young maia

At Young Academics, we encourage children to take initiative through simple actions like self-serving, promoting growth and development.

With the growing obesity rates in Australia, learning about healthy lifestyles and incorporating healthy eating in childcare is extremely important for children’s wellbeing and overall health. It is vital to implement these healthy eating practises at home from a young age. Doing so will equip children when they become more independent and make their own eating decisions.

Literacy includes talking, listening, visual literacies such as viewing and drawing, and critical thinking — not just reading and writing. In addition, the literacies of technology (e.g. computer games and activities, internet searching, faxes, emails), popular culture (e.g. movies, theatre, and arts), functional literacy (e.g. road maps, timetables), ecological literacy (especially for Indigenous groups) and literacies other than English are relevant to the lives of young children today.

Gardening allows children to learn responsibility, self-confidence, creativity, cooperation, reasoning and discovery. They gain an appreciation of their natural environment and an understanding of patterns and life cycles.

I know we have all been on the receiving end of “look after yourself” or “take care of yourself” after catching up with people and you have gone away just saying “thank you, you too”.  Once you turn around, you have not given that statement a second thought.  I know it is hard to ‘take care’ and ‘look after’ yourself with everything going on around you where you are constantly looking after and taking care of others. 

Like an iceberg, the bulk of behaviour for both children and adults is found below the surface: it is what gives rise to the part that is visible. Behaviour is triggered from feelings, which stem from the more deeply rooted needs of a person. 

For most children, entry into a Young Academics Early Learning Centre will be the first experience of being separated from their parents. Most children will experience some anxiety leaving their parents for the first time and it will be important that both parents and staff work together to build the special relationship necessary for successful transition and adjustment for all parties involved. Even if a child has been in care before, she/he will still need to time to adjust to the new staff and environment.

Toilet training, it is a part of growing up. A very important step into society – being able to use the toilet.  So how can we help assist in the toilet training journey of the children in our care?

Encouragement and praise are two very different ways to communicate with someone.  Encouragement is when you provide statements or points that are specific.  Phrases such as “you really worked hard” or “look at all the green you used in your painting” or “I bet you are proud that, you finished that whole puzzle by yourself”. Children who are ‘encouraged’ tend to develop a stronger self-motivation and pride in their work because the encouragement focuses on what they are doing well, not what the adult thinks about their work.