Learning made fun

Musical Minis Health And Safety Reassurance

At Musical Minis we take your wellbeing very seriously. Although the risk to Musical Minis attendees (both children and adults) is low, we recognise the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID -19) situation is potentially unsettling.

Musical Minis has a comprehensive and robust Health and Safety Policy that is always adhered to. Class props are always regularly cleaned. Instruments are disinfected after each class and whistles are sterilised after each use. In the past we have reviewed our safety policy with Public Health England who have tested the thoroughness of our processes and procedures and been very happy with the results.

Protecting Musical Minis attendees is our priority. We therefore ask you to follow this guidance which reflects additional proactive measures with the aim of giving all attendees reassurance:

• If you or your child feel unwell, please do not come to class that day.

• Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands. Where possible hand sanitiser will be available for you to use or please bring your own.

• If you or anyone else living in your house have travelled abroad to or from an infected location, in the past two weeks, please think carefully before you attend. Clearly if you have been in contact with someone known to be infected, or self-isolating, you should not come to classes.

• Please help us maintain standards and make the class leader aware of any instrument or prop that may need a clean during the session e.g. if your child has been sucking a drumstick. Needless to say, do not allow your child to share whistles with another child!

Rest assured that at Musical Minis we are following closely the guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Public Health England.

Here To Help With Advice On Children's Behaviour

As a psychologist, former play specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Mum to 3 grown up children and founder of Musical Minis, a nationwide pre-school music group based on child development, I am often asked for my views on various subjects. Recently I was asked to share  parenting advice to answer readers problems in Mother and Baby Magazine.

Here are the questions and my answers:

Every time I ask my two-year-old to do something, she says no, even when it’s a fun activity. What should I do?

The ‘no’ phase is all part of your child’s speech development although it is frustrating for parents. Toddlers like the word ‘no’ because it’s easy to say and often leads to a reaction from the adult in charge. Saying "no" is a healthy, normal and important way for your child to assert their new found independence. There are simple steps you can take to encourage your daughter to use the word ‘no’ less. Offer your daughter choices that do not allow for the answer ‘no’. For example, “Would you like to wear your blue jumper or red jumper today?” Giving your toddler choices helps her feel in control and that she has a say in decisions. Another example is to tell your daughter that today you are going to the shops but let her choose if you go now or later. Think about how many times you say ‘no’ to your daughter. Try to say things in a different way so that you avoid using the word ‘no’. As with all phases your daughter will grow out of saying ‘no’ but by offering choices and asking questions that don’t allow for a ‘no’ answer, you can encourage her to use it less!

My eight-month-old has suddenly got very attached to his comforter and wants to take it everywhere. Should I let him?

An attachment to his comforter is normal and healthy and you should allow him to take it everywhere. All babies develop at their own pace but at around six months they start to develop a sense of self and realise they are separate from their parent. This can create separation anxiety which is a stage of child development. To ease this anxiety many babies latch on to "comfort objects". Your son has developed a strong attachment to his comforter and needs it to feel safe. The comforter stands in for the closeness your son has with you and provides a link from the safety of being with you to the big world around him. Comforters help children to deal better with times of separation, stress or anxiety. As children get older they are able to feel more secure and need the comforter less, however, it is important for the child to have control over this. Comforters are very important to the children who use them and enable them to have a healthy emotional development.

How can I encourage my six-month-old son to sit up by himself?

It is important to realise that every baby develops differently and at their own pace, so don’t worry if other 6 month olds have reached this milestone before your son. However, there are ways you can help your son learn how to sit up himself. Babies need some specific motor skills before they can sit up unaided. They need to be able to hold their neck up, have some balance and develop trunk muscles. By encouraging your baby to spend time playing on his tummy, it will help strengthen his neck, stomach and back muscles. You can sit your son propped up with pillows on the floor or sit him between your legs. He will learn to use his feet and legs as support and will begin to sit upright with help. At first he will be wobbly as babies need to learn balance before being able to sit alone. Keep your son entertained with toys so he will enjoy being in a sitting position. Once your son has gained enough strength to sit up himself there will be no stopping him as he realises how exciting the world can be from this position.

If you have a question about your child that you would like answered please email [email protected].

Should Homework Be Eliminated In Primary School?

As a psychologist, former play specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Mum to 3 grown up children and founder of Musical Minis, I am often asked for my views on various subjects. Recently I was asked to share my views on whether homework should be eliminated in primary school for an article for Costco Connection. I debated that it shouldn't be. Here are my thoughts:

It is important to state from the outset that homework needs to be appropriate to the child’s age and stage of development both in content and time in order for it to be worthwhile.

Homework provides a highly powerful opportunity to form a partnership between home and school. When this link is established, children are proven to have a more positive outlook towards school which influences their happiness, ability to focus, and their academic attainment. Ultimately, homework can help children gain far more from their schooling, both in and out of the classroom. One reason for this is that when parents support their child’s homework, they are demonstrating that they value their child’s education and believe that school is important. By embedding this belief and motivation, children are given a life-long message which will enable their success.

Similarly, homework provides an opportunity for parents to gain an insight into what their child is learning at school. This again seeks to foster a home-school relationship, especially as many parents reveal that their children do not talk to them about what is happening at school. Lots of parents are also unfamiliar with the teaching styles and content that their children experience, either because they were educated in a different country, or simply due to the fact that a lot has changed since many parents were at school. Consequently, when parents sit with their children, they can get a picture of what their children are learning and how. This experience may also be useful in helping to identify certain difficulties the child may be having in grasping a topic. Parents could be in an important position to highlight these, which can then be discussed with the teacher in order that the child can be best supported. It is again important to note that when parents support their child with their homework, this does not mean that the parent does the homework, which can obviously impede on its value.

Homework is also important for maintaining and aiding the progress of the child. Considering their younger age, new information needs to be revisited and revised frequently in order for it to be retained. This is especially important during the holidays where even a week off can be a long time to go without practicing a skill such as reading and writing for a young child. It also provides the opportunity for things to be taught and explored in a different way that might not be possible at school due to practicalities. For example, children can be encouraged to go on a nature walk in science or do some cooking in maths. This can also be a key form of enjoyment for the child and considering children progress most when they see their learning as play, this can be highly beneficial.

Setting homework at a young age is also crucial for creating the foundations for life-long learning. For example, if children have regular homework in primary school it will build up the self-discipline they will need in order to succeed in secondary school, especially as formal exams approach. Similarly, this is a skill that children will continue to use throughout their lives in university or the world of work. Children need to develop this strong work ethic at school in order to understand the importance of meeting deadlines, learning independently and establishing a good routine. They need to be able to practice and formulate these skills whilst they are young and before they become critical to their formalised academic success and future working lives.

By providing children with an opportunity to do homework in primary school, you are setting them up to be lifelong, effective and efficient learners, which I believe can only be considered as highly valuable.

To read both sides of the debate please click through to Costco Connection on this link . What do you think?

 

 

How to teach your toddler to share

As a psychologist, former play specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and founder of Musical Minis, I am often asked for my views on various subjects. Recently I was asked to share my suggestions on how to teach children to share for an article for Mother and Baby Magazine . Various extracts from the article can be seen here.

As a Mum you already have an amazing array of skills to help navigate your child through the day-to-day challenges of being a toddler. One skill in particular is negotiation and it starts to come in handy as you find yourself refereeing feisty toddlers, tussling over trucks! You can help your toddler discover the joys of taking turns.

Sharing is a hot topic with mums. It’s absolutely natural for you to want your child to be able to share nicely, but it’s also natural that they simply don’t understand that they should. Sharing requires an understanding of other people’s feelings and babies and toddlers don’t have this just yet.

Psychologist and former play specialist at Great Ormond Street hospital Karen Sherr explains: “The first thing I advise is not to expect your child to share. Babies and toddlers have a strong sense of self. This doesn’t mean they are aware of themselves as individuals, rather that they are naturally self-centred and don’t realise they are separate from everyone and everything else. This means that they have no idea how their actions affect others.’

So start this journey from a place where you don’t expect your child to share. ‘Parents can be disappointed and embarrassed when their child doesn’t naturally share. But there is absolutely no reason why they should: they are simply not designed to,’ says Karen. ‘Not sharing is not a reflection of their personality, it doesn’t mean they are unkind or mean, but only that they don’t know what it is to share.’

“This is all part and parcel of their development and because sharing requires empathy it is something that is very difficult for them to understand. “This will only begin to happen tentatively between the age of two and three and won’t be fully understood until around five. You can encourage your child to learn to share and you can lead by example. The main thing is to show your child that sharing can be fun!”

“Right from the beginning we can subtly encourage the idea of sharing - or waiting for ‘our turn’ by copying and repeating sounds as baby begins to coo and talk,” says Karen. “If you repeat sounds back to your baby, they will enjoy waiting for you to speak. “Whilst this is encouraging speech, on another level you are laying the foundations for taking turns and beginning to show them that if your child does an action there might then be a small waiting period while the other person has their turn.”

Learn through baby groups. Playgroups, music classes and other gatherings are great places to help teach your toddler about sharing. “Exposing your little one to an array of toys and items that don’t belong to them is really helpful in showing your child how to share,” explains Karen.

“In a music class for example there will be instruments that are physically shared out so your child will see sharing in action. Two babies might be given one drum to bang - so they begin to understand that some things are more fun with two people. The children will also swap instruments and take turns with different ones then return them at the end. This all encourages play around sharing and helpfully gives you examples to refer back to at home. For example, you can say ‘Why don’t you swap toys now just like we do at music class?’.

A busy playgroup will almost certainly present you and your toddler with a sharing conundrum at some point. But, giving your child the opportunity to learn through play is good for them.

"You might unwittingly be giving your little one very mixed messages about sharing when it comes to food. Your child may find this very confusing. "For example, your child may offer you a bite of something they are eating and you pretend to take one. But then if your child offers food to another child, and they do take the food, your child could well be distraught when this happens. The child wasn’t expecting that and so won’t be sharing again!" says Karen.

“Later at the dinner table your child offers their mash potato to everyone and you get cross - but earlier you suggested they share their lunch, so your child thinks this makes you happy and doesn’t understand why dinner shouldn’t be shared too."

When you look at it in these terms, it’s easy to understand why your child might be confused. But there’s an easy answer: introduce a ‘sharing snack’ and call it that. "It helps if your child has this snack at roughly the same time every day," says Karen. "For example, if you always take a snack to give  after nursery, then this can be a 'sharing snack'. And if your child does share food with you, take that bite! Otherwise, the child might be shocked when someone else does."

Babies and toddlers love to smile and clap and this can always be used to help encourage the type of behaviour you'd like to see. “If you see your child taking turns nicely then be sure to tell them, clap and say ‘well done, lovely sharing’. Make a fuss, as your child will enjoy this and be encouraged to repeat the behaviour. “Also, try to use positive action talk such as ‘do this’ instead of ‘don’t do this’ and avoid saying ‘no’ too much, instead say ‘let’s try this.’” Says Karen.

If your toddler has friends coming over, get them used to the idea of sharing beforehand, perhaps even looking forward to the idea. “Before friends arrive or vice versa, chat to your child about how much fun it will be to have someone to play with,” recommends Karen. “Ask them which toys they would like to show to their friend and talk about how much their friend will enjoy playing with that toy too."

“Take time to sit together and make a pile of toys that your child is happy to share and ask them if there is anything that is very special and they would rather not share, then put this away until later, explaining that the friend might feel sad if they see it and cannot use it."

“If your baby is too young, just make sure you have lots of toys out so that sharing issues are easily solved by distracting with a different toy."

"If you are going to visit a friend, then take a couple of your child’s toys with you," recommends Karen. "And when you have friends visiting you, ask them to bring a few toys too. Explain to your child that the friend is bringing items to share as well, and this will help them feel that it is not just them who is expected to share. Doing this also makes sharing the actual activity, rather than the consequence of having somebody over to play. And this brings the opportunity to discuss what the friend might be bringing and how it is fun to be able to play with each other’s belongings."

“Share activities throughout the day, helping your child to understand that it is nice when you take turns to do something with someone else,” says Karen. “For example, if you are using a teatowel, let your child have a go. If you are hoovering, give them a turn. “There are plenty of tasks you can share. Use play too, by taking it in turns to sing a song, or do a hop as you walk along, or to talk on the telephone.”

“It’s perfectly OK for your child to have a toy that they don’t have to share,” says Karen. “You have special items that mean something to you that you wouldn’t like to pass around so why should your child have to do that? If your child has a favourite doll or soft toy it is quite understandable for them to become upset when another child takes it away. Don’t feel bad for saying ‘that’s a very special toy that is just for my child’. If you know this is an issue, have some similar soft toys at hand to swap it with.”

To read the full article, visit the Musical Minis website.

Are Apps Harmful For Young Children?

As you may know, Musical Minis recently launched a Nursery Rhymes Puzzle App as part of our 25 Year Celebrations and to demonstrate that despite the age of Musical Minis, we are keeping up to date with the advances in society.

We have started rolling out a change in our membership packs which now gives every new member the App for free, as a gift, to replace a Book Bag. This was not an easy decision to make as we know that not everyone agrees with giving apps to small children and there is some evidence to suggest that over reliance on technology may be harmful. We had our own fears about this and consequently put considerable research into the pros and cons of the app argument. We wanted to share our findings with you to provide an explanation and justification as to why we decided to create our app.

An Interview With…Karen Sherr – Musical Minis by More than Mummies

I was delighted to be interviewed by More than Mummies for the series they have on mums running a variety of businesses, they hope these interviews will inspire you as well as answer some questions you may have about what it’s like to be a mum in business.

http://www.morethanmummies.com/2014/03/an-interview-with-karen-sherr-musical-minis

The NSPCC Underwear Rule

The NSPCC has devised a campaign, Talk PANTS to help parents and carers talk to their children about keeping safe from sexual abuse. Musical Minis is delighted to support this campaign which aims to give parents and carers of children  the confidence to talk to their children in an age appropriate way about keeping safe using the Underwear Rule.

They believe that everyone has a role to play to help prevent the sexual abuse of children.

The Underwear Rule is a simple way to help parents keep their children safe from abuse by teaching them that:

• their body belongs to them

• they have a right to say no, and

• they should always tell an adult if they’re upset or worried.

The NSPCC know that talking to your child about their private parts and staying safe can seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be scary.

Working closely with parents, they’ve created a free, easy-to-remember guide Talk PANTS to help them explain and children understand the key points of the Underwear Rule.

Simple conversations can help protect children from abuse.

The NSPCC have devised ‘talk PANTS’ as a handy way to remember the ‘Underwear Rule’:

• Privates are private

• Always remember your body belongs to you

• No means no

• Talk about secrets that upset you

• Speak up, someone can help

Talk PANTS and you’ve got it covered. Learn the Underwear Rule at nspcc.org.uk/underwear where there is more details about the campaign and guidance to help parents and carers.

 

How Do You Warn Young Children About Stranger Danger?

Like the rest of the nation I'm upset about the abduction of April Jones and hoping she is safely reunited with her family soon. I remember as a young child being told never to talk to strangers, take sweets from strangers, get into strangers' cars etc. I instilled the same fear of strangers into my 3 children.

The difficulty I have is how to inform children that some strangers are 'bad people' whilst at the same time protecting the child's innocence. It's horrific to go into details about what some strangers may do to some children. As parents, Rob and I can't remember telling our children any reason why not to talk to strangers, apart from telling them some strangers may want to take them away from us to live with them. I know some parents mention sex crimes, murders etc. but I chose not to do so, on purpose.

Childhood, I believe, should be an age of innocence, so how do you explain about stranger danger to young children? With my own children they grew up knowing some strangers weren't nice but the majority were. If they were with Rob or I they could reply to questions from strangers. If they were by themselves then they weren't to speak to strangers just in case they were 'bad' strangers. When my children were young the James Bulger case with the child murdered by other children was in the news. The main way I protected my children was the fact that they were always with a responsible adult. If my children were playing outside an adult was with them watching them.

How have you dealt with the stranger issue and warned your children? It would be great if we could share tips to keep our children safe.

 Photo by Flickr xoxoryan

Wasps - How To Avoid Being Stung And What To Do If You Are.

As a Mum I know that I'm not alone in worrying about the threat of wasp stings in the Summer. In this post I will share some tips on how to avoid wasp stings and what to do if you are stung.

As well as being unpleasant, in some people stings can cause severe reactions and over 300,000 people in the UK suffer allergic reactions to them. Would you know how to treat anaphylactic shock if a child or an adult with you experienced it?

The following may help parents to minimise wasp threats:
• Encourage your child to stay calm in the presence of wasps. The best advice is to move away slowly; waving arms or swatting wasps will increase their tendency to sting
• Wasps are attracted to bright colours. If you’re planning to spend time outdoors pastel shades will help prevent your child being targeted
• Don’t walk barefoot outside and look out for wasps before sitting down
• Wasps will make a beeline for sweet drinks and foods. Encourage children to use lids and wrap food as soon as you’ve finished eating
• Ensure children wipe their faces and hands after eating sweet things like lollies and ice-creams to minimize further temptation for wasps

If you are stung, unless you have a known allergic response to a sting, simple first aid is all that is required
•Wash and clean the sting as soon as possible, handy wipes are excellent for this
•Apply ice to the sting to cool it down and take the redness out of it
•Taking a pain killer can help with the discomfort
•If you have allergic reactions then use an antihistamine and seek medical advice immediately
•Some people say to use vinegar on wasp stings but this is not proven scientifically.

Anaphylactic reactions can range in intensity, from minor to severe. Due to this, it is advisable for parents who think their child may be suffering an anaphylactic shock to call 999 immediately and seek professional medical help. The Anaphylaxis Campaign advises the following steps:
• Call 999 immediately to seek medical help
• Keep the patient calm
• Lay the patient down, with their feet raised to increase the blood flow to the heart
• If there is a sign the patient will be sick, turn them onto their side into the recovery position until the ambulance arrives

Dr Shuaib Nasser, Consultant in Allergy, Addenbrookes NHS Trust Hospital, Cambridge and member of The Anaphylaxis Campaign Clinical and Scientific Advisory Panel comments, “While just 0.5% of the population suffers an acute allergic reaction to wasp stings, we always advise simple precautions to minimize any risks. If you or your children suffer a severe allergic reaction after a bee or wasp sting it is important to seek medical help immediately and then ask your GP to refer you to an Allergy Specialist.”

UKWaspWatch map tracks sightings of wasps to create a picture of wasp hotspots across the country. 20p will be donated to the Anaphylaxis charity every time a person logs a wasp or wasps’ nest sighting onto UKWaspWatch throughout the summer.

I would be interested to know of any tips you have for avoiding wasps or for treating wasp stings.

Photo by Flickr Sean Tiernan

Bumps and fusses

I  HAVEN'T actually been asked my views on this topic but I've decided to share them with you anyway!

On Friday I was 'lucky' enough to sit opposite a family on a one and a half hour train journey. Their was a Mum, Dad and a toddler of about 18 months. The little boy was actually quite good despite his parents best efforts to liven up the train journey for everyone in the carriage.

After he had had his lunch of chips and crisps he was given toys to build towers in the aisle of the train. Obviously, although it appeared to shock his parents, the beakers were rolling down the carriage and the toddler had to crawl around everyones legs to rescue them. Also unsurprisingly, although his parents were surprised, he fell over whilst jumping around the carriage and bumped his head. The little boy began to scream and his Mum cuddled him. So far so good, but as the toddler settled she kept reminding him of his bumped head. As soon as he calmed down he was asked if his head still hurt, what a big bang he had etc. Inevitably as soon as he was reminded the toddler screamed again! This carried on for quite a while.

As a Mum and a psychologist, I wanted to share my advice with you. If a child is hurt of course comfort them and assess the degree of the injury. If the child is just a bit shaken up then try and distract them with a toy or game. If the child does calm down then don't remind them of their accident. Watch the child to see if a bump comes up or if there is obviously something which shouldn't be ignored. However, if possible, just rub the sore knee, for example, better or give it a kiss and carry on.

I was tempted to offer advice to the Mum on the train but felt it was wrong to. However, if anyone has a question relating to children or working Mums then please feel free to ask me.

Photo by Flickr Thomas Rockstar