I wish GOD had sent us a User's manual along with each baby. That was my first reaction when I started teaching the Alphabet-writing for my son, Sriram. No amount of preparation on my part or his was enough to handle what is about to come.
It all started with switching of schools. In Sriram's school the writing part starts only in UKG, till then its just oral. But in the new school, when we took him for interview, they said, "we finish the Alphabet in cursive during LKG and we start words and sentences in UKG". So, if I had to secure an admission for him they gave me 20 days time to teach him and bring him back for writing test. My and his nightmare started with this.
For almost a year i made my kids (both Sowmya & Sriram) to sit for half an hour everyday to teach them something just to ensure a tradition is formed, which i thought will be useful in due course. During the duration of Sowmya's homework time i made Sriram to sit and do some coloring /matching/ connecting the dots, etc.....So, naturally i assumed it must be a cakewalk for both of us and I confidently told the new shcool, that it wouldnt be a problem.
He already knew capital letters writing, somehow he learned it on his own, without any pressure. But when i wrote cursive a and ask him to write it on the entire page - i dont know, what set him off. He started crying and threw a fit that he didnt want to switch school, he didnt want to write ever and cried the entire evening. Day 1 was a complete disaster. He didnt even touch his pencil on that day. These moments made me wonder whether the bizarre concept - Kids are God's way of punishing us for having sex - i heard from a sitcom, is true?
I was never the one to give up and now I dont even have the luxury of giving up. So, with much cajoling I made him hold the pencil after an hour and half of struggle. That was the only success i could achieve on the second day. But a success is a success right, however small it is. In the consequent days the success came only in tiny bits and pieces.
They can concieve more than a million way to frustrate you, anger you, depress you and they can make a clean escape when on the verge of any one or all of the above u say the word "GET LOST".
The pencil is not too sharp for their liking
The pencil is too sharp for their liking
He got hurt in his toe, so cant write
a very tiny bruise like something he'll show u to prove it
Every 1 minute pencil falls down from the table/hand
so better make them sit on the floor if u dont want to exercise the whole two hours. yes, to write 1 page they'll take 2 hours on a good day
He'll make a slightly big hole between their thumb and index finger so the pencil will slide down and so he cant write.
he claims pencil wants to rest thats why its falling from his fingers
A crawling ant nearby gives a 20 minute window of giggles and squeals
if u attempt to scold them, thats all for the day. so u control ur anger and wait till this pass.
My eyes are sleepy
and to my horror he slept the first few days within a five minutes of touching the notebook.
The biggest entertainment is eraser. In the 2 hours time 1 and half our passed on erasing.
someone should find an eraser which writes when the kids use it and erase only when mom is using it. ugh... i started fantasizing like him. maybe spending too much time with him taking its toll on me.
Finally my patience started paying off. But the few things to keep in mind are
Be patient.
Once they realise no amount of tantrums deter us. They'll budge. Still they try now and then to test our determination. But don't lose your patience.
No Bribes
Never set a bad precedence of bribing him to do something. Gifts and prizes are allowed for better behaviour. These are encouragement they definitely need. But don't lure them with something on the starting itself.
No Hitting or Scolding
Be firm. But never loose your control. Hitting and scolding will not make him write. I think, they resist all new things only familiar things is comfortable for them. Its not like they dont want to write but the newness of writing intimidates them.
we have to wait and see whether his effort and my patience are rewarded with the admission. Nonetheless, we really had a good time together otherwise we don't spend that much time at a stretch and what funny stories i heard about his friends, his class. Just for the sake of distraction he talked endlessly. Really had a great time and brought us more closer.
PS: He got admission and nonetheless a star stamp on his palm and the teacher praised his effort saying tremendous improvement and beautiful handwriting. Success is always sweetest when it is hard earned, isn't it.
It all started with switching of schools. In Sriram's school the writing part starts only in UKG, till then its just oral. But in the new school, when we took him for interview, they said, "we finish the Alphabet in cursive during LKG and we start words and sentences in UKG". So, if I had to secure an admission for him they gave me 20 days time to teach him and bring him back for writing test. My and his nightmare started with this.
For almost a year i made my kids (both Sowmya & Sriram) to sit for half an hour everyday to teach them something just to ensure a tradition is formed, which i thought will be useful in due course. During the duration of Sowmya's homework time i made Sriram to sit and do some coloring /matching/ connecting the dots, etc.....So, naturally i assumed it must be a cakewalk for both of us and I confidently told the new shcool, that it wouldnt be a problem.
He already knew capital letters writing, somehow he learned it on his own, without any pressure. But when i wrote cursive a and ask him to write it on the entire page - i dont know, what set him off. He started crying and threw a fit that he didnt want to switch school, he didnt want to write ever and cried the entire evening. Day 1 was a complete disaster. He didnt even touch his pencil on that day. These moments made me wonder whether the bizarre concept - Kids are God's way of punishing us for having sex - i heard from a sitcom, is true?
I was never the one to give up and now I dont even have the luxury of giving up. So, with much cajoling I made him hold the pencil after an hour and half of struggle. That was the only success i could achieve on the second day. But a success is a success right, however small it is. In the consequent days the success came only in tiny bits and pieces.
They can concieve more than a million way to frustrate you, anger you, depress you and they can make a clean escape when on the verge of any one or all of the above u say the word "GET LOST".
The pencil is not too sharp for their liking
The pencil is too sharp for their liking
He got hurt in his toe, so cant write
a very tiny bruise like something he'll show u to prove it
Every 1 minute pencil falls down from the table/hand
so better make them sit on the floor if u dont want to exercise the whole two hours. yes, to write 1 page they'll take 2 hours on a good day
He'll make a slightly big hole between their thumb and index finger so the pencil will slide down and so he cant write.
he claims pencil wants to rest thats why its falling from his fingers
A crawling ant nearby gives a 20 minute window of giggles and squeals
if u attempt to scold them, thats all for the day. so u control ur anger and wait till this pass.
My eyes are sleepy
and to my horror he slept the first few days within a five minutes of touching the notebook.
The biggest entertainment is eraser. In the 2 hours time 1 and half our passed on erasing.
someone should find an eraser which writes when the kids use it and erase only when mom is using it. ugh... i started fantasizing like him. maybe spending too much time with him taking its toll on me.
Finally my patience started paying off. But the few things to keep in mind are
Be patient.
Once they realise no amount of tantrums deter us. They'll budge. Still they try now and then to test our determination. But don't lose your patience.
No Bribes
Never set a bad precedence of bribing him to do something. Gifts and prizes are allowed for better behaviour. These are encouragement they definitely need. But don't lure them with something on the starting itself.
No Hitting or Scolding
Be firm. But never loose your control. Hitting and scolding will not make him write. I think, they resist all new things only familiar things is comfortable for them. Its not like they dont want to write but the newness of writing intimidates them.
we have to wait and see whether his effort and my patience are rewarded with the admission. Nonetheless, we really had a good time together otherwise we don't spend that much time at a stretch and what funny stories i heard about his friends, his class. Just for the sake of distraction he talked endlessly. Really had a great time and brought us more closer.
PS: He got admission and nonetheless a star stamp on his palm and the teacher praised his effort saying tremendous improvement and beautiful handwriting. Success is always sweetest when it is hard earned, isn't it.
