That morning you send your child off to child care for the first time, there are often tummies filled with butterflies, tears and anxious goodbyes – and that’s just the parents! Sending your child to day care, whether it’s a centre, family care or a nanny, can be an anxious time for everyone, but there…
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At the end of a long day, getting your little one off to bed can be quite a challenge and a chore that may be destined to get on your last nerve when you are tired from all that daily exertion. When they are small, every day seems like an adventure with so many new…
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Imaginative or pretend play stimulates the senses, creates opportunities for exploration and creative thinking, and helps your child to develop key skills vital for intellectual and emotional growth as well as social success. When Do Children Start Pretend Play? Newborn – 2 Years The first signs of pretend play emerge around 12 to 18 months.…
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Everyone has the cognitive capacity to learn and it is the information and structures present in the environment that create the conditions for learning. Count – count everything as you go along, the steps you walk up, how many people are in front of you at the check-out, the numbers on the elevator buttons. Notice…
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When asked “what do you want most for your kids in life?” most parents answer “to be happy”. While much of what has influenced kids’ mental health and happiness in recent years is outside the realm of influence, their long-term happiness is something you can cultivate by implementing and teaching happiness habits and practices. Following…
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The benefits of being outdoors are widely known and accepted. This can including minimising illnesses, building a respect for nature, gross and fine motor developments, enhancing social complicity when engaging with others, as well as instilling an overall sense of calm. Here are some ideas to encourage your children to be outside more often: Gardening…
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Almost exactly two years ago our world changed in incomprehensible ways. It was supposed to be a couple of weeks. A month at most. We just had to isolate at home. Flatten the curve. Protect the vulnerable. It meant working from home unless we were essential workers. It also meant school was at home. But…
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Having children outside and learning with nature is always what we aim for. However, sometimes this is not possible. In our house we have a jar for rainy days and a jar for sunny days. Each jar has activities written on pieces of paper. My three children take turns each week selecting a slip of…
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The start of the new school year brings a variety of challenges – from teacher and class changes, through to the transition from holiday mode back into the routine of school. This can make settling back into school difficult for some children and young people, especially after the extended summer break. Naturally, as a parent…
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It is widely accepted and acknowledged that children grow and change so rapidly in the first few years. This period in a person’s life is significant for many reasons and here are some of them. The human brain develops more quickly in the first 1000 days than any other time during life. Nutrition intake in…
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