How to Educate Your Children With Play
DID YOU KNOW: According to the UAE population’s statistics, 14.20% of the population (nearly 1.36 million) is made up of children between 0 and 14 years. (Source: Global Media Insight)
Whether you are a first-time parent, or have been donning the parent hat for a while now, the biggest question that arises in this new journey is:
How do I know and then eventually teach what is best for my children?
While many parents like yourself ponder over this question, many others find themselves wondering what is the most ideal place to raise a child. This follows through to the best geographical location, schools, neighbourhoods, college, city and country to live in.
The pressure and stress that accompanies parenthood is significant. Especially when you have to make so many choices – and make sure it is the right fit.
On that note, here are our thoughts on what makes the UAE a suitable destination for families.
3 things that make the United Arab Emirates a suitable destination for families
1. Education is a top priority
“The real asset of any advanced nation is its people, especially the educated ones, and the prosperity and success of the people are measured by the standard of their education.” – Sheikh Zayed, Founding member of UAE
It is no breaking news that the nation’s multitude of prestigious kindergartens, nursery, and elementary schools offer high-quality and commendable opportunities for education.
With an inherent focus on afternoon activities aimed at children’s betterment, the sphere of education in the region is certainly taking great leaps in overhauling the system.
FACT: UAE’s literacy rate is 93.23% and quality and first-rate education is the nation’s new challenge under UAE Vision 2021.
2. Safety and defense
In addition to the rich offer of services, another attribute that characterizes this nation is safety and defense. Even the most apprehensive, highly-protective and vigilant parents can feel serene knowing that they have chosen one of the safest places for their children.
3. Multiculturalism
DID YOU KNOW: The UAE is a country home to only 11.48% of Emiratis, while the expatriates make up the majority.
This means, multiculturalism is quite the norm here and more than just welcome – it is a prerogative. Inclusiveness and diversity are largely promoted above all in schools (perhaps not so much in corporate environments, unfortunately!).
Having clarified that the environment is very favorable, it remains critical to understand what a parent can do to define the best way to educate their children in a culture that is different from the country of origin.
For your child to have a wonderful childhood and grow up to be compassionate and standout adults, it all begins with you. In addition to this, if you dream of raising your child a certain way, with certain values, it’s highly essential that you know yourself first.
You will likely be teaching your children based on your personal experiences and growth journey, wouldn’t you agree? Your role as a parent warrants you to take a step back and evaluate your own self, along with your partner. The “how” will follow through, when you know the “what”.
In this blog, we have outlined some of the basic actions you can take to succeed in your endeavour.
Exercise #1: Let’s play “I have it, I don’t have it”
Let’s start from who we are and where we stand today.
While bringing to light all the positive knowledge that was inculcated in us by our parents belonging to the traditional culture of origin – I encourage you moms and dads to come together and take a moment to reflect and share.
Now, here’s what we encourage you to do:
– Pause and think about the best memories of your childhood that involve your key educators: this includes your parents, grandparents, teacher and coaches.
– Reflect on the values these educators have passed on to you. The very values that have made you the person you are proud to be today.
– Share with your partner and make a list together that includes the top 10 values you want to pass on to your children.
– Include when possible, your educators (parents, coach, teachers) in the growth and education of your children. For example, plan a Zoom call with your child’s grandmother who can teach your daughter to sew; or your child’s grandfather who can teach your son to cook.
That’s not all… Here’s exercise #2
Now let’s think about what skills or competencies we have to develop because they weren’t passed on to us as children.
Don’t you often wish that you dealt with a past situation better, or communicated your feelings effectively, or hoped that you knew better than you did?
This includes all those limiting thoughts, beliefs and insecurities that we had to learn to manage (or are still learning) to achieve the successes we dream of.
Moms and dads (including single parents), we encourage you to schedule some quality time to plan for your family and children’s growth.
– Select a total of up to 10 skills that you want your children to develop as they grow up.
– Prioritize from first to the last, the capacity and skills you think your children will need. Relate these with your children’s developmental stages and also think about these skills in the order of priority that you believe you need to instill in them.
– Plan a SMART plan that will enable them to acquire these skills.
To do this, it may help to answer these questions:
- Can I, as a parent, pass on these skills to my children or do I need to take an expert’s help?
- Who should I contact for this purpose?
- How long does it take for these skills to be acquired and why?
- How much time and money should I invest in this?
- How can we check the improvements and progress of our children?
Here’s how we believe this game will help you
This game will allow you to:
- Unite the past and the future
- Place yourself as a bridge between your roots and the luxuriant fruits you want your children to harvest tomorrow
- Make your goals clearer, especially when people or trends around you might persuade you to follow other paths
- Be aware of who you are
- Teach your children to do the same by following your example
- The universal truth is that we all want to be the best parent for our children…
Parenthood demands a whole new, invested version of yourself and in the due course of action. Yet, as a parent, challenges and struggles are galore – it is certainly not an easy ride.
If you want to –
- Learn how to manage your baby blues, strengths, values and life purpose
- Be empowered with efficiency, time management, empathy and creativity
- Achieve balance, clarity, leadership, and acceptance
- Get your mind-boggling parenting questions answered
Our team at LEA Growing People can assist you with just that, and so much more.
