Can teaching children to value themselves and others help them develop?

We at Sing Stars pride our classes on developing childrens self esteem, encourage them to try, to have respect for themselves and others, without judging each other on our weaknesses but our strengths.

Empowerment and confidence are key ingredient in maximizing children's potential in academic achievement, social success, and personal happiness. This is an obviously an arduous process; it is not instantly going to be achieved. It is important that many methods combine together to reach the desired result. There are many innovative forms of empowerment methods available, but the most important thing here is that we do what we can to show children that they have self worth and individuality that they must be proud of. They must VALUE THEMSELVES and OTHERS for a happy and social connective life.

By obtaining a strong relationship with themselves they will equip themselves with abilities and positivity to try. They will then evolve into helping each other which will inevitably result in a connection and empowerment of children globally. Children process information from the world around them much differently than adults, they have distinct needs for managing the effects of stress and trauma but with a highly developed sense of consciousness for their feelings, they will then be able to manage fear, anger, anxiety and any other circumstances trying to cause effect to their wellbeing.

With a healthy sense of individuality, children will be able to help themselves and help others with respect, sensitivity and empathy, resulting in the connectivity of children worldwide.

So the main quest for adults is to help children learn valuable life skills early, which will mean that they will be better able to deal with challenging situations when they are older. Thus nurturing their own strives for personal life enrichment.

The empowerment of children to find their true values and voices is a statement , which was the inspiration behind the motivation for Sing Stars. Sing Stars teaches children to sing and develop their voices and encourages their joy for singing and performing. But it is also to develop their confidence, give them a strength to vocalise their thoughts, express their emotions and to show them that if they try, practice and work hard anything is possible beyond their own worries and weaknesses. Sing Stars teaches children to value themselves and their talents aswell as valueing others while they form great friendships in the singing club.

Sing Stars is Milton Keynes very own Singing Group for children aged from 5-16 years old. Sing Stars MK is a fun and friendly group activity for your little budding singers. They will help develop your childrens vocal skills and talents, but above all they will help them to make lots of new friends, boost their own self confidence and show them just how fun creative arts can be.

Sing Stars nurture and develop each childs love of singing and to encourage their energy and enthusiasm for performance. Unlike National Theatre and Drama Schools their classes are affordable and are at convenient times to suit busy Mums and Dads. Their classes hold a maximum of 15 children to allow them to focus on the needs of every child attending the group.

Children of all ages and abilities are welcome! No audition is required! They give every child a chance to shine!

Classes are run midweek, through term times with a show at the end of each term for mums and dads. Summer Holiday Sing Star Club is also available. Places are limited but to avoid waiting lists new classes are added to meet the demand. Please request your childs space on the next starting Club.

Classes are set to Sing Star Sparklers 5-7 Sing Star Juniors 8-12 and Sing Stars Teens 13-16

There is lots of fun singing techniques and songs are suited to the age group. Glee, High School Musical, Rock School , Just Bieber , Hannah Montanna are the popular hits for Sing Star Sparklers and Juniors, with Katy Perry, Jessie Jay, One Direction , Glee being the teen choices. We also sing songs from the musicals and show and other artists they like!!

Prices are £4 per class or there is the option to pay termly, there are also offers on Siblings in the club, referals and more...

Please contact us for information on the next available courses for the Sing Stars Singing Club.  If you would like to find out more or book your place on a class , to find out more, or be given website and social networking links please contact via this form

Sing Stars Mk also offer Private Singing Lessons and Childrens Party Entertainment... please call or email for details 07540801395

Do confident children achieve more?

Confidence allows children to develop better relationships , communication skills and social skills. Reading body language and facial expressions is crucial for forming relationships and connecting and understanding the world. Ultimately, learning these skills are empowering for a child. Without these skill their achievement potential is lessened. With these skills a child will be less fearful and more willing to try.

Low confidence, anxiety and poor self-esteem leads to under-performance, unpopularity, and greatly reduced happiness and satisfaction with life. And of course we want our children to live happy, healthy fulfilled lives, with the attitude that they CAN reach potentials, enjoy life and be open to many amazing and life changing possibilities.

So with this YES a child will achieve more with confidence, as confidence brings self esteem, a value for themselves and their skills. So what can we do to help?

So how can we help our children be more confident?

We at Sing Stars MK, offer confidence building singing club lessons that aim to do just that!!

Sing Stars is Milton Keynes very own Singing Group for children aged from 5-16 years old. Sing Stars MK is a fun and friendly group activity for your little budding singers. They will help develop your childrens vocal skills and talents, but above all they will help them to make lots of new friends, boost their own self confidence and show them just how fun creative arts can be.

Sing Stars nurture and develop each childs love of singing and to encourage their energy and enthusiasm for performance. Unlike National Theatre and Drama Schools their classes are affordable and are at convenient times to suit busy Mums and Dads. Their classes hold a maximum of 15 children to allow them to focus on the needs of every child attending the group.

Children of all ages and abilities are welcome! No audition is required! They give every child a chance to shine!

Classes are run midweek, through term times with a show at the end of each term for mums and dads. Summer Holiday Sing Star Club is also available. Places are limited but to avoid waiting lists new classes are added to meet the demand. Please request your childs space on the next starting Club.

Classes are set to Sing Star Sparklers 5-7 Sing Star Juniors 8-12 and Sing Stars Teens 13-16

There is lots of fun singing techniques and songs are suited to the age group. Glee, High School Musical, Rock School , Just Bieber , Hannah Montanna are the popular hits for Sing Star Sparklers and Juniors, with Katy Perry, Jessie Jay, One Direction , Glee being the teen choices. We also sing songs from the musicals and show and other artists they like!!

Prices are £4 per class or there is the option to pay termly, there are also offers on Siblings in the club, referals and more...

Please contact us for information on the next available courses for the Sing Stars Singing Club.  If you would like to find out more or book your place on a class , to find out more please see www.kaleyentertainments.wix.com/singstars 

Sing Stars Mk also offer Private Singing Lessons and Childrens Party Entertainment... please call or email for details 07540801395

Using Arts and Crafts to help your child develop

Children are inherently curious and children naturally love art, painting, drawing , making music etc!! Arts and crafts provides a way for a child to create something unique which gives a child a positive, constructive way for them to express themselves and their thoughts. Physiologically, the human brain consists of 2 parts, the left and the right hemisphere. The left brain is used in logical thinking and analytical processes. This is typically what is trained in school work that consists of math, reading and science. The right brain is used in emotional perception, intuition and creativity. This is touched upon in schools but I believe we need to act on a childs creative development from babies as these skills will also be important to how they live their lives!

Arts and crafts are a great developmental tool for children: its fun and educational. Children can partake in groups to build confidence and social intergration. But they are also valued for their self expression and for their personal and unique masterpieces. Arts and crafts for children offers personal satisfaction and a child will feel proud of themselves for what they have solely achieved. At the same time as having great fun.

It is important that children understand it is ok to be unique, that we are all different , we all have different skills and unique talents. Providing this self belief and individuality appreciation at am early age will avoid the risk of getting a low self esteem, and will allow children to enjoy and explore themselves and their talents without the need to feel they must be the same as their friends or siblings!

Crafts offer new exciting experiences and sensations as well as improving fine motory skill. By controlling brushes, crayons, sculpting clay, building blocks etc a child will learn how to use their small muscles in their fingertips for example.

With arts and crafts the object is fun, mess, play and free personal expression. Your little ones will make unique masterpieces that they will be proud of, it is important that the masterpieces are valued and displayed in order to infuse their confidence. All children who make something personal and unique that is treasured will love their individuality and will be happy to try new things, explore more things and develop from strength to strength as a result. A child who has low self esteem will not take risks and will not reach their full potential nor live a happy,healthy life that a child deserves.

As well as offering children escapism , leaving the real world and entering a fun creative free creative world, it is also improving their coordination and manual dexterity. With lots of different crafts and tools many new skills and experiences can be tried.By taking part in arts and crafts a child will also improve and develop their concentration skills and perseverance. Both of which are useful skills to take into school and adult working environments. Pateince and an understanding that sometimes putting in the extra effort, extra time for the harder crafts will pay off.

The benefits of arts and crafts are:

· Creativity skills are important as it is through creativity children learn their uniqueness and express their feelings.

· Creative arts develop children’s fine motory skills

· Arts and Crafts offer new experiences and sensations

· Arts and crafts can be interactive and social if done in groups. A creative environment is a happy one for children.

· Arts and crafts allow for personal self expression and being valued and appreciated for their unique masterpeices

· Creativity builds confidence for unique personal expression

· Arts and crafts is a great source of quality time with parents, siblings

· Creative arts are fun and educational

· Arts and Crafts builds confidence and self esteem

· Arts and Crafts offer the chance to make choices and build decision making skills

· Creative arts allows children expresses their emotions

· Arts and crafts sessions are great escapism for children from the real world into a creative world

· Arts and Crafts improve coordination and manual dexterity

· The creative arts improve and nurture concentration skills and perseverance

· Arts and crafts teach patience and that to get excellent results it could take harder work and time

Tips to make the arts a part of your childs development:

• Always make arts and crafts supply available and accessible to your child - paper, pencil, crayons, etc.

• Celebrate your child’s artwork – hang their drawings on the wall or save it in a folder. That way, your child feels that their creation is important.

• Read books – Ask the librarian at your school or public library to suggest books about the arts. ( a great book to build self esteem and confidence is The Magic Sunglasses. www.themagicsunglasses.com )

• Notice the arts all around you – take your family to museums, creative days, toddler groups etc. Notice the art even in the parks, subways, and open spaces. Start a conversation about what you see.

• Enjoy the arts at home – share your artistic skills and interests with your children. Find out what your kids love about the art and crafts.

• If your kid shows great interest or talent in certain arts and crafts nurture their esteem

• If possible, remind your kid’s school authorities about the importance of art in her education.

How can you boost your children’s confidence?

When you feel confident you feel you can do more, when you lack confidence you subconsciously hold yourself back, and this is the same for children. To enable them to reach their full potential through their developmental ages and right the way through to adulthood, we need to nurture their self belief and confidence and make them feel good about themselves. Self esteem I believe to be a childs passport for life: It will allow them to live with a positive attitude, a will to try, to succeed, to live healthily , with self belief and respect for others. Even more importantly is, a healthy self esteem will encourage them to strive socially, intellectually, physically and grow into well-rounded and happy people!!

Gok Wan is helping our teens feel good about their bodies and self esteem which is great, but where is the help for our toddlers, pre schoolers and primary ages. As this is the most crucial when you think that this is their developmental age! Where they learn about themselves and others around them.

The best ways to promote confidence is through:

· Making your baby/child feel loved and valued with affection and love.

· Be a good role model , be confident, positive and happy yourself.

· Give quality time to each child. Play with them, read with them,etc

· Help your child realise their talents. Develop these talents and applaud their strengths

· Give your child responsibilities. Their own special jobs within the home. So they see they are an asset to a group.

· Encourage your child to be expressive and show their feelings. Releasing inhibitions is a great way to tackle low self esteem and will develop confidence. Communication skills and socialisation will become second nature to a child whom expresses their own feelings.

· Do not give your child attachment issues, show your baby/child that they are safe cuddling other people and not just mum and dad.

All of this can be achieved through the creative arts! Here are some ideas of what and where!!

· Reading creative books with your children is a great method for boosting self esteem and confidence. It gives you and your child quality time together which will make them feel special. It is allowing a child to learn words and language. It will improve your childs reading skills and will also allow conversation and feelings to be discussed in relation to the topic in the book. If you choose a book that is fun but also targets the issue of being brave, being confident, trying your best, not giving up etc a child will take that onboard. To help your child boost their self esteem and confidence I recommend the The Magic Sunglasses . This wonderful book written by Auriel Blanche discusses this very theme and there is also a workshop and interactive website to help children and parents dealing with esteem. www.themagicsunglasses.com

· Join baby toddler groups, these are great for social interaction. Musical toddler and baby groups are ideal. They allow children to be creative and have fun in a safe and relaxed environment. At the same time as building confidence and self esteem, they explore the musical instruments, nursery rhymes and action songs. Through doing so they learn to build the co-ordination skills, develop physically, socially and emotionally. A music class encourages interaction with other children, group activities, socialising, joining in and sharing. It also allows them to express themselves and a fun way to escape to a fun musical world away from the worries them may have. They may make friends and learn musical talents aswell. All in all they will feel valued as part of a group, gain self esteem and happiness as they are applauded for getting actions right, knowing the songs, playing the instruments and playing the games.It is also quality time with their parents so they will feel special. One I recommend is Musical Minis, they are all over the country . http://www.musicalminis.co.uk

Benefits of CREATIVE PLAY for children

When we think of helping our children to develop we usually think of academic qualities like reading, writing, maths and concentration. But we really need to add creativity to that list of beneficial qualities. It is with creativity our children not only have fun and explore skills to make arts and crafts, play instrument’s, write songs – but more importantly it is through creative play that children learn skills that will help them tackle everyday life. It will help them solve problems, learn about themselves and learn to live successful, fulfilling and happy lives.

Creative Play has: Intellectual Benefits , Physical Benefits , Emotional Benefits , Social Benefits

So with this in mind CREATIVITY is an asset we need to help all of our children nurture and develop. But I stress to parents with shy children more so….. Interactive Creative Play is essential self esteem building, confident boosting and positive thinking for their own self expression which ultimately will help them adapt to a social world where communication and connection to others will help them live fulfilled and empowered lives which will embed the notion of self respect, respect for others and the ambition to reach their full potential.

Creativity helps children reflect and understand their own feelings and inner thoughts, which ultimately helps them deal with issues and develop with a healthier outlook on their own strengths and abilities.They will try new things, learn new skills and be happy!

Being creatuve nurtures a childs emotional health as they explore personal feelings and experiences in a fun and playful way, without judgement. We as adults love “ME” time – the same is for children. Creative play allows for uniqueness , exploration of special talents and a fun playtime that draws the child away from stresses in their lives into their imagination and happy/safe place.

Creative learning shows children its fun to be spontaneous and impulsive. It allows children to have fun, to be playful without regimentation.Through which they can escape away from the real world.

How to help your child be creative:

Inspire them to be creative by being creative yourself. Perhaps act out scenarios which will explore their feelings and allow them to express themselves in a playful way.

Provide creative environment, provide equipment such as paints, moulding clay, pens, colouring pencils, props, puppets, costumes, toys , mud clay , plastersine, lego, building blocks, cuddly toys, musical instruments etc. Make time for creative play. And make it colourful with stimulus for inspiration and imagination.

Make objects, homemade things, great to find special talents and spending time escaping real life.

Dramatic play & improvisation, acting out scenarios will help children express their true inner feelings.

Creative movement playing games like head shoulders knees and toes , follow the leader and simon says is not only great for co-ordination but it teaches listening skills and interaction if in a big group.

Classes and groups – These are great for interaction as well as exploring their own self expression. These build social skills and emotional skills. A winning suggestion!!

www.themagicsunglasses.com has great interactive workshops for children. It also has a great creative workbook for parents and a great book which will help children imagination and self esteem.

Shy children are being diagnosed with "social anxiety disorder" and treated with prozac. Should we not turn to confidence booster techniques instead?

So now psycologists are telling us a shy child has social anxiety and a sad child has depression. What’s their solution. Prozac! HEY!!!? Surely careful support by parents, teachers, coaches, play groups, children’s authors, child practitioners will be a better solution. There is a wealth of help and support for shy children. We need Confidence boosters for children not Prozac!!! Theres a name for a beneficial facebook group if there ever was one!

The reason I am discussing this is the new guidelines in place in America for treating shy children with drugs for social anxiety disorder. Do we want this brought over to the UK? I’d suggest strongly – NO!! Kate Fallon, general secretary of the Association of Educational Psychologists, told delegates: “In 2013 we’re expecting new criteria for the definition of mental illness to be adopted here in the UK. These criteria will lead to many more children being diagnosed as mentally ill, based on reports of their behaviours.” So I ask: Is shyness a mental disorder that needs treating? Or something a lot of children go through while they learn about the world and about themselves? Surely its support and not drugs that our children need.

Martin Beckford, Health Correspondent in the Telegraph states our shy children “could be prescribed powerful medication such as Prozac or Ritalin to control or alter their behaviour.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8763431/Shy-children-at-risk-of-being-diagnosed-with-mental-disorder.html What ? What about long lasting effects? What about dealing with problems?What about finding solutions? Working through issues? What about social interaction and communication skill building? There are all things we need to learn and through experience and knowledge can be found easily.

Recent figures show 650,000 children aged between eight and 13 are on pscyhotropic drugs, up from just 9,000 two decades ago, while others are taking Prozac for depression or anxiety. Fears are growing that the number of children diagnosed with mental disorders and prescribed drugs will increase still further after 2013, when a new “bible” of the psychiatric profession is published. This is called DSM. The British Psychological Society have raised concerns about the proposed revisions to the DSM.

Prof Peter Kinderman, chairman of the society’s Division of Clinical Psychology, said: “We’re not certain that a diagnosis and a medical response is the best way to help these kids.” Here, Here!

Understand and help , not diagnose and treat with medication.

I was a very shy child at school. I would feel too shy to ask for a new work book once mine had finished… but yet through growing up my job is singing and entertaining thousands of people across the country every weekend. Thank goodness I dealt with my problem and didn’t turn to medication , else id be the same now. Hiding behind others, feeling intimidated by other people, feeling insecure, having low self esteem. But I did not have a mental disorder and I strongly suggest neither do most of our shy children. I recommend some other methods of help. Lets help our children now by helping them;

· Boost their Self Esteem

· Improve their Confidence

· Find their special talents

· Explore their strengths

· Interact and socialize in groups they enjoy

· Find a respect for themselves and others

· Form friendships

· Appreciate their uniqueness

Where can you find support for these confidence builders

· Local Community Centres

· Play Groups/Toddler Groups/ Activity Groups

· Childrens Books that include these issues of confidence , esteem and self respect

· Workshops/Drama Groups/Music Groups

I would highly recommend that shy children read The Magic Sunglasses and join the website www.themagicsunglasses.com . So they can interact and learn about shyness and how you can live successful, happy and confident lives. Auriel Blanche the wonderful author and founder of The Magic Sunglasses project connects and empowers children across the UK with this book and workshop. It’s a great benefit for children who are shy- and it beats taking them to the doctors to merely be diagnosed from a book and treated with medication which will not help them over come their shyness problem!!

Lets empower our shy children to socialise and interact with others by finding others of a similar age and similar interests to help form friendships, learn about each other and themselves. We are all special and equal. A positive child, a confident child and an empowered child will strive for success, strive for their potential and live a more fun and satisfying life- We owe our children the best. So please please help your children and do not abide to the DSM and the psychologists who are stopping our shy children from being happy!!

Lets get our children outside, enjoying nature and keeping fit

Do we blame societies nervousness, parents busy schedules, or the rise of technology? Im one for taking my dog for a walk first thing in the morning. One reason is because he needs exercise and it is my responsibility that he gets it. But also, I benefit from the outdoors; it clears the cobwebs, refreshes me and sets me in good stead for a productive day. Not only this but long term its keeping me active, fit and exercised aswell. With lots of parks, fields, greens, lakes and farms around me I feel very privalliged. But will our children grow to love the outdoors like I do?
Do we have a problem where our children are playing inside on computers and watching tv, instead of exploring and taking fun adventures outside? Will this have an impact on their health for the future? Do our children get the exercise they need? Is it a result of urbonised, electronic homes? Or due to parents now creating a risk-adversed world with nature-deficit disorders all round?With so many questions I can only show you my research from the experts.
Consultant Tim Gill, author of the report Sowing the Seeds: Reconnecting London's Children with Nature, "The way I unpack the idea is that regular contact with nature is part of a balanced diet of childhood experiences.
"If children do not have those experiences then they are not going to thrive to the same degree as if they did," he added.
"They are also likely to grow up not caring about the world around them; while it is not a clinical condition, it should be something that worries us." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16963807

The National Trust chief executive Dame Fiona said "Children are missing out on the sheer joy and physical and mental well-being of being able to play outside and experience nature in all its messiness.
"It's partly technology and it's partly a sort of nervousness. The freedom for children to roam unsupervised has shrunk by 90% since the 1970s.
"The world is a different place and people have become very anxious about the risks - real or perceived." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17257562

Health services are starting to take notice and organisations are now helping to get our children outside, exercising and away from the computer screens . A few to take a look at are listed below.
Play England http://www.playengland.org.uk/ - an organisation that focuses on giving children access to free play areas - has funding from Natural England to run a programme to re-engage children with the natural world. "Fundamentally, we believe that kids should be outside playing for a good proportion of the day because it is how you can stay happy, less stressed but it is also good in a whole range of ways," said Play England director Cath Prisk However, she added: "Research we carried out last year showed that parents think taking their kids to the park is something you do as a treat instead of something you do everyday.” . http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16963807
Change for life for children http://www.nhs.uk/Change4Life/Pages/up-and-about.aspx “Activity is good for kids' health. It raises their heartbeats and helps pump blood around their bodies. It’s like a mini workout for their lungs and muscles! It also decreases their chances of getting life-threatening diseases. A good dose of fresh air and exercise also helps us all sleep better. So tiring out kids with activity every day will help them nod off at a good hour and make them feel alert for the next day.”

Transform my patch charity, with Denise Van Outen and pother celebrities involved in a national competition to improve children’s playgrounds and parks in different areas. http://www.transformyourpatch.com/projects

With the olympics just around the corner we have many organisations and websites also getting children fit and active. Youth Sport Trust, Youth Ambassador Britain , Get Set London
I will be looking more into this issue and will keep blogs coming as we get closer to the olympics – so watch this space.

Who is to blame for the urgent threat of eating disorders on our children?

There is an urgent need for services to recognise and treat eating disorders in young children, say experts. So I call for a new ethical editorial code with the promotion of diverse body shapes within the media, an increased understanding of eating disorders and knowledge of treatments from our GPs and more support services aimed at younger children. 1.6 million people in the UK are affected by an eating disorder. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. It is effecting our children and we must act now!!

According to BBC News. “The study of UK and Irish data suggests three in every 100,000 children under the age of 13 have an eating disorder, including children as young as six.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12920551 Shockingly there has been an 80% rise in the number of young girls admitted to hospital with anorexia in England over the last decade. Who do we blame? Parents?Media?GPs?

It has been suggested in another News Report that GPs are failing on treating and supporting those with eating disorders “Based on a survey of 1,500 people with eating disorders, the report found many thought their GP lacked knowledge about treatments, or how to access them.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7905223.stm If our own doctors don’t understand or support our children who are suffering with eating disorders where can our children turn to?

Psychiatrists at the Royal College of Psychiatry blame Media for our children’s eating disorders. Their view is that the media promotes unhealthy body images and glamourising eating disorders. Dr Adrienne Key from the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Eating Disorders Section said "Although biological and genetic factors play an important role in the development of these disorders, psychological and social factors are also significant…..That's why we are calling on the media to take greater responsibility for the messages it sends out." Magazines, Celebrities , TV programmes, Adverts, all include underweight models, often airbrushed, making children feel insecure about themselves and gives them low selfesteems. Can we blame the models? The Celebrities? Or are they themselves under the same sad pressure of getting to the size zero ‘media portrayed perfection’?

So I’ve discussed the problem, pointed my fingers at those to blame but lets look for help.

The main support groups I found for eating disorders, were aimed at adolescents and not young children. Dr Dasha Nicholls, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said there were huge developmental differences between children and adolescents and adults. "Our study shows there is an urgent need to consider the needs of children with eating disorders separately and not simply lower the age range of existing adolescent services." So we must take note from the expert, I’m in agreement. Where puberty can be the cause of low self esteem and eating disorders it is important to understand that we are talking about younger children with the same disorder. Simply lowering the age groups within these support services just wouldn’t be enough. We need to find services which specifically aim their help at younger children, after all we are talking about children as young as six!

Which brings me to the fabulous charity Beat. B-eat. (beating eating disorders) Beat’s vision is that eating disorders will be beaten. They aim to ; change the way everyone thinks and talks about eating disorders, improve the way services and treatment are provided and to help anyone believe that their eating disorder can be beaten Beat is great, they focus on challenging the stereotypes and stigma that people with eating disorders face. They are constantly campaigning for better services and treatment. They also provide information, support and encourage children to seek treatment and recovery. “Beat is the leading eating disorders charity in the UK and last year had direct contact with 250,000 people. In its 21st year the organisation campaigns to raise awareness, influence decision takers and offers information and support to those affected.” http://www.b-eat.co.uk/

Lets not forget that parents, carers, schools all have a responsibility to keep our children safe and healthy . There may not be many eating disorder organisations to help our children currently but there are other organisations that offer services to help boost children’s self esteem. That are confidence builders, that teach that we are all unique and that we all have different strengths and weaknesses. That we should love ourselves for the strengths we do have and not punish ourselves for what others may perceive as weaknesses.

The Magic Sunglasses Project for example is an organization that gives children the tools to develop real practical self confidence. Provides the path and strategy for children to fulfil their potential. It also helps children discover they have the power to make choices in their lives. The over all message being that we all have true special and unique qualities. It teaches children to value themselves, have respect for others. It empowers children to be themselves , to develop confidently with a healthy self esteem. It supplys children with the skills to live happy successful lives and to live without the pressure of conforming to the issues that create eating disorders in the first instance! : )

Written by Kaley Herrick ,researcher of child development related to the creative arts.

Childrens Reading Groups

As you all know by now, I love charities and organisations that are helping to inspire children to love and enjoy reading! Companies that have a motivation for helping the children of the nation to be highly educated and inspired children with fantastic literacy skills , communication skills, social skills and a respect for themselves and others.

Now another one I would like to shout about is Chatterbooks. This is run by The Reading Agency and has been set up for children aged between 8-11 . The aim is to get children fired up and excited about reading. They have won awards for its national network of reading groups aimed at children. The groups all incorporate fun and creativity within the story reading and discussions.

Reading for pleasure has a profound effect on individuals and communites , so chatterbooks can be organised for schools, libraries , clubs , or anywhere which it can be used.

Chatterbooks Reads is run in collaboration with Children's Reading Partners.

Chatterbooks Reads aims:
* to introduce children to the best new writing and expand their reading horizons
* to help parents make informed reading choices for their children
* to enhance libraries' promotion of current children's literature

Chatterbooks has quizzes, games and activities related to the books to encourage children to discuss issues in the book, to communicate and develop socially with the literature being at the heart of the chattering!

There are about 550 chatterbook groups across the UK, with some 8500 children aged 4-12 taking part. If you would like to learn more… or hold a chatterbooks event please view the website. http://readinggroups.org/chatterbooks/

Another reading book club to mention is the magic sunglasses. www.themagicsunglasses.com - an ideal reading group and book to encourage self esteem , self confidence and understanding of each individual having true special talents…

Written by Kaley Herrick ,researcher of child development related to the creative arts.