Toddler - Parenting Hub

Advice from the experts

Sensory Diet

As a parent you are very aware of giving your toddler a balanced diet. Five fresh fruit and vegetables a day are what we are aiming at. How many of us even consider that we need to give them a varied sensory diet as well? Creating a sensory rich environment for your toddler will help them strengthen their bodies and their brains. Mature thinking and learning are based on neural pathways that develop as a child masters physical coordination, balance and skilled movement. Yet many parents view “child play” as an outdated activity. We live in a digital age- let them master computers, electronic games so they may conquer the universe! How wrong they are! We need to get our children back to the games we played, back to exploring a three dimensional world where they get full of mud and run and jump in puddles. Let’s look at Emily, a four year old. She is a bossy little girl who tells her parents what to do. She is a fussy eater that would eat yoghurt all day if she could, refuses to dress herself and does not play well with other children. If they brush against her, she pushes and shoves. If she shows affection she hugs too tightly. Dad thinks she needs stronger boundaries from Mom. Mom feels she is just expressing a strong will. At school Emily never likes to play with blocks or draw. When she does use the crayon it is with hard strokes which often break the crayon frustrating her even more. When Emily runs, it is with a clumsy gait and she often falls. At the end of the day she is tired and irritable. Is Emily just being naughty or is there more to this behaviour? Research done with children showing similar patterns indicate that this may be a sensory processing disorder. This is a common but very misunderstood problem that affects behaviour, influences the way children learn, move and relate to others and feel about themselves. Emily needs to learn how to modulate her senses in order to cope with day to day life. She exhibits this bad behaviour when she can’t cope with what’s happening around her, when she feels overwhelmed. So how do we help Emily and all the little ones like her? What we need to do as parents is to focus on developing and maintaining a balanced sensory diet for our children. As they develop and grow we need to relax and think about incorporating sensory experiences in to their day to day life. Let’s begin by looking at tactile stimulation. A child can be hyper or hypo sensitive to touch. In both cases it will affect learning and the way we interact with people. Emily might be hypo sensitive, hence she pushes or hugs too hard. Not everyone realises that we have internal senses as well, called the near senses. These play a vital role in our development especially in the early years. Movement is the only way to stimulate this internal sense. Emily needs more movement to help with her balance. Smell and taste are interlinked. Expose them to different smells and let them explore different tastes, even ones they don’t like. Emily is sensitive to the textures of her food and that could be the reason that she is a fussy eater. The eyes and ears are the senses that can give us the most problems later. If we don’t process what we see and hear we have auditory or visual processing problems which lead to learning difficulties at school. Emily finds the noise of the classroom too much and prefers to be on her own. For this week don’t just think five fresh fruit and vegetables think five sensory activities to enrich their learning experience.

October 4, 2018

Making sense of the world

A toddler’s day to day job is to play and not to be learning the ABC’s and doing math. Many parents today lose sight of the goal of being a child. That goal is to explore the world around them and make sense of it. Creating a sensory rich environment for your toddler will help them strengthen their bodies and their brains. Mature thinking and learning are based on neural pathways that develop as a child masters physical coordination, balance and skilled movement. Yet many parents view “child play” as an outdated activity. We live in a digital age – let them master computers, electronic games so they may conquer the universe! How wrong they are! We learn by taking in information via our senses, process through that information and then act on the information that we have received in. The most important aspect of the learning process is the ability to store the information that we have learned and retrieve it when necessary. This is referred to as memory. As a child learns new things through his sensory system, a connection is made in the brain. When these sensory experiences are repeated over and over again, the connections in the brain become stronger until they are imprinted in the child’s memory. Experience is learning in a child. The more he is exposed to and allowed to discover, the more “brain power” he is developing. Therefore it is imperative to enrich a child’s brain with as much experience as possible during the developmental stages. We need to feed our children’s brains. Talking, singing and interacting with our children is important in building connections in the brain that a child needs to develop their communication skills. Hugging and showing love and affection helps to develop emotions. Touch floods the brain with feel good hormones which enable the child to develop feelings of love and empathy towards others. Continual movement and interactive play time helps make their little bodies strong, so that muscle strength, coordination and balance develops and strengthens. Movement is important in developing the senses which the brain relies upon to increase its power. The more a child moves, the more neural connections are made within the brain and the cleverer the child becomes. Every child needs exposure to different stimuli in order to grow and develop physically and mentally in a healthy way. What we need to do as parents is to focus on developing and maintaining a balanced sensory diet for our children. As they develop and grow we need to think about incorporating sensory experiences in to their day to day life. We need to get our children back to the games we played, back to exploring a three dimensional world where they get full of mud and run and jump in puddles. Have you taken the time to see the scientist come alive in your toddler? Watch the botanist, the entomologist and the geologist in your child as he explores the garden on a sunny day. At the beach he becomes an oceanographer watching and learning. This natural instinct to discover and go on adventures often doesn’t last past the toddler years. Once formal education begins the hands on approach is often replaced by hands off. So how do we keep the scientist in your toddler motivated to keep on discovering new and wonderful things? Start at home with simple things. Teach them to classify. How are things the same? How are they different? Look at everyday items with new eyes. Look at the fruit bowl. Which fruit can I eat just like this and which ones do I have to peel? Collect leaves and look at them closely. Some are big and some are small. Some have many veins and some only a few. If you have earthworms in the garden dig some up and have a closer look at them. Plant a small vegetable patch or herb garden. You only need a very small patch for your toddler to keep control of. If using herbs involve him in cutting them when you need them for cooking. Collect some balls and have your child sort them from smallest to largest. Once he has the hang of this let him sort other items around the home from largest to smallest. Look at heavy and light. Let him experience heavy by filling a soft drink bottle with water. Have one that’s empty so he can experience the feeling of lightness. Fill and empty containers, collect things that sink and float. Make ice together and watch it melt on a sunny day. Get into the habit of looking through the window every morning and comment on the weather. Become weather savvy – it will help your toddler become more sensible when dressing and it’s something that’s done every day at preschool. Remember that free unstructured play is important for your child’s development. Don’t always gravitate to electronic media, we have a world out there waiting to be discovered.

October 2, 2018

Cuddly Plush

Nattou cuddly toys are famous for being one of the world’s best plush manufacturers. The characters are unique and exceptionally soft in material. A great plush makes a wonderfully supporting friend for your baby. These Nattou cuddlies are with your baby as it explores the world, when it drifts off to sleep and all the other moments of its first few months. Nattou cuddly toys give your little one the trust, security and comfort they need in the crucial early stages of their growth and development. Cuddly Valentine Mouse and Adele Elephant are two incredibly cute, unconventional characters to introduce to your child via toys. Available at Hamleys stores, www.loot.co.za, selected Kids Emporium stores, www.takealot.com & www.thebabyzone.co.za

October 1, 2018

Should toddlers be exposed to technology?

By Anne-Marie Reed Watching your two-year-old princess swiping effortlessly through the apps on your iPad does not necessarily imply that she’s ready to be exposed to technology. That said, it is natural for toddlers in their explorative phase to prefer playing with tech toys over traditional toys and games. Traditional toys and games all have one feature in common – the child needs to engage with them in order to give them any entertainment value. Engagement implies that the child has to make them work, they don’t just provide entertainment by pressing a button. In addition, traditional games require a fair amount of creativity and personalisation, whereas most digital games are pre-set; creativity lies in the hands of the programmers. A comparison between a lifeless box of wooden puzzle pieces and Candy Crush on your phone should explain this point sufficiently. The “good” stuff always requires more effort. We know this from all sectors of our lives: health, fitness, relationships, etc. But does this mean that we should keep those tiny, inquisitive hands off our digital devices? Research reveals that parents mainly use technology, including television, as a babysitter when the going gets tough. As a parent myself, with vivid memories of those incredibly rewarding (and exhausting) times with two toddlers, I understand this completely. The question, however, remains: is it damaging for children between the ages of one and six years old to be exposed to technology? Dr Michelle Ponti, a paediatrician and chair of the Digital Health task force at the CPS, reported that, based on recent research in Canada, children under two years old should not be getting any screen time at all, while children between the ages of two and five should be limited to a maximum of two hours a day – and that includes television time. Once you start searching for research reports on this topic, you realise that the question is not necessarily whether young children should be exposed to technology, but rather, why you would want to share your tech gadgets with your toddler. So, before exposing your toddler to technology, consider the following: Children should have a screen time limit, based on age. A maximum of two hours screen time per day is a good general guideline for toddlers. Technology steals the time your child should be using to explore, create, craft, or for imaginary play. You cannot replace this time at a later stage – if your child missed out on these activities as a toddler, it cannot be caught up when he or she is older. Screen time can be divided between education and entertainment. However, to do this successfully, you must ask yourself why you want your child to sit in front of the television instead of playing with his toys. Is it to learn something? Or is it to keep him entertained without breaking anything or hurting himself? Incorporating educational digital content, such as interactive digital storybooks, where the child can hear the correct pronunciation of certain words, can be very advantageous. Another good example of a locally developed digital program for kids from the age of four, is the CAMI Perceptual Skills Builder. This program addresses basic perceptual skills such as colour, shape, spatial orientation, retention and quantity in both English and Afrikaans. Technology can be a useful tool to actively spend family time together as it serves as a platform for parents to play age appropriate games with their children while actually having fun themselves. We know that the best time spent with children is when you enter their arena, not when you invite them into yours. Exposing toddlers to technology before the age of two is not recommended. As they get older, however, the true value of technology for toddlers lies in shared experiences with parents, whether that is to read an interactive book or build a shelter in Minecraft together! When in doubt about allowing technology in your toddler’s life, keep in mind that the playful learning and cognitive development that happens when a little girl dresses her doll before they visit the queen for a tea party, cannot be regained at a later stage.

September 25, 2018

Why We Should Replace Time-Outs With Time-Ins

I realize that parents are frustrated with a lack of options with regards to disciplining their children. First we’re told no spanking, then no naughty corners, what next? What I’m hoping to do here is to help you to see that us parent-educators are not trying to limit your options but rather to give you alternatives that will actually work. My plan is to explain to you why time-outs don’t work, and what exactly you can do instead. This is not a short-term solution. Yes, spanking and time-outs can work in the short term to quiet a screaming child or stop some misbehaviour in its tracks. But they don’t work in the long run and end up causing you way more problems further down the line when your children are not small enough to pick up and remove from the scene if necessary! Time-outs don’t work because they don’t take into account the real reasons behind cooperation. Children cooperate because they care. They have amazing adults in their lives and they want to be like them and get their approval and most of all make sure that they retain their love. Time-outs don’t just reject the behavior; they also reject the child. This serves to break down the very relationships that would have fostered cooperation in the long run. When a child is in a time-out, I absolutely guarantee you that they are not thinking about the wrongness of their behavior, what they can do to make amends, or how they can improve in the future. What they are thinking about is either how much they hate you and how they can get revenge, or how much they hate themselves and what a terrible, unworthy human being they are. I don’t think any of us want children who hate themselves or us. This is not the route to long-term cooperation. Misbehaviour is always a form of communication. And most often this communication is around themes such as not feeling loved, heard or understood. Even our most hardened criminals are people who have or do feel blamed, shamed, abused, neglected, unloved and lacking in confidence. People who behave well are those who feel confident, secure, loved, at ease, and who know how to meet heir needs in positive ways. That is what we’re trying to nurture in our kids. What we need to start doing instead of time-outs, are time-ins. Time-ins are a special time of connecting with our children that happen when they are upset and acting out, but also happen in the in between times. We can have a special chair or space in our homes where we go to cuddle, connect, chat, and breathe together. The idea is to connect deeply and nurture your child. It is to make sure that your child feels safe and heard and knows that they are loved regardless of their behaviour in the moment. In time-ins, you will sit with your child, holding them close (if they’re open to that) and just being calm and at ease yourself. If your child is having a tantrum, you need to be the calm in the storm… not part of the storm. So breathe. You don’t need to force your child to focus on their breathing – just do it yourself. Make sure you are calm and centred and ok. And then allow whatever emotion your child is having to come and then to pass. Be patient. You are not trying to calm the child down. You are simply allowing the storm of emotion to have its time and then go. This quiet presence communicates to your child that you are not afraid of them or their emotions, that you are calm and present even when things get rough, that all emotions are acceptable, that your child is loved no matter what. Then, eventually, when your child has calmed down again, you can chat about what happened and how he/she felt and you can brainstorm what you can do in future if behaviour needs to be limited. You can also make your child aware of anything he/she can do to make amends if someone was hurt or something was broken. Children who understand what to do to fix a situation don’t need to carry around the guilt of wrongdoing. During this time-in, you can also reflect on what might have brought your child to this point and if there is anything you can do to prevent this in future. Can you pre-empt problems like hunger, boredom, stress or tiredness that may have contributed to the meltdown? Can you be more present with them so that you can contain any physical acting out before it begins? The focus, always, is on how to build your relationship. Children’s behaviour is never a personal attack on you, or an attempt to make your life more difficult. They are just communicating in the best way that they know how with their limited knowledge of the world, language, societal expectations, and an undeveloped pre-frontal cortex. What “bad” behavior needs is more love not less. What tantrums need is more calm, not less. What aggression needs is more closeness, not less. What cheekiness needs is more adult modeling of great communication, not less. When we respond to our children with love, empathy, patience, care and understanding, we are teaching them how to behave in the world. We are teaching them their own worth and how to value worth in other human beings (no matter their size or status). When we have time-ins instead of time-outs we show children that even though we all have strong emotions and behaviours there is enough love and forgiveness in the world to make things right again.

September 20, 2018

Carseat battles

Many children fuss when placed into a car seat. If you had just found your feet and was relishing in your new found independence so would you! Children hate being restrained but this is one battle you must win! There are no if’s and but’s in this. It is scary to drive past parents and they are strapped in but their precious child is loose at the back of the car roaming around the open space. Not a good idea! There are enough demos of what happens to children when involved in an accident to place a very real fear in you. Rather have a screaming toddler than one you are not going to hear ever again. Fortunately if you persist they will get the message in the end and resign themselves to the car seat. Here are some tips that may help: Make sure your child is comfortable, the straps must be firm but not too tight. Make sure the car seat is big enough. Toddlers grow so fast. Instead of announcing that you are going to strap her in, try and distract her by pointing to something outside or talk about going to the shops. Put on her favourite CD. Keep some car toys that only get seen when you go out in the car. Attach them with a shoelace to her seat so that you don’t add to the stress of losing a toy. As you get in the car, say something like “Mommy’s buckled up as well.” Lead by example. If she wriggles out of the belt use an old fashioned nappy pin to secure your little one in. Allow no exceptions!

September 14, 2018

Developing children’s EQ crucial for future success in rapidly changing world

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is increasingly becoming a greater determinant of future success across all spheres of life than IQ, an expert says, adding that it is more important than ever before that EQ is nurtured from a young age. “The introduction of social media into our lives as well as the lives of our children has created an environment where people are required to efficiently manage a variety of relationships simultaneously and successfully,” says Chris Van Niekerk, head at Founders Hill College, part of Africa’s largest private education provider, ADvTECH. He says the acquisition of knowledge, while obviously important, is less critical in the current information age, and that the emphasis for success has more to do with what can be done with the knowledge at hand. “This requires the ability to collaborate across gender divides, age gaps, cultural differences, and the like. A well-developed EQ will position a child well to positively engage 21st century challenges in adolescence and ultimately, adulthood.” Van Niekerk says that emotional intelligence can be defined as the ability to understand our own feelings, as well as the feelings of those around us. This includes concepts of self-awareness, empathy and dealing sensitively with other people. “In a world where we are required to manage a matrix of personal and professional relationships instantly and efficiently, the need to have a well-developed sense of self, alongside good empathetic social awareness is critical. It is widely accepted that IQ alone does not guarantee success in adulthood, in either the workplace or at home. “Our potential, and that of our children, will only come to fruition if our cognitive abilities are enhanced, complemented and communicated through a well-developed EQ which entails sound self-awareness as well as the awareness of the emotions of those around us.” Van Niekerk says that a well-developed EQ can, literally, be the deciding factor for success in adulthood. “This places an exciting, but onerous burden on us as parents and educators to ensure that our children are not only well versed in the Social, Natural and Commercial Sciences, among others, but also have the emotional savvy to manage their own feelings and behaviours, while being able to understand the feelings of others.” He advises parents who are serious about prioritising the EQ of their children to start incorporating strategies to develop it in their daily lives. There are a few practical ways in which to do this: Role model the behaviour that you expect in your children. Normalise talking about emotions. Acknowledge positive and negative emotions in your child. Teach your children that feelings and behaviour are in fact separable. Negative emotions do not have to lead to inappropriate behaviour. Keep your expectations, and subsequent guidance, age appropriate. Love them unconditionally. “The need for Emotional Intelligence is introduced naturally to our children from early cognition, when they learn ‘acceptable behaviour’, learn to manipulate others, and respond to their environment to get what they need, and more often, to get what they want,” says Van Niekerk. “The ‘how’ of introducing EQ to children is dependant on their emotional capacity, which is usually linked to their age. Six-year-olds, normatively, are able to follow basic instructions, can express their feelings, fears and problems, are reasonably self-sufficient and are able to compare themselves to their peers. With this specific ‘emotional skill set’ in mind, parents and teachers can get creative with exploring learning opportunities related to identifying and naming emotions, reflecting on the emotions that accompanied certain experiences during the day, as well as exploring different ways of expressing emotions.” Van Niekerk says it is widely accepted that people with well-developed emotional intelligence do better in the workplace than those of similar IQ, but who are less proficient in areas related to “people skills”. “This is true for the entire life cycle of our careers, from the entry point during the interviewing process, to ultimately fulfilling our professional potential later in our careers. Academic excellence is important and it matters in the workplace, however people drive workplace processes, and the degree of an individual’s success is reliant on combining these various skill sets. “Equally, in personal relationships, a realistic and well-grounded identity, coupled with positive feelings about our concept of self, create an ideal position for us to choose and enjoy fulfilling and healthy family and social lives as adults. And the best time to start this journey to personal success, is in a child’s early years.”

September 11, 2018

Brushing those teeth

Do you have problems with brushing your little ones teeth? Most of them do at some stage or another. It’s his mouth and he is letting you know that he has control over it. It’s just another struggle on his part for self-determination. He is not going to give in and it would not be wise for you to give in because even baby teeth need to be cleaned. So what now! Enlist the help of a third voice. You know the dentist has much more clout than you have. We had the most fantastic dentist when my kids were little. He started checking their teeth from a very young age and would ask to count them, having a quick look at the same time. He then told them that they had such lovely teeth and must be looking after them very well. At home all I had to do was say “Remember Dr Robinson said you had to brush your teeth to keep them healthy.” This worked very well. The other option is to give them a choice. Have a few toothbrushes on hand. Different colours, some with pictures on. Let him choose which one to use, it helps them feel in control. The third trick is to let him brush his teeth himself, this will help to develop his motor skills and independence and then you finish up with a good clean afterwards. It really is only at around seven years of age that they can be relied upon to brush properly so don’t let them do it on their own until then. Limit the bottle with juice. Sugars in the juice remains in their mouths and eats away at the tooth enamel causing cavities. Rather give your child lots of fresh water to drink. When all else fails let them scream… at least you can see the teeth!

September 5, 2018

What is the correct age to give a child a cellphone?

The modern-day child is being thrust into a rapidly expanding digital and cyber world, whether they are ready for it or not. The question that was posed to me was, “At what age should a child receive their first cell phone?” If only it were that simple and if only society had written rules on how to govern social media and its appropriate etiquette. Sadly, too many children and parents find themselves in a situation way over their heads when it is too late to reverse the precedent that has already been set. As parents, we should aim to be pro-active. In an ideal world, if parents could agree on unwritten regulations, then we could minimise the added cyber peer pressure that our children are experiencing. I find myself in the advantageous position of being a parent to a tween (pre-teen) as well as a high school teacher for twenty years, teaching Life Orientation, Social Sciences and English. Thus, I have made it a priority to try to best equip myself and to empower my own children and pupils. At the beginning of the year, I assigned a task to my grade 7 pupils to interview various age groups regarding cellphone usage. Based on their findings, they had to formulate their own cell phone etiquette policy. Their findings were astonishing. Many tweens had already encountered cyber bullying or inappropriate usage of social media. When conducting my own research amongst pupils, teachers, psychologists and parents, one thing became clear: Cellphones are unfortunately a necessary evil. While we do not have the choice to ignore the necessity of our children having a cell phone, we should be intentional in our navigation and set our own “terms and conditions”. When our children learn to drive, they first need a learner’s license and adult supervision. Why then, can we not create a similar platform with cell phones, before we just toss them the metaphorical keys and expect them to know how to drive? Cell phones are intriguing and as exciting as getting your first car. The sense of independence and freedom combine to make the user want immediate access and license. However, we never grant a child a license before they learn how to drive and pass the test. Receiving your first cell phone should be a significant rite of passage and an exciting phase in your teenager’s life. It could be likened to getting your first bicycle. Accompanied with the thrill, is the need to learn how to ride the bicycle as well. Most Parents and teachers agree that thirteen is an acceptable age to receive a cell phone, provided that the child is mature enough to abide by rules set at home and at school. The determining factor should not be a matter of convenience only, whereby parents simply hand down their old phones to their children in order to satisfy a desire and keep them occupied. Did you know that Facebook has an age restriction of 13? WhatsApp has now changed its age restriction in the European Union from 13 to 16 years of age. One can assume these age restrictions have been put in place for a good reason. Larian Botha, Teacher and Parent – Southdowns College

September 4, 2018

Why puzzles are important for stimulating young minds

There is nothing new about the fact that children love doing puzzles. In most shapes or forms, puzzles can keep your child entertained for hours. And the really great news? Puzzles can help turn your child into a genius. Okay, perhaps not all children who do puzzles will automatically turn into mini-Einstein’s (here’s hoping though), but studies have proven just how much they can really help your child. From a very early age, your child starts to learn a variety of things through play. These learned skills often assist your child as they grow up and are faced with academic challenges. As parents, it is our job to put them in an environment where they have access to play time that teaches them things. Something as simple as a puzzle can do the trick. One of the biggest perks to puzzle building is fine motor skills. This is the ability to manoeuvre small objects and strengthen small muscles and joints in your child’s hands. This skill can never be developed too early and will assist them with vital skills such as writing. Another one is hand-eye co-ordination. As your child attempts to place each puzzle piece in the right space, they are actually strengthening the connection between what their eye sees and their hand does. And while they are trying to figure out which pieces go where, they are practising their problem solving skills – which is one thing they will definitely need throughout their lives. Puzzles also introduce your child to a world of creativity. They learn that they can build something from scratch, and are rewarded with the finished product. Of course toddlers favour instant gratification, but slowly figuring out how to put the puzzle together will teach them patience too. Their memory can also be strengthened through puzzle building. If a piece doesn’t fit, they have to remember to come back and try it again later. It is important to buy a puzzle that is age appropriate for your child, as to not dishearten them with a difficulty that is beyond their ability. The more colourful the puzzle is, the better. Especially for your toddler, who will be gaining the ability to identify colours and shapes every time they attempt to build one. Toptots Tip: Once your child has built a puzzle a few times, why not stick it onto a board and frame it. It makes a great wall piece for their room and a memory for when they are older.

August 31, 2018

These shoes were meant for walking

Are they really? The best shoes for your toddler are no shoes at all! You often see moms so obsessed with buying the correct shoe that they forget that their toddler needs to walk barefoot as well. Walking bare foot helps build arches and strengthens ankles. Walking on uneven surfaces like sand and the grass helps to further strengthen those muscles and adds great tactile experiences to the sensory system. Running and playing outside is best done without shoes. Climbing a jungle gym you will find that your toddler has better balance without shoes as they are able to feel the rung and “grasp” it with their foot. So what about that special occasion where shoes will complete the outfit? Choose shoes that are closest to no shoes. They must be flexible. Leather or rubber soles are best. You should be able to easily bend the shoe between your thumb and forefinger. Although the brand names look ever so cute you cannot see what is happening inside the shoe and what it is doing to the bones in the feet. The shoes must be low cut and preferably be leather so the feet can breathe. High cut shoes do stay on better but experts believe they restrict ankle movement. Flat bottoms and heels! A toddler has enough to cope with just practising to balance without adding to it with slippery soles and heels. Look for soft flexible shoes in leather with plenty of room for those cute toes to move in. Bigger is better. Keep checking the fit as toddlers feet seem to grow overnight. Don’t pass shoes onto siblings and friends. Shoes mould to the foot and wearing shoes that have moulded to someone else’s feet is not a good idea. The exception here is shoes that have hardly been worn. Remember that socks that are too tight have the same implications as shoes that are too small. Bare feet running around the house and playing outside is ultimately best for your toddler.

August 31, 2018

Barney says sharing is caring

Just because a purple dinosaur says so doesn’t mean it’s going to happen no matter how many times we repeat this. Sharing is just not in a toddler’s vocabulary when they are 2 years old. To the toddler there is no yours, mine and ours. It’s all mine! He is only just learning that things belong to people but has not grasped that others may also have ownership of certain items. They label everything as mine. My mommy, my teddy, my bed, my ball but also things that belong to others, like mommy’s keys and daddy’s phone. Mine is their favourite word. This does not mean that your child is doomed to being selfish, grabbing what belongs to others. He is learning to stand up for his rights. This is not only normal but essential in the road to learning to share. You must remember that his world revolves around him so owning comes long before sharing. He will offer mom a bite of his biscuit or give his teddy to his sister that’s crying to console her. This is more empathy then actual sharing. Toddlers don’t understand yet that the friend who is playing with his toy will leave it behind when he goes home. If he gets to the slide first it’s his and that’s why he pushes the other child to the floor who tries to take a turn on the slide. This is very normal. It’s only towards the age of three or four that sharing becomes easier. It’s natural for your toddler not to share but we know you want him to so let’s look at how we can help make it happen. Build his self-esteem, insecure children have a more difficult time sharing. Don’t force him to share his toys, this makes him feel insecure. That, what he wants doesn’t mean anything. If he thinks that his possessions are up for grabs he will feel unsettled. Teach them that some things belong to other people. The toys at Toptots belong to Tom-e and everyone can play with them. You are going to repeat this often. If he won’t give someone a turn at the slide, remove him from the situation. Also look at it from your toddler’s point of view. Not wanting to part with a toy for even 15 minutes may seem unreasonable to you BUT do you part with your car because a friend wants to use it? For toddlers this is even harder. Don’t share for him – ask permission from your toddler before giving a toy to his sister to play with. If you have friends coming over ask in advance which toys the other children may play with and which he wants to put away. This makes him feel in charge of the situation. Share with your toddler. Play sharing games. Sharing with you is less threatening. Compliment all efforts your toddler makes to share – positive reinforcement is rewarding to a toddler. Children who attend workshops like Toptots often learn to share quicker than a child that does not spend time with others socially. So even if Barney says sharing is caring, don’t expect your toddler to master this without lots of love and support from you.

August 28, 2018

Calming sensory activities for the classroom

What are the benefits of sensory play? Sensory activities engage a little one’s senses and as such are an excellent addition to any classroom or home environment. Children explore the world by means of their senses, providing them with sensory outlets can help them better understand their world. Research has shown that engaging in sensory play helps support the development of nerve connections in a child’s brain, which enables them to complete complex learning tasks. Sensory activities enhance both gross motor and fine motor skills, and aid in the development of language, problem-solving and social skills. They also support your little one’s ability to retain information. By engaging little ones in sensory activities, we provide them with a self-regulation technique, which can be used to soothe and calm an anxious, upset or frustrated little one. Sensory activities for a calm classroom: At Capriccio! Arts Powered Pre-school we have incorporated aspects of the Waldorf philosophy into our approach and recognize the value of sensorial activities in the classroom. We have especially seen the benefits of including sensory activities to help calm and soothe little ones. Our favourite, must-have sensory items in each of our classrooms are: Calming Jars/Bottles: a small to medium sized bottle (secure lid firmly with child-friendly glue) filled with water, some baby oil, glitter, tiny, shiny bits and bobs and a drop of food colouring. These jars are wonderful self-regulating items for children who are feeling anxious or upset. Watching the glitter fall captures the little one’s attention and helps ground them. The repetitive motion of shaking the jar and watching the glitter fall has been shown to slow heart rate and respiration in anxious children, leaving them feeling calm and centred. Rice Bucket: medium sized container filled with raw rice and small items that little ones can discover in the rice. These fun discovery buckets are excellent for improving fine motor skills as children are encouraged to scoop, pour, and sift through the rice to find mystery items. Not only does the rice feel cool and soft when little ones run their hands through the bucket, but it makes a lovely soothing sound. Adding rice granules of a different colour (use food colouring to colour the rice and dry the rice properly beforehand) creates an exciting rainbow effect that is a great way to further engage the senses. (Rice buckets are to be used only under adult supervision, due to a choking risk in small children.) Calming Corner: a quiet area in the classroom with soft and soothing furniture and materials, such as fluffy pillows, peaceful-looking stuffed animals and a soft blanket. This calming area gives the little ones a safe space to cool down and regroup. Calming corners help prevent negative behaviour as they can be used to deescalate stressful situations and serve as an escape from frustrating or over-stimulating activities. Adding different textures to the area further enhances their sensory experience. Music: Teachers continually monitor our little ones collective energy level in the classroom, as research has proven that children are most receptive to learning when they are in the calm-alert state. Calm, soothing music such as lullabies or peaceful classical music can work wonders to gently help overstimulated children return to a calmer state. Similarly, happy nursery rhymes and theme-related action songs can assist to kickstart sagging energy levels, restoring the emotional balance in the classroom. The additional benefit of movement releases serotonin, shifts their attention and refreshes the little ones’ focus.

August 28, 2018

Cosatto Zoomi

Cosatto has been saving the world from boring baby stuff with the coolest designs, funkiest concepts and all-round impeccable styling, making motherhood an aspirational time for many customers. The Zoomi Exclusive 5 Point Plus Anti-Escape System harness keeps children safer than conventional car seats and has been tested for the 9-36kg weight category, approximately 9 months to 12 years of age. Removable, washable covers keep the gorgeous fabrics of these car seats pristine – and you wouldn’t want it any other way when you see the designs. Retailing at approximately R5000, the Cosatto ranges are higher-end, stylish and exclusive and are available now at Hamleys stores, www.cleverlittlemonkey.co.za, selected Kids Emporium stores, www.thebabyzone.co.za, www.takealot.com, www.loot.co.za and www.purplepepperz.com

August 22, 2018

Cooing over Communication

One minute they are crying, the next they are conversing! Communication development begins at birth. From the time your precious newborn gives their first cry, they start learning all about language, communication, and connecting with the world around them. Babies have “conversations” through their cries, facial expressions and body language long before the arrival of their first words. The development of language takes place through the encouraging and loving interactions young children have with the people in their lives. It is through responsive and repetitive processes that young children learn how to communicate. Why do baby’s communication abilities matter? Communication skills that are learnt in the first year of life are what set the bar for success in many learning areas. Communication development is directly linked to the development of reading, writing (spelling) as well as building social skills and forming relationships later on in life. Language skills are divided into three main areas – RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE, EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGE, and PRAGMATIC LANGUAGE. Development of all areas is vital for effective communication, and begins developing after birth. Receptive communication involves the ability to receive and understand information. Listening and reading fall into this category. Expressive communication is the ability to convey a message to another person. Speaking and writing fall into this category. Expressive skills are more difficult to develop than receptive skills. Pragmatic communication refers to social language abilities or the “rules” of language. These are vital for communicating our personal thoughts, feelings and ideas. It includes what we say, how we say it, our body language and whether the communication interaction is appropriate to the given situation. Language Acquisition Guidelines By Maureen Wilson (Speech Language Pathologist) Age Receptive Expressive Pragmatic 0-3 months Moves in response to sound or voice Shows interest in caregiver Briefly looks at people Quiets in response to sound Excites when caregiver approaches Smiles and coos Quiets when picked up 3-6 months Fixes gaze on face Responds to name Vocalizes to expressions and sounds 6 months Enjoys being played with Initiates vocalizing with another person 7 months Responds to name Responds to ‘no’ most of the time Listens when caregiver is speaking to them Uses hands to request Different vocalizations for different moods Anticipates actions 9 months Babbles Vocalizes to toys or pets Dances to music Intentional two way communication Recognizes familiar people Makes physical contact to gain attention Shouts to attract attention 10 months Plays peek-a-boo Points to request Shakes head ‘no’ Waves ‘bye’ when cued 11 months Recognizes familiar people and objects when named Looks at named pictures or objects Pushes and pulls others to direct them Reaches to request object 12 months Identifies two body parts when asked Gives objects upon request Imitates words to best of ability Uses 5-10 words (typically names and preferred objects) Alters behaviour based on others reactions Vocalizes to respond 14-18 months Follows 1-step instructions without cue Uses gesture + word combinations Uses exclamations – ‘uh oh’ Uses ‘Hi’ and ‘Bye’ Can roll toy back and forth Points to desired objects Comments Protests Acknowledges speakers with eye contact / response 18 months Nod/shakes head for yes/no Identifies 3 body parts on self or doll when asked Understands IN and ON Vocabulary at least 50-100 words (50% nouns) Words are understood outside of routine activities Names familiar objects on request How can I help? Communication skills can be stimulated and elicited from birth. It is so important to provide opportunities for your babies to “talk” to you from birth. Conversations with your baby might feel very one sided initially but your baby will still try to join in! You can encourage communication development by smiling, talking, playing, and reading with your baby. It will help them develop the communication skills needed to build meaningful relationships and succeed in school. Use a high-pitched, sing-song voice. This helps get and keep your baby’s attention while you talk. Play with sounds. Get silly while playing and make sounds that connect with what your child is doing. Use facial expressions and gestures to communicate the meaning of words. Describe your actions throughout the day while performing daily routines such as changing nappies, dressing, feeding, and bathing your child. Pairing the same words with routine activities is a great way to develop language. E.g. “I am changing your nappy, this wet wipe might be cold!” Describe the objects your child walks by when walking around the house / shop / outside. Encourage two-way communication. When your child communicates with you using sounds, words, or gestures, be sure to respond and take turns in the “conversation”. Read with your child. “Reading” can simply mean describing pictures without following the written words. Choose books with large, colorful pictures, and encourage your child to point to and name familiar objects. Expand your child’s vocabulary by building on the words they already know. For example if your child says “dog” you could say “Yes, that’s a big brown dog!” Reword your child’s phrases. If your child makes a speech or language error, respond with the phrase in the correct form. This helps them learn proper pronunciation and grammar. For example, if your child says “Doggy big” you can respond with “Yes, the doggy is big”. Remember to respect your child’s need to disengage when they become tired. Observe and end the conversation when they let you know it’s time to move on to something else. When should I worry? It is important to remember that language development occurs at different rates and all children develop at their own pace. Guidelines are there to show you the averages, when these skills should be present and observable, but do not have to be necessarily mastered. Having a general guideline for milestone development can help to determine whether there is a language delay present. Often, parents want to “wait and see” how things turn out. However, if there is a language delay present, early intervention is the most ideal form of intervention. Early intervention can change a child’s developmental trajectory

August 17, 2018

Ways to get rid of the monsters in the dark

By Caroline Miller Principal of Crawford Pre-Primary Lonehill To your toddler, the oddest things can suddenly become frightening. Some are easy to understand, while others can leave you wondering. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is a magical story that no childhood should be without. This journey of a mouse through a deep, dark wood captures the imagination. The little mouse shows that even a small animal can outwit predators and a fantastical creature in order to have some peace and quiet to enjoy a delicious snack. It is interesting to explore the fact that the Gruffalo (big, powerful and strong) is still able to be frightened and even frightened of a small thing and that is ok. Even big brothers or sisters, Mummies and Daddies can be frightened sometimes and sharing that fear or talking about it with someone can help – perhaps if the Gruffalo had a friend to walk with then they could have discussed the fear of the mouse and the end of the story might have been very different. Everyone, from the youngest child to the oldest adult, experiences anxieties and fears at one time or another. Feeling anxious in a particularly uncomfortable situation never feels very good. However, with kids, such feelings are not only normal, they’re also necessary. Dealing with anxieties can prepare young people to handle the unsettling experiences and challenging situations of life. Many anxieties and fears are normal. Anxiety is defined as “apprehension without apparent cause.” It usually occurs when there’s no immediate threat to a person’s safety or well-being, but the threat feels real. Anxiety makes someone want to escape the situation — fast. The heart beats quickly, the body might begin to perspire, and “butterflies” in the stomach soon follow. However, having fears or anxieties about certain things can also be helpful because it makes children behave in a safe way. For example, a child with a fear of fire would avoid playing with matches. The nature of anxieties and fears change as children grow and develop: Babies experience stranger anxiety, clinging to parents when confronted by people they don’t recognize. Toddlers around 10 to 18 months old experience separation anxiety, becoming emotionally distressed when one or both parents leave. Kids ages 4 through 6 have anxiety about things that aren’t based in reality, such as fears of monsters and ghosts. Signs of anxiety Typical childhood fears change with age. They include fear of strangers, heights, darkness, animals, blood, insects, and being left alone. Children often learn to fear a specific object or situation after having an unpleasant experience, such as a dog bite or an accident. Separation anxiety is common when young children are starting school, whereas adolescents may experience anxiety related to social acceptance and academic achievement. If anxious feelings persist, they can take a toll on a child’s sense of well-being. Apart from the usual signs of becoming clingy or nervous and tummy aches, parents can usually tell when their child is feeling excessively uneasy about something. Lending a sympathetic ear is always helpful, and sometimes just talking about the fear can help a child move beyond it. What is a phobia? When anxieties and fears persist, problems can arise. As much as a parent hopes the child will grow out of it, sometimes the opposite occurs, and the cause of the anxiety looms larger and becomes more prevalent. The anxiety becomes a phobia, or a fear that’s extreme, severe, and persistent. A phobia can be very difficult to tolerate, both for kids and those around them, especially if the anxiety-producing stimulus (whatever is causing the anxiety) is hard to avoid (e.g., thunderstorms). “Real” phobias are one of the top reasons kids are referred to mental health professionals. But the good news is that unless the phobia hinders the everyday ability to function, the child sometimes won’t need treatment by a professional because, in time, the phobia will be resolved. Helping your child Parents can help kids develop the skills and confidence to overcome fears so that they don’t evolve into phobic reactions. To help your child deal with fears and anxieties: Recognize that the fear is real. As trivial as a fear may seem, it feels real to your child and it’s causing him or her to feel anxious and afraid. Being able to talk about fears helps — words often take some of the power out of the negative feeling. If you talk about it, it can become less powerful. Never belittle the fear as a way of forcing your child to overcome it. Saying, “Don’t be ridiculous! There are no monsters in your closet!” may get your child to go to bed, but it won’t make the fear go away. Don’t cater to fears, though. If your child doesn’t like dogs, don’t cross the street deliberately to avoid one. This will just reinforce that dogs should be feared and avoided. Provide support and gentle care as you approach the feared object or situation with your child. Teach them how to rate fear. A child who can visualize the intensity of the fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, may be able to “see” the fear as less intense than first imagined. Younger kids can think about how “full of fear” they are, with being full “up to my knees” as not so scared, “up to my stomach” as more frightened, and “up to my head” as truly petrified. Teach coping strategies. Try these easy-to-implement techniques. Using you as “home base,” your child can venture out toward the feared object, and then return to you for safety before venturing out again. Children also can learn some positive self-statements (such as “I can do this” and “I will be OK”) to say to themselves when feeling anxious. Relaxation techniques are helpful, including visualization (of floating on a cloud or lying on a beach, for example) and deep breathing (imagining that the lungs are balloons and letting them slowly deflate. So back

August 16, 2018

CAM Regolo

Let baby travel in style with the Cam Regolo Car Seat! CAM, Italian leaders in baby travel, are famous for their impeccable design and style, with matching technology to ensure only the best for your child, whether it be travel products, furniture or décor. The Cam Regolo Car Seat is approved for babies and children in the 9- 36kg weight category, which is approximately 9 months old to 12 years of age. This luxury car seat has various special features to ensure that your child travels safely and comfortably. It has anti-shock side impact protections for the head, a soft head hugger, a headrest adjustable in height with side protections, adjustable backrest in 5 positions as well as an easy mechanism to adjust the height of the harness. To ensure ultimate safety, it has a 5-point harness with padded non-slip harness protectors and crotch strap and an integrated belt guide. It can be fitted on the vehicle’s seat – always in a forward position – by using the standard 3-point safety belt provided in the car. Furthermore, the covers are removable and washable. An excellent higher-end investment that retails at approximately R5000 and can be found at Hamleys stores, www.cleverlittlemonkey.co.za, selected Kids Emporium stores, www.thebabyzone.co.za, www.takealot.com, www.loot.co.za and www.purplepepperz.com

August 16, 2018

Foppapedretti Dinamyk

Foppapedretti is one of Europe’s leading baby travel brands, having creatively and technically mastered the market with over 70 years of dedication to baby products under their belt. Trusted by moms around the globe, Foppa (as it’s affectionately know), is now a go-to name when it comes to child travel, not to mention their furniture and baby décor. The Dinamyk 9-36 car seat is approved for groups 1, 2 and 3 (children from 9 to 36 kg). The anatomic seat has the innovative side protection system SPS (Side Protection System) so that every child can travel safely and comfortably and available in a variety of colours. An incredibly stylish way to travel for your little one! A higher-end car seat, the Dinamyk Retails at approximately R4300.00 and is available at Hamleys stores, www.cleverlittlemonkey.co.za, selected Kids Emporium stores, www.thebabyzone.co.za, www.takealot.com, www.loot.co.za and www.purplepepperz.com

August 15, 2018

How much time does your child spend playing?

Play is an integral part of a child’s development. This is how they build relationships, learn to trust and explore their environment. Children do not need cupboards full of toys, they need your undivided attention. They need to know that they are more important than work or household chores. How do they learn this? It is very simple, through playing with you. So put away your laptop, put aside your phone and forget about those dirty dishes for 20 min a day and have fun with your child. In this time you will learn more about your child than you would spending 2 hours talking to them. I know, it is difficult. There is a lot of stress in your life and you have too much on your plate already, but the reward that you will receive will be well worth it. Not only will you build a healthy attachment with your child, this will last into adulthood. Start by setting an example today where family time means fun, no screen time. Thus, when our children are teenagers the same will happen. You might be a working parent or even be a mommy who spends all day with your kids but don’t know how to actively engage in play with them. Well, that is where Skidz comes in. The Skidz Clever Activity Boxes are age appropriate and contain over 100 activities each. All these activities are play based. The idea is to take the work out of it for you as the parent and to spend quality time with your child in active play, which translates into active learning. The box is great for working and stay at home parents alike, as it contains more than enough activities and games to do at home. The boxes are divided into the following age groups: 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, 18-24 months and 2-5 years. To get your box go to www.skidz.co.za or follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/skidzsa

August 10, 2018

Foppapedretti Babyroad 9-36

Foppapedretti is one of Europe’s leading baby travel brands, having creatively and technically mastered the market with over 70 years of dedication to baby products under their belt. Trusted by moms around the globe, Foppa (as it’s affectionately know), is now a go-to name when it comes to child travel, not to mention their furniture and baby décor. The Babyroad 9-36 is the perfect mid-price car seat and is approved for groups 1, 2 and 3 (from 9 to 36 kg). The anatomic seat has an adjustable headrest, removable and washable padded shoulder protection, adjustable 5-point seat belt and double-sided internal reducers for all the various colours available. The weight category of the Babyroad 9-36 makes it perfect for children from about 9 months old to approximately 12 years of age. The Babyroad 9-36 retails on average at R2300 and is available at Hamleys stores, www.cleverlittlemonkey.co.za, selected Kids Emporium stores, www.thebabyzone.co.za, www.takealot.com, www.loot.co.za and www.purplepepperz.com

August 3, 2018

10 Tips For Raising Creative Kids…

The word out of Silicone Valley is that none of us should be making goals beyond 3-5 years. Why? Because within that time frame around 80% of the jobs that we currently know will be obsolete. You heard me, obsolete. Technology and specifically robotics are progressing much faster than most of us realize and already there are robots taking over many of the jobs in the USA and abroad. So what on earth do they suggest that we do? And what is to become of our children, most of whom are still in a schooling system that trains them for the current market place? Their advice… raise creative kids. The few human careers left will revolve around creativity, and creativity is a skill that allows us to adapt no matter what the world throws at us. Now before you panic that your child is not the artistic type, creativity does not necessarily mean being an artist or designer (although those will be highly valued skills). Creativity is more around the way that you think about things and your ability to solve problems in a less than ordinary way. Science, for example, is a very creative field. So is mathematics. And all children are naturally creative in some way. Until we teach them how to follow the rules, do what everyone else is doing, fit in, and fear making mistakes. So here are some tips to help your children to maintain their natural creativity and to prepare them for a very very different world in the not too distant future! 1. Encourage failure. This would be my number one rule for raising creative kids. If you’re afraid to fail you will never try anything new or different. I suggest playing a dinnertime game where everyone in the family says one thing that they failed at that day and everyone else praises them for their courage to try, for their resilience in making it through and for their bravery in speaking up. We need our children to see that when they (or we) fail this does not make us “failures” – it makes us people who are willing to try. 2. Provide materials not instructions. The standard art lesson with young children is to provide them with very specific materials and then tell them exactly what they’re going to make with those materials today and how to do it. This is not art. This is imitation. For true creativity we need the opportunity to use the materials in a unique and novel way. Take, for example, South African artist, Diane Victor, who creates her artworks using smoke. Provide children with a variety of different materials and let them explore and discover these for themselves. 3. Allow for some rule breaking. Ok, I get it – if we all broke all the rules there would be mayhem. But, a little bit of anarchy can go a long way towards questioning the status quo and towards our progression as a species. We don’t like rule breaking in general, but where would we be without our Mandela’s and Gandhi’s of the world. We need to question authority, bend some rules, break out of some moral structures that were placed down by people in a different time and era where these things may have held some value. Children need to learn, through experience, which rules are worth keeping and which need to be torn to the ground. In a radically changing world they are going to need to be creative in their moral thinking to solve some of the bigger issues they will be faced with. For example, if you are programming a self-driving car, and the car comes into a situation where it needs to either kill the driver or a pedestrian, which should it choose? Which life has more value? When we buy the car do we need to sign that we agree that our car may decide to kill us? These are real questions being answered right now as these technologies develop. Rather than setting rigid rules for children, have discussions around what we need to do or not do to all get along and get our own needs met without violating those of somebody else. 4. Teach them to question everything. And everyone. It is an essential element of creativity not to believe everything that you hear, read or see. Teach children to cross reference facts, to investigate further if something doesn’t make sense, to ask more questions in general. A child should never think that just because something is written in a textbook or just because a teacher told them so that something is true. Questioning is the very basis of creative thinking. The questions that we ask help us to focus on and filter the world in different ways. 5. Never let your children say, “I can’t”. There are certain ways of thinking that shut down creativity. Statements like “I can’t” or “That’s impossible” tell our brains to stop working on the problem because there is no point in wasting energy on it. Redirect your children into saying, “How can I?” The minute we rephrase it as a question then our minds are hungry to find an answer. Suddenly multiple possibilities open up where before there were none. 6. Encourage your children to be unique. In order to maintain their creativity children need an opportunity to express themselves and their uniqueness in all areas of life. Allow and encourage your children to follow their passions (our natural creativity will lie in the area of our highest values), to dress how they like, to play with their food, to engage in unusual conversations, and to hold beliefs that are different from your own. Explore with your children why they like a particular song or fashion style or friend and to go beyond liking things (or not) just because somebody else does. 7. Find the extraordinary in the mundane. We tend to train our kids to always look for the

July 13, 2018

Making Sense of the World Around Us

There is no denying the importance of the sense of sight. Using our sight, we are able to learn through visually exploring objects and the world in which we live, and thereby gain an understanding of the relationships between people and objects. It is for this reason that parents should invest as much time as possible helping their children develop their visual sense. Visual skills are divided in to two main areas; first is our eye’s ability to see; Visual Acuity and second is the brains ability to process, integrate and interpret what the eyes are seeing; Visual Perception. A problem with either of these systems may result in your child having problems related to their visual sense. Visual acuity can be assessed by an Optometrist. Assessed difficulties may be as a result of underlying weakness of the muscles which control eye movements, resulting in jerky or restricted movements of the eye. As a result, these children often have difficulty manipulating objects in their hands and experience fine motor difficulties in tasks such as cutting and writing or may have a slow rate of work as they require additional time to gain the necessary visual information in order to complete a task. Visual Perceptual skills can be assessed by an Occupational Therapist. Visual Perception is a broad term, used to describe a number of different skills which include: Visual Discrimination Is the ability to identify differences and similarities between shapes, objects and patterns based on their individual characteristics and features. For example a square has four sides and four corners, while a triangle has three sides and three corners. Form constancy The ability to recognize and interpret the fact that a shape remains a shape, despite changes in the presentation of the shape. For example, a square is still a square based on a specific set of properties, irrelevant of the size, direction, orientation, colour or texture of the square. Figure Ground Perception The ability to screen out irrelevant visual material in order to concentrate on an important stimulus. This is necessary for a child at the back of the class who has to look across the whole classroom and concentrate only on what is being written on the board. Position in Space The ability to perceive an objects position in our environment in relation to our own bodies. Following instructions related to objects, such as standing next to an object, requires an understanding of how that object is orientated in space in relation to ourselves and requires good position in space skills. Spatial Relations The ability to perceive the position of two or more objects in relation to our own bodies and in relation to the objects. During gross motor activities a child will need to plan movements taking in to consideration the location of other objects in their environment. Visual Closure The ability to recognise and identify a shape or object without having to see the whole shape or object. This requires the child to visually ‘fill in the gaps’. Good visual closure skills will assist a child with reading and comprehending what is being read. Visual Memory The ability to remember what has been seen and to recall it immediately. This skill enables a child to remember what they have read, as it moves from short-term memory in to long-term memory. Visual Sequencing The ability to remember shapes and characters in a specific order. This is a vitally important skill for learning to spell. “It is clear that the development of Visual Perceptual skills is closely linked to cognitive development,” says Kelly Westerman, Occupational Therapist and Clamber Club Franchisee. “In younger children it is important that a child experiences visual perception through the movement of their bodies before they progress to 3D activities like blocks, shape sorters and puzzles and then on to pen and paper tasks which include writing, cutting and pasting.” Due to the fact that vision is so integrated in to everything that a child does, symptoms and impairments may be broad and varied. In younger children, problems associated with the visual sense may result in delayed milestones and can experience a delay in language development as they struggle to grasp relationships and associations between people and objects. There is no doubt that good visual acuity and visual perceptual skills are vital for the acquisition of skills and knowledge that are needed for academic success. It is therefore important that parents create opportunities for the development of these skills in the everyday lives of their little ones. If parents have any concern they should consult with their Doctors or Paediatricians. Occupational Therapist and founder of Clamber Club, Liz Senior, has put together a list of activities and games that can help your child develop their visual sense: Playing ‘I spy’ e.g.: something round, something smaller than the table or my book Ask your child to locate specific items on a page in a book Arranging objects from largest to smallest, and vice versus Draw simple shapes on paper and ask your child to redraw the shapes Covering half a picture of an object and asking your child what the object is Hide the peanut – Place the nut (or raisin) under one of three cups and move them around slowly. Have the child try pick the cup the peanut is under. If he picks the right cup, he gets to eat the prize underneath. Add more cups to make this more challenging (up to five cups) Object games – Place some everyday objects on a tray. Start with 4 objects and show them to the child for 5 seconds. Cover them and see how many he can recall. Add more objects as the child becomes more proficient with this. Try work up to 10 objects in total

July 13, 2018

Winter boredom busters for kids

Winter school holidays are just around the corner, and with it inevitably comes three weeks of your children sitting at home complaining that they are ‘bored’ and being unable to play outside because of the cooler temperatures (especially inland) . Bored children tend to bicker with their sibling or end up being mischievous. The winter chill is unfortunately unavoidable but the boredom that comes with it can be sidestepped completely. Before cabin fever hits your home, and you start counting down the hours until the start of third term, try one of our boredom buster activities – they are all not only kid but Blue Bird Aupair approved! Holiday Diary – Buy a note book and cover it and encourage your child to write in it every day. If your child is younger than 8, get them to draw pictures, paint or colour their days. They can get creative as they want and stick in photos, do check-lists of activities they want to do and draw pictures to remind them of the ‘winter holidays of 2018’. Gardening – Checkers’ mini gardens have given children (and their parents!) green fingers overnight. Use the holidays to get the children in the garden, planting, weeding and watering! It brings a new dimension to messy play. Make sock puppets by gluing wool on the top of an old sock and using a permanent marker and scraps of material to make eyes, nose and a mouth, then put on a puppet show. Have a tea party with the little ladies (and gentlemen) in your home. Encourage them to dress in their ‘Sunday best’ for the occasion. Don’t forget dust off the good cutlery and crockery! Visit the library. Municipal libraries are packed with books which will the entire family’s imagination FREE! Just take along your most up-to-date municipal bill, complete the forms and choose from a plethora of books (and DVD’s). Bake your favourite biscuit or cake recipe and let your child decorate their creation as they please. You supply sprinkles, icing and sweeties and let them do the rest. Make your own non-toxic play dough by mixing together half a cup of salt, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar, mix in a cup of boiling water and a few drops of food colouring. Board games. Dust off the old Monopoly or Snakes and Ladders set and revive the old-fashioned fun of playing a game that does not require a battery or TV screen. Or, try teaching your children the lost art of chess or backgammon! Remember, that young and enquiring minds need to be stimulated and engaged or boredom and the inevitable unruly behaviour will be sure to present itself. With a bit of imagination (and patience) winter holidays can not only be bearable but enjoyable for the entire family!

July 6, 2018

Why is reading to your child so important?

As parents, we know that reading a book to our child before bedtime is a good routine to put in place. We also know that after the ‘witching hour’ (feed, bath and bed), our energy levels aren’t at their highest. As a matter of fact, reading a story, sometimes three times in a row at your child’s insistence, is the last thing you want to do. So how important is it that you introduce the concept of reading to a child from a young age? Does it really make a difference in their development? Studies and research say yes. These studies show that early language and literary development start in the first three years of a child’s life. Now this isn’t to say that your toddler should be reading and writing words. This literary development comes in the form of your young child enjoying books being read to them, exploring pictures within those books and the bonding experienced when a parent spends the time reading to them. Reading to your child teaches them all kinds of vital skills. They learn how to physically handle the book and turn pages. It helps increase their concentration and memory. You will find your child pointing to the pictures as you read the words, showing that even at such a young age they have an understanding of the story and recognise different elements and characters. Read to them often enough, and you can even video them babbling along and pretending to read themselves. Still not convinced? Did you know that most children’s books contain 50 percent more unusual or rare words than children’s TV shows, or even college students’ conversations? Which means your child is growing their vocabulary each time you read them a new story. And the better your child’s vocabulary is by the time they reach school going-age, the better chance they have at exceeding in their academic life. Now that you know the importance of reading to your children, where should you start? There are many books out there to choose from. They need to be age appropriate, picture- filled and have a fun story line to follow. Buy books that are soft-covered and small in size – meaning that your tot will be able to handle them with ease.

July 6, 2018

CAM Volare Changing Station

CAM introduces the new Volare Changing Station – one of the most beautiful necessity items in your little one’s bath time routine. Designed with the character-based friends owl and bear, the changing station has two matching items available, namely the Idea Chair and the Campion High chair, but is sold and used separately as a bathroom or nursery item. With drop prevention system and a soft changing mat, a bathinette with two anatomic seats, the Volare Changing station makes baby’s bath time easy and convenient for parents. It comes with a storage compartment for sponges and soaps, a plug with a drainage pipe and a drawer to hold bottles. Ideal for even the smallest bathroom, the changing station also folds up for compact storage. The Volare Changing Statin is available now at Hamleys stores, selected Kids Emporium stores, Me Mom & Dad (Greenstone), www.takealot.com, www.loot.com, www.thebabyzone.co.za& www.purplepepperz.com

July 6, 2018

To Answer or Not To Answer? That Is The Question.

When I first had kids I thought it was important to answer them when they asked a question. So when they hit the “why?” stage (and mine were close together so they were both doing it at the same time) I was answering upward of 50 questions every hour almost every hour of the day. One day as we were going for a walk they asked me why all the dogs in the neighbourhood barked as we went past. I told them that the dogs are protecting their property and think we might be burglars. To which my 3 year old replied, “You’re not a burglar you’re the answer lady!” I liked being the answer lady until they started asking questions I didn’t have answers for. From around 4 they started to ask about what happens after we die and can everything get sucked into a black hole and what is our purpose and how did the universe begin and other such perplexing inquiries.I don’t have all the answers. None of us do. We are not encyclopedias or the Internet or philosophical sages. I realized that by providing the answers I’d been robbing them of the opportunity it to have wonder at the world: To ponder and contemplate and question and be in awe. One of the most marvelous things about life is the mystery that it holds which comes in all the unanswered questions. It’s like the hugest puzzle we’ve ever attempted and we’ll be lucky in our lifetime to place one piece correctly and get a sense of how it contributes to the bigger picture. Children approach the world with this incredible awe and by answering all their questions we take away some of the mystery. We teach them to assume that there is an answer and an explanation for everything and that nothing is particularly magical. We take away some of the excitement of trying to figure out what’s going on for ourselves. So now what I do when they ask me a question, is that I throw it back at them with an… “Aah. That is an interesting question. In fact philosophers like you, throughout time, have been pondering that same thing. I’d love to know what you think about that.” Or if it’s a more factual question I suggest ways they might find out the answer themselves. Or I encourage them to think about it or set up an experiment to test their hypothesis. Or I suggest someone we know who is an expert in that field that they might be able to consult if they want to delve deeper. I’m always open to having a discussion on something they’re exploring, but instead of being the answer lady I prefer now to be the “with you in the wondering lady”. It has helped me to grow as a person to not expect every question to have an answer: To know that some things are beyond my grasp right now and some things will be forever outside of my realm of understanding. The world is a little more alive when we look at it through the eyes of a child and ask “why?” without necessarily expecting an answer. “Why?” shows a fascination with this very extraordinary place that we call home. As much as your children are genuinely trying to understand the world and may even need a concrete answer sometimes, it is important for us to acknowledge and value the questioning as much (or more so) than the answer.

July 6, 2018

The importance of physical activity in the younger child’s development

In today’s sedentary modern lifestyle, pre-schoolers, toddlers and even infants are spending far more time on electronic devices or watching television than ever before. This means less time being physically active at an age when physical activity is vital for the development of the sensory motor and perceptual skills that are essential for learning. The trap of technology Increasing screen time has been linked with delays in cognitive, language and motor development, as well as attention problems in young children. It is therefore very important to limit the amount of time your little one spends on screens and should not exceed an hour per day. To make it seem to your child that he’s watching more — and to keep his little brain from going on autopilot as he watches — break up viewing into 10- to 15-minute increments. Rather, children’s time should be spent engaging in physical activities that boost their development both physically and psychologically. How much physical activity does a young child need? Nicole Hillburn, Paediatric Physiotherapist and Clamber Club Expert says that recent guidelines indicate that infants and toddlers need 180 minutes of physical activity (of any intensity) per day, and children from the age of five need at least an hour of vigorous physical activity every day. “Children of all ages also need to engage in activities, such as climbing playground equipment, which increase their physical strength on a weekly basis,” says Hillburn. What are the long-term benefits of physical activity? “On the emotional and psychological side, active children tend to have lower anxiety levels and improved mood and self-esteem compared to inactive children,” says Liz Senior, Occupational Therapist and Founder of Clamber Club. “Children who are more physically active are also likely to perform better in the classroom due to the impact exercise has on attention, concentration span and physical strength,” she adds. Specifically, the health benefits of physical activity include the development of healthy musculoskeletal tissues, cardiovascular system and neuromuscular awareness, not to mention maintenance of a healthy body weight. How can we keep young children active? The good news is that there are a variety of ways to keep young children engaged in physical activity. Implementing just a few changes in your child’s day can help increase their activity levels – and it can also be a lot of fun! Here are some age-appropriate ideas: Vigorous activity for toddlers: Riding bikes Jumping on a trampoline Dancing Learning to kick a ball Chasing bubbles Vigorous activity for pre-schoolers: Jumping on a trampoline Riding bikes Running races outside Playing with a ball Dancing Playing soccer Moderate activity for toddlers and pre-schoolers: Action songs Water or sand play where there is some movement involved Scavenger hunt in the garden Walking around the shops Strengthening activities are also very important for all ages. These include activities like monkey bars, climbing ladders, fireman’s poles, cargo nets, ring swings etc. You may not have this kind of equipment at home, but Clamber Clubs around the country have specially-designed equipment that enable children to learn through moving their bodies. Get involved in your child’s development Interestingly enough, children with active parents have been shown to have higher levels of physical activity. At Clamber Club, children and parents have an opportunity to be active together, using their imaginations, experiencing the joy of movement and having fun.

July 6, 2018

A balancing act: Developing your child’s vestibular system

The vestibular system is found in the inner ear and responds to head movement and gravity. It connects and organises all other sensory input, contributing to a child’s sense of balance and spatial orientation. Difficulties with vestibular processing and regulation can disrupt everything from gross motor co-ordination and learning to mood and behaviour. Impact on your child’s development The vestibular system works closely with all the other sensory systems to organise and process incoming information about gravity and movement. If you bend down suddenly when holding a new-born, you will notice the baby startle and their arms reach out as if to stop themselves from falling (protective extension). This shows the baby’s developing vestibular system in relation to gravity and space. “One of the most basic of all human relationships is our relationship to the gravitational field of the earth. This relationship is far more primal than the mother-child relationship. Sensory integration of the vestibular system gives us `gravitational security’ – the trust that we are firmly connected to the earth, and will always have a safe place to stand. Children with vestibular processing difficulties do not feel grounded or safe,” says Nicole Katzenellenbogen, Occupational Therapist and Clamber Club Franchisee Trainer. The vestibular system also sends signals to the neural structures that control eye movements, and helps us to understand if we are moving or if an object is moving. “When a child receives correct information from the vestibular, proprioceptive and tactile systems, they are able to feel and understand how their bodies are moving and working without their vision,” says Liz Senior, Occupational Therapist and Founder of Clamber Club. “This also allows for fluid bilateral integration to develop – the ability to use both sides of the body together in a smooth and co-ordinated manner,” she explains. This is necessary for gross motor skills such as hopping and skipping, and for functional skills such as tying shoelaces and cutting. The role of balance “We often take the skill of balance for granted,” says Katzenellenbogen. “Being able to balance is not only about standing on one leg, it is also about carrying a bag and walking at the same time. Balance is dependent on an adequately functioning vestibular system as the sense of movement and gravity is what keeps us upright and helps us understand our relationship to space.” Balance is also dependent on appropriate proprioceptive feedback – our unconscious awareness of our body parts in relation to each other and the environment. Vestibular and proprioceptive impulses also interact to warn the brain of possible injury to the body when it is about to fall. Activities to develop your child’s vestibular system Balance is an important aspect of a child’s development and can be improved by stimulating the vestibular and proprioceptive systems, as well as improving postural control. For babies Vestibular activities: Sitting on a lap and gently bouncing Bouncing on a therapy ball Aeroplane on your legs Swinging in a blanket held by two adults Proprioceptive activities: Massage Tummy time Have baby lie on your legs facing you with her feet on your tummy. Let her kick her hands and push against your body Postural activities: Rolling from tummy to back Teaching baby to reach for her toes Tummy time For toddlers Vestibular activities: Dancing around the room, twirling and spinning Sitting on a lap and playing Horsie-Horsie Swinging in a swing or hammock Proprioceptive activities: Crawling through and over various surfaces Pulling and pushing heavy items Create a crash pad for your child to jump and crash on to For pre-schoolers Vestibular activities: Spinning and running around in circles Holding arms and spinning Swinging in a swing or hammock Merry-go-rounds Proprioceptive activities: Pulling and pushing heavy items Climbing and crawling over various surfaces. Tug of war, wrestling Postural activities: Jungle gyms and free outdoor play Swimming Balance beams

July 6, 2018

10 Tips for Cultivating Green Munchkins

Home is where the ‘hearth’ is Global temperatures are on the rise and when it comes to raising nature-loving children, the home is always the best place to start. The first and most important step in cultivating ‘greener’ habits at home is to practise what you preach. Luckily you don’t have to be an experienced ‘greenie’ to this. Yes, being kind on nature can be as simple as being mindful of the products that you buy and showing your children how to appreciate the natural world around them. Replacing existing habits with healthier ones require time and patience so here are a few simple family activities to get you started during the holidays. And if going green seems like a daunting task, you’ll be happy to know that these activities are kind on nature and kind on parents. #1 De-clutter and donate: The winter holidays are the perfect time to de-clutter and reorganise clothing cupboards so why not involve the whole family? Create a pile of unwanted clothing items and donate it to some local charities. Certain clothing items can take hundreds of years to biodegrade and by donating them you are teaching your children how to give back to the planet and to those who are less fortunate. #2 Upcycle and get crafting: During the winter months, children spend more time indoors. Crafting with upcycled items is a fun and creative activity that teaches your children about sustainability. If you are not already in the habit of recycling, simply add additional bins to your refuse area and label them accordingly. Here are three easy upcycle crafting ideas: 1) Egg containers. Empty egg containers can be used as disposable painting pallets in water-restricted areas. By using them as pallets you are saving water and giving them an additional purpose before they go in the recycle bin. 2) Toilet and paper towel rolls. Toilet rolls are great items to use for making home-made rain sticks. Simply cover the bottom, insert some dry rice, cover the top and paint fun patterns on it. 3) Bottle-tops. These can be used as fantasy food items and/or in craft projects. Why not use them to make a necklace or combine it with a toilet roll to make a motorcar? #4 Get outdoors: The simple activity of being outside have both physical and emotional benefits for your children so make the most of those sunny winter days. By interacting with the outside world your children are getting a first-hand experience of what it is that they are protecting. Make your children aware of their natural surroundings by pointing out bird nests or give them a looking glass through which they can observe bugs. #5 Grow a herb garden: Growing a small herb garden will give your child a sense of ownership and responsibility while teaching them about food production and the natural resources that it requires. Herbs are often packaged in plastic containers and growing your own herb garden will save you money while saving the planet. 6# Eat more greens: One way of being kind to the earth is by getting your kids to eat healthier foods. Here is a great article to get you started! 7# Collect shells and plastic: If you are spending some time near a beach this holiday a simple beach stroll can be a great opportunity to have fun as a family while collecting plastic and shells. 8# Visit educational centres: If you want to get out of the house this holiday try visiting some local environmental centres, or parks. Plan a family trip to the Two Oceans Aquarium, Monkey World or Reptile Park. These centres often have interactive exhibitions on display, providing a fun opportunity for children to learn about the environment. 9# Plant a tree: Tree planting will never go out of fashion and it is a great way to teach your children how to leave a ‘greener’ legacy for future generations. 10# Empower and encourage: When it comes to discussing climate change with your children, it’s best to introduce the topic in a way that is positive, solution-driven and age-appropriate. Children need to feel empowered in the area of environmental protection and it is important that they believe that they’re efforts can make a difference. One small step – one giant leap! The simplest way to introduce new habits is to start small and it’s best to avoid those lofty ideals of transforming your home into an eco-friendly oasis overnight. If every family were to make a few ‘greener’ lifestyle changes, we will be one step closer to helping our planet.

July 6, 2018

Child drowning – a leading cause of childhood death that is entirely preventable

Drowning remains one of the top causes of unnatural childhood death in South Africa and for every child that dies from drowning, five are left with permanent brain damage from the lack of oxygen that occurs in a near-drowning. Manufacturer of the leading child safety pool cover in SA, PowerPlastics Pool Covers, is on a drive to remind parents that drownings are entirely preventable with multiple layers of safety applied to the pool. The PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover and adult supervision at all times should be included in these layers of safety at all times. The PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover offers parental peace of mind as it completely seals off the entire pool. The PVC cover is drawn over strong aluminium batons that rest on the coping, and a tamperproof ratchet fastening system makes it impossible for a small child to access the water. Small drainage holes prevent rain or sprinkler water from collecting on the cover as just a few millimetres of water can be fatal to a curious child. The cover withstands up to 220kg and is easily deployed by two people, or it can be semi-automated for single person usage. “For years we have been educators in pool safety for children and, with our solid safety cover, parents not only get peace of mind, the cover also allows significant savings on water, power and chemicals, unlike alternatives such as nets and fences which still leave the water exposed,” says Carolyn Idas of PowerPlastics Pool Covers. “But a cover only saves lives if it is actually on the pool. Being lazy about re-securing a pool after use is surprisingly common. For this reason, we developed our safety cover so that it is hassle-free and does not require brute force. Next time you ‘can’t be bothered’, consider the alternative which could be a drowning due to negligence.” The PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover is available in a range of colours, allowing it to blend into the outdoor area, or it can be custom printed with photos and graphics for a unique 3D effect. Thermal pool covers or ‘bubble’ covers that lie directly on the water should never be considered as child safety pool covers as they do not bear weight. These covers heat the pool and save water by stopping evaporation but their purpose does not include child safety. “As part of our education in the community, we launched TopStep, the home of pool safety, an educational website with tips and advice on preventing drownings. Aside from covering the pool, every adult in the home needs to know what a drowning in progress actually looks like as TV has created wide misconceptions around this. There is no noise or splashing nor calls for help. Drowning is quick and silent. Visit www.topstep.co.za to learn more about this.” Even if one doesn’t have children, it is still necessary to consider safety for visitors. Families living in residential complexes with a communal pool should insist that their body corporate install a safety pool cover. “The bottom line is that children need to be supervised around pools, and as long as the pool is covered by us and other layers of safety are in place, the likelihood of a tragedy occurring in your pool is greatly reduced.” Learn about the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover here or email info@powerplastics.co.za Practical tips for pool safety Don’t let your pool’s water levels drop. Keeping the pool topped up allows for small arms to easily grab the edge if needed. For every two children in the pool, have one adult supervising. The more children, the more supervisors needed. Be aware that children’s pool parties are high risk events. For larger groups, give the designated supervisor a bright hat to wear so the children know who to call for help. Turn off fountains and water features. Not only do they waste water and power, they can cause ripples and splashing, making it harder to see when a child has encountered difficulty in the pool or has sunk to the bottom. Ensure that every adult in the home knows CPR, including domestic workers. Never hire a baby sitter or au pair who can’t swim. Don’t let anyone who has been drinking or on sedative medication supervise children in a pool. Don’t leave toys in or near an open pool as children will be tempted to retrieve them. Teach your child to swim fully clothed and with shoes on. If your child develops a fear of water, don’t ignore this – a child who panics is at greater risk of drowning. Never allow swimming after dark. Discourage your dogs from swimming. Children and pets in a pool are not a good mix. Never leave the pool without securing it with your PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover. Never design / build a pool that cannot be secured for child safety. Drowning myths Television has a lot to answer for when it comes to how drowning is portrayed and there are many myths out there. Be aware of the signs and remember that the appearance of a drowning can vary widely. Myth #1: Drowning children will shout for help Drowning children are physiologically unable to call out. The respiratory system is designed for breathing – speech is the secondary function. Drowning children’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface but while their mouth is above the surface, they need to exhale and inhale before they sink again. There is not enough time to cry out. Myth #2: Drowning children wave their arms to attract attention or will thrash in the water Drowning children cannot wave for help. A person who is drowning cannot perform voluntary movements such as waving or moving towards a rescuer. Envisage the surface of the water as a platform. Someone who is drowning often presses down on the surface and tries to use it as leverage to get their mouth above the water’s surface to breathe. So what the onlooker sees are arm movements that can appear

July 6, 2018

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