Arun is playing with toys. After playing, he leaves them scattered on the ground, neglecting to return them to their place. His caregiver reminds him to tidy up after playtime, Arun agrees but fails to follow through. This pattern of behaviour persists across his other activities. What just happened? Arun is having trouble understanding why it's important to finish his tasks. He also needs to learn to keep his promises and take responsibility for his actions. But, why is being responsible important? Being responsible means you take charge of your tasks and do your part. It's like promisi ..read more

10-year-old Raunak, 7-year-old Ameen, and 8-year-old Abhi were given a blank sheet .They're told to draw anything. Anything at all! The result? two mountains, a house, a lake. Three unique minds, drawing a strangely similar scene. What just happened? Standardization of creativity. Children are often taught what to think, not how to think. This limits their critical thinking and self-expression skills. Why do we standardise creativity? Teaching a standardized lesson to a class of 40 is easy compared to crafting unique lesson plans for every child. Schools and exams often take a standardized ..read more

Hi everyone, Wishing you a kind and happy new year! It's been a long time since I've written here. Here is an update from my side: I started pursuing my Masters in Psychology of Education at the University of Manchester in September 2021. Each day, my course strengthens my belief and vision for introducing social-emotional learning in the education system. My subjects range from understanding a child's brain to understanding the socio-cultural aspect that affects a child's life. Teachers, parents, school systems, and the administration all have a long-term impact on a child's mental health ..read more

Dear Readers, I have always prioritized mental health and taking a break once in a while. Unfortunately, I am not always following my own advice. So, I am (finally) taking a break. Thank you for interacting with me over the past year. Feel free to hit me up with any future article suggestions or random thoughts. See you next month! Gratitude and warmth, Aakanksha ..read more

4-year-old Amisha is having lunch. Her caregiver adds another roti to her plate. Amisha says “I am full. I don’t want” Amisha’s caregiver says, “You have to eat it. I am telling you to eat it.” Amisha sulks and eats the additional roti. What just happened? This is a common example of a power struggle between a caregiver and a child. Amisha’s body signaled her that she was full. She heard it and chose not to eat more. Her caregiver might have felt otherwise and given her an ultimatum instead of listening to her. What can this lead to? When we do this with a child, we indirectly tell them “I d ..read more

10-year-old Ritika is watching tv. She has a zoom class in 15 minutes. Her caregiver asks her to switch off the tv and sit for the class. Throughout the class, Ritika is fidgety and is unable to focus. What’s happening to Ritika? Ritika is struggling with shifting her focus. She needs to find a way to transition from one activity to another. In short, she needs to be able to “mentally switch gears”. What does “mentally shifting gears” mean? Just like a car needs to change gears every time it takes a break, our mind needs to learn the skill of “shifting gears”. We need to be able to disengage ..read more

Anisha has been in bed all day. She loves her work but does not feel like working today. She feels low on energy and just wants to sleep. What’s happening to Anisha? Anisha is feeling fatigued. She is probably feeling emotionally exhausted too. She needs to find a way to balance her energy and rejuvenate herself. Why do we feel fatigued? Failing drained is the result of overworking our minds. It can be a result of stress, overthinking, or living the same schedule over and over again. How is it different from burnout and tiredness? Tiredness leads to fatigue. Fatigue leads to burnout. While a ..read more

I am going to be vulnerable today. Yes, you read that right. Why? Today’s article is about vulnerability. I believe that the best way to talk about why there is strength in vulnerability is by being vulnerable myself. A little bit about myself: I experience a range of emotions at any given point of the day. Sometimes anger, sometimes sadness, and sometimes extreme happiness. One of the ways I process these feelings is by reaching out and expressing how I am feeling. Do you feel scared to reveal too much about yourself? When you fracture a body part, do you hide it and feel like you are revea ..read more

3-year-old Vansh has started to speak. He refers to the spoon as “kh”, water as “ish pish” and sleep as “ni ni” His caregivers are worried that he is not able to form full words and sentences at his age. What is the reason behind Vansh’s speech? A child speaks the same language he is spoken to with. Vansh’s caregivers need to speak to him in full words and help him understand how words are formed. But, can a three-year-old process so much information? Say hello to our secret ingredient: Neuroplasticity! What is Neuroplasticity? Our brain is super flexible and absorbent in nature. It is consta ..read more

When was the last time you felt happy? What makes you happy? What are three more words for feeling happy? Chances are you were able to answer two out of three questions with clarity. What am I trying to say? As humans, we are in the constant pursuit of happiness. But, hardly stop and enjoy it when we actually feel happy. Let’s observe how we actually treat Joy. How do we treat Joy? Imagine if a friend came home. We do not welcome them or make an effort to speak with them. Would they like to keep being friends? The chances are low. Similarly, Joy deserves to be acknowledged and spoken to. Ho ..read more