You don’t need expensive toys and amazing activity ideas to keep young children busy and learning. Tearing paper up into little pieces can be very satisfying and also very useful for young children’s fine motor development. The act of tearing encourages useful finger and co-ordination skills. The child will have to practice holding the paper in between their pointing finger and thumb and to move each hand in different directions. It is harder than you think!

Make it fun! Use lots of different paper, different colours, textures and sizes. Kids love to get messy, you could get the glue out and stick down some pieces to make a collage.

Why?

• Children will learn to move, reach and grasp which will develop the muscles and skills to scribble, in time learning how to write
• Body awareness, developing to make big movements and small movements, such as, pincer grasp
• Awakening and developing the brain
• Coordination skills

Next time your at a lose end, try tearing paper with your little ones, the learning possibilities are endless.

Getting the best health care for your child is very important to everyone. A healthy mouth is important for overall health and wellbeing. Bad oral hygiene can affect how a child eats, sleeps, talks and plays. Not only does good hygiene help prevent tooth decay and gum disease, these been the most common dental problems, but also can help reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes.

As soon as your child has their first tooth come through or before their first birthday you should get an appointment to see the dentist. This is so the dentist can check up on the child’s growth of their teeth and look out for any signs of decay. Most dentists are experienced with helping and supporting children with their visit. As a top tip be sure to ask your dentist before hand what things are in place to support children, to make them feel comfortable and happy.

Top Tips:

• Brush teeth twice a day
• After brushing, spit don’t rinse
• Reduce the amount of foods and drinks that contain sugar
• Ask the dentist for a quick ‘hello’ visit before the appointment
• Talk to your child before your visit about why we go to the dentist

If brushing your child’s teeth or keeping good oral hygiene is an issue and it might be upsetting your child there are some items that might help. This might be the case for children with learning disabilities and autism. www.fleglings.org.uk is a shop which helps and supports families with disabled children by supplying products and equipment to help with their everyday challenges.