A workshop on Parental Skills and Nutrition was conducted for parents of Amrita Nursery on July 11, 2017 in the school auditorium. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Pankaj Popli and Ms. Akshata Popli who provide Occupational Therapy Services and work with children who have difficulty in learning. Principal Brni. Rekha introduced the speakers, and explained to the parents that the purpose of holding such workshops was to create a healthy understanding between parents and their children.
The first session was conducted by Dr. Pankaj Popli where he focused on the attitude that parents must adopt in order to understand their children. He asked parents not to have pre-determined ambitions for their children, and to develop a mutual understanding about the areas of interest that their children would love to explore. Exposing children to various activities develops their personality. Parents must motivate their children and gently guide them towards setting and realizing goals. He also stressed the importance of having nutritious meals which include carbohydrates, protein and fat in their everyday diet, which is very essential for muscle growth, mental strength and physical fitness. Parents must ensure that their children do not have long gaps between each meal which would deprive the young bodies of nutrition.
The second session was conducted by Ms. Akshata Popli where she said that creating ‘open communication terms’ is the need of the hour. This can be achieved in many ways:
- Involving children in family decisions like vacation destinations, shopping etc.
- Not being judgemental.
- Being aware of their progress in school, tuitions, and noticing if their bags are packed according to the time table.
- Making vacation or outings fun by encouraging them to jot down their experiences which will not only improve their language skills but also help them to correlate what they learnt in school.
- Not resort to punishment as a means to discipline. Instead, talk to them to understand the reason behind their action.
- Be firm at times when the child is very adamant. Both parents must have the same stand in dealing with their children which will ensure that the child does not rely on favouritism.
The workshop received good response from the young parents who personally thanked the counsellors for throwing light on the important aspects of parenting. The workshop ended with the chanting of Shanti Mantra.
