Interactive books to give your toddler’s fine motor skills a workout
Movement is essential for your toddler’s fine motor muscles. They will only be able to strengthen and learn to control the small muscles in their fingers, hands and wrists by doing actions and making movements which use them, and for toddlers the whole world is an opportunity to do so. It’s even possible to sneak some fine motor development into more restful moments like story time, and these three interactive story books make it fun for all of you to get involved!
Your toddler will be developing their fine motor skills as they eat, as they use play dough or colour in, as they position toys to play and as they get dressed, but sometimes it can all feel a bit much and a cosy cuddle with a story is just what you both need.
Why is your toddler holding a pencil so awkwardly?
You probably don’t think much about how you hold a pencil – you just pick one up and start writing. Seeing your toddler master the art of not only gripping a pencil (or crayon, pen or, horror, permanent marker!) but working out how to get it moving highlights just how tricky this process actually is. It can often look awkward or clumsy, which makes it tempting to ‘correct’ them, but when this feeling strikes try to hold yourself back!
There is a reason they are working through this stage of uncomfortable-looking grips, so it’s important for you to know why it’s happening – and how to help them in the best possible way.
Play dough or play don’t? Here’s our advice if it just isn’t for you
Is play dough a 'no no' in your house? Whether it’s the mess, the texture, the way the colours end up all smushed together... there are lots of reasons play dough just doesn’t appeal to some of us, and that is absolutely fine. Toddlers can learn a lot from playing with dough, but there are ways to make it work for you and ensure your toddler is getting the same experiences.
See it as a sensory exploration
Butterflies in your stomach – the importance of our eighth sense
When someone tells you they have butterflies in their stomach, you probably immediately understand how they are feeling. This feeling when nervous or excited is produced by receptors inside our organs and skin that are interpreted by our brain. The sense which provides us with information from inside our body is interoception – sometimes referred to as our ‘eighth sense’.
Interoception is a sense that you might not have heard very much about before, but it helps your child understand what is going on inside their body
Fed up with thinking about what to eat? Find some helpful tips here
Stuck for ideas for meals and the time to plan them? Here are seven hacks to help you through the week!
Make a note of what you have in before you think about meal planning
Your tiny dancer and the magic of music
For us as adults, music has the power to bring back memories and emotions, and get us moving in a carefree way – often involuntarily! It's the same for your toddler. Along with unlocking a totally joyful expression of movement, music can bring about exciting new feelings and emotions for them. And sharing music and dance with you may plant some shared, never-to-forget moments you both think about whenever you hear a certain tune or song in the years to come.
Music has been in your toddler’s life since they were born – well before they were born, in fact. They’ll have heard a wide variety of music from their toys, on TV, in the car, in shops, and pretty much everywhere! You might sometimes be surprised at some of the songs they know and wonder where they’ve picked them up.
Wave your arms in the air! The invisible mechanics behind it
When we think about waving or moving arms through the air, although it may seem straightforward, your toddler needs to make a complicated, synchronised movement to do this. It’s not until we delve into the magnificence of how our bodies make it happen that we can appreciate every tiny step of progress your toddler’s striving to achieve.
Let’s start with the skeleton, which consists of bones, joints and cartilage, and is the foundation of the body.
Brain teaser: is there really such a thing as left and right?
Have you heard people say creative people are ‘right brained’ or scientists are ‘left brained’? Maybe you’ve even looked at your toddler and wondered what kind of brain they’ve got. But is it true that our interests and personality are decided by which side of our brains dominates?
First things first – is the left side of our brain logical and the right side creative and emotional?
How everyday experiences build a foundation for maths and science
If we said your toddler is a scientist, you might wonder what we are talking about – or maybe you see that yourself when you watch them play. Everyday play and routines give your toddler the real experiences that will help them understand the maths and science they will learn in the future.
Get cooking
Build your toddler’s self-esteem every day
We know parents have an important role to play in building children’s self-esteem – and your toddler is amazing (of course!), but is it possible to praise them too much and if it is, what can you do instead?
Psychologists Eddie Brummelman and Constantine Sedikides have looked at how we develop our sense of who we are, and what parents can do that raises self-esteem (without encouraging narcissism).
