Christmas Party Games Young Children

When planning Christmas games for young children, the options are endless. Make sure you provide room to run, do a little planning and the kids are sure to have a good time.

Let's start with a few relay race ideas. Begin with a candy cane relay. Give each team 4 candy canes (and be sure to have a few more in case some break) and have the child who's running hold the candy canes between their fingers, with the crooked part of the cane hanging over their fingers. But tell them not to use their thumbs. The canes should be just carefully perched between their fingers.

The children run to their teammate, exchange the candy canes (again, only using fingers), and that teammate runs to the other end and does the same. The game is over when only one team still has candy canes that haven't dropped on the floor.

Another fun relay that kids love is pass the ornament. In this game, each team gets one ornament (a lightweight, basic thin glass one is fine) and a straw. They must blow through the straw to get the ornament down the line, then the next child blows on their straw to get the ornament back down the line. Make sure each child has a fresh straw, as you don't want everyone to get sick.

This next simple relay game can be played with just about anything that signifies Christmas. You could have the children pass a Santa hat (perhaps requiring them to wear the hat as they run down the line) or have them wear Christmas socks that they then have to take off and get to the next child during the relay.

"Santa Says" is a fun game that all children will know how to play because it's just like "Simon Says". Before playing it, confirm that each child is familiar with "Simon Says" and then create a series of orders from "Santa", like "Santa says, touch your toes", "Santa says bend your knees" and so on. But sometimes leave the "Santa says" part off and trick the children. Always a popular game!

Young children love the "freeze dance" which is often played in preschool and kindergarten. Only in this game, you create a Christmas freeze dance: here you play some Christmas music, let the children do a little dance, then turn the music off and the children must "freeze". If there will be several sit-down games played at the party, this is a great way to let the children use some energy before they have to sit down and focus on the other games.

Young children can play the "clue" game as long as the questions are kept to their knowledge of various things surrounding Christmas. The game is played like this: the teacher gives a series of clues about something Christmas related and keeps giving clues until someone shouts out the answer. It might go something like this:

Answer: Santa's sleigh 

Clue: I'm thinking of something big 

Clue: It helps Santa on Christmas Eve 

Clue: It holds a lot of presents 

Clue: It's very fast

You keep giving clues until he children figure out the answer. Since these are young children, don't give clues that are too difficult or beyond their knowledge.

Kids love toss games, so why not create a snowball toss game at Frosty's belly? Get or make a large cardboard cutout of Frosty the Snowman and cut a hole in his stomach. You can create snowballs out of several things. Take plastic bags and put mini marshmallows inside, or use Styrofoam balls. If you use the latter, don't make the children throw the "snowballs" very far since the Styrofoam won't go that far. Have the children stand a distance back from Frosty (you can determine this depending on the age of the children and space you have available) and have them toss the snowballs into Frosty's tummy. First one to get all 3 snowballs in the tummy wins a prize!

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Boost Your Child's Brain Power

Brain is an amazing control center

The human brain has about 100 billion brain cells (neurons). Brain is a small yet amazing control center of thought processes, emotions, memory, learning and other bodily functions. In the early part of life, where intensive learning takes place, your child's brain undergoes massive fine-turning processes.However we often neglect the fact that the brain needs to be 'fed' with nutrients in order for it to function well.

Optimum Nutrients

The brain is made up of more than 60% of fats. The brain cell structure needs plenty of protein. Brain chemicals that regulate learning, perception, moods and behaviour are made from amino acids, vitamins and minerals such as B6 and iron. Hence, your child's diet plays a critical role in how well his brain functions.

Nuts, Seeds & Avocados

Fats are raw material for brain. Your child's brain needs good fats, not those from french fries, fried chiken wings, caked, donuts, chocolates, and potato chips. DHA, an omega 3 fatty acid, has the largest effect on brain fat composition. DHA is often found in fish oil. Other beneficial fat sources are nuts. (e.g. almond, macadamia), seeds (e.g.sesame, sunflower seeds) and avocados.

Fish, Beans, Nuts, Seeds and Lean Meat

Protein is building block for brain chemicals. Amino acids, which proteins are made of, are used to produce brain chemicals such as epinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. These brain chemicals affect your child's concentration and moods. Protein can be obtained from fish, lean meat, poultry, beans, nuts and seeds.

Grains

Carbohydrates are a source of energy for the brain. Steer clear of highly refined carbohydrates which will often disturb your child's blood sugar and causes drowsiness. Notice how your child's concentration declines after eating white flour products such as white bread, cakes, biscuits, donuts, or other high-sugar foods?

Even white rice, pasta or noodles can affect concentration levels. Good carbohydrates sources are wholegrain such as brown rice, buckwheat, oar, millet, and other such as pumpkin and sweet potatoes.

Fruits & Vegetables

Nutrients like vitamins and minerals transform the building blocks into useful material for the brain. Some of the important brain vitamins are vitamin C, vitamin B6, B12 and folate.

Deficiencies has been link to slower brain functions. Minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron are also important. Deficiencies may lead to reduced concentration and poor memory. These vitamins and minerals are found in fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds and wholegrain. Hence, your child's diet should include a wide array of fresh and wholesome natural foods.

Practical Tips

Eat in the morning. Breakfast provides your child with energy and nutrients for the morning, when learning in school takes place.

Make sure your child drinks enough water. A dehydrated mind is foggy mind.

Limit sweet foods- this will go a long way for good health.

Discuss and share with your child information about healthy food choices and nutrition. Convince rather than compel him to eat healthy foods.

Set good example by eating healthily.

Copyright (c) 2010 Kids IQ

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Follow a Diet to Improve Memory

Instead of following treatments that are based on drugs in order to improve their memory, people should pay more attention to the foods they are consuming, as these can enhance the mental processes, too. Following a diet to improve memory is easier, because the foods do not have side effects and contraindication. Of course, a selection must be made, as not all the foods are proper for improving the brain functions.

First of all, a diet to improve memory should be based on foods that contain high amounts of iron. Iron deficiency anemia represents one of the main causes of poor school performance. Learning, thinking and recalling the information are performed with difficulty when the iron levels are below the normal limits. Also, a low level of iron in the body determines concentration problems.

Women who are between 19 and 50 years old require a greater amount of iron than men of the same age do. As many studies have shown, the iron level is correlated to the IQ. In order to increase the iron level back to normal, people are advised to follow a diet to improve memory that is based on whole grain cereals and breads, beef, dried apricots and raisins. When the diet does not supply the necessary amount of iron, it is better to take some supplements.

The fruits and vegetables must be part of the diet to improve memory, too. These, along with the carbohydrates, contain significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. They stimulate the brain and improve the overall health condition. The blueberries, for example, contain important quantities of antioxidants that improve the immune system by fighting the free radicals. The action of the free radicals is enhanced by the environmental toxins, such as radiation and air pollution.

Other fruits and vegetables that should be part of the diet to improve memory include cantaloupe, watermelon, potatoes, radishes, strawberries, kale and red cabbage. The fruits and the vegetables also act as energy boosters. This way, they can be used in the treatment of depression, which is the major cause of memory loss.

People who follow a diet to improve memory should also consider consuming fish, such as sardines. Omega-3 fats, which represent an important part of the brain cells' membranes, is found in fish. A part of the omega-3 fats, which are also known as alpha linolenic acids, is transformed by the body into DHA.

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Help Your Kids and Teens Eat a Healthy, Nutritious Diet for Improved Self Esteem and Well Being

Sometimes we wonder why kids can be lethargic, unmotivated, learning poorly or not retaining information or just plain unhappy. Diet is a major factor in the behavior and emotions of our children, just as it is with adults. You know how bad certain foods can make you feel when you eat them, and think of the effects they have on growing children. A growing child should be fed healthy, nutritious, quality food, organic whenever possible.

Coloring dyes, additives, preservatives, too much sugar and unhealthy fat have all shown in studies that they can have dramatic effects on behaviors, emotions and the health of children and teens, even causing allergies in some instances that can manifest as behavioral issues and disease. While "nutrition therapy" is considered an alternative treatment in our mainstream society, diet and healthy eating should actually be a primary focus for concerned parents who want to alleviate problems before they even start, in addition to healthy eating for the sake of it helping a child be and feel at his best. Often, healthy, happy kids have an extremely clean eating style (aka no junk).

Childhood obesity has become epidemic in our society due to our unhealthy eating and fast-food lifestyle many subscribe to. In addition to the problems already stated above, overweight children are often victims of bullies, low self esteem and negative self talk, which often leads to comfort eating and overeating to soothe the hurt. This quite often evolves into full blown food addiction. It is truly a vicious cycle that often begins as an innocent coping mechanism when stress relief techniques are not taught or are unknown to parents, teachers and role models.

You may find that your whole family needs to begin eating healthy, not just the kids. If you live a typical fast food lifestyle where restaurants cook the majority of your family's meals, then change is needed for the health and well being of everyone. Change does not have to be drastic but by implementing small changes one at a time, before you know it, everyone in the family will be healthier and happier for it. While eating out may seem like a needed break, the health impact of doing so regularly are severe and tend to cause weight gain in most people due to the added fats and sugars in restaurant foods.

What can you do?

First, cut out the soda pop. Soda is one of the worst culprits for too much sugar, colors and empty calories. Soda contributes to weight gain and keeping weight on. Start replacing soda and other sugar filled beverages with water and seltzer water. The body needs water to flush out toxins and to stay healthy. Of course we have all heard that we need 8-10 glasses of water a day, but how close do your children come to that amount? How close do you come to that? If you are making the transition from soda to water, you may want to try cutting seltzer water with a bit of vanilla extract, a splash of cream and ¼ t. stevia (natural sweetener) to create a homemade vanilla cream soda that is delicious and cures the craving for soda.

Eat meals at home. You can easily master the art of the Crockpot which you can launch in the morning and have a wonderful home cooked meal waiting for everyone at dinnertime. Set the table and eat together as a family. Make sure you add your veggies or a big salad to whatever Crockpot dish you choose to cook. A savvy health conscious parent may have their Crockpot on every single day to ensure that the whole family is getting "slow food" that's healthy and ready for them when they need it.

Eat meals together. Surprisingly only 28% of American families eat dinner together at the dinner table. Sitting down and enjoying a family meal is not only good for family bonding and closeness, it's good for digestion and is almost always more nutritious than restaurant meal choices. Eating on the run is never healthy. Make sure your family gets to sit down and eat as a family as often as possible, preferably every night.

Make sure you introduce new fruits and vegetables to your children as often as possible. Get adventurous and learn to cook or slice new foods and experiment! Kids love novel things, and although they may get into the rut of preferring to eat only what they know and like, as a loving parent, you should repeatedly introduce the same new food to your child often until they get used to it. While it may not be their favorite, and you should never force any type of food.. several presentations and asking them to try "just a few bites" will help them explore new textures and flavors, in addition to giving them more nutrients and vitamins than are available in a child-imposed limited menu.

If you are a role model for healthy eating and encourage your child and teen to make healthy food choices along with you, establishing a baseline of healthy eating in youth, children will always come back to what is natural and healthy, because it feels so good. As they get older and realize the impact of any unhealthy food choices they make, they will remember your wise attitude and instruction concerning food.

Present fruits of veggies as a snack instead of junk foods. Of course kids will go for ice creams or pastries or cookies if that's what they are used too. But instead, stock your home with healthy choices that kids love, such as apples with almond butter, celery with cream cheese, freshly made air popped popcorn, apples, bananas with raisins and yogurt, or plain full fat yogurt sweetened with honey and fresh blueberries. All these suggestions are healthy and kids love them! They are also more economical than a box of grocery store cookies.

Over processed foods are linked to feelings of depression, which is one more reason to transition into wholesome natural foods. Healthy eating naturally makes a child feel great due to the high quality of nutrition available in natural wholesome foods and low sugar and fat content. A healthy child or teen feels good about himself too and this healthy self-esteem and confidence spills over into all areas of life.

No parent is perfect, but we must try to help our children learn the basics of healthy eating for their health and well being. We are responsible for what we buy at the grocery store or local famer's market, not our children. When healthy food is in the house, healthy food will be eaten. Make it fun and ask your children to help with the preparation. When everyone has a hand in the pot, everyone has fun, and healthy eating becomes your family's way. Bon Appetite!

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Foods That Improve Eyesight - Diet to Correct Poor Vision

Kids and youngsters with weak eyesight and spectacles are commonly observed now-a-days. Weak eyesight results mainly due to nutritional deficiencies since childhood that increases in the developing stages of life. This must be given serious consideration otherwise conditions may worsen leading to blindness. Other factors like wrong reading habits, genetic factors may also play a significant role in the weakening of eyesight.

Parents must pay due attention to the regular diet of their children at a very early age to prevent any sort of eye weakness. Deficiency of Vitamin A is the main cause for weak eyesight in the individuals. Pregnant women should take sufficient dietary supplements of Vitamin A and Folic acid to prevent weakness in the brain and the eyes.

Symptoms

Weakness in eyesight can be detected by the following symptoms.

1. Haziness in vision. 

2. Unable to see objects from normal distance. 

3. Long and short sightedness. 

4. Headache during studies. 

5. Burning sensation followed by watering of the eyes. 

6. Persistent common cold.

Causes

Deficiency of Vitamin A is the main cause for weak eyesight. Other factors affecting the eyesight are

1. Long hours of watching TV and working on computers. 

2. Reading in excess light or in dim light. 

3. Genetic factors. 

4. Alcoholism affects the eyesight in matured age. 

5. Wrong eating habits. 

6. Digestive problems.

Dietary Suggestions for Weak Eyesight

Weak eyesight can be considerably improved through dietary modifications, which should be followed strictly.

1. Diet enriched in Vitamin A should be taken regularly. This should consist of colored fruits and vegetables like banana, papaya, carrots, spinach, broccoli, sprouts, pumpkins and mangoes. Fish, dairy products, liver, egg yolk also helps in improving the eyesight. Fish contains amino acids, which is essential for healthy eyes.

2. Oily fish are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for the eyes. Try to include tuna, sardines, mackerel and salmon in your regular diet.

3. Take small amounts of raisin or peanuts daily. This is also beneficial in improving weak eyesight.

4. Drink lettuce juice or use lettuce leaves in your salads for better eyesight.

5. Regular consumption of foods rich in Vitamin C like guava, gooseberry, oranges, lemon, tomatoes help in preventing cataracts and other eye disorders in old age.

6. Inclusion of nuts and seeds, dry fruits are also beneficial for the health of the eyes.

7. Sulfur rich foods like onion, garlic, capers and shallots help in improving the eyesight.

8. Some herbs like parsley, oregano and turmeric have been proved good for the eyes.

9. You can take I-Lite capsule which is a safe ayurvedic supplement to improve eyesight and clear vision.

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Natural Remedies for Eyesight Problems: 4 Habits For Your Better Vision

When you visited your eye doctor and were told that your eyesight problems had worsened, chances are good that you asked yourself, "what did I do?" You had been wearing the same glasses, reading the same newspaper, and working at the same place every day; what could have caused your eyes to lose more of their seeing capabilities? The thing is, those same actions that you had been performing day after day might have been the very reason why your vision deteriorated. Stay with me to find out how this could have been and how to deal with it...

You've probably heard the saying, "humans are creatures of habit." A vast majority of the various aspects of your life is determined by your habits, most of which you are not even aware of. Obviously, the modern lifestyle is not so welcoming in terms of maintaining good vision. To name a few examples, many people are forced to stare at computer and TV screens for several hours every day; the so-called "fast foods" or "junk foods" don't provide appropriate nutrients that support the proper functioning of the eyes; and in too many cases our rooms are lit too bright or too dark.

The good news is that as long as you can identify these bad habits and replace them with good ones that promote your healthy vision, you can take the first step towards reclaiming your natural 20/20 vision. The single biggest physical factor in causing eyesight problems is excess strain, which is addressed by the following 4 habits. Try these for 30 days and see for yourself how clear your eyesight gets.

1. Blink more. 

In order to have a properly functioning eye, you need to blink 15 to 20 times a minute. Not only blinking helps your eyes rest, but it prevents eye illnesses by moistening your eyes. Also, it provides support for your eye muscles that are used to focus on objects at different distances, while stimulating lymph circulation around your eyes. Lymph is a type of body fluid complementary to the blood and is involved in nutrient transportation and immune system activation.

2. Look straight at it. 

Once in a while, relax your eyes and release all mental and physical strain. Focus on an object while not trying too hard. If you are used to seeing things while strained, this might feel strange at first, but soon you will get to experience a calm and comfortable feeling. In fact, your eyes were naturally designed to function the best under this kind of condition-looking straight at an object without strain. The more you do this, the more your eyes will feel relaxed, and the more your eyes will revert to their natural state-seeing clearly.

3. Move your eyes around. 

There are two ways you can do this. You can slowly move your gaze from one object in the room to the one next to it, then to the next, in a continuous manner. Then, look to the skies or a distant object outside your window, then back to your window panes. Alternate between these two. Myopia(nearsightedness) is nothing more than your eyes getting used too much to seeing things near you. By shifting your focus once in a while, you prevent your eyes from being fixated in a single mode of seeing.

4. Bathe in the Sun. 

Every color you can see originates from sunlight. This natural source of light is what made your vision even possible or relevant. Your eyes are fatigued from artificial light which only contain certain wavelengths of light; treat them and relax them occasionally with this great gift of nature! While keeping your eyes closed, face the sun, and move turn your head from side to side. Keep it short to no more than three minutes.

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How to Improve Your Eyesight Naturally

Dr. Mercola

I'm going to try this myself.  I'll update you on my progress.

Eyesight Problems - How to Treat Eyesight Problems Naturally

Many people in the world suffer from eyesight problems and have tried different methods such as wearing glasses, contact lenses and having laser surgery. There is a way that you can solve some of the problems without having to go to theatre so that you don't have to worry when about losing your contact lenses or your glasses ever again.

Relaxation is the first key. When you become stressed and tense you can end up with headaches which in turn cause you to have blurred vision. To take the strain off the eyes your option will be more likely to advise you to wear glasses rather than teach you how to relax. This is a shame as it could save you money on what you would usually have to spend.

There are exercises that you can do with your eyes as well as any other part of your body to strengthen them. Learning such techniques will take the strain away from seeing things whether near or far.

Astigmatism is also something that can benefit from these techniques. You will find that whether it is age that has caused your eyesight problems, reading or sitting in front of a computer you don't have to get medical or surgical treatment to improve it no matter the state of your vision.

Remember that although opticians are able to spot problems caused by glaucoma and other health problems they would not be able to stay afloat if it was not for people like you needing to pay for the treatments they offer. This is the reason why you will not have been told about your other options.

They are a business like any other and need to profit. The same can be said for your doctor who makes his money from the prescriptions that are filled out for you and the other patients. By taking the natural route you can avoid having to pay for eye tests and any equipment you will be told you need for your eyesight problems.

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Can Eye Exercises Correct Problems Focusing While Reading?

Eye exercises are helpful in correcting a variety of vision conditions such as eye strain, nearsightedness and farsightedness to name a few. However, one of the most overlooked vision issues that these techniques can also correct relates to problems focusing while reading. For example, vision therapists and experts who are trained in the practice of vision therapy are able to develop important visual skills such as mental focus and concentration, eye tracking and eye teaming that are vital in correcting problems focusing while reading. Here is some information concerning this matter:

Some aspects of vision therapy include similar techniques that are used in the practice of eye exercises. These involve the use of an eye patch in conjunction with eye exercises that are performed to improve the teamwork of the eyes. This can solve eye problems whereby individuals experience problems while reading.

For example, there are some success stories associated with the practice of these techniques. These involved situations whereby individuals experienced bad headaches due to problems with the visual system related to eye tracking. Prior to starting the eye exercise techniques they had noticed that their eyes were not teaming and tracking well. This deficiency in the function of their visual system was affecting their ability to read well. However, there was a noticeable difference and improvement in their reading after practicing the eye exercise techniques. One success story details an account of students at a school whereby the teachers misjudged their poor reading performance as slow and lazy, when indeed the actual problem was a vision issue related to poor eye tracking and eye teaming. However, once this visual issue was corrected via eye exercise sessions, their academic performance improved greatly to the surprise of their teachers.

With the practice of the eye exercise techniques the teachers were impressed with the improvement they were noticing in their reading skills. For instance, after practicing the techniques the teachers noticed that their student's ability to read improved greatly and they were no longer skipping sentences and words as their eye teaming and eye tracking ability improved. These students have now adopted a more positive attitude to reading activities. Such activities were no longer perceived as a chore but a fun activity that they looked forward to since they had corrected problems with their visual skills.

Eye exercises can correct a variety of different vision conditions. These are not only limited to common eye problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism but these also include correcting problems focusing while reading. This is related to the benefits of the practice of eye exercise techniques in improving various visual skills such as eye teaming and eye tracking. These are visual skills necessary to help students in school who are struggling academically and need to improve their academic performance. Ultimately, these are vital skills that can help students to achieve their academic goals with great success.

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ADHD and ADD - Improve Reading and Learning Through Brain-Based Accelerated Learning Strategies

Children with ADHD or ADD can improve reading and learning using new brain-based accelerated learning strategies. Often, students with ADHD or ADD struggle with reading or learning. They are often the ones put into Special Ed classes, Title 1 classes, and remedial reading classes. Parents are often frustrated because despite being pulled out of their regular education classes for special reading help, they fail to improve reading.

One of the reasons children with ADHD or ADD do not improve reading and learning is because parents are convinced that ADHD or ADD medication is the solution. But pills do not teach students how to read or how to learn.

The solution lies not in the pill, but in the child's brain. Every child has his or her own unique way of learning. If your child is a kinesthetic or tactile learner or a right brain learner but is being taught in a visual and auditory learning style or a left brain approach, that can cause reading or learning problems. If you discover a child's best and fastest way of learning and use it, it can accelerate the speed at which the child learns. In fact, reading improvement and learning can be so dramatically accelerated that students with ADHD and ADD have raised their reading level several years above their grade within weeks to several months. Children with ADHD and ADD have gone from struggle to extreme excellence within 6 weeks to 6 months. In fact, their reading improvement and learning has been raised so high many of those students no longer ADHD or ADD medication.

Every person has their own unique way of learning. Once this personal way of learning is discovered, students can learn to read, improve reading, and improve learning in the shortest possible time. They have a chance to be successful in learning, and raise their self-esteem, and motivation. These students improve behavior and discipline. They become engaged learners and develop a joy of reading and learning.

Any parent whose child is diagnosed with ADHD or ADD should not lose hope. There are ways to turn their struggle into success. It begins with an accurate assessment of how the student's brain learns. Once that is established, it is essential for the parent to help his or her child with homework and studies in the child's best way of learning. This will reduce family stress and tension because the parent knows how to communicate with the child. It will also ensure better parenting skills, better family communication, and more joy and happiness within the home.

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Online Speed Reading Tools And Techniques

Online speed reading is a technique that enables you to read fast. It has many advantages and can greatly improve your personal as well as professional life. It enables you to read books quickly. A novel that may have taken few weeks can be completed in few days. Similarly, you can also read official reports and other corporate communication stuff very quickly. It helps in saving time. Not just that, reading improves your knowledge base too. When you know to read fast, you can imagine the rich knowledge that you will accumulate. Speed reading is a simple technique that can be achieved at home with this online method. The process is easy to understand and implement. You would just require some regular practice. A consistent effort is of paramount importance when you learn the online speed reading technique. Here is some detailed information about this method of reading.

How it Works

Here are some easy steps that can help you master the technique. It will not only help you to read fast, it will also improve vocabulary. Speed reading is a mechanism that can be learned and mastered with consistent efforts. The below-mentioned step-by-step guide will help you achieve a good reading speed.

Structure: Written literature usually follows a structure. It has an introduction, body, and conclusion. While reading, you can simply read the introduction and conclusion to get an idea about its content. This will reduce the time that you spend on reading the entire article. Also, you could read in between lines to look for content that is bold or highlighted.

Chunking: This method of online speed reading calls for chunking words while reading. When you club words together, it becomes easier to read rather than reading one single word at a time. For instance, have you noticed how you react when you see a group of people? Usually, when you look at a few people standing together, you chunk them and look at them as a group instead of an individual.

Hand Motion: Do you remember how you used to read as a child by placing a finger on the text. Try using the same technique for speed reading. When you place the finger, it helps you to move your eyes quickly and this helps in fast reading.

Word Skipping: Online speed reading can be achieved by skipping words like "the," "a," "an," "and," among others. It is OK to skip such words if you want to improve your speed. Once you learn to skip these small words, it will naturally increase your pace and you will be able to skip few more words.

Vocabulary: When you improve vocabulary, it helps read faster. This is because you do not have to spend time on thinking about the meaning of the word. When you know the meaning, it is a lot easier to comprehend the content quickly.

Sub Vocalization: Sub vocalization while reading is very common and can reduce the speed at which you read. Online speed reading emphasizes on eliminating subvocalization. When you read out words loud or even if you read it under your breath, it reduces the pace at which you read. It is said that our eyes and brain work at a much quicker rate than we can speak. So when you don't pronounce words, it increases the speed of your reading.

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A Reason Your Child May Have Trouble Learning

As an educational psychologist, I have been working with children for many years, most of which have trouble learning. Based on my many years of experience, I know how difficult it is to see your child struggle and how painful it is when learning is such a challenge. I also know that as a parent you might have feelings of inadequacy because you don't know what to do or how to help your child. Maybe you've even been told that the situation is helpless. Well, I'm here to tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, there's a good chance that your child is a right brain learner. And although very little is written about right brain learning, it may be creating havoc in your child's life.

The Signs of a Right Brain Learner 

Allow me to ask you a few questions. Have you noticed your child grabbing things out of your hand in order to show you something? Or maybe your child has poor handwriting or weak spelling skills? Possibly your child struggles with mastering basic reading and/or basic math facts. Perhaps you've observed your child making careless errors or simple mistakes. Have you noticed your child talking a lot with their hands and moving around a great deal when they speak? A right brained reader may also display sensitivity to light, sound or smells. These are some of the signs that could very well mean your child is a right brain learner. However, this child has creative abilities that are often overlooked in the school environment, which means they are being held back because of something they can't help.

The Definition of a Right Brain Learner 

What exactly is a right brain learner and is there something you can do to help your child? I say with an emphatic YES, there is something you can do. Let me start by explaining a little about the right brain learner. Until only recently, very little has been known about a right brain dominant child, yet this child learns differently. They have difficulty grasping and retaining new concepts. This happens when the brain is not effectively passing information from the left hemisphere (the language center) to the right hemisphere (conceptual processing). A right-brained thinker often struggles with learning from traditional workbooks, class lectures or independent reading because the right hemisphere requires strong visual images in order to conceptualize new concepts. This type of learner will struggle when "more words" are used to learn "new words". A Right Brain Dominant child may be missing pictures for new concepts, key vocabulary words, and abstract words (such as "a", "the", "of ", "is", etc.), stopping the brain from experiencing conceptual meaning and understanding.

Do Not Disregard the Value of Strong Right-Hemisphere Thinking 

While the logical, language-based elements of the left hemisphere of the brain are as important as ever, in our fast-paced world, we can no longer afford to disregard the value of strong right-hemisphere thinking. Our modern economy demands that your child capitalize on the ingenuity inherent to the right side of the brain, therefore learning large amounts of information through the manipulation of visual images, making split-second decisions, and taking risks in the learning process are increasingly becoming more valued skills. Traditional, left-hemisphere teaching methods are simply not adequate to develop cutting edge, whole brain thinking. In other words it is critically important that this type of learner feels a sense of confidence in his or her ability to approach the learning process in a way that matches his or her inherent learning style. What has been missed until now is that a right brained child is able to make new leaps in the learning process and expand to meet the needs of a new world, a world filled with multiple visual stimulation and instant decision making. These right brain learners have the ability to process visual and kinesthetic information at an unbelievable rate, strengthening the natural abilities of the right hemisphere of the brain.

If you Suspect that Your Child is Right Brained Dominant 

There is no longer any reason to let traditional left-hemisphere teaching strategies hold your child back or make them feel incapable of learning. If you suspect that your child could be right-brained dominant, there is a way for you to tap into new learning strategies that make learning fun and exciting. Redesigning how a child approaches the learning process is the foundation needed for future school success. 

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How to Study: Speed Reading

What is the most efficient way to retain facts in your memory? How can you go through vast amounts of information, several pages of densely written material and memorize as much information as possible? I have always had this question and tried several techniques to achieve better results. One of them was speed reading or photo reading (although the two terms differ somehow).

What is speed reading?

Speed reading is a series of techniques that have been devised to increase the speed of reading without compromising retention and comprehension.

How effective is speed reading claimed to be?

Speed reading advocates claim that by adopting their techniques you can double your reading speed almost immediately. With regular everyday practice reading speeds can exceed 1000 words per minute (wpm).

How old is speed reading?

The principle is as old as 1940 when training machines were used to help increase the reading speed. Evelyn Wood is the first researcher that after an impressive "demonstration" of reading speed by her university professor decided to uncover the clues why some of us are able to read and comprehend at higher speeds than others. Her "Wood method" or "Reading Dynamics" was developed to teach how to increase your reading speed.

What device was originally used to prove that humans can perceive and comprehend words at a very high speed?

The tachistoscope was used to prove that humans can identify images that appear for as short as 2 ms.

What techniques do the proponents of speed reading use?

Several techniques have been used such as:

• Choosing the right environment without distractions.
• Positioning yourself at the right distance from the book or computer screen.

Skimming. This involves the peripheral vision and usually is performed by searching through the series of paragraphs for the important or relevant information that is necessary to perceive the main meaning of the paragraph excluding the redundant words.

Avoid subvocalization. This technique is one of the most important, difficult for the beginner and first to be taught among speed readers. Subvocalization includes repeating the words of a text at a lower voice or subconsciously while we read. It is a very common habit and virtually everybody succumbs. As a result, the reading speed is limited by the speed that words can be pronounced and thus to less than 300-400 wpm.

Meta guiding. Meta guiding involves using a guide for the eye, either a finger or a pen or some other pointer to swipe through the text. This is claimed to not only increase reading speed but also force the eyes to expand their visual field. Several repeated movements with the pointer have been proposed and in different patterns, zig-zag through the pages or at a linear motion etc.

Avoid backtracking through the text. It is common to re-read several chunks of text in an effort to comprehend better. It has been proven that this process helps little in understanding and at the same time decreases the reading speed.

What is PhotoReading?

PhotoReading is a product that was introduced claiming to teach how to achieve reading speeds of up to 25,000 wpm without engaging to active reading but by soft focusing through the pages and subconsciously processing them. Several attempts to achieve those reading speeds by individual researchers have not been successful.

Have my attempts at speed reading or photo reading been successful? Is it a useful tool on how to study more efficiently and decrease the amount of time needed to comprehend and memorize?

I have seen a considerable increase in reading speeds after applying speed reading techniques. This was as impressive as tripling my initial reading speeds to more than 1000 wpm. I have noticed that the efficiency of reading depends on the type of material that needs to be memorized or comprehended.

In the case of novels, short stories or in general text that is not heavy in technical terms the techniques have proven very successful to me. In regards to technical material or scientific language, text that is heavily formatted I have found it very challenging to understand and memorize at such high speeds.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6562134