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The Importance of Stories, Songs and Rhymes for children of all ages

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Reading, songs and rhymes are a very important for the development of your child.  They not only help with using and understanding words but give you child and interest in these areas. 

Song and rhyme teach us about language and help us to remember stories.  Many legends, fables and  biblical stories are put to song or rhyme such as the Psalms which remind us of God’s sovereignty. 

Children love songs and rhymes with actions.   This encourages them to be involved in group activities.  In participating we not only learn the song but the actions too.  Both of which need skill and lots of concentration to put the two together at the some time.

Reading, songs and rhymes  can be used (especially with older children) as a form of relaxation or unwinding before bed.  When he is very young it doesn’t matter what you are reading because it is the soothing sound of your voice that will relax him.  You can use this time to catch up on your mail, read a magazine or the latest novel. 

As he becomes more interested in what you are reading, choose baby books with strong bright colours and simple pictures.  When reading, make it interesting.  Talk about the pictures.  Choose fabric or cardboard pages for the very young so he may turn the pages without tearing them.  When putting an older child to bed, a story time can become part of his bedtime routine.  He will recognize it as a quality time with parents or loved ones, a special time to calm down and relax before sleeping.  This quiet time can be part of his daytime sleep routine too.

Children who have been read to since early childhood grow to love reading.  Reading is an integral part of growing up and those who love to read are usually those who love learning. 

It is ideal to start these activities when you child is very young.   Form a habit of reading and singing to him regularly, this will help him to concentrate, to sit still on your lap or opposite you when he needs to copy your actions. 

Your Baby Can Read

As seen on Today Tonight and A Current Affair, babies as young as seven and a half months old are reading their first words after using the Your Baby Can Read! Series.

Your Baby Can Read! is a whole new way of learning. Based on the research of Robert C. Titzer C, Ph.D., Your Baby Can Read! is the first video series in the world designed to help babies, toddlers, and preschoolers learn to read! Gaining the attention of national TV news and other media, as well as thousands of babies across Australia, "Dr. Titzer's multi-sensory reading approach" teaches little ones to recognize words using several senses at the same time.

How your child will benefit:

  • helps your child learn to recognize words.
  • Stimulates brain development.
  • Makes learning fun and interactive.
  • Encourages early language acquisition .
  • Gives you an effective tool to stimulate your child.
  • Teaches reading during the window of opportunity for learning language.
  • Entertains your child with children, animals, sing-along songs, and poems.

Why should parents teach their babies to read?

It's easier to learn language skills at a higher level earlier in life than it is later in life. Babies and toddlers learn to understand language and speak naturally simply by listening to language. If babies are allowed to see the language, they can also learn written language just as naturally. We would never imagine waiting until age 5 or 6 to speak to children so why should we wait until age 5 or 6 to allow children to see our language.

What is this video about?

Theses videos allow the children to see the language at the same time they hear the language in a fun, interactive way. The videos use animals, other young children, and songs that are interesting to young children. The main idea behind the videos is that we try to help the children develop an association between the written words, their sounds, and their meanings. Over time, the babies figure out enough of these associations so that they learn the sounds that the letters make.

How does it work?

We use an interactive and multi-sensory approach.  The children are allowed to see the words at the same time that they hear the words. So, the infants are able to see and hear words instead of simply hearing the words. 

Additionally, we encourage the babies to participate by saying the words and by doing physical actions that help the children learn the meanings of the words.

Does your video series teach phonics?

We have sections of the videos that teach phonics.  Many infants have learned to read phonetically at very advanced levels with this system because they picked up the patterns of the written language all by themselves.  Three-year-old children may say,  “I swimmed yesterday.” instead of  “I swam yesterday.” because they figure out the pattern of adding an “ed” onto words to make them past tense. Young children who watch our videos may learn the patterns of the written language or phonics after they learn to read several dozen words.  This happens because after they learn to read many words, they will pick up the patterns of the language.  In other words, they will learn to recognize that words beginning with the letter “d” make the ‘d’ sound after they learn some words that begin with the letter “d”.

Why should parents have their babies watch educational videos instead of watching entertainment-based programs?

Time, Newsweek, and many other magazines have had in-depth reports on infant brain development. Most conclude the same thing – there is a window of opportunity for stimulating infants' brains when babies’ and toddlers’ brains are developing very rapidly. Babies and toddlers have tens of thousands of new connections forming in their brains each second. According to theories of brain development, young children who see the language at the same time they hear the language, see and hear about the meaning of each word, and do physical actions related to the words should have many new synapses connecting the visual cortex with the auditory cortex, somatosensory cortex, and other language areas of the brain.

During a half-hour video, babies have millions of new connections forming in their brains – most of them are not useful when they are watching most TV shows or videos that have only a small educational component. Over time, these connections form the actual physical structure of your child’s brain so it is extremely important which videos that you allow your child to watch.

Additionally, there are longitudinal studies showing positive effects of early stimulation, including higher IQs. At the very least, the evidence suggests that stimulating your infant will lead to more useful synaptic connections in the brain which could provide a foundation for future learning. Our videos could also lead to early independent reading which would open up numerous opportunities for accelerated learning in other areas.

Many of the babies who have learned to read from our videos are advanced in other areas as well (including expressive language, spelling, music, science, geography, and math). Many of the parents report that watching Your Baby Can Read the DVD's or videos helped the child’s development and ability to learn in general.

Tips: Read regularly to your children from an early age and avoid watching senseless TV programs or mindless videos.  

Remember: Our brains are growing at an enormous rate between the ages of birth to five.  Utilize this window of opportunity to benefit your child’s development. 

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

For more about  Your Baby Can Read products. 

How to purchase 'Your Baby Can Read' DVDs and books and other educational tools go to Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Cradle 2 Kindy can provide you with more information to help you assist your child’s development and equipping them for their future.

Make a lasting investment into your child’s development and education.

Call now and book your personal Cradle 2 Kindy coach on 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching session?

More Articles on Play and Learning

Disclaimer: Article on our website are for education purposes only.  Please consult with your doctor to make sure this information is right for your child.

All articles on this website have a copyright. The use of any material must have permission from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.

Speech and the use of a Dummy or Pacifier

Monday, April 28, 2008

“Should I offer my baby a dummy or will this affect their later speech development?”

All babies are born with the desire to suck, Nutritive sucking provides nourishment so the baby can grow.  Non-Nutritive sucking provides pleasure as well as calms the baby.

What most parents get confused about is:

What type of dummy should I use?

The size and shape of dummies do vary, therefore it is important that it fits the size of your baby’s mouth.  Most dummies have an outer shield molded to the shape of the lips.  It is important that this outer shield promotes lip closure.

How often should my baby have the dummy?

A dummy should not be used as a plug to keep the baby quiet.

Babies begin to communicate from birth by making noises and babbling.  It is important that babies are given the opportunity to talk and so it is important that the dummy doesn’t stop this communication development.

At what age should I take away the dummy?

Try to get your child out of the habit as soon as possible, however a dummy/pacifier is preferable to thumb or finger sucking since the dummy is easier to throw away.  Baby teeth are very important as they guide the development of your child’s adult teeth.  At approximately 6-12 months of age your baby’s first front tooth will appear and by the age of 3 years they will have all 20 teeth.  At six months or earlier would be the ideal time to remove the dummy sucking habit.  By twelve months a baby should be taking a cup instead of bottles. 

Can a dummy affect my child’s speech development?

In the short term dummy &/or thumb sucking should not have a significant effect on the development of the oral muscles, relationship of the teeth and speech development.  If, persistent dummy and for that matter bottle sucking continues for many years, this can affect the muscles of the mouth. This can cause the tongue to sit forward between the teeth and affect the position of the teeth. This may then cause some speech difficulties.  Also if the dummy is used to keep the child quiet they may be delayed in developing language as they are not given opportunities to communicate.

If you have any concerns you can contact your local Community Health Centre and speak to a Speech Pathologist.  Written by: Melissa Serafin, Senior Speech Pathologist Westmead Hospital 

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Cradle 2 Kindy provide professional information on topics such as the need for a dummy.  We take into consideration the child’s developmental needs and look holistically at their requirements which can varies with each child.  Alternatively we can advise you on methods to eliminating a dummy habit.

To make a booking call Cradle 2 Kindy on 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching Session

More Articles on Developmental Stages

Disclaimer: Article on our website are for education purposes only.  Please consult with your doctor to make sure this information is right for your child.

All articles on this website have a copyright. The use of any material must have permission from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.

Teething and Tooth Care for your Child

Monday, April 28, 2008

As with all things every baby is different.  Some babies have a terrible time with teething, others you don’t even know it is happening till you see a pearly tooth in their mouths. 

Often if a child is unsettled, teething can be blamed unnecessarily.  If a child is under four months and is unsettled it is rarely due to teeth.  I would suggest you look for other causes first.  Take baby’s temperature, check if she is not too hot or cold.  Is she over-tired or hungry? 

Possible signs of teething

Dribbling, rosy cheeks, chewing on everything, pulling ears, loose bowels, swollen gums, irritability and disinterested in feeding can be signs of teething.

High fevers don’t come with teething and paracetamol should rarely be used as it can cause damage to the liver.

Tooth and gum care

Teething rings and finger food may help.  Offering them cool from the fridge may help cool inflamed gums. 

If your baby is over four months old, teething gels are often helpful.  They should not be used in conjunction with paracetamol as you will be doubling up on the dosage. 

Introduce a toothbrush.  Children under seven years old should be assisted with cleaning their teeth.

Water is preferable to sweet drinks.  Never give milk before sleeping unless you brush teeth immediately after, as this may cause tooth decay.  At six months a cup should be introduced and bottles eliminated by twelve months. 

Now is the time to give up the dummy and  never put a sweetener on a dummy.

Visit the dentist regularly. 

Biting

Don’t be surprised if your baby starts to bite, it may be an attempt to relieve the discomfort of teething.  This may occur while breastfeeding which can be extremely painful for the mother.  If your child already has teeth then the biting is probably due to other reasons such as boredom, frustration, excitement or experimentation. It may be a way to attract your attention.  If you draw attention or make a big fuss over biting it may become a form of attention seeking. Also seeArticles on Discipline

Toothly order

Baby’s bottom two incisors usually come up first then the top four, followed by two more on the bottom.  This commonly occurs between 4 to 12 months. By 12 to 18 months her first molars will rise, top two then bottom two.  Her canines, top then bottom, will appear around 18 to 24 months.  The second molars, bottom then top two, from 24 to 30 months.  Adult teeth usually start appearing from about five to six years old.

Tips: Start you child on good eating habits right from the start.

Remember: Visit the dentist regularly.  Encourage your child to brush their own teeth but also continue to brush your child’s teeth till they are seven year old. 

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Our team of parenting coaches at Cradle 2 Kindy provide information and assisance for a variety of developmental and behavioural issues for children up to five years old.

Call now and book your personal Cradle 2 Kindy coach on 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching session?

More Articles on Developmental Stages

Disclaimer: Article on our website are for education purposes only.  Please consult with your doctor to make sure this information is right for your child.

All articles on this website have a copyright. The use of any material must have permission from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.