Tag: imagination

Curiosity and Children

Posted on by baso877

May your adventures bring you closer together, even as they take you far away from home.

                                                                                                                                                                                        -Trenton Lee Stewart-

 

‘There is a magical cave in the park, an almost hidden spot between the bushes next to the baseball field. Let’s explore it and find out what’s in it!’ This is a comment you usually hear among children, particularly the youngest ones. Of course, kids’ impulse for curiosity has always been present, but have you wondered how vital curiosity is for their development?

Let’s start by saying that curiosity is necessary for children’s brain development. Children are born with a natural tendency to explore, play and try to discover how the world works.

Click here to find out how important it is to play during childhood.

Children and Curiosity

 

Children have colossal imaginations, and some even create imaginary companions. Curiosity is a way of clarifying and matching their ideas and desires with the world.

Children adjust their imagination to find creative solutions to everyday problems as they discover more.  

In the past, excessive imagination and curiosity might have been passed as a weakness, like in the study of Dr. Benjamin Spock titled ‘Common Sense Book of Baby and Childcare.’

However, recent studies have shown that higher degrees of imagination during childhood can lead to highly creative and productive adults.

It is also valuable to consider that our organization, Friends of Rick Daniels, provides storybooks to children needing emotional support. A book full of illustrations is a great resource to quench children’s curiosity and thirst for adventures.

We can also show how children and curiosity go together with storybooks. Our books also include educational lessons like counting, telling time, taking the bus, and returning home safely.

Manage curiosity, pros, and cons

 

Parents and Custodians must allow children to explore and encourage them to discover new mechanics around them.

There might be cases in which parents are troubled after watching what would be unreasonable behavior: like being loud for a long time, trying to hear an echo, or throwing something to the floor to see if it bounces as a ball would do.

The day-to-day mischief is children’s way of finding out how things work.

 

Some kids might feel discouraged after trying to perform an activity just as they saw on TV or online. Instead, motivate them to keep trying to achieve their goals.

Nevertheless, supervision here is the key. However, do not turn children’s safety into an excuse to block their development. Here you can see how to cultivate curiosity:

 

  • Redirect discouragement: Some kids might feel discouraged after trying to perform an activity just as they saw on TV or online. Instead, motivate them to keep trying to achieve their goals.
  • Ask them open questions: Ask their opinions on simple matters so they can feel listened to. Even better, if the matter has been related to one activity previously performed by the kid, he will feel even more motivated to participate in the conversation. Children and curiosity definitely go together.
  • Take your kids to explore new places: the zoo, different parks, and the beach; their senses will receive new stimuli, and physical activity is always good for their bodies.

 

At the same time, avoid behavior that might block children’s curiosity, such as these:

 

  • Cultivate courage, not fear: Avoid saying, ‘You are going to break it,’ ‘You do not know how to handle it,’ or ‘You are going to get hurt.’ Expressing carefulness is always good but remember that you also need to provide children their own space and the possibility to make mistakes.
  • Be close to your children during their development: Children need parent figures. If you are not there to be one, the children will take it from somebody else. The presence of adults will also help them feel safe and encourage them to face challenges together until they feel ready to do them alone.

In this regard, showing them storybooks full of adventures and experiences about how knowledge is discovered and put to good use will stimulate their imagination and encourage them to overcome challenges. Find some here.

 

By Eduardo Guillen

 

 

Anxiety and the future as a cancer patient

Posted on by Eduardo Guillen

Cancer is a disease that makes victims and their families rethink their priorities. In this scenario, thinking about the future always comes with anxiety because a patient needs to focus on the present and the fight they are facing.

After treatment, many survivors continue with their lives and return to mid and long-term activities such as studying, saving money, investing time in a relationship, and looking for new developmental opportunities. In contrast, others prefer to concentrate on the day-to-day and choose short-term endeavors because of their fear of relapse.

An excellent way to deal with anxiety about the future and obtain more confidence to make long-term plans is by joining support groups and counseling where the survivor can meet with people who have similar stories and experiences.

Also, the survivor can perform activities such as exercising, art, playing video games, and reading books to help tremendously with their mental recovery. Literature is well known to open doors to new worlds and have experiences that anyone can relive countless times.

Each patient chooses a different path

However, how patients deal with cancer during and after their treatment is something that they need to determine themselves, and the family needs to respect that. This doesn’t mean the patient’s decisions cannot change and eventually turn into long-term plans, but it is a process that might take time.

As many people have experienced, cancer is a family illness, not an individual one. For this reason, a patient needs to feel that their family supports their view of the world and the approach they have towards it. Many different feelings can go through the mind of a cancer patient, and the family might discover itself changing their view altogether.

If these feelings are not addressed the consequences might affect cancer patients and eventually compromise their general health condition.

Combating anxiety for the future must be faced in the right way

It is also essential the patient has proper tools for managing their emotions. Due to psychological stress, it is crucial to avoid harmful ideas and negative thoughts that might complicate the cancer treatment. A healthy activity to cope with those ideas is to keep a journal of daily thoughts, create stories, or perhaps even create a fictional character a patient can use to channel their feelings.

Some patients find calm when sharing their thoughts with other patients or people who have cancer and have taken new steps in their life.

For example, the talented SNL actress Vanessa Bayer, who had lymphoblastic leukemia when she was 15 years old, mentioned that her illness inspired her love for comedy, making her take steps toward that direction, turning this personal therapy into a career years later.

Afraid of Knowing

Former patients of cancer might also feel anxiety because of a fear of relapse. If these feelings are not addressed, the consequences might affect their lives and eventually compromise their general health condition.

The best option is to visit a therapist (psychologist) because many patients are reluctant to share their thoughts with their family and close friends. The therapist will also help them deal with excessive concerns about their health. We can reduce anxiety effectively if we trust professional help and let negative thoughts disappear.

Remember, fear is of no use if it is not to be overcome. There are plenty of alternatives and resources that can help patients and survivors of cancer to live a life without anxiety and instead choose openness to the future.

By Eduardo Guillen

Children, books, and smiles

Posted on by Eduardo Guillen

There is one simple and effective way to bring smiles to children while teaching them lessons about life and boosting their confidence levels, and it is by reading books.

Children love the interaction, communication, and roleplay. They play being an astronaut, a policeman, a doctor, a trashman, and dozens of different people thanks to their powerful imagination.

Reading helps them project their ego and gain confidence to interact with society.

Thanks to books, children learn about interactions with family and close friends, discover and develop social skills, learn new words, and identify new behavioral patterns. In that way, children can effectively convey confidence, doubt, fear, bravery, and several other emotions.

The effective management of these social skills will determine in a great measure their success in the future.

 

Moreover, books teach children new words and logic to communicate their needs while learning more complex subjects.

Stories with simple and complex characters show children that every person is physically and mentally different and can change their minds under different circumstances.

Books and their stories are the first steps into exploring and later comprehending daily life.

Moreover, books teach children new words and logic to communicate their needs while learning more complex matters.

Confidence and Learning in Children 

When children start reading, their confidence gets boosted because they control the time and rhythm of the story while discovering the characters and plot of the story.

In addition, the pictures allow children to associate colors and shapes with symbols, cultural references, social customs, and norms (like etiquette and transit signs). They also show them new places and past, present, and future possibilities.

Furthermore, some stories can teach life lessons to children, such as sharing with friends and siblings or obeying the parents, and not being lazy or offensive.

Children learn by reading and associate those lessons with their life occurrences.

 

Books Heal and Bring Smiles

Books are also great beacons to examine and heal traumas such as illness, death, violence, and its counterpart health, life, and peace. Children can explore these and more subjects through fiction in a playful way, thanks to the art of storytelling.

In this context, African American author Rick Daniels explores topics such as bullying and cancer, which brings children to wonder if there is a reason for all their pain and why they are going through it.

Likewise, it shows that children who suffer from these difficulties are still part of a society that needs them and wants them to be active in their development.

Through books, children can also learn about themselves, their defects, and virtues, and how to work upon their behavior. Because reading is a relaxing activity, children can use books to cope and find solace from everyday’ s struggles and challenges.

Also, a book can provide resources for children to talk and interact with others, but it can also give them new knowledge about infinite subjects, therefore, surprising them with discovery after flipping a page.

Reading is an essential part of child development; it encourages them to go forward, make friends, and discover themselves. In addition, books can reveal how your children react to particular situations allowing you to provide explanations and guidance.

Remember that when life hits and problems persist, a book will help your children grow, but it will also bring their favorite characters back to life to heal them with a smile.

 

By Eduardo Guillen

 

A book can provide resources for children to talk and interact with others, but it can also give them new knowledge about infinite subjects, therefore, surprising them with discovery after flipping a page.

Warrior Princess

Posted on by Eduardo Guillen

Leianna is an almost-two-year-old baby who loves the world, daydreaming, and playing with her parents. Her family likes to call her “warrior princess” because she is a little girl with amazing strength, joy, and happiness who knows no limits.

Leianna spent many of her days in her native state Hawaii, enjoying the wonderful sun and the day-by-day occurrences of her siblings.

One day, her parents noticed that Leianna’s tummy was swollen. Thinking it was a simple affliction, they set up a telemedicine appointment. During the interview, Leianna’s doctor told them that her tummy needed to be analyzed and advised them to visit the Kapiolani ER that same day.

After some tests that included ultrasounds, MRI biopsies, and blood tests, one of their biggest fears came to pass. The specialists confirmed that Leianna was suffering from an aggressive stage IV Neuroblastoma, a rare type of childhood cancer. Her parents, Kalei, and Tony were devastated, and the family started to fight along with their baby, in perhaps the most important battle of her life.

Warrior Princess

From that moment on, part of Leianna’s treatment now includes exhausting chemotherapies (around 7 cycles of 5 days each), bone marrow harvesting, transplantation, and even radiation sessions. A taxing process that will take about 3 and ½ years.

Despite everything, Leianna has always kept the happiness and the innocence that radiates the purest forms of love. She continues this battle with the best attitude thanks to her family and the support of all who witness her daily challenges.

Books Bring Smiles

Friends of Rick Daniels spotted her case and sent her a package with the book ‘Noah and Saby’s Magical Storybook Adventure’, so she can give away dozens of smiles to her family and friends and to show her that despite all the difficult treatment sessions, diet, and time she must spend in bed there is still a way to find joy thanks to our imagination.

Recently, Prince – a super cute 8-weeks-old English bulldog – arrived at Leianna’s life. Leianna’s happiness went to the moon. Prince has been recently signed up for puppy training and later he will complete an advanced course with the Hawaii Dog Training Services.

Childhood, Imagination, and Books

 

A child’s development needs not only time and economic support but also love. Lots of love. What happens during the first years of someone’s life will determine their behavior and how the new adult will face life. A great way to do this is by teaching lessons about how the toughest times in life can be navigated through imagination and love.

A book, for example, can bring that kind of teaching in an effective, playful, and entertaining way. Fueled by their imagination, children interact with everything they come in contact with, and this is only another reason why it is important to bring them closer to educative and functional material. Books are a great resource of knowledge at all ages and can include a myriad of different content and therefore lessons to apply under the harshest conditions.

Remember to always have a book close to you. Something that can take you somewhere else, where you can navigate forever over a sea of words and pictures. Just as Warrior Princess Leianna who together with her family sails every day towards the next sunset.

 

By Eduardo Guillen