Villadom Times Weekly Newpaper Online-January 13, 2010 Issue

Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & III • January 13, 2010 Schools Now Registering (ARA) “Most moms worry if they’re doing all they can to help their children become happy, productive adults,” said positive psychology expert and mother of four Dr. Karen Reivich, a teacher and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. “It’s a surprise, however, to realize that many mothers apparently know they are placing unrealis- Five vital skills for kids and tips for teaching them tic and probably stressful expectations on themselves, and that those expectations may hinder their ability to impart important life skills to their children.” Reivich is an advisor to the Fishful Thinking program (www.FishfulThinking.com), which provides strategies parents can use to raise children with a positive outlook. Fishful Thinking focuses on optimism, resilience, goal setting/hope, empowerment, and emotional awareness. Developing optimism helps children focus on the positive wiithout denying the negative, and to channel their energy toward what they can control, rather than what is out of their control. Teaching activity: Host a “savoring party.” Invite some kids and their parents to your house and ask each to bring something for the group to savor. It could be food, a piece of art, clay, a kaleidoscope -- anything that brings enjoyment. Place the items on the floor and provide paper and crayons. Ask each parent/child team to pick an item and write down in five minutes as many words as they can think of to describe what they are savoring. Give each team First Step Preschool, Inc. 454 Pulis Avenue • Franklin Lakes We are now enrolling for September 2010 Small Class Sizes with an Academic Curriculum Ages 2½ - 6 Years PM K-Enrichment Class 201-847-8198 Please visit our website: ﬁrststeppreschoolnj.com the opportunity to share their lists. Emotional awareness is a building block for a healthy emotional life. This skill is the ability to identify and express one’s own feelings and to empathize with others. Teaching activity: Choose a feeling with your child and then help him or her find pictures from magazines, family photos, drawings, or words that illustrate that feeling. Create a collage and hang it in your home. Hope leads to the drive to set and pursue goals, take prudent risks, and initiate action. Children who are taught hope learn problem-solving and how to develop personal strengths and social resources. Teaching activity: Create a “My Goal Road Map.” Help your child choose a realistic, achievable goal. Print “My Goal Road Map” on a large sheet of paper and have your child write a specific sentence describing the goal beneath the title. Circle the sentence and decorate it so it is clear this is where your child wants to go. Write the word “start” in the bottom right-hand corner and draw a series of footprints between the word “start” and the goal in the upper left-hand corner. In each footprint, help your child write a description of a step he or she can take toward the goal. Resilience is critical to a successful, happy life. It is the ability to bounce back from setbacks, learn from failure, find motivation in challenges, and believe in your own abilities to deal with the stresses and difficulties of life. Teaching activity: Focus on praising not just your child’s successes, but the process he or she followed to achieve success. For example, if they perform well on a test, instead of saying, “You’re so smart,” try, “You studied really hard for that test.” Empowerment: Children with the ability to believe in themselves know they are effective in the world. Having learned their own strengths and weaknesses, they rely on their strengths to handle life’s challenges. Teaching activity: Turn everyday activities into a mastering moment for your child. Choose activities like returning a library book or going to the market and give your child a job to do. For example, at the market have your child count all the yellow items in your basket. When cleaning up, have your child pick up everything that is square or blue. LITTLE DRAGONS & TINY TIGERS A Whole Lot More Than Kicking and Punching 3, 4 and 5 Year Olds  Increased Self Esteem  Self Confidence  Social Skills  Focus and  Sportsmanship  Stranger Danger  Exercise Concentration  Hand-Eye 1-13-10  Fun! Fun! Fun!  Self Discipline Coordination �� In The Villadom TIMES, you’ll get the exposure you need in 56,300 homes right in your market area. And, as always, your Villadom TIMES advertising message is conveniently delivered each week by US mail to every residence in the 12 Bergen County towns listed below. 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