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What parents needs to know about play and why it’s important
How play promotes healthy child development has been well researched. However, play is so hard to define! There are lots of different types of play and like other areas of development, it develops in stages. Play is so important for the development of lots of real-life skills. It is crucial for parents to know about play and understand why it’s so important for kids. Play can be as simple as an adult playing a tickling game or peek-a-boo with a baby. On the other end of the scale, play could involve a group of children organizing a pretend situation where each takes a role. They might solve imaginary problems together,…
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11 Powerful Kids’ Books for Teaching a Growth Mindset
Have you heard the terms ‘fixed‘ vs ‘growth‘ mindset? I found this topic life-changing when I looked into it! It challenged me to evaluate and work on my own mindset. In this post, I’ll share what exactly a growth mindset is, why it’s so important for kids, and 11 powerful kids’ books for teaching a growth mindset to your children. These terms are used by Dr. Carol Dweck in her book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. This is an absolutely fantastic book that everybody should own! So what exactly is a ‘growth’ or ‘fixed’ mindset? She explains a ‘FIXED MINDSET‘ to be a mindset where one believes…
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11 Incredible Children’s Books That Teach Positive Behavior
Books are such an amazing resource for parents! I’ve compiled a list of 11 incredible children’s books that will support you to teach your child positive behaviour. So why use books with children to teach positive behavior? Children’s Books Can Support Children to Learn Positive Behaviour Books are such a smart tool to use for teaching kids because of the gentle way they can approach a topic. Your child can identify with the character in the book, and learn along with them. Books are interesting, engaging, and a great way to teach your child indirectly. Learning through a story is much less pressure for kids. So much interesting than listening…
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How to Use Sticker Charts Successfully to Motivate Your Child
The sticker war has been raging for quite some time and sticker charts have fallen under heavy criticism. I’ll show you how you can use sticker charts successfully to teach a whole range of behaviours and habits. Like any tool in our parenting toolkit, they’re not an instant fix; they need to be implemented with a plan- but hey, that’s what intentional parenting is, right? I strongly believe that when you set up sticker charts successfully, they’re effective! There are a lot of valid fears as to why sticker charts at best might be a waste of time and, at worst, be actually damaging to your child’s behaviour. …
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9 Smart Strategies for Dealing With Tantrums in Toddlers
Temper tantrums are one of the biggest challenges that parenting has to offer. Both blood pressure and stress levels skyrocket in response to a screaming child. It’s incredibly difficult to know how best to handle tantrums from a 2-3 year old! Until you understand the reason, and have some practical strategies for dealing with tantrums in toddlers, you might even feel like it’s your parenting skills that are to blame. This is not the case! Tantrums are part of a toddlers normal development. If you have a 2-3 year old, it’s something you will see! They can happen for a whole range of reasons. Your toddler might have a temper…
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3 Key Strategies for Dealing with Tantrums in School Aged Kids
Dealing with temper tantrums in school aged kids is something that can be so challenging- often because it’s unexpected! We might expect to have to deal with tantrums from a toddler, but we kind of hope kids grow out of it by the time they hit school! In many cases, this just isn’t what happens. Temper tantrums are not uncommon in school aged kids. It’s difficult because we want our kids to be able to rationalise, talk it through, and show a little more control. There’s no hard and fast age that a child will stop having tantrums. However, as parents, we need to adapt and change how we respond.…
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How to Establish a Bedtime Routine for Toddlers and Get ‘YOU’ Time!
Learn how to establish a bedtime routine for toddlers so your toddler gets the rest they need and you get the child-free time and rest that you need. Bedtime… a beautiful parent-child moment when you tuck your kids into bed, murmur a soft, “goodnight” and then close the door to enjoy some much needed quality time with your spouse, your own ‘you time’ and most importantly, your own much-needed sleep! But unfortunately, this is very often far from reality! Does your toddler dawdle at bedtime or simply refuse to go to bed? Maybe they get into bed but then get upset and cry. It could be that they get to…
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How to Praise Your Child So They Succeed in Life
Knowing how to praise your child sounds simple. Just tell them what they’re good at, right? But what if I told you that research shows us that certain types of praise leads to success much more than others. But isn’t all praise the same? Not exactly! Most parents want their child to have great self-esteem and to have a strong sense of self-worth. Parents want their kids to be confident in their abilities and to know their incredible potential in the world. We want our kids to live fearlessly in pursuing their dreams, and not be afraid to make big choices and to take smart risks in learning, relationships and…
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11 Awesome Books To Make Teaching Kids About Emotions a Breeze
Teaching kids about emotions is one of the most important jobs that parents have. But it’s also one of the most difficult! We all experience strong emotions, and toddlers are no exception. However, toddlers can struggle to understand big emotions, and can very easily become overwhelmed. This often leads to frustration, anxiety, stress and even challenging behavior. The difficulty is this- emotions are abstract! They’re invisible. We can’t see or touch them, and they can be incredibly complex. This makes them a difficult topic to teach. Emotions have a physical impact on us- they make us feel ‘funny’ or strange. They can even give the sense of a loss of…
