Is your child having trouble learning to write letters or is their handwriting messy? This is an important article that could make a big difference to them. “The nature of play is changing with the increasing use of technology. Children are going to school without the necessary underlying movement skills they NEED to hold a…
Learning to read can be tricky! There are many strands, or skills, that children need to weave together to become strong and fluent readers. This small group focuses on building these skills in a positive and nurturing way. What is it? This is a fun school holiday program for Kindergarten and Year 1 students who have…
The Hanen I’m Ready!™ Program is running in January! This program shows parents how to use fun, practical tips and strategies to make early literacy-learning a natural and enjoyable part of the day. Studies have shown that children who start school with higher levels of early literacy skills have greater academic success. As the most important teachers…
Let’s clear up what vocabulary is to start. It’s your child’s word bank. It’s made up of two main parts: the words your child understands (known as receptive vocabulary) and the words they use (known as expressive vocabulary). We divide it in two parts because there’s typically a big difference between them in terms of size. …
Meet the delightful Hayden. He and his Mum, Melissa, came to Talk Play Grow for an assessment in 2014 when he had just turned 3 years old. Melissa came in with a big, burning question “does my son have dyspraxia?’. He was late to talk and was hard to understand. Fortunately, the answer was no…
Is your child starting school in the next year or two? Then this program is for you! There is lots of research that shows children who start school with higher levels of early literacy skills have greater academic success. Parent are, without doubt, the most important teachers in their child’s life and play a critical role…
With winter upon us there are days when layering up and heading out goes in the too hard basket. But then the children get cabin fever and turn into something resembling these delightful characters… So, here are our top 5 activities to keep the kids entertained while you enjoy the warmth and comfort of your home.…
If you’re a parent you might have heard about toy rotation but have you thought of doing it with books? For those that are scratching their head wondering what we’re talking about let’s clear things up a bit. Toy rotation is the process of putting out a small selection of your child’s toys and packing…
What a classic and for good reason! The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a simple yet engaging story of a caterpillar going through its life cycle and eating lots of food along the way. There’s so much you can teach your child using this book so we’ve narrowed it down to our top 5 targets for…
This week we’ve been chatting with parents about they can create more than a chocolate rich Easter…a language rich one too! Here are three of our top tips for weaving lots of language into Easter with children: Join the hunt This is a fantastic opportunity to teach them lots of location words. Walk alongside your…