Are you using grandparents for childcare?

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Childcare is usually at the top of any parent’s mind whether they just need someone to have the children for them to go to an appointment or if it is more permanent for them to go back to work. This is often where grandparents come in. They might offer to help or you might find yourself in the position where you ask them - either way there are a few things to consider when thinking about using grandparents (or indeed friends / other relatives) for childcare.

My child says “no” all the time!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Are you finding that you are asking your child questions or giving instructions to only be told “no”? Does this make you feel like everything is very hard work? When your child finds their voice and the word ‘no’, this can often create times of frustration and annoyance both from the child and from the adult receiving this response!

‘No’ is a very powerful word - it can often really stop us in our tracks. Our children see this and then use the word in order to fully understand its meaning. Our children very quickly realise the power that the word ‘no’ has and use this to assert themselves and their thoughts and feelings.

Working out childcare during the holidays!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. The first and most important thing to say here is that preparation is key! Think ahead and have a plan of the weeks that you are looking to cover with childcare. Having a calendar is essential to provide a visual outline to see when and where you will need cover and have it available either online or somewhere visible for all family members to be able to refer to it if needed!

How To Improve Your Everyday Life!

By Holly Dodd. My name’s Holly I have a passion for writing content based on my personal life as well as what’s going on in the world around me as I believe it can bring different insights into my readers’ lives. This article was inspired by my past grandparents, I believe it’s so important to spend time with your elders and try to gain as much knowledge as you can from them. They have lived a life full of problems they’ve had to face, meaning they have got experience with issues you might be facing at this moment in time. They didn’t have access to the internet or advanced technologies they had to figure out how to navigate their own lives, allowing them to understand what a good decision looks like.

It’s a well-known fact that some of the best advice you can receive comes from those who have been around long before us. Every generation has its own unique set of experiences and knowledge to offer, and it’s important to take note of these lessons and strive to pass them on to your younger family members and friends. That’s why in this blog, I’m going to be exploring some of the pieces of advice that should be passed down from generation to generation.

How to inspire your child to read and write more

By The Golden Circle. Reading and writing skills provide the foundation to succeeding in many aspects of life, both academic and personal. For some children, getting lost in the adventure of a book, or putting their imaginative thoughts on paper comes naturally. For others, developing this skill set can be a challenge and require a little extra encouragement. If your child falls into this category, here are some handy strategies from The Golden Circle’s team of qualified teachers to help make reading and writing a more enjoyable activity.

Just like adults, not all children are affectionate (when I say affectionate, I mean cuddly as this is what most people see as a sign of affection from children). When a child is not showing affection (in the way we expect as an adult) it can be due to their personality but also where they are in their developmental stage.

Winter activities!

Written by Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Keeping children entertained in the winter months can feel really daunting - we aren’t able to get out and about as much as we might like and getting everyone wrapped up for the weather can sometimes just feel too much. However, this blog is here to help with some simple activity ideas for the winter months for all age groups!

Tricky friendships…what can I do to help my child?

By Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. Friendships and social interactions are a key part of our children’s lives. Friendships help our children learn about the way that we interact with peers, social cues and norms (which can be different with peers than with adults), and gaining a sense of belonging away from their family unit.

It is all very normal and natural for friendships to have their highs and lows but this can be extremely hard for a parent to watch if their child is having a difficult time. We all want our children to be happy and have friends, but this can take time to establish and there can be some very tricky moments.

Gender and sexuality 🌈 - Let's talk about it!

By Amy Frankcom, Teen blogger. Gender and sexuality can be extremely confusing for some, especially for those who were not raised with a high level of acceptance and understanding of the topic. It’s difficult to navigate and varies for every person; there is no concrete answer because of the fluid nature of gender and sexuality. Due to this, people are always concerned about getting it wrong, and choose to ignore the subject rather than exploring it with others and sometimes ‘messing up’. However, here’s the fact: gender and sexuality is a beautiful thing, encompassing myriads of diversity from all corners of the world. It deserves to be celebrated!

Why doesn’t my child show much affection?

By Claire Burgess, Family Consultant. It is important to start with looking at what you, as an individual, see as ‘showing affection’ as this can be very different for each of us. As human beings we all feel and show affection in different ways, while one person might be very tactile and love cuddles, another might avoid this where possible as it makes them uncomfortable.

Just like adults, not all children are affectionate (when I say affectionate, I mean cuddly as this is what most people see as a sign of affection from children). When a child is not showing affection (in the way we expect as an adult) it can be due to their personality but also where they are in their developmental stage.

Categories

Family consultancy and training

Blog

Categories