Leanne's Family Daycare Canning vale WA

10/09/2026

Check in with those you love and care about and don't forget yourself. If find you need support, someone to talk there is no shame in asking for help. Mental health is just as important as your physical health.
🥰

10/09/2026

Beautiful home based salon with an experienced caring beautician. Monthly specials but even normal prices are super good 🩷

09/09/2026

🌱 Why Do Children Hit, Throw & Lash Out?

“Why did they do that?!” 😩
It’s a question many parents and educators have asked!

When a young child hits another child, hits themselves, throws sand or lashes out, our first reaction can be to see the behaviour as naughty or aggressive. But underneath the behaviour, there is often a much bigger story.

For young children, behaviour is communication. 💛

They are still developing the language, emotional regulation and impulse control needed to express big feelings in socially appropriate ways.

A child might hit because they are:

🧠 Overwhelmed – there is simply too much happening emotionally or around them.

😡 Frustrated – they can't yet communicate “I was using that!” or “I don't like that!”

🗣️ Unable to express themselves – their feelings are much bigger than their vocabulary.

🤲 Seeking connection or attention – even negative attention can sometimes feel better than feeling disconnected.

🚧 Testing boundaries – children learn through cause and effect and are discovering what happens when they do something.

😴 Tired, hungry or overstimulated – their ability to regulate themselves is much lower when their basic needs aren't being met.

👀 Exploring cause and effect – “What happens when I throw this?” Young children are natural scientists! 😆

💥 Experiencing a big emotion – anger, excitement, jealousy, disappointment and even joy can sometimes come out physically.

And sometimes, hitting themselves or throwing objects is simply the only way they currently know how to release an emotion that feels too big for their little body.

So, what can we do?

Rather than focusing only on stopping the behaviour, we can help children learn what to do instead.

✨ Stay calm and keep everyone safe.
✨ Acknowledge the feeling: “You're really angry.”
✨ Set a clear boundary: “I won't let you hit.”
✨ Give them the words they are still learning: “You can say, ‘Stop!’, ‘My turn’, or ‘Help please.’”
✨ Help them regulate before expecting them to reason.
✨ Once calm, talk about what happened and practise another way.

We don't have to excuse the behaviour to understand it. ❤️

Children still need boundaries. They still need to learn that hitting hurts, sand isn't for throwing at people and objects aren't for hurting ourselves or others.

But when we look beyond the behaviour and ask “What is this child trying to communicate?”, we can respond with teaching rather than simply punishment.

Because behind many challenging behaviours is a little person saying:

“I have a big feeling, and I don't yet know what to do with it.” 🌱

And that's where our role as adults becomes so important — to lend children our calm until they can find their own. 💕

07/09/2026

💚 National Child Protection Week | 6–12 September 2026 💚

This National Child Protection Week, we are reminded that every conversation matters.

Child protection is bigger than what we see in the headlines.

While we quite rightly teach children about safety, we also need to shift the conversation away from the old idea of “stranger danger.” The reality is that when children experience abuse, it is often at the hands of someone they know, trust or depend upon.

That is why our conversations with children need to be ongoing, age-appropriate and empowering.

🌿 Teach children that their body belongs to them.
🌿 Teach them that they can say no, even to someone they know.
🌿 Teach them that there are no secrets about touching, bodies or things that make them feel uncomfortable.
🌿 Teach them to recognise and trust their feelings.
🌿 Most importantly, teach them that they can always come and tell you — and that they will be listened to and believed.

And for us as adults, there is another important shift we need to make: Shift the shame and secrecy away from the victim and put it back onto the person who chooses to harm them.

Children should never carry the burden of someone else's actions.
They should never feel responsible for keeping a secret.
They should never be made to feel that they won't be believed.

Be your child's safe place. Be their voice when they need you. Listen when they speak. Notice when something changes. Create an environment where difficult conversations are never “too hard” to have.

Child protection isn't just about teaching children how to stay safe.

It's about creating a culture where children know they have a voice, adults know how to listen, and perpetrators — not victims — carry the shame and responsibility for abuse.

Because every conversation matters.
And sometimes, one safe conversation can change a child's life. 💚

National Child Protection Week 2026
6–12 September
Shifting the Conversation to Action

06/09/2026

💙 Happy Father’s Day! 💙 Wishing all our wonderful Dads, Stepdads, Grandads and special Father Figures a beautiful day filled with love, laughter and precious moments with the little people who love you most. 💙

01/09/2026

01/09/2026

🌿 WHY DO THEY ALWAYS SAVE THE BIG FEELINGS FOR ME? 🌿

Have you ever picked your little one up from care, school or an outing and thought…

“They've been fine all day… so why are they falling apart now?” 😩

Or perhaps you hear:

👉 “They listen beautifully for everyone else!”
👉 “They never behave like that at daycare!”
👉 “Why do they save their tantrums for home?”

There is actually something really important happening underneath this behaviour. ❤️

Children often show their biggest emotions with the people they feel safest with.

Home becomes the place where they don't have to hold it all together anymore.

That can look like:

🌸 Meltdowns over seemingly tiny things
🌸 Strong emotional reactions
🌸 Refusing things they normally happily do
🌸 Testing boundaries
🌸 Wanting extra cuddles and reassurance
🌸 Suddenly becoming very clingy
🌸 “Saving” the biggest emotions for Mum or Dad

And while it can be incredibly exhausting, it isn't necessarily a sign that you're doing something wrong.

Sometimes it is quite the opposite. 💕

Your child trusts that you will still love them when they are angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, disappointed or completely unable to regulate their emotions.

So what can help?

💚 Calm, consistent boundaries
💚 Predictable responses
💚 Fewer words during the height of the emotion
💚 Connection once everyone is calm
💚 Remembering that behaviour is communication
💚 And plenty of patience, even when your own cup is running very low!

Of course, this doesn't mean that every challenging behaviour is simply because a child feels safe. Children push boundaries for lots of reasons, and sometimes behaviour can signal that they need additional support.

But it can be incredibly helpful to remember:

Your child's hardest moments are not necessarily a reflection of your parenting.

Sometimes they are simply saying:

“I've held it together all day. I'm safe now. I can finally let go.” ❤️

💬 Have you ever had the “but they don't do that here!” conversation? 😂
I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

26/08/2026

Boundaries can be loving too. 💙
Something I’ve been thinking about a lot this week…
As parents and educators, we sometimes worry that setting a boundary will upset a child, make them angry with us, or somehow make us less loving.
But children don’t have to like every boundary we set.
They can be disappointed.
They can be angry.
They can cry.
They can tell us, very loudly, that they do NOT agree with our decision! 😂
And we can still hold the boundary with calmness, compassion and connection.
“You’re really upset that I said no. I understand. I’m here with you — and the answer is still no.”
That is not rejection.
That is not being harsh.
That is not withholding love.
It is teaching children that feelings are safe, that limits can be trusted, and that relationships can remain secure even when we disagree.
Sometimes the most loving thing we can do is hold the boundary while holding the child’s feelings too.
And perhaps that’s the reminder I need this week as well…
We are allowed to set boundaries without needing everyone to be happy about them. 🌿