When my son, Noa, was ten days old, we moved houses for the first time since coming to Beijing. My mom traveled across the globe to come and help with the move and with her and my husband both doing the heavy lifting, I had it quite easy. I did help pack a box or two while my baby was sleeping, but other than that, they did all the work. By the time the movers came to load our stuff onto the truck, everything was packed and labeled.
The unpacking part was the one that stressed the hell out of me because I had to navigate my way in our new home with boxes lying around and a baby in my arms. Seriously, I had all the help in the world and I didn’t have to lift a finger, but just looking at the mess made me tired.

But last year we moved for the second time. Now, this time my mom couldn’t come. Noa was already three and I had Noel, who was six months old at the time. I was so worried about how it will affect Noa – I remember thinking that it was the only home he had known in his short life and now, there we were, taking him away from all the familiar things. But it had to be done. And we did it.

The best and the worst thing about being an expat is moving homes. And with kids, it gets complicated times a million. Because how on earth can you possibly pack, move and unpack an entire home of possessions with young kids running about? Well, there are ways to make it easier, and here are our tips for coping with a house move whatever your kids’ age:

Moving with babies

Moving houses with kids this young actually shouldn’t be much more complicated than moving without kids. All babies care about is being loved, fed, and kept clean so as long as you provide them with these three things, they will be grateful.

You can put your baby in a swing, a cot, or in a playpen if you have a crawler, and keep talking to him/her while packing. However, as babies thrive on a predictable routine, try sticking to yours even if you feel overtired and not in the mood. It will impose some order on the chaos of moving. Especially for you.

Moving with toddlers

Moving with young, mobile toddlers is the worst so if you can, avoid it. But if you do have to move, ask for help. See if any of your friends could baby-sit for a day. If that’s not an option, set up a playpen, buy or borrow lots of new toys and let your toddler get busy.

Don’t be afraid to use your laptop or phone to play something that will keep them entertained. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Moving with preschoolers

Kids at this age are curious and want to be involved in everyone’s business, so use this. Get them involved. Give them a box, stickers, crayons, and let them decorate it. When they’re done decorating, tell them to gather their favorite toys and pack them in the box. This will keep them busy and they will be actually helping you. Also, all kids love boxes, so make sure to buy a few extra and if nothing else works, just let them play.

Moving with school-aged children

With older kids it’s not so much about trying to keep them out of your hair while you’re packing/unpacking, but it’s more about making sure they feel comfortable and safe. Your job is to make the transition as easy as possible for them. Kids at this age might find it frightening to leave their home and all the familiarity that comes with it – their street, their school, friends, neighbors.

You could ask them to make a painting of the old house or make a “first night bag” in which they could put everything they think they would need on the first night at the new house. Let their friends come over and help pack up the room, help with the boxes or just play in the chaos.

Whatever your kid’s age is, the one thing I definitely recommend is to pack your kid’s bedroom last and unpack it first.

This is what we did to make the transition easier and I think it worked. Even if you have to start packing their room before the actual moving day, don’t pack up toys, books, and other things your child often plays with. Prepare an extra box for that stuff and just throw them in once the movers arrive and you’re ready to go. Make sure to explain to your kids that their toys are coming with you so they won’t have the feeling that they’re leaving both their home and their favorite toys behind.

Once you’re in your new home, grab the boxes with your kids’ stuff and set up their new bedroom/playroom. This way your kids will have a new environment to explore, but with all the comfort of their old things and favorite toys. As soon as they’re settled in and busy playing with their toys or reading books in the comfort of their own bed sheets, you’ll be able to start unpacking and decluttering.

In case you’re looking to hire moving services, here are a few options for you that can help you with packing and transportation:

Huo la la – A common sight on streets of Beijing, Huo la la offers moving services at a very affordable price. Whether you only need to hire a van or you need the full moving service, there are add-ons offered that you can simply choose through their mini-program. They do not offer packing services.

Beijing Brother – In case you need packing services, here’s an option for you. Beijing brother offers a wide variety of moving services, including packing/unpacking and assembling/disassembling furniture. Their price starts from RMB 7/km for transportation over 10km. The exact transportation costs will be calculated based on the delivery address, weight, and dimensions of the items.

Images: Pexels

Have you ever wanted to start doing something but a month later feel demotivated to continue? Well then you have come to the right place! Here you will find the steps needed to stop yourself from giving up. 

The 4 crucial steps needed to start:

1. Cue – What is your goal? This is probably the most important step, as this is where you will begin. Bear in mind that this goal has to be realistic, do not set a target where you haven’t started and already think “I’m probably not gonna achieve this”. Having a positive mindset from the beginning will drastically help.
2. Craving – How do you intend to start? A cue will not be enough to get you started. A plan, an action is what will trigger you, motivate you. The emotions you feel about your goal is what will start a craving, because the outcome is too good to be true.
3. Response – taking your plan into action You can do this by creating a journal where you set all your goals for the week. At the end of each week reflect, and plan for the next.
4. Reward – what will motivate you to continue? Think about a want you have, what reward you dream of.

It takes 21 days to form a habit and in order to maintain it, you need to do it for at least 90 days.

Let’s take running as an example.

According to residents of Beijing running in the morning suits them best. With the humidity and the heat, mornings are a refreshment.

At first running can be hard and exhausting. When running with others, it’s hard to catch up. A great way would be to start a running group with either members of your compound or friends. As you all start running slowly, it will be easier to keep up. With each day the speed will progressively increase.

Great running locations in Beijing:

• Your compound
• Olympic park
• Beijing Historical Run
• Yuyuantan Park
• Zizhuyuan park

If you are interested in learning more about this topic “Atomic Habits” is a great book to inform you about it.

Images: Pexels

It’s cold, it’s dark, the AQI is high at times, and there are no holidays or special events to look forward to in the next few weeks. It’s no wonder depression spikes in February. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, late January and early February see serious rises in something called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). It affects not only adults but kids and teens as well.

Some common symptoms to watch for in yourself and your kids include: lethargy or changes in sleeping patterns, a sudden disinterest in things you generally enjoy, irritability, inability to focus or concentrate, and changes in eating habits and patterns. Luckily, though, there are a few things you can do to hold the blues at bay while we wait for warmer weather and brighter days.

Get Outside: Part of the suspected reason for seasonal depression is the lack of Vitamin D from the sun. Vitamin D helps the brain produce a cocktail of feel-good chemicals, like serotonin and dopamine, which regulate our emotions and energy. But the cold weather and bad AQI in Beijing keep us indoors. Just five minutes a day spent outside on your lunch break could see a huge improvement in your mood!

Get Moving: In the immortal words of Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods, “Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happy people don’t shoot their husbands!” Shake up your workout routine and get your kids involved in physical activities. Try a silks class, or Krav Maga, or just bike to work or school. Harvard Medical School cited a study that shows mood-boosting effects from as little as 20 minutes of moderate exercise each day. A family walk could be all you need to see a dramatic change in happiness levels.

Get Creative: Art therapy has been shown to have a mood-boosting effect. Expats tend to be high achievers who deal with a lot of stress, and simply having an unstructured creative outlet like coloring, journaling, or dancing, where no one has any expectations of the work you produce, can be very freeing and great for your mental health. Especially for teens who are under immense pressure to constantly produce good grades, create innovative projects, and win competitions that will set them apart in the admissions process. Head to Taobao and get some modeling clay or coloring books and keep them on your desk or in your backpack for a five minute brain break once in a while.

Human Connection: Humans are physical beings who need touch and verbal affirmation. We all experienced the lack of that connection during lockdown, and now that socializing is possible again, we should make spending in-person time with people we love a priority. I know that sometimes all you want is Netflix and take-out, but if it’s been more than a week since you spent time with friends outside of work you need to reconnect for your mental health and theirs. This is especially important for teenagers. Social media is fine but developmentally they need social interaction at an even higher rate than adults do. Set up communal activities and encourage them to meet friends in person.

The good news? The days are getting longer and we are headed into warmer weather. Mild seasonal depression is normal and should subside on its own, but as always, if you think you or your child has a more prolonged or acute issue you should seek professional medical help. Take care of yourself, ask for help when you need it, and be ready to assist other Beijingers who might need an emotional boost to get through the next few weeks.

Images: Canva

KEEP READING: Can ‘One Night Stand’ Shake Up Your Date Night?

You made It! For an entire year, you and your partner kept your child alive and managed to keep your own sanity. You threw a big first birthday party, are looking at preschools, and think you finally have this whole parenting thing down. Then something odd happens.

Your sweet little cuddle bundle is suddenly moody, aggressive, and defiant for no apparent reason. It’s not all the time. In fact, at least half the day is a joy. They are learning to do more physically, their vocabulary is increasing, and they are so wonderfully curious about everything! But one minute they are happily laughing and playing with you, and the next they are screaming and throwing the cup of water they just asked you for across the room. No, your child is not possessed! You have arrived at the terrible twos.

Most kids go through this phase at least once between the ages of 1.5 and four. And there are several good developmental reasons for it. First, your little one is trying to learn to be independent. So they are testing boundaries and trying to see what they can and cannot do both physically and socially. That can be incredibly frustrating and exhausting for them (and you) because it means they are constantly trying and failing at things. Secondly, there is a communication barrier. Toddlers are feeling and thinking a lot of things, but they don’t yet have the ability to tell others their experiences and needs. And finally, they don’t understand that their experiences and needs may not be the same as those of others. They assume that you know what they want and are not giving it to them on purpose.

So how do you deal with this incredibly important but very difficult phase? As with most things involving kids, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. But there are a few things you can do to make it easier on both of you.

Let’s start with limiting the tantrums by intervening before they start. Here are a few tools that might be helpful.

Ask Questions: Your child is trying to communicate with you, so when you see a tantrum about to set in and you don’t know why ask, “I don’t understand, can you tell me/show me what you want?”

Create a Shorthand: Especially for the much younger side of the age group, who are not particularly verbal, physical cues can be helpful while they are mastering spoken language. Figure out a signal or single word for basic things like “I want,” “please,” “thank you,” “I can do it myself,” “help me,” etc. Some children do very well with sign language until they are able to speak.

Redirecting With Limited Choices: Remember what we said about independence and boundary-pushing? That’s doesn’t mean your child is capable of making good choices. Giving your child limited options allows for the independence they need and the structure that keeps them safe. For example, rather than saying, “Sit down please,” and being met with a defiant no, you can phrase it as “Do you want to sit in the blue chair or the red chair?” You have set the boundaries because they are going to sit, but they have some control over where they sit. It’s not foolproof but it’s shocking how often this works with even the most stubborn children.

Schedules: This phase is exhausting for both of you. Your child’s brain and body are developing at lightning speed and they need more sleep and food than you think. So work that into your daily schedule. A well-rested and well-fed toddler is more likely to be (slightly) more reasonable and less prone to meltdowns, and caregivers who have a few hours of downtime during naps are more likely to be able to help navigate and support their little one during their waking hours. Getting on a schedule will also make the transition to school easier when that time comes.

But even if you are superwoman, Mary Poppins, and Mr. Rogers all rolled into one, there are going to be meltdowns. Often public ones.

Stay Calm: Breath in, breath out, and speak in an even, controlled voice. You getting upset is only going to add fuel to the fire. Your child doesn’t understand what is happening to them and needs you to talk them through it.

Acknowledge feelings: Start by identifying what they are feeling. “I see you are angry and that’s okay. Can you tell me/show me why?” For older children, ask them to identify the feeling: “I want to help you but I need to understand what you need. Can you tell me what is wrong?”

Ride the Wave: Often your child is too far gone to talk, what I oh-so-technically refer to as being “all torqued up.” Give them time to calm down, but don’t give in to the negative behavior. Stay close to them so they know you are available when they are ready to communicate. But do not acknowledge the screaming or flailing. The second they calm down and approach for a hug or voice an emotion (“I am angry/sad/hurt.”) acknowledge it, provide comfort, and give positive reinforcement for their communication.

Change Locations: If something in the environment was overwhelming or triggered the tantrum, take them to a calmer place. This is especially necessary if they are hitting or getting physically aggressive. They need to understand that feelings are okay but actions have consequences, and when we hit we cannot be around our friends. This sort of behavior often happens in play spaces or shopping areas where there is a lot of stimulation. Moving to a room with very little light, noise, or tech, or even going outside to a natural environment, can be calming and help your child process their emotions.

Offer Options and Make Them Ask: Once the crying and screaming have passed, set a new script. Identify what they want. Give them choices that are appropriate, and make them ask for what they would like. Then respond to the needs they stated. For example: “I understand you want ice cream now but we only eat ice cream for dessert. Would you like to get ice cream for us to have after dinner?” Get a “yes, please” or “no, thank you” response. If they answer affirmatively, give them a choice: “Great. Would you like chocolate or vanilla?”

Set Boundaries and Be Consistent: I know it is exhausting, but if you give in and let them have ice cream for dinner because they threw a tantrum, then what they learned is “If I yell enough I get what I want.” But if you hold your ground, they will try something else next time. This is why giving them the communication options above is so important.  Toddlers are smart and objective-oriented. A big part of this developmental phase is them figuring out the best way to get needs and wants met, and they will continue the actions that get them results. So, if tantrums get results, they will throw more tantrums. The same holds true with talking and negotiating.

None of these will work all the time. Some of them won’t work for you at all, while others will feel like a magic bullet. Every toddler is unique and evolving, so be patient and try different things. My last reminder is to take time to recharge. If you are at the end of your rope, ask for help. Tag out with your ayi or partner. Ask a friend to watch the kids for an hour so you can read a book or get a manicure, and make sure you return the favor at a later date. You need to care for yourself so that you can care for your child.

Images: Canva

KEEP READING: Early Education Center Scams: What Are the Red Flags?

Over the past year and a half, staying at home has become commonplace for people all around the globe. And while many of us have found Covid lockdowns both exhausting and boring, one thing the whole ordeal has left us with is plenty of time to carefully plan what we’ll do when life gets back to normal.

So, to help you prepare for life after Covid, here are four things you can do to ensure that you enter a much brighter future.

Start new hobbies

One of the best ways to truly appreciate your time at home is to find a new hobby or dive deeper into one you already have. Whether you enjoy music, writing, sports, or something else entirely, there are numerous ways you can spend time engaging in those activities behind closed doors. Personally, I can attest to the fact that having nothing to do is in fact the best time to learn and develop new skills that will help you in the future.

Meet new communities and people

Thanks to the internet, meeting new people has never been easier, and my generation knows better than any that building a tight-knit community doesn’t start and end in the “real world.” Online penpals are a fact of life for today’s teens, and given that kids across the globe are stuck inside, there’s no better time to strike up an online friendship than now. Through the use of social media platforms such as WeChat, meeting new people is as simple as pressing three buttons and starting a conversation. And the best part is that as soon as the pandemic is largely under control, there’s nothing preventing you from meeting up with all of the people you’ve befriended online.

Look for new places to visit

Many teens today spend most of their time on their phones and computers, rarely going outside unless they are supposed to meet with friends or family. Because of this, newer generations don’t spend as much time learning about their local environment and often feel as though they’re living in a completely unknown location. Fortunately, the current circumstances have given everyone the perfect opportunity to open up some maps online, or even just look outside their window and familiarize themselves with their surroundings.

Look for new things to do in the future

As most people want to stay home following the mild resurgence of Covid cases in Beijing, not to mention school is starting soon, now is a perfect time to make plans for the future. One thing I would suggest is creating a detailed list of new experiences you want to try before next summer arrives and all the things you want to achieve between now and then.

Whether you want to visit a location here in Beijing, get better at something that interests you, or make long-term goals, being stuck at home affords you the opportunity to take a breath, and figure out what you really want to do. All it takes is a little creativity, and your stay-at-home can become more fun and productive than you ever would’ve imagined.

KEEP READING: Online Learning in a Lockdown

Images: Unsplash

It’s no secret that there’s nary a street in Beijing that isn’t littered with yellow, green, blue, or some other rainbow-colored bikes available to the masses, meaning getting round the capital is always a breeze. Unfortunately, many people – particularly foreigners – struggle with using them properly. But have no fear, for here are five tips on how to get the most out of the city’s bike-share apps.

Real-name authentication

Before you can even scan a bike, you need to submit a real-name authentication. The process for Chinese citizens is relatively easy and requires nothing more than an ID number. For expats, however, it’s not so straightforward and I’ve had to pay for my foreign friends’ bike rides on more than one occasion, after they couldn’t figure out the sign-up process. Nevertheless, it’s not so hard once you understand how it works.

Typical display of real-name authentication (哈喽出行)

For foreigners, begin by entering your full name, followed by your passport ID. For Hong Kong/Macao citizens, a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents ID is more ideal. Next, you have to upload a photo of yourself holding the ID card/passport. Take care to ensure that both your face and your passport/ID details are clearly visible.

Whereas Chinese citizens are granted immediate access to the platform, foreigners have to wait for several workdays for the real-name authentication to be approved. Therefore, make sure to begin the process before you actually need to use the bikes, lest it fails you during an emergency.

Lock the bikes!

Time is money. And in this case, half an hour is worth RMB 1.5. So, what happens when you forget to lock the bike? Chances are someone else will take your bike and use it for another few hours, with all the costs falling to you!

Every public bike ride starts with a “click,” when the lock around the back tire unlocks itself, thus allowing the bike to move.

Locked mode (Meituan bike)

When you’re done with your ride, push the knob  – which was released when unlocked – back to its previous position. This will lock the bike and indicate that your journey has ended. The time between unlocking and locking the bike will decide your fee, so always remember to push the knob!

Unlocked mode (Meituan bike). Note the different position of the yellow knob from above.

Where’s the bike?

Despite the absurd proliferation of bikes around town, there will be times when you can’t find one to save your life (usually when you urgently need one). Of course, you can simply wander around and pray that there’s one on the next corner. But a much more efficient way is to let the apps do that for you.

Locations of Meituan bikes

When you open your bike-sharing app, you’ll be presented with a map. A pin indicates where you are, while all the bikes indicate… well, bikes that are near you. Note that you’ll only see bikes for the app that you’re using, so don’t go looking for a Hello Bike on Meituan’s platform. What’s more, if you drag the pin around, the map will refresh and show available bikes around the new location.

The “standardized” areas

There’s nothing more confusing – or aggravating – than having a bike that won’t lock. Especially when it’s the first time you encounter this problem. More often than not, however, it’s because you’re trying to park in a designated “no bike parking” zone, which the city is actually implementing more and more.

Area of standardized parking (shaded)

On certain parts of the map, some areas are shaded, denoting a “standardized parking area.” If you try locking your bike in this area, chances are it won’t let you. Instead, you need to find a specific lane that can be seen on the map. Only then can you properly lock your bike.

Public-bike lanes shown

An actual public-bike lane

Quantity over quality

Always have more than one bike-sharing app. There will always be a time when you can’t find a single yellow bike around you, but the green kind, whose app you never bothered to download, is everywhere. It’s best to have at least two different bike-sharing apps, that way you can always find a bike that you can use.

Now, go out and have fun with those rainbow bikes!

KEEP READING: Bike for Your Buck: Unlimited Pass on Hellobike

Images: Caroline He

Now that I’ve officially made it through my first school year at French International School of Beijing (LFIP), as a foreigner with no real French connections, I realize that in all actuality, I do actually have connections! It’s a journey I look back at with a nostalgic smile, remembering how terrified I was walking through the gates on that first day. Then feeling proud of myself when I walked out ten months later, with a much stronger understanding of the French language and culture. Nevertheless, these ten months were filled with struggles and triumphs, late-night laughs with friends, and rant sessions that have been sworn to secrecy. This past year has been amazing, but there are five things that I wish I had known before I stepped onto LFIP’s campus.

1. The French value their time away from work

This is somewhat of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the world needs to learn from the French, that “it’s time to take some time off work!” and talk about something else. But on the other hand, for workaholics like me who have grown up hustling, when you want to reach anyone on weekends or on vacation, it’s a ghost town. It was very frustrating, but as I immersed myself more in the French environment, I began to appreciate this sort of “slow down and have a glass of wine” way of life, even if it’s something I don’t think I could adopt in the long term.

2. The French speak French…Until they don’t

I walked into the French school having finished Third Year French at my previous school, which should have equipped me with the necessary tools to understand what was going on at LFIP, right? Nope! Because French kids may speak French, but it’s not entirely French. What I mean by that is, technically they’re speaking the French language, but much like any other culture, every other word is slang. How am I supposed to understand anything if the majority of it wasn’t covered in my Third Year French class? For the first few weeks, my classmates spoke French to me at what seemed like 60 miles per hour, and I just stood there, already too lost to catch up. I did somehow get the grade to speak English to me though, but that’s a story for another time…

3. Doing things the “French Way”

Remember all those problems in math class that call for three different types of solutions, and you scratched your head in confusion? Or when you just couldn’t nail down a thesis for your history paper because there were simply too many things to write about? Well, here, at LFIP, that’s not a problem – there’s only one way. It’s the “French Way.” For math, I clung to my American and Chinese methods like they were my lifeline, and in history, I often broke free from the structures that were given. I struggled to let that go, but at this school, adapting to its methods proved to be useful – it did get me the grades.

4. School ends at 5.30pm for high schoolers

I had walked into LFIP expecting to take the bus home at 3.30pm, as I’d done during my time at International School of Beijing (ISB). Turns out, classes for high schoolers end at 5.30pm. Thus, no extracurriculars. I remember struggling to stay attentive during afternoon classes for a good portion of the year, knowing that from the minute the clock strikes 2.30pm, there would be four more hours to go. However, there was one redeeming quality: because school ends so late, there’s significantly less homework each night. Now that I’m looking back, those extra two hours a day gave me so much more time with the people I know I’ll miss terribly.

5. Some teachers will go the extra mile for their students

This saved me at LFIP, quite literally, especially during the first half of the year, when I was struggling to adjust and some teachers went out of their way to make me feel supported. I just wish I had known it all before the first day. At any rate, around mid-November, I was experimenting with scriptwriting and my English literature teacher took time out of his lunch hour, plus hours over the weekends, to help me refine my work. When I had mock trial competitions, my history teachers supported me with any resources that they had, sometimes sacrificing parts of their lunch hours and breaks to discuss with me. This level of dedication and passion really made a difference in my experience at the French school, one I’ll always be grateful for.

So, for anyone who’s planning to start at LFIP (especially those who don’t really speak French), it can be particularly daunting, however, at the end of the day the students and teachers are incredibly supportive. There will be struggles and there will be times when you just feel like staying home and skipping school, but hopefully, these five tips will help you survive and get a sneak peek into the school life of LFIP students.

KEEP READING: I Hate to Admit It, But My Mom Was Right About the French School

Images: Emily Hellqvist

In this column, Bizkids, we will feature interviews with successful entrepreneurs and various professionals to share their advice to aspiring kids with entrepreneurial spirits. To send in your questions or advice, email cindyjenkins@beijing-kids.com.

The importance of business and entrepreneurial experiences for teens is increasingly recognized. Are you or your teen ready to leave the nest and take the challenge? Once you have an idea, the very first step to introduce it to others is using an elevator pitch. As a brief, persuasive speech, you can use an elevator pitch to spark interest in your idea to potential clients or customers who don’t know you. 

This time, our featured professional is James LaLonde, co-founder, investor, and board member of Yodo1 and currently driving several growth project teams. LaLonde started his career as an early employee of Microsoft Japan and led the subsidiary’s rise to the first billion-dollar revenue of a software company in history. After his nearly 15-year corporate career, which culminated in a role as CEO of a NASDAQ listed software company, LaLonde with partner Henry Fong co-founded Yodo1, the largest private publisher of mobile phone games in China. Many of his ideas, best practices, and advice can be found in his most recent book The Tao of Startups.

Here, he has listed six key points about elevator pitches to help you introduce yourself to potential career and business connections in a compelling way.

1. Smile and relax

Smile at your counterpart, look them in the eyes, and open with a statement, question, or handshake that grabs their attention.

2. Describe yourself

Tell them who you are: describe yourself and your career highlights. Show enthusiasm!

3. What do you offer the listener?

Talk about the milestones you have accomplished, problems you have solved, or contributions you have made. Give details or a clear example if possible.

4. What benefits do you or your product offer?

Mention what unique service, product or solutions you or your company offers. What are the advantages of working with you? How are you different from others?

5. How do you do it? What is your “special sauce”?

Give a concrete example or tell a short story, anecdote, or analogy, show your uniqueness and paint a verbal picture of how you “do” the thing you do. This can be incorporated into number 4 above to save time.

6. Call to action

What is the desired next step after your elevator pitch? Do you want a business card, WeChat connection, a referral, follow up meeting, or demo?

KEEP READING: So You Want To Be a Game Developer: What It Takes To Make Gaming a Career

Photo: courtesy of James LaLonde, beijing-kids.com

In this column, Bizkids, we will feature interviews with successful entrepreneurs and various professionals and share their advice to aspiring kids with entrepreneurial spirits. To send in your questions or advice, email cindy-jenkins@beijing-kids.com.

Schools are increasingly placing greater importance on improving the public speaking skills of their students, and parents are also taking note of just how critical of a skill it can be in developing the social and academic growth of their children. With that in mind, Bizkids interviewed three experts in the field of public speaking to share their ideas and opinions about the importance of public speaking for children, and what it takes to become a more effective public speaker.

This week, we have invited Tania Boicova to share her ideas. Tania Boicova is an educator focused on helping young learners (age 4-12) to develop leadership skills by using drama and public speaking. She’s been working with thousands of students across Beijing and has more than eight years of experience in teaching, facilitating, and consulting. Being a part of the largest European student union (AEGEE-Europe), she has worked with diverse youth groups back in Europe, and this led her to continue her work in China in 2012 when she joined a UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers project in Beijing, Shandong, and Jiangxi organized by the Chinese Society of Education (CSE). She has represented CSE at an international conference on volunteering & intercultural dialogue in Saudi Arabia in 2013.

Beijingkids (BJK): What would you say are the most critical elements that someone should learn to become more skilled in this area?
Tania Boicova (TB): I believe that’s regular practice speaking in front of an audience. In fact, especially at the beginning, it doesn’t really matter where and when, and how many people you are presenting to. I remember myself as a kid performing my favorite poem anywhere I went, even at bus stops, on the train, and while visiting my family or friends. I often took part in public speaking contests at school. Despite the fear (that was there every single time), my skills got better and better through time.

BJK: Do you believe that there is a growing tendency (among adults and kids) to communicate through social media or other digital platforms and that this has damaged our ability to communicate publicly?
TB: I believe social media has a huge impact on kids. There was no social media or even mobile phones when I was a child, so we had no choice but to communicate with each other face to face. Therefore, we grew up and developed our ability to communicate publicly quite naturally. Most kids now have their own mobile phone, and they often spend hours playing games or talking through social media. It definitely has an impact on their interpersonal communication skills since they can’t hide their true appearance and identity behind a “profile photo” and nickname.

BJK: What are some simple things parents can do to help their kids build foundational skills in public speaking outside of school?
TB: There are many things parents can actually do. They can help them practice public speaking at home or anywhere they go together. It can be done by way of a game or competition among family friends (just for fun). I remember that we used to act out different stories or just different characters during my mom’s or dad’s birthday parties. They actually asked me to do all the preparation, but we would act and do the drama part altogether. That was so much fun! When you’re a child and see adults performing “silly things” or making mistakes, you get so much more courage to do things better! What’s more important, you get more courage to be “yourself”, be silly, be crazy, be different, no matter what others think of you. I think this is one of the most important things parents can actually share and help their kids with.

BJK: Finally, what do you feel are the most essential elements towards crafting a good speech and communicating clearly to an audience?
TB: In my opinion, one of the most important elements is to have a clear idea. What do you want to share with the audience? What’s the core message? When it’s clear, it’s not difficult to write down a good speech. When you share an idea that people can relate themselves to (in a very meaningful aspect), you’ll be able to win their hearts. Another very important element is THE WAY you present your speech. How do you transfer that meaningful idea to your audience? Our voice can be very powerful, but so is silence: the pauses in the right places that let your audience think and connect with your words and FEELINGS (emotions). I believe that the most memorable speeches in history were all quite emotional: the ones that can touch people deeply and have an impact on their lives.

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Photo: courtesy of Tania Boicova, unsplash.com