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How to help your child cope with change
If you are wondering how to help your child cope with change, you are not alone. When adults face a shake-up of their circumstances, we often struggle. For children, it can be even harder. Why do children find change difficult? Before we examine how to help children cope with change, it is worth exploring why children find change so difficult. Children, like adults, like stability. They thrive on routines and predictability. The things that they know offer a sense of safety and familiarity. When adults face change, we do so with a greater level of understanding. We know what will be the same and what may be different. There will…
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The importance of play for your toddler: A whole new world
The importance of play for your toddler may not be highlighted when we talk about their fundamental needs. Food, love, and shelter are things that our children need to survive. However, you probably want more than survival for your children. You likely want them to thrive. Play can be an important part of helping them learn and develop. Why is play important for toddlers? Children enter a world that is big and mysterious to them. Play is the way that they explore their surroundings and learn how to interact with others. It also helps them to learn about themselves, their capabilities, limitations and potential. From when they are babies, our…
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The benefits of risk-taking for children
The benefits of risk-taking for children can be lost. Instead, you may feel the very real necessity to keep your children safe. Keeping your child safe and well is, of course, your number one priority. We all have the ominous “what if” hanging over our heads. With the rise of social media, you may feel even more scared. Your home page may be full of horror stories and worst case scenarios. So, why talk about the benefits of risk-taking for children? Taking risks does not mean acting dangerously Before we go any further, let us clarify. Risk-taking is not the same as dangerous behaviour. Of course, dangerous behaviour is an…
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Developing your child’s self-esteem: Who do they think they are?
Is developing your child’s self-esteem something that you can do as a parent, or will their self-image manifest on its own, without your influence? Research suggests that parents do in fact play a big role in the development of a child’s self-esteem. As children are developing an idea of who they are, the way that we see them and react to them becomes an integral component of the image they begin to form of themselves. What is self-esteem Let’s start by clarifying what we mean when we talk about self-esteem. The definition of self-esteem can sometimes vary. At times, it is used to describe the way a person views themself.…
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How to help you child against peer pressure
Like many parents, you likely want to help your child stand up against peer pressure. You want them to know what is right and what is wrong. You hope that when they are away from you, even if everyone around them is making a poor choice, they will be smart, safe and kind. Unfortunately, children, like adults, want to fit in. The need to belong is an innate one, and it is strong. They will be surrounded by other children. Children who like them are trying to work out who they are in a world that feels big and confusing. What age does peer pressure start? If you want to…
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The Importance of Talking to Your Baby
The importance of talking to your baby should not be overlooked. Although they are unable to chat back, taking time to speak to them throughout the day can be beneficial. The importance of talking to your baby in the womb It may feel silly talking to your baby whilst they are still in utero. In fact, the importance of talking to your baby in the womb has been highlighted by research into prenatal language development. Studies have shown that from about 16 weeks, a baby begins to hear the world outside their mother’s womb. By 24 weeks, they will respond to their mother’s voice. This means they can identify their…
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Is Positivity Actually Powerful?
The power of positivity is a well-worn phrase, but is positivity powerful? Is it something that you should teach your children, or just the latest fad, traded on by self-help gurus and personal improvement books? Some think that by merely believing hard enough in something good, you can make it happen. Or some don’t think bad things will happen to them. The former are unlikely to take action, as they see their faith as enough. The latter is unlikely to take precautions. In opposition, there are those who think that things are what they will be, and there is very little that you can do to change them. A lot…
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The Joy of Parenting- Finding the Sunshine in the Storm
The joy of parenting is difficult to speak about without at least a little sarcasm. Blow out diapers on the way out the door, meltdowns in supermarkets, and a constant sense of self-doubt and guilt as you try to love and raise your little ball of crazy. Who could miss the joy, right? Parenting is hard. It is messy, frustrating, and sometimes both physically and emotionally draining. Of course, there are good moments, not only when the children finally nap. Watching your little one grow and explore the world, and standing by them as they learn who they are, is incredible. Often, however, the moments of joy are lost in…
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What parenting style is best for your child?
What parenting style is best for your child is something that many people will differ on. A few decades ago, many believed that the only proper way to parent a child was to instil unquestioning obedience via punishments and spanking if needed. Since those days, the norm has changed. Now, society sees spanking as abusive and unkind. In some cases, however, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. It is not uncommon in our current times to find households where parents give the children free rein. Some little ones are allowed to do what they want when they want it. Despite the controversy, what parenting style is best for…
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Is peaceful parenting passive?
The difference between peaceful and passive parenting is often blurred. This hazy line means peaceful parenting has become associated with parents watching with besotted smiles as their little whirlwind whips around, creating unchecked havoc. The truth is that peaceful parenting does not mean being passive and waiting for inappropriate behaviour to correct itself. It also does not mean allowing your child’s whims to rule the family. Peaceful parenting is active and engaged. Peaceful parenting is not always Peaceful As a peaceful parent, you will try to bring peace to situations. Your child will sometimes bring the storm as they battle against rules and expectations. The temptation may be to avoid…
