Brain Development, child development, Disney, Reading, Reading; Brain Development, Television

Why we like Disney Books

Posted on by admin
18
Jul

Watching television dulls babies’ brains. In 2009, France’s broadcasting authority banned the airing of all television, including advertising, aimed at babies and toddlers. They warned: “Television viewing hurts the development of children under 3 years old and poses a certain number of risks, encouraging passivity, slow language acquisition, over-excitedness, troubles with sleep and concentration, as […]

Continue reading →
Brain Development, Disney, Learning, Reading, Reading; Brain Development

A Book is More than the Sum Total of its Pages

Posted on by admin
14
Jul

  Books are often seen as ‘old fashioned’ and parents are tempted to replace them with seemingly more modern stimulation, such as television, DVDs, video games, computers, and battery-operated toys with moving parts and flashing lights… The difference between reading and these ‘new and improved’ types of stimulation, is that reading (and story-telling) will always be the number one activity that […]

Continue reading →
Boost your child's Brain; Speech Development, Brain Development, Disney, Language, Learning, learning tools, Reading; Brain Development

Why it’s Better to Read and Repeat

Posted on by admin
11
Jul

  As parents, we assume that children get bored with reading the same book over and over, but contrary to this popular belief, children actually thrive on the predictability of such repetition. Predictability is one of the most fundamental emotional and intellectual needs of a child and reading is the easiest way for a parent […]

Continue reading →
Disney, Love, Love Languages, Loving Communication, Relationship Boosters

Reading Together Fosters Love and Learning

Posted on by admin
07
Jul

Reading to a child communicates love and acceptance to a child primarily in two ways: firstly, through physical touch and, secondly through sharing an experience that fosters emotional closeness. We’ve written before in this blog about just how important love is to learning – it is the ‘thing’ that makes all learning stick.  The beauty of […]

Continue reading →
Executive Functioning

Executive Functioning

Posted on by admin
09
Jun

  Young children typically act before they think, but as they grow older, and their brains mature, this should no longer be the case. As a child gains more experience, he gradually learns to regulate himself and interact with his world in a step-by-step, focused manner. In other words, he develops “executive functioning” skills. This “control tower” or […]

Continue reading →
Baby Gymnastics, Bennetts, Body Awareness, Massage

Baby Gymnastics

Posted on by admin
14
Apr

Exercises to do as part of your Nappy Changing Routine Babies of all ages love to be played with and they benefit from the movements that we’re about to describe – even from as early as the first weeks of life. During the first months after birth, your baby gradually discovers where his body ends […]

Continue reading →
Body Awareness, Deep Pressure Touch, Love Languages, Massage, Touch Therapy

Baby Massage: The Introductory Massage

Posted on by admin
12
Feb

The benefits of baby massage have been extensively researched and we at the Practica Programme encourage our Practica Parents to make use of baby massage techniques as often as possible.   Below is an extract from the Practica Programme Parents’ Guide that summarises the easy steps involved in Introductory Massage. It is recommended for newborn babies […]

Continue reading →
Television, The Practica Program

How to encourage parents to switch off the television and talk to their children instead.

Posted on by admin
04
Feb

The following post is aimed at healthcare professionals and teachers. Through the Practica Programme, we meet hundreds of parents from many backgrounds every year. And, similar to you in your profession, we regularly engage with parents who seem to be unaware of the fact that they are headed in the wrong direction regarding the amount […]

Continue reading →
Brain Development, development, Exercise, Learning, Mathematical Development

How physical exercise increases maths scores!

Posted on by admin
06
Nov

We’ve all heard, somewhere along the line, that exercise is good for us. Every parent would agree, in theory, that children should be encouraged to be physically active. Yet, few make it a family priority. Here is a study that should provide us with the necessary motivation to get moving! A group of 171 children, […]

Continue reading →
Brain Development, Choosing the right toy; Age-appropriate Toys, development, Music, The Practica Program

Games for Practica Parents

Posted on by admin
06
Nov

Parents of young babies: Dear Practica Parents, You will notice, as you read through the monthly sections of the Practica Parents’ Guide, that we often refer to your baby’s “midline” and what you can expect in terms of him crossing that midline. (The midline is the imaginary line that divides the body into right and […]

Continue reading →
Brain Development, child development, Developing Confidence in your Child; Benefits of One-on-One Interaction; Boost your Child's Brain; Brain Development; Effective Parenting; How children learn, development, educational toys, Learning, learning tools, The Practica Program

Games for Practica Parents

Posted on by admin
06
Nov

For Practica Parents with 2 to 7 year old children: Do you routinely ask questions like “Can you name this colour?” or “How many ducks do you see?” when you’re around your child? If the answer is yes, you may be slipping into the role of a test administrator instead of having fun as a […]

Continue reading →
Feeding, Food

Cost Effective Home-made Baby Food

Posted on by admin
06
Nov

In our family, raising a baby is a team-sport! Naturally, when my first granddaughter recently reached the age where she was ready to be introduced to solids, we all took notice. Staying within the framework of “natural, cost-effective and time-effective” seemed the sensible route to follow. We bought some veggies, steamed them, let them cool […]

Continue reading →
Chores, Motivation

The Magic Word that Motivates a Child to Help

Posted on by admin
14
Apr

The Magic Word that Motivates a Child to Help 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 […]

Continue reading →
Quotes

“Wherever you are, be all there.” ~Jim Elliot.

Posted on by admin
12
Dec

It seems as if little children were deliberately put together in such a way that everything about them slows adults down. Why is that?Well, the obvious reason is that they develop better when the important adults in their lives are not only in the room, but also in the moment. The more we talk with them […]

Continue reading →