Articles
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
Saying goodbye to those Primary school years can be hard
We often know the staff well and feel comfortable going in to talk to teachers to sort things out. We’ve been to sports days, concerts, helped out in classes, on school trips and
A Fresh Start - Good tips for Year 7 & 8's transitioning into Year 9
These early days of a new school years are really important for how our young people will learn to get the best out of their school year. Encourage the “merge like a zip”
My Stutter Book
The Stuttering Treatment and Research Trust is releasing a book of art, poems, and essays from Kiwi kids who stutter – to contribute to this year’s International Stuttering
Dyslexia - a brief overview
"Dyslexia is an alternative way of thinking and learning that affects one in ten New Zealanders, including over 70,000 school children." Dyslexia Foundation of New
Assessing learning needs
When an assessor is working with a child, they are looking for pieces of the puzzle that don't fit. They are looking for patterns - they are looking for WHY... Judith Alexander -
"I can't do it!"
"I can't do it!" ... and even when your child finally does do it, you will still hear the declaration "that doesn't mean I really can do it." It doesn’t seem to help to tell them
Diving into Dyscalculia
It’s been described as the number one cause of maths weakness that you’ve never heard of. Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability we know very little about yet it affects
How can we all get along together?
"How can we all get along together?" This phrase will resonate with many parents, children and young adults, possibly followed by feelings of frustration and hopelessness. Over
Why is arts therapy such an effective way to help children to heal from illness, trauma and emotional difficulties?
Arts therapy can help children and teens to express feelings and concerns that are sometimes difficult to communicate in words. It offers ways for young people to access their
Reading is an Absolute Foundation in Education & Life
A couple of weeks ago I covered "Letting Children be Children" A childhood should be full of wonder. One of the great access points to that wonder is books/stories. There is
Is my child being bullied - or bullying others?
It’s one of a parent’s worst nightmares. You discover that your child is being bullied – or bullying others. If only you had known sooner, maybe you could have nipped it in the
Why do Kiwis love a perfect smile?
Once upon a time, braces were referred to as “train tracks” or “metal mouth”. Now more than ever, braces are popular, with children and teens frequently wanting braces! Parents are
Letting Children be Children
I am just a touch over 50 now but I will never forget my standard 1 (Year 3 for modern types) teacher, in our open-plan classroom (MLE for modern types) informing us, with fear
Help for Kids 'local sponsors helping local kids'
'Help for Kids' Here at KidsLink, we are so proud of our 'Help for Kids' programme. By the end of 2016, we had been able to help 142 children access $45,000 worth of
Cotton Wool vs. Let 'em Rip!
Cotton wool vs. let 'em rip - is there a healthy balance? Tip number one: Let children be bored! So often we hear children say "I'm bored" and we leap in with a load of
Creating confident kids
Two of the best in the business share their top tips for creating confident kids! Dean Kent "small white guy who tried his best" It's all about habits - develop good ones!
How to engage boys into learning
WOW - what an inspirational afternoon! We were totally inspired and in fact completely blown away by the ideas and results shared with us by John, Stu and Michael! Messages
Dyslexia – not just a reading and writing problem
Most people regard dyslexia as just a reading and writing problem, and do not realise that just as importantly dyslexia can adversely affect a child’s feeling of well-being and
Becoming your own Superhero
Over the years of teaching Martial Arts there have been many children who have started martial arts classes wanting to be Kung-fu Pandas, Ninja Turtles, colourful Power Rangers and
What makes a confident reader?
Have you ever seen a child who is able to read a passage of text aloud only to be stumped when it comes to explaining what they have just read? A child’s reading development is a
Spatial Thinking – trainable skills?
Do all children think spatially and why do some children appear to have more developed skills in this area than others? “Spatial thinking concerns the locations of objects, their
