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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
You may see this skill referred to as eye-hand coordination. It’s the control and movement of the eyes and hands that guide our reaching and grasping movements. It uses the proprioceptive system in the hand and/or legs and visual system to coordinate these movements. Read more in this blog for awesome activities that will help your children master this skill.
Have you ever stopped to think about why we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays? It’s not “just” a festive thing to do, it’s a way to stop, cherish and reaffirm the things we value in our lives.
Looking for a fun and easy activity to get the kids moving? Do you have a sensory seeking child? In this blog we explore some fun body awareness activities with footprint fun games. Enjoy.
What is creativity and why do we need it?
Much of creativity does not necessarily have to do with the arts. Activities in our everyday lives provide us with numerous opportunities for problem solving, lateral thinking and widening our thought patterns,” comments Liz Senior, Occupational Therapist and Founder of Clamber Club. “While creativity is a skill that should be nurtured from a very young age, it is something that we continue to develop throughout our lives,” she adds.
Repetition is a necessary building block that allows children to form neural pathways and to strengthen connections in the brain that will help them learn. Repetition in early childhood learning is one of the most important fundamentals in child development.
Hand strength is an important area of development. Kids who struggle with hand strength may have difficulty with grasping a pencil, colouring, holding, using scissors, attaching a seatbelt, squeezing a glue bottle, opening, and managing food containers or tying their shoes. However, there are tons of creative and playful activities for kids that can target hand muscle strength. We explore one of our favourite activities in this blog. Try it with your little ones…we promise that they’ll have heaps of fun!
Helping children stay physically active is essential to promoting healthy habits that last a lifetime. When you make physical activity fun, kids are likely to participate. In this blog we look at...
A strong core serves as the foundation for a wide range of physical activities, including crawling, running, and jumping, among many others. In this blog we explore x10 core exercises using a gym ball.