ParentsWorld June 2023

The Ripple Effect

Lakshmi Narayan

T here once was a man, a decent sort, who wanted to become a prophet, change the world and make people behave in a nicer way. But every time he opened his mouth, people either yawned or sidled away, or worse still, teased and needled him. The few that listened, misrepresented his teachings so […]

learning Differently

Everyody these days knows that learning is a lifelong process. But consciously have you thought of learning with your child? Learning together can give you both deeper insights and a rich bonding experience. With many calls on your time, especially time with your child, it makes good sense to attempt to learn together. Here are […]

Teacher troubles

Anitha Bennett

My child often doesn’t understand what her teacher teaches in class. What should I do?
Before you confront the teacher, you need to do some homework yourself. Find out if your child doesn’t like a particular subject. Most kids who dislike a subject end up closing their ears however well the teacher teaches. Or […]

Close-up,Of,A,Mother,Hugging,Her,Children

Listen to children’s fears

Nisha Daniel

When confronted with a child’s fear, we often attend to it cursorily and push it out of our minds. But it’s useful to remember that your child’s fear is very real and she lives with it day in and day out. Therefore it’s important to spend time, thought and discussion to putting her fears […]

Happy,Family,In,Room,With,Cardboard,Boxes,On,Moving,Day

Declutter Day

Having a family Declutter Day once a month helps the whole family. Get every member of the family to sort through their things and collect clothes, toys and other objects they want to throw or give away. They can be brought to a common area. If other familly members would like to use any of […]

Helping children deal with sibling rivalry

PW invited parents of Indus Altum International School, Belagavi to share insights on how they help children overcome sibling rivalry

“To maintain a happy environment at home, it becomes imperative to understand the origin of any conflict between my daughters Aarna (class V) and Anushka (LKG), and then try to resolve it by keeping calm and […]

Urgent need for urban planners

A heavy and onerous responsibility of drawing up detailed blueprints for the construction of new towns and cities has devolved upon professionally qualified urban planners

With India’s urban population slated to increase from 377 million currently to 600 million by 2030, and the number of urban households predicted to rise from 22 million to 91 million […]

Heart to Heart

Dear Parent

We all want our children to be all-rounders. Teacher’s pet, the most popular kid in class who aces academics with ease and shines in extra-curriculars as well.

But is it really so important to be an all-rounder? What about introverted inventors who gifted hundreds of inventions to the world? What about school drop-outs whose art […]

Caring,Mother,Comforting,Her,Teenage,Daughter,,Both,Sitting,On,The

Red Alert! Rising tide of child & youth suicides

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, over 13,000 children & youth committed suicide in 2021 — a five-year high and a rise of 4.5 percent from the 12,526 deaths recorded in 2020 when a minor died by suicide every 42 minutes writes Khushboo Nehaal Jashnani, Mini P. & Cynthia John

On April 19, the New […]

Readjusting to Normative schooling

PW invited parents of Glendale Academy, Hyderabad to share insights on how the school helped their children readjust to normative schooling

“The past year came with a new set of challenges when my daughter Zunaira Fatima (class X) returned to school after two years of pandemic-induced schools shutdown and online classes. Glendale Academy has done commendable […]

8 exercises to release muscle tension

During the course of a day, the body experiences stress and strain performing routine activities. Muscles experience strain and shoulders, back and hips could become stiff. Being seated or standing for long time durations or sleeping in the wrong position could also cause stiffness, pain and fatigue. It’s necessary to release muscle tightness, to relax […]

School Lunchbox RECIPES

With the new academic year set to begin in June-July, we present four healthy and nutritious school lunch box meals you can rustle up quickly: writes Khushboo Nehaal Jashnani

PROTEIN RICH PANEER TIKKI

Ingredients
• 1 cup crumbled or grated paneer
• ½ cup grated carrot
• ½ capsicum
• ¼ cup onion
• ½ tsp […]

Sentimental safari

Natural smorgasbord of New Zealand

With a population density of merely 19 people per sq. km, this outpost of western civilization in the antipodes presents a topography of natural wonders including alpine glaciers, rugged mountains, sparkling lakes, steaming volcanoes and tropical rainforests. It is increasingly drawing Indian tourists

The two western outposts in the Antipodes — the distant down-under countries […]

Putting a positive spin with ANTANAGOGE

Roopa Banerjee

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” When someone wants to put a positive spin on a negative outcome, we oft hear this line. It suggests a negative (lemon) and follows up with a positive (lemonade). This is a clever way of using the literary device antanagoge defined as balancing a negative with a […]

After starting school, my daughter is often falling sick. Help!

For the past one week, my three-year-old daughter has been running a mild to moderate fever at night. I searched on Google, and it seems the symptoms point to typhoid. Please advise.
— Shilpi Ravindra, Hyderabad
I strongly urge you and all parents to desist from turning to the Internet for medical diagnosis of children’s […]

News Bytes

Junk food increases heart attack risk in children
Excess consumption of junk food and decreased physical activity are the main reasons why there’s a spike in heart attacks among school children, say Delhi-based paediatricians. “The fast food culture is growing in our country, which I believe is the main reason behind such conditions,” says Dr. […]

5 ways to prepare your first-born for a sibling

Parents should begin preparing the first-born early for the birth of a sibling. Here are some guidelines Khushboo Nehaal Jashnani

Sibling rivalry begins early, often before birth of the little brother/sister. Children are often cautioned against ‘troubling’ their pregnant mother, and thus seeds of resentment and alienation are sown. The older child is told: “Don’t disturb […]

“Parents of children with special needs SHOULD BE POSITIVE”

May 14 was celebrated as Mother’s Day worldwide including in India. In this Mother’s Day special feature, Aruna Raghuram interviewed Dr. Sumithra Prasad, founder of the DORAI Foundation, Chennai and mother of social entrepreneur Srinivasa Prasad (31), a person with special needs

In 1991 when Srinivasa aka Sahitya was born prematurely, the doctor predicted that […]

Ways to break smartphone ADDICTION

My four-year-old son spends much of the day watching cartoons and videos on the smartphone. I am worried! Can this excess screen time affect his brain development? Also recommend some ways to cut back on screen time.
— Girija Ganesh, Hyderabad

Digital addiction among children is a common 21st century malaise. It’s now well-established that prolonged […]

Improve your child’s reading skills using phonics

There are several excellent books which enable children to read faster and better using phonics. They usually incorporate activities and stories designed to develop a good understanding of phonics and language. With the new school year starting this month, we present our 4 top recommendations writes Poornima Dilip

Jolly Kids Phonetic Reader
Sheth Publishing. Age group: […]

Mailbox

Important life skill
Inspired by your Health and Nutrition section on summer coolers (PW April), on a particularly hot day last week, my daughter rustled up an appetizing lemon-mint punch! She even greased the rim of the glass with tangy lime and chaat masala. Thank you for sharing simple recipes which children can manage. Learning […]

Letter from managing editor

A wave of student suicides is sweeping India, and there’s a danger of it assuming tsunami proportions. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), over 13,000 students committed suicide in 2021 — a five-year high and a rise of 4.5 percent from the 12,526 deaths recorded in 2020 when a student died by suicide […]