Articles

Why preschooling should be taken seriously

by on 05-06-2019 10:07AM in Parenting Aid

As time goes on, there is more and more research to show that the early years of a child’s life highly impact their overall health, happiness and levels of success throughout their life.

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School Readiness by Christine Copley

by on 05-06-2019 09:49AM in Parenting Aid

The Aptitude Test for School Beginners (ASB) is a psychological assessment for the evaluation of certain aptitudes or abilities which are important in elementary education. With the uncertainty of the possible repercussions of Covid-19 on academic progress, due to school closures and the extra demands and stresses placed on both parents and educators, the ASB assessment is a valuable tool in screening grade R learners to identify any potential problem areas.

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Road Safety

by on 15-05-2019 09:16AM in Parenting Aid

The best way you can show a child you love them and value them is to buckle them up and teach them this: it is like a super-hug and kiss made from metal!

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Two Oceans Aquarium

by on 02-10-2018 09:20AM in Sustainability

Two Oceans Aquarium calls on all to support the Great Optimist Race to raise funds for sick children and sick turtles

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Educational costs

by on 07-03-2018 10:13AM in Parenting Aid

From pre-school to finishing a first degree, the average family with two children will spend around R5 million (R2.5 million per child) on education in today’s terms, said Gareth Friedlander, head of R&D at Discovery Life.

That means you have to save around R6 700 each month per child while Education inflation historically runs at about 3% per year above the inflation (CPI) figure, so the cost of education is generally increasing at a more rapid pace than our salaries.

“The fact that children are starting school earlier than before and the many extra costs associated with education, such as laptops and other technology, extra tuition, sports and other activities, can shoot up the yearly costs by approximately 50%”, said Gareth Friedlander.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Research shows that for each additional year of education a person’s income increases by 10%, higher education lowers people’s mortality risk by up to 22%, and each additional year of education on average boosts a country’s GDP by a vast 18%.

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Parenting Styles

by on 03-10-2017 01:32PM in Motherhood, Pregnancy & Birth

Parenting Styles Explained

Helicopter Parenting (or Cosseting Parenting)
Attachment Parenting
Baby-Led Parenting
Natural Parenting
Tiger Parenting (or Chinese Parenting)
Free-Range Parenting (or Slow Parenting)
Serenity Parenting
Doing the Best You Can Parenting

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What is School Readiness?

by on 24-05-2017 01:59PM in Parenting Aid

we can not only gauge a child’s readiness for school by his age. The child’s development should be on par with the development of other children of the same age. When we talk about development, we have to look at the different aspects thereof: emotional, social, physical, intellectual and language development. These should all be considered, before deciding if he is ready for Grade 1. We can therefore say that school readiness refers to the child’s total readiness to benefit from formal education. School readiness assessment results are not supposed to be used to discriminate against any learner or to fill classes. The whole reason why we do these assessments is to provide relevant support.

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Creche Syndrome

by on 12-04-2017 11:31AM in Family Health

This is not a condition you will read about in medical textbooks or medical research magazines and literature. Yet CS is probably the most common chronic condition seen by pediatricians in private practice.

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Keeping Healthy this Winter

by on 11-04-2017 10:00AM in Family Health

With winter on its way, NRF Health supplements are a sure way to help build up the family’s immunity and help fight colds and flu. These supplements should also be taken as an ongoing, good health maintenance program all year round.

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Teaching (Mandarin) Chinese at South African schools

by on 17-11-2016 12:37PM in Parenting Aid

By far one of the most common questions we get asked when people find out our children are learning (Mandarin) Chinese at preschool, is ‘why?’ It seems to be one of the many polarizing subjects in our country at the moment, one group of people firmly planted in the anti-China camp, and the other - pro. People on both sides of the aisle got involved in heated debate following the announcement on March 20th 2015 by the South African department of Education that Mandarin would now be on offer in schools as an additional subject. It’s important to note here that the decision to add Chinese was not at the expense of other languages/subjects, and would only be available to some South African schools.

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Cyberbullying

by on 17-11-2016 12:30PM in Parenting Aid

It's not a mystery that being bullied hurts, whatever form of abuse that takes place, whether SMS, message, Instagram, or even comments on a facebook page, the child suffers.

Parents can be proactive in preventing Cyberbullying and ensuring their children remain safe online:

It is important, however, that if your child is being bullied to seek professional counselling.

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The Perfect Dance of Birth Hormones

by on 17-11-2016 12:20PM in Motherhood, Pregnancy & Birth

‘The Perfect Dance of Birth Hormones’ is the theme for Pregnancy Education Week (18 to 26 February 2017) to highlight how knowledge empowers expectant parents for better pregnancy, birth, bonding and breastfeeding experiences.

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My Child the Bully

by on 02-06-2016 01:54PM in Parenting Aid

“My child? The bully? Never!”

This may be your initial response, and perhaps the dynamics that led to your child behaving this way need to be examined carefully, but what do you do when you realize that your child is the one bullying others?

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Missing Children

by on 17-10-2013 02:14PM in Parenting Aid

Since the initiation of official statistics in 1994 over 900 of the children reported missing in South Africa, have not been recovered.

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Early Intervention

by on 15-10-2013 09:50AM in Specialised Therapy, Parenting Aid

Research has proven Early Intervention to be the best form of treatment for a range of disorders in children.

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Diabetes South Africa

by on 08-09-2013 03:33PM in Diabetes

Diabetes SA is the only non-profit, public benefit organisation in South Africa providing a dedicated service for people with diabetes and their families.

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How to support your child's pronounciation

by on 26-08-2013 04:53PM in Parenting Aid

Accurate articulatory skills are important to be able to produce sounds, words and sentences which are clear and can be easily understood and interpreted by others. This allows a child to express basic needs and wants, right through to being able to engage in complex conversations.

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“My autistic brother, written by a 10 year old”

by on 10-06-2013 10:58AM in Specialised Therapy, Special Needs

My 10 year old daughter was asked to write a letter on what Autism Awareness meant to her as her brother is autistic.

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The Importance Of A Father Figure

by on 06-06-2013 12:45PM in Parenting Aid, Motherhood, Pregnancy & Birth

These days it is valid to query, especially for all single moms, whether a father figure really that important.

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Birthing Options - Birthing Places

by on 31-05-2013 12:54PM in Motherhood, Pregnancy & Birth

An aid to helping you decide where & how you would prefer to birth you precious bundle of joy.

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