Jj is for Jottings 162.  The Connection Between Literacy and Music. There is a strong connection between literacy and music. Here, music includes learning a musical instrument and/or singing.  It actually goes further: children who learn and practise music also have improved performance in executive function, arts and mathematics. (The core areas of executive function […]

Jj is for Jottings 94.  Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness and Phonics. Learning phonics with this book helps with phonemic awareness and phonological awareness skills, too. You may have heard the terms “phonological awareness”, “phonemic awareness” and “phonics” and wondered what they mean and whether they are different terms for the same thing.  Let’s sort this […]

Jj is for Jottings 131. Learning Vocabulary. Learning vocabulary – the words a person knows and uses – is a lifelong process. Talking to and reading with your child right from the start is a good recipe for a child to develop a rich vocabulary.  I have talked about vocabulary in previous articles, mainly in […]

Jj is for Jottings 115.  Digital Distraction. WHAT IS DIGITAL DISTRACTION? Digital distraction is that constant checking of phones and multi-tasking which we see going on around us all the time (or even engage in ourselves).  There is a theory that our ancient food-foraging survival instinct has evolved into info-foraging.  It is sort of a […]

Jj is for Jottings 161.  What is Phubbing? Question: “What is Phubbing?”  Answer: “Telephone snubbing.”  The word comes from ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’.  It is the act of ignoring people in favour of a telephone.  Look around you in almost any public place and you will see numerous acts of phubbing occurring.  It always fascinates me […]

Jj is for Jottings 91.  Parents’ Screen Time. This follows on from the effects of screen time on children.  Before we go into the topic of how to limit our children’s screen time, we need to look to parents’ screen time. No parents’ screen time here. This “parent” has his full attention on the “child”, […]

Jj is for Jottings 161.  What is Phubbing? Question: “What is Phubbing?”  Answer: “Telephone snubbing.”  The word comes from ‘phone’ and ‘snubbing’.  It is the act of ignoring people in favour of a telephone.  Look around you in almost any public place and you will see numerous acts of phubbing occurring.  Continue reading

Jj is for Jottings 92.  Managing Children’s Screen Time. The easiest way to manage children’s screen time is to avoid screens altogether as much as possible, by providing alternative activities. Rory, the foal, is looking over Amy’s shoulder, trying to read “Aa is for Alpacas” with Amy, Zack and Zara. This article on managing children’s […]

Jj is for Jottings 159.  Creativity in Children, Part 1. Walk into any preschool/kindergarten and you see that they provide many opportunities for creativity in children.  Why is that?  Because arts and crafts are one of the most important ways to help children develop and grow between ages 3-8.  Here is a chart of communication […]

Jj is for Jottings 95.  Oral Storytelling. Oral storytelling is wonderful for developing listening skills (no pictures – so there is no visual ‘cheating’) and language.  It also encourages memory and can stimulate imagination.  You can read about the importance of listening here and here.  You can tell the story, or you can encourage your […]

Jj is for Jottings 157.  Word Confusions: Affect/Effect; Lie/Lay. This article covers the topic of word confusions: affect/effect; lie/lay.  Posts on word confusions will pop up from time to time.  The two previous posts are: word confusions:ton/tonne;home/hone and word confusions:bought/brought;in a moment/momentarily. Continue reading

Jj is for Jottings 158.  Smartphones in Schools. A few days ago (July 2023) in Australia, smartphones in schools were banned.  Some states had already banned or restricted their use, but the ban is now nationwide.  The ban also includes smartwatches.  There are quite a few reasons to ban smartphones in schools given below, but […]

Jj is for Jottings 159.  Creativity in Children, Part 1. Walk into any preschool/kindergarten and you see that they provide many opportunities for creativity in children.  Why is that?  Because arts and crafts are one of the most important ways to help children develop and grow between ages 3-8.  Here is a chart of communication […]

Jj is for Jottings 160.  Creativity in Children, Part 2. Following on from Part 1, we will now go into more activities in greater detail in Creativity in Children, Part 2.  In order for creativity to flourish, it is important for us to slow down and create the time and headspace to allow room for […]