Ayurveda discusses childcare under Kaumarabhritya.When they start mingling with other kids and start going to school,children are ready to explore new world of activitieswith great enthusiasm.One way of ensuring that all the desired results are achieved is to enhance the learning ability of our children. Ancient Ayurvedic Texts such as ‘Charaka Samhitha’ and ‘Ashtanga hridayam’ have discussed the various aspects of mental ability, which are dhi (learning), dhriti (retaining) and smriti ( recollecting). When these three are well coordinated in a child, he is bright and any missing link makes him weak in studies.
Ayurveda gives utmost importance to the food that is consumed by the growing children. As far as possible, they should be given freshly cooked food. Excess intake of highly processed junk foods, frozen foods and tinned foods can actually bring down the IQ of the children. Children require protein abundantly for their growth and protein rich food should be included in the diet. Inclusion of small amounts of spices such as turmeric, pepper etc. would be helpful for better digestion.
In addition to the regular nutrient food as discussed above, children can be given certain Ayurvedic Remedies such as Brahmi grthm, Saraswatha grthm etc. to boost their memory power. These grthas have the ability to transport the goodness of the herbs contained in them to the brain and other parts of the body.
It is said, love is to be shown. Let your love for your children be seen and felt by them. Who will not like to have a gentle massage by the mother? The affectionate magical touch of the parent, coupled with a few drops of a medicated oil (lakshadi thylam etc.), on alternate days (or at least on weekends) can do wonders for the kid. It enhances blood circulation and the natural immunity.
Another factor as important as food is sleep. Researches conducted in this regard have shown that sleep deprivation can severely hamper the brain's ability to learn new things. An experiment showed that people who fail to get a good night's sleep before studying new information remember roughly 10% less than their well-rested counterparts. In today’s world, where children are glued to the TVs and Computers for a long time, they compromise on their time for sleep. For a child to start a day energetically, it should be ensured that he gets a proper 8 hours sleep on the previous night. Sleep disorders can play a havoc in the ‘dhi – dhriti – smriti ’ ability of a child. Since diet and sleep are inter related, the last food of the day (dinner) should be taken at least 1 ½ - 2 hours prior to bed time. Lack of sleep can lead to digestive problems too.
Therefore, following a disciplined and healthy food habit, physical activities and sleep is all the more important for a child as they are in the growing stage.
No comments:
Post a Comment