How to Build Your Bilingual Child’s Confidence?

praising a child with a hi-five

 

How many languages can your child speak fluently without translation aids? According to an article by the Washington Post, half the world speaks more than one language. While this is a good trait, it takes time and commitment to master two languages simultaneously.

Children must learn to distinguish between the two languages to avoid confusion, especially during schoolwork. So, how do you boost your child’s bilingual confidence to ensure they keep up with monolingual peers?

Below are the best tips to guide you in the process. Experts assure parents that following this guide will make children more confident and, thus, more successful.

Tips to Use to Boost Your Child’s Confidence

Anyone that speaks more than one language proves they have task-switching abilities and are more likely to get employmentStill, parents must be aware of the challenges to guide their kids better.

Here are strategies to get it right:

1. Help Your Child Face Their Fears

Being fluent in two languages needs a lot of work. Kids trying to master two languages fear failure or peer mockery. After all, learning a new language is a challenging task. Perfecting the skill needs constant practice.

Sit with your child and discover what keeps them from fully grasping a language. After overcoming fear and building psychological strength, the learning process stops being daunting.

2. Study the Language with Your Child

If your first language is Spanish, it becomes easier to guide your child as they learn to speak, read and write in Spanish. The case is different if the language is new to a child and their parents.

Take up the language and teach your child that it is alright to make mistakes and go through difficulties while learning new things. You will be acting as an example, so your kid learns practically.

Still, getting your child lessons in a language you already understand is great since you will coach them on conversing. Within a short period, your child will improve their skills thanks to your input.

3. Allow Your Kid to Talk

It is normal to want to help when you see your child struggling with something. Unfortunately, that does not apply when learning new languages. When you see your child struggling, allow them to go through the difficulties since it enhances their skills.

On the other hand, always jumping in to help when your child has issues speaking makes them over-reliant. They need to think more quickly and critically. Prompting a child or cheering them on is allowed. Finishing their sentences takes away their thinking and responding abilities.

4. Maintain a Good Balance while Praising and Criticising

Praising kids after achievements is acceptable, but overdoing it does more harm than good. Comparingly, over-criticising them diminishes their confidence, making the learning process less successful.

How do you know what’s enough when praising or criticising your child’s progress?

Look at how your child responds to your comments. If they portray fear or discomfort, you need to back off.

5. Make the Learning Process Fun

If your child grew up in a Spanish household and is now learning the language, they are more likely to get bored since they’re familiar with everything.

In this case, you must switch things up by trying the following:

● Buying books with your child’s favourite cartoon characters

● Using songs and rhymes to boost memory

The aim of doing this is to make the learning process interesting, do your kids look forward to lessons in school?

6. Find Study Groups for Your Child

Team effort makes it easy to learn a new language. Although you’ll help by guiding your child and helping them study, groups with their peers increase love and understanding of a new language. Most private schools offer after-school programs, but you can check local recreational centres for additional language lessons.

7. Use Online Tools

Kids love working on their gadgets, so it is best to include applications that help them master a new language. Fortunately, several child-friendly apps and online tools are available to encourage your child to perfect their written and spoken skills.

The Benefits of Learning a New Language at an Early Age

Learning a new language is fun. The activity promotes brain development and has social benefits that last a lifetime.

Here are more reasons to encourage your young one to take up a new language while young:

  • It gives them a head start. Besides, younger learners are less afraid of making mistakes.
  • Learning at an early age helps children to interact with a culture and language, thus developing a deeper connection.
  • Children who speak more than one language show mental flexibility and creative prowess.
  • Bilingual children have improved reading, writing and comprehension skills. So they perform better in academics.
  • Learning a new language promotes cultural sensitivity, tolerance, and empathy.
  • Improved problem-solving skills.

Unfortunately, not all children do well at learning one or two new languages on top of their mother tongue. Besides, kids have different learning abilities. Only introduce a new language if your kid shows interest.

After looking at the advantages, it’s only fair to point out some disadvantages of introducing a new language early.

The Disadvantages of Learning a New Language While Young

Firstly, most schools need the best curriculums to teach foreign languages. At the same time, schools that lack the proper tools and instructors must be better suited for young readers.

Thus, always check a school’s facilities and make inquiries during the Singapore school fees and admission process to ensure everything is understood.

Other things to worry about are:

  • Confusion
  • Delay in language development due to exhaustion from learning two languages simultaneously.

Don’t worry, though. By allowing your child to learn at their pace, you avoid the stress and confusion involved in learning new languages.

Experts advise parents to teach their kids new languages to expand their knowledge and appreciation of cultures. On top of that, kids learn problem and task-management skills. They must differentiate between their mother tongue and one or two other languages, which takes skill and patience.

That said, finding the best school is the first step. Go for those with suitable curriculums and good instructors to allow your child to thrive.

 

Read More...

Signs You Should Think About Changing Your Math Tuition

teaching kids how to invest

Mathematics is one of the most important subjects in school life, and you students need to learn it well. You need mathematics throughout your entire life. The entire world runs with mathematics.

Looking at the inalienability factor, the guardian must take extra care so that the child handles mathematics better. Some children do well naturally with math, but most students struggle with it.

-Are You not doing well in math in recent times?

This clearly indicates that you should consider changing the math tuition. This is a common concern not only among the students but also the parents. The following article gives a brief outline of why you should think about changing your math teachers. Please stay till the end to get a clear picture of the problem.

Changing The Mathematics Teachers: Common Signs

Mathematics is an interesting subject for a few students. But for millions around the globe, it still remains a hard nut to crack. The entire student community globally suffers from poor performance in mathematics.

If you are not doing well you must go for a change with your maths teacher. This time you must go towards online tuition. They have quite a number of advantages against the offline mode. Moving forward, we discuss some signs to understand it’s time for a change in your math teacher.

Homework And Frustrations Have Become Close Allies

Do you feel fatigued and frustrated with your maths homework? If you feel it from within, it’s time to bid adieu to your present tutor. You might observe that you struggle with mathematics homework.

The problem lies not with the extensive homework but with clearing conceptions. You might have failed to understand the concepts thoroughly. Take the help of professional online tutors.

A quality online math tutor can provide you with passionate teachers, a smart learning platform, and extensive video materials to facilitate your understanding.

Do You Observe Your Grades Continuously Slipping?

Almost all schools keep an environment for extensive examinations throughout the year. These tests ensure your preparedness.

If a student continuously gets poor impressions and grades, it displays red signals on preparedness. If you are suffering from the same problem, it’s high time that you consider changing your mathematics teacher.

Shifting from offline to online mode could be the best option for you. The best online tuition websites offer you cloud facilities where you get exhaustive materials and videos so that you clear your doubts. This can help you deal with difficult lessons.

Are You Not Able To Follow Lessons offline?

The most difficult position that you might feel both in your school and the offline tuition is lack of specialized care. The teachers wouldn’t be able to take special care and ask if you understood the core concepts.

They will move to the next chapters. Consequently, the weaker candidates are destined to lag behind. You can clear your confusion with the help of online courses and extensive videos offered by online tutors.

The online tuition also has facilities that provide you one-to-one or short batches (2-4). With their help, you can clear your doubts.

Lack Of Enthusiasm

Mathematics is one subject where students need to invest time continuously. The more you invest time, the better you become at the subject. Engagement is an all-important factor in learning mathematics. You need to be patient thoroughly.

A lack of enthusiasm is an indicator of the fact that you are not doing well in the subject. Now when you understand the concepts, you will find yourself more engaged.

But on the other hand, if you find yourself detached from maths, the signal is clear; go for a change. Offline mode of education makes use of age-old concepts, and they do not necessarily help all. Therefore looking at your needs, you must take the help of a quality online tutor. They can help you with consistent efforts.

Lastly!

Have your parents guided you back home in all these years? Then it’s high time you have to start taking online lessons. How long do you keep yourself dependent? Even if they have their schedules.

It is quite natural that your mom and dad might fail to give you the time that you need. It’s time to grow up online and take lessons. Online tuition offers you convenience. It is the need of the hour. Understand these signals and go for a change immediately.

 

Read More...

An unconventional asset: The reasons why you should hire a highly sensitive person

two men shaking hands

Why on earth would you even consider hiring a highly sensitive person for your team? Are they worth the “trouble”?

Let us take a moment to tell you why you should seriously consider hiring such people. Hiring the right person for a job can have a huge impact on your team and organization, and hiring someone with a high sensitivity level can open up new areas of possibilities and benefits that other candidates simply can’t offer.

From their sensitiveness to their motivation and dedication, these people have much more to offer than what meets the eye. Let’s dive in!

What is a highly sensitive person (HSP)?

Are you an employer in need of an unconventional human asset?

One who understands the subtleties of any working environment and can connect to the feelings of those around them? Consider hiring a highly sensitive person (HSP).

What is a highly sensitive person? They are individuals who tend to be deeply moved by the emotions around them and are more aware of subtleties than others. HSPs can often sense what’s going on with people before they even speak up.

This awareness allows them to be sensitized to how their team members or customers may be feeling, and therefore able to make better decisions. In addition, HSPs are highly adept at noticing patterns in data and then connecting that data to what they pick up emotionally. Their decisions come from a deeper place of understanding and empathy.

Benefits of having an HSP on your team
listening to a coworker

Image Credits: unsplash.com

When it comes to hiring, it pays to consider people with a little something extra.

HSPs bring some unique advantages to the table that can make them the highest performers on your team.

Just think of all the benefits you will get with an HSP on board:

  • They have sophisticated people skills—they intuitively understand how to make individuals feel heard and cared for, so interpersonal relationships can develop more easily.
  • They are empathetic—they take into account other people’s feelings and use those insights when communicating with others.
  • They bring a creative, curious mindset to their work—HSPs have an eye for detail and think outside the box when it comes to problem-solving.
  • They are highly tuned into their environment—paying close attention to changes in atmosphere, mood, and culture to create a better working environment for everyone.

By considering highly sensitive candidates as part of your recruitment process, you will be able to benefit from these qualities and gain a valuable asset for your team.

Challenges when managing highly sensitive people

You may find yourself wondering—are highly sensitive people tough to handle? That’s a fair question.

The fact of the matter is, managing and working with highly sensitive people can be challenging if you’re not prepared.

For one, highly sensitive people tend to be overwhelmed by too much stimulation in the workplace. Too much sound, smell, or intensity of interaction can lead to stress and ultimately result in decreased performance. HR managers and bosses need to take this into account when managing HSPs.

Strategies to assist HSPs in the workplace
an open office space

Image Credits: unsplash.com

When you hire an HSP for your team, you needn’t worry—there are a few strategies that are easy to implement to help them succeed and boost morale in the workplace.

  • Abort your open office plan

The first step is to consider whether an open office plan is the best fit for the workplace.

While it may be the norm, it can be difficult for HSPs to thrive in this kind of environment since too much noise and too many distractions can cause them to become overwhelmed or anxious.

When considering hiring an HSP, make sure you have safe, quiet spaces away from the noise for them to work.

  • Don’t criticize them upfront

HSPs may take feedback differently than what you expect from someone else on your team because they tend to process information deeply and intensely.

Whenever you provide feedback on their work, be mindful of their needs and make sure they understand it’s just constructive criticism—not a personal attack.

This will help prevent feelings of hurt or resentment that could stem from bluntness or misunderstanding later down the line.

  • Look for opportunities to help HSP employees apply their empathy skills

One thing HSPs are often great at is empathizing with people—so look for opportunities where they can bring it into the workplace and apply it in useful ways.

For example, having conversations with customers or meeting with vendors for project management roles are great ways for HSP employees to demonstrate their empathy skills while also proving themselves valuable within your organization.

As we close, know that while there may be challenges in managing highly sensitive individuals, they also come with significant benefits. Not only are they able to pick up on subtleties and nuances that other people might miss, but they are also able to bring a creative, open-minded, and emotionally aware approach to your team. Highly sensitive people can be a valuable asset to any organization and should not be discounted.

Read More...

Why Is Professional Development Important To Career Progression

a man giving a thumbs up to a lady at work

Introduction

Growing up, we all dreamt of becoming successful in our professional careers. But how do we measure this success? Before we begin, let’s make one thing clear. It’s all about perspectives, and perspectives are always subjective. So becoming a manager of your current team is a success, and for us, it could be something as trivial as getting traffic on a single article.

While success can differ from person to person, one thing remains unchanged, and that is progress. You can only progress in your career when you embrace growth and, more importantly, professional development. And that is precisely what we will talk about today – stay tuned to find out!

Why Is Professional Development Important To Career Progression?

Several professional short courses in Singapore discuss not just why professional development is important but, more importantly, how to develop yourself professionally for career growth. But have you ever wondered why professional development is so important?

Professional development is something that we all need to embrace career growth – how will you grow professionally if you don’t expand your knowledge base and update your skills? So without wasting any more time, scroll down to discover why professional development is so important for your career progression.

1. Expands Your Knowledge Base

There’s no denying that professional development can expand your entire knowledge base. At the same time, it can expose experienced and young professionals to multiple new ideas, boost their expertise and solidify their entire knowledge base in their individual fields. And that’s not all.

Professionals who are always on the lookout for new learning opportunities will also benefit greatly from all kinds of professional development. When your knowledge base expands, your skill set automatically grows, thereby increasing your scope for obtaining better growth and training opportunities in a professional sphere.

2. Increases Your Hireability And Earning Potential

Of course, professional development will increase your hiring and earning potential. When you embrace professional development in your career, your knowledge base expands, and subsequently, your skills get updated. This, in turn, boosts your earning potential. And not just that – it also boosts your future hiring potential.

Professional certifications, designations, and even credentials – most of these can be easily accessed and even obtained online – almost always provide simple methods for increasing any professional’s market value. Any professional with all the right skills always seeks and makes the most of upskilling opportunities – these professionals are always more bankable.

3. Boosts Credibility And Confidence

Professional development enhances both your credibility and confidence. By boosting any professional’s expertise via professional development, both their credibility and confidence in work life increase. After all, no professional would like to miss out on upskilling and learning new skills in their niche or, more importantly, their industry.

Training opportunities and professional development certification courses enable both experienced and young professionals to build credibility and confidence as they keep acquiring new skills and even professional designations. This is true for most career options making professional development vital for career progression and growth.

4. Provides Networking Opportunities

Of course, professional development provides plenty of networking opportunities. Several such opportunities like conferences, workshops, or even other such events motivate professionals to actually branch out for meeting other professionals within the same industry. People you meet at these events can help with future career opportunities.

When a professional is ready for change or just planning to go up in their career, it is their professional relationships and, ultimately, professional network that comes in handy. This is the network you are building while embracing professional development. These conferences are your networking opportunities so that you can use them wisely when the time comes.

No Career Growth Without Professional Development

So now that you know why professional development is important for career growth, what are your thoughts on learning from your mistakes and embracing growth?

As we mentioned in the beginning, success is very subjective in its appeal and approach, but at the same time, only one thing remains constant – and that is your professional development and growth.

Tell us what you think about developing yourself professionally for embracing growth. And while doing so, feel free to share your professional experiences with us in the comments below.

 

Read More...

Make the most of your newsletter: Monetizing strategies that work

popup newsletter sign up

Would you like to make some extra cash without the extra effort?

Well, if you have a newsletter, you’re already halfway there. Since you’ve already built an audience who knows and trust you, now’s the time to make the most of that relationship and monetize it.

There are dozens of ways to monetize a newsletter, from selling digital and physical products to sponsored content and affiliate marketing. But the even better news is that you don’t have to do them all—just pick the strategy that works best for your target audience.

Offer exclusive content to subscribers

If you’re considering monetizing your newsletter, one of the best ways to start is by offering exclusive content for a small fee.

Paid newsletters provide subscribers with access to content that isn’t available to the general public—and depending on the content, it can be very attractive to potential subscribers.

You can start small by making some of your content exclusive. Choose articles or topics that you feel are of special interest and create a few premium newsletters on those topics each month.

In addition to offering exclusive content, you could include behind-the-scenes videos or podcasts, special discounts on products or services, or even amplify the credibility of your brand or business through interviews with industry experts. Whatever you choose as an incentive should be seen as a bonus that offers extra value for what your subscribers are getting.

Leverage affiliate marketing

First, find an affiliate program associated with products or services related to the content of your newsletter.

Once you become an affiliate partner, you can add corresponding links to your newsletter. When your readers click on these links and buy something, you get a commission as a reward for helping them out!

You can also introduce readers to new services and products by mentioning relevant companies in your content and including appropriate affiliate links. Furthermore, if you have any special discounts or offers from vendors, don’t forget to promote them! Affiliate marketing will let you maximize the earning potential of your newsletter.

Engage in sponsored content partnerships
sponsored newsletter sample

Image Credits: workdesign.com

Offer your readers exciting, quality content from sponsors that aligns with your newsletter’s theme.

This can be in the form of articles, podcasts, videos—whatever you choose! And don’t forget to include the link where readers can find out more about the sponsors and whatever product or service they are offering.

But how do you go about finding sponsors? Well, having a media kit will help you start the conversation! Your media kit should include things like:

  • Your newsletter’s demographic information
  • Your readers’ interests
  • The frequency of your emails
  • An overview of what topics you cover
  • Your newsletter’s reach and engagement rate from past campaigns

With an impressive media kit that shows off just how amazing and engaged your community is, you will be able to grab the attention of potential sponsors easily.

How to increase your subscribers

You want to reach as many people as possible, and there are a few simple strategies that can help you do this.

  • Run contests

If you run contests or giveaways in your newsletter, it can help drive people to subscribe.

Not only is it a great incentive for readers, but it can also help promote brand awareness and loyalty. Also, if you offer something FREE, more people will likely sign up for your newsletter—after all, who doesn’t like free stuff?

  • Use exit intent popup offers

Having an exit intent popup offer (when viewers are about to leave your page) is another powerful way to increase subscribers.

If someone is about to abandon your page without subscribing, offering them a discount or other incentive may encourage them to stay and join your list.

You can also provide info about the benefits of signing up for the newsletter—special coupons or discounts offered exclusively to subscribers, access to exclusive content, and more—so they know what they’re signing up for before they commit.

Taking people’s time and attention is a precious commodity—so make sure you’re treating it as such. By monetizing your newsletter, you can increase your revenue streams, build a slower, sustainable form of income, create multiple entry points for customers into your funnel, and most importantly, continue to bring value to your readers. Whether you’re looking to make the most of your newsletter or just trying to find new revenue streams for your business, email monetization is a great way to get more out of your newsletter. With the right strategies in place, you can take your newsletter from a passive income stream to a powerhouse for your business.

Read More...