Tootaa Formula in Short

Tootaa Formula in Short

Parental Involvement Philosophy

Why did Tootaa choose to have parents read the story to their children, rather than providing audio or video stories for the child to read himself?

Many scientific studies have demonstrated the positive impact of parents reading to their children. It is seen as a means of establishing and deepening a close and secure relationship between the child and his family, which is crucial for raising psychologically healthy children who are prepared to engage in healthy social, professional, and family relationships.

In the context of Tootaa, parents’ reading for the child is essential for understanding the child’s point of view, and behavior, and ways to support him. Parents can use Tootaa’s stories as a tool for asking questions and expressing feelings and points of view, as well as spending quality time with their child. Consequently, this helps boost the child’s confidence, and the qualitative impact that parents can have on the behavior and life of their children.

Positive Behavior Philosophy


Tootaa began its research journey with a pivotal question: What causes a child to choose one behavior over another? After reviewing numerous scientific studies and models, Tootaa’s researchers concluded that there are four basic influences that determine the child’s tendency to one behavior over the other. The application was designed to respond to these influences.
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First, the lens through which the child sees the world:

 

The child’s beliefs and feelings towards any behavior are the first determinant of the extent to which the child adopts this behavior or not. However, the child’s mere knowledge of the positivity of a behavior is not sufficient to make him choose it if his feelings are incompatible with this positivity. Therefore, Tootaa chooses storytelling as the primary medium to influence the child’s cognitive and emotional orientation alike. Also, by making the stories related to the child’s interests, they simulate his natural curiosity with amusing details that attract his attention as an initial stage of influence. Thus they help him appreciate positive behavior as an ideal, heroic and likable option, without any theorizing.

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Second, Social Custom:

 

As in adults, the child’s appreciation of what is considered “normal” in society is considered the biggest determinant of his behavior. The child always seeks to fulfill communication and belonging at home, in school and in society. Therefore, he often chooses, even if mistaken, what he believes to be socially acceptable or desirable. Therefore, Tootaa stories draw upon positive narration that gives the child the impression that positive behavior is normal and desirable, unlike many popular children’s stories that focus on negative behavior in their narration, which the child interprets as normal.

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Third, Child Abilities:

 

The child’s desire to choose a specific behavior does not necessarily mean his ability to implement it, as actual implementation depends on the child’s competence and personal belief in this competence, besides the extent to which his surrounding environment is compatible and supportive of this behavior. Therefore, “Tootaa” focuses on:

  • Building the child’s confidence and belief in his ability to adopt positive behavior by telling stories about positive role models for children and people who choose this behavior despite challenges.
  • Building the child’s knowledge and skills through behavioral allusions within the story, and other tools available in Tootaa, such as meditation questions and the infernal plan that the child responds to on his own.
  • Providing parents with simple tips and tricks to help them support their child and create a social and spatial environment that encourages him to engage in positive behavior.
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Fourth, Continuous Motivation:

 

Tootaa is aware that reinforcing the child’s positive behavior is not an easy or simple task. Considering the fact that it is a long-term building process, the child or parents may feel frustrated at times throughout the endeavor. Therefore, Tootaa provides a set of motivational badges that help retain the child’s motivation for hard work. Additionally, Tootaa provides parents with tips as to how to build this motivation in their children.

Motivation Philosophy

Why stimulate from within rather than through reward?

The key to the idea of motivating from within is that children, all children, have an innate and natural tendency to act right for the common good, but often they simply lack the awareness, the skill, or the conditions that help them achieve this desire. This prompted many parents and educators to use external incentives such as prizes, money, and commendation to encourage the child to behave properly, or to punish the child to teach him decent behavior in order for him to avoid being punished again. This method leads to quick and effective results within the required time, but unfortunately it is neither sustainable nor practical in the long run. Moreover, it eventually makes the child neglect his inner instincts, and become completely dependent on these external stimulants to achieve his goals. In this case, he is apt to fail to achieve his goals when such stimulants are not offered or even when offered repeatedly. Thus he loses his satisfaction with them in the course of time.

Tootaa’s goal is to help the child regain his communication and awareness of this inner compass, so that it becomes, in the long run, the basis for his decisions and actions even in the absence of any external stimulants, and in the face of any immediate or future challenges. This is accomplished when the child’s abilities and awareness are developed enough to enable him deal with himself first and then with those around him, and accordingly to adjust his external circumstances in a way that befits his needs and helps him make achievements.

This method may be more difficult, and yields results in a slower pace than applying external stimulants. However, science attests that it makes the child an independent, responsible and self-confident person in the most difficult circumstances, and in the long run, it creates healthy people who can manage themselves and their lives even in the absence of parents.

The internal motivation system is based on three major factors that sustain this gracious compass, and address it in the story and in the plan that the child sets for himself, together with badges or medals that inspire the child to work hard in order to develop a certain positive behavior:
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First:

Freedom of choice/independence

That is, the child responds better when he chooses the behavior he wants to change or the method he considers convenient to adjust the behavior, at the time and circumstances that he chooses himself.

Second:

Proficiency

That is, it is imperative for the child to feel that he is constantly achieving development and growth, and acquiring new skills and learning new knowledge in order to get excited to reach a certain level of proficiency in a particular behavior.

Third:

Purpose

It indicates the child’s need to understand and comprehend the importance and meaning of this behavior in his life and the lives of others, in order to keep up his unceasing desire to develop it.

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Tootaa badges

Tootaa badges are designed to make the child more aware of these three elements, their importance, and his potent perception of them. They are also intended to bring his attention to a variety of messages, most importantly:

We behave well because the right behavior in itself makes us feel satisfied and happy, not only because the right behavior brings us rewards and commendation or fends off punishment.

When we act against our true desire, like when we hide the truth after we have intended to be honest, we should not judge ourselves, but rather let curiosity dig into the deeply-rooted causes that made us act in this manner. Constant curiosity about our behavior and the reasons that prompted our choice at that moment, as well as reflecting on them, is the best way for us to understand ourselves and to think of ways to avoid acting in a particular manner or repeating such behavior later.

Pride in ourselves comes from within; when we feel we have done what needs to be done.

Making mistakes is inevitable for both adults and children. It is not a failure, but an opportunity for us to learn something new about ourselves and our surroundings.

Feeling discouraged or unmotivated is a normal part of the behavior change process, yet we have to learn to get up once more and work hard to try again and again.

Expressing our feelings honestly within a safe space helps us understand ourselves, manage our feelings and learn to express them more wisely.

Our human capabilities are not limited by our innate abilities; we can always improve our skills, knowledge, and behaviors if we wish to do so.

Gaining self-confidence comes from experience, learning, and ongoing development of our abilities.

Behavior does not change overnight; however, we can achieve big goals by breaking them down into small goals and working to achieve them one by one with patience and persistence.

There is no such thing as a bad child. There is only wrong behavior, which can be replaced by another by learning new skills and regulating the surrounding environment to help us do so.

What is the best way to use Tootaa badges?

 

Tootaa badges are designed to respond to the point where child stands in the journey of changing his behavior for the better: moving through behavior meditation to decision-making, to analysis and planning, to learning and then practicing, developing, and pursuing steadily the new behavior.

Stage

Description

Badges for the child’s choice

First Stage

Reading the story and answering meditation questions

Description

Be aware of the behavior and ponder its details.

Develop curiosity to know about this behavior.

Decide to change the behavior.

Badges for the child’s choice

Champion of bold decisions

 

 

My curiosity is my guide

 

King of profound meditation

Second Stage

Preparing the masterly plan

Description

Analyze the causes behind this behavior.

Understand the challenges a child may face while changing this behavior.

Define the skills to be learned to change the behavior.

Plan goals.

Plan for environmental adjustments.

Plan to seek help from parents.

Badges for the child’s choice

Challenge lover

Skilled Analyst

 

                King of planning                         Passionate learner
    Excited for the experience               Loving myself

Third Stage

Learning by doing

Description

Achieve small successes.


Learn from mistakes.


Express feelings honestly.


Try new ways.


Explore new ways to perform the same tasks.


Make adjustments to the surrounding environment.


Communicate effectively with others.


Learn new skills to deal with setbacks and get up again.

Badges for the child’s choice

    Error-finding expert                          

Proud of myself

 

King of persistence Smart warrior

 

Master of expression

               

Sensational artist                              

Medal of Courage

Forth Stage

Pursuing the behavior

Description

Self-reward

Badges for the child’s choice

Champion (of the behavior)

I celebrate my achievements

 

How to get badges:

The child himself chooses the badge he thinks he deserves when he feels he has done an accomplishment. It is preferable that he explains to his family why he thinks he deserves the badge.

When the child receives the final badge (the champion of a particular behavior), it is preferable that this badge be printed and placed in a place where the child can always see. When the child proves able to keep up the behavior for a period of time that he determines, the child can choose to obtain “I celebrate my achievements” badge. And he is given the chance to choose the way he would like to celebrate his achievement in accordance with whatever conditions his parents set in terms of cost or safety guarantee, for example.

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Parents can discuss these reasons with the child and engage in a prudent conversation about the adequacy of these reasons in a meaningful and positive way. Yet, the decision must be left to the child himself in the end, even if the parents believe that he is ineligible, noting that the purpose of this step is to build the child’s awareness of the message behind the badge, not the badge itself.

In the event of any setbacks (which are normal and expected) due to changing circumstances, for example, or the child forgetting what he learned, the parents can go back to the plan drawn up by the child, and encourage him to review it, and re-plan and implement it according to his new circumstances.