Mud play – why you don’t need a mud kitchen
Mud is possibly one of the most versatile resources your child can play with – and it’s free! As daunting as the prospect of adding mud to play can feel, it is also fun for grown-ups to get stuck in – even Dolly Parton sang the praises of mud at Glastonbury, getting her fans to chant along with her, “We can’t get enough of the music and the mud!”
My First Five Years changed how I think about child development
I’ll be honest, I write for My First Five Years as a freelancer and have also been an early tester of the app because I have a three-year-old son myself. So, you won’t be surprised to know that I recommend this app to everyone I meet with young children. However, for a while, as a busy working mum, I wondered whether I’d prefer the app to just contain lists of simple-to-set-up activities that I could search for and randomly try when I had a spare ten minutes to play.
Time to say no to the naughty step - what to do instead
Figuring out how to best support your child as they learn about the world and themselves can feel complex at times. As a parent, you can be bombarded with advice, tips and tricks that you may or may not agree with or want to use with your child. An area where people can be the most vocal about ‘handy hints’ is supporting your child’s behaviour, and the ways to respond to what are perceived as ‘negative’ behaviours. A technique that has caused some debate between parents, families and experts is something that is known as the naughty step.
Everything I wish I’d known about parenting twins before I had my own
Parenthood didn’t come quickly to me and my partner James. We rode a hard and winding road to conceive, littered over five years with medical checks, unexplained infertility, failed IUI and rounds of IVF, before I finally fell pregnant with our twin girls. During this time I comforted myself by becoming a student of fertility – I studied books about infertility and IVF, and learnt the benefits of healthy eating, acupuncture and mindfulness meditation. When I took the happy call from the IVF clinic that my third try had worked and I was pregnant with twins, I could hardly believe my ears. Not just one baby but two!
Talking to children about the news
When there’s big news, we know it becomes almost impossible to avoid. And that means we might need to think about how to talk to our young children about it! The news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, or other big news stories, might capture your child’s interest or make them worry.
“I felt like an imposter” – how I learnt to embrace realistic parenting
After having our first baby, my confidence plummeted. I remember my first night spent in hospital staring into a small plastic box feeling so unbelievably in love but so unbelievably out of my depth. I felt like it should come naturally but this tiny human being didn’t do anything according to the books I’d vaguely flicked through while pregnant. She didn’t follow any of the set routines I’d imagined while planning my harmonious maternity leave two weeks earlier in the office, she didn’t sleep no matter how many times I came up with new solutions and she definitely didn’t do what they’d described in my antenatal classes.
Choosing books for a baby
Why is reading important for babies?
It might seem like a funny idea to read to a baby. You might think, “My baby can’t understand what I am saying”, “They don't know what the words mean,” or “They can’t hold a book.” Surely reading is for when they get a little bit older?
Choosing books for a toddler
The importance of sharing stories with toddlers
Story times present wonderful moments for shared experiences between you and your toddler. Books are a magical resource that can inspire ideas or transport you into a world far beyond your home. It is likely that your toddler has begun to have lots of interests, such as transport, dinosaurs or nature, to name a few. There will be plenty of books available that suit their interests and provide an opportunity to learn more about their likes and fascinations.
Sharing books with your child
Why is reading important?
Reading with children is a wonderful experience, and it is during these early years that children can develop a lifelong love of books.. When we read with our children as parents or family members, we can pass on huge amounts of enthusiasm about reading. Picture books are an excellent way to introduce children to reading; plot and subplot, goodies and baddies, mysteries to be solved and guessed at, heroes on missions, compassion, achievement, intrigue, resolution, and much more may all be found in picture books.
Choosing books for a preschooler
Why is reading important?
We all know the feeling of getting lost in a good book, when time seems to stand still and the world around us melts away. Reading and sharing stories with your preschooler creates precious moments that have a wonderful emphasis on connecting with one another. The invitation to enter a magical new world with the physical closeness of a very loved adult is extremely hard to resist.
