Month: September 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected practically every facet of daily living, but families with young children are particularly affected. Closures of preschools and child care centres have made it difficult for parents to meet all of their children’s developmental needs at home. This, along with economic insecurity and social isolation, is a combination of toxic stress, which can negatively impact brain development and health over time. Continue reading

Mandarin is the most widely spoken native language in the world, with 960 million people using it as their first language. Mandarin has remained the lingua franca of China and Taiwan for hundreds of years, despite the country’s diverse regions, language groups and dialects. Mandarin, in fact, is regarded as an exceptionally difficult language to learn. Learning to adjust and correctly mimic the tonal nature of spoken words may prove challenging for speakers of non-tonal languages. This learning challenge, however, does not apply to children. Read on… Continue reading

If you have a little child, you would surely realise by now how he or she always seems to yearn for involvement in everything everyone else does around the house. In fact, have you managed to accomplish any tasks in the kitchen without your little one asking to be carried, or even asking for stuff from the kitchen counter? It’s easy to conclude that your child is being plain troublesome, when in actual fact, they are just naturally inquisitive and have an innate desire to explore, touch, feel, and learn, all the time! Continue reading

It is a fact of life that communication is a vital part of everyday life. When a child converses with others, you can gauge how proficient he or she is in self-expression. As a parent, doesn’t it make your heart sing when your child is able to communicate well with you as well as with others? Continue reading

In learning a language, there has to be input and engagement to ensure that an individual is able to apply what they are learning in order to learn from their mistakes and improve themselves. The effort that has to be expended in learning a language is immense. Language generally consists of three main components: speaking, reading, and writing. Can children be effectively taught to do these? Read on… Continue reading