Her youngest child’s first day at school has an unexpected effect on Helen McKinnon. I thought I had been waiting for this day for the past seven years. My youngest trotted off to her first day of school. (At least I think it was her –...
Tech can help kids to go outdoors, write Kellie Vella and Madeleine Dobson and here are some tips to make it work Young children’s lives are increasingly spent indoors. They have less access to green spaces, their parents are concerned about safety, and there’s also the...
Cate Macinnis-Ng reflects on the brief life of her first child as she contemplates the birth of her second. The responses we’ve received to “We’re pregnant again” have ranged from a gushing, “Oh that’s so fabulous, how wonderful!” to “Don’t eat sushi or brie”. I translate...
Nicola Allen finds that it’s the little things that often have the biggest impact on our lives. When I see such things I’m no longer sure that what’s important is more important than what’s not. –Wislawa Szymborska I am sitting now at a computer on the other side...
Fit kids have better mental and physical health. Ben Singh and Grace McKeon look at the why, how and when for parents. The mental health benefits of exercise for adults are well known, easing depression and reducing anxiety. Now, emerging research highlights its rising importance for children’s...
Elizabeth Jane encourages people to find their inner happiness rather than seeking it through external things and circumstances. The shock of a relationship breakdown after many years of marriage was the catalyst for Elizabeth Jane’s quest to find the things that gave her joy and allowed...
Holiday playdates are great for kids – but ditch the stress and don’t compare milestones, writes Kimberley Beasley During school holidays, playdates can provide a brilliant opportunity for social interactions for both children and their parents. They can help children get to know kids at their...
Researcher, Chris Speldewinde shows you 3 things to try with kids at the beach this summer. Summer is a wonderful time for families to go the beach and for small children to get to know the water and the sand. But aside from being a place...
The legacy of Kate King’s grandmother looms large over her family. My grandma died this year. I always considered myself very lucky to have my maternal grandmother in my life for so long, and now she isn’t. I was there when she suffered heart failure, and...
‘Live in the light, but carry the dark’: John Marsden’s books are his legacy – but so is his empathy, writes Penni Russon Celebrated author and educator John Marsden, best known for his dystopian young adult Tomorrow series, has died aged 74. The bestselling author of...
