​ Of late the left-handed of kids are getting a lot of positive attention. The world has long been unfair to left-handed persons, and it starts pretty young age. Back in the day's negative attitude that often surrounded a lefthanded kid was torturous for them and their parents as well. Maybe it has to do with the simple statistics. Only around 10% of the world population is left-handed. Thus these sheer numbers have made the left-handed persons look like an anomaly to the society.
  Every day new researchers are made why is this exception and what does our genes brain function has to do with it. Some are more detailed on which handed people are more intelligent, earning more or superior to others.
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You will know by the age of around 18 months whether your kid is a lefty or a rightie. By now becomes distinct which hand they are reaching out the most. So as being parents, we might get caught or in a dilemma what to do. But as we know, the world is more suitable for right-handed persons we need our kids to adjust to it. Let us look into the problems that the left-handed kids generally face at school and their daily activities.

When your child shares the desk with the right-handed kid.
 
As statistics show, 90% of the world population is right-handed, so the chances of your kid being the only left-handed in his or her classroom are very common. 
As a  left-handed child, you can do the following things to help them to support 

• Inform the homeroom teacher or the class teacher about your kid being left-handed.
• English and most Indian vernacular are written from right to left. This poses a challenge for the 
• As a parent, you have to guide your child of the left-handed techniques to be used 
• Sit straight on the desk.
• Left-arm should have more space to rest on the table 
• You have to tilt the paper 45 degree 
• Make your child hold the pencil about the width of their thumb from the point.
• Encourage your child to keep the wrist straight when writing.
• Hold the hand in a relaxed position. Don't tighten up the fingers.
• Often a left-handed child cannot see what are they writing. Make sure the hand is below the line of writing so then they can see what he or she is writing.
• Use pencil grippers called 'trigriper' for better writing as it eases the pressure on the hand.

 For left-handers writing skill can be difficult. So do not make it stressful by pressing for accuracy. 

It's not all strenuous for a left-handed person. Many of them can use it as an advantage in sports.
 Tennis players, cricket players and even baseball players, have several legendary players. 

As parents, we need to be aware of what is necessary to support our child's development. Consequently, the child has to find ways to maximise on whatever skills they possess.This would help them in achieving their full potential.

We may think that our  child is unlikely to fall out of bed, but shockingly  this type of accident is more common. When you are complacent for a split second; your child may drop from bed. Sometimes the complications can be severe.We cannot foresee an accidents, but they can be prevented by taking  proper measure.

• A rubber mat or large mattress can be used around the bed. If the bed is high, the mat or the cushion prevents the child from severe injury even if your child rolls out.
• Place the bed on the side of the wall so that both are locked with the wall and guard can be only used on two other sides.
• Move other furniture, such as bedside tables and lamps that are usually found beside the bed. So that if the child does roll out, the chances of hurting are low.

Lastly, try not to leave the child unattended for long periods.

​Little kids around the age of 4 to 7 years are increasing the perimeter of their social interaction, by observing social behaviours of friends caregivers and adults. The debate arises that whether they should learn to apologise for their is intentional or unintentional transgression from the social functioning, or be relieved from doing so as being a kid their emotions are yet in a developmental stage. From the personal experience of a mom and after reading about it and puzzled with the mesmerising opposite opinions I have happily concluded that excessiveness of both would never be fruitful — an easygoing middle path where the child learns to empathise with the person at first place. Not coerced to say the word"sorry" would eventually lead to a more loving and emotionally intelligent child. 

Do make the explanation short and straightforward. Here are a few sentences.

1. You say sorry when you have poorly behaved with your friends have lost or broken something belonging to someone else.
2. You have hit your friend, brother or sister, and they are hurt.
3. You have done something you were not supposed to do, and it has made the other people like a friend or mom or dad or grandparents or anybody sad.
4. You have fought or broken their toys.
5. You have lied. 
6. You chose to break a rule at home or school. This is for a kids around 5 to 6 years of age.

So the  kids understand when they need to say sorry or to be apologetic. 
Thus the stepping stone of seeking apology is being empathetic to others. The existence of others feeling or physical self is felt by them gradually. As they slowly grasp these and they could take the next step of seeking an apology instead of being simply forced to do so.​
Simultaneously, constantly remind them that it is not embarrassing to say sorry. If the word “sorry” makes the kid feel belittled or embarrassed, then tell there are different acts to show you are sorry. This has been working with my 5 years old daughter. She is sometimes adamant not to say the word” sorry”. After much coaxing she would draw something-' a love sign’ and a hug to express her apology. This act was enough to understand that the child is sorry. The start a sentence with sorry would be difficult for the kid to start. So ask them to come up with some of these.

1. I won't do it again." "I'm sorry about what I did
2. I did not mean to break it ."I'm sorry I broke your toy
3. You felt hurt. Can I hug you? "
4. I know I was wrong. What I can do to make you happy.
5. Sharing a toy, Playing next to a friend and hugging are all genuine ways kids can show they are sorry.

 
If a child feels excessively embarrassed and nervous to say sorry ; you can always encourage your kids to write a letter of apology.
Simple short and sweet. But do not encourage crying as that is the child wants sympathy and want to pass off the guilt.
Ask your kid to take time and understand that what he or she has done or said is not okay. 

• The things we should do as parents to force  the child  to say sorry when the child cringes to say so. Forcing makes the children learn the in-genuine way of feeling sorry.
• The children are not genuinely sorry. They have learnt that saying sorry will help them to get them out of trouble.
• Set as a role model for your kid in saying genuine sorry to others. Children are great observers and they would follow the sequences and would hesitate less in seeking a sincere apology.

 
Another critical thing to keep in mind is the gender equality in teaching a kid to apologise in an Indian perspective. Both girls and boys should be prepared to apologise for the same mistake they have committed. To coerce a girl child to say sorry too often backfires as the kid would lose the empathy. 

The few challenges a parent faces is how to teach a kid to read. It is the backbone of literacy, and numerous researchers worldwide find some of the best methods to help a child to learn to read.
​After a long-standing argument on “whole word meaning” or phonics (understanding the relationships between sounds and their written representations). Cleary phonics was the clear winner. Now how to make it enjoyable and exciting. Proactively forward a  simple, effective structure a reading program designed by many know publishers or by yourself. There the famous UK system of jolly phonics. You can easily practice it as the concept is still new in India. Or many books which follow the phonics pattern.

• Do not pressure on grammar word or sentence. It is a slow learning process and will pick up in time.
• Children like rhyming words. Finds books which are straightforward with simple rhyme sentence. There are vast materials. You can download online.
• The more a kid reads, the better their reading skills will be.​Now how to get the kids to practice to read on a daily basis. Use predictable books. ( Predictable books have the same basic sentence on each page. ) It has different levels. Please bring books that are suitable for your child reading level.

Also please read to your kids. Both the reading b themselves and reading to them will help to internalise the reading habit.
 

 All you need to be patient and teach your child every day in short bursts. 

  6. Will be able to point to place  when asked questions
      ( "where is your bottle?”) or (where is your “bed?".)

 7. Point to the known objects when asked about their                 favourite toys.

 8. Clearly can say words like “no”, ball, “come”, “ stop “. Or         any fruit or food which they prefer. The pronunciation             may not be clear but is understood.

 9. Babbles a lot by pointing out to things with facial                   expression.

10. Bilingual parents can find that the child can respond to          the different language.

​In our school days, when we parents were students handwriting elicited a lot of importance from teachers and many times appreciated for good penmanship. Recently with the onslaught of the electronic mode of teaching and many upscale schools boast of being tech savvy; keyboard and mouse have captured a fair share of the writing skill. It seems that handwriting is increasingly becoming a lost art. So do it mean that writing needs to take a backburner. Before we proceed to make our decisions, we need to relook into the benefit that the scientist and researchers have found out regarding the handwriting.

The coordination of pen and paper stimulates many brain activity simultaneously. It helps in stimulating the motor skills, the memory and the attention.
Handwriting enables a better reading ability in the higher grade as the brain becomes efficient in decoding the letters at a faster rate.
If a child wants to express their ideas and articulate them in a logical way writing form of communication is more skilled in these process rather than the keyboard.
Moreover, handwriting has a positive effect on the concentration of the child. Studies have shown that concentration in studies has increased compared to the similar activity of typing on the keyboard.
Cursive writings also have beneficial effects on the kids and not to discarded altogether. By the grade1 or 2, a child can start cursive writing. Cursive writing makes a better speller as they can have the fair idea of the word formation beforehand.

Persistent practice of handwriting for the lower grades helps to reap the benefits as the child moves to the high school. Here are the few things which a parent can do to keep the writing skills interesting.

​Handwriting is not only for the developmental purpose of a child. It is a pure enjoyment to see the change of the writing formation right from the kindergarten to the high school. Everyone has unique handwriting, and it is to be cherished even in this digital world.

The first day of school has started for the preschoolers in India, and for others, it is around the corner. While I may have forgotten a lot of things in my life, I remember my first day of school. I was so excited simply because I had a pretty uniform with a tie. Simultaneously the strange environment made me clingy and fearful. So it the same for many of us parents who have experienced the myriad of feelings during the first day of school. 
It will be pretty much the same for our kids with emotions taking a roller coaster ride. It is not only the child is filled with anxiety, the excitement it is same with the parents. Here are some possible things you can do before the first day of the school.

1. Take your child along with you near the school, and this will address some of your child's concerns about the school.They will not questions until they see the school building. If possible, you can ask permission for meeting the school teacher and see the classroom along with your child. It will help them to ward off the total fear of an unfamiliar environment. The environment will become less scary when they enter the school premises.
2. Start talking about their feelings about their fear and what excitement. You can share your school days fun and excitement. Assure them that even you have gone through all these.
3. Children are always excited about the new things.So new bag, pencil box, water bottle, lunch box will excite them.
4. Reassure your kid that you will be around, and if any problem arises in school, you can solve it.
5. Be careful of bullying in the school bus. You can take your child to school by yourself for a few days maybe a week. When the kid is acclimatised with the environment, you can put on the school bus. One thing at a time will not overwhelm the child.
6. Encourage your kid that there will be many activities and try to build around some interest around those activities at home beforehand. If they have an elder sibling, ask the elder kid to talk about the school in a positive note to the little one. Otherwise, you can ask any neighbour kid to share the experience of school. Children are more assured if they hear from other kids and peers.
7. Do not push your child to make friends quickly. Let them develop the friendship at their pace. More the social pressure a child feels there can be a tendency of being reclusive.
8. Find out of any kid is going to the same class in your neighbourhood. Inviting the child for play dates would be great.
9. Reassure your child that it is very common to be anxious on the first day at school and many of their friends will be feeling the same. The teacher is there to take care and answer to him or her. Try to build confidence on the support a child can receive from the teacher. Having communication with the teacher is important.
10. Click some memorable moments of your kids and frame it. It will make them feel cared love and feel proud of their newly achieved milestone.
11. Keep yourself calm and relaxed. Get up early and help your child prepare for the school well in time. Rushing creates unnecessary stress and tension in parent and child.
12. A special sticker or note on the lunchbox or water bottle reminding of you can help to ease the pressure on your kid and make them feel loved.
13. Be early to pick up your child and hug and kiss them after the school gets over. They need to be assured that you have missed them too. Patiently hear about their excitement and stories of the first day at school.
14. The first day may go well but the second day and the week may become tight when the child sees many of their peer crying and wailing. So be patient and ask your child to be brave and smart and give a pat for them not showing separation anxiety. It boosts their morale to a new level.
15. Do not show anxiousness or shed tears in front of your kid. It will give a negative vibe. Just keep them to yourself and wipe them when you are back to your home or car. It is true your child is growing up fast, and things are changing in their life.

​We all remember the Indian  Puja Performance of “Vidya Arambh" performed by the priest in front of Goddess Saraswati to initiate the child into the world of learning. So the importance of reading and writing was always revered in the tradition. The modern age parents fret with the school admissions and there is a mad rush to secure a seat in reputable schools. 

The ideal age for this ritual was five years, and during my childhood, it performed with the great devotion and excitement. The scientific reason behind it maybe by the attainment of five years the children have somewhat mastered the hand coordination and dexterity and perfect for the commencement of the writing skills. This theory has been corroborated now by the European countries; the extreme being Norway where the writing skills are taught at the age of 6 years. The world of play which is quintessential for conception building is constantly pushed back to an alarming extent. The child gets anxious, and the level of confidence which the child develops instinctively is trampled. So why do we have to crush the developing brain? Human beings are made to learn by themselves with the little help. Alas! in India children is a pack of poor circus animals who are taught and trained in all possible ways. 

​If a child is reluctant to learn to write, we force the child to succumb to the modern tradition of cramming. The result is pathetic. The child being too young to protest and fear overpowering a major part complies at last. In the end,  these kids lose interest and refuse to read and write as they grow.

The first step is to help the child to develop an interest in writing of the alphabets and numbers. If you cannot avoid in starting the process of mastering the writing skills, you can make it more playful and enjoyable. Thus your child could be directed into the process of writing without much defiance. I have tried with my daughter the many very simple methods, and the outcome is incredible. The age old method backfired, but by these means; the interest gets boosted with steady progress.

I am sharing here some of the simple techniques which worked for her and which was easy to make and follow in everyday life. The mastering of good handwriting and memorising the alphabets is practice. This practice needs  to  be done in a fun way, so the children are not bored.

4. Children like variety. So the medium of writing has to be changed every day to pursue them to write. Just writing on any medium is fine. A funny game I usually play with my daughter is the guessing game. I write on her back with fingers and ask her to guess it. We use to play these when we were young with our siblings. It strengthens the memorising of the letter or number formation.

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5. Use of Anecdotes to memorise the letters. I have developed another fun game to teach the letters and figures. My daughter enjoys it to the core. I will give here an example. Number 8 - It is like a snowman. Number 5 - a hat a stick and a big tummy. Likewise letter T- is a hat and a stick. Not many  different anecdotes but simple easy and few for the child to memorise.

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6. Writing board: When the child is not interested in the usual paper and pencil to start with the writing board for 10 minutes and then you can quickly shift to the paper. The marker pens with two or 3 colours. The only thing to take care is the marker pen should be for the kids, and the body is thin and comfortable to hold. In the case of the chalkboard, you can buy colourful chalk box and start the writing.

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7. Finger tracing: Another fun way to write. You have done it on the ground with a stick writing your names or scores while playing as a child. As the carefree and free space has shrunk so, the simple methods have vanished, and rigid structures have evolved. You can be innovative. Place some dal on a steel thali and ask to trace the letters in them and you have to identify. The identifying game amuses the kid and simultaneously helps them to memorise the formations. You can place a cloth underneath the thali to minimise the spill over. Give them to write and play, meanwhile your work in the kitchen gets done. Please bear in mind that this activity should last a maximum time frame of 15 or 20 minutes. After the child will become too playful and start mess around

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8. Favourite topic and writing the letter the word starts with: I call it the letters of the day. When you give the control of what the child desires to write the work is done fast. Like she draws a cat first and then writes the letter. A story of cat and what it did. Say it drank her milk from her cup.She writes the letter M  and C. I encourage her to write as many as letters she can identify. Along with her story weaving. The monotonous way of starting with A and finishing at Z should not be asked to follow at such a young age. With this, I can almost make her write around 15 to 20 alphabets without any stress. If she is a willing girl for that day, it ends up far more with lots of letters written. If any letters go wrong, do correct it and let her write one or two times to a max of 3. Many times writing the same alphabet makes them bore. All you need to do is start some other story around that letter and get them write it again. The monotony gets a break.We need do this as the children are merely 2.5 years or 3 yrs. Their attention span is very less.

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9. Make the child feel proud of penmanship: If my daughter has done a good handwriting or number job which needs appreciation I cut out the paper and stick it on the refrigeration for a day. She gets a mental boost and tries to write more the next day. But I put up only if it is excellent and let her judge it. Do not make it an everyday affair. Then the interest would be lost.

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10. Watercolour and paint brush. The medium with colours always attracts the kids. So give them newspapers and the watercolour set and ask them instead of writing drawing the letters and numbers. They feel it is a more interesting work to paint. So practice is done simultaneously with fun.

The very fact we are trying to make our children read and write early than the usual age makes the task daunting for both the parents and the child. The onus remains on the parents to bring a delicate balance between the rigour of formal study and the playful world of the children. If anyone has some more innovative ideas, please share with us.

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When we grew up in India as kids, it was a closed  economy, so we were mainly satisfied with local playthings and stuff. Now with the opening up of economy options have increased manifold and so has the disposable income. The boon is that we now have almost everything available but the bane is that we tend to spend a lot on unnecessary things for our kids. Money saved at this stage could be money used up in later years for the education or something worthwhile like travelling. While the toddler grows, you will notice that your options of providing activities are increasing dramatically. The more active the kid, the more activity you would require keeping them engaged. The first inclination would be to buy fancy playthings with an extensive literature in a hope to keep them engaged. 

The cost or the price tag of the toy to a child is immaterial. To them, any plaything has the same value, and they are bored out of it as fast as you can ever imagine. If your child is “the great engineer “ who has an uncanny skill of breaking or taking apart the toys you buy, please resist yourself from buying it. You can provide the same enjoyment and development with a various alternative. Here are the few hacks to save your money and guilt simultaneously.​

The cost or the price tag of the toy to a child is immaterial. To them, any plaything has the same value, and they are bored out of it as fast as you can ever imagine. If your child is “the great engineer “ who has an uncanny skill of breaking or taking apart the toys you buy, please resist yourself from buying it. You can provide the same enjoyment and development with a various alternative. Here are the few hacks to save your money and guilt simultaneously.

Do not buy toys with lots of batteries. Especially cars or helicopters or transport toys of this category. They are sophisticated delicate, and major headache is the battery;  a recurrent cost. Think of the trains and others which require a lot of battery. My daughter received as gifts of such things, and now they are a broken pile. Myself have succumbed to the temptation and bought her one. Not a single item was in one piece. Instead, the things that could stand her onslaught was the magnetic wooden train half the cost. All the clockwork hard mould cars, helicopters and others similar makes are surviving with good health. She imitates the sound do not care for headlight or the care bumpers or sirens blinking or not. Just paper stickers of headlight suffice it. The making up of sound and sentences are great for cognitive skill as well. She understands the clockwork and speed relation and regulates it accordingly. Achieved a great learning for my kid without huge spending.

Artwork without a large number of papers or craft materials: Old newspapers were never a great help before these. After 3 years of age, you need to buy lots of stationery for artwork to develop your kid's creativity. No need. At first, I never realised it. Every week a drawing book or even the cheapest available would just finish off as fast as you can imagine. Old newspaper and other childproof scissors were useful to me. You can just shape out anything you feel and ask your child to cut. The spree with which the children cuts different shapes is amazing. You save bundles of paper from being wasted and same with your money. The only important thing to remember here is the scissors should be childproof and small in inches, and best could be rounded tips and right casing. You can be around to be extra cautious.

Second- hand  Children's Storybooks: Trying to instil the reading habit of my baby we were buying almost one or two books a month. These board books are not cheap, and it got piled up. Cleaning and stacking the books required a lot of spaces. So to put an end to all we started looking for old books shops where we can trade books. Eventually, it became a ritual for us. The right amount of old children's books gets exchanged in this manner. These books needed some treatment. For this just a damp cloth and rubbing alcohol. This alcohol is available in any drug store which we usually use before applying injections. Just put half small bottle in water and dab the damp cloth and give a soft wipe. Dry it out for at least 3 days. Even under the fan. We ration the books maybe every book a week or a book when unwell and have to take rest.

Wooden stamps and ink pad: This is a fun and time-consuming game. The stamps can give on any used paper magazine with an ink pad. The wooden one is everlasting and worth your money. You can order your local shop or scourge online for these stamps. Even used office stamps serve the purpose. Made to order with alphabets are great and cheap. All you need is the stamp ink pad and used paper. The block printing on fabrics with wooden blocks are readily available.

The engagement of kid in a holistic way is always a concern of parents. But being minimal is not a necessity but an effective way to instil in your children that playthings are to be treasured and taken care of. Imagination makes the kids more innovative and I have witnessed it and can vouch that minimalist in moderation is a boon.

Children grows up fast and no sooner you will be see them ready for the kindergarten.The concept of kindergarten was to assist a child in development and not just memorising numbers and alphabets. Children will eventually learn these;so do not feel the pressure when you see around other kids. Think of your childhood and how you grew up without stress in those days. Suddenly do not push your child to kindergarten without making him or her ready for it. The ideal age maybe around three years. Most children are toilet trained by three and confident to follow instructions from others.

Here are some steps to make your child ready for kindergarten.

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Name and address game:Play with your child; the name game in an entertaining way for the toddler to accept and absorb it fast. A sing song way of pronouncing the letters of the name while feeding or bathing. Just copy a popular rhythmical song and sing his or her name with each syllable promptly and clearly audible. The other options being  initial letter of the name in paper cut-out  or simple magnetic alphabets on the fridge. Even writing of the board with colourful chalk encourages them. Other funny way my daughter learnt to tell her parents name was to copy the  name who ever called me or my husband  instead of saying “Ma” or “Papa”. We requested our parents or friends to call more often by our name. She would just copy it and enjoyed doing so. After a few weeks she could remember and memorize. Now for the address play method worked best. We just had to say whenever we went out from our “bye bye the house name and location”. Amazingly she followed it and would happily say so. Our mission was accomplished without much pressure and struggle.

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Lunch box habit : The habit of carrying lunch box and eating out of it is another great concern of mothers. Go out for shopping with your kids and let them select their lunch box. Serve in that box some snacks similar to what you want to give them in school. You can even ask your child to help while you are packing the snack. Do not buy complicated lunch box for your kid. You can even synchronize the snack time of your kid with the pre school timings.

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To follow directions: You can start with simple instructions to bring the  favourite book to read along or pick up the toy from the floor and put in the box. Go around in circles, stand up and sit down. It is important to speak the basic words words of the language your children will get instruction in the school like stand up sit down. Do not be anxious if your child does not follow, he or she would be more active and conscientious about following them at school. Children are fast to adapt themselves to any language. The game is a game and it should be pressure- free.

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Social Activities Step Up: You help your kid with frequent play dates so that he or she is accustomed with playing with other kids. This will make them comfortable with others and  help them in interacting with other children. Do not overdo it as it may tire your kid even before attending pre school.

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Structure and schedule daily: If you are a working mother you are well aware of the schedule and structuring his or her everyday activity. You have done it to match your convenience. The child is too young to understand it.All you need now is to make the kid aware of structuring. Simple activities like after dinner story time with the books. For a stay at home structure is rather loose as not a priority. Now is the time to incorporate some schedule for your kid to follow. Playtime around evening and after that clean yourself up and dinner and sleeping time. The golden rule is to make your kid a habit of sleeping early by 8.30 at night. The morning hassle of waking the kid for school is simply not there. The well slept child is a happy and chirpy child at morning and ready for school without struggle. This simple routine of early sleep have benefited me immensely. Most of the morning was no struggle for school and deviations proved it.

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Self confidence and doing their own stuff:  The dependence of child on parents is normal but it is the duty of the parent to teach them the self confidence. You can start by simple things like putting on the pants by themselves, brushing and combing their hair putting on their own shoes and opening them. The sense of self accomplishment would easily prepare them to face the world outside at present their pre school.

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Preempting the pre school days: Children now are smart enough. You can speak to your child about the school, friends and fun they have in school. There are plenty of picture books which can assist you in story building. I took my daughter with me around 3 or 4 schools before any admission. After one or two visits she probably got an idea of a pre school. If you have an elder sibling this will not be a great problem as the younger one would be generally eager to follow the elder.

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Power of choice:  The decision making power is essential stepping stone for a kid. However, small the decision is; do exercise it with your kid. Choices makes the kid confident and they become aware of the situations they are going to face. Simple choices for snacking or what play your toddler would want to play makes them happy and confident. Start at an early age and be sure it will help them in their pre school admissions and latter years.

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Separation Anxiety: This is applicable for  both parent and child. To make preparation for it place your child in an unknown environment say with your friends kids whom you trust or relatives or cousins even grandparents. Shifting  them from their own know place and you not around for an hour or two would make them uncomfortable. Generally kids do not ask for their mama for half an hour or an hour. It is after that their questing and crying starts. Those of whom are caregivers for the kid can distract for few minutes. Please be in a position to return fast if you are called for. Do not make your kid feel forsaken or too traumatised. It should be done well within a limit otherwise it will backfire.

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The art of cooperation: This is a slow process and cannot be mastered easily. Do some simple chores like putting the washing laundry of your kid in the wash basket. To take turns while playing with you or siblings. With siblings it is learnt a lot faster. Do not get over anxious if they do not cooperate. Children are known to cooperate with others than with their own parents

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