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Whether you are a parent, student or a teacher, if you have a question related to any problem related to education, ask Mr Steven Rudolph.

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Parents frequently ask me what to do about their children who ask for excessive amounts of pocket money or who want to buy more and more toys. They often give into their kids' demands in order to keep them pacified, but this usually backfires. As soon as they spend the money, they're back for more and they quickly become bored of the new toys and hanker for a newer one.

As we have been covering the topic of consumerism, I've put together a list of tips parents can use for tackling this problem of over-consumption among kids with the following reply.

Q: I am the father of a 9-year old boy. He is in class IV. He is good at studies. But he always pesters me with buying a new toy, a new game, a new music CD or a new dress every time I take him to market. What solution do you give for him?

Rajnish, Faridabad

A: Hi Rajnish! You can carry home the following tips to help your son change his buying habits:

1. Give him an allowance. The basic aim of pocket money is to make children more accountable, responsible, learn budgeting, money management, and above all learn the value of money. These skills if inculcated early on will come in handy throughout their lives. This practice gives freedom to children to spend money on their own, and brings awareness about what money can do to satisfy one’s needs.

2. Teach him accountability. Make children accountable for every expense they make. Have them maintain a record that shows how much they spend in a particular month. Review their purchase decisions with them, asking them if they feel their decisions were wise ones or not.

3. Make donating toys/clothes to a needy child, a regular ritual. Instill in your son values of making donations money/clothes/toys to the deserving and the needy. For example, before he can buy another toy, he has to donate one of his existing toys.

4. Instill in him values of self-restraint. Before he decides to make a purchase ask him to put these questions to himself, "Do I really need THIS?" "Do I really need THIS NOW?" "What other alternatives do I have to fulfill the need?

5. Teach your son to avoid buying things impulsively. If your kids are hankering to buy something, don't tell them no. For example, if your son wants a particular dress, then give him options by asking him to deserve the same by completing certain hours of study, a number of domestic chores or one charitable work.

6. Make toys out of rubbish. There are numerous books and websites that teach you how to make games and toys out of common waste materials. Not only are they fun to play with, they are enjoyable to make and develop creative skills. On top of that, kids learn the value of recycling.
    

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Q. My daughter is very good in study. But our English is not proper. So we can not attend to her properly. I want her to complete study without any extra classes. Although she loves me too much she is also afraid of me. I want to check her IQ. From father.

Mr Bhatia, Patiala

A. Dear Mr. Bhatia, thank you for writing to Ask Steve. Here are some tips that you may find helpful for improving the English communication skills of your daughter.

1. Connect learning language to her interests. When she is interested in the topic, she will learn more. For example, if your daughter likes stories, you can give her some comic books in English. This will sustain her interest and she will learn lots of vocabulary words. Additionally, she will improve her grammar when she reads.

2. Let her use the language. When one uses a language, it will improve automatically. Help her find authentic ways to use the language (write emails to people, blogs, do activities that require her to speak English with others, etc.)

3. Teach her the habit of keeping a diary. It is always interesting to write about things that are important to us.

4. Encourage her to watch TV shows/films in English. In case she is more interested in Hindi movies ask her to watch these films with the English subtitles on.

5. Immerse her in English. Put English posters and matter on walls in her room.

You can visit our website www.whatsmynature.com for tips on how to find out your daughter’s intelligence and nature types and how to strengthen them.

I am sure the above tips will help your daughter considerably. Best Wishes!

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Q. Do the natures manifest themselves only in older kids or are they evident even in primary school kids?

Vidya S, New Delhi

A. I think Multiple Intelligences manifest themselves early on. They start to become evident around 5-6 years old, and often earlier. With respect to Multiple Natures, I think it takes a bit longer than that. I feel that you can start seeing MN tendencies closer to 8-10 years of age. There's no hard and fast rule to this, but it is just an observation. I also think it depends quite a bit from individual to individual.

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Q. How do you help a child recognise his actual potential and gravitate towards it? This is because sometimes children are blinded by exterior influences.

Sunena M, Trisur

A. I think the best way is by discussing MI and MN with them actively. You can make it into a game or just into a fun type of conversation where you try to identify which MI and MN someone is displaying. This can be with respect to family members, characters in a cartoon show, actors in a film, people in the community, etc. I made the Career Master kit (and especially the game!) for this purpose as well. When kids become more familiar with MI/MN, they automatically add these ideas to their conceptual framework, and I believe they will more readily apply it to their own lives as well. I believe because children are not explicitly aware of these concepts, they have a greater tendency to delude themselves.

For instance, it is common for young kids to dream about becoming actors, musicians, or professional athletes. However, their natures might be at odds with such professions. They are merely attracted to these careers because of the glamour associated with them. But rather then try to tell children they can't become an actor because they don't have a strong enough Entertaining Nature, I think it's far more valuable to introduce them to the many professional options in the entertainment *field* that might be more suitable for them. For instance, if a child has a strong Administrative and Entrepreneurial Nature, you could discuss the possibility of getting into entertainment production. This could relate to film production, film finance, event planning, and so on.

You can also assist children in gravitating toward activites more compatible with their natures by helping children find opportunities, especially in extra-curricular activities that are more relevant to these activities. So if the child is not cut out to be an actor in the school drama, see if there are ways to involve him or her in the production or promotion side of the event.

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Q. As you said, when a person is in a profession that is not compatible with his nature, it is like wearing a shoe that is too tight or too loose. If that is so, should he be adventurous and switch to another job.

Sumit K, Chandigarh

A. The most important thing to keep in mind is that I'm not advocating that you leave your current company. What you might do is to see within your company if there is another assignment you can do that is more compatible with your nature. I also don't advocate being foolhardy and making rash decisions to quit one's job—especially if you have family responsibilities. If you are looking to make a change, then don't think this is necessarily a matter of being "adventurous". I think following one's nature is one's dharma. It is natural.

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Q. Are there ways of developing a nature which you are keen to?

Paromita B, Kolkata

A. I believe, yes. A few people have asked this question, and here is my answer:
I think the best way is by discussing MI and MN with them actively. You can make it into a game or just into a fun type of conversation where you try to identify which MI and MN someone is displaying. This can be with respect to family members, characters in a cartoon show, actors in a film, people in the community, etc. I made the Career Master kit (and especially the game!) for this purpose as well. When kids become more familiar with MI/MN, they automatically add these ideas to their conceptual framework, and I believe they will more readily apply it to their own lives as well. I believe because children are not explicitly aware of these concepts, they have a greater tendency to delude themselves.

For instance, it is common for young kids to dream about becoming actors, musicians, or professional athletes. However, their natures might be at odds with such professions. They are merely attracted to these careers because of the glamour associated with them. But rather then try to tell children they can't become an actor because they don't have a strong enough Entertaining Nature, I think it's far more valuable to introduce them to the many professional options in the entertainment *field* that might be more suitable for them. For instance, if a child has a strong Administrative and Entrepreneurial Nature, you could discuss the possibility of getting into entertainment production. This could relate to film production, film finance, event planning, and so on.

You can also assist children in gravitating toward activities more compatible with their natures by helping children find opportunities, especially in extra-curricular activities that are more relevant to these activities. So if the child is not cut out to be an actor in the school drama, see if there are ways to involve him or her in the production or promotion side of the event.

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