Why it Helps to Think of Parenting as a Three-Wheeler: Part 4 Wheel #3: The Parent as Supporter. In a young child’s world, his parents’ attention is what keeps him alive. If they would forget about him, he would not survive the week. So, when parents are rarely able to pay undivided attention to their […]
Why it Helps to Think of Parenting as a Three-Wheeler: Part 2 Practica Parenting Wheel #1: The Parent as Manager. Having a devil-may-care attitude simply doesn’t cut it when it comes to parenting. At least, not if you want to raise a happy and successful child and survive with your marbles intact. Survivor parents […]
Why it Helps to Think of Parenting as a Three-Wheeler: Part 1 Supporting people in their role as parents has been my job for more than 25 years, and I say this: if you’re not medically crazy, intellectually challenged or emotionally broken, it is within your ability be a good parent, maybe even an amazing parent. Really. […]
The Why’s and How’s of Picture Books Children benefit in a myriad of ways when parents read story books to them. But what about picture books? Think about the ones that display the meaning of words in the form of drawings or pictures – like the one in the Practica set. Why is a book like that valuable, […]
Why and How to Develop Listening Skills in Your Child. We all know people who can hear perfectly and yet are terrible listeners. Hearing is typically present from birth. It’s simply a physical act of receiving sound stimulation and sending it to the brain for reception. On the other hand, listening is a skill […]
What is expected of your child? For decades, the first thing that sprung to mind when parents thought about properly preparing their children for success was getting them to pass a school readiness test with flying colours. But the world is changing. Schools, specifically private schools, are now calling for a wider approach. “Being […]
We hope that you enjoyed your time with us during your antenatal class and we are so pleased to be able to give you some more in depth information about the topics we touched on during the talk. Here is the information and the links to the songs, as promised! For more information, contact us on […]
Assigning age-appropriate chores that impart important lessons, is important. Not only do children get to experience their world on a sensory level as they help around the house; they also develop a better working memory as they need to recall steps and attend to detail. They learn to deal with proverbial curve balls and practise managing […]
How To Make A Second Language Feel More Natural Parents often ask the Practica Advisory Service how they can boost their little one’s ability to communicate in a 2nd language. Here’s a fun idea that children are naturally drawn to. Buy a new teddy and explain that he can understand and speak nothing but the […]
Is your child watching too much television? Ask any American doctor whether babies and toddlers should watch television and he will most likely tell you what the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends: no television before the age of two and older children, at most, can spend one to two hours a day on educational screen-based activities. This includes […]
Picture from Photobucket.com When writer Loren Stow launched the Practica blog back in 2010, we decided to call it “Practically Speaking” and to sign off each post with Maya Angelou’s famous words: “Parents who know better, do better”. I loved the idea and I still do. The reason why I’m mentioning this is because I […]
“While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” Angela Schwindt When we know better… we do better
Like the rest of the country, Practically Speaking will be taking a holiday break! Our blog will remain accessible, but we will not be posting any new articles until the 14th of January 2011. We will be sure to send a mail to everyone again in the New Year as our first article goes up. In the […]
Sometimes life is ironic! In light of our post on turning the television off… we’re giving you news to turn it on! Lizette has been invited to appear on Great Expectations – a popular parenting programmeme on e-tv, today at 11:30am. The topic is all about toddlers… Take a look if you’ve got a chance! […]
