You have more than likely heard about the importance of keeping your 2 and 3 year olds active throughout the day, but how much is enough? Children this age are walking and running, kicking, and throwing. They’re naturally active, so be sure to provide lots of chances for your child to practice and build on these skills.

Physical activity guidelines for toddlers recommend that each day they:

• get at least 30 minutes of structured (adult-led) physical activity
• get at least 60 minutes of unstructured (active free play) physical activity
• not be inactive for more than 1 hour at a time except when sleeping

The Benefits of keeping active:

Children who are active at a young age tend to continue this and lead very active adults lives. Keeping physically fit can boost self-esteem, prevent obesity and decrease the risk of serious health conditions/illnesses, such as; high blood pressure or diabetes. Keeping active strengthens children’s bones, muscles, hearts and lungs and improves children’s coordination, balance, posture and flexibility.

Top Tips: 

Staying active can be fun for the whole family. Why not get everyone joining in with some fun games/activities:

• Walk like a penguin, hop like a frog, or imitate other animals’ movements.
• Sit facing each other and hold hands. Rock back and forth and sing the song “Row, row, row your boat.”
• Bend at the waist and touch the ground. Walk your hands forward and inch along like a caterpillar.
• Sit on the ground and let your child step over your legs, or make a bridge with your body and let your child crawl under.
• Play follow the leader, “Ring around the rosy,” and other similar games.
• Listen to music and dance together.

The possibilities are endless, just exploring the garden or park together is great fun, you could even try bug hunting!

Screen Time Tips: 

Babies under the 18 months old should have no screen time at all. Toddlers 18 months to 24 months old can start to enjoy some screen time with a parent or caregiver. By ages 2 and 3, kids should watch no more than 1 hour a day.

But not all screen time is created equal. For example, you and your baby playing an interactive colour or shape game on a tablet or watching high-quality educational programming together is good screen time. Plopping your toddler down in front of the TV to watch your favourite shows with you is an example of bad screen time.

Use screen time as a chance to interact with your child and teach lessons about the world. Don’t let your child spend time alone just staring at a screen.

Parents and carers are often filled with mixed emotions – some know that their child is probably ready for the next step; some are equally sad that their little one is taking this big step and some are confused about the words ‘school readiness’ which we see and hear everywhere.

What does being “school ready” mean?

School readiness is about been ‘ready to learn’ not knowing how to read and write or count to 10, otherwise what would be the point in going to school? It is about children preparing themselves, been comfortable in their learning environment.

• Independence – been able to go to the toilet, pull up their trousers and wash their hands
• Knowing how to sit and listen
• Be aware of other children – can interact with others appropriately with friendly behaviours
• Having strong social skills
• Can cope emotionally with being separated from their parents
• Have a curiosity about the world and a desire to learn
• Understand some boundaries
• Good language skills – to communicate with adults for support or other peers

If the child attends a pre-school or child care setting the professionals will be supporting and encouraging ‘school readiness’ throughout. Parents/careers can also encourage all these skills at home.

PACEY_preparingforschool_guide.pdf  Parents, check out this free guide for some top tips on preparing your little ones for school.

As much as we are all enjoying the recent warm weather it is vital to keep safe in the sun, especially children. It is easy to forget the dangers when there is so much fun to be had. There are many precautions that we can take, here are just a few that may help:

• Children’s skin is much more sensitive than an adults, extra precautions should be taken
• suitable clothing should be worn, sunhats, light long sleeve tops
• Spend time in the shade, between 11am and 3pm is when the sun is at it’s strongest in the UK
• Apply at least SPF30 sunscreen regularly
• Ensure sunscreen is applied on the face, neck, backs of hands and ears, or any skin exposed
• Protect your eyes, where possible wear sunglasses

Swimming/water play:

• Wear water-resistant sunscreen
• When in water it can be more difficult to notice if you skin is burning due to the cooling water. Ensure sunscreen is reapplied straight after waterplay, even if it is water-resistant
• Wear appropriate clothing while in the water, sunhats, swimsuits

Applying sunscreen:

• Ensure to use at least two teaspoons of cream if you are covering your head, neck and arms. At least two tablespoons if you are covering the entire body. Applying too thin will reduce the protection
• If you are going out for the day or for a long period of time sunscreen should be applied 30 minutes before leaving and then again just before leaving
• It is suggested that sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours as direct sunlight can dry the cream from the skin
• Make sure the sunscreen is not past its expiry date. Most sunscreens have a shelf life of 2 to 3 years

Dealing with sunburn:

• Sponge sore areas with cool water and apply aftersun cream to sooth
• Stay out of the sun until the skin is fully recovered
• Painkillers can be used if necessary, paracetamol or ibuprofen for all potential inflammation

You should take extra care in the sun if you:

• have pale, white or light brown skin
• have freckles or red or fair hair
• tend to burn rather than tan
• have many moles
• have skin problems relating to a medical condition
• are only exposed to intense sun occasionally (for example, while on holiday)
• are in a hot country where the sun is particularly intense
• have a family history of skin cancer

(Sunscreen and sun safety – NHS (www.nhs.uk))