How to Launch Better Behaviour (and Better Learning) in your Child Children of all ages develop, learn and behave better when their parents are warm and nurturing. All parents function somewhere on a continuum, with positive “warm and nurturing” at one end and negative “cold and unapproachable” at the other. And, regardless of how much […]
Category Archives: Love
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 […]
Love, Respect and Confidence Professionals who do school readiness tests often comment on the quiet and unshakable confidence that our Practica children have when they see them for school readiness assessments. The fearless way in which they approach challenges is remarkable, especially since there are so many children who are lacking in confidence. Many […]
As parents, we do our very best for our children, actively giving them everything we believe they need… and more. So, the idea that their ‘love tanks’ may sometimes be running low is not only hard to believe, but it flies in the face of the love we express for them daily through our words […]
Image Source: http://www.thedailygreen.com/ Our last post was about the importance of early reading (if you missed it, go here), and today we’re sharing some simple and inspiring tips that can make practicing reading simple, as long as you recognise the opportunities! 1. Set the scene for Dreamland: Help your child to wind down at bedtime […]
The 3 Secrets of Early Reading I remember as a little girl that I loved to read – I would even pretend to read my mother stories that I had learned to memorise. When I learned to write, my love of words was further extended, and I would re-write by hand poems and songs that I […]
6 Instant Relationship Boosters In our last post we discussed the importance of consciously developing your child’s self-esteem (if you missed it, go here) and in light of the rather ‘heavy’ responsibility it can be to do this, we wanted to share some quick and easy ideas on how you can instantly make your child feel as though they are the […]
As a child, my mother used to explain self-esteem to me as such – we are all like trees. Some of us are Pine Trees; straight, organised and neat. While others are like Thorn Trees; a bit rugged, uneven and disorganised. While both trees are so different, they each have their own unique beauty […]
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 […]
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 […]
In last week’s post we discussed School Readiness (if you missed the post go here), and today we are delving a bit deeper into the practical steps you can take to ensure your child is as school-ready as possible. Firstly, it is interesting to understand the physical make-up of your child’s brain. According to Mike Bruton […]
On your marks… get ready… go! As busy parents, our lives are often filled with lists. Get the kids ready; Go to work; Go to the grocery store; Prepare dinner; Bath the kids and get them to bed… tick, tick, tick… you get your list done and move onto the next thing. While having the ability to race through your […]
I believe that parents instinctively know that touch is not only soothing for their children, but that it also communicates love on a profound level. A caress of the cheek, a long and deep-felt hug, or rubbing a scraped knee – certain kinds of touch tell your child that they are loved and secure. […]
In the spirit of the Lizette’s years of searching and gaining knowledge, we thought it would be apt to start our blog off with a post on how your baby’s brain is wired. To understand this could change the way you view your role as parent forever. In fact, it is only in recent years […]