Why is play so beneficial for young children?

Parents and children experience, ‘Mutual joy and shared attunement’ when playing together, and that this can lower stress levels and provide valuable opportunities to communicate, engage and bond.

7 life skills that will help your child succeed

Here we look at the ways you can develop your child’s life skills through day-to-day activities. First, though, let’s see what life skills are essential for kids to learn.

Five simple reasons why reading is so important

Reading increases a child’s ability to communicate. The additional exposure children have to words that outreach their current vocabulary, the more likely they are to extend their understanding of words but communicate more succinctly.

How fewer toys leads to higher quality play

Toys are a fun way to develop youngsters’ motor skills, enliven their imagination, encourage social skills, practice problem-solving and foster independence, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

The role of sound play in early childhood services

From the moment they’re born, sound is an integral part of children’s development. Infants respond to their parents’ voices, lullabies, and white noise, and as they grow, different sounds help them to learn and connect.

Tackling tricky behaviour across home and early learning settings

Whether you’re a parent or an educator, never underestimate how much children love your company. While it might feel like more effort on your part, when you make tasks fun, you meet children’s need for closeness and play, while teaching them to behave cooperatively.

Educational cooking experiences at child care

Young children’s palates are piqued as they harvest ingredients, test recipes and taste self-made meals, and along the way, mini-chefs learn key skills that will stay with them for life.

A close look at the Montessori Approach

Dr Montessori based her educational methods on scientific observation of children’s learning processes. Guided by her discovery that children teach themselves, Dr Montessori designed a “prepared environment” in which children could freely choose from a number of developmentally appropriate activities.

How to build resilience as a parent

As a parent, partner, worker and friend you’re bound to encounter different challenges at different times, and your ability to deal with these ups and downs, and move on positively, is the ultimate life skill.