What Type of Learner is Your Child?

We know that all children learn differently, but did you know that there are four (possibly even more) distinct different learning styles? In today's guest post we discuss the four main types of learners to help you identify which category your child falls into. Once you figure that part out, then you can aim to specifically teach them or guide them with their learning in the way they learn best, thereby giving them the best possibly outcome. 

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My Epic Fail {Growth Mindset Guest Post}

Growth mindset. There's a lot of talk about it amongst schools and workplaces at the moment. We are being encouraged to train our minds to embrace challenges, look on the positive side, find solutions and problem solve. The simplest example that comes to mind is to add the word "yet" at the end of the statement "I can't do it". 

Today's guest blogger is Bec from Square Peg Tutoring (you know that expression - square peg round role?). Well Bec is all about helping those square pegs to learn in their own way and at their own pace through her tutoring business. She's sharing a really personal story from her past experiences in the classroom - her "epic fail". Something I'm sure we have all found ourselves doing at one stage or another. I applaud her for so bravely sharing and for allowing me to publish her story here and share it with my community of teacher types. 

Welcome Bec.

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When Should Your Child Start School? {Guest Post}

My daughter will be starting school next year! It's such an exciting time for our family and we are really looking forward to it. She'll be four when she starts, turning five in early March. There was no doubt in my mind that she would be ready. Not that I have pushed her to do any of the educational activities you've seen on the blog or Instagram - I really do try to take her lead and follow her interests of when she wants to do writing, drawing, reading, numbers, sensory or imaginary play. As well as being academically ready (in my opinion), her Preschool teachers agree and she is so used to the daily routine of a 7:30 - 4pm day that I think she'll cope with school life really well.

However in my chats with family and friends, it can be a difficult decision to make for March & April babies who will either be 4 turning 5 when they start (making them one of the youngest in their cohort), or 5 turning 6 when they start school. And in many cases you need to have a plan the year prior to decide if they will commence sessional kindergarten or not. A really good piece of advice I heard from a friend (she read it in a book) was to ask yourself; "Will they flourish? Or will they just cope?". Parents often do not regret their choice to wait another year before sending their child, but some who choose to send them 'early' do.

So to help you navigate this big decision and to give you some food for thought, today I welcome Aly from Grow to Know. She's a teacher of the Early Years like me and her website Grow to Know is all about preparing children for school. Aly has some really clear dot points for your to consider to decide if your child really is ready...

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Sensory Play for Every Sense {Guest Post}

I know it's not just me who thinks sensory play is the best thing ever! Lots of you do as well and so my guest blogger today has organised some fantastic baby and toddler sensory play ideas into each category. Meet Katie from Sensory Sensations.




My name is Katie and I run ‘Sensory Sensations’, a sensory and messy play business based in Kent which offers classes, parties and events to 0-5 year olds. I’m a former primary school teacher (having recently left after 10 years of teaching to ‘do mess’ full time) and I have two young daughters (Daisy, aged 4, Indie aged 2). I’ve been running ‘Sensory Sensations’ for 2.5 years and have loved every messy minute! I try and incorporate as many activities as I can that stimulate all the children’s senses, for both babies and toddlers.

If you google ‘sensory play’ there are thousands and thousands of activities you could try with your child and it’s a little overwhelming… so what I’ve done here is give an example of an activity for a baby and a toddler for your child’s senses - sight, taste, touch and smell to get you started!

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8 Ways to Keep Your Family Organised & Have More Time to Play! {Guest Post}

Hi everyone! How are you at organisation? I always thought I was pretty good at it - but with two kids, working part time and just the general chaos and busyness of life it's not always easy to keep your household running like clockwork. 

Today, guest blogger Erin (you may have read my interview recently) has some fantastic organisational tips to keep the household running like clockwork, ultimately leaving you with more time to actually play with your kids!

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...so if you are anything like me, you are always on the hunt for fresh ideas to keeping the home, routines, family as organised as possible. Today I am sharing eight ways to help keep your family organised so you have more time for play. These ideas are nothing new, we didn't create them (other than our version of #8), these are ideas that we have seen and/or adopted from various experiences and influences. Some we have changed to meet our needs and others we have simply followed in the original form. By using these systems, we have found there is more opportunity for family adventures and PLAY!

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Why does my child eat at child care but is fussy at home? {Guest Post}

So many parents struggle with fussy eaters! I know I was as a child!! A perplexing issue that seems to be quite common is that fussy eaters are happily gobbling up their meals choc full of meat and veggies at Child Care, but turning their nose up at it at home. So frustrating!! So I called in Nutritionist & Feeding Therapist Simone from Play with Food to give her insight as to why this is a thing, and what we can do about it. 

Click here for Simone's recipe for this Roasted Carrot, Apple & Fennel soup. Yum!

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us Simone, I know you are a busy lady!

*This post contains affiliate links :)

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The Educational Advantages of Crafting With Nature

Today we have a very special guest blogger joining us at Teacher Types, she's a fellow member of the Aussie Kid Blogger Network, is passionate about nature, and has just released an ebook of Nature Art & Craft Printables. Meet Penny from Mother Natured! She's going to talk about just some of the benefits of nature play and using materials from our world for art and craft activities!

Welcome Penny!

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How To Stop Sabotaging Your Child’s Sleep

Sleep!! It's the holy grail of parenting! We all talk about it. We ask each other "How are they sleeping?", "Are you getting enough sleep?". We all want that magical (sometimes mythical) 'slept-through-the-night' night. I'll start by saying that of course every child is different, and they can be complete mysteries, impossible to figure out and you may be constantly questioning your decisions. I'm so glad to have an expert on this topic to be here today! Meet Bianca from Hush a Bee, a certified sleep consultant to share her tips with us. 

Currently we have a 4 year old who is very energetic at bed time and takes a while to wind down, coupled with a hungry 14 month old who is in the bottle-to-go-back-to-sleep phase (and who also sometimes wants to start his day at 5am). So I am definitely taking note of Bianca's suggestions.

 Oh my Little Man when he was so tiny and he slept all the time, any time any where. 

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From High Energy to Calm {Guest Post}

Know that feeling either at home or in the classroom when your kids are bouncing off the walls? Don't we all? Kids have a lot of energy (obviously) and it's important that they have opportunities each day to expel that energy is a positive way. It's also important they have opportunities for calm and quiet time as well (especially if they no longer have a day sleep). On a typical day at school I always try to calm the class down after recess and lunch breaks by taking a few deep breaths, a high five breathing (which I found here at Childhood 101) or a few moments of mindfulness. The art of practicing mindfulness is a hot topic within schools at the moment and we are becoming more aware of the benefits. My guest blogger today Beth from Kids Mind Body Spirit has some great ideas that we can do to bring a little more calm into our kids' day.

Thanks for being here today Beth!

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How to Promote Language at Home {Guest Post}

We have another wonderful guest contributor today at Teacher Types. Molly from The Speech Teacher is going to share some practical tips of how to encourage your child's language development at home in your day to day activities and interactions.

You may remember this post when I interviewed my friend Kate who is also a Speech Pathologist and it's been one of my most popular! Seems like many parents can be concerned about their child's speech and language development and want to know what they can do. Obviously all children develop at their own pace, some are quicker to talk than others (classic example Miss M vs Little Man. She was saying way more words than him at his age). 

Molly comes to us all the way from New York (a city I've never been to but have always wanted to visit). Welcome Molly! xx

*Photographs by me - Lauren @Teacher Types

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Play Ideas From Your Kitchen Cupboard {Guest Post}

Sometimes I find the best play ideas are the simplest ones. The activities which don't require many materials. You don't even need to go to the craft shop. In fact you probably already have these items in your pantry, utensil drawer or kitchen cupboard. That's the theme of today's guest post by Amy from The Egg Box Parent. She has some fantastic ideas to share with you all today (and something for all ages!).

Thanks Amy! The floor is yours!

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My name is Amy I am mum to a very busy one year old. I have lots of qualification in early childhood and I am currently finishing my masters in Child Development. I have worked within early years my entire carer both in Australia and in the United Kingdom. My most recent role led me to work with some of the most disadvantaged children and families in Australia. Upon meeting these families it soon became apparent that these children needed to gain the same skills as any other child, without any toys, flash cards or printouts. Through this my Instagram page The Egg Box Parent was born. My philosophy leans heavily towards education. I believe that children do not need copious amounts of toys to help them achieve their developmental milestones and we already have all the resources we need to get them there. We all know that the favourite present at Christmas is the box the toy came in, I have embraced this and try to create as many learning opportunities as possible with what I can find in the cupboard at home.

- Musical pots and pans

- Tissue box scarves

- Fine motor with cotton balls

- Pasta in a tub!

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Back to School With Essential Oils {Guest Post}

One of my favourite (real life) blogger friends is here to guest post today! You may remember/recognise Sarah Poppy from Working Mums Collective (I interviewed her back in 2015). She recently handed the reigns of WMC over, but is embracing her new business with doTERRA Essential Oils and is going to share how they can help kids, parents and teachers during this busy back to school time. Trouble sleeping? Feeling anxious? Need to calm the kids down? Want them to focus on their homework better? As Sarah says "There's an oil for that!". 

Welcome Sarah. My blog is yours for the day! x

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Creepy Crawly Small World Play {Guest Post}

I love love LOVE when my friends come to write for my blog. It makes me all kinds of happy. Today's guest blogger is the delightful Casey from Little Lifelong Learners. She had I have so much in common. We're teacher mummas, passionate about all things early learning and we each have a girl and a boy (roughly the same age). She has a beautiful Instagram feed, fantastic printables on her website and TODAY she releases her "Sensory Play for your little learners" ebook to the world! Is there anything this teacher mumma can't do?

To celebrate the launch her her book, she's sharing an awesome creepy crawly small world play idea. I can't wait to try this one out myself!

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Minecraft as an Educational Tool {Guest Post}

Minecraft.
What actually is it?
I'll be honest, I have no idea.
But I'm teaching Year 2s next year and apparently Minecraft is super popular with this age group - so I've asked another teacher/mummy blogger Fi from Mumma Morrison to help me understand it with a guest post explaining some Minecraft activities she did with her class in 2015 before she had her little boy and commenced maternity leave.

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Reading Aloud is More Than Just a Bedtime Routine {Guest Post}

I'm so thrilled to have a special guest here today - author Amelia Trompf who is launching her book Who is Fitzy Fox? this month with a blog hop, and we are her last stop! You probably saw my review yesterday, and today Amelia's talking all about the importance of reading to our kids. 

{Sponsored}

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A couple of unexpected things have happened to me since I had my son. One is that I get ridiculously excited when I go past a yellow digger and absolutely beside myself when I see a really big crane, even when it’s just me in the car. The second is I am overjoyed when the toilet roll is finished because I have yet another cardboard cylinder to add to the ‘making box’. Actually the toilet roll excitement is relatively new and has started since I decided to challenge myself to get more ‘crafty’.

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{Guest Post} Small World Play 101 - Benefits & Implementation

Today I'm so pleased to welcome Krystal, a former teacher, now a mum of three and owner of Sweet Elephants (*affiliate link). She has some unique, beautiful and educational products for kids and babies on offer - and has compiled some brilliant small world play ideas to share today.

Welcome Krystal.

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I'm Being Featured Somewhere Very Special Today!

Hi there!
As regular readers may know, I write all over the interwebs these days, not just here at Teacher Types. You can always find them listed on my I've Been Featured page - but they don't always get their own blog post.

Until today.

*Insert "woo" here

Today I'm like a "woo girl" from How I Met Your Mother (all time favourite 30 minute TV show amiright?)

Because... this cute little rainbow rice tea party is being featured along with five other fantabulous toddler activities over at...

FAT MUM SLIM!

See I told you I'd be as excited as a "woo girl". Can you almost hear me through your screen?

I'm so grateful for the opportunity from the ever so inspirational Chantelle to have my words and photographs over on her blog. Highlight of the 2016 blogging year!

I've learnt this year that if you put good things out there...good things will come back. Back yourself. Hustle. Be positive. Be authentic. And be unique.

So what are you waiting for? Go there! Go there NOW and celebrate like a "woo girl" with me.

Lauren xx

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What Makes Good Teachers Great? {Guest Post}

I have a special guest blogger today. She is a retired Teacher & Principal with over 40 years experience! I was thrilled with Denyse reached out to me to collaborate I agreed without hesitation, as I knew she'd have a wealth of knowledge to share. Would you believe she blogs every single day!?! This article is such a valuable addition to the Teacher Types blog.

Denyse has compiled a list of 10 things that make 'good' teachers 'GREAT'! And she should know!

Linking up with the awesome Jess for IBOT.

P.S. I've been described as one of those teachers with 'infectious enthusiasm'. If you know me in the real world do you agree? If you don't know me in the real world can you imagine the kind of person I am??

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Good teachers are everywhere and, I hope, aspiring to be GREAT teachers.  From my 40+ years of experience as a K-6 Teacher, Deputy Principal and Principal these are some of the qualities of great teachers.

Great teachers are:

1. Those teachers who see each child as an individual with unique needs who has come to school with prior learning from home and the world around.

2. The ones who ensure that the learning program, via the required curriculum, is adaptable enough to help children learn in the style which suits best.

3. People who listen well, observe and make note of learning behaviours which may ascertain if a child needs further assistance in learning.

4. The professionals  who establish learning environments which encourage risk-taking and question-asking, adding possibilities for child-centred research in a safe and flexible setting.

5. Lifelong learners who will belong to professional networks, attend courses and be on the lookout for ways in which to improve their knowledge and skills.

6. Those people with infectious enthusiasm and passion for their profession who will informally mentor and encourage others.

7. Self-managing and monitoring of their health and will admit the need to take some rest time, family time and to care for themselves well so they will  bounce back with enthusiasm and energy.

8. Flexible and adaptable whilst ensuring that school and life rules are followed, there is flexibility to allow for spontaneous and on-the-spot learning.

9. Encouragers and nurturers of children who will grow and change within the year to ensure the readiness for the next stage of learning at school.

10. School and community team members and community knowing this  is the way to get the ‘best’ from everyone and to provide equitable learning so that ‘everyone gets a go’ to be ‘the best they can’.

About Denyse Whelan B.Ed. M.Ed.

Denyse is a now-retired K-6 Australian schooling educator who has been a K-6 teacher, deputy principal and school principal, university tutor, and ESL teacher.
She has more than 4 decades of experience as both an educator and parent in the Australian schooling system. She has worked in schools including the small 2 teacher schools in remote NSW, Central Schools K-12 in NSW, large Western Sydney K-6 Schools and her principal role  saw her manage a school with mainstream students, a special education support unit, 2 ‘opportunity classes’ (GAT) and an Autism Spectrum Satellite Classs
Denyse believes in life-long learning and that learning takes place formally and informally in our lives every day.


Denyse blogs about education each week here: www.denysewhelan.com.au
Follow her on twitter: @denysewhelan1  Facebook Page: denysewhelanblogs

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Tummy Time Tips {Guest Post}

Well it's a new month, hubby has gone back to work, I'm adjusting to being home alone with the two little ones, and just getting brave enough to do little short trips out with both of them. Little Man is one month old and loves tummy time!

In April last year, I had the pleasure of interviewing Cindy from Your Kids OT (you can read it here). It's so wonderful when other experts in the area of Early Childhood can contribute their knowledge to Teacher Types, and today Cindy is sharing her tips on how to go about 'tummy time' with new little babies. A great post for new parents, or a refresher for second, third or fourth time around parents!

Thank you and welcome Cindy!

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“Back to sleep, tummy to play” was coined as a response to encouraging parents to lay their babies to sleep on their back to help reduce the risk of SIDS- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or "cot death".

Tummy time encourages a baby with the development of head, neck and upper body muscles.  This development is so important as baby learns to roll over, sit up, crawl, stand and walk.  All these activities need baby to have the strength to support themselves against gravity and develop postural tone.  Tummy time helps them to understand how to weight-shift and over time use both arms at the same time (bilateral coordination).  Weight bearing on baby’s arms and hands is an important benefit of tummy time and crawling that can be sometimes overlooked.  Tummy time also helps to prevent the development of flat areas on the back of their head.

Here are some tips to get started with tummy time!

1. Keep it short

Start with 1 or 2 minutes. Allow sufficient time after a feed.  If baby falls asleep, gently turn them over onto their backs.   You can increase the time as baby gets used to this position and develops strength.  There are no rules on time, however aiming for 10-15 minutes across a day is a good start.

2. Try different positions – Have you tried...

• Chest to chest with a parent
• Lying across a parent's forearm
• Lying over a rolled up small towel or blanket
• Lying over a parent's leg
• Securely held on a gym ball or roller
• Lying on an inclined surface (such as a cot mattress raised slightly on one end)
• Lying across a parent's lap
• With parent lying down, baby held up on parent's calves (see photo)

Remember to help baby to turn their neck so they alternate the cheek down. You may also want to check out some more photos of tummy time positions here.

3. Make it fun and interactive

A baby should never be left alone during tummy time and you can use this opportunity to interact with your baby.  Trying the positions which place baby on you as a parent.  If they are lying on their own, get down with them onto the floor or ask a sibling to lie down with baby!

Sing, talk or just gaze into their eyes.  Provide toys or a non-breakable mirror for them as they get older and start to use their arms to push up.  Turn a book or read your magazine so they can fix their eyes and develop visual tracking skills whilst on their tummy.

4. Don’t give up!

It’s true that not all babies like tummy time but don’t give up!  Remember the previous 3 tips and take a break.  Try again.  As a therapist, I have to often re-introduce tummy time to older babies and even young children.  They may have already achieved some developmental milestones; however they struggle with other motor skills or postural tone (eg. they need to lean against furniture when sitting on the floor, they have to hold their head when writing at the table).

Tummy time should not be a chore.  It can be enjoyable and your baby will love the interaction they have with you.  Do you have a tummy time tip for new parents?

Cindy is a registered Occupational Therapist practising in Sydney Australia with over 15 years experience.  She has two young children who are a constant source of inspiration and learning. Cindy loves working creatively to help children to reach their potential, finding opportunities in everyday living and making learning fun. Cindy is the author of the Occupational Therapy blog Your Kids OT.

Connect with Cindy at Your Kids OT: 

www.yourkidsot.com

www.facebook.com/yourkidsot

http://www.pinterest.com/yourkidsot

9

Brilliant Baby Play Ideas {Guest Post}

I've had some fantastic guest bloggers this month, and last up for January is fellow Aussie Parenting Blogger Lu from Looking for Mama Me. I've really appreciated the help to keep my blog going in these first few months. Plus it's given me a great kick start to 2016 and reached a wider audience which has been fantastic!

I mentioned to Lu that I started my blog when Miss M was already 9 months old, and now that I have my little man I have all these new things to write about, including baby play ideas. So Lu's post today is the perfect fit. 

Thanks so much Lu!

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For those of you who don't know me, I'm Lu from Looking for Mama Me. I am a mummy to an amazing little toddler who challenges me every day with her curiosity and energy! I live in a little town in regional NSW after moving with my family across the country not long ago and am still navigating my new town and my learning all about my little family and myself. I blog about motherhood, activities for babies and toddlers, food and craft. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!

Its been a while since I've had a newborn, but when the beautiful Lauren from Teacher Types asked me to guest blog for her while she enjoyed her own little newborn, I started to reflect on all the games I used to play with my little girl and how I scoured my mind for ideas to keep her entertained.

Like most babies, my girl will only self-entertain for so long and seemed to need constant attention and entertainment. I'd put her on her play mat for a kick around and two seconds later she'd grizzle because she was bored or she'd flip onto her tummy and try to eat her play mat. By the time she hit around 4 to 5 months I found she was really engaged and wanted more stimulation.

Here are some of my favourite ways to entertain your baby!

Get those motor skills going

From birth until she started crawling (and even beyond) we did lots of movement practice with our girl; bicycle legs (cycling her legs up and down like she's riding a bike), kicking practice, standing practice, sitting practice.

Singing songs

I sing everything! I have a song just for nappy change time.

Old Macdonald is one of her favorites, she tries to sing along and now even wiggles like she's trying to dance. Three blind mice (a sanitised version - I'm not particularly keen on singing about mice tails being cut off with a carving knife) and Hush Little Baby both go down well too. Even as a toddler I still sing all the time, despite annoying my husband, my girl loves it!

Story Time

Books are fantastic for any age and you can never read too many. We spent a lot of time reading, and still do. Stories are great for before bed but I have loads of little board books as well which perfect for little baby hands, and attention spans! Obviously they can't read yet, but I love reading to my little girl and telling her about all the pictures. I started doing this when she was only days old, now at 15 months she loves books and has excellent comprehension.

Talk time

I like to talk to her about everything. Not only is it fantastic for oral and listening development but your voice is calming and nurturing. I read somewhere that babies that are talked to using full range of vocabulary (rather than baby talk) will develop language skills sooner and grow up to have a higher IQ. I like to think this is true, so I talk to my baby like I would to anyone else. Whether its explaining the game of cricket or telling her about different types of cats, I figure it can't hurt.

Get in some exercise

Even at 15 months, we get out and get some exercise every day. It has been crucial for our mental health and keeps us both happy. Every morning since she was a few weeks old, I put her in the baby carrier or pram and headed out for a walk. As a baby, if it didn't put her to sleep, at the very least it kept us both occupied for a while and I got some exercise.

Chillax time

Sometimes we sit out on my parents deck and watch the ducks and pelicans swim by, I point out boats and birds and so on. I'm embarrassed to say sometimes I just put the tv on and have her sit on my lap to watch the colours and movements. If she is particularly cranky, this might calm her down.

Baby Sensory Fun

There are so many simple household items that can create sensory experiences for little babies. Coloured rice in a plastic jar can be visually stimulating and they'll the rattling. Try giving your baby pieces of fabric in different textures - furry, rough, smooth - and let them explore.

Game play

Simple games with basic concepts are great for small babies. My little girl loved playing horsey, sitting on my tummy and bouncing up and down while I make click clacks. Peek-a-boo is always a winner Its also wonderfully cut as she giggles and squeals away!

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Playing with your baby is not only entertaining for your baby but can help them develop. From language to motor skills to social behaviour, to me the most valuable outcome is that bond with your baby. There's nothing else like it!

Lu
xo

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