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Laurie Niles

Things to consider teaching your child:

December 18, 2012 at 9:05 PM

As with many people in the U.S., I've been thinking over the tragic events that occurred in Connecticut last Friday, and the culture that fed into that event. Shinichi Suzuki, having lived through the violent first part of the 20th century, was driven by the idea of putting violins into children's hands instead of guns, to help them create beauty in their lives and hearts. I think it's a worthy goal. And so I came up with a list of things we can teach our children to help them find useful activity and seek beauty and wonder in the world.

Things to consider teaching your child:

Playing the violin
Soccer
Stamp collecting
Bird watching
Hiking
Bicycling
Baseball
Community service
Trumpet
Choir
Travel
Foreign language
Sewing
Knitting
Camping
Pole vaulting
Ballet
Irish step dancing
Basketball
Lacrosse
Swimming
Yoga
How to play the xylophone
Trombone
Water polo
Video blogging
Spelunking
Reading library books
Going to musicals
Girl Scouts
Church youth group
Cooking
Playing the viola
Jump rope
Making paper airplanes
Driving go-carts
Pottery
Painting
Candle-making
Roller coaster riding
Make a gingerbread house
Origami
Building a treehouse
Making a friendship bracelet
Walking the dog
Braiding hair
Cross-country skiing
Scuba diving
Marching band
Driving a car
Making cookies
Sky diving
Rock climbing
Basket weaving
Jewelry making
Gardening
Farming
Milking a cow
Cracking an egg
Volunteering at a soup kitchen
Photography
Hopscotch
Ice skating
Playing Monopoly
Playing the cello
Making a birdhouse
Carpentry
Archery
Tennis
Lifeguard training
CPR
Babysitting
Horse riding
Sledding
Snowboarding
Drawing
Astronomy
Decorating a cake
Quilting
Juggling
Square dancing
Piano
Guitar
Hockey
Marbles
Card games
Playing the bass
Magic tricks
Silkscreening
Gymnastics
Tap dancing
Drumming
Surfing
Making a cup of tea

Feel free to add to this list.


From Patrick Tinney
Posted on December 18, 2012 at 10:30 PM
Some of our favorites:

Leather carving
soap / wood carving
playing the recorder
model building
knot tying
Tatting
Bobbin Lace


The first four my nine year old and I are supposed to work on during the holidays.

Sorry I'm trying to remember the things I used to enjoy and forgot

Cross Stitch
Crewel (Embroidery)
Needlepoint
macrame

And since I can never decide between Celtic, polka and mariachi in addition to violin

concertina or accordion
Tuba or Euphonium (the instrument of my youth, I'll have to start looking for one).

From Mendy Smith
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 1:33 AM
Making fudge & brownies!!!!
From Krista Moyer
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 1:32 AM
I'll add:

baseball
croquet
how to build a birdhouse
how to sew on a button
write thank you letters
laundry
paint with watercolors
plant a garden
make bread
play the kazoo
appreciate Mel Brooks
how to shake hands
fold a shirt
write poetry
dinner conversation
ride a bike
make a salad
laugh
play chess

From Andrei Pricope
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:43 AM
Things to teach children:
- (self-)respect
- discipline
- honesty
- patience
- self-control / anger management
- how to compromise (for the common/greater good)
- consequences / causality
- finding and following superior role models
- manners / social graces
- attention to detail
- team-work
- self-reliance
- perseverance
- responsibility
- sacrifice
- deferred gratification
- forward thinking
- goal-setting and planning
- solution-finding
- critical thinking
- feedback analysis
- synthesis of information
- lateral thinking
- innovation
- initiative and drive
- asking (oneself) better questions
- learning as a life-time activity
- time management
- resource management (time, effort, energy, materials)
- maximizing opportunities and resources
- clarity, organization
- open-mindedness to differences
- compassion
- charity
- selflessness
- loyalty
- gratitude
- courage
- trust
- humility
- warmth
- tenderness
- spontaneity
- strength
- decisiveness
- integrity of convictions
- savoring the moment but planning for the future
- effort -> results -> rewards
- honest assessment
- quality more important than quantity or speed
- the urgency of important matters
- thinking big, but acting now and here, for improvement
- the importance of (self-)education, of being knowledgeable and cultured
- respect for the achievements of others (incl. those before us)
- how to pay a compliment, and receive one
- how to admit defeat gracefully
- not to give up on themselves (and others) too easily
- to respect (any!) hard work
- that good enough isn't, that effort is expected, and success and self-esteem are earned, not given
- proper use of language as an expression of superior thinking
- good hygiene
- decent penmanship
- the importance of silence, solitude, (self-)reflection
- the difference between opinion and fact, between wishful thinking and evidence
- the power of a kind word, a smile, a hug, a pat on the back
- the power of an insult, of bullying, of indifference
- to not take people, relationships, resources for granted
- the importance of being right over being popular
- the importance of privacy, dignity, identity, honor, fairness
- the importance of long-lasting positive impact and influence over the immediate, the material, the monetary
etc., etc...
No matter how, no matter where, the sooner the better,
let's teach kids CHARACTER...
From Marty Dalton
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:02 AM
Teach them the sactity and fragility of human life.
From Laurie Niles
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:32 AM
This is really more a list of concrete activities to teach them. Actions speak louder than words, after all.
From Kevin Keating
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:44 AM
The list of simple joys in life is endless...
From Andrei Pricope
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 4:13 AM
I got it... I'm just of the opinion that we teach children, not music; skills, not songs; character, not activities...
Needless to say, please feel free to remove my list, Laurie! Thank you...
From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 4:57 AM
Spend (invest) time with good friends... not bad ones.

Cook with friends
Canoo and do outside activities with friends
Do music with friends
etc.

(I mean, there is so much more than the usual movies, food and shoping. Not telling this is bad, just that human bonds existed before these activities :)

Also, it doesn't have to cost a lot of $ either...


Just about anything is so much more fun with good friends!

People are more and more isolated nowadays...

From Tim Yip
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 5:05 AM
I love the list! As a boy, drawing comics and reading Calvin and Hobbes was actually really meaningful to me. Another great activity was making home movies with friends!
From Thessa Tang
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 2:27 PM
Spelunking? :) Is that the same as caving? Spelunking sounds more fun & sinister at the same time.

How about making jelly? All the kids in school & church LOVE jelly & no one's allergic to it. Perfect for parties & children with multiple allergies [or anaphylaxis like mine].

Last week upon my daughter's request, I taught her how to draft a funny-memorable, punchy and yet persuasive speech which audiences will enjoy.

Pragmatically, not for fun, wonder or beauty, but useful for university/college, & also at her request, I showed her how to make rice soup noodles (with greens) in less than 5 minutes.

My teenager who seem perpetually hungry [especially in winter] LOVE learning how to "cook quick & easy" stuff. It's very satisfying - not just for the stomach.


From Brian Van Eaton
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 4:25 PM
for my part...A foreign language, The Westminster Shorter Catechism, The bible, Piano, Violin, the love of music, The love of serving others, The love and sacrifice of the one who was Just, dying for those of us who are un-just.
The importance of family, and the love of learning and reading.
:)


From Laurie Niles
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 3:50 PM
Andrei, I agree! We teach children, not "violin" or "teaching points" or "state standards." And when we teach children to do things, we try to instill all those ideas you mention. After all, if one teaches violin or tennis or anything with abuse, condescension and rigidity, then one fails with the larger lessons you mention.
From Saagar Asnani
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 8:33 PM
Don't forget PLAY VIOLA!!!
From Paul Deck
Posted on December 19, 2012 at 9:28 PM
teach them how to:

Tune their violin
Clean their violin
Change a string
Straighten the bridge
Thank their violin professor
Rosin their bow

It is through the appreciation of these very small tasks that are tedious / repetitive that they will approach a zen-like humility.

From Thessa Tang
Posted on December 21, 2012 at 3:36 PM
I once went on a Listening Skills course for a couple of months which totally converted me to listening as a focussed, deliberate activity and a concrete skill, so yes listening is a very healthy activity, well worth learning still, sharing and considering, to teach our children. Not just having to role model it which is the hardest bit.

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