Think of creative ways to make brushing your teeth fun. For example, listening to fun sounds or songs that are two minutes long to help keep yourself and your kids brushing for the entire time is recommended.

Also, having a cool toothbrush designed for kids that features their favourite characters helps bring the fun in brushing and allows children to bring their favourite cartoon and television friends into the bathroom with them.

• Create a rewards chart – Children should brush their teeth twice a day, so try keeping track of your child’s brushing on a calendar by the sink with gold stars. If there are two stars at the end of the week, they could get a little treat.
• Make brushing teeth time family time – At night, get together in the bathroom to brush your teeth for the recommended two minutes. It will encourage your children when they see their parents/carers doing it too.
• Don’t make the dentist a scary place – Dentists recommend dental check-ups every six months, which can be scary for many children. So prepare them beforehand. Give them an idea of what to expect; try using picture books or do some role-playing exercises to explain to kids what to expect during a dental visit. After the visit, reward them for good behaviour.
• Keep a routine – Make it part of your child’s daily routine so they can become used to regular brushing.
• Use tooth brushing games and apps – Brushing apps for smartphones and tablets, like the free Oral-B Disney Magic Timer App, can help children brush by featuring exciting animation and virtual stickers.

Lastly, remember that a healthy diet is essential in tooth care for kids. Try to avoid or limit sugary foods and drinks. It’s recommended that they only drink milk and water. If you give them sugary foods, only do so at their regular mealtimes.

Adults see scribbling, but for children it is their masterpiece!

Mark making is a very important phrase of a child’s development. It is a visual way to communicate and interact in a meaningful way with adults in their lives, as well as developing their coordination, creativity and literacy skills.

The phases of scribbling in young children can be categorised:

1. Random scribbling – this first phrase is the very beginning of children showing interest in holding a pencil and making random marks, typically, this can be seen as lines in different directions.
2. Controlled scribbling – this next stage shows the child has much more control over the pencil and will leave marks where they want to on the paper.
3. Naming of scribbling –  at this stage, the child is thinking more into the mark-making action. They are beginning to make links with their marks on the paper and the world around them, this could be something that is meaningful to them in their life, a personal experience or an object.
4. Early representational attempts – at this stage, the child’s drawing may start to resemble real-life images because they have greater muscle control and a greater understanding of the world around them.
5. Representational stage of scribbling –  in the last and final stage, children will draw basic objects, this usually starts with circular shapes. It might be their own personal version, e.g. they may draw five circles together and call it a car.

As adults, we should provide opportunities for children to mark make it their own way. This doesn’t always have to be using a pencil and paper. Try sticks in the mud, flour and a paintbrush or their finger dipped in paint. The possibilities are endless.

Dummies have some great advantages, they can help sooth young babies, help them to fall asleep and satisfy babies sucking instinct. However, these advantages are great for very young babies, between the ages of 6- 12 months parents should begin to wean their child of all use of dummies.

Why get rid?

• Dummies may transport bacteria and fungus, which can increase the rate of infections
• Effects of dummies on baby teeth include overbite, malocclusion, cross bite and open bite
• Speech is a huge factor, especially for children 18 – 24 months –  When a baby or young child has a dummy in their mouth they are less likely to copy sounds adults make or to attempt to babble and play with sounds themselves. This is important in the development of speech skills.

Top tips on how to wean of the dummy:

• If the dummy is being used as a sleep cue, then introducing a different sleep cue can help
• You could restrict your child’s dummy use to certain times only, such as in the car
• Rewards might work better for an older child – your local children’s centre or health visitor can offer support with this. Some areas even have ’dummy fairies’ at Christmas
• Try picking a good time to stop using a dummy – when your child is feeling well, things are stable and they’re happy
• Have a go at hiding the dummy away so your child doesn’t see it

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))

As our children grow older we want them to be able to look after themselves and be independent. We want them to head out into the big wide world prepared so the future seems exciting. This starts from a early age and children as young as two will be beginning to learn new life skills everyday. This may be zipping up their coat, helping to put the washing away at home or learning to cook in the kitchen. It is never too early to start.

Montessori talks about ‘practical life activities’. “Practical life activities are applicable for all ages, even infants, and change depending on what the child can do at each stage of development. The activities can start with something as simple as pulling pants up or washing hands and can get as complicated as baking a dessert, or even developing a business plan in the elementary or middle school years.”

“When taken seriously and presented as an approachable, impactful challenge, these activities hold inherent dignity. It’s not “just” getting dressed or “just” juicing an orange if one is doing it oneself. The child is learning to follow a complex motor sequence, independently, in order to fulfil his or her own desires and needs. These skills, when taught early in life, allow children to believe in themselves as well as develop the self-discipline needed for success throughout their lives.” (The Importance of Practical Life Activities Within the Montessori Method)

This week in the Woodland we have been cooking on the fire. We all helped to chop the vegetables and prepare the food. First we washed our hands, put on a aprons and discussed why these steps were important. We used chopping boards and safety knifes to cut up the butternut squash, rhubarb and onion before roasting on the fire. The fire itself gives children experiences of safe risk taking and supports their understanding of boundaries at Nursery. We even got to devour our delicious creation for dinner!

It is important to keep a healthy well balanced diet for young children for their health and well-being. It is advised to ensure children eat from all four food groups everyday to maintain the nutrients they need.

However, a huge factor is portion control! This is just as important, if not the most important part for a healthy, well balanced diet. It can be easy to think the more they eat the better, overfeeding can be harmful and have some lastly effects, for example, obesity or diabetes.

It can be difficult to understand the correct portions for some foods, especially taking into consideration the size, age and personality of the child.

The appetites of children can vary considerably from day- to- day, meal-to- meal and from child- to- child. Their appetite can be influenced by age, gender, activity level, growth spurs, puberty and whether the child is unwell or recuperating from being ill. There are no specific recommendation on how much a child should be eating, however this is just a guide.

This chart is a useful guide for portion control: (Portions and Serving Sizes – HealthyChildren.org)

Some top tips to support meal times:

• Gradually increase portion sizes as the child grows older.
• Avoid over filling plates as this can be off putting for younger children particularly for fussy eaters.
• Ensure that the proportions on the plate are correct.
• Offer small portions to begin with and allow second helpings if they eat it all.
• Remember that second helpings should still be nutritionally balanced, so ensure that they include food from each food group and not just the food group/s that children prefer.
• Offering second helpings of the vegetables, salad or fruit is a good idea to ensure your child gets plenty of vitamins and minerals but not too much energy.