The correct methods for parents to cultivate their children's willpower are very important. For example, trust your child, say more encouraging words to them, and set a good example. Parents are the role models for their children, and many of the children's virtues are directly learned from their parents. Therefore, parents should present an image of perseverance in the face of difficulties in front of their children. We can also cleverly arrange some activities and overcome difficulties together with our children until the end. Because they can face difficulties together with their parents, the children's enthusiasm will be high. In addition, appropriately setting up challenging activities for children to participate in is also a form of exercise.
2. Children who cannot concentrate
Some children cannot concentrate, which worries many parents. To prevent children's attention from being distracted, it is necessary to eliminate the interference of irrelevant stimuli. When a child is engaged in a certain activity, the surrounding environment should be kept as quiet as possible, the layout should be neat and beautiful, and the child must be familiar with the environment they are in. Adults should try to minimize their speech, lower their voices, and preferably use gestures to hint, so as not to interfere with the child's activity. At the same time, establish a reasonable rest schedule so that the child gets adequate rest and sleep, which is a condition for ensuring that the child has sufficient energy to engage in various activities.
3. Beware of improper use of pens leading to myopia
We can see children wearing glasses everywhere, which seems to have become a serious problem. Once a child wears glasses, they will never be able to take them off, which is a serious issue. Since some automatic pencils have finer lead, if not enough force is applied while writing, the handwriting will be lighter, causing the child to need to get closer to see clearly. If too much force is used, the lead breaks easily, so the child has to hold the pen vertically to prevent the fine lead from breaking. When writing vertically, the thumb blocks the tip of the pen, affecting the line of sight, so the child has to tilt their head to write, which over time can lead to myopia.
4. Music makes children smarter
Music can regulate brain function, enhance children's thinking ability and imagination. Listening to music regularly not only helps children enhance and restore memory but also cultivates a noble character and gives them encouragement and strength. Musical training for children should be integrated into daily life. For instance, waking up the child can involve choosing lively and cheerful music, gradually increasing the volume from low, and relatively fixing the music so that the child forms a regular conditioned reflex. If the child cries without illness, you can try comforting them with music and sway according to the melody and rhythm of the music.
5. Passing the apple mini-game
Parents prepare a picnic mat, several small balls (larger ocean balls can also be used), and a small basket. First, lay out the beautiful picnic mat on the grass and take off your shoes. Place the basket at the other end of the picnic mat. The mother and child sit opposite each other on the picnic mat, about 50 centimeters apart (the distance can be increased depending on the child’s age). The mother throws the ball representing an apple to the child (or rolls it across the ground), the child catches it, and then puts it in the basket. If the father participates, the mother can push the ball to the child, the child pushes it to the father, and finally, the father puts the ball in the basket.
6. Games help children overcome procrastination
Procrastination is not conducive to improving children's learning efficiency, rapid response ability, and agility of thought. We can use some interesting mini-games, such as competing with the child to pick mung beans. The parent places a pot of rice on the table, mixed with some mung beans, and the father and child compete to see who picks them faster and more accurately, while the mother counts aloud, stopping when she reaches 50. Regularly playing this type of game can train the child to fully excite their nerves and concentrate their spirit while doing tasks, cultivating the habit of working efficiently.
7. Bad habits in children can cause misaligned teeth
Sucking fingers, biting fingers, biting tongues, or chewing things can all affect the alignment of teeth. If a child likes to sleep with their hand, elbow, or fist under one side of their face, it can also affect the alignment of their teeth. Additionally, after a child's baby teeth fall out or if there is decay on one side, they may prefer to chew food with the healthier side, forming a habit of unilateral chewing, which can cause the midline of the lower front teeth to shift towards the chewing side. To prevent malocclusion, it is necessary to reduce these "dangerous behaviors" in children. After the child begins to grow teeth, regular oral examinations should be conducted to detect and correct problems early.
8. Letting children understand guilt
When a child picks a bouquet of flowers from the garden or a neighbor's house, don't think it's a trivial matter; let the child know they've made a mistake and feel guilty. "Go apologize to Auntie next door, buy her some flowers with your allowance, and she'll like it." Using this method, the child will experience a sense of guilt after doing something wrong. Letting the child apologize and compensate with their allowance also teaches them a way to alleviate guilt. Of course, the severity of the incident should not be exaggerated; excessive guilt can turn into a sense of sin, which is detrimental to the child's mental health.
9. Crying children
In life, for children who cry often, parents should not give them everything they want just because they cry, leading them to have the wrong idea that crying gets them what they want. When soothing a crying child, parents should not focus solely on the crying itself, for example, saying things like "Stop crying, we'll go play on the street later." Instead, parents should first acknowledge the child's feelings at the moment, understand their emotions, and encourage them to do better. When a child cries due to social interaction issues, parents can share their own feelings and insights with the child, teaching them the correct ways to express themselves and interact with others.
10. Weak-willed children
Parental over-protection is one of the important reasons for children developing weak personalities. Therefore, parents should let go and allow children to do what they are capable of doing, such as folding their own quilts. Even if the child does it poorly, it doesn't matter; after a few tries, they will get better. A child's personality is most evident in games and daily life, and this is also the best way to correct bad personalities. Children love to imitate, so we should give them more opportunities to interact with peers, allowing weak-willed children to frequently play with bold and brave friends, gradually getting trained.
11. Cultivating children's self-confidence
Self-confidence greatly influences people's motivation, attitude, and behavior. A child's self-confidence usually appears around the age of 3-4 years old, and cultivating it has profound significance for their entire life. Therefore, we should pay attention to the tone we use when speaking to children. Not only should we praise them when they do well, but we should also encourage them after they make efforts, even if they do not reach the expected goal. Additionally, we should promptly identify and correct the child's misconceptions, show genuine love, and hold them in our arms to tell them we are proud of them.
12. Selfish children
Nowadays, most children are only children, and their sense of ownership naturally tends to be strong. Therefore, we should let children interact more with other kids, learning to share toys or food together, enjoying the happiness of being with other playmates through playing and eating. Exchanging items is also a good method. Moreover, we can take children out more to interact with crowds, see animals, and develop their compassion, making their psychology healthy. It is important not to force children to do things they are unwilling to do, and parents should communicate more with their children to understand their inner world.
13. Winter care for children
As the weather turns cooler, both the child's resistance and delicate skin require careful attention from parents. Good hygiene habits such as keeping warm, washing hands, and drinking more water should be cultivated. In winter, especially, physical exercise should be strengthened to improve the child's constitution and prevent asthma. Viral infections are common in winter, so if the child shows symptoms such as fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, headache, and abdominal pain, timely checks should be performed to prevent any mishaps. Bathing in winter should pay attention to cold prevention, and finally, remember to apply appropriate lotion to the child, applying it gently.
14. Pay attention to children's diet in winter
Children have weaker immunity and resistance, making them prone to illness, so we should pay attention to their diet. First, a balanced diet is essential. Some children dislike vegetables, so mothers let them eat more meat, which is highly undesirable. A child's diet must be reasonably paired, and they should consume more coarse grains like corn, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, as well as vegetables and fruits. Second, dinner time should be fixed. After dinner, the child's physical activity significantly decreases, and if dinner is too late, it can easily lead to indigestion. Dinner should generally be around 6 PM, allowing the food in the stomach to digest before bedtime.
15. Crying children
Whether boys or girls, crying is a normal way to express emotions. When a child cries, parents should not scold them or blame themselves, but rather hug them and wait quietly for them to finish crying. They can also divert the child's attention by mentioning something that usually attracts them after showing understanding. Importantly, parents should pay attention to how the child expresses positive attitudes. For example, a child may not readily say "yes" but will nod lightly. Parents can amplify and prolong the child's happiness through their own positive emotions, subtly suggesting that the child is a happy and friendly baby.
16. Teaching children to respect others
A successful strategy for educating children to respect others is for parents to be exceptionally patient, tolerant, and calm. Allow the child to do things independently while realizing that they are attentively observing every action we take. They observe how we define respect, establish standards for respect, and react carefully and authoritatively when they inevitably challenge these standards. Even when they do not deserve forgiveness, we still show tolerance. Through these actions, children learn more than parents imagine.
17. Cultivating children's self-care abilities
Most children today are only children and receive meticulous care at home, resulting in poor self-care abilities. We can let children do appropriate household chores, such as wiping tables, sweeping the floor, or tidying up toys with mom, inviting friends over, preparing with the child, organizing the house, preparing candy, and telling friends about the child's labor, reinforcing the child's labor awareness through praise from guests, and enhancing their self-care abilities through repeated practice.
18. Children prone to heatiness in winter
Cold and dry weather lowers children's immunity, making them susceptible to heatiness. We should avoid giving children too much heat-inducing food, such as chocolate, fried foods, and cookies, and parents should take precautions. When a child becomes heaty, seek medical attention promptly, paying close attention to medication since many adult medications are unsuitable for children. Ensure the child rests more, drinks more plain water, and consumes less greasy food, focusing on light meals.
19. Small plane flying in the sky
At home, prepare some posters or old newspapers. Parents and children fold small planes together using posters or old newspapers. Parents ask: "Shall we send the small plane flying?" Demonstrate the throwing motion, and let the child attempt to imitate. Once the child is proficient, parents can play the game of throwing planes with the child, seeing whose plane flies higher and farther. This game develops the child's arm-throwing ability.
20. Humble children
When teaching children humility, we sometimes force them to give their favorite toys to younger children or visitors, ignoring their feelings. If it is not voluntary, we should not force the child. Children need to express their own thoughts; they may lose friendships after disputes, leading to further understanding of humility. We can also tell children stories about humility in everyday life, letting them truly understand its meaning and voluntarily act humbly.
21. Children eating too much sugar affects attention
If a child feels inexplicably irritable and cannot concentrate, it may be related to excessive consumption of sweets. Excessive sugar leads to a significant increase in pyruvate and lactic acid metabolites, requiring large amounts of vitamin B1 to accelerate the excretion of these metabolites. When vitamin B1 intake is insufficient, pyruvate and other sugar metabolites accumulate in the brain, causing inattention in children. Therefore, for children whose inattention is caused by sugar consumption, strictly control their intake of sweets and actively induce them to eat more foods containing vitamin B1.
22. Find patterns mini-game
This game mainly involves children learning to arrange items according to a certain pattern, cultivating creativity and reasoning ability. Before the game, prepare several beads of multiple colors, five beads of each color. Buttons or chess pieces can be used as substitutes. The game is played in two rounds. In the first round (five red and green beads), place the beads horizontally in sequence: red bead, green bead, red bead, green bead, red bead, and ask the child what color bead comes next. Let the child arrange the remaining five beads accordingly. In the second round, use different colored beads, following a similar method as the first round. The game can be repeated until the child understands the pattern.
23. Counting fun mini-game
First, ask the baby to randomly pick up small stones and place them on the table. Then, ask the parents to take some more and place them on the other side of the table. Ask the baby to visually estimate which side has more stones. After the baby answers, invite them to count the stones on both sides and write down the numbers. Then verify if the initial visual estimation was correct. You can also ask the baby: "How many more stones are there on the side with more?" This game allows the baby to initially perceive changes in quantity through visual estimation and then confirm the amount through actual numbers, helping the baby establish a clear concept of quantity.
24. Stubborn children
Facing a child's stubbornness, parents should avoid being violent. Treating the child's demands violently is unwise, and refusal requires skill. Parents should first maintain a good and firm psychological state, not thinking that refusing the child will cause harm; on the contrary, it is the best education for them. Facing the child's initial unreasonable requests, parents must firmly say "no" without any hesitation. Let the child understand what are reasonable and unreasonable requests. If the first unreasonable request is refused, the next time, the child will not make "unreasonable" demands.
25. Prevent respiratory diseases in winter
The temperature fluctuates significantly in winter, especially the large difference between indoor and outdoor temperatures, making children prone to respiratory diseases, even pneumonia. Therefore, winter care for children is very important. Adjust clothing appropriately based on temperature changes, especially in northern regions where it is warm indoors but cold outside. Avoid taking the child outdoors when they are sweating. Children should not go out when it is particularly cold; instead, take them out during noon when the sun is out and the weather is warmer. We should minimize bringing children to public places, as bacteria and viruses are easily cross-infected there.
26. Helping children build confidence
When helping children build confidence, we should not rush. Start by finding the child's strengths and slowly guide them to recognize their own strengths, affirming themselves and understanding that everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, gradually improve the child's performance and abilities in areas of weakness. For example, through competitions with parents, parents can pretend to be worse than the child, making them feel at least stronger than their parents, and then gradually raise the requirements, allowing the child to gain confidence through continuous challenges.
27. Magical microphone
The mother holds a brightly colored microphone, tapping herself while singing, and then asks the child to imitate and attempt to produce sounds. We can start with the simplest monosyllables, gradually extending the syllables, thereby increasing the child's memory content. Over time, the child will be able to repeat accurately and completely. This game exercises the child's short-term memory and helps them overcome shyness, encouraging them to speak boldly in front of others.
28. Etiquette education for children
Polite children are loved by everyone, and learning etiquette is a repetitive process, so we should provide more opportunities for practice. Some children are introverted and unwilling to greet people. Forcing them might backfire; instead, temporarily abandon the effort and set an example through our own behavior. Parents' actions are more effective than words in teaching children what they should do. Therefore, anything we expect from children, we should do first, providing a good model for them to learn and imitate.
29. Games to cultivate babies' attention
At home, prepare colorful puzzle pieces for the baby (not too many). First, demonstrate how to play, then mix up the puzzle pieces and see if the baby can reassemble them. We can also find a narrow-mouthed bottle and some colorful beads, asking the baby to put the beads into the bottle one by one and record how long it takes for them to complete the task. These games not only cultivate the baby's attention but also make them more patient.
30. Prevention of children's halitosis
Start from daily life to prevent children's halitosis. Cultivate the habit of oral hygiene from a young age, rinse after meals, brush teeth morning and night. Maintain a regular diet, eat more vegetables and fruits, balance coarse and fine foods, avoid picky eating, partial eating, and binge eating. Prevent indigestion; when indigestion occurs, appropriate digestive aids and gastrointestinal motility drugs can be taken. Pay attention to preventing and treating cavities and misalignment in a timely manner. Eat less sugary foods, especially no sugary foods before bed. Persistent halitosis in children should not be delayed; consult experienced doctors for detailed examination.
31. Benefits of children eating filled noodles
Filled noodles contain various nutrients needed by children and can complement various nutrients. Since various fresh meats, eggs, fish, shrimp, and seasonal fresh vegetables are used as fillings, along with seasonings children like, filled noodles have a unique flavor, being extra fragrant and appetizing, thus increasing appetite. Eating filled noodles regularly can prevent children from developing selective eating habits. Children who dislike meat can supplement high-quality proteins well, while those who like meat can supplement various vitamins and inorganic salts. Therefore, children eating more filled noodles has many benefits.
32. Shy children
For shy children, we should not criticize, scare, or force them to greet people or play with other children. Instead, let them relax, accept their character or tolerate their behavior at this stage. Do not regard shyness as a wrong behavior, show dissatisfaction, or suggest that others dislike them because of this behavior. Treat it with a normal heart, letting the child know that not greeting others or not playing with other children temporarily is not a big problem. Often, after the age of three, children will naturally integrate into their small circle.
33. Growing pains in children
Growing pains occur mainly due to excessive activity causing rapid growth of long bones, leading to asynchronous development of muscles and ligaments, causing pain. However, growing pains are not a serious issue, and parents need not worry. The key to preventing growing pains is to reasonably control the child's activity level. Rest when tired, and the pain will ease. Parents can also use massage to relieve pain, but be cautious not to apply too much force, causing soft tissue damage. Heat application, physiotherapy, etc., can also relieve pain. Soak the child's calves and feet in hot water before sleeping every night.
34. Teaching children humility
Understanding humility broadens the mind, so we should teach children humility from a young age. When playing with children in playgrounds or other environments, if situations requiring humility arise, discuss with the child whether humility is necessary, why it is necessary, and why it is not. Inspire the child to analyze specific situations, helping them establish a standard of right and wrong. Parents should also set examples, such as mutual humility between spouses and avoiding arguments over trivial matters, allowing children to subconsciously learn good habits of humility.
35. Wonderful pocket
Prepare a pocket containing various shapes of cookies such as circles, triangles, squares, apples, oranges, etc. Let the baby reach into the pocket and touch, describing what they feel. The parent mentions a shape, and the baby finds the corresponding object. The parent mentions a number, and the baby finds the corresponding quantity of objects. Arrange the food in a plate following a certain pattern, guiding the baby to follow. Taste the food, describe its shape while eating, count how many are eaten, how many remain. This game reinforces the baby's understanding of shapes and counting skills.
36. Shyness affects children's social interactions
Shyness can make children feel inferior, unable to make friends, and difficult to communicate with peers in kindergarten, leading to a strong sense of loneliness. Parents should encourage children, help them build confidence and courage, enabling them to express themselves confidently. Encourage children to participate in group activities or interesting events, allowing them to showcase themselves better in front of others, gradually overcoming shyness, and becoming more outgoing.
37. Caution in administering medicine to children
When children have common illnesses, parents often buy over-the-counter medicines from pharmacies for treatment. Although these are minor ailments, drug safety should be noted: pay attention to the dosage of the medicine. All medicines have side effects, and even over-the-counter medicines should not be abused. Dosage should be appropriately reduced based on the child's age, body weight, and other factors as per the instructions. Pay attention to the duration of treatment; generally, continue for two days after symptoms disappear. Seek medical advice if unsure. Administering medicine to children should be done cautiously, benefiting their growth.
38. Teaching children gratitude
Children are active, imitative, and moldable, easily accepting information from the outside world. Parents' words and actions, consciously or unconsciously, are observed by the child, gradually influencing their behavior. When the child cares for or helps parents in daily life, parents should appropriately thank and encourage the child. This way of expressing gratitude not only teaches through words and actions, making the child personally experience the parents' gratitude, but also allows the child to feel the joy of giving. Therefore, the exemplary behavior of parents is crucial in guiding children to express gratitude.
39. Big and small watermelon game
Parents and children stand facing each other. The parent says "big watermelon," and the child makes the gesture for "small watermelon." The parent says "small watermelon," and the child makes the gesture for "big watermelon." Incorrect players are eliminated, and the last one standing wins. After two rounds, switch roles and choose other words like tall, fat, thin for the game. Playing this game frequently enhances emotional exchange between parents and children, fosters interest in learning, and trains reaction speed.