Come and sit down parents, your fairy godmother wants to tell you a timely story…
Once upon a time a beautiful baby was born. The parents loved her dearly and took great care of her. They put boundaries around her, to keep her safe. They noticed her signs for when she was tired, and put her to bed, even though they wanted to hold her and play with her longer.
As she grew, the boundaries changed. They instilled rules about saying ‘ta’, limiting the TV time, putting in safety plugs and ensuring that the back fences were strong so that she could play safely in the backyard – all to raise a happy, well-adjusted child.
Then one day, a few years later, something different happened. When the parents said it was bedtime, she asked for another story. The parents happily read another one. The next night she wanted 2 extra stories, and the parents were pleased that she loved reading so much! The following night she wanted 2 long stories and then a drink of water, and then the toilet, and another cuddle. The 15 minute night routine was now 50 minutes!
But how did this happen, wailed the parents (who actually had enjoyed their night times together one their daughter was asleep).
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Maths is Everywhere in the Home
/by Sonja PrestonMaths is everywhere in the home, and without you maybe even realising it, you are setting up your child with a solid Mathematical grounding.
How?
Let’s look at some of these concepts within the home and play environments and how it happens…
Shape recognition – at an early age we start to point out shapes to our children – ‘The orange is round and your plate is round’. ‘Would you like square or triangle/ sandwiches today?’
Volume – when cooking – ‘We need ½ cup of flour and one cup of milk – can you help to measure and pour them, please.
Conservation of mass – When you have one lump of play-dough , you can show your child how to roll it into many different shapes – a ball, a sausage, a dish shape, lots of tiny little eggs, but the mass doesn’t change despite the change in shape!
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Thank you!
/by Sonja PrestonAs 2018 draws to a close I’d like to thank you all for your continued support of The Parenting Cafe. The fact that there are so many parents doing a great job of parenting is encouraging. The fact that you want to continue to learn and grow as parents is heart-warming, as well as extremely beneficial for your children!
Let’s talk again in 2019 over a cuppa.
Have a wonderful Christmas, a pleasant family time, and fit in some relaxing time to help re-charge your energy – you deserve it! If you are alone at Christmas, please reach out to someone – family, friends, neighbours to say hello. And if you enjoy the ‘alone-ness’ then do it in style!
Remember The Parenting Cafe’s mantra of ‘Calm and Consistent’ as the keys to successful parenting.
We’re having a bit of a holiday too, so will see you at the end of January.
Happy Parenting!
The Parental Crown – Are you Wearing it or is Your Child?
/by Sonja PrestonWhen parents approach me regarding difficulties with their child/ children, I listen to their stories of what’s going on. Stories about what the child does (yells, demands, whines, ignores, defies, hurts) and what they don’t do (don’t help when asked, don’t get ready for bed, don’t do their chores). The parents are presenting the idea to me that their child is the problem – that they are difficult and non-compliant and often parents believe that there’s something ‘wrong’ with the child.
I then ask: “How do you manage these situations?” “What do you do/ say?”
This is where it gets interesting….. Read more
The Social-Emotional Development of your Child: Part 2 of 2 From 8 months to 3 years
/by Sonja PrestonLast week I shared with you what is happening developmentally in the Social-Emotional domain of babies from birth to age 8 months. Today we’ll continue that journey.
As a reminder, Social refers to how the child interacts with others and the learning of social skills. Emotional refers to how they express their emotions.
From between 8 months to 14 months, babies start to initiate social interaction by looking at the engage the parents, or children who are nearby.
Often this is the age when separation anxiety is the highest. Even though it can be a challenge for the parents it is a normal developmental stage.
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The Social-Emotional Development of your Child: Part 1 of 2 From Birth to 8 months
/by Sonja PrestonWhen I have Home Visits with families in my role as a Parenting Consultant, I’m watching and listening to see how the child is developing across four areas – Language , Intellect, Social-Emotional, and Motor skills. Imagine how much easier parenting would be if you understood why children do what they do… If you knew the ‘why’, then you may approach the situation differently…
Today I’ll share with you what I might expect to see in the Social-Emotional domain in young babies.
Social refers to how the child interacts with others and the learning of social skills.
Emotional refers to how they express their emotions.
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Speech Development from 8 months
/by Sonja PrestonBetween 8 – 14 months, babies become more interested in looking at books, and by 14 months they are often able to locate known objects eg ‘Where’s the dog?’ and they will point at it. They will understand often said words (known as Receptive language)eg Mum, Toby (the dog) bottle; and around their first birthday can say 4 -6 words (known as Expressive language). These ‘words’ aren’t complete, but may be ‘bo’ for bottle or ‘woof’ for the dog. Children of this age will listen, briefly. They may respond to simple requests eg ‘Come to Mummy’. They often jabber away to themselves or to you, and like to talk whilst looking at themselves in front of a mirror. They use gestures to make their needs known eg pointing at the fruit bowl when they want a banana.
How you can help: Share and read books to them, pointing out objects – the car, the big tree etc, and ask simple questions about the book: ‘Where’s the cat?’ Notice what you child is doing, and label it for him eg : You are playing with blocks’ or ‘You are eating porridge’. Let your baby sit in front of a mirror, to see themselves and ‘talk’! Sing simple songs to him. Listen when he is ‘telling’ you something – your smile and reponse encourages him to keep practising.
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How Does Speech Develop in Babies?
/by Sonja PrestonLanguage begins to develop prior to birth, when babies hear the parents’ voices in utereo. When a baby, who has just been born, is placed between their mother and a stranger, and they both speak to the baby, she will turn towards the recognisable voice of her Mum – amazing!
From birth to 6 weeks, this recognition of both Mum and Dad’s voices continues, and the baby responds to sounds and voices, but aren’t yet able to localise them. Babies have different cries to indicate their need for food, sleep, or to be burped! When parents are able to correctly identify these cries, then they can quickly settle the baby .
You can read more about this, in a previous article I wrote: https://theparentingcafe.com.au/the-5-words-your-newborn-says/
You can help by: Look at your baby and talk with her. Smile at her. Surround her with gentle, pleasant sounds, and avoid sudden loud noises, which may startle her.
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Crossing the Road
/by Sonja PrestonIn busy Sydney recently, whilst standing at the traffic lights, I was struck by the number of people who ignore the “Don’t Walk” sign. They dart in amongst the traffic, in order to save about 20 secs off their walk, rather than wait for the “green man” to indicate that it’s their turn to cross.
As an ex-Teacher and a parent, I can’t do this! I’m very conscious that my children (or yours, who might be standing next to me) are watching. At an early age they learn that ‘red’ = STOP, and I also know that they want to do what the adults do. So, if my Mum/Dad/Grandparents ignore ‘red’ signs, then I can too. So much of parenting is modelling – whether you mean to or not, children see and hear all that we do in their presence. Young children do not discriminate between the ‘good’ we do or the ‘less good’ we do – they don’t pass judgement, they just copy!
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A Story for Parents
/by Sonja PrestonOnce upon a time a beautiful baby was born. The parents loved her dearly and took great care of her. They put boundaries around her, to keep her safe. They noticed her signs for when she was tired, and put her to bed, even though they wanted to hold her and play with her longer.
As she grew, the boundaries changed. They instilled rules about saying ‘ta’, limiting the TV time, putting in safety plugs and ensuring that the back fences were strong so that she could play safely in the backyard – all to raise a happy, well-adjusted child.
Then one day, a few years later, something different happened. When the parents said it was bedtime, she asked for another story. The parents happily read another one. The next night she wanted 2 extra stories, and the parents were pleased that she loved reading so much! The following night she wanted 2 long stories and then a drink of water, and then the toilet, and another cuddle. The 15 minute night routine was now 50 minutes!
But how did this happen, wailed the parents (who actually had enjoyed their night times together one their daughter was asleep).
Read more