【推荐1】Your preschooler is painting with fingers. Trying to be encouraging, you ask her, “What are you making with this mix of colors?” and she shrugs (耸肩). Until you mentioned it, she hadn’t given it any though.     1     They love the way it feels when they pour paint on paper, how it looks when they wildly drop glitter, and even the soft sound a brush makes as it crosses the page.

Most preschoolers aren’t self-conscious about what they’re doing or focused on creating a finished product.     2     But letting go — and allowing kids to enjoy the process of creation — can harvest big rewards. Children will be better off in the long run if they’re allowed just to be in the moment and express themselves.

Fostering (培养) creativity won’t just increase your child’s chances of becoming the next Picasso.     3     As kids use a paintbrush, their fine motor skills improve. By counting pieces and colors, they learn the basics of math. When children experiment with materials, they dive in science. Most important perhaps, when kids feel good while they are creating, art helps boost self-confidence.

    4     Set up an art space where your kid can be free to experiment. Throw a drop cloth or a newspaper on top of your kitchen table or in the garage. If weather permits, let kids paint outside. Avoid giving directions. Don’t tell your kid what to make or how to make it. Instead of saying, “Paint a rainbow,” encourage her to “experiment with mixing colors using different types of brushes and paper.” When a child finishes a piece, don’t suggest additions or changes.     5    

【推荐2】My parents have very different parenting styles. Dad brings out the best in me. He is calm(镇静的）and reasonable and treats me like an adult. Mum, like so many parents of my friends, makes me want to rebel(反抗）．    1    

My friends and I think that our parents care too much about us. Take me for example.     2    It was a journey I'd taken with Mum before. Dad was fine with the idea of me going alone, but it took weeks of arguments(争吵）before Mum agreed. In her eyes, I'm not old enough to go on the trip alone. But I' m sixteen years old!

Parents need to learn to trust us. There is no point in becoming angry, which just makes things worse. A few months ago, Mum went crazy when I told her I'd been receiving e-mails from a stranger I'd met online. Since then she hasn't allowed me to use the Internet.     3     They use monitoring software(监控软件）to secretly   watch what their teenagers are looking at online.

I understand them, but they overreact(反应过激）.     4     I think what they should do is keep calm and help us find a way to deal with it.

We love the idea of being really close to our parents.     5     But part of being a teenager is feeling free to take steps down new paths and learning from our own mistakes. Our parents have to let us get on with what is just a natural stage of life.

【推荐3】Young children who have experienced compassionate (有同情心的) love and empathy (认同感) from their mothers may be more willing to turn thoughts into action by being generous to others, a University of California, Davis’ study suggests.

In lab studies, children tested at ages 4 and 6 showed more willingness to give up the tokens (代金券) they had earned to fictional children in need when two conditions were present—if they showed bodily changes when given the opportunity to share and had experienced positive parenting that modeled such kindness. The study initially included 74 preschool-age children and their mothers. They were invited back two years later, resulting in 54 mother-child pairs whose behaviors and reactions were analyzed when the children were 6.

“At both ages, children with better physiological regulation and with mothers who expressed stronger compassionate love were likely to donate more of their earnings,” said Paul Hastings, UC Davis professor of psychology. “Compassionate mothers likely develop emotionally close relationships with their children while also providing an early example of satisfying the needs of others,” researchers said in the study, published in November in Frontiers in Psychology” Emotion Science.

In each lab exercise, after attaching a monitor to record children’s heart-rate activity, the examiner told the children they would be earning tokens for a variety of activities, and that the tokens could be turned in for a prize. The tokens were put into a box, and each child eventually earned 20 prize tokens. Then before the session ended, children were told they could donate all or part of their tokens to other children.

Taken together, the findings showed that children’s generosity is supported by the combination of their socialization experiences—their mothers’ compassionate love—and their physiological regulation, and that these work like “internal and external supports for the ability to act prosocially that build on each other”.

In addition to observing the children’s propensity (习性) to donate their game earnings, Hastings suggested that “being in a calmer state after sharing could reinforce (加强) the generous behavior that produced that good feeling.”

【推荐3】Support a kindergarten in Bali and teach children important life skills to give them a head-start for school.

Typical day

The program usually runs for around 90 minutes in the morning with the first half of the project centred around play activities with the children and the second half based in the kinder garten classroom supporting the local teacher with activities to keep the children engaged.

The most important thing is that you engage the children, get them excited about coming to kindergarten and learning new things. Your role is not limited to just teaching and you are actively encouraged to get involved in other areas such as arts and crafts, physical education and helping local staff in their day-to-day role.

In the afternoon, volunteers will have the chance to work at our after-school government approved community program me with the younger children of the Tabanan community. Volunteers will be expected to plan and prepare activities to engage in with the children.

What’s included

●Accommodation: volunteer house

●Meals: breakfast & dinner

●Airport pickup

●In-country support

●Volunteer handbook

●Regular program inspection

Highlights

●Travel to North Bali in your free time

●Motivate children to actively learn important life lessons in a charming way

●Free-time activities: water sports, swimming, concert/music, diving / snorkling, climbing, hiking, museum/ opera, yoga / meditation

●Discover traditional Balinese markets to learn about the local cuisine, traditional jewelry and clothing

Requirements

Minimum age: 18

Criminal background check: required

Education requirements: English at high school level

【推荐1】Recess for Kids

Ask a group of kids about their favorite part of the school day and many will talk about something that happened at recess. Maybe they finally made it across the monkey bars (单杠). Maybe somebody kicked the ball over the fence. Maybe a fruit tree in a neighboring yard started to drop apples on the playground.     1    

It’s true not just according to kids, but also to adults who study recess for kids. Whether they’re inventing a new game or sitting under a tree, kids need a break — or several of them — during the school day.

Why Kids Need Recess.

There's no debate that recess, or mainly referred to as physical activity, is good for kids.

You can’t have your brains go hours at a time and retain and store information in working memory.     2     Besides, activity that involves arms and legs — running, climbing, crawling — builds new neural connections, which helps kids regulate their emotions. Studies show that after recess children are more attentive in class, perform better and have fewer emotional problems.

How Much Recess Should Kids Get.

“Ideally, children should get four 15-minute recesses every day”, says Debbie Rhea, a professor from Texas Christian University, who advocates for outdoor play in schools.     3     It is noted that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recently expanded the idea to encourage recess for all students, including those in middle and high school.

    4    

In addition to simply providing enough time for recess, schools should teach skills that will make recess more successful. For instance, letting kids run fast will help them develop coordination.     5    . And even falling, is something kids need to practice to avoid getting badly hurt. To allow children to take reasonable risks with their bodies is also a wise move.