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
