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Activities/Classes for Young Children

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imrankhannsu

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Salam to all.

I was wondering if I could request parents to provide suggestions on what activities they have made their children do and seen positive impacts on their lives.

My son (5years) Allhamdullilah does/will do the following:
- Football Club
- Swimming
- Martial Arts
- Quran (soon InshahAllah)
- Cycling (summer InshahAllah)
- PS4 (only marvel lego as this test patience and has loads of puzzles)

I ve stopped Tennis as the academy, but it was a waste of time. Might start at a later age.
 
I don't recommend buying a PS4 just to play Marvel Lego. There are games on the internet for free. Or you can get puzzles irl.
 
Rayyman said:
I don't recommend buying a PS4 just to play Marvel Lego. There are games on the internet for free. Or you can get puzzles irl.
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Thanks but i already had the PS4 and I got him that game. Allowed to play 1.5 hour on Saturday (usually fornightly). He does building physical lego and jigsaw puzzles in his spare time as well.
 
Get him into the habit of reading. if he picks it up now, he will carry it with himself for the rest of his life which will benefit him greatly at every stage. Start with story books that interest him along with encyclopedias of his age.

Don't restrict the PS4 to one game only though. As long as you enforce fix timings, allow him to play a variety of different games.
 
Mamoon said:
Get him into the habit of reading. if he picks it up now, he will carry it with himself for the rest of his life which will benefit him greatly at every stage. Start with story books that interest him along with encyclopedias of his age.

Don't restrict the PS4 to one game only though. As long as you enforce fix timings, allow him to play a variety of different games.
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He reads a story book he brings from school. He is currently in the knack of trying to read signs on the roads. We also read to him everynight a book. Are there any books you recommed for reading other than encyclopedia??

What PS4 games would you recommend?? On rare occasions he plays drive club
 
imrankhannsu said:
We will let him learn music at school. Very expensive to teach at home in UK. I wanted the guitar but wife and I settled for keyboard InshahAllah
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Guitar(bought second hand) is much more flexible and portable and tbh should be done through youtube before going for a teacher.
 
imrankhannsu said:
Salam to all.

I was wondering if I could request parents to provide suggestions on what activities they have made their children do and seen positive impacts on their lives.

My son (5years) Allhamdullilah does/will do the following:
- Football Club
- Swimming
- Martial Arts
- Quran (soon InshahAllah)
- Cycling (summer InshahAllah)
- PS4 (only marvel lego as this test patience and has loads of puzzles)

I ve stopped Tennis as the academy, but it was a waste of time. Might start at a later age.
Click to expand...

After school clubs, it gets them to enjoy activities with their school mates.

My 5 year old does, after school clubs that he likes, football and swimming as planned activities. He's not enjoying football as much and has asked to switch it to tennis instead, which he will when we return from vacation.

Pretty much unfettered playtime at home be it iPad games, lego.... whatever takes his fancy.

Let kids be kids and nurture their imagination...
 
imrankhannsu said:
He reads a story book he brings from school. He is currently in the knack of trying to read signs on the roads. We also read to him everynight a book. Are there any books you recommed for reading other than encyclopedia??

What PS4 games would you recommend?? On rare occasions he plays drive club
Click to expand...

If he likes football, get him FIFA. He will love it, but it will be a bit difficult for him at this age. What sort of books do you read him though? Stories are fine, but try to develop his interest in science as well. Children science books for this age are easy to find.
 
Reading, music and exercise are what we've insisted on. Our kids regularly get awards from the local library for having checked out the most books, one plays guitar and another the violin, and can easily hike 10 miles in the foothills.

Every time I take them to play dates at their schoolmates' houses, I'm amazed at the amount of junk people allow their kids to accumulate. Video games and toys and comics, all of which have no intrinsic value and which contribute nothing to the children's intellectual or physical development.
 
Nostalgic said:
Reading, music and exercise are what we've insisted on. Our kids regularly get awards from the local library for having checked out the most books, one plays guitar and another the violin, and can easily hike 10 miles in the foothills.

Every time I take them to play dates at their schoolmates' houses, I'm amazed at the amount of junk people allow their kids to accumulate. Video games and toys and comics, all of which have no intrinsic value and which contribute nothing to the children's intellectual or physical development.
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Not true w.r.t comics ,think Desi Parents really get annoyed with it,I remember when my dad got fed up of my jughead comic addiction had to give that up and sadly it took me more 2-3 years to pick up books coz i was annoyed.(yeah stupid but still)
 
Nostalgic said:
Reading, music and exercise are what we've insisted on. Our kids regularly get awards from the local library for having checked out the most books, one plays guitar and another the violin, and can easily hike 10 miles in the foothills.

Every time I take them to play dates at their schoolmates' houses, I'm amazed at the amount of junk people allow their kids to accumulate. Video games and toys and comics, all of which have no intrinsic value and which contribute nothing to the children's intellectual or physical development.
Click to expand...

You have imposed on what they should be doing.... you are already straight jacketing them.
 
Eagle_Eye said:
You have imposed on what they should be doing.... you are already straight jacketing them.
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You have to impose certain things on their children because they are not aware of what's good and bad for them. Making your kids study, eat healthy food and engage in healthy activities does not mean that you are straight-jacketing them.

Perhaps you should not send your kids to school because that is also straight-jacketing them and you are imposing it even though they probably don't want to go to school.
 
Eagle_Eye said:
You have imposed on what they should be doing.... you are already straight jacketing them.
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Absolutely. I'm molding my kids in my own image. Playing God, as it were. They'll appreciate it when they're grown up and know better.
 
JaDed said:
Not true w.r.t comics ,think Desi Parents really get annoyed with it,I remember when my dad got fed up of my jughead comic addiction had to give that up and sadly it took me more 2-3 years to pick up books coz i was annoyed.(yeah stupid but still)
Click to expand...

They're better off reading real books. Right now my 11-year old is reading about the mythology of the Inca civilization. I would rather he read that than Jughead, and I say that because I wasted years on Archie and Jughead myself.
 
Contrary to popular belief playing video games actually improves mental quickness and hand-eye coordination. Obviously everything should be done in moderation and playing the PS 4 all day would be quite counter productive.
 
Syed1 said:
Contrary to popular belief playing video games actually improves mental quickness and hand-eye coordination. Obviously everything should be done in moderation and playing the PS 4 all day would be quite counter productive.
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Therein lies the trouble. It is well nigh impossible to limit it, once they're addicted to it.
 
Nostalgic said:
Therein lies the trouble. It is well nigh impossible to limit it, once they're addicted to it.
Click to expand...

I must have been a very shareef bacha :amir

My PlayStation 1 timings were 11am to 12.30pm every Saturday and 3pm to 4.30pm on Sundays (ofcourse not to the dot but generally)

Rest of the week I didnt even dare as much as pick up the controller
 
imrankhannsu said:
He reads a story book he brings from school. He is currently in the knack of trying to read signs on the roads. We also read to him everynight a book. Are there any books you recommed for reading other than encyclopedia??

What PS4 games would you recommend?? On rare occasions he plays drive club
Click to expand...
LOL Driveclub I can't even beat the first race in that game. I think PS4 is more for older kids. Try selling it and getting a Wii, if u can. Toy cars are better than games like Driveclub. Dinosaurs are cool also. I used to play with toy dinosaurs and superhero action figures.
 
Mamoon said:
You have to impose certain things on their children because they are not aware of what's good and bad for them. Making your kids study, eat healthy food and engage in healthy activities does not mean that you are straight-jacketing them.

Perhaps you should not send your kids to school because that is also straight-jacketing them and you are imposing it even though they probably don't want to go to school.
Click to expand...

Scandinavian kids goto school much later like age 7. They catch up and generally go ahead by the time they leave school compared to kids in uk.

My kids that are of school age love going to school. Of course they read, but it's not an excessive demand in my household. They also love to write, paint, draw to express themselves.

Why do western societies have a creative edge, afterall the knowledge is the same everywhere. Most of the time we straight jacket our kids from the very beginning.... do this this and this.

Excessive emphasis on music and book worming is not for every child. Like there are other professions in life besides medicine and engineering. Is that really for them or for us, so we can boast to our friends that little Johnnie can do this this and this...

Expose your kids to many things and see what they are flourishing at and encourage it.
 
Rayyman said:
LOL Driveclub I can't even beat the first race in that game. I think PS4 is more for older kids. Try selling it and getting a Wii, if u can. Toy cars are better than games like Driveclub. Dinosaurs are cool also. I used to play with toy dinosaurs and superhero action figures.
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He has a few toy figures: large iron man, captain America, etc. Coincidentally he learned about dinosaurs in school today. He knows quite a lot about dinosaurs as he used to watch a program on that for kids on BBC.
 
Eagle_Eye said:
Scandinavian kids goto school much later like age 7. They catch up and generally go ahead by the time they leave school compared to kids in uk.

My kids that are of school age love going to school. Of course they read, but it's not an excessive demand in my household. They also love to write, paint, draw to express themselves.

Why do western societies have a creative edge, afterall the knowledge is the same everywhere. Most of the time we straight jacket our kids from the very beginning.... do this this and this.

Excessive emphasis on music and book worming is not for every child. Like there are other professions in life besides medicine and engineering. Is that really for them or for us, so we can boast to our friends that little Johnnie can do this this and this...

Expose your kids to many things and see what they are flourishing at and encourage it.
Click to expand...

They are pros and cons to every society. Western kids have a creative edge on Eastern kids, but they are also more prone to dumping their old parents in Old Homes. Again, giving children the right values at a young age is not 'straight-jacketing' them; you have to instill certain qualities in them because if you don't, the chances of them losing their way in the future are pretty great.

No occupation/job should be forced on children. They should not be pressurized by telling them they have to become this and that when they grow up, but, it is important to put them on the right path when they are young.

Also, you have to be practical as well. If my son tomorrow starts taking interest in cooking, it doesn't mean that I will let him flourish because he might be the next Gordon Ramsey. In our society, there is no alternative to quality education, and if I have to 'impose' it on them, so be it. Excelling academically does not mean they cannot be creative.
 
Slog said:
I must have been a very shareef bacha :amir

My PlayStation 1 timings were 11am to 12.30pm every Saturday and 3pm to 4.30pm on Sundays (ofcourse not to the dot but generally)

Rest of the week I didnt even dare as much as pick up the controller
Click to expand...

You are lucky. I didn't have a console growing up and all that I had in terms of entertainment was sports.
 
Get him to start reading Im really happy my parents got me into it at a very young age. I was reading novels as a 7 year old and it has benefitted me more than anything. Make him read something every day. Also encourage him to play more video games other than lego and let him play for an hour on weekdays and more on weekends. They improve problem solving skills and have other benefits. Pick up a ps2 for cheap and make him play some platformers on that like crash bandicoot. I think gaming has really benefitted me. I was a hardcore gamer at 6. :shafiq2 Good to see that you are making him learn swimming at such a young age as well since it's something that will benefit him for the rest of his life. I'd say you should let him watch cartoons as well but unfortunately nowadays they have become mindless trash. The Cartoon Network of the early 2000s was something special for kids growing up then. Gymnastics is good too.
 
aliasad1998 said:
Get him to start reading Im really happy my parents got me into it at a very young age. I was reading novels as a 7 year old and it has benefitted me more than anything. Make him read something every day. Also encourage him to play more video games other than lego and let him play for an hour on weekdays and more on weekends. They improve problem solving skills and have other benefits. Pick up a ps2 for cheap and make him play some platformers on that like crash bandicoot. I think gaming has really benefitted me. I was a hardcore gamer at 6. :shafiq2 Good to see that you are making him learn swimming at such a young age as well since it's something that will benefit him for the rest of his life. I'd say you should let him watch cartoons as well but unfortunately nowadays they have become mindless trash. The Cartoon Network of the early 2000s was something special for kids growing up then. Gymnastics is good too.
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Many thanks for sharing your views. I do agree these days cartoons are rubbish but we allow him shows on the BBC mainly which are educational and he chooses himself. A lot of research goes into the toddler shows to develop imagination these days. He also watches action cartoons from time to time like dangernouse and tmnt when he feels like.

Gymnastics is something I will look into.
 
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