Many children start crying about little things. However, parents often worry that their child will be a cry baby when they get older.
In this article, we will cover why children cry and how parents can handle their child when he/she is acting like a cry baby.
Do all children cry easily from birth?
Everyone is born with a different personality and composition.
Whether a child is a cry baby or not depends on his/her composition from birth. Babies who did not stop crying or cried easily when there was a change in environment, tend to be more sensitive and cry more than other children. However, most children get over being a cry baby when they get older so there is no reason for parents to worry.
They are communicating what they want through crying
Babies communicate that they are hungry or need a diaper change by crying.
If they continue to get what they want (such as snacks) whenever they cry, children will learn that if they cry, they will get what they want.
The longer the situation continues, the more likely they will become a cry baby.
They relieve stress by crying
Crying is a way for people to relieve stress, fear and nervousness.
So, when children are crying, it is important that parents do not force them to stop but instead offer support and kind words.
Understand why their child is crying
No matter how strong your child is, there will be certain things that make him/her cry. If you ask your child why he/she is crying you will probably receive a vague answer.
However, if parents ask questions like “are your crying because your toy broke?”, it will be easier for them to understand the reason their child is crying.
Spend time talking with your child frequently
When parents cry, it is often hard for them to control their emotions and be objective.
It is important for parents to share with their child what happens when they cry and how it affects those around them.
They can also share with their child other ways to show their emotions by example.
Praise them for their accomplishments
Praise your child for his/her accomplishments no matter how small they are.
This will help them feel more comfortable and gain a positive attitude about the world around them. If they know that their parents respect them, they will become stronger.
Children who do not cry are not necessarily better.
Children who cry a lot are more emotional.
It is important that parents and adults teach children how to share their feelings in ways other than crying. One place for children to learn how to do this is at mommy and me and drop off classes. If children feel supported and understood when they are crying, they will be more likely to grow up as strong adults who can control their emotions.
Just like adults some children are better at sports than others.
If parents understand why their child dislikes sports and exercise, it will be easier for them to find a solution.
In this article we will go over some reasons why children dislike sports and exercise and what parents can do to encourage basic physical fitness.
They don’t like to be compared to others
Most children like moving their bodies. However, when they begin kindergarten or daycare, adults often see a difference in athletic ability.
During PE classes and recess at kindergartens and daycares, children are often compared with each other regarding athletic ability.
This causes the children who are not as good at sports to dislike doing them.
When they hear teachers or parents say “you should try harder”, these children feel that they are not being respected for their current abilities even though they are trying their best.
They don’t like exercise very much
Some children just don’t like sports and exercise. They would rather watch other people doing sports or do creative activities with friends or on their own. This doesn’t mean that there is something wrong with their bodies.
If you force these children to do sports or exercise, they will only form negative feelings toward these activities.
This may lead them to have trouble focusing on moving their bodies and cause injuries.
If your child is not interested in sports, it is important that you make the activities as fun as possible and not push them.
They have experienced getting scolded for not doing well in sports
Children want to feel respected by their parents and other adults. They often do not know how to let things go and try their best at whatever they do.
If you scold them for not doing well, they will begin to feel that they cannot make a mistake.
If they continue to have this mindset, it will affect how their body moves and they will end up disliking sports and exercise in general.
Praise them for trying their best
There are many forms of exercise and moving one’s body.
Try to find at least one type of exercise/sport that your child likes, such as soccer or dance.
And when you see them performing the activity, praise them for trying their best no matter how they do.
Play sports with them
Enjoy sports and exercise as a family.
When the weather is bad, find something that you can do as a family indoors.
Playing sports together will help your child gain confidence and overcome their fear of exercise and sports.
Suggest they take sports lessons
Nowadays, there are classes for young child that cover most sports, such as soccer, dance and baseball. By participating in these classes, your child will gain an interest in exercise and sports while having fun with his/her friends.
There are even one day workshops you can try before committing to a regular class.
Exercise is important for your child’s mind and body. If you are worried that you child does not like sports and exercise, try enrolling them in a class that makes doing these activities fun.
Make sure to praise them for trying hard no matter what the results.
Many mothers worry about their child using a lot of black (and dark colors) in their drawings.
Is there a reason that children choose to use these colors in their drawings? Let’s think about the relation between the colors they choose and their feelings.
When coloring with their children, many parents get nervous when their child uses lots of dark colors. When their child chooses black out of the variety of colors available, parents worry that their child is thinking negative thoughts.
Why do children use dark colors? How does it relate to their emotions?
Is the use of black an SOS sign?
From a psychological standpoint, the color black represents “fear” and “oppression”.
– They are suppressing their emotions so they appear to be a good child
– They are afraid to be scolded by their parents and are always watching their reactions
– They are angry and scared due to strict discipline and intervention
Children who have the above emotions tend to use black and other dark colors in their artwork.
Children who often have confused emotions also tend to like and use dark colors.
However, this is only a psychological hypothesis, if your child uses dark colors when he/she is young a few times there is no need to worry. Many children start using a variety of colors when they get older.
Using these colors may be how your child relieves stress
For some children, using black and dark colors is a form of stress relief.
Just like “crying”, they are getting rid of their negative feelings through art. So even if you are worried, it is important that you do not stop them from using these colors.
Your child may be using a lot of dark colors today but they will most likely start using brighter colors naturally in the future.
There may be other reasons your child likes dark colors!
Your child may choose to use dark colors for other reasons.
・Because their favorite color is black
・Their favorite character or person wears black so they are comfortable with the color
・They want to rebel against their mother
・They don’t want to use up the pretty colors
・They have high concentration skills and want to focus on 1 color at a time
The above are all possible reasons for using black or dark colors.
The color black has a negative image for adults but that is not necessarily the case for children.
Please ask your child why he/she is using black or dark colors and listen to their answer. Many times, it is not anything to worry about.
If you want your child to draw with bright colors, it is NG to force them to use them. It is better to encourage your child to gain interest in using bright colors on their own. If you suggest using bright colors in their artwork they may accept right away.
Many parents may be surprised to hear that the colors their child uses portrays their feelings.
There are many classes and programs for young children that incorporate individual and group art projects.
It is a good idea to give your child the opportunity to express themselves by using a variety of colors and creating artwork with their friends.
Why not try out an art class or program that includes art with your child today.
Join us for a 3hr trial in our NEW & REVISED 5hr preschool program offered weekdays at our Tokyo and Nagoya locations! While your child is trying the class, we will provide a detailed explanation about our preschool for parents! We are looking forward to receiving your reservation!
Join us for one of our Baby Events targeted at families with babies 6-12 months at our Motoazabu (6/8 – Sat 15:30-17:00) or Jiyugaoka (6/9 – Sun 15:30-17:00) locations.
Come to a PRIMO lesson at our Jiyugaoka and Motoazabu locations and introduce your child to programming in a fun, interactive way.
Many children remember the upper-case alphabet along with the ABC song but have trouble remembering the lower-case letters.
However, when they start reading and writing in English, they will find out that we use more lower-case letters than upper-case letters.
When children start to dislike lower-case letters, it can cause problems when they learn to read and write.
To prevent this from happening, it is important that children are not pushed to learn their lower-case letters too fast.
In this article we will explain why lower-case letters feel more difficult and how to help children remember them more smoothly.
Lower-case letters are hard to recognize
Upper-case letters are symmetrical which makes them easier for young children to remember.
In comparison, lower-case letters are more complicated and often have to be dotted which makes them more difficult to remember.
The position on the paper differs depending on the lower-case letter
When practicing to write English letters on 4 lines, all the upper-case letters are all written on the same 3 lines.
However, when writing lower-case letters, the position on the paper differs depending on the letter being written.
Most lower-case letters are written between the 2nd and 3rd line but some start from the 1st line and others go below the 4th line. This makes writing these letters more difficult.
Don’t worry about following the order from a to z
If you start teaching them in order from [A] [a] to [B] [b], it may make it harder for them to pick it up.
It is better to start with letters that look the same as an upper-case and lower-case. These letters are “copsvwxz”.
These 8 letters are easy to remember because they look the same except for their size.
Teach them the upper-case letter and lower-case letter as a pair
After teaching them the upper-case letters and lower-case letters that look alike, choose the letters that have some similarities and point out the differences. Explain that the upper-case letter is the grown-up and the lower-case letter is the child and have them find the differences between the grown-up and the child. Make comments like, “this child is trying to be like their grown-up but haven’t grown enough yet”. The following letters fit the above description “bfhijklmntuy”.
Explaining the differences as you write them on the 4 lined paper will make it easier for them to remember the letters. After learning the above letters, they will have learned 20 letters and will only have the following 6 letters “adegqr” left to remember. The following letters “b and d” and “p and q” are easy to mix up so make sure to cover them carefully.
Writing them over and over again will help them remember these letters.
By starting with the easier letters and moving on to the more difficult ones, your child will not feel as overwhelmed and will be more likely to enjoy English.
Lower-case letters will take time to remember so don’t rush it and follow your child’s pace.
If you want your child to enjoy learning English, it is recommended to send them to an English language school or classes in an all-English environment from a young age. English classes for young children incorporate games and physical exercise which makes learning the language fun and exciting. Young children are better able to differentiate between sounds and recognize letters. To help your child gain an interest in English, please consider signing him/her up for English classes from a young age.
