Super Kids Play and Learn ECD Centre

Physical activity is important for children of all ages. Of course, it may seem that your own toddler gets all the exercise he needs as he’s constantly on the move from sunup to bedtime.

He’s crawling, walking, learning to run and jump, climbing onto and down from furniture without help, and kicking a ball or pulling toys behind him while walking.

By 2 to 3 years of age, your child’s physical activity will move to even more challenging levels. As his coordination keeps improving, he’ll be able to walk up and down stairs. He’ll run easily and start learning to pedal a tricycle.

With his short attention span, he may be moving from one activity to the next, almost minute by minute, keeping you on the run just to stay up with him.

We can’t overemphasize how important this active play is. To encourage it in your toddler, you should be discouraging him from watching TV, rather participate in supervised physical activity outdoors and indoors.

Encourage them to play with siblings or other children their own age. When planning family activities, make them as active as possible.

Explanatory books

Children have an insatiable appetite to understand why things are the way they are, leading to their apt description as “little scientists”.

While researchers have been aware of children’s interest in causal information, they didn’t know whether it influenced children’s preferences during real-world activities, such as reading.

A new study in Frontiers in Psychology finds that children prefer storybooks containing more causal information.

The results could help parents and teachers to choose the most engaging books to increase children’s interest in reading, which is important in improving early literacy and language skills.

Children have a burning urge to understand the mechanics of the world around them, and frequently bombard parents and teachers with questions about how and why things work the way they do (sometimes with embarrassing consequences).

Finding the factors that motivate children to read books is important. Encouraging young children to read more improves their early literacy and language skills and could get them off to a running start with their education.

Reading books in the company of a parent or teacher is a great way for children to start reading, and simply choosing the types of book that children most prefer could be an effective way to keep them interested and motivated.

Sick Kids? 5 Ways to Keep Them Comfy

It can break your heart to see your child feeling lousy when they're sick, whether it’s the flu, strep throat, or just a run-of-the-mill cold. You can’t wave a magic wand and send their symptoms packing, but you can help them feel better. Here are a few ways to make your child more comfortable when they're under the weather.

Help them rest. Even when they’re not sick, young children need a lot of sleep -- at least 10 hours a night for school-aged kids. When a cold or the flu strikes, they may need even more.

Keep them hydrated. Sick kids may have little interest in eating or drinking, but you should still keep offering fluids for them to sip throughout the day.

Ease a stuffy nose safely. Decongestants aren’t safe for kids under age 4. For younger kids, try a saline nose spray or drops, which can help clear out nasal passages and keep them moist.

Cuddle up. Illness can be scary for some kids, especially if they have symptoms like vomiting or diarrhea. Cuddling and holding your child can help them feel less anxious and more relaxed and secure. It may even help them sleep better.

Distract, distract, distract. Sure, you could always park them in front of the TV for a cartoon marathon. But a little creativity might help keep your child more entertained -- and distracted from their symptoms. Try playing “doctor” for sick dolls and stuffed animals, making a soothing treat like Popsicles or warm tea together, or even taking a short walk around the block for some fresh air.

Excess sugar consumption at a young age has been associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) later in life.

Although eating sweets from time to time is unlikely to cause major problems in the short term, it's important to encourage healthy eating habits starting in early childhood.

There is a fine balance between being overly restrictive about what your child eats and neglecting to raise healthy future teenagers and adults.

High sugar intake raises the risk of obesity and chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, especially as we get older.

Additionally, joint pain, gout, and fatty liver disease are possible complications of excess weight.

Establishing nutritious eating habits early on will guide your child toward a healthier lifestyle in the future.

Focus on the benefits of nutritious foods, rather than the negative consequences of sugar, to help children develop a positive attitude about eating well.

What is Sensory Play?

Sensory play includes any activity that stimulates your young child's senses: touch, smell, taste, sight and hearing.

Sensory activities and sensory tables facilitate exploration and naturally encourage children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore.

At Superkids Play and Learn, your toddler is constantly exposed to sensory play.

To learn more about what we have to offer your little hero, contact us on 083 688 8829.

Drawing is the start of handwriting for toddlers.

Toddlers generally begin to show an interest in drawing with a crayon or chalk from about two years.

Here are a few ideas to get your toddler drawing, scribbling and ‘writing’:

Have crayons and paper, or chalk and blackboard, handy. Small chunks of chalk or crayons encourage your child to use a fingertip grip. This helps your child learn to hold a pencil.

Encourage your child to draw things that interest them. For example, if your child likes insects, you could draw a centipede and your child could add a lot of legs. Or on a rainy day you could draw a big cloud and your child could draw rain falling down.

Give your child activities that involve squeezing and pinching things. This could be threading big beads, squeezing and pinching playdough into shapes, and building with blocks and Duplo. This helps your child develop the hand muscles needed for using pencils.

Prop up your child’s drawing surface so that it’s on an angle. You could use an easel or blackboard. This helps your child make downward strokes, which they need to be able to do for writing later on.

Avoid felt-tip markers and pencils. It can be hard for your toddler to hold these until they’ve developed the small hand muscles needed for a better grip.