What are your childhood memories of Christmas? Do you remember the toys you got? Or do you remember the experiences you had? There’s only one toy I remember getting and that’s because it wasn’t the one I’d spent all year hoping for. 🙁 But that toy aside, when I think of childhood Christmases I think of sitting […]

“Every child is an artist. The problem is to remain one when we grow up.” Pablo Picasso Do you cheat when you do craft activities with your child? Do you ‘fix’ mistakes and tidy up the messy bits? How does your child feel about that? When we embark on a festive, creative activity with our

Have you ever said, “I’m rubbish at maths”, or “I can’t draw to save my life”. These negative beliefs affect your ability to overcome challenges. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t – you’re right.” Psychologists call this self-efficacy. In this guide, Dr. Helen Jones shows us how to help our children

“In play, a child is always above his average age, above his daily behaviour; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself” Lev Vygotsky, child psychologist  When you watch your child attempting a task that is beyond their current capabilities (the nail biting moment your baby decides to cross the concrete patio for the first time or your toddler scales the kitchen cupboard)

What is private speech? Do you remember talking to yourself as a child? You spoke as you played, narrating the action but also guiding yourself and talking through problems. This is private speech. It can take the form of dialogue between characters or commentary upon the action. As we’ve seen elsewhere on the blog, social