Towards Toddling: Activities for 6-12 Months This is a very exciting time in your infant’s development. At six months s/he may show the first signs of dragging himself/herself forward. S/he can grasp and pull things and even transfer objects from one hand to another. S/he can respond to your tone of voice, and even babble,...

“Mummy, are you proud of me?” My seven-year-old son was swinging a gold medal he had just won for his school sports day in front of my face, when he suddenly paused and frowned, before posing this question. I felt a slight pang of guilt (was I not looking pleased enough?). “I’m certainly very proud...

Learning to share and take turns while playing can be challenging for young children – especially those under six – but it is a vital skill that they need to pick up during the early years. If they can master it properly, they will acquire something invaluable for their social development. As a parent, you...

Tired mum or not, mothers tend to bear the enormous responsibility of being the centre of their children’s worlds. It’s no surprise that between scraped knees, story time, rushed sips of coffee, meal prep, nappies, play dates, bottles, more nappies and everything in between we often forget to stop… and take a breath. As it...

From the day your child was born, you have envisioned a bright future for him/her – one filled with huge dreams and potential that serves as an inspiration for those whom he/she is bound to meet in life. So, what can you do to ensure that your little one makes that fearless spirit and the confidence...

Language Strategies for Parents The more elaborate our means of communication, the lest we communicate. – Joseph Priestley As a parent, you might, once or twice, have found yourself making a comment – something like this: My child never seems to do what I ask! He always seems to do the very thing I ask...

Reading is an essential skill that should be cultivated young, as almost every aspect of life requires reading in some form. Not only are reading programmes beneficial for kids who are less enthusiastic about picking up a book, they also help more advanced readers expand their comprehension level. However, with the variety of reading programmes...

Memorising words is a natural part of the reading journey, especially for pre-readers and early readers. However, if your kindergartener is relying solely on memorisation when reading, that can be a red flag suggesting that he or she needs more practice with sounding out unfamiliar words and understanding them in context. Research shows that reading...

Giggles that Make the ‘Grey Matter’ Grow! Everybody loves to laugh – it is, without question, one of the great gifts that life has to offer us, in an often-much-too-serious world. There is, however, a good deal of unnecessary disagreement about when laughter is appropriate and when it isn’t – even for young children. Laughter generally has the...