.

Step 8

Most important, show your enthusiasm for children’s social interactions. Positive attention will increase the likelihood that social interactions continue.

KinderCare

Tags: , , , , Category Study |

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Healthy Eating Tip – Healthy Snacking

2009
12.10

Eating healthy doesn’t have to mean no snacking or that we have to resort to the carrots and celery snacks only. The National Cancer Institute does recommend that we eat 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. We can creatively fit those in while we are enjoying snacking. There are snack foods being made with soy and whole grains Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils are being replaced with healthier oils such as Canola or Olive Oil. Enjoy snacking while you keep your healthy eating style…

• Fruit – Fresh fruit is great especially when you are in the mood for something sweet. Try apple slices with peanut butter, orange slices, or a medley of fresh berries combined with banana slices topped with fat free whip cream. Create your own fruit drinks using fat free milk and low fat yogurt combined with frozen fruit.

• Vegetables – Vegetables seem to be difficult for many people especially when it comes to snacking. Buy low fat salad dressing and use it as a dip for fresh vegetables. Get creative with some of your favorite dip recipes and make them low fat or fat free. Low fat bean dips and salsa are great for dipping vegetables. Steamed vegetables with melted mozzarella cheese on top makes a delicious snack.

• Healthier Chips – Snyder’s of Hanover has come out with a line of healthy snack foods called Eat Smart. The Soy Crisps come in two varieties of seasoned soy chips having 7 grams of soy protein and 5 grams of fiber. The Soy Crisps are made with Canola Oil and Natural Olive Oil. A great alternative to potato chips.

Café Fries are another great snack by Eat Smart. Also available in two flavors these potato fries made with 100% pure Canola Oil which is naturally low in saturated fat. Other Eat Smart products include veggie crisps, cheddairs and natural snack dips.

Cori Swidorsky

Tags: , , , , Category Fitness and Diet, Wellness |

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Web Writing Tips – A Writing Tip For Every Occasion

2009
11.16

Every webmaster–even those who have been writing for the web for awhile–can benefit from a good writing tip. The following 10 tips are guaranteed to improve your copy and make writing for the web easier. Although most of the tips are geared toward the average webmaster, they can be implemented by anyone who is writing for the web.

Webmaster Writing Tip #1: Write What You Know

Although every webmaster has already heard this writing tip, it is worth mentioning. Writing what you know is always the best policy when writing for the web. There’s a lot of bad info online already–no sense in adding more.

Webmaster Writing Tip #2: Research What You Write

Since writing what you know isn’t always practical when you’re writing for the web, you should at least research what you write. This will help you turn fuzzy knowledge into viable facts.

Webmaster Writing Tip #3: Use Correct Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

Using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation is really important when you’re writing for the web. When in doubt, look it up.

Webmaster Writing Tip #4: Try to Answer Questions

Writing for the web is a lot like writing for a newspaper. You need to answer all of the essential questions that a user might have. Think who, what, when, where, and why.

Webmaster Writing Tip #5: Pick a Keyword

When you’re writing for the web, you should pick at least one keyword or key phrase to stick with from the beginning of the article to the end. This tells search engines and human readers what your article is about.

Webmaster Writing Tip #6: Use Lots of White Space

Writing for the web is not like writing a book or a column. You should have lots of white space in between text. It makes your article appear cleaner and more appealing to readers who like to scan information.

Webmaster Writing Tip #7: Keep It Short

When it comes to writing for the web, shorter is better. Internet users have limited time and short attention spans–they don’t want to sift through lengthy text. The ideal word count for a web article is between 250 and 500 words.

Webmaster Writing Tip #8: Choose a Good Title

A good title is important when you’re writing for the web. Titles tell readers and search engines what articles are about. The best titles pique curiosity or give readers something they want.

Webmaster Writing Tip #9: Edit What You Write

It is easy to fall in love with what you have written, but you need to learn how to cut the fluff. This is especially true when you are writing for the web. As stated earlier, Internet users have limited time and short attention spans. In other words, they have no patience for a chatty webmaster.

Webmaster Writing Tip #10: Proofread What You Write

Writing for the web is no different than writing for any other media. You must proofread what you write. If you forget every writing tip you heard today, remember that one. It is probably the best writing tip you will ever get.

By: Cliff Posey Jr

Tags: , , , , Category Writing |