Colorss Foundation Develops Children’s Personality

Fun Facts  :  Colorss Foundation Develops Children’s Personality

In today’s Fun Facts, we focus on the efforts Colorss Foundation is taking to help children develop their personalities to become future leaders of the next generation. 

 Why Develop Personality?

As compared to other social problems in India such as illiteracy and health concerns, the lack of personality development seems hardly pressing.

Yet, Colorss Foundation has realised the long-term implications of an under-developed personality, which can lead to low self-confidence and an absence of self-image within a child. India’s social strata today has little place for a female child that shies away from social situations.

Although women participation in India’s entrepreneurial field is increasing at a considerable rate, there remains much room for them to achieve an equality of opportunity with their male counterparts. With the women sector occupying nearly 45% of India’s population, the next generation of women in India needs to be better equipped in skill and personality development to make an impact.

How Does Colorss Develop Personality?

Colorss Foundation nips this problem in the bud by encouraging its students to be more expressive and confident at a young age. In its workshops, Colorss students are pushed to express their thoughts and feelings in their own words. These thoughts are then presented to the rest of the class through a short play.

          Colorss Foundation places a strong premium on respecting children’s thoughts. Their opinions are highly valued and are taken into consideration while activities are being conducted.

An example is when students were introduced to the “Sudoku” puzzle matrix. While they were being taught the rules behind solving the puzzle, the moderators were aware of how many children were able to grasp the concepts and how many were not. Students were also challenged to come forward and help solve the puzzle on the blackboard. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to express their thoughts to the entire class caught the moderators by surprise. Towards the end of the exercise, the students did not hesitate to express their growing weariness with the exercise.

Confident and Intelligent

By taking into consideration the feelings of the students while providing them with knowledge, Colorss Foundation cultivates children that are intelligent and yet confident enough in expressing their thoughts and feelings to others.

With this continued effort, Colorss Foundation hopes to develop children with positive emotionality and sociability. In the short-term, this will lead to peer acceptance, social achievement and psychological well-being. In the long-term, children at an older age will be confident enough to address the education, health and gender inequality problems within India’s society.

By Asyura Salleh

'Children learn quicker through play' | Colorss Foundation

“Play is the highest form of Research” –Albert Einstein.

A study at the University of Iowa has shown that kids that play with their meals (smash, throw, poke food) learn better and quicker than kids that don’t¹. These messy eaters could more correctly name foods and identify their texture than less messy eaters.

Why is it that we consider “play” to be a “break” from work, when it is through “play” that humans have acquired language, culture and technology? Have you ever wondered why it is so easy for children to pick up a few languages or play an instrument, whereas we as adults, struggle to do so? This is because learning is a natural process, and children are more likely to learn through play. Interacting with the environment helps a child develop skills in problem solving, critical thinking, language, literacy, numeracy and imagination. Unlike flashcards or academic drills, playing develops social, physical and emotional skills like empathy and co-operation that are vital for growth and development.

So what exactly does play mean? According to the book Einstein Never Used Flash Cards, “play” is described as something enjoyable, spontaneous, voluntary, engaging, having no extrinsic goals and involving make-belief². What makes playing so different is that a child is not just passively receiving knowledge, but also actively engaged in its meaning. According to research there are five main types of play³:

·         Physical play includes skipping, colouring or “rough & tumble play”. This is necessary for physical strength, hand-eye coordination and endurance. In particular, tough & tumble play, which includes chasing, kicking and rolling on the ground has known to control aggression, improve understanding of emotional expressions and develop strong emotional bonds with parents.

·         The use of objects like building, use of kitchen utensils and construction, develops reasoning and problem solving skills. For instance the classic use of LEGO assists children in setting goals, develop “private speech”, maintain attention, monitor progress and make strategic choices to proceed.

·         Symbolic Play includes drawing, singing and making rhymes. This is known to enhance language, numeracy, visual and communication skills. For instance, drawing improves children’s ability to understand pictures, maps and plans.

·         Pretence or Socio-dramatic play is a type of play that develops cognitive, social & academic abilities. Role-play for instance, like pretending to be firefighters, can enhance narration, deductive reasoning, social competence and self-regulation, especially with children who are highly compulsive.

·         Games with rules like hide & seek, throwing & catching, board games and sports are also vital. They help children make sense of the world and develop social skills like sharing, taking turns and understanding others’ perspectives. Contrary to popular belief, research indicates a positive relationship between time spent on video games and a child’s intelligence.

Neha and Smriti teaching Sudoku at Project Enhance, Pune

In sum, a good balance of play is necessary for children to be healthy. However the opportunities and benefits of quality play for children are increasingly under threat. Children living in poverty often lack access to natural & outdoor environments necessary for play and at the same time those from affluent households are often over-scheduled or over-supervised, limiting children’s creativity and freedom to explore. With growing urbanization and institutionalized educational systems, children are less likely to ask, “Why is the sky blue?” and more likely to ask, “Will this be in the exam?”. In order for healthy intellectual, emotional and social development, it is essential that we provide the opportunity and support for children to play and explore their imagination and creativity. This is why the Colorss foundation has implemented a good balance of play in day-to-day lives of children. From playing Sudoku to karate, Colorss has made a massive impact on the cognitive and emotional wellbeing of youth today. The use of interaction and creativity, it believes is key to preventing school dropouts, gain interpersonal skills and drive these children to achieving their dreams.

Ishita teaching Music at Project Enhance, Pune

“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity”-Kay Redfield Jamison. 

For Love, 

Shama K 

References:

1.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/messy-kids-learning-study_n_4373548.html
2. Hirst-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2003). Einstein never used flash cards.
3. http://www.importanceofplay.eu/IMG/pdf/dr_david_whitebread_-_the_importance_of_play.pdf