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Tag Archives | Preschoolers

Hollywood Learning Centers Show Preschoolers to be More Giving this Holiday

3 Ways Hollywood Learning Centers Show Preschoolers to be More Giving this HolidayWith the holidays around the corner, toy commercials on Television reminds us it’s that time of the year again. Hollywood Learning Centers believes it’s the season to teach preschoolers about the real meaning of the holidays, family, and gratitude. As our preschoolers write their long gift lists this year, how about we teach them about the importance of giving rather than receiving.

  1. Remind Your Preschoolers How Privileged They Are. . .

It’s understandable that as parents, we want to protect our kids from the cruel realities of this world. Poverty, hunger, orphans, and natural disasters are difficult to explain to a child. Find scenarios to teach your little ones how fortunate they are compared to those experiencing hunger and sickness. As difficult as it might be to point these things out, at times it’s necessary. You can also include prayers before meals and at bed time to thank God for our blessings. Gratitude can make a huge difference in their lives, because where there is gratitude, there is no space for selfishness.

  1. A Preschooler’s Trash Is Another Preschooler’s Treasure

Most of us, children or adults, outgrow things to make room for what the new year brings. However, getting rid of our belongings sound easier said than done. My rule is, if they haven’t use it or wore it for a year, then most likely they won’t again. Make sure they get involved in the picking process. Explain to them that these objects will bring joy to less fortunate kids. There are several charities that make it easy to spread holiday cheer. Goodwill, Toys for Tots, Stuffed Animals for Emergencies are a few organizations that take new toys as well as gently used donations.

  1. It’s Okay to Tell Your Preschooler “No”

Even though you want to get them the entire gift list, try not to get in the habit of buying everything they ask. I have actually sat down to watch TV with my little stepson and saw toy commercial after toy commercial. Honestly, I got just as excited as he did. I even began to make notes of the toys we liked.  These marketers are good! As they grow, it’s important to teach our children to develop critical minds when exposed to the media, just like I did with the toy commercials. Remember, if they have it all then they won’t know what it feels like wanting and not having something.  

It’s a lot easier to give in to this material world we live in than to fight the urge to spoil them with every cent to our name. I dare you to try it. It might make all the difference when raising a generous child.

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Clean Up! Chores for Preschoolers – Hollywood Learning Center

Chores - Hollywood Learning CentersMy mother, Ms. Fatima, Director of Hollywood Learning Center is the definition of a superwoman. I know, completely bias coming from me, but it’s true. I remember growing up with a successful woman, a spotless house and healthy dinners. However, that didn’t mean we weren’t given chores. I wish!  My family believes in chores and allowances was not the reward, but that’s another story.

Why are chores so important? Well, according to parenting expert: Jim Fay, co-founder of Love and Logic, we all need to feel needed, important and to know that we’re making a contribution, even kids. Not to mention, we can’t wait for children to be adults to teach them responsibilities. By then, it might be too late.

So, Hollywood Learning Center put together a cheat-sheet on some chores’ tips for preschoolers:

Choose Age-Appropriate Chores for Preschoolers

How appropriate a chore is will vary from culture to culture and family to family. In my case, I remember asking my mom for a little broom to “sweep” at the age 5, out of my own boredom. Yet, I don’t see little ones doing that today. Here are some chores Hollywood Learning Centers consider age-appropriate for preschoolers:

  • Putting toys away
  • Making or at least attempting to do their bed
  • Clearing the table after meals
  • Watering the plants
  • Feeding pets, if any.

Lead by Example

Don’t expect children to put their toys away like they do here in their preschool, if mommy and daddy are leaving their clothes out. Be the example they need. You can begin by teaching your children the right way to accomplish the chore, let them see you take on the task and before you know it, they’ll be little experts. The idea is to make these chores their job at home. For example, If mommy cooks, daddy washes the dishes or vice versa, then children can be in charge of clearing the table. At first, reminders will be needed. However, the idea is to have them take on the task on their own. In my house, I leave little sticky notes around with friendly reminders and smiley faces. It works, I promise 🙂

Praise goes further than allowance

Although chores are responsibility, I still believe parents should compliment their children for their work. Praise can go a long way. Tell them things like:

“You did a great job with that bed today!”

“Those flowers are looking beautiful, you’re doing a fantastic job with them!”

“Thank you for putting your toys away so nicely”

As far as rewarding them with allowances, theories vary. We believe it’s important to avoid connecting allowances to chores, at least for preschoolers.

Younger children, like the ones in our Hollywood Learning Center, don’t tend to be motivated by money. If we award them with allowances then you’re giving them the option to choose not to do them. However, if your little ones are motivated by money, then is this a quality we really want them to have? We understand allowances can teach children about hard-work and money management, but preschoolers might not be ready for it just yet.

Clean up, clean up, everybody clean up! For more parenting survival tips, keep checking out our blog.

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The Me! Me! Me! Epidemic Among Children

Hollywood Learning

Drivers cutting in front of you in traffic, people closing the door behind them on your face, millennials stepping on you while chasing Pokemons, teenagers taking selfies on your face, preschoolers pushing classmates to be first in line, toddlers making fits at the grocery store for treats. I mean, I can go on and on, but I’m sure I made my point.

Does it sound familiar? Individualistic, self-centered, self-absorbed, selfie snapchatters, call it what you want, I call it : Me! Me! Me! I even have a theme song for every time I witness this behavior, whether they are young or old, familiar or strangers.

I actually came to terms with this epidemic a few years ago while attending a live speech about “Happiness,” by the Dalai Lamas. He spoke about the difference between community-oriented societies and individualistic cultures. There, I learned that individualism is the belief that one’s personal needs are more important than the needs of a society as a whole. You might think, that sounds like the millennial generations, but research suggest individualistic behaviors began at the turn of the 20th century with the Baby Boomers born after WWII.

It is no secret, we live in an self-centered society. The minute I left the Dalai Lamas’ speech, my friends and I took the train back to our hotel. While on the train, a gentleman sat right next to one my friends, he took his coat off and slapped my friend right on the face when he opened his newspaper. We all laughed and ever since that day, I began detecting this sort of narcissistic behavior.

How do we stop it? How do we raise our children not to grow up to be individualistic, self-centered, self-absorbed, selfie snapchatters narcissist? Well, I’m no expert on the Me-Me-Me syndrome, but one thing is for sure, acknowledging this epidemic is a good start. The man sitting on the train, most likely didn’t noticed my friend, neither did the guy cutting in front of me in traffic, or the woman who closed the door on my face at the bank, but that doesn’t make it “okay.”

We have to teach our children to:

1) Be Aware of Our Surroundings

This includes the people, animals and plants. To be aware of others teaches us to be compassionate, empathetic, welcoming and accepting. All these practices can help them deviate from self-centered and me-me-me tendencies.

2) Serve as an Example

As parents, we can prevent or decrease this behavior in our children by serving as an example. Let’s do the exact opposite of the me-me-me behavior and let’s teach our children how to be giving, kind, and patient. Next time you are driving, let others by  patiently, wait for the person behind you before closing the door, give something away to charity every time you receive a gift. The ideas are countless and the impact measureless.

3) Ignore the Me-Me-Me Siren

Another thing parents can do, or avoid doing, is not always jumping every time the me-me-me siren goes off. Remember, children will go as far as you allow them and as much as we want to spoil them, we have to keep a balance routine for their sake, ours and society’s.

4) Me-Me-Me, Sing it!

You can make a song, a poem, a rhyme or a keyword to use it around your children every time they are displaying this kind of egocentric behavior. They will know what they are doing and either stop or laugh, but acknowledgement is the first step.

If you are curious to see if you or someone around you could have this Me-Me-Me syndrome, click here for a quick test (narcissistic personality inventory (NPI).

If you need to hear the me-me-me song, ask Ms. Fatima to sing it to you. I have sang it to her on a few occasions when necessary. For more blogs like this one, subscribe to Hollywood Learning’s blog!

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