5 Top Tips to Challenge Negative Self-Talk in Children
Self-talk is comprised of the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and is sometimes called our ‘inner voice’. It influences our beliefs about who we are, how we fit in the world, and how we feel about ourselves. Persistent negative self-talk can lead to feelings of sadness and hopelessness, and when associated with feeling threatened in situations, people can also experience anxiety. With the onset of anxiety now estimated at 6 years of age, even very young children are feeling the social and emotional consequences of negative self-talk – social relationships and academic performance are known to suffer when negative self-talk is pervasive. happychild spoke with Dr Lauren McLellan, psychologist and clinical researcher at the Centre for Emotional Health, to get her recommendations on what parents and carers can do to challenge negative self-talk in children. Read full article
My Mum is a Cleaner...A Doctor...An Angel
Children observe their mums and after watching everything she does all day, Mum is called an angel and wished sweet dreams. The sweetest 2-minute video you will see today.
From the Blog
Meat Free Week – Corn Cakes with Tomato and Avocado Salsa
This week is the 2nd annual Meat Free Week and my lovely husband – a staunch carnivore – has volunteered to take the challenge and forgo flesh for a full seven days. While I’m doubtful that he’ll decide to become a full-time vegetarian after a week without meat, I do hope he will come to realize that you can eat well and still enjoy delicious, satisfying food when consuming a plant-based diet. Read full article
Talking to Infants Gives them a Headstart on School
Stanford researchers have shown that children whose parents engage them in frequent conversation get a head start on the language skills they'll use in school. Anne Fernald and colleagues at Stanford University conducted experiments that revealed parents who talk to their infant more are improving their child’s language processing skills, which in turn, helps them to learn vocabulary. Exposure to ‘child-directed speech’ – different to overheard speech – appears to sharpen an infant’s ability to process spoken language, critical to language development. Read full article
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Win a Gold Pass to Happiness and its Causes Conference in Sydney
***Closing date extended to 21 March, winner informed by 24 March*** WIN a Gold Pass to the 2014 Happiness and its Causes conference in Sydney 29-30 May 2014. Your gold pass gives you access to pre and post conference workshops, permitting a full 4 day experience at the world's leading happiness event! All happychild readers are eligible for a 20% discount using our unique code, listed below. Read full article
Pesticides and Childhood Brain Cancer - a Link
Parents who call in pest controllers to get rid of termites in the year before pregnancy are twice as likely to have a child with a brain tumour, according to a national study. The study on links between pesticides and childhood brain cancer, led by Telethon Institute for Child Health Research Professor Elizabeth Milne, revealed parental exposure in the home in the year before conception and during pregnancy were associated with a bigger risk of their child developing a brain tumour. Read full article