Juggling childcare and home working is proving to be stressful experience for parents and carers around the world. It is so easy to bribe our children with snacks or use TV as a babysitter, but then our guilt kicks in as we struggle to earn our living in the other room furiously working on our …
Do children need to know about Coronavirus?
I have a 3-year-old and a 15 month old and they have no idea about the current pandemic, nor should they – that is for adults to worry about. At the same time, this is a perfect opportunity to teach them about the importance of proper hand washing and good habits like no outdoor shoes …
Managing behaviour in isolation
The current social isolation requirements in many areas are causing many stresses for parents, especially those who are trying to juggle childcare, education and home working. Leaving aside the natural stresses and strains of relationships with your partner, the fact you are trying to occupy your child(ren) and educate, combined with possible working arrangements too …
Explaining isolation to children
The current coronavirus pandemic is breeding a lot of societal anxiety (rightfully so) and many countries are imposing strict isolation rules on the vulnerable and also the wider public. Toddlers Toddlers are unlikely to need to understand isolation, however it is important to start teaching them hygiene habits, such as good hand washing. This is …
Recognising the signs of mental health problems in children
Signs of mental health problems in a child Many early signs and symptoms of mental health conditions in children are related to inadequate ways of coping with their emotions. So a concerned parent may see one or more of these symptoms recurrently: Confusion about emotions Sudden mood swings Aggression Irritability Intense emotions Withdrawal Lack of …
Protecting your child from grooming
How to keep your children safe from abusers Many parents are concerned about the risk of their teenager becoming victim to an abuser either in-person or online. Leading child behaviour expert, Richard Daniel Curtis, explains some of the signs that parents need to watch out for and what they can do. The stages of grooming: …
Helping young people to cope with trauma or loss caused by terrorism
Events, like the recent Manchester bombing, has an impact on many of us. Something that should be an ordinary everyday treat, like going to a pop concert, becomes a traumatic event as a result of terrorist actions. Teenagers and children can be affected in different ways, whether they witnessed it or not, and many parents …
Do you know about The Yellow App?
The Yellow App What is it? The Yellow App is a smartphone application that lets users view photographs of other users. The concept is that they swipe the photo to the right if they are interested in chatting to the person. It’s designed for users over 18, but it’s terms of service say it can …
Do you know about the Letter X Game?
Letter X Game What is it? The Letter X game is an online bullying game using the social app Snapchat. Snapchat is a smartphone application that allows instant messaging of photos, videos, drawings and messages between users, which then delete themselves after being read. Users can also compile a ‘Story’, a chronological sequence of photos …
How much do you know about gaming?
Helping your child navigate the world of gaming What is it? Immersive technology would not be complete without talking about gaming. Computer games began with simple games, such as Spacewar or Pong, where play was simply directional with a single button to fire/engage/start. Interestingly this is also the stage that simple Virtual Reality games …