At the time of writing, it is the beginning of February and the new school year has just begun. For many families, it’s the beginning of a whole new chapter as their child starts school for the first time.
For other families, Prep is a year away, and many parents will be concerned whether their child will be ready for school in 12 months time.
When a child begins Prep, parents are often unsure as to what foundations and skills their little learner should be equipped with.
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Social Skills, Preschool, Prep, Friendship
A few years ago, there were more baby girls called ‘Khaleesi’ than ‘Britney’, as parents across the English-speaking world named their daughters after a character from the all-conquering Game of Thrones books and TV series. Since the series ended in 2019, however, the trend has nosedived, with precisely zero registrations of the name ‘Khaleesi’ in the USA so far this year. This has me wondering about the influence of pop culture on children’s names.
Topics: Parenting
I’ve never been great at small talk. It is only when I can burrow beneath surface-level chit-chat level that I become truly engaged.
I am, however, considerably more advanced at the art of polite conversation than my children. My boys are either too direct (eg “My grandad’s losing his hair too”) or shy and monosyllabic, mumbling to their shoes when spoken to by someone unfamiliar.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Primary School, Social Skills, Preschool
Chess is often considered a game suited only to intellectually gifted people. People assume that to play chess you must already have a rather high level of intelligence or at least be ‘a little bit smart’. While chess may be more instantly appealing to those whose minds already think in a strategic ‘chess-like' manner, research is showing that this increasingly popular game has significant benefits for everyone.
Topics: High School, Primary School, Prep, Numeracy
The concept of respectful relationships, including consent, has been discussed at a school level for some time, but it hasn’t yet gained universal traction with families. Lacking confidence and unsure where to start, many parents have struggled to make headway in this area. If this sounds familiar, these ideas will help you make a start.
Topics: Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Social Skills, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers, Boys
Saying goodbye is never easy. Particularly on the first day of school. Excitement, apprehension, tears and clinginess are perfectly normal responses for the child beginning Prep. But no-one wants to leave their child sobbing and distressed with their new teacher.
Topics: Primary School, Prep, Anxiety
The current physical distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be with us for some time. This cocooned existence is a test of parental patience, children’s willingness to cooperate and a family’s ability to pull together.
So, if you’re about to enter the family cocoon, or even if you’ve been living in close family quarters for some time, the following tips will help ensure your children not only survive each other, but emerge from the cocoon with a strong sense of camaraderie, a greater appreciation for their siblings and knowledge that they belong to a rock solid family who can pull together in a crisis.
Topics: Teens, High School, Primary School, Preschool, COVID-19
So we're into our second week of #FunAtHome Easter holidays. How's it going for you? Have you dusted down the old board games and enjoyed a family game night or two? I've seen several discussions on social media about board games over the last few weeks - mostly parents asking for suggestions, as they realise they cannot face the monotony of Monopoly or another round of Snakes and Ladders. What games are fun to play in isolation with your nearest and dearest? What's new? What have we missed?
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School, COVID-19
Do your children love sport, but can’t play at the moment? Why not get them reading, now they have time? Get them reading about their favourite sport. King's Head Librarian, Amanda Roberts, highlights a selection of scintillating sports fiction to get them started. Several of the authors are players themselves.
Topics: Literacy, School Holidays, Primary School, Sport
Among the daily news of bad behaviour – selfish stockpiling, ignorant racism and reckless irresponsibility – come stories of great kindness: Communities looking out for each other and new friendships flowering, albeit at an appropriate social distance.
“Caremongering, not scaremongering,” is the rallying cry of Canadian volunteers and altruists as they band together to bring food and essentials to their country’s most vulnerable.
Topics: Community, Mental Health, Friendship, COVID-19
If you’re like me, the news of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has your head spinning and your heart pumping. That’s only natural as life as we know has taken a seismic shift in recent days.
International travel bans, cancellation of sporting and cultural events, shopping frenzies and talk of school closures continue to dominate the airwaves.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Primary School, Anxiety, Mental Health, COVID-19
Is it too early in the year to talk school formal dresses? Apparently not. I was astonished to discover Year 11 parents discussing this topic back in October - nearly a whole year before their daughters would be walking the red carpet to their big event. The main cause of concern was cost and how much they needed to put aside.
Topics: Teens, School Leavers, High School, Girls
Getting enough sleep and spending face-to-face time with friends are the best ways for teenage girls to guard against unhappiness and psychological ill-health, according to a recent UK government report
Topics: Teens, High School, Sleep, Anxiety, Girls, Mental Health, Friendship
Updated: 14/02/2020
Beautiful beaches, amazing weather, theme parks, promenades and playgrounds - the Gold Coast has it all.
And then it rains.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, School Holidays, Primary School, Preschool, Toddlers
So you’ve graduated Primary School? Things are about to get really exciting now you’re entering Year 7: New teachers, students, subjects, opportunities – maybe your own locker for the first time. Your workload will increase but your studies will get more interesting as you apply and build on the foundational skills you developed in Primary School.
Topics: Teens, High School, Homework
What's the protocol for parents who choose not to 'do Santa' with their kids? One mum highlights the pitfalls...
* * * * * *
When my brother was seven, the teacher called him a "nasty little liar" and made him sit outside the classroom all afternoon for telling Julie Ashbrook that Santa didn't exist.
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Christmas
The need to spend time with their parents differs for different kids. For some, there’s no end to the time they’d spend with you. However, other kids feel differently. There’s no right answer.
Topics: Parenting
Even the best parents make mistakes. Generally it's better to focus on the positives - what you should be doing as a parent - than fixate on where you are messing up. However, sometimes it helps to be reminded of some of the behaviours we should stop or do less of, if we are to raise autonomous, emotionally-smart citizens of the future.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School
Early in my career, I was given two separate (and unsolicited) pieces of advice: The first was to learn the job of the person immediately above me if I wanted to progress fast. The second was to ‘perfect’ a spectacularly bad cup of tea or coffee if asked to make one for my superiors.
Topics: School Leavers, High School, Social Skills
Many teenagers today are sleep deprived. They should be getting between nine and 10 hours sleep each night, yet most get only seven or eight hours. Some get less.
Sleep deprivation is akin to jet lag. It causes young people not to function at their optimum. It can be the cause of poor behaviour, mental health problems and low functioning in the classroom.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Sleep
Twelve. It’s a glorious age of independence and new opportunities. In Queensland, 12 is the age your child can legally be left home unsupervised, walk to the shops on their own or take the bike to the beach without their parents in tow.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, School Leavers, High School, Primary School
Over-scheduled kids, exhausted parents, no family time? Feel like you're constantly trying to be in three places at once, chauffeuring children to clubs, training and rehearsals?
How much time should kids spend on extra-curricular activities? And how can families stay on top of it all?
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School, Homework, Planning, Sport
“It’s my room. I like it that way!”.
Fed up of nagging and battles over messy bedrooms? Should parents take a step back and give kids autonomy over their own space? Or is this setting them up for disaster later in life?
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Boys
Recent events and current statistics highlight that, as a nation, we have a serious problem when it comes to domestic violence. While there’s no easy solution, together we can do our part to stop violence against women. If you’re a parent or guardian, you can play an important role. Most studies show that a boy’s disrespect towards girls generally begins in childhood.
Kids of all ages are excellent at wearing down the resistance of a parent who denies permission for them to go somewhere due to lack of safety or suitability concerns. Unfortunately many kids use annoying methods such as:
- repetition ( Can I go? Can I go? Can I go?) ;
Who’s for a quick game of cards?
Card games help reinforce maths strategies learnt at school in a fun and informal way. They let children learn from experience, develop ‘mathematical fluency’ and improve memory and confidence.
Here are 10 great games to play with your children to sharpen up their primary maths skills ...
Topics: Primary School, Prep, Numeracy
If you find that your young person’s eyes glaze over the minute you start to talk to them, then don’t despair. Sometimes all it takes is a small change to encourage your young person to listen to what you have to say.
You wouldn't send your kid to a sleepover without telling the parents about your kid's allergies or bedtime bugaboos. Why not use the same logic with screen time rules?
We know it's hard to do. It can feel like you're being judgmental or don't trust the other person to take good care of your child. But if you have strong preferences about what and when your child consumes media, you need to speak up even when you're not around to supervise.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Internet, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
So your child’s doing just fine at school: No problems with grades or homework, seems happy with their friends, no complaints from any of the teaching staff. Do you really need to attend that parent teacher meeting?
Or maybe your child hates school, is always in trouble and you just can’t face seeing their teacher to hear all about it … Again!
Topics: Parenting, Teachers, High School, Primary School, Anxiety
Increasingly, boys are becoming angry, aggressive and violent. News reports of young men committing acts of violence against each other in the streets is an increasing occurrence. More and more, acts of physical aggression and violence are played out in schoolyards across the country and they involve boys on most occasions.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Boys
What's your parenting style? Do you hover, push, coerce, outsource, micro-manage, motivate, let go or just hope for the best?
Topics: Parenting, High School, Primary School
English is the official language of more than 50 countries and the lingua franca of international business, diplomacy, science and technology. Yet it is phenomenally difficult to master...
Topics: Literacy, International Students
Ask most parents about their experience of school and the stories are often quite similar: Their teacher would talk and write on the board; students would listen and take down notes. You’d do exercises from a textbook, take tests, get grades… rinse and repeat.
Topics: High School, Internet, Primary School, Technology, Project Based Learning
The memories of that little tyke shyly holding your hand as they started school are over twelve years old! That little treasure has somehow morphed into a moody, opinionated, spotty giant, eating you out of house and home, and wearing a King’s white shirt. Guess what? They need you more than ever.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School
In preschool and Prep, young children will typically tackle the equation 4+5 by counting out a pile of four counters and another pile of five counters and then adding them all together. In the absence of counters they will use their fingers.
Topics: Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Numeracy
Whether your child is moving up from primary to secondary in the same school or starting a new school altogether, entering Year 7 can be both a fun and daunting experience: New teachers, subjects and friends; more independence and responsibility; a heavier workload - not to mention changing bodies and fluctuating hormones!
Topics: Parenting, High School, Homework, Sleep, Anxiety
Much behaviour that annoys parents stems from children’s inability to ask for what they want.
Most parents have experienced a young child yelling, “Mum, he took my toy. It’s not fair!” Perhaps you’ve experienced a child who whines like a dripping tap because they want something from you.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Social Skills, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
How many of you have been in a situation where, after being on a diet for a few days, a colleague comes to work selling chocolates for a fundraiser? Do you give in and buy a chocolate? It’s for a good cause after all. Or do you resist?
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Prep
When children learn to read and write, they often muddle up similar-looking letters (and numbers). The most common offenders are:
• v and u;Topics: Literacy, Primary School, Preschool, Prep
Giving constructive criticism to our children - both positive and negative - is an important part of parenting. Empty, generic praise ("What a lovely picture, darling"), well-meant encouragement that does the opposite ("At least you didn't come last") and angry disappointment ("I expected you to do better than that!") do not give a child much indication of what they are doing wrong or right.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Primary School, Preschool, Prep
Fatherhood is life-changing. It’s a very personal journey that a man experiences when he takes on the responsibility of parenting his kids. It’s also a vital role, and it’s all too easy to neglect the positive impact a father can have on his children’s lives.
Topics: Parenting
We invest in our children's academic success, encourage their interests and support their emotional wellbeing ... but are we preparing them for the adult world by passing on basic life skills? Here's our list of vital skills all kids should master before leaving home:
The secondary school year is well and truly underway and thousands of teenagers (and their parents) across the country are settling in for a full year ahead. For some, this marks the beginning of an entirely new stage in their schooling, while others are buckling in for another year of academic rigor. The following are a few tips to help you and your young person navigate the year ahead.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School
Anxiety is currently the most common health condition in Australia. Anxiety disorder affects:
• 1 in 4 people
• 1 in 3 women
• 1 in 8 men
• 14 % of the population
40% of all people will experience a panic attack at some point in their lives.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School, Social Skills, Health, Anxiety
Teenage anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide have skyrocketed since 2011. The iGeneration (iGen) – people born after 1995 – was the first demographic to spend its entire adolescence with a smartphone. Could there be a connection? Dr Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, thinks so.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Internet, Social Media, Anxiety
Each year, King's organises a 10-year and a 20-year High School Reunion for its alumni. In 2025, King's will be hosting its first 30-year High School Reunion. While these events are full of love, laughter and memories, many former students report feelings of apprehension and inadequacy before the event.
Topics: School Leavers, High School, Alumni
Talking with kids when they are anxious can be hard work for parents and teachers. Sometimes just one word out of place or spoken with the wrong tone of voice can get a child’s back up, upset them or make them uncooperative.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School, Social Skills, Anxiety
Working with kids in schools these past weeks, and indeed having five children of my own, has alerted me to the seemingly unprecedented obsession with the new online game Fortnite. Not since Pokémon Go has something seemed to take the world by storm, leaving parents wondering when it will ever stop.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Internet, Primary School, Technology
Like many parents, I struggle with kids and screen time, most notably with computer games. I set time limits on play, check games are age-appropriate, ban devices from the bedroom and offer all sorts of alternative play and activities … but still get disheartened that my two boys would rather race virtual cars and navigate imaginary worlds than kick a football around or build Lego.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Internet, Primary School, Technology
The links between school achievement and parents’ ability to talk with kids from a young age are now well established.
The language stimulation children receive when they talk with parents is one factor. But engagement in conversation with parents benefits kids in a far broader sense.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Primary School
Ah, remember the time when you were the centre of your kids’ universe, when you could do no wrong and everything about you fascinated them? You could throw them in the air, smother them with kisses, crow like a rooster, dance along to the Wiggles and they thought that was just great.
And then they started school …
Every day, we send messages to our kids that shape their thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Equally, our kids are sending us messages about their thoughts and feelings through their behaviour, particularly when they’re feeling distressed.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Social Skills, Anxiety
If your kids constantly fight with each other, then don’t despair. All that emotional energy isn’t going to waste.
According to a recent study, sibling fights teach kids important conflict resolution skills. In fact, parents who stop their children from arguing may well be depriving them of important learning opportunities.
Topics: Parenting, Behaviour, Social Skills
In Australian schools, children are taught to read phonetically: They learn their letters and the sounds they make – both individually and in combination with other letters (eg ‘ch’, ‘th’, ‘sh’). In this way, they learn how to read and build words from their component phonemes.
Topics: Literacy, Primary School, Prep
So you've been scheduled 10-15 minutes to drill the teacher about your child's performance and well-being at school. You've just received your child's school report and have a number of issues to discuss. How do you make the most of your brief meeting?
Topics: Teachers, High School, Primary School
In an increasingly digital age, it's easy to view handwriting as a dying art. Few people own fountain pens; most written correspondence is tapped directly into devices. In Finnish schools, children are no longer taught cursive (joined-up) writing but move straight to keyboards two years after learning their letters.
Topics: Literacy, Primary School, Preschool, Prep
As young as eight, I would hop on my bike after school, cycle a few blocks and knock on my friend's door to see if they could play. We would kick balls in the street or ride to the woods for fort building and games of tag and 'capture the castle'. If my parents worried, they never showed it.
Topics: Teens, High School, Primary School, Social Skills, Friendship
When my boys were little, I used to compare them (unkindly maybe) with puppies. Providing they had plenty of affection and were allowed to run around a lot outside, they were happy. Preschoolers are natural little whirlwinds of energy and need masses of exercise. Physical activity keeps little ones fit, healthy and strong, helps them relax and sleep better and is FUN!
Topics: Social Skills, Preschool, Prep, Health, Sport
There are some wonderfully creative, thoughtful parents who scour Pinterest for novel ways to present a sandwich or jazz up the contents of their kids' lunch boxes. And then there are the frantic, time-short parents whose main concern is how quickly they can throw together some (healthy-ish) packed lunches before dashing to work/doing the school run. This blog is for the second category.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Primary School, Food, Preschool
It's the mum's rite of passage I knew nothing about until my eldest started school: Plastic contacting the school books.
It came as a shock. I didn't even know this was a 'thing'. Yet, in the very first week (as I was still navigating school runs, lunchboxes and missing school hats), I was tasked with covering 15 exercise books in assorted sizes by the following Monday - with no instructions.
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Homework, Craft
Have a little one starting school this year?
Read our tips for helping you and your child prepare for this exciting new adventure ...
What's topping your kids' holiday wish lists this year? Chances are it has a screen, Internet access, and games. With a little planning -- and kids' assistance -- you can balance your family's tech activities with much-needed face time. Here's how:
Topics: Parenting, School Holidays, Technology, Social Media
Year 11 and 12 exams are fast approaching. Teenagers across Australia are holing themselves away for their final slog of study and revision. Heads down and headphones on. What's their study soundtrack? Pop? Classical? Ambient whale sounds?
Topics: Teens, High School, Homework, exams
Around 14% of Australian 4-17 year olds and 20% of 15-19 year olds have mental health issues, according to Mindframe. The percentage of young people flagging mental health as a concern has doubled in the last six years.
Why are anxiety and depression so prevalent among our young people today and what can parents do to raise strong children, equipped to deal with the curveballs life throws at them?
Topics: Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Social Skills
"Did you hear what I just said? Go and sort your school bag out!"
"How many times have I asked you to do this?"
"Why didn't you hand your homework in to your teacher today?"
Topics: Parenting, Behaviour, Primary School, Preschool, Prep
I was lucky. I'd never been bullied ... until that time. I was thirteen and it went on for nearly a year. It wasn’t physical. It wasn’t aggressive. But it was repetitive and demeaning: a rumour contorted, embellished and thrown around the classroom with wild abandon by those who wanted to humiliate me.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Bullying
It seems like a blink of an eye since your little one was a helpless baby, needing everything done for them. Suddenly they're four years' old, starting school next year and you realise you're still dressing them, doing their teeth and clearing away their dinner plates. What gives?
Camps can be a time of fun and friendship-building. Getting away from the classroom for a few days and trying your hand at new activities can be so enjoyable. But not for everyone. For many children, the fun of camp is overshadowed by concerns. Whilst some student may bound off to camp with barely a backward glance, many children will need some extra help to see past their worries, to the fun that lies beyond.
Topics: Teens, High School, Primary School, Planning
In last week's blog, What to Do When Your Child Says They're Bullied, we looked at ways parents could support and help their children when they claim to be victims of bullying. But often the problem extends way beyond the bullies themselves to the bystanders who aggravate the situation through collusion or inaction.
Topics: Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Bullying
I started giving my eldest child pocket money each week when he was in Year 1. He was learning about coins and notes in school and I thought it would be a good time to give him some of the real thing to practice with. I decided on an (arbitrary) amount of $2, which I made up in coins of one dollar, 50 cents, 20 cents, two 10 cents and two 5 cents to give him plenty of denominations to play with.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School
My (primary aged) children frequently claim they're 'bullied' - even by each other:
"He's bullying me, he won't let me use the bathroom."
"I got bullied by some Year 5 girls today - they told me I wasn't allowed to play on the monkey bars."
"Cooper was so rough - he's such a bully!"
Topics: Parenting, Behaviour, Primary School, Preschool, Bullying
When my child was in Prep, we bought him a ride pass for the school carnival. Sure, it was a little on the pricey side but we felt it was good value, given the amount of rides he would enjoy.
Big mistake!
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Community
Hurray! It's the school holidays! Time to play, rest and reconnect with friends and family. An opportunity to recharge and rejuvenate. The chance to dream, explore and catch up on all those hobbies that demand more time.
After a term of school work and routine, students deserve a break ... as do their parents! But how do we prevent their academic skills from slipping and ensure they don't forget what they've learnt -
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, School Holidays, Primary School, Homework
There are so many benefits to learning to play an instrument - it relieves stress, builds confidence, develops reasoning skills and more. But for parents who have never played an instrument themselves, deciding on a first instrument for their child can be a daunting experience.
Conversely, parents who are proficient at music often put their child on the same musical journey, starting their child on the instrument they first learnt to play.
Topics: High School, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Performing Arts
The Parents and Friends (P&F) Association organises activities to support and build the school community.
At King's, we friend raise, not fundraise.
My cousin applied for a position as Head of Drama at a prestigious British private school. During the interview, she was asked to define the primary role of drama in education. Her answer? "Therapy". She got the job.
Many people see drama as a 'touchy, feely' subject that allows kids to express themselves, while having some laughs along the way.
Topics: High School, Primary School, Performing Arts
My daughter has to present a speech at school today. As I waved her off, with a few encouraging words, I took a little time to reflect on how happy and confident she appeared. I too was happy and confident – happy she had worked hard on preparing her speech and confident she was going to do very well in her presentation.
Topics: High School, Primary School, Homework
Yes, I still read to my ten-year-old. He can read perfectly well by himself and will happily immerse himself in Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket and a wide range of non-fiction but I will still read a chapter or two of a cracking good novel to him most nights.
Topics: Parenting, Literacy, High School, Primary School
After church one Sunday, I watched an elderly lady donate $50 to sponsor a teenager on youth camp. "What else can we do for our young people?" she asked, "And how can we get to know them?". Despite a large contingent of teenagers in our church, I am sorry to say that 'getting to know them' is no easy task - the older members of the congregation would be lucky to even come in contact with one.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Primary School, Community
I have the school number programmed into my contacts so that when the school calls I know it’s them. Since my children are humans and not robots, I will probably get a call from one of their teachers at some stage to chat about some behaviour that needs addressing.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, Teachers, High School, Behaviour, Primary School
When I was at Primary School, one of my favourite times of the week was ‘project time’. It was when we were all given a chance to explore a topic of interest, in greater depth and to write and draw about it in our project book. I loved the planning, the reading up on a topic, drawing or finding pictures and then laying it all out nicely with my best handwriting. Sometimes we even took our project books home so that we could continue our work at home before bringing it back to present to the class.
Topics: Teens, High School, Primary School, Homework
I recently read Enid Blyton's 'Magic Faraway Tree' series with my sons and they were astonished. Not so much by the exciting adventures of Silky, Moon Face et al but more by the volume and complexity of chores the young protagonists were expected to do. Barely school-age children were chopping wood, preparing meals, darning socks and cleaning houses.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
Worry is a normal feeling that happens to all of us from time to time. As an emotion, it is our natural response to real and anticipated or imagined situations. We worry about something because we perceive it as a threat and worry causes us to focus on the issue or situation at hand. A little worry can in fact be good for us as it gears us towards taking precautionary measures such as checking the road before we cross or putting on our seatbelt when we get in a car.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
Yesterday, I helped four Year 1 boys research 'toys and games from the past'. Last week I got very competitive playing maths games with Year 4 students. Next week I will be doing some one-on-one work , listening to young children read. I have little friends all over Primary who wave to me and share stories of their weekends, and a sneaky insider's knowledge of day-to-day school life.
Topics: Parenting, Teachers, Primary School, Prep
We have a shy child. She is the product of two parents who were both chronically shy as children and who are also both on the far end of the introvert scale. (Not that being an introvert automatically means you are shy, nor does being an extrovert make you immune to being shy.) But there she is, your fairly typical shy child, doing her best to make her way in the world.
Topics: Parenting, Behaviour, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
The term ‘fine motor’ refers to the use of the small muscles of the body. Any part of the body that uses small muscles, such as hands, wrists, fingers, feet, toes, lips, mouth and tongue, are covered by the term ‘fine motor’.
Topics: Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
Is four too young to start school?
If your child’s birth month would make them one of the youngest in their class, would you wait a year and let them start Prep with greater maturity? Or would your sparky preschooler be bored and unchallenged by another year of Kindergarten?
Ever felt stressed out by your children’s homework assignments? Do you feel a responsibility for the work your child hands in?
Research from the UK suggests that parents who help their children with their homework may be having a negative effect on their children’s grades.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Primary School, Homework
When my eldest started school four years ago I was very excited, slightly anxious and often confused. Navigating school life was as much of a challenge for me as it was for my five-year-old, if not more so. My youngest completed Prep last year. It was so much easier the second time round ... but there were still a few surprises (mostly positive ones).
For parents embarking on this adventure for the first time, here is some 'insider knowledge' of what to expect in this exciting year ...
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Prep
Think play dough is just for pre-schoolers?
I am always amazed at how much time older children and even adults will spend happily squidging and modelling if they get their hands on it.
I have used play dough to divert teenagers at youth groups, as an ice-breaker at grown-up parties and as a medium for imaginative play and learning.
Topics: High School, School Holidays, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers, Craft
Each year, Oxford Dictionaries chooses a Word of the Year. For 2016, the 'Word of the Year was 'post-truth'.
'Post-truth' is the idea that it is easier to influence public opinion with messages that appeal to emotions, belief and prejudices than it is using facts. It is an idea that has been around for awhile, but was brought to a head in 2016 during the Brexit vote in the UK and the Presidential election in the USA.
Topics: Internet, Technology, Social Media
I don’t think it matters if it’s the makeup on your daughter in Year 11 or the ice blocks with your Prep child, sooner or later your child will try and convince you that you are the ONLY parent drawing a line in the sand on any given issue.
Topics: Parenting, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
We love our kids. We want to provide for them, do our best for them and protect them. But sometimes our desire to make them happy and our dedication to looking after them can lead to ‘over-parenting’. With the best intentions in the world, we can over-praise, over-indulge and over-protect our little darlings ... and risk raising self-centred, entitled dependents, unable to think for themselves.
Here are some red flags that indicate you might be raising a spoilt child:
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Social Skills, Preschool, Toddlers
"Keep all digital devices out of the bedroom!"
"Be a parent, not a friend"
"Don't let your child do anything online that you wouldn't let them do offline"
These were the three key statements repeated by cyber safety expert, Susan McLean, at King's 'Growing Up Online' Cyber Safety Seminar on 4 October 2016.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Internet, Primary School, Technology, Social Media
Child tooth decay in Australia dropped dramatically after 1979 but has been rising steadily again since 2000.
The three main causes:
The Brisbane Courier and Mail recently reported that Queensland children as young as four are receiving private tutoring to improve their literacy and numeracy skills, in advance of starting school.
On the Gold Coast, a number of private tutors are advertising ‘school readiness training’ for pre-schoolers, while the Readiness Academy (Robina) and Begin Bright (Burleigh, Sorrento and Tugan) offer small group ‘school readiness’ tuition to four to six year-olds: 45-60 minute lessons on the alphabet, counting, letter-sound recognition and fine motor skills (writing, cutting, drawing etc) for around $25 an hour. Homework is also provided.
You know how important it is to read to your child and you've diligently read bed time stories to your kids since they were tiny. But now they're reading The Chronicles of Narnia on their own, do you really need to keep reading to them? At what point do you draw the line and just let them get on with it?
Topics: Parenting, Literacy, High School, Primary School
Ah, teenagers!
Loveable, happy, engaging kids one minute; snarling, moody whirlwinds the next.
As your children move closer to adulthood, their hormones rage and their thought processes become more sophisticated, it is inevitable that conflict will arise in the home. It goes with the territory of parenthood.
Short of growing a thick skin or hiding away for a few years till the worst is over, how do you survive these difficult years of teenage confrontation?
“Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin …”
So began the famous BBC radio program, 'Listen With Mother', which broadcast stories read by women to children (and their mothers) from 1950 to 1982.
Reading to children has always been associated with mothers. Think of any image in the media depicting 'story time' and chances are it will be of a mother snuggled up with one or two children and a huge book.
Topics: Parenting, Literacy, Primary School, Preschool
“The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.”
National Commission on Reading (USA), 1985
Research shows that children who read proficiently in the early school years generally perform better at every stage of their education.
Topics: Parenting, Literacy, Primary School, Preschool, Toddlers
So its the school holidays and the weather sucks. The sound of the TV is ever-present and, despite your best intentions, the kids have been on their iPods/PlayStation/Xbox/Wii far longer than you know is healthy. We all know too much screen time is damaging for kids but policing it is an eternal challenge. We hear you!
Here are some strategies for controlling screen time in your house:
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, School Holidays, Internet, Primary School, Technology, Preschool, Toddlers
Children are not born bad but they do start out thinking that everything revolves around them, demonstrating an innate selfishness. The capacity to be kind and caring towards others is within them, it just needs to be nurtured and developed.
So how do we, as parents, teach our children to be ‘nice’?
Topics: Parenting
Most of my friends have had the experience of consoling me after I have been dealing with my daughter’s strength. “The force is strong with this one” seems to be a blissful statement that doesn’t even begin to touch on her perception of her capabilities.
I was fighting it hard. But for all my efforts, trying to teach this tiny woman with an iron clad will that she would submit seemed to be useless. I am a fundamentalist. And there was a part of me that believed that ‘good parenting’ meant submissive children. Enter massive issue…..my daughter will not submit, she wants to lead.
Topics: Parenting, Behaviour, Social Skills, Preschool, Prep, Leadership, Toddlers
Since the 17th century Earl of Sandwich asked for a piece of meat between two slices of bread and called it a meal, its namesake has been the staple of easy lunches throughout the world. Its convenience, coupled with the sheer range of breads and fillings available nowadays, has established the humble sandwich as the central attraction of the school lunchbox.
Despite my best attempts at creativity and variety, however, my kids have reached sandwich saturation point. Bored of bread and fussy over fillings, they return from school with their barely-nibbled wraps and rolls squished apologetically into a corner of their lunchbox.
A hotly debated subject among my fellow Year 3 mums is whether it is okay to move their 7-8 year old to the front of the car.
Legally in Australia, children may travel in the front passenger seat of a car from the age of seven (officially, they are permitted to travel in the front from the age of four should all available seats in the back be occupied by younger children). However, the National Child Restraint Guidelines recommend that all children under 12 should travel in the back of the car and use a booster seat until they are tall enough for an adult seatbelt.
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Safety
I enjoy writing. My kids don’t (or so they say). Maybe it’s an association with spelling drills and school essay assignments but my boys do not naturally get excited at the prospect of putting pen to paper. Oh, they have friends who keep journals and who write stories at home for fun (imagine!) but not my boys.
Topics: Literacy, Teens, High School, School Holidays, Primary School
It was a little bit of a panicked morning compared to usual. We drove down the road on the way to school and my pre-preppie exclaimed, "I forgot my bag!". Indicator on, ready to pull over, I exclaimed, "I didn't get it either!" Then, a calm six-year-old boy's voice said, "It's OK...I've put what she needs in the boot!" Like I always say, my kids are not perfect but I my six-year-old is one of those kids who is thoughtful and organised FAR beyond his years.
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Planning
My kids have a fantastic book on resilience called “Jilly and the Bully”. But after reading it SO many times (they love it!) I’m wondering if a better title is perhaps: “Jilly and the child that made a really bad choice, but who improved his behavior after she and he spoke and subsequently shouldn’t really be labelled as a bully”?
Last weekend I was assisting my son to do some research on his laptop. I would love to say he was cooperative, but that wasn’t quite how it played out.
I asked him to show me the topic he was researching, in this case a biography. I looked on Haiku for the scaffold for the task and the child simply had to simply look through what information was required for each paragraph and find the research. Simple enough I thought - however, occasionally it doesn’t seem so, and in my case, my son didn’t want to look beyond web page one, let alone actually read what was on the page.
Topics: Parenting, Internet, Technology, Homework
Each week our children get three randomly chosen coins for doing a set list of chores around the house.
Dear Teacher,
I’d love to come to parent teacher interviews, really I would, but I need you to know that I’m scared.I’m unsure of what I’ll hear. I don’t know much about school and I don’t know the right questions to ask. Frankly, I struggle to pack a healthy lunchbox and get through the morning routine without the usual fights about makeup and tidying her room, so I don’t think I’d have any idea what to say about my child’s schoolwork!
I’m a people person.
I have manners (most of the time) and I love my friendships (all the time). But, there’s also this great new thing that has occasionally threatened to ruin some of my friendships…it’s called Facebook.
Topics: Internet, Social Media
I have a general weakness for all things pink, vintage and nostalgic. So when all these features appeared before my very eyes recently, in one adorable little package, a 1950’s vintage Noddy clock became mine.
Actually, I justified the purchase on the grounds that it had clear numbers on the face and that it would be an excellent teaching tool for helping our six year old to learn to tell the time.
Topics: Parenting, Primary School, Sleep, Prep
I came across an interesting idea recently regarding time management. The idea was that there isn’t actually any such thing as time management. That time marches on regardless of what we do with it and that we all get the same amount – just 24 hours a day. No amount of time management techniques or colour coded schedules was going to give you more time.
I’m sure many would say that I got it lucky. I have a child who eats vegetables. Actually, not just eats them but asks for them!
Many times I have been asked the question ‘how do you get your child to eat vegetables?', a question quickly followed by the ‘you’re so lucky you got one like that’ statement.
The three most dreaded words at the end of a long and busy day – "What’s for dinner"?
In our house, the answer is ‘go look on the fridge’. Not in the fridge, but on the fridge. Why on the fridge? Because if you want to know what we are eating for dinner, it will be written on the weekly meal planner that is stuck on the fridge door.
I'm in my mid 30s. (Deep breaths...I CAN cope!)
But...when something exciting happens, I call:
1. My husband
I was moved to tears today by a lady at the shops.
My children love the games shop at our local shopping center as it has a train set permanently set up down the back. The children begged me for a small play there and I acquiesced on the condition that they come as soon as I ask them too. They promised they would.
Well, the holidays are almost over and the thoughts of many a parent is turning to the dreaded lunch box!
What do I pack? What will they eat? How will it keep it cool? Is it healthy?
Take some comfort in knowing that you are not alone and that many have gone before you, often with great success.
One of the things that brings me great joy is thinking back to my childhood and the certainty I had around celebrations just knowing that ‘this was the way it would be done’. It gave me comfort and a real sense of security to know that:
Topics: Parenting, School Holidays, Christmas
It is 9:09pm on the eve of "Australia's biggest party". I am already in my pyjamas, my children are safely tucked in bed and I am glad I have a long time to wait before I have to personally worry about Schoolies. But there are plenty of mums and dads around Queensland whose stomachs are aswarm tonight. Firstly, because their bundles finish school forever tomorrow and secondly, and probably more significantly, their little ones will most-likely attend some sort of Schoolies celebration.
Topics: Parenting, Teens, School Leavers, High School
I nearly ran over one of my children the other day with the pram. I was turning left, he was standing there, and low and behold, I ran over his toes…again. “How did that happen!?” I thought to myself and the answer was very obvious: I didn’t tell him where I was going or what I was thinking. To him, an unreasonable person ran him over. To me, an unreasonable person got in the way.
Sometimes, the parent-teacher relationship is like this; without appropriate communication, one or both parties can get very confused about where they're both headed!
Topics: Parenting, Teachers, High School, Primary School
I think I upset another mother today ...
My children and I were getting into the lift at our local shopping centre and my boy was excited about pressing the button. One of the little girls with the other mother darted over to the buttons and pressed the button her mother asked her to. My boy asked if he too could press the button and I replied, 'We don't need to now, the other little girl has done it. You can press a button another time."
I had the most intriguing conversation with my son at bedtime the other night. He's not one to be emotional or 'cuddly' but at bedtime he likes me to lie with and talk to him. The other night as I lay down next to him he said to me, "Cuddle me tight Mum, but don't use your hands".
Topics: Parenting, Teens, High School, Behaviour, Primary School, Preschool, Prep, Toddlers
“Have you done your homework?” “I don’t have any!”
Does that sound familiar? Have you thought about changing the name from homework to something like study time? No homework from school? Excellent, how about you revise maths, English or spelling, or get ahead on that assignment? Still nothing? Oh well, this is study time so some silent reading will be a good choice.
Topics: Teens, High School, Primary School, Homework
