Pancake week! Five activities for you to try
We love making pancakes. In fact, we love any type of cooking with young children. The opportunities for play are endless and there are so many skills they will be mastering along the way...
Language
Spreading the love – random acts of kindness and children
There’s lots of love around this week with Galentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day and Random Acts of Kindness Day. In keeping with the theme of showing love and kindness, we’ve been thinking about children and kindness.
When you think about it, small acts of kindness from children are a big deal. When they give you a daisy or draw you a picture, they are giving you something they really treasure, and that is a huge gift.
The science behind becoming a mathematician – podcast out now
This week’s podcast is now LIVE! You’ll hear how maths is so much more than numbers, counting, addition and subtraction.
You know it’s pointless when even Marie Kondo has given up tidying
We can’t deny that joy was definitely sparked this week when we read that even Marie Kondo, famous for her books on decluttering, has “kind of given up” tidying following the arrival of her third child.
As someone who actually gets a sweat on when looking around my house at the end of the weekend, I felt an enormous sense of relief. Looking at Instagram, you’d be forgiven for thinking that everyone else lives in immaculate homes where children tidy up their beautiful, wooden toys at the end of each day, leaving a relaxing space for the adults to enjoy their evening.
Comparanoia podcast episode out now
This week's podcast is now LIVE!
You’ll hear how to focus on the uniqueness of your child’s development and on the often unnoticed but crucially important little steps on your child’s journey.
Food for thought: Our child nutrition podcast is out now!
This week's podcast is now LIVE! Listen as specialist paediatric dietitian Lucy Upton (also known as the Children’s Dietitian) joins hosts Alistair Bryce-Clegg and Jennie Johnson to talk all things child nutrition, from weaning to fussy eating.
Resolve to ditch New Year’s resolutions
You’ve barely succumbed to the final, unloved Quality Street that no one else wanted when you’re suddenly thrust headlong into New Year’s resolutions, thinking about ways to be more of this or better at that.
Sometimes we all feel the pull of a fresh start, particularly after days inside eating leftover roast potatoes.
Don’t forget your parenting best bits!
Before moving on to thinking about 2023, how about stopping for a moment to recognise some of your wins as a parent from the last twelve months? Your parenting best bits, if you will.
Parenting is the hardest job in the world, so there will undoubtedly have been some challenges and steep learning curves. This is true whether you are pregnant, a first-time parent or have a larger family. But even the long nights can become wins if seen in a new light – by reflecting on what you have learnt or even just acknowledging that you survived some tough experiences.
Giving your child a break from Christmas
We are huge fans of Christmas. It’s such a magical time, with little people full of wonder and excitement – sometimes, dare we say it, verging on too much excitement!
Alongside the trips to visit Santa, the thrill of decorating the tree and leaving snacks for the big man himself, your child might also have a nativity or Christmas carol production, later nights than usual and more sweet treats. And that can add up to be a lot for a child to handle.
Is it reasonable to expect young children to say thank you?
“Say thank you for your present,” is a line we will no doubt be repeating time and again at this time of year. But how much do children really understand about why? What are reasonable expectations for young children when it comes to sharing a new toy or being polite when they are given a jumper they have no interest in? And what can we do as adults to support them in these tricky situations?
We asked our My First Five Years’ experts for their views.
