Category Archives: Kindy

Part 2: Top 5 tips for Prep Readiness

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Today we have Part 2 of our guest post from Kate Davis & Christine Wyatt from Boost Therapy.  If you missed part 1, “Is your child prepped for Prep”, you can check it out here.

image by Lise Gagne via istockphoto

In Part 1, we asked the question ‘how do you know your child is ready for Prep?’ Kate and Christine helped us understand three key developmental areas we need to consider when thinking about our child’s readiness for Prep. These are:

  • Communication – Speech and language skills to be able to communicate with their teachers and peers.
  • Pre writing skills - the skills children acquire through participating in activities such as drawing, construction, craft and other fiddly tasks.
  • Independence – tasks that children need to be able to do independently in the classroom.

In understanding the specifics of these 3 key areas and thinking about your own child’s current level of development, Kate & Christine have suggested a number of things you can do to improve your child’s readiness for Prep. Here are their top 5 tips: Continue reading →

Part 1: Is your child Prepped for Prep?

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Is your child starting Prep next year? My daughter is and has been quizzing me about it ever since we did a tour of the school recently. Just this morning she said, “I don’t think there will be a mat to sit on, will there Mum? Just big desks?”. I explained to her that I’m pretty sure there will be a sitting area as well as desks, to which she replied, “Oh yeah, because they might like to read us stories!”

Apart from some anxiety about whether you think you are ready to be sending them off to school (something I am sure all parents worry about as the day gets closer!), you may also have some concerns about whether they are really ready for Prep…

So we are super-excited to have guests Christine Wyatt, Occupational Therapist and Kate Davis, Speech Pathologist from Boost Therapy with us this week to share some useful tips to help us first-time parents figure out whether our precious cherubs are ready for Prep… Part 1: Is your child Prepped for Prep?

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Continue reading →

What would you do? Would you help a crying newborn baby left alone, or respect a parents choice?

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I got out of the car at Kindy and while standing door open to let my daughter out, I heard a screaming baby.

My daughter ran to the footpath to wait for me and as I turned to see where the shrill cry was coming from, I realised it was from inside the car next to me.

There was a sun protector screen on the window so I couldn’t see through, but as I made my way to the footpath to join my daughter I realised there wasn’t an adult in the front seat.  Putting the pieces together it dawned on me that this baby had been left, while mum or dad took another child in for the Kindy drop off.

It was then that I froze. Literally froze. I was suddenly in a moment of torment as the scream (and I mean that brand-new infant scream) kept on and on. My motherly instinct had literally taken over my body and I was drawn to this baby clearly in need.

Do I go to the aid of the baby? Open the car door and shake a toy or something until mum or dad returns? If they knew their baby was so upset, would they want me to do this?

No, I walked away very slowly with my daughter actually pulling me along to get inside.

PhotoInc via istockphoto

Once inside, I felt ill. This crying baby certainly wasn’t feeling secure in this moment. Continue reading →

Hello! You’re Welcome!

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While my sorella (sister) Alisha will vouch for the fact that I am a rather hostile verbally expressive driver, she will also tell you that I value ‘the thank you wave’ like no other act of kindness.  I often strain my neck and risk a prolapsed disc I am that enthusiastic to give another driver a wave.  Sometimes I fear they might not have seen my ‘wave of thanks’ and then what? Will they think I am ungrateful? To make sure, I wave a second time once I have merged into their lane.

That’s right, I do a double-wave, just to be sure.

A fully outstretched arm with your body half way out the window is a great technique to ensure your wave is seen by the other driver
Image via Clara Bow Archive, credit P.& A. PHOTO

Continue reading →

Is it me or my daughter you don’t like?

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There have been a few changes for my daughter at childcare this year as she has now moved into the Kindy room. It was a time to get to know some new friends, as many of the kids she played with last year have now left for Prep.

Climbing a tree

Climbing Tree Fun at the Park - my daughter & her little brother

As the weeks went on I started to hear the same name being repeated – let’s call her… ‘Anne’.  My daughter would come home talking about Anne regularly.  I would ask her “How was your day?” and she would reply with:

“Anne did ‘this’, and it was so funny when Anne did ‘that’”.  Continue reading →