Time for you
All your kids are now at school, so you’ve decided it’s finally time for you? KINETA BOOKER looks at ways to fill the empty 9-3 gap (if there is such a thing). Back from your leisurely stroll to drop the kids at school, puppy in …
Managing teen conflict
Often, the way we parented when our children were young no longer works for the teenage years. KELLY EDEN discusses the latest research-based ideas for parents of teens. If you’ve found yourself struggling to handle conflict well with your teen, try these five steps to …
Screentime coaching
Stuck in a rut of daily screen time? That was us in 2017. By RACHEL MCFEDRIES As a SAHM with two little boys and a newborn, most afternoons involved Netflix for a couple of hours, while I rested. Before I knew it, screen time was creeping into …
Holiday fun
Boost your children’s academic, artistic and physical skills through fun programmes in the school holidays. It’s that time of year – when you look at how much annual leave you have left and wonder how it’s going to stretch over the Christmas school holidays. And …
Encouraging chapter books
Each child’s reading journey is unique, but in a world where screens compete fiercely with books, KELLY EDEN outlines ways we can ensure our children catch the chapter book bug. Inspiring the leap The leap from the colourful world of picture books to the imagination-stirring …
Kindness for the new kid
Can you remember your first day of school? I can. It was the 1980s, at Geraldine Primary, and I was showing the girls in my class how I could swing upside down on the jungle gym. The only problem was, despite my eagerness to quickly …
Social development in toddlers
In their relentless drive to explore the world, toddlers gradually acquire social skills that enable them to get on successfully with other people. Many of these skills are acquired through observation and imitation of the adults closest to them, writes Dr Lin Day, founder of …
Baby brain
“If you want to make them ‘brainy’, then focus on your attachment”, says neuroscience educator, NATHAN WALLIS. By KATE BARBER. A baby’s brain is genetically and biologically designed to gather data as it wires up for life, says Nathan, and the complexity of this data is …