January 13, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 9 Schools Now Registering Five vital skills for kids and tips for teaching them (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 unrealistic and probably stressful expectations on themselves, and that those expectations may hinder their ability to impart important life skills to their children.” Reivich is a top advisor and contributor to the Fishful Thinking program (www.FishfulThinking.com), a parenting resource that provides simple strategies that parents can use to help raise children with a positive outlook and who can confidently handle the challenges that come their way. Fishful Thinking focuses on five key skills: optimism, resilience, goal setting/hope, empowerment, and emotional awareness. Developing optimism helps children focus on the positive, without denying the negative, and to channel their energy toward what they can control, rather than what is out of their control. Optimistic people work toward creating positive change. 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 music, art, clay, a kaleidoscope -- anything that brings enjoyment. Place the items to be savored 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 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. Paste them on a piece of paper and post the collage 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 short description of a step he or she can take toward reaching 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 everyday 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 the play room, have your child pick up everything that is square or blue. First Step Preschool, Inc. 454 Pulis Avenue • Franklin Lakes We are now enrolling for Green Twig School OPEN HOUSES Mondays in January 18 & 25 9:30-11:00 1:00-2:30 (No Appointment Necessary) 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 Nursery Pre-Kindergarten Optional Kindergarten Kindergarten Enrichment Classes forming this January 2010. Please call for info. 30 Paterson Ave. MIDLAND PARK 201-445-0747 www.greentwigschool.com 1-13-10 Pat from Janine FirstStepPreschool2x3(1-13-10) 2 col x 3” 1-13-10 Ester/Janine GreenTwigOpenHouse2x3(1-13-10) 2col x 3”