Australia Day Activities for Kids

Here are some Australia day themed tasks for the kids - all courtesy of Australia Day

 
There are loads of activities and ideas to keep the little ones busy throughout the school holidays.

Use colour and creativity to make these Australian animals come alive or turn the finished masterpiece into a fun mask by attaching some elastic to either end.
There’s also a crossword, find a word, join the dots and much more.... so get busy!

• NEW - Colouring-in sheets - State Birds & Fauna
• Colouring In Sheets
• Flag Activities
• State Floral Emblems
• Puzzles
• Cut & Paste
• Crossword
• Find a Word
• How well do you know Australia?
• Join the Dots

 HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY EVERYONE!

Vanessa

10 Tips to Prepare for Starting School

Here are some helpful hints from Mummysmiles to get mums & little ones ready for school:

The summer holidays are nearly over, and our thoughts are slowly moving from plum puddings and Christmas Trees, to lunch box snacks and school books. Last year, we started talking about making preparations for Prep, and we continue this today with help from all the readers who have sent me their suggestions.

Every year, thousands of new school-mums bid farewell to their little ones as they face a formal school environment for the very first time. What a significant and exciting time for these children and their families. But as with any big milestone, there can be some feelings of trepidation, possibly some anxiety about the unknown. This is perfectly normal!!

Just remember, preparation is key! And with the following tips, you can help make the transition into school smooth, exciting and enjoyable.

1.  Encourage self sufficiency:  Insist your child carries their belongings from day one.  If you carry all their items for them the first day or week, they will think this is how it’s to be done.  It’s then very difficult to change expectations.

2.  Make new friends:  Prep is an opportunity for your child to widen their circle of friends.  Set them on the right track by smiling and greeting people as you enter the school and make your way to the classroom.  If you are friendly to others, your child is likely to follow their lead.

3.  Watch for tiredness:  Prep is a very busy time for young children as they learn and develop, and they will become tired more easily.  It is very important to be aware of this.  Are they over-reacting to small incidents and does it take them a long time to get to sleep?  These are signs of over-tiredness.  You may need to compensate for this by having more wind-down time at the end of the day.  It is important to put into place good bed-time routines now so you are ready for next year.

4.  Have essentials ready:  It’s important that your child has all the required equipment when they head off for their first day.  A missing book or pencil case may not seem like much to you, but it will be a big deal for them.  Make sure they have their hats, water bottle and everything else that they may need.  A calendar on the fridge stating Library, PE days or when things are due back at school is helpful.

5. Think about the size of their school bag. Those cute little bags are adorable but can they fit your child’s spare underwear/clothes, lunch box/bag, drink bottle, hat, jumper (because it will most often come off), art work, notes and their items for news?  (Kaz) If you are using the school’s school bag,  make sure you use a bag tags so that they can identify their own bag. Make sure they put their own bag and hat onto the port racks so that they know where to look for it at break times. (Maree)

6. Covering books in one colour or pattern is a great idea. If your child is in primary school and keeping all their books in their desk make it easy for your child to find the different books with a coloured spot or label on the spine. Imagine a child with 3-5 books in their desk piled on top of each other and then a pencil case or two on top. If they are all in the same contact how do they find their writing book quickly? (Kaz)

7.  To make it easier for young children to find what they need in their pencil cases, pop separate items in the little cheap clear pencil cases that you get at the $2 shops. Colouring pencils in one, crayons in another, writing pencils, rubber, pencil grip in another etc., and then put all of the little pencil cases into the larger one. It makes it easier for them to find what they need = one less thing for them to worry about! (Maree)

8. Start the kindy routine a good few weeks in advance (over the summer holidays) so that it’s one less thing to adjust to at the start of school eg. wake up times/breakfast times/make bed etc or whatever you want to implement to get out the door on time and with everything that needs doing done! (Amanda)

9. Be brave so they are too, you may be surprised how emotional you will be when it comes time to say goodbye, so put on your bravest face, no matter how distressed they are and remember when it comes time to pick them up, they will be talking non stop about what they did all day. (Kylie)

10. Take a moment to pause and reflect. This is a really exciting time – your child is starting a journey which will help to shape them as a person over the next 13 years. You have done an amazing job as a Mum. You have nurtured your baby from the little newborn to the capable and confident little person that they are today. As you walk back out of the school gate after drop off, pat yourself on the back. Good job, Mum.

 

Vanessa X

 

The Therapeutic Process of Play via Play At Home Mom

Via Play At Home Mom


“Play relieves feelings of stress and boredom, connects us to people in a positive way, stimulates creative thinking and exploration, regulates our emotions, and boosts our ego.” (Landreth, 2002)

1. Choosing Toys:  Children need open ended toys to encourage creativity, critical thinking and expression of the child’s thoughts needs and feelings: anger, fear, sadness, joy, surprise, disgust. Here is a list of toys with open ended therapeutic value; while it is not exhaustive, it is a good place to start:

• Real-Life: Dolls, bottles, doctor kit, phone, dollhouse, family figures, play money, cars, kitchen utensils, a variety of animals, doctor kit
• Aggressive: dart guns, rubber bendy knife, rope, animals, soldiers, bop bag, mask
•  Emotional Expression: playdough, crayons, paper, scissors, tape, egg carton, deck of cards, soft foam ball, balloons, magic wand
•  I think it is also helpful, though not essential, to have a medium of play, such as a large pan or sensory table of sand, beans, or water to hide, bury or build.

A word about aggressive play and toys: There is a misconception that allowing children to play with aggressive toys such as guns and knives will teach them to be aggressive. But child development research, and play therapy research in particular, shows children need to  express their aggressive emotions in play in order to release them, rather than carrying them throughout the day (to school, the grocery store, grandma’s house, etc.).Everyone has negative feelings that need to be accepted, noticed and expressed in healthy ways in order to release them; children are no different. Our job as parents is to guide them toward appropriate expressions of their negative emotions, “you’re really angry and you want to hit mommy, but mommy is not for hitting. You can hit the pillow or you can stomp your feet and say ‘I’m really angry!’” Developing emotional intelligence is key to raising healthy, compassionate and capable children, and play combined with appropriate boundaries teaches them emotional intelligence.

2. Setting the stage for play is important. Chaos in the home creates anxiety in children, whether the chaos is emotional (yelling) or physical (disorganization). Children feel less anxious when toys are organized, rather than scattered or piled up in boxes where they have to dig around to find them. In our home we decided to display certain toys on shelves (2-3 books, paper, markers, blocks, dolls, kitchen) and put specific toys in bins (paint, dress up, soft animals, doll accessories) for space and functionality reasons, but they always go back in the same box and returned to the same place. In addition to decreasing a child’s anxiety, toy organization also increases their ability to access that toy when they seek it out. I quickly discovered that in order for us to get and stay organized we also had to simplify; we gave away many toys and we put the rest away to swap out every few weeks. I’ve also found that displayed toys and boxed toys change over time; your child will lead the way in this matter as well.

3. So how does play "work"? Children want to connect with us and they want know we care about their thoughts, feelings and needs. Play is a wonderful opportunity to do this while also giving them the opportunity to work through the everyday challenges they face. Our role is to allow the child to lead in play while we follow without making suggestions or asking questions. Parents can join in the play when invited or to help a child become interested in play, but children make all the decisions and find their own solutions without our interference. Sometimes this means it’s important to “play dumb” in order to empower our children, “you want me to open that? Hmmmm. Show me what to do.” Our purpose is not to frustrate our children, it is to empower them; our goal is to help children feel capable in the presence of adults who seem capable of doing everything with great ease. Most importantly, this means we need to be present with our child while they play. There are several important ways to demonstrate our attentiveness:

• Body language conveys strong messages, so our body should be facing our child.
• Tracking our children’s play  it is a way to let them know we’re present, paying attention, and interested without leading or making suggestions: “you’re stacking those up,” “you’ve decided to put that there.” “you’re thinking about what you want to do next.”  When Addi is playing I don’t usually name an object unless she has given it a name. For example, if she’s playing with blocks I don’t call them blocks unless she does - a square block might represent an airplane or a bed. So I just follow her lead. 

• Similar to tracking is reflecting our child’s feelings. Reflecting helps our children feel understood and communicates our acceptance of the many feelings they experience no matter how big the feelings. This teaching of emotional intelligence gives children the words they need to recognize and accept their feelings and  release them in behaviorally appropriate ways: “you’re excited you got that open,” “You’re sad grammy left,” “you’re angry about losing the game.” The key is to remember that all feelings are acceptable; behaviors sometimes need limits. 

• Which brings us to the importance of appropriate limit-setting. No one can play freely if they are first bombarded with a bunch of rules to follow, so it’s important to hold off on stating limits until the moment they are needed. Limits are stated in ways to give children responsibility for their own actions and behaviors: “I know you want to pour water on the baby, but the baby is not for pouring water on. You can pour water on the bush or in the sensory table.” Or “I know you want to throw the jar, but the jar is not for throwing. You can throw the pillow or the ball.”  It is equally important to only impose limits necessary to keep everyone safe and the toys intact. Some toys may be okay for destruction (common destructive toys are army men, egg cartons, paper and balloons) – everyone’s threshold for this is different, so you will have to decide what’s right for your family. Be consistent, and remember it’s okay to change your mind, just let your kids know “I made a mistake. I thought I would be okay with you breaking that, but now I’m not okay with it. Let’s play with that gently. You can destroy the egg carton or tear paper instead."

A note on emotional responsiveness: Gary Landreth, a premier therapist and researcher calls upon us parents to “be a thermostat, not a thermometer!” It is our job to reflect the child’s feelings, not take the child’s feelings and make them our own. This can be difficult to do and may take quite a bit of practice. Imagine your child gets very angry and starts to get physically and verbally aggressive. You have two choices, you can absorb her anger and begin shouting back, which escalates everyone’s behavior and leaves you both miserable. Or you can look at her anger without judgment and reflect them back to her “you are feeling really angry with me right now. I know it is really hard to stop when you’re having so much fun.” This responsive statement is empowering for everyone: your child feels heard and understood without feeling attacked, and you remain the calm eye of the storm. No one gets sent to their room, no one’s heart is beating out of their chest, and the relationship remains intact.

Playing with our children and allowing our children to lead play their are two of the greatest gifts we can give them. Whether your child is working through her own "stuff" or just occasionally has an unexplained sullen mood, learning to help our children work through their struggles can benefit both our children and our parent-child relationship. While this is certainly not an exhaustive "how to" article, it can serve as a place to start. For more information or training please check out the books in the resources (listed below) and look for a Filial Training workshop in an area near you.

Need more reasons to believe in play? Play helps children:

·         Become more responsible for behaviors and develop more successful strategies.

·         Develop new and creative solutions to problems.

·         Develop respect and acceptance of self and others.

·         Learn to experience and express emotion.

·         Cultivate empathy and respect for thoughts and feelings of others.

·         Learn new social skills and relational skills with family.

·         Develop self-efficacy and thus a better assuredness about their abilities.

Children can express their troubles in play more easily than they can express their thoughts and feelings verbally: "toys are like a child’s words and play is the child’s language." (G. Landreth). Through play children can learn more appropriate behaviors, encounter the corrective emotional experience necessary for healing, and experience the resolution of inner conflicts or dysfunctional thinking.

Resources:

Sue C. Bratton, Garry L. Landreth, Theresa Kellam and Sandra R. Blackard, “Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) Treatment Manual.: (2006).

Garry L. Landreth, “Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship.” (2002)

Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross, “Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier and More Secure Kids.” (2010)

Head over to Play At Home Mom for the full article.

FREE Printable 2012 Calendars

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012!

We hope you have all had a safe and merry festive season. 

To celebrate the beginning of another wonderful year we have found some lovely free printable 2012 calendars for your little ones from 

Kids Under 7.

These are a great way to get your kids learning their days and months. Enjoy,

Lauren and Vanessa

New Years Eve Fun ~for the little people in your life~

Happy New Years Eve dear readers. Whether your little ones will be in bed long before the 9pm fireworks for fighting every long blink until midnight, finding some magical activities for the special night can make it memorable evening for the whole family. 

Play At Home Mom have some fantastic ideas for adventures in the dark.

One of my favourites is this great idea of putting glow sticks inside balloons before blowing them up, turning off the lights and watching them come alive.

Play At Home Mom

If your little ones will be going to bed early, why not turn their regular bath time into a magical experience by adding glow sticks as bath time toys.

Play At Home Mom

Or make your own Glow Xylophone by filling glasses with different levels of water before adding glow stick bracelets.

Play At Home Mom

Note: If you store the glow sticks in the freezer after using them, they will last several nights.

What ever you find to do tonight, I hope it is a magical night for all.

Thanks to the wonderful ladies over at Play At Home Mom for their brilliant inspiration, and a bigger thank you to all of you who have supported From The Heart Up in 2011.

Wishing you all love, health, joy and prosperity for 2012!

Love, Lauren and Vanessa

Handmade Paper Stars

Get the kids involved in some messy play Christmas craft courtesy of Family Fun!

Materials

• 3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of construction paper
• Blender
• Very hot water
• Folded cloth towel
• Plate
• 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter

• Sieve
• Glitter
• Rag
• Baking sheet
• Ribbon loops

Instructions

1. Tear 3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of construction paper into small pieces, about the size of a domino, and place them in a blender. Pour in about 1 1/2 cups of very hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile put a folded cloth towel on a plate, add a paper towel and top with a 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter.
2. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Pulse the blender until the mix is pulpy, about 30 seconds. Ina sieve set over the sink, drain the pulp, then spoon some into the cookie cutter to the top, taking care to fill the points. Have the kids help with this part. They will love getting their hands dirty and you can work on some messy play describing words such as "squishy" "mushy" "yuck" "gooey". Sprinkle with glitter. Use a rag to press the pulp down into the cookie cutter until most of the water is gone, then gently push the star out onto a baking sheet. Repeat to make two more stars.
3. Bake them for 2 hours or until the moisture has evaporated (they should be firm and lightweight). Let the stars cool, the glue ribbon loops to the backs for hanging. Makes 3 stars.

Thanks to Family Fun for the wonderful inspiration.

Printable Christmas Cheer

Printable Christmas Cheer from Picklebums.

Love, 

Lauren x