As parents, we all want the best for our little bundles of joy. From their first giggle to their first steps, we cheer them on every step of the way. So, let’s dive into the amazing world of bilateral integration and learn some proven strategies to boost your toddler or baby’s development!
Did you know that your child possesses an extraordinary talent for synchronising both sides of their body? This incredible skill, known as bilateral integration, plays a vital role in their early development.
Get ready for some exciting and engaging activities that will not only keep your kids entertained but will also help them develop bilateral integration skills and improve their coordination!
Whether it’s your children’s first attempt to crawl, their triumphant first steps, or the playful use of both hands during playtime, bilateral integration stands at the core of your child’s developmental journey.
Every child has their own unique way of viewing and interacting with the world. This includes individualised responses to sensory information, especially when it comes to their sense of balance. Daily household activities provide vestibular, balance, or movement input, to help children organise their nervous system and feel empowered along the way.
When it comes to balance, we know it’s a game-changer for our children. On the flip side, however, kids with a poor sense of balance may either need to move constantly to feel satisfied, or they may be fearful of movement because it makes them feel insecure and unbalanced.
Most children develop a strong sense of balance simply through engaging in everyday play activities that allow for exploration and movement.
The development of balance happens in a place called the vestibular system. Think of this system as your child’s very own GPS, it keeps them balanced and in tune as they move, learn, and grow. It ensures that your kids can spin, swing, and slide without turning into dizzy little tornados.
From an early age, a child’s search for independence is energised by the desire to make things happen and to feel capable and competent. A young child’s opinion about their capabilities is, to a large extent, based on their environment provided, and on their parent’s and caregiver’s responses. In the context of lifelong learning, self-regulated learning is an important competence.
Encouraging children to be physically active has always been a daunting task if they decide to dig their heels in, cross their arms and refuse to take part. But what new challenges does this strange new world pose? How can you manage them and how can you ensure that they remain active without the need for constant encouragement?
We estimate that Colic affects 15 to 25 percent of families. I use the word families on purpose here because the effects of colic are not just limited to the baby; everybody in that household (be it mom, dad, or siblings) are, to some degree affected by the change in the family dynamic when an inconsolable baby is dropped into the mix.
Everyone knows how important a diverse set of experiences that stimulates all five of our senses is for development. We encourage children to touch, taste, listen, look, and smell all of the things in our environment. These tactile senses are critical to our development allow us to explore and make sense of the world. But have you ever thought about your other senses?
The ones that help you move, keep you upright and let you know where your limbs are? In this blog we explore the proprioceptive system that makes it possible for us to be aware of our own movements and to perceive the location of our body parts in space without a visual reference to them.
Tearing is a great workout for little fingers and one that is important for building fine motor skills in early childhood. Here are some awesome paper tearing activity ideas that are simple and require little or no preparation.
While it may start with your toddler gleefully ripping through your toilet rolls and tearing out pages of their books (much to your frustration), tearing paper should actually be encouraged.
Night terrors can be scary but are rarely something of concern. Implementing better sleep routines and ensuring your child gets rest that is needed, which is a solid 11 to 12 hours of sleep, can improve their sleep quality and lesson the occurrence of night terrors.
What’s not to love about getting to spend a large portion of the day with your friends, laughing and running around celebrating life! As a parent, however, planning and hosting your child’s birthday party can feel like an epic responsibility, even if you are as excited as they are.
As adults, we have learned through the years that the box is merely the packaging for something more exciting, something more than the box. To a child, that box is everything they have ever wanted. It is a blank canvas, limited only by their imagination and time.
Self-regulation is the ability for us to manage our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Instead of becoming overwhelmed and reactive, we seat ourselves in awareness of our experiences and make choices around how we wish to respond. This is particularly important in early childhood as our infants, toddlers and pre-schoolers are largely dependent on caregivers to regulate.
But, the past century has drastically changed the concept of community, no matter if you live in a rural area, a suburban neighbourhood, or an urban metropolis. Families no longer co-habit as intergenerationally as they once did, especially as the appeal of the nuclear family began to increase.
Add to that the fact that extended families often fracture and live further and further apart. We are so caught up in the reality of constant “busy-ness” that we don’t even take time to get to know our neighbours.