Positive Parenting With Olu

As a teacher and a mother, I know first hand the impact it makes when a child enters nursery school knowing how to read vs when they don’t.

So, that’s one of the reasons why I encourage parents to teach their toddlers how to read before they start school. 

If you have a toddler at home today’s post is for you!

In this post I’m going to share with you 3 benefits of teaching your toddler to read before they start school.

1. The number one benefit is that it makes school easier and more enjoyable. Between reading, writing, math,social skills and following directions. There are a lot of skills your child needs to know. And knowing how to read before they start school eases the stress and helps them focus on things that really matter. 
2. Reading helps kids learn about the world around them on their own. There is a transition that every child goes through in life. From Learning to Read and Reading to Learn! So as soon as we can get kids in the Reading to Learn Stage, the sooner their background knowledge and understanding the world explodes.
3. Your child wants to learn how to read. KIDS LOVE LEARNING ( I know this for a fact, because I work with kids and I see this in every child that comes to our Learning Centre.) Kids love being read to. Kids love Letters and when we do it the right way, not only would they have lots of fun with you, but they finally get to have access to all the things they see us do  the whole time. 

My final thoughts,

Teaching a toddler how to read should be MEANINGFUL!

This isn’t just about reading; it’s about everything that comes from learning to read. Like building confidence in themselves, learning about the world around them, and spending quality time with you. Remember children learn through play so try to make it fun if you’re going to do it! Teaching your toddler how to read should be FUN! 

Watch out for the PART 2 of today’s post next week. I will be sharing how to actually teach them how to read.

Firstly, I will say show me 5 fingers! (They will all show me 5 fingers with one of their hand up)

Then I will say show me 5 fingers but use two hand, and they will all put put both their hands 🙌 up and I will say, hmm that’s 10 fingers and they will start thinking

And I will let them have time to think about it, eventually, some of them will get it.

And he/she  may then show me 3 fingers in one hand and 2 fingers from other hands)  And I will be like, wow look at that well done that’s 5 fingers.

“So, 3 and 2 makes 5 ( 3 ➕ 2 = 5 )

Then once they understand the concepts of putting numbers together to make another number, I will then introduce the vocabulary- plus sign ➕ addition ➕ equation.

Show them the plus sign and say – when we add we put it together.)

And we then use different manipulation such as cubes, counters and sticks to add two numbers together.

And then the final step is to let them add using equation worksheets. 

And that’s how I show my kids the basic concepts of addition.

Thanks for reading through.

Olu

HOW TO RAISE A WELL BALANCE CHILDREN

Parenting is hard work. However I think if we are intentional from the get go on what type of family we want from the get go and how many children we can afford to look after, I think we are going to be fine in terms of raising a well balance children.

I spoke  to a parent last week about reducing screen time for her son, when she complained to me about how her son is always on his iPad. 

So today I’m going to share 8 tips on how  to raise well-balanced children. 

1. Reduce screen time.

And one way you can do this is by telling them that they are only allowed screen time on weekends only. Replace it with reading or playing games with them. 

2. Hygiene: Make sure you show your children how to bathe themselves well and how to look after themselves. Teach them how to brush their teeth properly. Get your older kids deodorant. 

3. . Encourage your children to greet people. Sometimes some children don’t greet, especially if they’re people they know. They see people and they just stare at them. You need to tell them to greet people, I’m not saying they should start greeting strangers. When they see an adult encourage them to greet. It’s a matter of courtesy. 

4. Affirm your children, say positive things to them always. 

Tell them your girls that they’re beautiful, tell your boys that they’re handsome. Otherwise they’re telling them something different at school. Some children can be mean sometimes and sometimes it can be because of immaturity not because they are bad kids.  Children can say mean things to each other sometimes. So pay attention to your kids if you notice any difference in them you need to ask them questions.  So keep telling them how lovely they are and  tell them you love them always.

5. Always Make Time: You must constantly make time for your kid, no matter how busy you are! 

Create time to play and do things with your children. Create time for your child and be there when they need you. Be supportive and be present in their life. Remember they grow up so fast and they won’t need you any more. Your work schedule may not allow you, but try your best to create time for them. This is very important. 

6. Sign your children for extracurricular activities. This helps to build their social skills 

7. Give your children some responsibility and chores to do. It will help them to be independent. 

8. Make home a comfortable place for them. The outside world may be too cruel for them. Sometimes their friends may be horrible to them and call them names. Even some teachers may not be nice to them. So let’s make home more comfortable and welcoming for them. That’s all they have.

My final thought: Dear parents, If you want to raise well balanced children you need to be a role model. You have to be all that yourself. Children practice what they see. And they learn from you. If you want to raise a confident child you need to be confident yourself. 

I will be sharing more on how to raise a well-balance in my subsequent post 

Thanks for reading and happy parenting 😘❤️

Research shows that in the face of failure girls and women tend to blame themselves, but boys and men tend to blame others. .

I can remember when my son was little, whenever he lost somethings, rather than looking for them, he would ask me and say things like “what did you do with my school shoes”., Not, Do you know where I left my school shoes?

If we don’t interrupt that pattern, boys can stay stuck in blaming games.

The other thing boys do is shaming themselves. 

Is either someone’s fault or they go straight to shaming themselves and say things like “I’m so stupid, I’m such an idiot. I hear a lot of this self destructive talk among young boys I work with.

“It was my brothers fault” “My teacher did not teach us the right way and so on” 

Or the shame statements 👉 I’m the dumbest person in this family” … 

I have also noticed that when some of my students get some questions wrong, some of them will either slap themselves in the head and say something like “I’m so stupid” 

Whatever it may be the shame to blame pattern will stay in your boys life until he is an adult, unless you teach them to take ownership of their 

Let’s think about this way 👇

Let’s think 👉 BLAME AS: “it’s your fault”

                      OWNERSHIP AS: “I made a mistake “

                       SHAME AS : “ I am a mistake “ 

So we have to teach boys to learn the skills of taking ownership. And doing any needed relational work.

I believe, if we are going to stop this troubling trend, we have to remember our real job as parents: we’re not raising kids, we’re raising future adults.

So how do you begin to introduce ownership into your children’s life at a young age? Here are some suggestions.

✅ The first thing they can do is stop blaming others for their mistakes. It’s as simple as that. 

✅ The need to take responsibility for their own actions and deal with the consequences of this. 

My final thoughts 

As parents we need to stop doing things for them and 

we refuse to let them fail; we tell them everything is OK when they’ve committed a huge error; and we do things for them that they ought to be doing themselves. When I sense ownership, however, it means I am self-sufficient and can take responsibility myself for provision.

Dear parents, let’s remember what real love for your child looks like:

If I love my kids, I want them to respect me now even more than love me. I know they will appreciate me at age 30, so I’m willing to lead them now so they grow into healthy adults.

Happy parenting 😘❤️

Olu 🥰❤️

#positiveparentingwitholu

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What Loving your kids look like 

If I really love my kids, I am honest with them. I don’t paint a dishonest picture about their giftedness or beauty. I speak lovingly, but truthfully.

If I love my kids, I’ll care enough to offer them clear direction, even if it’s unpopular at the time. It’s more important to be their leader than their buddy.

If I really love my kids, I don’t always give them what they want, but what they need. I recognize they’ll choose ice cream over vegetables, so I help them make better choices until they’re ready to do so themselves.

If I love my kids, I want them to respect me now even more than love me. I know they will appreciate me at age 30, so I’m willing to lead them now so they grow into healthy adults.

If I really love my kids, I will help them see the long-term ripple effect of their decisions. I teach them to “pay now and play later.”

If I really love my kids, I provide discipline, but more than that, I teach them to discipline themselves so someone else doesn’t have to.

SPEECH DELAY IN KIDS – What to do!

A mum recently told me that her son would soon turn 4 and he barely talked. She was worried if he is autistic.

I was a bit worried for her, but I encourage her 

and told her that her son will talk when it’s his time.

So today, I would like to share some of the tips I gave her with you, just in case you have a toddler that barely speaks. 

I would like to start by saying, speech delays are very common among children with autism. But they are also common in children without autism.

If your child has a speech delay, it doesn’t always mean something is wrong. You may simply have a late bloomer who’ll be talking your ear off in no time 😃

Did you know that most children born during the pandemic have delayed speech?

There is a significant rise of children born during pandemic with the delay speech. 

So how can you help a child that has a delayed speech? 

The simple answer to the question is to keep talking to your toddler. Talk to your kids a lot even if they can’t speak to you yet.

For example, let’s say your child is pointing at something he wanted you to get for him on the table, instead of just getting it for them, you can just ask them and say , ‘what do you want? Or you could say “Do you want your shoes? And tell them to say “I want my shoe” …

Even when they are not at the point of talking,  keep talking to them eventually they are going to talk.

Dear Parents, if you have a child with a speech delay please don’t worry too much especially if they were born during the lockdown just keep talking to them.

In addition, get any help that your Nursery is suggesting for your child. I  know a lot of us parents decline such help, especially people from my home country Nigeria. We run away from anything like therapy 😊 

I think you should still accept any help you can get. But as a parent you need to work on your child at home.

Remember it’s what you put in your children that you are going to get out of them. If you put a lot of effort in your child you’re going to get a lot of effort out of your child. 

I hope this helps 

And thanks for reading through

Good morning beautiful people 🥰❤️. 

Today is another Tuesday 🙌

I have been sharing some positive parenting tips for the past one year consistently on this platform and other social media every Tuesday.

I share because I care not because I’m a perfect parent, because no one is. I only share because of my experiences and my knowledge of parenting.

Today’s post is for teenagers parents ❤️❤️

Many parents find their teenager’s behaviour challenging.  

However, from my experience teenagers are the sweetest human beings. Most of them are misunderstood and we as parents still want to parent them like they’re kids. That’s why you have battle struggles with them.

We need to treat our teenagers like adults and remember that our role has changed from being a parent to a mentor. The sooner we get this the better life becomes between you and your teens 😊. 

Trust me I have one at home, so I know 😃

So here is a scenario 👇

When your teens had a hard day. Sometimes they feel the last person they want to talk to is their parents who won’t understand their problem. 

Instead of nagging them to talk to you, ask if they want to go out to get Mac Donald  and or whatever their favourite snacks are. 

This always does the trick for me and my 18 year old son. (don’t tell him o 😃) 

We often can’t fix our big kids problems but we can always stay available and show we care – and if we are lucky they may open up to us 😃

JUST STAY AVAILABLE. I know it’s not easy but it’s worth it.

Happy parenting ❤️

I hope this helps and see you in my next post

Olu ❤️

There is so much to think about each school year, but these simple tips can help keep you focused on what’s most important for school success.

1. Practice weekly spellings. 

You can support your child at home by helping them to learn their school weekly spellings — these are usually tested once a week. 

2. Continue reading

Reading is key! It is still important to listen to your child read regularly. Ask questions about what they’re reading. This will encourage your child to think deeply about their reading, whether they’re reading aloud or independently. 

3. Writing 

Give your child access to as many different styles of writing as you can. This will assist with their reading fluency and expand their vocabulary and knowledge. 

Get them a notebook and encourage them to write about their day. 

4. Practise maths

In maths, you can support your child at home by practising the relevant times tables (3, 4, and 8 times tables – as well as the 2, 5, and 10 times table regularly. 

Learn times tables.

Practice regularly, make sure to go back and repeat tables you have practised before. 

Sing time tables on the car, at dinner and before bed time.

Get a time table poster and stick it at the end of their bed. 

In addition, when children start to write letters, it’s important that they form the letters correctly.

Learning to write them incorrectly will make it harder later on. Show them the right way as they work on their homework.

Please remember this, you don’t have to spend long hours with them, even 10 to 20 minutes a day will make a difference.

One easy way to invest in the process is to set goals. Try to do this at the beginning of a new school year, the first of the month, or the beginning of a new term.

Finally, don’t forget to praise their efforts. Positive praise is a fantastic way to boost children’s self-esteem and encourage them in their learning.

I hope this helps.

And if you think your child is struggling with their school work, you can enrol them at our learning centre and we will help them.

Thanks

OLU

October is a black history month in the UK.

In the US black history is celebrated in February

In the Uk black history is celebrated in October

Black history month, is a month dedicated to celebrate and recognise the achievements of Black people in Britain. 

There are many ways we celebrate black history month in the UK. 

One of the ways we celebrate black history month in the Uk is reading books to school children by black authors.

So yesterday, I read my book to some amazing year 3,4 5 at a local libary in London. It was a great time with the kids. They asked me so many questions and they made my reading and time spent with them so easy.

Thanks to all the teachers that came with this greater tomorrow and future leaders.

Children are the most honest and funny people on earth. I love every minute I spent with them yesterday.

By the way the title of book I read to them was- I like being a big sister. – A story inspired by my four year old granddaughter when she became a big sister. She found it hard at first but she later got to love her little sister. She once told me that her little sister is her best friend 😊

There are some amazing tips at the back of the book for any parent that needs help with this topic.

I like being a big sister is on Amazon, get your copy today

Click the link below to get the book on Amazon

Photo: that’s the photo of me waiting for the kids at the libary. I’m afraid we were not allowed to take the photo of the kids

Thanks and have an amazing week.

Please don’t forget to leave a comment or question below if you want 👇

A lot is happening in our children’s lives and we as parents must do something about it quickly before it becomes worse.

The other day I overheard a conversation between two girls on the bus and I thought to myself, who raised them? 

Childrens don’t just develop good characters on their own, they need an adult to show them how,  just like any skills. 

If you want your kids to have good character, like – respect, gentleness, diligence, courage, resilience, etc. — then today’s post is for you. 

Here is  how👇

Model the choices and actions that are essential to being a person of good character. 

If you are honest, trustworthy, fair, compassionate, respectful, and involved in the greater good of your family and friends, your children will see this in your everyday actions and choices.

Discuss Good Character vs. Bad Character

Put the importance of positive character traits into perspective for your children.

Tips for Modeling Good Character at home

Be a role model. Children imitate the adults in their lives. Take time to reflect on your words and actions to ensure you portray the character traits you want your child to develop.

Give them breathing room. Children—and adults— develop character when they experience things first-hand. When appropriate, take a step back and allow your child to solve their disagreements with friends, make and fix their own mistakes, and deal with other real-life situations.

Offer Praise. Notice when your children exhibit positive character behavior, such as sharing toys, keeping their space clean, or holding the door open for someone who needs help. Praise them for showing generosity, responsibility, and caring.

I would like to know your thoughts on today’s article.

Thanks for reading

Olu

I’m not sure about you, but growing up I don’t really like maths until I became a teacher and I started learning the easiest way to teach kids maths.

I love teaching kids maths now and it’s a joy to see when they finally get the concept. 

Today I’m going to show you one easy way to teach your toddlers adition.

We all know that the easier way to learn anything is by using a real life experience to teach the concept. 

HOW YO DO IT:

Give your toddler 2 apples 🍎 🍎 and later give her another one apple 🍎 then ask her how many apples do you have now?  (🍎🍎+🍎 = 🍎🍎🍎) simple right? 

In addition, use daily activities like playing cards to teach them. Play monopoly games with them. Let them count how many apples you got from the shop. 

PRETEND PLAY

Children always like to help, so pretend that you’re struggling to count home many apples left after giving some to a friend. Your child would definitely come to your rescue 😂

STAY AHEAD

Start maths early, teach your child maths topics ahead of time before they go into the next class. If we do this, school work will feel easy for them and they will enjoy going to school. 

If you’re looking for maths worksheets, you will find many maths worksheets online suitable for your child’s maths practice. Education.com have free maths worksheets 

And you can also get some of my maths workbooks for your kids on Amazon. 

I hope this helps?

Have an amazing day