Blog - Kids Education

As parents, I’m sure you are well aware of the many health related benefits of learning to swim from a young age. A recent research conducted by the Griffith Institute for Educational Research in Australia revealed that children who learnt to swim from a young age are on average 11 months ahead of the population in oral expression, 6 months ahead in mathematics reasoning and 2 months ahead in brief reading. If you’ve been thinking about putting your kids through swimming lessons, now is the time to start!

A friend of mine raised a very interesting conversation topic earlier this week: “Are kids today growing up in a ʻbubble wrapped, over-protectiveʼ environment?”. Early childhood experts are having growing concerns that Australian parents and schools are being too soft on kids, resulting in a national culture that “every child gets a ribbon”. Take these 7 tips as starting points to teach you kid responsibilities from a young age.

It’s that time of the year again - end of year festive party season! Like my family, I am sure you’ve already started receiving end of year Christmas party invites from family, friends and work. With all the sweet temptations around this time of the year, parents should also keep an eye on their kids’ food intake at Christmas gatherings and parties. Here are a few handy tips to keep your kids from over indulging this festive season!

Summer is all about making the most of the abundance of sunshine and spending it outdoor with the kids. This summer, I’ve put my family to the challenge of coming up with kids activities that are fun, creative and economical. I want my kids to enjoy mother nature as much as possible during summer but at the same time, I want them to do something fun and creative that won’t break my bank account.

Here’s an interesting observation that I’ve made when out for dinner the other night. There was a family of three dining in the table next to us and when the youngest son started crying out loud, seeking for attention, I saw his dad handing him the latest mini iPad. He then immediately stopped sobbing and sat quietly swiping away at his new gadget. It raised the question in my mind that “Are parents using gadgets such as iPad and PS3 as more than just entertainment and toys for their kids? Or as substitutes to babysitters?”

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to get creative and bring out the Jack-o’-lanterns and candies! If you’re like me and have concerns about losing your kids in a crowd of children high on sugar on Halloween night, here are some handy tips to help you breeze through the experience and make your family’s first Halloween experience a safe and memorable one.

October is the International Walk to School Month, known as ‘Walktober’. Grab your joggers and take this perfect opportunity to walk your kids to school and get fit together. This is also your chance to see how much your kids know about street rules and teach them the basics on road safety.

Do want to get your kids into camping, but are concerned about the fact they haven’t been camping before? If so, practicing at home and indoors is a great way to get them ready!

If you love playing fussball, ping pong or darts with your kids, having a dedicated room makes it more special – and probably more likely to happen! Check out these tips for the perfect games room, where family time and kids’ activities come together.

Do your kids love dress ups? If so, you might be tired of them wearing and breaking your necklaces, and asking if they can borrow your diamond rings! Solve this problem and keep them occupied too.

Do your kids love getting out and about on their bike? If so, make sure they will take care of themselves to arrive home safe and sound!

When my daughter was a toddler, she loved sitting next to me on her toy laptop. But while this sounds very cute, I knew a toy wasn’t going to help her much once she started school.

When I met up with one of my girlfriends this week for a catch-up, she told me that her daughter wants to take up rugby. Of course, we got into a conversation about whether it’s ok for girls to play rugby or not.

It’s important that kids take part in regular physical activity. Being physically fit reduces the risk of disease, and is also known to reduce the effects of mental health issues, including depression and anxiety.

My youngest son didn’t take to our family dog as naturally as our girls – so it was something my husband and I had to work on for a while. If you have a similar situation, or perhaps no household pets, it’s worth checking out these tips on helping your kids relate to animals!