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!
Twelve fun ways to promote your child’s cognitive development, by age group
Cognitive learning is so important in early childhood, as scientists believe that the first five years are a particularly important period for acquiring information because the brain is more malleable for absorbing new information. The experiences children receive help neural connections to grow, and they are then strengthened through repetitions.
Top fine motor development resources to buy
As a parent, it can feel like ‘Fine Motor Skills’ is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot by experts, but never really gets explained all too well. You might know it to be an essential part of your child’s physical learning (which is most certainly is!), but what even is it anyway? Let’s break it down.
Theories about behaviour - a summary
As parents, much of what we feel when we think of our children’s behaviour is based on what we ourselves experienced as children, combined with the huge amount of information, advice and opinion at our fingertips. This, along with the examples of parenting we see day-to-day, has been magnified through social media over recent years. Understanding how to support children’s behaviour is one of the hardest parts of parenting, and in this article we are going to review some of the theories about behaviour which have formed the basis of child development.
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.
