What is Early Childhood Development?
Early Childhood Development is about the earliest years of a child’s life. Young children need adequate nutrition, loving protection and stimulation for their brains to grow. Recent advances in neuroscience have shown that babies’ brains form new connections at an astounding rate. According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child more than 1 million […]
Early Childhood Development and why it is SO important
Early childhood represents a period of great opportunity. Probably the greatest throughout the life span. It’s like being handed a raw diamond and knowing that you can shape it into almost anything. During this time children will develop emotionally, socially, cognitively and physically. And this will shape the adults that they become. Investing in young […]
The benefits of reading to children
The benefits of reading far outweigh that of almost any other educational activity. By making every day reading a priority for your family, you are not only enhancing your child’s chances of success but also helping to make them kinder, more grounded individuals. Here are some of the ways in which reading can be beneficial. […]
How to help your baby’s brain grow
Let’s first look at what science has taught us about how your baby’s brain grows: Thanks to research we now know that our brains develop and change throughout our lifetimes, but the most important foundation for brain development is laid in early childhood. The experiences we have as young children affect the physical architecture of […]
What is school readiness?
In a nutshell, school readiness means that a child is ready to learn. As confusing as it may sound, keep in mind that a child who is eager to learn is not necessarily ready to learn. Curiosity and an eagerness to learn is an important first step, but school readiness requires that a child is […]
School readiness checklist
I’m generally not a big fan of checklists – I believe that each child should be allowed to develop at his or her own pace and that it is primarily the function of education and parenting to support the child wherever he or she is in her development. But, I also understand that every now […]
Introducing Kula Growth
I am absolutely thrilled (and more than just a little nervous) to be introducing my latest project: Kula Growth. Kula Growth is all about Early Childhood Development (ECD) and will become an online portal for moms as well as early childhood practitioners to get more information on how the littlest members of our society learn […]
Bilateral integration and crossing the midline
Bilateral integration is the ability to use the two sides of the body together in a coordinated way. We need bilateral integration to get through a myriad of tasks on a daily basis. Think for instance of the way your hands and arms work together when you eat your bowl of cereal while standing up, […]
My favourite educational games
There is a virtually endless list of educational games and products available on the market which, collectively focus on pretty much every aspect of education and learning imaginable. But in this post I want to invite you to explore the educational benefits of some common games which are either completely free or generally available in […]
The effects of poverty on children
In trying to understand the effects of poverty on children we cannot simply look at the current situation but need to take into account the negative spiral that poverty creates. Poor children are most likely to grow into poor adults and poor parents and repeat the cycle of inter-generational poverty. Besides the obvious fact that […]
