Smiley Kids Northmead

🎀International Day Of Charity🎀
No one has ever become poor by giving. It Is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving. Every good act is charity. 🫶

HAPPY SPRING DAY!
🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

“Spring adds new life and new joy to all that is.” - Jessica Harrelson

We are all looking forward to spring!
🌱🪴🪺🍄🌻🌺🐞🐝🦋🐛☀️

Here are some fun ideas of what to do on spring day:

• Plant a garden
• Embark on a nature hunt
• Make spring-themed crafts
• Blow some bubbles in the fresh spring air
• Play hide-and-seek
• Make a bird feeder
• Play outdoors

It is almost Spring 🌸, and with that in mind it is time to stock up on sunscreen 🧴.

Sunscreen and sun protection are very important for children and adolescents. Skin cancer is becoming more common in young people. Protecting your child’s skin from too much exposure to the sun can greatly reduce this risk. Sunburn during childhood has been linked to a higher risk of developing skin cancer. Sunburn is a sign of skin damage that you can see, but invisible damage occurs too, in all skin types.

There are two types of sun rays that are harmful to the skin: ☀️

• UVA rays cause skin aging and skin cancer, such as melanoma.
• UVB rays cause sunburns, cataracts, and also contribute to skin cancer.

Babies have delicate skin and are more sensitive to the effects of sun exposure and heat.

Here are some tips to help protect your baby:

• Dress your baby in long sleeves and pants, using light fabrics in warm weather. Do not forget a hat.
• Use car carriers and strollers with wide sun shades.
• Make sure to keep your baby well hydrated.
• Keep your baby’s body temperature cool during hot weather you’ll need to regularly feed him/her formula-/breast milk or any other liquids during the day.
• For babies over 6 months, use chemical-free sunscreens that rely on ingredients that are physical blockers such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide.

"They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for." ― Tom Bodett

What made you happy today? 😃

🌍📸 On 19th August photography lovers across the globe will be celebrating World Photo Day. The main aim of World Photo Day is to inspire positive change across the world, to connect people and to raise awareness through the use of photography.

Show us your favourite photo in the comments! 📸

💖 Always remember: Your unwavering resilience and passion are nothing short of remarkable. We wish you a day as extraordinary as you are.
Happy Women’s Day!
💐💐💐💐💐💐💐

🎂 It is Smiley's birthday 🎂
Let us all wish him a very happy birthday filled with love, laughter, joy and lots of birthday cake 🧁🍬🎈
Happy birthday Smiley!

Tips for supporting a child with anxiety:

• Encourage them to talk and get things off their chest.
• Try to listen to what they tell you, empathise with the way they feel and offer them any support they might need.
• If they tell you about any problems they are struggling with, help them to break them down into smaller, more manageable portions.
• Help them to identify and get rid of any thoughts that are unhelpful.

In the heat of the moment it is important that you yourself remain calm and try to be a calming influence as you help your child to bring their emotions under control. The rational brain can only deal with one thing at a time, so it can help to distract the child from the cause of anxiety.

Always contact your doctor should you notice that your child is not getting better.

It is time for the 2024 Olympic Games! We would like to send our best wishes to the South African Olympic Team! Smiley Kids Northmead supports you all the way! 🏅🇿🇦

We teach children how to count, to read and to tie their shoelaces to name just a few.

We teach them to develop the abilities they need to be happy, active, and well-adjusted adults.

Honesty is one of those behaviours. It forms the basis of trust in our relationships.

Learning how to be honest and communicate in a respectful, kind, and truthful manner is an important skill we need to teach our children.

Read fairy tales and fables to your child illustrating moral values like honesty through fantasy.

What we do, what we say, and how we act all influences a child.

Disciplining your child means teaching them responsible behaviour and self-control.

With appropriate and consistent discipline, your child will learn about consequences and taking responsibility for their own actions.

The ultimate aim is to encourage the child to learn to manage both their feelings and behaviour.

Happy ! 🇿🇦

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others.” ~ Nelson Mandela

When words fail to say it all, when your voice cannot reach to the people you love, emojis help you say it all…
Warm wishes on World Emoji Day!
❤️😘🤗😎😄🤪

Send us your favourite emoji in the comments!

As a parent, you want to ensure that your child is being compassionate and empathetic towards the people around them. However, according to research, children in pre-school and kindergarten are still developing the cognitive skills to understand empathy.

In order for children to grasp the concept of “empathy”, they must first be able to recognize their own emotions. Understanding what we are feeling and why will give children the tools they need to talk about deeper concepts of feeling and emotion as they grow.

Let your child know that their emotions are important to you. Encourage your child to talk about their feelings. Ask them how they feel and why. Show them that their feelings are understood.

Teaching your child about emotions is crucial for healthy development. And as parents, it is our responsibility to help our children navigate this complex world. By providing a safe and supportive environment for them to express themselves and teaching them these essential lessons, we are setting them up for a lifetime of emotional well-being.

💬 It is powerful and essential to give our children words to use to identify feelings. It helps children communicate more easily when something difficult is going on when they are able to identify their feelings.

We would like to highlight five emotions: mad, glad, sad, lonely and scared.

• Mad (angry): When a child is mad, if they can use their words, that is great! We as parents can help them know what is appropriate depending on their age. For a younger child, learning to use words instead of biting, scratching or hitting another person is crucial.

• Glad (happy): If a happy moment comes, no matter how small, help your child celebrate that feeling. You can then help them call upon that memory when it is needed.

• Sad: This is a hard one. Children all feel sad once in a while. If your child is sad for long periods of time, talks about hurting him/herself, or does a self-harming action, it is time to seek professional help.

• Lonely: This is another hard experience that children have. Peers, siblings and family are so important to them. If there is a fight with a best friend, they can feel terrible. You know your child best. If there comes a time when your child seems lonely it would be good to investigate further.

• Scared: When a child is scared, they need information and reassurance. With all of the upsetting things happening in the world, it is good to help your child process the things they are hearing about at school, from other people and from the news.

Understanding your child’s feelings is so important. As a parent, you are their first and best teacher. You can give them the foundation they need as they grow and learn about life. There are so many good resources for parents. The mental health of our children is one of our best resources for a positive world.

Here is something interesting we want to share with you regarding emotions:
😁😢😌🤩😠😮

Though your 3-year-old is beginning to understand the emotions they are feeling, they still have very little control over them. If they find something funny, they will laugh hysterically. If something makes them feel sad or angry, they will burst into tears.

At this age, your pre-schooler still has not developed much impulse control. If they feel something, they are likely to act on it. This may mean snatching a toy away from another child if they want to play with it, or getting upset when they want a snack after being told they have to wait until dinnertime. Delayed gratification means nothing to them - they want it, and want it now.

Three- and 4-year-old children may use hitting, biting, or pushing as a way to solve conflicts. They simply do not understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate interactions yet. It is your job to teach your child that there are right and wrong ways to express emotions and resolve problems with others.

Good luck Cricket South Africa 🏏

The dream continues, South Africa! ✨🇿🇦🚀
ICC T20 World Cup Final!
Smiley Kids Northmead supports you all the way! 🏟️

🟡🟢 FINAL |

As moms, we must make sure that dads get the appreciation they also deserve.🏅🤗
Teach your little one to always remember to thank dad for:

1. Supporting their school activities and projects.
2. Being a provider and a nurturer.
3. Teaching good manners.
4. Sharing and showing their life skills.
5. Having a great sense of humour.
6. Giving wise advice.
7. Spoiling them whenever they can.
8. Working hard every day.
9. Giving life encouragement.
10. Being an example of service and faith.

💖"𝒜 𝓂𝒶𝓃'𝓈 𝒹𝒶𝓊ℊ𝒽𝓉ℯ𝓇 𝒾𝓈 𝒽𝒾𝓈 𝒽ℯ𝒶𝓇𝓉. 𝒥𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒻ℯℯ𝓉, 𝓌𝒶𝓁𝓀𝒾𝓃ℊ ℴ𝓊𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽ℯ 𝓌ℴ𝓇𝓁𝒹."💖

Why are dads so important in their daughters’ lives?

ACTIVELY ENGAGED FATHERS HELP THEIR DAUGHTERS BECOME MORE:
• Intellectually developed – from IQ to better grades in school.
• Confident and assertive. (And more likely to feel better about themselves.)
• Likely to pursue higher education.
• Likely to have higher career achievement & have a higher-paying job.
• Likely to experience better emotional & mental health.
• Likely to have healthy romantic relationships up to, and including, marriage.

DAUGHTERS WITH ACTIVELY INVOLVED FATHERS ARE LESS LIKELY TO:

• Develop eating disorders and a poor self-image.
• Engage in “delinquent” behaviour as an adolescent.
• Be resilient and navigate obstacles & stressful situations.

You are a wonderful dad!

“The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow” - Nelson Mandela.

Another quote of Nelson Mandela reads “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

This uplifting quote is a great way to remind children of their potential to do great things.

For more information about the history of Youth Day, you can visit the following link: https://www.twinkl.co.za/event/youth-day-south-africa-2024

🩵 Happy Father’s Day! 🩵

May all the dads have a wonderful Father’s Day and always remember how special you are to us. Thank you for your unconditional love and support.

"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me."
- Jim Valvano

🦸🏽‍♂️ Superman Day is observed on 12 June every year since DC Entertainment announced it in 2013. The day is celebrated to honour the "Man of Steel".

Who is your little one’s SUPERMAN? Let us know in the comments 😃🦸🏽‍♂️

Dads! Self-care is real. Self-care is about promoting and increasing your overall mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. Self-care is also about putting activities in place in order to strengthen your base. If life is like a pyramid the stronger your base is the less likely it is you will fall.

It's okay to indulge now and again and enjoy life, but make sure to keep a healthy social life and connect with friends and family.

If you stick to mostly healthy diet, exercise and do your screening tests regularly, you can be at your best for a long time to come. For you, and those around you.

Go on! Take care of yourself.

"Being a mother means being completely and totally overwhelmed (in the best possible way) by love, joy, responsibility, and selflessness. Motherhood means sleepless nights, big belly laughs, caterpillars on the coffee table, finger-painting in the kitchen, stubbed toes, and gapped toothed grins. Motherhood has made life more colourful than I ever knew it could be. Being a mom means I have a little person who walk around with my heart and soul in the palms of their perfect tiny hands.”

—Lauren Casper