Improving Handwriting Basics in Children

Lots of kids suffer from writing woes due to poor handwriting skills. A child begins writing very young, at first he starts with just scribbles and uses crayons and then he learns to write very basic initial letters with pencils and then later on he switches to pens. Kids are taught cursive with all those swooping and swirling letters but all kids are not able to grasp them well. The reasons could be many like lack of practice, wrong pencil and hand alignment, short- term concentration etc. Parents and teachers by identifying problem at very initial stage can cure it then and there. It will prevent the problem from growing further. It is important to have good foundation and basics for handwriting skills.

Cursive writing is considered as key solution for problems related to handwriting. It is basically writing with graceful loops and perfectly joined letters that eventually brings improvement in the child’s writing. But, it requires lot of practice, what lots of kids fail to do. Today, Cursive is kind of a lost art and less people expertise it.

Many children don’t have proper hand and pen alignment that is they don’t grasp pen/pencil well. Many children hold pen in hooked grasp method, where the wrist is bending forward. This positions child's fingers above his writing and allows him to see what he is writing.  This is a very bad position for writing since it does not allow finger control for good formation of letter. Another, wrong way of holding pencil is using ulnar grasp, where child holds the pencil between his thumb with all four fingers along the shaft. This grasp is adverse and obstructs writing.

For improving handwriting, teachers can give certain fun writing activities at home.  For example, writing letters with cream and jello, focusing on forming letters correctly and consistently.

If a child tries all these tips but still is not able to improve, then he must seek professional help. For children with serious writing problems, they can look for help from occupational therapists. Some kids use and benefit from occupational therapy that helps them with handwriting skills.

Adults should time – again encourage child to write better. If care is taken from the beginning it becomes easier for the child to develop a good writing style. Constant guidance and support can really help child to develop a handwriting, which he can be proud of in future.

ANNUAL DAY CELEBRATION OF PRESIDIUM

Presidium hosted the Annual Day event 2011-2012 in support of its NGO, Sparsh on 18th, 19th and 20th of November at Siri Fort auditorium. The mega event was graced by eminent guests - Smt. Arti Mehra, Former Mayor, Delhi; Sh. K. Rahman Khan Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha; Sh. Sri Prakash Jaiswal, Coal Minister, Govt. of India; Sh. Anurag Thakur, National President, BJYM; Sh. Ismail Darbar, Renowned Musician & Sh. Vijender Gupta, President, BJP Delhi.

Every year Presidium showcases the wondrous talent of children through various performances and thereby instills confidence in them, so that they can move ahead and realize their dreams. Based on this belief was this year’s Annual Day Theme: 'I am because I aim'. It conveys the message that Prideens believe and strive to be what they want to be. Therefore, Annual Day was an attempt to cheer them and prepare them for what they aim.

The mammoth event was inspiring and full of enthusiasm. Parents and grandparents witnessed the spectacular performances by the students. Various academies performed to the best of their ability such as Dance Academy performed on Archway to Heaven, Rise of the Academies, Retro Dazel, Atulya Bharat and Razzmatazz. The academy mesmerized the parents with their breathtaking choreography. The theater academy performed on- ‘I stand for India’ and ‘we know our epics’.  The Music Academy touched the chords by performances of ‘Nightingales of Presidium’. The Social Cause Academy performed on ‘Discover Humanity’ and the Sports Academy on ‘Olympians of Presidium’. The audience was spell bound by their inspirational performances and they even cheered for the little children. 

The performance by special children 
of Savera Special School and Presidians was a beautiful amalgamation of our stand to Raise the Humanity. Since, Presidium is also working for the betterment of society through Sparsh, an NGO dedicated to the cause of less privileged sections of the society. This annual day was not just about celebration but a dedication towards humanity, that’s why a cheque of Rs 51lakhs was presented to Sparsh on behalf of the entire Presidium family.Mrs. Sudha Gupta, renowned parenting expert and chairperson of Presidium expressed her excitement, “We all have gathered here to celebrate the biggest event of the year or as I call it the ‘Festival of Presidium’. Our school has established itself as one of the topmost schools in Delhi/NCR in just 5 years. This wouldn’t have been possible without the passion, dedication and commitment of the entire team of Presidium, especially the teachers. I thank all for making Presidium what it is today.”

Importance of recognizing and handling emotions in children

Identifying and labeling emotions is an important component while growing up. In fact, emotional regulation is essential for children’s overall well being.   Parents need to teach their kids to handle emotions that will help them to foster healthy interactions with the environment around them.

For parents it takes lot of patience and perseverance to raise emotionally healthy children.  Along with that, one needs warm and nurturing bond with the children. No matter how much guidance parents may provide, the children are going to feel sad, afraid, anxious and angry as they may fall into emotional conflicts from time to time. Parents need to remember that they don't have to solve every emotional problem of the child. Let the child handle and experience emotions himself.

Generally, child ranging from age 1 to 16 shows temper tantrums, anger, stumping, door slamming, stubbornness, crying etc. Amongst teenagers silent treatment is very common as most of them may feel shy and timid. Helping children appropriately to manage and express their feelings is an important part of parenting.

Why emotional regulation is important?

Emotional regulation exactly means the ability to process and express range of emotions and ability to react in an appropriate way. Children experience different emotions and they are not able to comprehend them well as they don’t understand what to do when they feel a particular way.

Young children might also misinterpret other’s emotions and get confused, for example, they might not able to distinguish between sadness and anger at times. This makes it very important for adults to communicate their feelings to the children.

If a child knows, how to aptly handle emotions he can lead much more flourishing life and it impacts child’s social, emotional and cognitive development in a positive way.

Problems children face due to ineffective emotion handling- 

•    Such children are usually less socially competent and don’t easily mingle well.

•    May face difficulty in coping with stressful situations.

•    May show aggressive or ego-centric behaviors

•    Such child may exhibit a limited range of emotions

•    Display of negative emotions and outbursts

•    Impacts school life and they become less productive in the classroom.

Benefits of good emotional regulation skills-

•    Such children are able to display experience and manage a range of emotions.

•    They mingle socially well

•    Adjust well when there is change and transition from mood to another

•    Show a high tolerance in crisis