Hand in Hand co

21/05/2018

"Play is a powerful catalyst for development in the early years. By playing with others, children learn to negotiate, problem solve, take turns, share and experiment. You can help your child build these skills by making time for free play with other children."

Here are five to focus on building in your kiddo

12/03/2018

"Knitting lowers heart rate by an average 11 beats per minute and induces ‘an enhanced state of calm’ and even the same state of ‘flow’ experienced by athletes when they are ‘in the zone’ which causes a drop in stress hormones and blood pressure.

It also helps chronic pain by switching off alarm signals in the brain, because the focus is turned elsewhere. Repetitive movement also boosts calming serotonin which lifts mood and dulls pain."

Prescribing knitting could save the NHS millions of pounds, a new report suggests, because it lowers blood pressure, reduces depression and slows the onset of dementia.

05/03/2018

This article gives a good visual of the different pencil grasps.

Children need opportunities to develop hand strength and dexterity needed to hold pencils

10/02/2018

🤗🤗🤗 Good news for those that like a wine with their dinner!

"Scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) in New York found that drinking the equivalent to around 2.5 alcoholic drinks per day could reduce brain inflammation.

[...] in this study we have shown for the first time that low doses of alcohol are potentially beneficial to brain health, namely it improves the brain's ability to remove waste."

Researchers suggest that low levels of alcohol can help to improve the function of the glymphatic system, which is the brain's waste-clearing process.

27/01/2018

Yesssss I ♡ naps for grown ups!

"Naps are not only beneficial because they make us feel less sleepy and more alert, but because they improve our cognitive functioning, reaction times, short-term memory and even our mood."

The benefits of naps are similar to those experienced after consuming caffeine but without the side effects of caffeine dependence and possibly disrupted sleep at night time.

12/01/2018

Lovely idea for a weekend painting activity!

RAINBOW PRINTS || this colourful activity is always fun. We used a toilet paper role and acrylic paint to make the overlapping circle print and then coloured the circles with water colours. The result is always beautiful.

07/01/2018

04/01/2018

"Children who aren’t kept mentally and physically active during the long school holidays can lose some of the skills they learned during the school year".

It's important to keep your kids active and learning during the holidays, not just for your sanity, but also for their education.

29/12/2017

So awesome!

21/12/2017

What do you do with all the outpouring of artistic endeavour that your children are now bringing home from school at the end of the year?

17/12/2017

My 4yo had a blast practicing her cutting skills using the Cut & Paste Activity Pack on the weekend.

Every kid has different strengths & challenges. With Lil, I encourage her to slow down, take her time & stay on the lines. In all her enthusiasm & excitement she hurries & starts cutting super fast and haphazardly.

Check out the Activity Pack here:
https://www.handinhandco.com/products/cut-and-paste-activity-pack

13/12/2017

Interesting article. I can't really see private schools going in Australia. What are your thoughts?

"It beats me why private schools exist. Why they're even legal ..."