Celebrating the Week of the Young Child

The Cayman Islands Early Childhood Association has organised the series of activities for the Week of the Young Child as detailed in the flyer above. These wonderful events have been organised for young children and their familes by the Association and they are looking forward to seeing you and your child in attendance. For more information please go to their website.

The clingy child

This morning a parent asked us what she could do about her child who was very clingy, crying and making a fuss when she tried to leave him. This is a very big concern for parents and often one that they don't share with others because they feel like they have done something to cause this behaviour. We were able to make some suggestions and will follow up on how these are working for mum and son.

The key is that this behaviour is common. Most children have periods where they are anxious about their parents leaving them or even being out of sight for a short while. The times your child becomes clingy can link with a developmental stage; times of change and transition; and surprisingly, with a child's push for independence. There is much written about children's attachments, there are theories on how and why children form attachments. The quote below comes from an excellent article from Janet Lansbury. Enjoy the full article on Janet's website and while you are there, explore any other topics of interest. 

It’s good to feel needed, but when we become parents, we realize we never knew “needy”.  As Magda Gerber aptly noted, parenting brings with it a “feeling of un-freeness”, whether we’re in the presence of our children or not.

Toward the end of the first year of life (when children become more aware of the separation between themselves and their parents) and periodically throughout the early years, we primary caregivers often become the sole object of our child’s desire. Clingy periods tend to coincide with children taking developmental steps toward independence (like learning to walk).  Sometimes they occur when children face new situations or transitions (for example, mom’s expecting). As understandable as this is, it’s still intensely stifling, frustrating and guilt-inducing when our lovable ball-and-chain can’t let us out of her sight for even a second.

Thought for today

Movement

Children are made to wiggle, jiggle, run, jump, flip, flop, fidget, roll, spring, slide, pounce, hop, jump, skip, balance, sneak, and slither. This movement wires brains. Our big human brains evolved as our species spread out and explored the world. Expecting children to sit still is not only a losing battle, but a losing battle that impacts brain development. Encourage movement every chance you get.

Thanks to Exploration Early Learning, LLC for this post.

For the holidays

Alison Lever and Helen Maffini  travel frequently with their children and have put together a website with information on child friendly destinations; the activities you can take part in with children at those destinations; and useful hints for traveling with children. The information can be found on their website:

Happy reading, happy holidays and happy and safe traveling with your children.

A quote for Monday

The same advice seems to go for reading. Children surrounded by language become language users. Children surrounded by reading become readers. Talk and read to a child today.

Thanks to Explorations Early Learning for this lovely quote. Enjoy your children, the conversations you have today will provide lasting memories for you both.

Toys, toys and more toys

ECCE Unit are inviting our friends and collegues to contribute to sharing the toys and books that their children have enjoyed and may have grown out of. We are planning to distribute these to children and their families throughout the year to support families. When families have books, they are able to sit and enjoy them together. When familes have good quality toys, their children are able to enjoy playing with them, exploring what the toys can do and finding new and interesting ways to engage with them. Please support us to support our families by donating as outlined below.