Praising your child

When your child does something good, let her know you have seen and you like that behaviour.  Doing this will encourage your child to act well more often. Here are some tips for praising your child:

• When you see your child doing something good, give praise straight away. Do not wait for later. 
• Give praise for a specific thing that your child has done.  Tell them what that thing was.
• Look at your child in the eyes when you praise them. 
• Name your child when you speak to them.  
• Smile at your child. 
• Give your child a hug.  It will make her feel good about herself.
• Praise your child in front of other adults.  They will know that you are proud of them and not ashamed to tell the world.

What to do when your child gets angry

Small children aged 2 to 4 cannot control themselves and say how they feel. When they want something or when they don’t know how to do something, they can get very angry. This is called a temper tantrum.  Temper tantrums can get very bad if your child is tired, hungry or thirsty. You may see crying, screaming, kicking and even falling down. This is normal and happens to all children. There are things to do to help your child have less tantrums.

• Have a routine every day – do the same things at the same time. It’s important children eat, sleep and nap at the same time each day.
• If you are taking your child with you somewhere where they will have to wait in a line, bring small toys and a drink or some food.
• Teach your child words to express what he or she feels. These words can be “hurt”, “tired” or “I want”.
• Let your child make small decision like what to wear. This will make him or her feel in control.
• Show your child something funny or point out something in the street, when he or she gets angry. 
• Do not become angry and start to shout at your child.

Encourage independence with simple games

Your child is learning through play. Here are simple games to play with your toddler which will encourage her to explore her world.

• An empty plastic bottle and a few buttons or small stones will give your child hours of entertainment. Toddlers love to put items in containers. Just make sure your child does not swallow or put any of the small objects in her mouth or nose!
• Use boxes and pillows to create an obstacle course for your child in your house or garden.
• Let your child place a small ball in a bowl and shake it about.  It’s lots of fun for toddlers
• Stack items on top of each other and watch your baby knock it down. Then build it again and let her knock it down once more.

Making toys at home

Making toys at home 

Your child learns while playing.  Toys help your child to develop the muscles in his hands and to control his movement. The best part is that there are toys all around your house – you just need to use your imagination! Here are some ideas:

•  For healthy hands, give your child some newspaper to tear up or a clothes peg to pinch together.
• Children one year old and older, love to pick up shells, buttons, bottle tops and small stones and put them in a container like a mug – and then take them out again!
• Find some empty containers of different sizes and let your child stack them up, one on top of the other, and then to knock them down.
• When your child gets a bit older, let him group and sort through different items like clothes, lids and boxes. Talk to him and show him what is the same and what is different.
• A pot and a wooden spoon make a great drum and your child will have fun making music!

Love your baby with skin contact

Love your baby with skin contact 

Your baby loves the feel of your skin on her skin.  Very important things happen when you hold her close to your chest. 

• She is receiving warmth, breast milk, comfort and protection – all the things she needs!  
• When she lies on your chest even her lungs will function better because she isn’t cold.  
• She can hear your heartbeat and your voice which calms her and helps her grow well.   
• Having your baby rest on your chest helps your breasts make more milk for her to drink and she will grow strong. 
• Skin to skin contact is especially important if your baby was born with a lower birth weight.  

Let your baby spend as much time as possible lying skin on skin on your chest from the moment she is born.

Special Time With Your Child

Special time means spending time with your child in a meaningful way. When you spend time with your child you are building a positive relationship with her, which will make her feel supported and loved. The more supported and loved she feels, the less likely she will become involved in negative behaviours.

Your child is learning while she is playing. Special time supports your child to explore her world and learn to solve problems through play. Special time means spending time with your child while she plays but allowing her to choose the activity. By paying attention to her, you are showing her she is loved and appreciated and what she is doing is important to you. Try and spend at least five minutes in special time with your child every day. Here are some tips:

• Tell your child it’s special play time and let her decide the game she wants to play 
• Sit close to your child and give her your full attention 
• Don’t show your child how to play. She will learn it by herself!
• Praise your child when she does something you like. 
• If your child does something you don’t like, ignore it by looking away until she stops.
• Only interrupt your child if she does something dangerous or breaks a home rule.

Story Time

Your child loves hearing you tell her stories and you can even start the day she is born. Turn every activity into story time!  Tell her what you are doing when you are feeding her or bathing her. Tell her about your day and your dreams.

A visit to the post office or the market is fun and new for your child and the perfect opportunity for storytelling. Point things out to her and tell her stories about them. Stories can be about anything! Everyday objects like a car, a plane or a donkey are exciting to young children.

By telling her stories you can help her learn, even if she may not understand you yet. As she grows, she wants to hear stories about you as a child and members of your family. This connection with her family is important and will stay with her for life. You can also tell her the stories you were told as a child.

Your older child learns about emotions through stories. You can help her understand why she feels sad or frightened by telling her stories about children like her.

Talk To Your Baby

Your baby's brain is growing fast from the day she is born. She is learning your language even though she can’t talk yet.She loves to hear the sound of your voice! When you talk gently with her, it makes her feel calm.

She also likes to watch your face as you talk.Talk to your baby about what you are doing as you change her nappy or bath her. Talk to your baby about what your family members are doing. Soon you will see she is talking back to you in her special way by making sounds and kicking. When she makes a funny sound, make the same sound back at her.

Make funny sounds and encourage her to make the same sound at you. As she grows, she will make more sounds and soon she will say her first words. The more you talk to your baby, the better her brain will develop to learn language when she is older.

By talking to your baby when she is young, you will support her to do well in school in the future and reach her dreams. So talk to your baby as much as you can!

Your Baby Wants To Be Close To You

You are the most important thing in the whole world to your baby. Your baby is a tiny person but she can’t tell you what she needs because she can’t speak yet. Look closely at the expressions on her face and her body movements to understand how she is feeling.

When you understand what your baby is feeling you can respond and make a safe and happy place for her to grow and learn. A good way you can make her feel safe and cared for is by keeping her close to you. Make time each day to hold her close and let her know you love her by trying one of these activities:

• Look into your baby’s eyes as you hold her close to your body. Your baby loves to feel the touch of your skin against her skin. Make sure she is warm by draping a blanket over her.
• Breastfeeding is an excellent way to get close to your baby and form a bond with her. 
• If you are not breastfeeding, you can still use feeding time as an opportunity to show your baby you love her by holding her close, looking into her eyes or talking and singing softly to her.

Playtime With Your Child

Your baby is not too young and you are not too old to play together -playing with your baby is good for her and for you! You are supporting your baby’s growth and development through playing with her. When you and your baby spend time playing together, you are also showing her you love her. Here are a few fun games to try:

• Make funny sounds and wait for your baby to respond. Make the same sounds she makes.
• Your baby wants to learn how to use her little hands. Show your baby how to push buttons or turn the pages of a book or a newspaper.
• Hide your face behind your hands. You will know she is having fun if she watches you, kicks and makes sounds.
• Your baby loves music and song as much as you do. Sing your favourite song to her and use hands to dance. As she gets older, she may start to copy your movements or join in singing by making sounds.
• You can make rattles that have different sounds by filling a small plastic drink bottle with rice, beans, stones or sand. Make sure the lid is tightly fastened!
• Your baby likes to move and spend time on her tummy. Put an orange or a gem squash just out of her reach and encourage her to reach for it.
• Laugh with your baby!