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?
Well-cared-for children are shown to be more emotionally intelligent and socially successful as adults.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Proprioception refers to the body’s ability to sense its position, movement, and actions in space. This sensory information is derived from receptors located in muscles, tendons, and joints, providing the brain with feedback about the body’s internal state.
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.
Children notice colours at a very young age. Parents, teachers, and caregivers can, therefore, start teaching the concept of colours by the time their little ones turn 18 months old. Babies as...
As early childhood educators and parents, we are always looking for ways to stimulate and engage our toddlers in age-appropriate and active learning. Loose parts play is a wonderful ideology that...
From around 14 months of age, you will notice that your toddler is starting to imitate roles that they see play out in your home. For example, while you are feeding them, they also want a spoon and...
Most toddlers don’t start potty training until after the age of 2. At the age of 2 often toddlers have an understanding to hold their bladder and show they need to use the bathroom. Some toddlers...
A Definition of Balance: an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady. These days we are so busy having to juggle work, running a business, creating a...
Does your toddler or preschooler have some puzzles lying around that he occasionally plays with? How often do you try to sit with him and encourage him to play with them? Many parents offer puzzles...
Seriation skills are defined as the ability to arrange objects in order by size. The development of seriation skills in young children is a step-by-step process. As children grow and develop,...
It is important for children to have a good understanding of different concepts as it assists in their ability to follow instructions. For a child to correctly use a concept in their spoken...
Learning about opposites teaches children vocabulary, deepens their understanding of the world around them, and helps them to compare different things. Opposites help children gain a concrete...