How can parents nurture their child’s spiritual development? Here are some ways in which we help our children (and ourselves) to appreciate the fullness of life: Compassion This means considering the feelings of other people and living things. By thinking this way, one is able to act with kindness arising from empathy. Little children have [...]
Use these techniques in a fun way, without pressure, and your child is sure to enjoy them and come back for more. 1. Tie a balloon to a fairly short piece of string. Hold on to the end of the string and bat the inflated balloon back and forth with your hand. Extend the length [...]
The first day of school is one to celebrate, so plan something special as a gift to yourselves, the parents. This is an important milestone. You have spent thousands of hours caring, guiding and helping, thinking about and working for this five-year-old who is now launched into their school years. Congratulations. Clare, 26 ‘We had [...]
Your child can become familiar and comfortable with these visits by seeing you being examined by a doctor and having your teeth checked by a dentist. Wait until they are old enough to ask questions (approximately two years plus) or take another adult along to mind the child. Preferably, don’t start when you are having [...]
Much sooner than you expected, your child is approaching the age of five and it’s lime to start thinking about school. Everything you have done with your child up to this age has helped them to become ‘school ready’. They will already have mastered, or be well on the way to mastering, such ‘school-useful’ skills [...]
As children get closer to school age, they need to be able to remember what they have been asked to do and to get things in order. For instance: ‘Finish your drink, put the cup on the sink, then do your hair.’ By using this game as practice, from a very young age, they can [...]
Perhaps your child has a bad habit you would like to cure or a problem to solve. It is surprisingly easy to change habits by following this sequence: 1. Choose your goal. You already know what you don’t want. It might be whingeing or not obeying until the 15th time you ask, for instance. The [...]
Hand games Hold up your pointer finger and have a pretend lasso in the other hand. Make the action of lassoing the finger, then pull on the end of the pretend rope and make your finger bend accordingly. Pull it up, down, over your head, around your neck, under the table and so on. Now [...]
If you have a baby, it’s a good idea to give special privileges to the older child — staying up a little later or doing grown-up things like going to the shops with you while baby is minded. This will send a signal that you value maturity and that being older pays. This way, you [...]
Children have their own achievements. Each birthday signals that a whole year of learning has gone by and that the child is an older and different person from the previous year. Some parents like to spend time with their child, on or after a birthday, going through the child’s room and putting away or giving [...]