At our end of year prize giving we celebrate the boys’ achievements. Our leavers (Year 8s) are individually acknowledged. On these occasions, I am particularly conscious of personal best performances. In schools and in life in general, our top achievers are often in the spot light. Recognising this is important as we want people to excel in their area of passion.

However, society’s aim must be to keep all children in schools achieving their personal best and this is the challenge. To do this teachers and parents have to ensure that they connect with the individual on a regular and real level where there is integrity in the relationship. Individual goal setting is crucial in this process. It may be an academic, social, cultural or sporting goal(s). Follow up guidance, structure and encouragement exponentially enhances the likelihood of success. Children need to have moments when they are made to feel special and their efforts are celebrated. ... read more >>

Greetings! According to a recent study of 1,178 children in the US, almost 9 percent of child gamers are pathologically or clinically "addicted" to playing video games.

However, 23 percent of youth say that they have felt "addicted to video games," with about one-third of males and a little more than one in 10 females reporting the sensation, according to the survey by Harris Interactive.

Forty-four percent of the youth 8 to 18 also reported their friends are addicted to video games, the survey said. The average child 8 to 12 plays 13 hours of video games per week, while teens age 13 to 18 year play 14 hours of video games per week, according to the survey. ... read more >>

Whist numbers and colours where initially great this little lady is growing very fast and learns lots of different things all the time. Her mind is a sponge and we are the water.

So I asked a friend who is an Early Childcare Educator as I was thinking maybe I should be doing something more – I read the articles from SPARC on our website also, but like I said felt that there could be more done. She gave me an interesting photocopied read from R Hargreaves (2000) called “Growing Up” , I have copied a few of the things that I think fathers might want to gauge where there child is at but remember every child is different.

- Scott

By 3 Months ... read more >>

ACTIVE FUN AT HOME

Why is being active so important for children?
Getting your children active helps them develop intellectually, emotionally, socially and spiritually – as well as physically.

Physical activity helps children to be happy, healthy and confident. It also builds the foundations for learning and communicating.

In addition, physical activity encourages a life-long interest in being physically active.

Why aren't children getting as many opportunities these days to be active?
We use the car and pushchairs much more than we used to, we don't play outside as much and spend more time in front of the TV or computer. This means our children aren't getting enough opportunity to develop something called fundamental movement skills.

What are fundamental movement skills?
There are three categories of movement skills: ... read more >>

Fathers parent differently from mothers and that difference matters greatly for children.
Fatherhood is just as essential to healthy child development as motherhood. In some measures, father-love is more important. The professional journal, Review of General Psychology, finds “evidence suggests that the influence of father love on offspring’s development is as great as and occasionally greater than the influence of mother love.” Fathering expert Dr. Kyle Pruett explains in Fatherneed: Why Father Care is as essential as Mother Care for Your Child, "fathers do not mother." Psychology Today explains, "fatherhood turns out to be a complex and unique phenomenon with huge consequences for the emotional and intellectual growth of children." Erik Erikson, a pioneer in the world of child psychology, explained that father love and mother love are qualitatively different kinds of love. Fathers "love more dangerously" because their love is more "expectant, more instrumental" than a mother’s love.4 A father, as a male biological parent, brings unique contributions to the job of parenting a child that no one else can replicate.

Following are some of the most compelling ways father involvement makes a positive difference in a child’s life. The first benefit is the difference itself. ... read more >>

Why is being active from an early age so important?
Being active is important for healthy brain development. It also discourages health problems like diabetes and obesity.

Being active is not only beneficial physically it also helps children to develop intellectually, emotionally and socially so they are healthy, happy and confident.

How does being active contribute to brain development?
Early experiences fine-tune brain structures – they directly affect how we are hardwired.

Does this development come naturally?
Yes and no. Technology (such as television and computers) plays a big part in our lives so we tend to move less and generally we’re less active than our parents and grandparents were. ... read more >>