Stress is inevitable and, in moderation, even beneficial. Stress has numerous beneficial consequences, such as increasing alertness and releasing adrenaline, and is our body’s first line of defence in potentially harmful conditions. On the other hand, this is only a stopgap measure.
Negative mental and physical health effects have been linked to prolonged or extreme stress.
Children can experience stress just as adults. More and more youngsters are experiencing anxiety, and it can be difficult to know when their stress levels have reached a dangerous threshold.
In addition to its psychological impacts, stress has been linked to physical health issues like weight gain, inflammation, and hypertension. Anxiety, mood swings, and a decline in memory and mental agility are just some negative outcomes of prolonged or chronic stress in children.
It’s encouraging to know that there are methods for helping kids learn to deal with stress. Reading dramatically impacts children’s mental and emotional health because it helps them relax, develop empathy, and strengthen relationships.
What Can Cause Stress in Children Living in Singapore?
Lack of certainty is a major contributing factor. The recollections of the Covid 19 pandemic might make youngsters feel unsafe and insecure in any setting, including at home or school. When kids are with a parent, they may listen to the news, and a lot of depressing news emphasizes the volatility in the world today. Alteration can also be a stressful factor. Perhaps a member of the family has been recently hospitalized or passed away. Lack of sleep, peer pressure, and a packed schedule all contribute to an already stressful situation.
Like adults, children benefit from mental distraction when reading or being read to by their parents or tutor. They are more concerned with the story’s finer points than with the events in their own life. It encourages them to think outside the box. Some of the best moments of my life have been spent reading books that have made me laugh out loud. They feel safe and protected when they read in the company of people they care about and trust. If, as a parent, you work for long hours or are busy with other activities, a professional 1 to 1 Home Tuition Singapore that you can trust with your child can come in handy.
Understanding the signs of anxiety in kids
Children aren’t always good at articulating their emotions or realizing when they’re anxious, so it’s up to their parents or tutors to watch for prolonged or extreme anxiety symptoms.
These symptoms frequently take the form of altered emotions, such as grief, anger, or worry, or altered behaviours, such as weeping, outbursts, or recurring nightmares.
Illnesses, including headaches, stomachaches, sleeplessness, and extreme tiredness, are sometimes manifested physically.
There could be shifts in a child’s approach to social situations or a reluctance to participate in things they once enjoyed, such as spending time with relatives.
Young people may experience unexpected declines in academic performance or new difficulties with schooling.
How Reading Can Help Reduce Stress In Children
A 2009 study by the University of Sussex discovered that listening to fiction for six minutes lowered stress levels by 68%. This may be due to the increased brain activity that occurs when reading to youngsters. Reading was more productive than taking a walk. It is preferable to doing other things, such as drinking tea or listening to music.
Cognitive neuropsychologist Dr David Lewis, who authored the study, claims that “it doesn’t matter what book you read.” To get away from the stresses of real life and into the realm of the author’s imagination, all one has to do is get lost in a good book. What we have here is more than just a diversion. It’s a deliberate exercise of the imagination, in which the printed words inspire original thought and transport the reader to a mental place that’s “basically an altered state of consciousness.”
One further study from the University of Toronto discovered that fiction readers had a greater capacity for uncertainty and ambiguity. In fact, reading fiction increased participants’ tolerance of doubt and disorder soon afterwards, compared to their colleagues who had read nonfiction.
In such a time of unpredictability and stress, how can we best encourage our pupils to read more and grow as individuals?
Ways in Which Reading Can Help Improve your Childs’s Mental Health
· Reading can lessen the effects of depression.
According to a private tutor in Singapore, having a child read aloud to them is like giving them a ticket to another world full of exciting adventures and characters they can relate to. Your child’s mood can be helped by a good story, which can lead them to tears of laughter and then some.
· Increases relaxation
When a child is reading good science fiction or fantasy novel, they might easily lose themselves in the world of the story. Reading, which requires a child’s attention and concentration, might help them relax and unwind by boosting the quality of their mental stimulation. In addition, while your youngster is effectively in a trance, the printed words will stimulate their creativity and imagination. A child will be thoroughly entertained and, in the end, calmed by a nice book.
· Reading offers a Confidential Environment to Explore Emotions.
Children’s mental health may be affected when they encounter a wide range of feelings. Isolation results from the erroneous idea that one does not share the experiences or emotions of others. Further, individuals may need to learn how to transform their destructive emotions into something positive. Most kids who undergo private tuition find comfort in knowing that other people share their experiences and that they are not alone by reading about them in literature. Reading about other people’s experiences allows you to learn from their accomplishments and failures.
· It helps Children understand the world around them.
Isolation, already a major problem before the pandemic, became even more severe because of the epidemic and has been linked to various mental health problems among children and teenagers. Young people need help making and keeping friends. When children read, they enter an imaginary world where they can relate to the protagonists. Thanks to this, they’ll feel like they’ve stepped into the middle of the action. Reading helps children develop an understanding of the complexities of human connections, which in turn aids in the development of deeper and more lasting friendships. In doing so, they cultivate empathy, a quality that will serve them well in their social interactions.
· Reading offers Different Perspectives on life
When we’re a child, life’s pressures overwhelm feelings, and it’s easy to feel as though no one else in the world understands what they are going through. But if they make it a habit to read widely, they’ll hear about the trials others have faced and the ways in which they’ve triumphed over them. When a child realizes that their experience is common will help them deal with it more effectively. In addition, there are publications out there that will provide your child with the tools you need to conquer your fears and difficulties.
How to encourage kids to read
Though every child should have the chance to experience the thrill of discovering a new favourite book, not all of them are ready for the challenge. Some children find the simple act of reading stressful, while others would rather spend their time watching movies or videos on YouTube.
Now the question is, how can you motivate them to pick up a book?
When kids have trouble reading, it could be because they need the necessary resources, but it could also be because they need to find the right book. Determine the source of their distaste for reading to improve their experience with the activity.
If you have children, it’s best to get them into the habit of reading early and often so that you can all enjoy it together. If you start reading to your kids early on, they’ll develop a love of reading and be more likely to want to read to you as they become older.
Make a cosy reading nook with various books, bean bags, and other fun extras for your kid to enjoy.
Relax as a family: make time for leisurely pursuits and give enough wiggle room in their hectic schedule that everyone can pick up a book and read whenever the mood strikes, rather than only when they “have to.”
Engage them in a shared reading experience. You can set a good example by reading aloud to them and demonstrating the joy and value of doing so. If that’s too much, you can hire a professional tutor for private tuition in Singapore. The professional can help create a habit of reading aloud or to one another. Children who read aloud to an audience, even the family dog, benefit greatly from the practice.
Having a safe reading space can profoundly affect children who struggle with reading. The stress they feel while reading is not “bad stress” but rather “tolerable stress” because they are learning to master a new problem.
Make visits to the library an annual tradition. It would be best if you suggested that they widen their reading horizons by picking up magazines and books.
To pique your child’s interest in reading, have lively discussions about books you’ve read and find ways to relate the stories to your child’s life.
Promote physical activity and nutritious eating, and send your kid to bed early enough so they can read for a while before drifting off to sleep.
Get them to sign up for Reading Rewards to earn points for reading and recommend books to their friends.
Unfortunately, stress is a part of life that your children will face at some point. The good news is that professional tutors offer 1 to 1 home tuition in Singapore and can teach your child how to recognize and manage their stress.
How 1 To 1 Home Tuition In Singapore Can Help Your Child Combat Stress
1. A professional private tutor in Singapore can zero in on the areas where your child is having the most trouble. Due to time constraints and the need to accommodate the demands of the entire class, teachers in school can only devote a certain amount of attention to each student. It is difficult to note which kid needs more help to combat stress.
2. Your child’s ability to focus and succeed in school may improve if they are in private tuition in Singapore. The environment at home, away from the noise and distractions of a classroom, can significantly change your child.
3. A tutor can swiftly assess your child’s current skill level, future potential, and learning style and then tailor their instruction accordingly.
4. A private tutor in Singapore can provide an academic challenge for your child if they do not find this at their school. This can enthuse and invigorate learning and enjoyment for a particular subject, infecting other areas of their school life.
5. If your child struggles in school because of absences, illness, misunderstandings, or laziness, a tutor can help compensate for lost ground. Your kid’s performance and self-assurance can benefit greatly from an intensive, focused, and brief course of classes.
6. Having your child work with a tutor can boost their self-assurance in a specific study area. A child’s ability to learn and grow academically is directly proportional to how comfortable they are with those tasks.
7. Your child can reach their full academic potential with a tutor who teaches effective test-taking strategies. Having a tutor there to help the child be clear and concise, as well as to help them identify the tricks and traps in the practice exams, is often essential.
8. When children are bashful, they generally refrain from asking questions in class. Tension and worry may develop as a result. However, 1-to-1 home tuition in Singapore will make your child feel more comfortable asking questions if they’re confused.
9. The tutor can assist your child with schoolwork if they are having difficulty. The tutor can supplement the school’s lack of homework by giving your child additional assignments to help them retain what they’ve learned.
10. Being prepared for each next tutoring session can help a youngster struggling with organization start to put more effort into their schoolwork. Your child’s anxiety and mood will improve when they see they are making headway toward their goals.
Why is it effective?
One-on-one tutoring allows for more personalized attention to the needs of each student. This may be difficult for teachers to implement in a standard classroom setting. This fosters a safe space where people feel comfortable talking about their confusion. Since this is the case, a tutor can fix errors quickly. In a one-on-one situation, the student can receive more personalized attention and has more chances to make mistakes and learn from them. Personal tutoring is adaptable and designed specifically for each student. Students can stay focused and interested in the material thanks to a wide range of tools and exercises provided. Appropriately praising and reinforcing students helps build their self-esteem.
With private lessons, students have more time to learn, which can be put toward drills and interesting activities that supplement what they’re already doing in class. A tutor can use clear and agreed-upon goals to help tailor each student’s instruction. Therefore, education moves from home to school.
Students benefit greatly from one-on-one lessons because they can better contextualize their learning and create connections to areas of interest. Using questions, teachers can foster students’ conceptual growth and application of learned material.
