Articles
It Ain’t That Bad
If you are like most parents, the first few days of the school holidays are great. Time off with the whole family brings much needed bonding and grounding. Then…without
Book’em Dano…
I love books. Walking into the Auckland Public Library downtown is like a trip to Disney Land! You see, we are built for stories. It’s why we like TV, Movies and even
Becoming Mum
The day I found out I was pregnant filled me with equal parts of joy and fear. I was living 15,000kms away from my momma and even though I had the best mother-in-law in the world,
All Grown Up
My son turned 18. Apparently, he is now a man. He voted in our last election and in some countries around the world, he could be drafted into mandatory military service. Of
Lost Your Teenager or Young Adult to Gaming?
Are you tired of feeling confused about their addiction? Are you frustrated that what you’ve tried before hasn’t worked? Do you feel hopeless? Or shame that you’re a “bad
My strategies for success
Labelled lazy by teachers, Aidan Milner struggled through school. However he thrived at university despite severe dyslexia and dyscalculia. He explains why. I was formally
Dyslexia in preschoolers
Research shows that the earlier we identify and support children with dyslexia, the better their outcome. So what are the first signs, and what can we do to help? Dyslexia isn’t
Gifted and challenged
Imagine a child who finds school both too easy and too hard. Highly creative and with a vast general knowledge, they can’t sit still in class and or hold a pencil properly to write
Supporting students with autism in the classroom: what teachers need to know
Students with autism often present unique challenges to schools, and teachers can often find it difficult to meet their needs effectively. Internationally, around 1 in 68
Being a Guide or Scout 'can help improve mental health in later life'
Children who participate in the organisations are likely to have better psychological health in middle age Joining the Scouts or Guides appears to help lower the risk of mental
More Kiwi kids brought up on tech can't hold a pencil
Experts have seen six-year-olds with the handwriting ability of typical two-year-olds as kids spend less time using pencils and more time on computers. An increasing number of
Confident Parenting
Whether you're a stay at home or working mum, chances are you'll experience a loss of confidence and self-belief at some point during parenthood. Becoming a parent is one of the
Born to BE WILD?
If their behaviour is a real concern, it may be time to hit the books If your child is impulsive, fidgety, easily distracted and struggles to concentrate, you may wonder whether
The Negative Voices in Your Teenager’s Head - 7 ways to quiet them
This is what a teen might say to you about his or her self-talk "I’m mad. I don’t know why. Sometimes I wake up mad; other days it creeps up on me. I don’t like it. It doesn’t
Motivating Children
Young children develop attitudes toward learning from the significant others in their lives. If parents or other adults nurture a child's self-confidence and curiosity, and provide
Effective Praise
A goal of educators is to help children to become intrinsically motivated. Children's self-worth develops as an aside from working hard, surmounting frustrations, and overcoming
5 Reasons Karate Can Boost Your Child’s Self Confidence
Although martial arts have their roots in the necessary self-defence techniques that every fighting-age man and woman had to know in pre-modern Eastern societies, they have evolved
Simple Ways to Boost Your Child's Self-Esteem
Dos and don'ts for raising a confident kid. A positive sense of self is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Children with high self-esteem feel loved and competent
Resilience - don't let things get you down
What is it? Imagine you have each end of a piece of elastic in your hands.Pull your hands apart and the elastic stretches. Let go of one end and the elastic bounces back to its
Tips to be more resilient
What you can do: 1. To help yourself to be more resilient Positive self–talk. That means: tell that voice in your head to think about all the good things around you and all
The Gift That Lasts a Lifetime
Growing up we didn’t have a lot. Mummy & Daddy worked hard, but with four kids, things were always tight. We didn’t have stacks of presents under our Christmas tree. I
Tips for raising fit kids
Fitness expert Sarah Cowley shows you how to get the whole family exercising. Kids need clear, positive messages about exercise to develop active habits for life. The earlier they
Building Resilience in Children
How do we manage to parent from a place of love and understanding, not fear and paranoia? It's not possible to protect our children from the ups and downs of life. Raising
Language activities for the holidays
Language can be taught with almost anything around us. By talking to your children about the things that you are doing, buying, making or seeing, you are stimulating their
Language development in primary school children aged between 5 and 8 years.
Early language researchers used to think that by the time a child reaches school age their language skills are almost fully developed, but in fact there is enormous growth in all
Making Maths Fun! Ideas for over 2's
You will be amazed that what you are doing every day with young children is already laying strong foundations for mathematics, like algebra, statistics, measurement and
Making Maths Fun! Ideas for under 2's
So much of what children are discovering in early childhood has a mathematical spin. Everyday experiences in early childhood centers are helping little ones learn early
Why Read To Your Kids
A quiet time, a quiet place, some tasty food, a good book - read by a loving parent - is a stepping stone towards intelligent children and a happy home. Reading to your kids
Study Tips For Exams
Learning new material is challenging. It is normal to think I will never learn this or it's too hard. Get a wall planner and put your exam dates on it. Use a homework
Life can be like a roller coaster
Life can be like a roller coaster – sometimes it’s great and thrilling and sometimes it’s just scary and stomach-churning! Have you noticed how some people approach life with
