This short blog describes what a 4 year old should know (and what their parents need to know too) and it’s not the ABC’s.
This is true children will learn at their own pace, I’m happy that I was born in New Zealand and not from where my parents are because over there as soon as your born you’re life becomes a race. I’m also extremely happy that my parents understand the importance of children learning at their own pace.
A video describing Montessori schools and how the came about, as well as the progress they have made.
This is a great link to provide future teachers with helpful motivational tips to use in the classroom.
Mental Health Outcomes
Child abuse that takes place during the critical formative time of brain development can alter the neural development of the brain. Stress caused by child abuse causes the brain to produce various forms of antisocial behaviours needed to cope with its world. …
NZ was ranked 2nd highest of 27 developed countries in terms of adolescents (10-24 years) dying from any cause, according to Patton’s review of research published in The Lancet. NZ is highest for male suicides, and third for female suicides.
This article looks at reasons for this, and quotes Professor Annette Beautrais from the University of Auckland:
“While it is possible that New Zealand’s high ranking may reflect better accounting and reporting of deaths, enabled by a small population and a coronial inquest system for traffic and suspected suicide deaths, other countries have similar coronially-based mortality reporting systems (e.g. Australia, Canada, United Kingdom) and do not have youth mortality rates as high as those in New Zealand. A more likely explanation for New Zealand’s mortality may lie with New Zealand’s relatively low minimum legal drinking age of 18 years, which is likely to contribute to both suicide and traffic deaths.
“For many years, New Zealand has shared top ranking for youth suicide rates with Finland and Ireland – all three countries have a similar population size, so probably all report and count suicides equally well, but the most striking relevant similarity is the high use of alcohol among youth, which includes, in New Zealand, a prevalent culture of binge drinking. Addressing alcohol use and binge drinking in young people in New Zealand is one of the most obvious avenues to reducing both suicide and traffic mortality. Addressing alcohol use may also improve other health outcomes including early pregnancy, violence, and sexually transmitted diseases.
… other factors which may contribute to New Zealand’s high ranking include: insufficient and fragmented adolescent and youth mental health services; a national stoicism, difficulty expressing emotion, and failure to seek help for emotional problems and stresses; and a fatalism among professionals and the public that accepts high alcohol use, binge drinking, and high rates of youth suicide and traffic deaths as part of the national culture. “
A great site that breaks down each stage of language development from birth until school age. Excerpt included below:
“At 18 to 24 months of age toddlers come to understand that there are words for everything and their language development gains momentum. About 50 of a child’s first words are universal: names of foods, animals, family members, toys, vehicles, and clothing. Usually children first learn general nouns, such as “flower” instead of “dandelion,” and they may overgeneralize words, such as calling all toys “balls.” Some children learn words for social situations, greetings, and expressions of love more readily than others. At this age children usually have 20 to 50 intelligible words and can do the following:
- follow two-step directions
- point to parts of the body
- attempt multi-syllable words
- speak three-word sentences
- ask two-word questions
- enjoy challenge words such as “helicopter”
- hum and sing
- express pain verbally
- have 50 to 70 percent of their speech understood by outsiders
After several months of slower development, children often have a “word spurt” (an explosion of new words). Between the ages of two and 18 years, it is estimated that children add nine new words per day. Between two and three years of age children acquire:
- a 400-word vocabulary including names
- a word for most everything
- the use of pronouns
- three to five-word sentences
- the ability to describe what they just saw or experienced
- the use of the past tense and plurals
- names for body parts, colors, toys, people, and objects
- the ability to repeat rhymes, songs, and stories
- the ability to answer “what” questions
Children constantly produce sentences that they have not heard before, creating rather than imitating. This creativity is based on the general principles and rules of language that they have mastered. By the time a child is three years of age, most of a child’s speech can be understood. However, like adults, children vary greatly in how much they choose to talk.”
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/language-development#ixzz1tNbUAdLjThis is a fantastic website about language development in infants.
1500 pepi-pods will be distributed to families that have risk factors for SUDI (Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy) this week.
The pepi-pod is a concept developed by Change for our Children founding director Stephanie Cowan in response to the risk associated with bed sharing. It is a portable baby sized bed which gives babies under six months a safe space if they sleep on an adult bed or couch.
Pepi-pods were also distributed to families following the Christchurch earthquake. A survey ’Using Pepi-pods’ was carried out by Change for our Children into their effectiveness and use.
