Welcome to the KiwiOz spotlight! The spotlight profiles parents, families, nannies and industry specialists.
The aim of the spotlight is to inspire our community by sharing stories and recognising the people who work hard to make the lives of children fun, educational and secure.
In the spotlight today is Emma Dewey, owner of Babyem which offers a range of parent and childcare workshops from baby massage to OFSTED core skills training.
1.Tell us about you- are you a parent, nanny or industry professional?
I'm Emma Dewey, and the Director of Babyem Ltd. Babyem pride ourselves on delivering informative childcare training throughout the UK to Nannies, Au Pairs and Childminders. Courses include the Ofsted – Common Core Skills & Knowledge Training for Nannies, CACHE Introduction to Childcare Practice, Paediatric First Aid training and specialised advanced level training.
Our team consist of Child Psychologists, Health Visitors and Early Years professionals who all have a number of years experience in the childcare sector and are experienced trainers.
We also deliver parenting workshops and parent child activities.
2. Tell us about your job and why you love it
I love my job simply because my team at Babyem are passionate about childcare, which means that every day I learn something new and am continously inspired. We try to keep our training as interactive and fun as possible.... whilst ensuring key messages are being understood.
I meet hundreds of Nannies each year who are passionate about children and working in partnership with parents and are looking to be the best they can be....and they expire me in the process!
3. What do you like to do when you’re not caring for the children or working?
My job means that I am often on the go and most of the courses we deliver take place at the weekend. To relax I like to jog in the mornings and to spend quality time with my family. I've also been fortunate enough to do a lot of travelling over the years, and try and much as possible to go away at the weekend when I am not working.
4. Can you share a favorite recipe, craft idea or activity to make/ do with children?
Get messy!
Letting children get messy while they’re playing gives them endless ways to develop and learn. Taking part in messy activities helps children use their senses to explore the world around them. It also can help improve their physical and social skills, and encourages them to think creatively and problem solve. Not only that – it’s fun!
…Children are naturally curious and love finding out more.
Messy play gives them the freedom to try things out and experiment. And because they’re also playing, they’re developing their thinking skills in a stress-free and relaxed way.
When children are actively involved in play, it’s a lot easier for them to respond to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel. This kind of sensory development isn’t always possible in formal learning, and it’s one of the great benefits of messy play.
... it helps them think differently
Arts and crafts give babies and children the opportunity to stretch their imagination and use different materials in new and exciting ways to express their thoughts and feelings.
Creative play gets children approaching tasks differently, and gives them a chance to set their own challenges and solve problems. By using tools and objects to draw and paint with, they’re also improving the motor skills that are critical for learning to write.
Children quickly become absorbed in what they’re doing, so creative activities have added value in terms of building attention skills, which are so important to learning.
... and it’s so easy to get started!
The best way to help your child get the most out of messy play is to join in yourself, and support their learning by asking open-ended questions and listen to their answers.
Top tips for messy play...
· Sponges, fingers, hands and feet are as good as brushes for painting with.
· Try magic painting... draw on white paper with a white candle, then lightly paint all over the paper and watch the image magically appear.
· Kids enjoy cutting out and sticking down, and collage making is always popular as the possibilities are endless.
· Instead of crayons, pencils and paper – try twigs or lolly sticks to make marks on sand or other materials.
· Play-Doh is great for engaging children in creative play – try using it with and without cutters and moulds, or adding extra ‘ingredients’ like glitter, shredded paper.
You could also try getting messy with jelly:
This variation of jelly play is more suited to children over the age of two because the bugs may be too small for younger children, however it can be easily adapted to suit children of all ages.
You will need:
·Bowl
·Jelly
·Plastic spiders and other bugs
Activity:
Make the jelly according to the packet instructions, involving older children in this process. Talk the children through the process as they help and let them watch the jelly cubes melt into the warm water. The children can then put plastic spiders and other bugs into the jelly before placing it in the fridge to set.
Once set put the jelly onto the table or into a messy play tray for the children to play with and explore using a range of senses.
5. What would be the best advice you could share with our members about parenthood/ childcare or life in general?
Priase, priase, praise...
Praise needs to be given to encourage children. Encouragement is the process of focusing on your children’s assets and strengths in order to build their self-confidence and feelings of worth.
Through praise we let our children know that we appreciate their efforts not just their accomplishments and that our love and acceptance is not dependent on their behavior. Praising children encourages them to keep trying. It helps develop confidence and imparts a feeling of being loved, appreciated and cared for.
When you are praising a child’s behaviour, it is important to give them your full attention. Go down to the child’s level and make eye contact. Your body language, f\acial expression, excitement and sincerity in you voice, are just as, if not even more important than the positive words you choose. Children are very quick to realise when they are being praised for something, they themselves are not even proud of or if it is not an achievement.
There are “wrong” ways of giving praise to children. When it comes to praising our children, make sure that the praise given is genuine. Avoid criticism when giving praise, and do not give praise which is followed by a sting at the end of it!
Thanks Emma!
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