Making Childhood Memorable And Meaningful For Children
When you look back at your fondest childhood memories, what do you remember the most? Was it when you received a perfect 10/10 score in a class test, finished a task at home, or ate a cupcake every day? Probably not!
Memories that make us feel nostalgic are — festive traditions, weekend get-togethers, crazy fights with friends, silly classroom jokes, school trips, and exciting outstation holidays. These are the memories children hold close to their hearts and pass it down the generations.
Childhood brings many bittersweet memory-making experiences that sculpt us for life. They mould a toddler’s soul, craft its being and affect their future choices. The impact of these memories lasts forever on a child’s mind, whether good or bad. It highlights the important role played by our parents, teachers, and elders in shaping a kid’s individuality.
Here’s how we can make childhood memorable for children.
1. Interactive activities like ‘gratitude journal’ and ‘bedtime talks’ end the negativity bias, and replace it with positive vibes.
Did your child have a bad day at school? You can balance the negativity by re-memorising happy emotions with them. Just ask them to draw what they liked the most about their day. Encouraging kids to illustrate their happiest memories in a ‘gratitude journal’ gives them a fresh perspective to think, before recollecting the proceedings of the day.
It’s a good way of inciting little munchkins to answer questions and monitoring how their responses evolve with time. Our children are likely to remember any day as the best day of their life when we create more positive interactions for every negative interaction.
2. Starting a new tradition strengthens family bonds and brings comfort to children. Also, they look forward to a fun-filled collective activity.
Family tradition can be a simple daily activity, like having breakfast together, or something bigger like organising an annual festive gathering.
· Start first-day traditions wherein children get to plant a tree or create artwork, every time they start a new task. It builds beautiful memories for the family album.
· Writing a letter to commemorate tot’s milestones boosts their self-confidence. As parents, we must appreciate their efforts and let them know we’re proud of the individual they have become.
It sounds a lot, but pre-schoolers love to indulge in activities that allow them to spend more time with their loved ones.
3. Giving them a great start!
We may not realise, but school-life has a significant impact on our child’s personality, values, character, and skills. Therefore, it’s important to choose a school that not only makes our little ones feel safe but also, gives them the opportunity to bond with fellow kids, explore surroundings and participate in activities that provoke them to think and act.
For example, enrolling kids for outdoor activities like boot camp can build important skills for surviving emergencies, such as seeking shelter, and picking raw ingredients for cooking.
4. Discovering activities that suit their interests and tastes.
Kids label their childhood as ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ based on the most intense experiences they’ve had, especially during the early years and teenage.
Doing things that — inspire their awe (e.g., attending their favourite band’s concert), bring out the best in their personality (e.g., participating in a creative contest), or keep the adrenaline rush running (e.g., playing team sports) helps build genuine understanding and mutual respect with them.
5. Using a safe word to tackle awkward or unsafe situations.
Finding a ‘safe word’ is just as important finding a good school for our children. It’s a special word that we agree to use when the kid is feeling uncomfortable, unsafe or demands our attention, without talking to us outright in front of others.
Sometimes, children are scared or embarrassed to discuss their experiences, maybe because they’re afraid of our reactions. When they use a safe word, we’ll understand what they’re implying, which could lead them into further conversation.
It’s an unusual word they don’t use in everyday conversation, so it sticks out to our children. The word alerts the parents regarding impending dangers and strangers, which makes the child feel safe and comfortable.
None of us wants our kids to grow up without fond memories. The efforts we put into creating memories for them today turns into precious treasures they cherish forever! When they fondly recall such incidents as adults and love us for that, it all becomes worth our time.