Continuing from last week, here are the next forms of “equipping” my husband does for my kids:
THE LOVE FOR HOME. My husband always emphasizes to my kids that our family is our most important team. We are there to support each other. He even shows my kids the value of loving chores as an expression of family love.
He taught Meagan to cook steak, pork chop and fish properly. He guides our kids on how to take good care of our dog Brad.
THE GIFT OF LAUGHTER. Most of all, my husband equips our whole family with tons of laughter. His jokes are from of an older generation but for some reason, my daughter gets them. He shows the kids that he looks out for each of our happiness and tries his best to provide it for us.
Last week, I was fortunate to interview the country manager of HP, Ian Reyes, who is also a father of two. He shared how he equips his kids: “As early as we can, we start teaching them the values that Cookie, my wife, and I believe are important to us as a family. These are the values of prayer [we pray together daily], respect and kindness [respect for each other in our family and for everyone around; taking care of each other, and helping out in daily chores] and resilience [don’t give up; just keep trying].”
His advice to fathers: “Raising your child/ children means being involved in parenting. Be a present co-parent with your wife in teaching them the values, morals and discipline they will uphold as they grow older. Showing them the equality, love and respect you and your partner have for each other will be essential in your children’s character building.”
Reyes shared that HP created “Print & Play” from a need to equip parents and kids to bridge the gap between education in school and learning at home by supplementing their child’s learning while making playtime at home more engaging. This is very timely especially during this pandemic, where our kids are spending more time at home.
You can download various activities from different age groups as seen but not limited to below:
TWO TO FOUR years old Animal Fun: Level—Easy. Estimated time—10 minutes. Help! The little bunny is trapped! Tag team with your little one to save the poor rabbit and help him find his way through the maze—start from where the red arrow is pointing and exit through the green arrow.
FOUR TO EIGHT years old. Put the Fruits Correctly: Level—Medium. Estimated time—20 minutes. Are you a professional packer? Sort the fruits into the right boxes. Work with your child to help put the fruits in the right boxes through the maze.
EIGHT TO 12 years old. Creating a Seventh Wonder of the World: Level—Difficult. Estimated time—40 minutes. Have you always wanted to explore the world and visit its so-called seven wonders? Take craft-making to another level by having your little one build their very own miniature Taj Mahal.
“Print & Play” has been launched globally including seven countries in Asia. It has global partnerships with Crayola, Time Kids and Canva, among others. It is great to know that Philippines is the No. 1 country in Southeast Asia accessing this with 7.4 million visits to the site. This suggests that most Filipino parents find that blended physical and digital (phygital) is important in learning.
He also explained how HP’s New Asian Learning Experience Study identifies millennial parents’ attitudes toward learning and how their personalities impact the way their children learn. The study shows that while print and digital each have their own strengths, a combination of digital and print is most beneficial in helping children stay focused and engaged while they learn.
Parents in the Philippines said that printed materials were better used for activities related to art (61 percent), math (60 percent) and memorization (50 percent), whereas electronic materials better facilitated learning in music or auditory skills (60 percent). Reyes explains that millennial parents grew up on traditional learning methods, but also gained more exposure to technology. They know that things evolve quickly. Therefore, they want their kids to be future-ready. As a dad, he recommends equipping our kids with practical tools like HP Pavillion x360 which is a light laptop/tablet.
He also recommends printers like the HP Ink Advantage or the HP Smart Tank. He says that it is efficient to get all your equipment from one brand that is also strong in customer support. HP offers pick-up and return service; as well as Whatsapp support and Viber Chat Support for the Kronos product, from Monday to Saturday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm.
Reyes also emphasizes that during this pandemic, our role as parents changes at home. We need to help our kids learn from home.
Parents have to wear a teacher’s hat and provide a blended learning of both physical and digital media. As a father, he said, “I am a part of it. As much as it is difficult and challenging, it is equally and even more rewarding.”