Category Archives: development

Bonding with your child, Boost your child's Brain; Speech Development, Brain Development, Choosing the right toy; Age-appropriate Toys, development, educational toys, Language Development, Talking, Uncategorized

Quick notes for using a swing during the early years

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Picture credit: Reandi Grey
11
Sep

Being on a swing benefits a child in three basic ways The movement helps to wire the brain for processing information. Stimulating the senses through swinging facilitates learning to organize and interpret spatial information via the vestibular system, which is situated in the inner ear. It’s calming. The smooth, back-and-forth motion helps with sensory integration. This can be soothing to a […]

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Brain Development, child development, Confidence, Develop Concentration, Developing Confidence in your Child; Benefits of One-on-One Interaction; Boost your Child's Brain; Brain Development; Effective Parenting; How children learn, development, Effective Communication, Following instruction; child development, How children learn, Learning, Life Skills, Self Control, The Practica Program

How to use Instructions to Develop Self-control in a Toddler.

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23
Mar

  Children who have learned to follow instructions typically exhibit more self-control than other children, because learning to follow instructions involves practising to act with intent, which is the exact opposite of acting impulsively. That brings us to the question: “How do I teach my toddler to follow instructions?” The answer is: “By physically showing […]

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Brain Development, child development, development, Feeding, Food, Food Wars, Obesity, The Practica Program, Toddlers and Eating, Unhealthy Diet

How Toddlers Develop Food Preferences.

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01
Mar

Have you ever wondered exactly why nutritionists cringe when they see one year olds eat chocolates, cheese curls, macaroni cheese, potato chips and chocolate mousse? It’s because these foods are addictive. Their high-carb-high-fat content triggers the dopamine reward system in our brains to shout for more. And, after a while, they dominate our preferences. They […]

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Boost your child's Brain; Speech Development, Brain Development, child development, development, Effective Communication, Following instruction; Brain Development, Following instruction; child development, Language, Language Development, Learning, Music, Nursery Rhymes, Social Development, Speech and Language Milestones, Talking, Teaching Communication Skills, The Practica Program

Teach Nursery Rhymes Early for Better Reading Later.

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08
Feb

Photo Credit: http://mattnerphotography.com Researchers studied a group of 64 children when they were 3 years old, and the more rhymes they knew then, the better they were able to read 3 years later. They have concluded that this is the case because rhymes train children to be more sensitive to the speech sounds within words. (Read […]

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child development, Develop Concentration, development, educational toys, Executive Functioning, Following instruction; Brain Development, Following instruction; child development, Instructional Play, learning tools, Milestones, The Practica Program, Wooden Block Set

Practica Programme Apparatus Blog Post Series – Wooden Block Set

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20
Jan

The Practica Programme provides more than 4000 age-appropriate activity ideas for children from birth up to 7 years of age. The kit is packaged in a wooden toy box that includes a set of 8 User Guides and 28 sets of carefully selected sets of educational apparatus.   It’s the most comprehensive educational home programme […]

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Brain Development, Confidence, Constructive Criticism, development, educational toys, Effective Parenting;, Finger Painting, Following instruction; child development, Good Praise, learning tools, Relationship Boosters, Self Esteem

5 Tips for Facilitating Great Finger Paint Sessions

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21
Dec

Are you embarrassed to admit that you have never made finger paint for your child? Join the club. It sounds like a messy business from start to finish and it’s definitely not the kind of thing most mothers want to do every week.But, children love it and it makes good pictures to post on Facebook. […]

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child development, Choosing the right toy; Age-appropriate Toys, development, educational toys, Following instruction; Brain Development, Following instruction; child development, How children learn, Instructional Play, learning tools, The Practica Program

The Magic of Instructional Play

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22
Jul

“Instructional play is an enjoyable activity or game that results in learning.” ~ Dr Donalyn Heise in “Dare to be Positive!”   We’ve recently had a look at how important it is to intentionally create learning opportunities for our children in which they can practise their ability to remember instructions, focus their attention, complete tasks […]

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Brain Development, development, Exercise, Learning, Mathematical Development

How physical exercise increases maths scores!

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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, […]

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

Games for Practica Parents

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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 […]

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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

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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 […]

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Active Fathering, Dads, development, Emotional Intelligence, Fatherhood, Life Skills, Love, Self Esteem, Social Development, The Role of the Father

The “Dad-Manual”

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19
Oct

The “Dad-Manual” Dads are so important in their children’s lives – from day one (if you missed the post on why dads are so important, go here). However, many dads don’t know what is expected of them, or how to be their best. Don’t worry! All parents – moms and dads alike – struggle to […]

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Active Fathering, Dads, development, Emotional Intelligence, Fatherhood, Life Skills, Love, Self Esteem, Social Development, The Role of the Father

The “Dad-Factor”

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14
Oct

The “Dad-Factor” There is no doubt that moms and dads instinctively do things differently. I know that in my interactions with my children, I tend to choose to sing to them, read to them, hold them gently and generally be soft and loving. My husband, however, naturally creates fun and challenges our children. He throws them […]

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Brain Development, development, Language Development, Learning, Mathematical Development, Music

The Practical Fruits of Early Music Exposure

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28
Sep

The Practical Fruits of Early Music Exposure In last week’s post we discussed the Magic of Music (if you missed it, go here), and in this post, we wanted to list the fascinating benefits that music has on various areas of your child’s development. Mathematics: Music changes the way neurons fire in your brain, after approximately […]

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Brain Development, development, Language Development, Learning, Mathematical Development, Music

The Magic of Music

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24
Sep

  Music is so intrinsic in our lives, and has been for centuries. No one can deny the power that music has to elicit emotions and affect our mood. Music is an art form that has no other use except as a means of self-expression and self-actualisation. But unlike a painting which stands still, music is an art that […]

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