Jacqueline Taylor, mum of two, has been working in Early Childhood Education for 19 years. She currently works for footsteps - a nationwide service offering home-based childcare and free 1:1 learning programmes to give children the best start. As a qualified ECE teacher, she is especially interested in working with under 3s to understand and help them develop a strong foundation for the future.
Fussy eating in preschool age children is very common, and a source of great frustration to many parents and caregivers. Picky eating is one of the most discussed behaviours in my work as an early childhood teacher with Footsteps so here are some of my top tips to overcome the problem and make mealtimes a breeze.
Crying is your baby’s way of communicating. Their cry tells you “I need you”. Your baby will not be ‘spoilt’ if you attend to its cry, rather your baby will develop a secure bond and attachment. Many studies have shown that babies whose cries are attended to promptly and consistently cry less.
Babies don’t cry for ‘no reason’, they are hardwired to cry so that their needs are met. Sometimes finding out what your baby is trying to tell you through their crying is a challenge, especially in those early months so here are some common reasons as to why your baby might be crying.
With Children’s Day just around the corner on Sunday the 3rd March, we thought you might appreciate 10 ideas on how to celebrate this special day with your precious little ones.
1. Attend a free Children’s Day event. Children’s Day needn’t be expensive – there are loads of events happening throughout the country, here’s some of our top picks: Continue reading »
The years leading up to school strongly influence your child’s attitudes and abilities towards reading. A home where stories are treasured and shared and where books are at a child’s level and explored daily will build a great foundation for literacy. Equally those first few weeks and months at school are important for your child in developing an enjoyment of reading, a positive attitude to learning and starting off as a confident reader. If you create a calm and positive environment where your child wants to read and feels confident in their abilities, these positive attitudes will flow on to their future years at school. Continue reading »
All babies have their own unique and precious personality determined both by genetics and the environment they are born into. Because of this, children react differently to separation from their parents and this reaction can change from one week to the next. This article shares the different ways children can experience separation anxiety and how to deal with it. Continue reading »
Have you ever brought a gift and then realised it was better suited for a younger child or it was to ‘old’ for the child? Perhaps you brought a toy and then a week after Christmas it was in the bottom of the toy box never to be played with again. Not sure of what to buy your own child, grandchild, niece or nephew? Want to buy something that is not only fun but encourages early childhood education too? Continue reading »
Most of us think a child’s tendency to be creative is predetermined at birth by genetics but it can also be strongly influenced, both positively and negatively by their experiences. Whether your strength with creativity is in music, storytelling or art, you can help enhance your child’s creativity through fun, engaging activities that encourage exploration and discovery. Fostering this creativity in the early years creates a strong foundation which they will benefit from for the rest of their lives. Continue reading »
Who and where your child is cared for might just be one of the most important decisions you make in their early years. We all want our children to be safe, nurtured and receive the best start in their education and development. As a teacher for home based childcare in Auckland, I thought it would be helpful to tell you some of the benefits of home based care so you can decide if it is right for your child.
Looking back to my early childhood I couldn’t tell you how many times a week my Mum vacuumed or cleaned the shower, I don’t know if I went to swimming lessons and I don’t remember if we had expensive furniture. What I can tell you is that we had a lot of fun and it was not just okay to be a little silly – it was encouraged. Continue reading »
Excitement is in the air, a new baby for you, a new sibling for your child. Here are some helpful ideas on how to prepare your child/ren for this change during your pregnancy and make those first few weeks after childbirth stress free for both of you. Continue reading »
