Discovering your “fun” and “firm” voices
When we train our teachers for Perform classes, one of the sections we spend the longest time working on is their voices. I’m not talking about their singing voices here; they are, after all, trained actors and singers and wouldn’t get to the training stage if they didn’t have a great instrument. What we work on is teaching them how to effectively use their voice to inspire and control children.
At Perform, we encourage our teachers to have two different types of voices for effective teaching: their energised, fun and inspiring voice for the majority of the time; and a low and firm no nonsense voice to use to ensure control when necessary. Read more »
1, 2, 3, MAGIC (or is it?)
Behaviour has been at the forefront of my mind this week.
After the sugar-fuelled highs of Easter and the tantrum/headache-inducing lows of ‘back to school’, I’ve been considering how to regain some routine, balance and harmony into my family life.
Ok, so maybe I’m being optimistic here (!), but for me the desire to get ‘back to normal’ after holidays is always a strong one.
I really enjoy the freedom that a holiday brings; spirits are high and rules are relaxed. There is unlimited time to play, more treats and bedtimes are not so strictly observed. BUT….back to work/school/real life brings with it inevitable restrictions which can cause confusion and sometimes a rather unsettled period. I mentioned in my last blog that I had started to introduce my own formula for dealing with my 3 year old’s tantrums (I say “zip”, count to 10 then “let’s sort it out”) and I received a few interesting techniques from others I thought I’d share with you. Read more »
“I want it now”
My 3 year old is at that stage where he can be quite inconsolable when he wants something and isn’t getting it. Frequently, this is for the most trivial of reasons – such as the fact that his sister has the toy he wants to play with. But whatever the cause, when it happens, he won’t stop crying or get out of his mood whatever we say or do.
Yes, I know that this is normal and I have seen it a thousand times with the children that I teach, but it can be extremely stressful for you (and everybody around) when it happens.
At Perform, when children get ‘stuck’ in a mood and need to be brought out of it, we mostly find that distraction works brilliantly. We cheer up a child who is crying or feeling a bit lost by giving them a special job or a task to complete. All children like to feel helpful and special and, if you ask them to do something as simple as counting stickers or sorting out fruit, you’ll virtually always find that they stop feeling miserable and start engaging in ‘their job’.
However, when it is your own child and it is happening regularly, I’ve found that I needed something more powerful and also more versatile that works anywhere. Read more »
Helping Your Child Adjust to a New Baby
This week I thought I’d share a story about my own experiences as a Mum.
Our son was 23 months when I brought our daughter home for the first time. Now, there are lots of different opinions over what to do when introducing a new baby to your toddler for the first time. It can be a difficult time for the firstborn child. Of course they’ll need lots of love and reassurance as you don’t want them to feel like they’re being replaced by a newer model!
