How can I support my bilingual child?

After many years of thinking that bilingualism may have a negative impact on learning and development, professionals have now realized that in fact being bilingual can have numerous positive results! The difficult thing for parents who may be bringing up bilingual children is to know the right way to do it. In this post, I am going to look at some common myths about bilingualism...

Read More

What are the benefits of early 2nd language learning?

In a multi-cultural place like Dubai, you can hear a multitude of languages every day. The benefit of living somewhere like this is that as well as constantly hearing different languages being spoken, most schools and nurseries will offer some kind of 2nd language tuition. So what are the benefits of your little one learning a 2nd language early on and how...

Read More

How can I support my child's literacy development using phonics and music?

In my last post, I talked about why I feel early literacy is so important and how we can support our child's development through story-time and imaginative play.  In this post, I continue the theme by discussing the importance of phonics and music in early literacy. Phonics You will definitely have heard of phonics as it has long...

Read More

Aspin Nursery's Top Ten Stories!

It was incredibly difficult to whittle our favourite stories down to just 10 but we managed it in the end! Here are Aspin Nursery's top 10 stories! 1. One of our all-time favourites has to be 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle. An entertaining story, explaining the life-cycle of a caterpillar with vibrant pictures and it also helps children learn the days...

Read More

Why are reading and imaginative play so important for my little one?

It seems that all you hear these days is about how important it is to read to your child from an early age and there are lots of schemes around to encourage early literacy in many countries. In this post I have attempted to explain why early literacy is so important and how you can make the most of story-time with your little one :) Why is it important to develop early...

Read More

Toddler tantrums: why do they happen and what can I do?

Why does my toddler throw tantrums? Toddlers will 'act out' for a number of reasons. Sometimes, as discussed in my last post, it is a way of testing boundaries.  Children may also display unsettled behaviour if their routine changes, or if there is no routine. It is their way of telling you they need those boundaries and routines. A classic reason for toddler tantrums...

Read More

How to set boundaries for toddlers

How many of you have experienced your toddler telling you what to do, answering back or throwing an almighty tantrum when they don't get their way? You are not alone! Part of your child's development at this age is to start testing their power and ability to control situations and different people, especially those they hold dearest! They need to know how far they can...

Read More