Zoë Bishop believes that by getting kids into gardening, we sow the seeds of a successful future. We all want our kids to survive. It is an instinct that takes hold of parents early and then drives our actions for the rest of our lives. To increase...
When her daughter turns 10, Guillemette Perrin leaves the party planning in her hands. My eldest daughter recently hosted a party for her tenth birthday. “Double digits!” she chanted for all to hear. Clearly this was her most significant birthday to date. She spent weeks agonising over...
One simple idea had the young Christine Kininmonth utterly entranced. When I was eight, my nemesis Jenny, flanked by her posse of hangers-on, marched up to me at the school sandpit. “I’m having a sleepover birthday party,” she said, “and Mum says I have to invite...
Giant tube slides and broken legs are just some of the problems, report Lisa Nicole Sharwood, David Eager and Ruth Barker Child’s play involves risk and challenge, a vital part of development. Failing, falling and picking yourself up again are crucial life lessons. But children also...
Sydney’s budding young artists are being urged to hop to it and put pen to paper for a 2023 Year of the Rabbit drawing competition, with the winning designs to be transformed into larger than life lunar lanterns. Colourful drawings by five youngsters aged five to...
A $1 million grant is changing young autistic people's lives for the better. NDIA Quarterly Reports reveal that in regard to autistic people aged 7-24, 32% have no friends outside of family and paid support, 67% have not accessed a community or social event in the...
Ken Eastwood looks at examples of children who are allowed to be adventurous and explores the knock-on effects. Like a cartoon character, my daughter’s legs concertinaed. She’d been standing at the edge of a cliff, exactly where I’d directed her. In that split second as Zoe...
Amy Peden looks at the research and suggests what is the 'best' age and way to learn. Each year in Australia, an average of 23 children under five die from unintentional drowning, usually due to factors such as a lack of adult supervision, unrestricted access to...
Throughout the course of the pandemic, Australian kids felt anxious (34%), irritable (30%) and generally impatient (28%) - and children with certain neurodiverse conditions felt even worse, with 47% of those living with ADHD, and 42% of those with dyslexia feeling more anxious than ever,...
To push or not to push? That is the question when it comes to music lessons, writes Cathy Douglas. As a parent of three primary-school-aged children, I’ve agonised over music lessons. After all, it’s just not worth the effort if the child isn’t enjoying it. Is...
