Five books about families
Looking at books can be a great way to chat about all the things families enjoy doing together, and about who is in your family. Here are some stories we love.
One Family by George Shannon and Blanca Gomez
Why scientists want everyone to listen to their body – it might prove to be good for our mental health!
Interoception is our sense of what is happening inside our body. People with a strong interoceptive sense will notice quickly (and so be able to act on it) when they are hungry, full, tired or need the toilet. Interoception also helps us to recognise and understand our emotions, and this is something that researchers are increasingly recognising as important for protecting and promoting good mental health.[1]
Feelings are often talked about as a very brain-based sensation, but our bodies also experience changes and send messages to the brain which informs how we feel;[2] often the physical response to an event or experience is in fact part of our emotional reaction.
Stressed about screen time? We take a look at the realities, and impacts, of toddlers watching screens
Screen time: something all parents dread having to talk about with other people. Every family will have a different approach to it, perhaps based on how you felt about it as a child or how your routine fits in with watching screens. Whatever your approach, there is a constant stream of information coming towards parents about how much screen time is too much for young children. We’ve looked into some of the most recent research, which suggests there might be a way to balance screen time to reduce any negative impacts.
The first, and most important, thing to stress is that screen time is not always bad. In fact, sometimes screen time can help us be the best parents we can be.
Moving toys helps with reading and writing – really?
Did you know that watching a moving toy helps your toddler develop the essential skills needed to read and write? It's true! In order to read and write, your toddler’s eyes must be able to follow the flow of written text or watch a pen move. This is called visual tracking and it’s a skill they’ll use in everyday life.
Quick hacks to help your toddler take part in getting dressed
A wiggle here, a jiggle there, and pop! One arm is through an item of clothing. This is an exciting stage of your toddler’s development; here are a few ideas of how you can encourage your toddler to help to move their arms or legs into the right position when getting dressed.
- Choose suitable clothing – looser clothes are easier for your toddler to wiggle around in and help push their limbs through. Tighter clothes might cause arms and legs to get stuck on their journey.
- Enhance the experience using sounds – adding silly noises can make getting dressed and undressed a lot of fun. If you put a jumper over your toddler's head and their head pops through, you could say, "Pop!" Or you might make a long sound while their leg is making its way down a pair of trousers until you see their foot appear.
- Find a comfy position for getting dressed and undressed – find a comfortable position for your toddler to sit in as you help them put on and take off their clothes. They may prefer to sit on a chair, a cushion, or simply on the floor. Encourage your toddler to sit in a way that is comfortable for them and lets them move freely; this might mean moving off your lap for some parts of the getting dressed process. As their level of independence increases, having this experience will help them.
- Try getting dressed in front of a mirror – toddlers love looking at themselves and they might be able to see things differently if they can view what is going on in the mirror.
- Think about fabrics – some fabrics feel itchy, or clingy, and this might discourage your toddler from wanting to put them on. Check for any labels which might scratch or irritate them.
Heave-ho! Letting your toddler enjoy the challenge of lifting heavy things
It can be instinctive to jump in and help when you notice your toddler trying to lift something you know is heavy, but when it is safe to do so, letting them try (and fail, and try again) helps to develop not only their resilience but also their important gross motor skills.
Since they were in the womb, your toddler has been building up their gross motor muscles.[1] This includes all the larger muscles in their body, which need to be strong and powerful enough to support all their movements. Gross motor muscles help your toddler to maintain their posture, and to move their arms, legs and head, so they need to be strengthened to support your toddler to explore the world.
You don’t need to be a drill sergeant to enjoy an obstacle course
Talking about obstacle courses tends to conjure up an image of hard physical activity, perhaps lots of young soldiers being shouted at, maybe even your own childhood PE lessons. But there is a reason they are such a classic way to get people moving – the challenges of getting your body over, under and through obstacles is a brilliant workout and helps young children to build not only muscle strength, but also balance, body awareness and confidence.
How can you embrace obstacle courses with your toddler?
Your toddler’s sleep and physical activity – recommendations and research
There are national and international guidelines about how much sleep we all need, including how those needs change as we develop. We have probably all seen recommendations for daily or weekly physical activity, whether that’s described as 10,000 steps or active minutes – and there are guidelines for how active our children should be too. So, what does the guidance and research say and how might this help you think about your toddler’s daily routine?
How much should my toddler sleep?
The cocktail party effect – how your toddler begins to pick out sounds in busy places
Talking about ‘the cocktail-party effect’ when we are describing your toddler might seem strange (and it in some ways it is!). This effect, also known as speech-in-noise discrimination, describes our ability to listen to one person when there are lots of other conversations and noise happening.[1] This is something that takes a long time to develop – and might explain why sometimes it feels like your toddler isn’t listening!
Listening to one voice when there is lots of noise around is not easy, and children find this more difficult than adults.[2]
Risky play – recent research suggests your toddler can do their own risk assessment
As your toddler becomes a more and more confident explorer, you might notice they seek out new challenges. The importance of risky play for pre-school (and older) children has been researched quite a lot, but researchers are increasingly interested in finding out more about how toddlers assess risk and what risky play might look like for them.
We all know that an important part of our role as parents is to keep our children safe, but there is evidence that thinking about and taking appropriate risks can help children develop the skills they need to assess risk; encourage them to be physically active and enjoy movement; and explore their abilities in playful situations so they know when something is too dangerous for them.[1]
