Smart Steps Workshop at Connexion @ Nexus, Bangsar South

Smart Steps Workshop at Connexion @ Nexus, Bangsar South

We attended the Smart Steps Workshop not too long ago and we brought Zen to the workshop too. It was held at Connexion @ Nexus, Bangsar South and it was attended by many parents and their little ones too.

Raising a child now is not as easy as it used be. We are more educated than our previous generations so we need to know more on helping our child to develop. That’s why it is important to attend workshops like Smart Steps Workshops where I can meet real experts.

At the workshop, we met Assoc. Professor Dr. Alvin Ng Lai Oon, Professor Dr. Poh Bee Koon and Dr. Yong JuninaFadzil.

Assoc. Professor Dr. Alvin Ng Lai Oon

Dr. Yong JuninaFadzil

Professor Dr. Poh Bee Koon
They are experts on their own field.

The talk is not that long and it focus on the main topics of the workshop which is Co-relation between nutrition and cognitive development, The importance of tailored nutrition for different smart milestone and Parents’ role in helping them to develop better.

I have picked up and share some of the highlights of the workshop and they are as below:

Nutrition is one of the important factors of a child’s cognitive performance or IQ level.

Parents who want intelligent kids with good IQ or healthy mental development should pay attention to their nutritional intake as one of the aspects to support their brain development.

Other influencing factors include providing a stimulating environment and interactive caregivers.

Importance of Nutrition

Nutrition is an important influencing factor with regards to the continuous growth and development that occur throughout the childhood period.

Essential nutrients are needed to develop a healthy and smart brain.

Different nutrients are required at various growth stages of mental development.

How does malnutrition impact mental development?

Lack of healthy food leads to stunted physical growth, slowed or reduced brain development, and also the increase in suppression of the body’s immune system.

Children whose early childhood was marked by nutrients deficiency can face a lifetime of health issues.

How does a child grow smarter?

A child learns actively from birth. Cognitively or mentally, he gathers, sorts and processes information from around him, and uses the information to perceive, gain understanding and learn about the world.

In other words, children learn and acquire intelligence and smartness as they develop mentally.

How Parents can Stimulate Children’s Mental Development

Emotional development in children is often linked with social development.

How the child feel will affect how they socialise with their peers or loved ones. A child who feels confident is more likely to make more friends and play with them in a group.

As such, games for mental development during early childhood are an effective way to help kids grow intellectually, and in the long run, develop and grow in other aspects to be an all-rounder.

(Zen playing with the toys by himself together with other kids during the event)

WHAT IS SPEED SMART?

Practising skills repeatedlywith a short time-limit

From simplest basic skill to more complex skill

Focus on both, speed and accuracyClear targets and measurements

Outcome: Mastery / Automaticity / Fluency (doing without thinking)

OBJECTIVES

To introduce fluency-building method for mastery in adaptive behavior skills

E.g. (academic skills, communication, activities of daily living, socialization and motor movement skills).

To empower parents in using fluency-building methods to stimulate their children’s cognitive development.

To provide parents with ideas as to how fluency-building in daily activities.

SKILLS ADDRESSED

Fine and gross motormovement and coordination skills

Communication skills –e.g. speech, contextual language

Cognitive skills –e.g. calculations, problem-solving, logical reasoning, planning, etc

Emotional skills –e.g. recognizing negativity and generating positive alternatives, etc.

Socialisationskills –e.g. play, making friends, recognizing and responding to social cues

Self-care skills –e.g. dressing, cleaning, toileting, eating, etc.

Domestic skills –e.g. knowing ways around the home, house chores,

Community skills –e.g. safety behaviours, logistics, mapping, emergency procedures, using money, etc

We learn many new things especially on child’s mental growth and also importance of nutrients. We had to leave early as Zen needed his nap badly but he enjoyed playing with the other kids. We hope the information above can help to answer some of the questions most parents are having now.
This is a sponsored post.

Wilson Ng