One of the great things that S does with Puttachi - he gets her to answer her questions herself. He guides the way, of course, and suggests what questions she should ask in order to arrive at the answer to her original question.
He has been doing this ever since she was very small.
For example, I say, "Come on, let's go to Ajji's house."
And she says, "Which Ajji?"
My instinct would be to answer immediately.
But, S doesn't do that. He says, "Think, Puttachi. Which Ajji's house could it be?"
She looks confused.
S: Where is B Ajji's house?
She: Far away.
S: So if you go there, will you come back tonight itself?
She: No, I'll probably stay the night, because it is very far and by the time I reach, it will be dark already.
S: Right. So if you have to stay overnight, what will you need to do?
She: I have to take my clothes, toothbrush....
S: Correct.
She: (looks around) I don't see anything around.. Amma hasn't packed any bags.... meaning we are not going to B Ajji's house. That means we are going to V Ajji's house!
S: Correct!
This, I have found, is a great way to get her to be curious and to think for herself. The above was just an example, but S does it for every single thing.
To add to it, Puttachi was a fan of Slylock Fox when she was younger, and typically, the father-daughter team would solve it together every Saturday morning. After that, she gets kicks from deducing things on her own, and glows when I call her "Slylock Fox"
A simple example - "Amma, I saw you buying Palak yesterday, and you are making chapatis today, and I know there is paneer in the fridge, which means we are having Palak-paneer today with chapatis!"
This week, I brought the book Bumbletown Detectives from the library, and it involved deduction based on visual clues - and she loved it so much that she wants to keep it for a few more days! I think she'll love a treasure hunt - my aunt had arranged one for her when she was three - I simply must get over my intertia and organize one for her now, with some complicated clues. I'm sure she'll enjoy it.
In short, I believe that this habit has helped her think and question and deduce and analyze better, which is always a nice skill to have, isn't it?
Try it out! If not anything else, it is fun!
He has been doing this ever since she was very small.
For example, I say, "Come on, let's go to Ajji's house."
And she says, "Which Ajji?"
My instinct would be to answer immediately.
But, S doesn't do that. He says, "Think, Puttachi. Which Ajji's house could it be?"
She looks confused.
S: Where is B Ajji's house?
She: Far away.
S: So if you go there, will you come back tonight itself?
She: No, I'll probably stay the night, because it is very far and by the time I reach, it will be dark already.
S: Right. So if you have to stay overnight, what will you need to do?
She: I have to take my clothes, toothbrush....
S: Correct.
She: (looks around) I don't see anything around.. Amma hasn't packed any bags.... meaning we are not going to B Ajji's house. That means we are going to V Ajji's house!
S: Correct!
This, I have found, is a great way to get her to be curious and to think for herself. The above was just an example, but S does it for every single thing.
To add to it, Puttachi was a fan of Slylock Fox when she was younger, and typically, the father-daughter team would solve it together every Saturday morning. After that, she gets kicks from deducing things on her own, and glows when I call her "Slylock Fox"
A simple example - "Amma, I saw you buying Palak yesterday, and you are making chapatis today, and I know there is paneer in the fridge, which means we are having Palak-paneer today with chapatis!"
This week, I brought the book Bumbletown Detectives from the library, and it involved deduction based on visual clues - and she loved it so much that she wants to keep it for a few more days! I think she'll love a treasure hunt - my aunt had arranged one for her when she was three - I simply must get over my intertia and organize one for her now, with some complicated clues. I'm sure she'll enjoy it.
In short, I believe that this habit has helped her think and question and deduce and analyze better, which is always a nice skill to have, isn't it?
Try it out! If not anything else, it is fun!
4 comments:
Interesting!
Can you even imagine how her brain must be growing new connections, linking up, enriching... with each new detective search... very smart parents, I must say!
Radhika, it is!
Austere, yeah! Sometimes, I can almost see the wheels in her head in motion!
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