help children learn Archives - Page 3 of 3

Boost Your Child’s Spatial Intelligence

December 3, 2013 by James Rheine.

Have you pondered on what constitute the building blocks to a child’s development? Everyone is gifted with all nine types of intelligence as espoused by the Dr. Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. It goes without saying that every single type of intelligence can be developed.

If you think your child is a spatial learner and you aim to strengthen your child’s capacity to think in images and pictures and visualize accurately and abstractly, you might want to check out an article in GrowingWithYourChild, which lists 5 activities that can help you boost your child’s spatial intelligence.

Children Know the World is Round, But It Has Edges

November 22, 2013 by James Rheine.

Children know the world is round. After all, it’s a concept that has been driven home into their heads for as long as anyone can remember. However, while children appear to understand that the earth is indeed round, this fact still does not reconcile with how kids view the world. At least that is what Kristina R. Olson says in an article for Psychology Today.

7 Less Thought-of Reasons To Instill A Love Of Reading In Your Children

October 29, 2013 by James Rheine.

It is natural for children who are in school to associate reading with schoolwork and homework. Reading, however, offers so much more, and it’s best that your kids know that. In an article for The Huffington Post, Laura Schocker lists down 7 less thought-of reasons why you must instill a love of reading in your children. And, mind you, the reasons she brings up are all backed by science, so there’s a lot of weight behind them.

An Awesome Guide To Develop Critical Thinking Skills

September 24, 2013 by James Rheine.

If we want to live in a society that works, it is essential for all of us to possess critical thinking. Without critical thinking, we’d essentially be robots going through the motions in life. We all must learn how to evaluate everything we see, read and hear, and decide whether we agree or disagree based on that analysis.

Like most life skills, critical thinking can be developed. An awesome 4-step guide to critical thinking skills posted by Jeff Dunn for EduDemic might just be able to help in that regard.

Physical Activity Could Boost Grades, Says Study

September 13, 2013 by James Rheine.

Coming at a time when many schools are implementing cuts on physical education programs, a new study conducted by the Institute of the National Academies reveals that more physical activity could boost grades of kids in school and make them happier as well.

As reported by EducationNews, the new study—and other studies before it—have shown that students absorb and process information more efficiently, concentrate better and achieve higher scores on standardized tests compared to sedentary students when they engage in physical activity during the day.

The study might make educators rethink the cuts on physical education programs, but they could find themselves in a dilemma since many schools have adopted more rigorous academic standards, which would naturally require more time. There’s also the fact that schools themselves have been limited by budget cuts for years.

Read the full article here.

Mindfulness Training For More Peaceful Schools

August 29, 2013 by James Rheine.

Much has been said and written about the success of the Buddhist concept of mindfulness in the Western world ever since Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn developed a more secular version called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

Among adults, there is plenty of evidence that it’s very effective at reducing chronic pain, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, improving one’s stress management abilities, and alleviating anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and even eating disorders.

In contrast, there is very little research about its effects on children, but encouraging results of conducting mindfulness trainings in schools might change that. Jill Suttie writes about these positive effects of mindfulness trainings in schools in an article for GreaterGood.

Study Shows The Impact of Reading On The Brain

August 10, 2013 by James Rheine.

Jane Austen is widely considered to have written some of the greatest English novels of all time. However, it’s one of her lesser-known works that is playing a key role in proving to one and all that literary reading indeed provides people’s brains a good workout. An innovative interdisciplinary study at Stanford University had participants read Austen’s Mansfield Park in two differing manners, all while inside an MRI machine. Its preliminary findings on the impact of reading on the brain, needless to say, are quite interesting.