THE COOKIE MONSTER

THE COOKIE MONSTER

Breaking out of the shell will result in development and growth

Staying in one’s comfort zone can sometimes inhibit growth, and taking children out of it can ultimately be good for them. Let’s face it – the comfort zone is the best place to be in whether you’re a child or an adult. It makes us feel safe and protected. But if one is not taken out of that bubble, he or she may never grow or be open to new experiences. And until and unless you face the world, you will always fear what’s out there.

Miss Hanouf Al-Tasan from Future Experts Kindergarten shares her experience of a little boy who didn’t want to leave his comfort bubble…

Who doesn’t like cookies or any form of junk or comfort food – it just gives you a warm fuzzy feeling inside! I once had a little boy named *Saleh in my KG 3 class who wouldn’t eat anything but cookies – he wanted to binge on them all day.

Apart from the fact that it doesn’t count as nutritious or even a proper meal, eating cookies equates a ‘sugar overdose’ and that can never be a good thing.

I asked his mother to pack him a sandwich and milk for lunch but she told me it wouldn’t make a difference because he wouldn’t touch it. “He will only eat cookies or throw a tantrum,” she told me. I told her to pack it regardless.

When it was time for lunch, we organized sandwiches in varying shapes such as hearts, stars, etc. to appeal to the children.

Saleh refused to eat them at first but when he saw how excited his friends were when the different shaped sandwiches came in, he became interested to know what all the excitement was about. One kid picked up a star-shaped one while the other picked up the heart-shaped one.

I saw the twinkle in Saleh’s eyes – it was something he hadn’t seen before. He soon approached the lunch table to pick one up. He fiddled around with it at first but then decided to take a bite. Then he selected another fun shape and gulped it down.

The next day, his mom had packed him a sandwich as discussed and this time, he was very keen to eat it.

Sometimes we just need to create some excitement for children to lure them in…munching on cookies was like staying in his comfort zone but when Saleh tried out something new, his attention and interests were diverted in a new direction!

*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the subject.