Should my child have a second year of preschool or should they go to school? Will they be “bored” if they stay for a second year? — Making the decision about whether or not to send your child to school or to have a second year at preschool can be challenging. For children born February — July (in NSW) it can be a difficult decision… to go to school or not? Parents who have already made that…

Felicity Barclay — April 2021

Your Child’s Future — What do you want? Position vacant — parent! If you had to write a job description for a parent — what would you include? It is not an easy task to come up with a definitive job description for parents but It’s probably fair to say…

Childhood Memories When I was a child I used to love making cubby houses with my friend Susie who lived in the same street. Whether at my house or her house we would use blankets, sheets, towels and cover card tables, chairs and other pieces of furniture to make elaborate…

Perspective, Acknowledge, Resilience, Empathy, Nurture, Trust Conflicts or disappointments are a natural part of the social world — for children and adults. Not many of us like conflict or challenging situations, however, it is often through working through these difficulties or conflicts that we grow and develop as people…

What do we mean when we refer to messy play? Outside…. Bark, dirt, leaves, sand, water, puddles, mud, shells, leaves sticks….. Inside…. Paint, clay, playdough, slime, cornflour goop, rice,….. Use your imagination — perhaps you can add ideas of your own? Why is it important? Pleasure and Fun The squish of paint between your…

Felicity Barclay Sand between your toes, a warm path on a sunny day, prickly grass, cool water, squelchy mud —What experiences are we denying children when we insist that they “keep their shoes on”? Here are five good reasons to lose the shoes. 1. Neural pathways and sensory information Children’s…

Is International Women’s Day Relevant for Preschoolers? We have so many special “days” to celebrate these days. There’s the usual Mother’s Day, Father’s Day - but now there’s all sorts of health related days — world kidney day, world’s greatest shave, red nose day to name a few. Each important in their own right in terms of…