The What and Whys of Social Development Social development involves a baby’s developing ability to successfully engage with people, manage interactions with others, sustain close relationships and adapt to the demands and expectations of society and culture. From birth to 24 months a child learns to ‘share the moment’ with another person. He learns how […]
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 […]
It’s uninspiring when an educational programme considers only the most basic areas of development. Children learn more quickly during their early years than at any other time in life, simply because the plasticity of the human brain decreases with age. In other words, the younger your child, the greater an enriched environment will impact on […]
3 Reasons Why We Should DISCOURAGE Perfectionism It is very easy to believe that being a perfectionist is a favourable quality. But is it really? Here are three reasons why we should DISCOURAGE perfectionism in children: Perfectionists are less likely to take risks and try their hand at new things. They often become fearful of […]
Five Ways in Which a Child Learns Social Skills. Most parents agree that they want their children to reach their full potential – whatever that may be. They won’t enjoy and celebrate a child any less if it turns out that his or her fullest potential doesn’t involve straight A’s and being hugely successful in […]
While some children are absolute dreams when it comes to mealtimes, roughly 50% of all children ‘eat too little’, their parents believe. And this is according to Dr Christopher Green, from his book called Toddler Taming, A Parents’ Guide to the First Four Years (Random House). Below we introduce ideas from two books about feeding a fussy eater – […]
Photography: Loren Stowhttp://www.lorenstow.co.za/ We’ve all been there… the day that our once-compliant and well-fed baby turns her nose up at meal-time, followed by a clear and concise ‘no!’. She shakes her head and just plainly refuses a meal that mere days ago she gobbled down with delight! And before you know it, she’s surviving on a […]
Example of a page from a personalised bookDesign by Loren Stow When you know your child is going to experience a big change, such as starting a new school, moving house, or the arrival of a new sibling, there is a creative and effective idea that has worked well for many moms and […]
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 […]
The Practica Programme Blog – Middle Ear Infection Emergency Kit In a previous post, we discussed how middle ear infection can affect your child. The effects are often overlooked or unknown, and so we really felt passionate about sharing this with you, as a parent – if you missed the post, go here. Today, we’re looking […]
According to Dr Vincent Iannelli of the American Association of Paediatrics, 50% of children under the age of 12 months will experience at least one episode of middle ear infection (otitis media), and between the ages of one and three, 35% of children will have repeated episodes. When we consider how important hearing is to language […]
In our last post we discussed how important it is to guide your young child in developing good manners because it will affect his self-concept, create higher EQ and eventually culminate in more success later on life (if you missed the post, go here). However, we’re still just human beings, and some clear directions come […]
I vaguely remember a time before I joined the legion of parents out there, looking at other people’s children and thinking smugly to myself… “I would never let my child get away with that…” or “I can’t believe how badly behaved that child is, my child will never do that…” Then… I had my own children! […]