In the age of contactless payments and online transactions, it might seem pointless to teach children about physical money. But there is so much they can learn from handling and exchanging coins and notes… I’ve been writing about the educational development of my granddaughter Daisy for several years now. But there’s been a gap in… Continue reading Pocket money power: introducing children to coins and notes
Category: Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Raising a school-ready child without a nursery
Whether they are an only child or part of a larger family, every preschooler benefits from some nursery provision, which provides a combination of care, early learning and development. Nursery is not a substitute for home. It is a link for a child between home and life outside home. It’s somewhere where a child starts… Continue reading Raising a school-ready child without a nursery
Quick activities for Christmas quiet time
It’s mid-December and as a strange and busy year comes to a close, the Yuletide anticipation is building for my granddaughter Daisy: the decorations have gone up around her house and the streets around her are bright with dazzling festive lights. Although Christmas will be a little different for children this year, for a four-year-old… Continue reading Quick activities for Christmas quiet time
Understanding your child’s emotions
Almost from the moment our children enter the world, our thoughts turn to their development. We notice – and are encouraged to monitor – their progression, from hand-eye coordination to first words, onto first steps, and then sentence construction, toilet training, simple counting and letter recognition, then phonics and so on. All this can leave… Continue reading Understanding your child’s emotions
Understanding and practising social distancing
I was ready to write a blog this morning but instead I want to share this piece from the BBC. Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler have created some picture panels to help young children understand about the current regulations for social distancing. At the end of the feature there's a link to the Gruffalo Facebook… Continue reading Understanding and practising social distancing
Helping Our Young Children With Social Distancing
The confirmation of the closure of schools and nurseries is obviously very unsettling news for parents everywhere. It's a fraught and challenging time for families as they work out how to cope with work and family life at home. As adults we're able to understand why we must make these adjustments and changes to our… Continue reading Helping Our Young Children With Social Distancing
A buggy of her own – the value of play with toy buggies and prams
Daisy has a small wooden pram but for a while she wasn't particularly interested in it. It was just where all her cuddly toys and teddies were stashed away at the end of each day. Then Daisy started going to the playgroup regularly. Watching at Playgroup The playgroup always has plenty of different wheeled toys… Continue reading A buggy of her own – the value of play with toy buggies and prams
Parent and Toddler groups: a guide for grandparents
After several wet days prevented us from visiting the nearby playground with Daisy we decided to visit a local Parent and Toddler group, and ended up returning on the following two wet days. It's the first time that Daisy's been to Parent and Toddler sessions and experienced some free play opportunities in a well-equipped environment, along… Continue reading Parent and Toddler groups: a guide for grandparents
Using tablets and smart phones with toddlers
Last week my computer needed a bit of attention. Earlier that day I'd been reading this article and as he worked at my computer, I was chatting with the IT technician about using tablets and smart phones with young children. He told me that he doesn't let his children have access to a tablet or… Continue reading Using tablets and smart phones with toddlers
Helping our grandchildren grow, play, learn.
Daisy enjoys the magnetic letters on the fridge at home and we can't resist playing with the letters too. I love this particular magnetic letters message. I started this blog to share experiences and play ideas and hope that among blog readers it might also reach other grandparents with young grandchildren. Many of my ideas… Continue reading Helping our grandchildren grow, play, learn.
Granny Smith's Diary 