Brightbeans Toy Company

.and.sew 💕
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Sometimes I get so focused on the tasks at hand that I forget that it doesn’t have to be so serious. Does that happen to you, too? You’re so focused on moving through the things that have to get done that playfulness gets pushed to the side?

When we bring playfulness into transitions it can be an awesome way to connect with children and lead to collaboration. It turns off the alarm center in the brain, allowing them to feel safe and secure.

What have you found helpful during transitions?

How learning through play as a child can help you succeed as an adult The ability to adapt is essential today. If parents and educational systems leveraged learning through play, we could all be more prepared for the future.

These kids? They're listening.

They hear us when we complain. They know when we are talking about them.

They're not ignorant. They're not dumb.

They are so smart. They're processing everything we say. They are building their vocabulary, their character, and developing little personalities based on what they hear.

When I say, "He's my stubborn child..." He hears me.

When you say, "She is wild..." She hears you.

I'll never forget the day my oldest told me he was giving his food to his younger brother because "he's the good eater."

My mouth dropped. I probably said my younger was "the good eater" a dozen times.

You guys, they're listening to everything we say.

If you want your kids thinking they're "hard, stubborn or defiant..." keep telling your friends this out loud in front of them.

But in that same vein… If you want your kids knowing they are brave, adventurous, creative and kind, say it for them to hear.

Because they will.

(Art by Amanda Oleander Art)
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I AM...always a great reminder because they're small for such a short time ❤️

My little girl turns 3 today! She is a cerebral palsied little miracle. Non verbal, but definitely hears, understands, thinks and teases to no end

So true!!!!

Makes ya think.

So many families worry when their baby turns 1 and still is waking and needing their help at nighttime. But it's 100% normal. In some studies, 1 year olds wake MORE than 6 month olds. It's not surprising when you think about all they have going on.

Think about the times when your life is insanely hectic. Do you sleep like a rock or do you sleep like a baby? Most likely the latter because our brains can be very busy when we sleep working through all these things. It's no different for our 1 year olds.

from Evolutionary Parenting
https://www.facebook.com/EvolutionaryParenting/

EGOCENTRISM refers to the 2-7 year old child’s inability to see a situation from another person’s point of view. They assume that other people see, hear, and feel exactly the same as they do. It is especially typical for toddlers to think that everything is about them, all of the time. This doesn’t make them rude or selfish – it is just the way the brain develops.⠀
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For example, if a child is busy playing, and someone tries to say "hello" to them, but they don't respond, it may seem rude. However, this is typical and developmentally appropriate behaviour for a young child. They are immersed in what they're doing, and in their world, it's not a priority to respond, and they don't have the ability to see the situation from the other person’s point of view (i.e. that they’re waiting for a reply because it's the polite thing to do).⠀
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Another example is snatching. There’s a lot of grabbing and snatching in the egocentric phase. It might be tempting to say, “You took Tommy's toy, how do you think that makes him feel?” The toddler/preschooler has no idea how the other person feels. They know that they wanted the toy, they took the toy, and now they feel good. They aren’t being mean, they simply don’t have the capacity to understand another viewpoint.⠀
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Modelling the behaviour you want to see in your child is most effective. If you'd like your child to greet family members, model this, and when they're developmentally ready, they will genuinely do the same (rather than just saying words you’ve told them to say). ⠀⠀⠀
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You can also encourage talking about feelings, and help children put feelings into words.⠀
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Reprimanding a child for egocentric behaviour won’t be helpful, as they can't help it. It’s important to set boundaries, but this can be done with compassion and empathy.⠀
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Remember, we can't rush or force behaviour that the brain is not ready for.⠀

via Perth Children's Occupational Therapy
https://www.facebook.com/perthchildrensOT/

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See 30 more inspiring quotes here 🌿 https://littlepinelearners.com/30-quotes-about-children-and-nature-that-will-inspire-outdoor-play/

It's Hard for Them, Too We talk a lot about how hard it is to be a mom. But this week is "The Week of the Young Child," and I'd like to acknowledge how hard it is to be a child.

Helping Kids Process Their Emotions Free From Shame If you’ve ever caught yourself wanting to tell an emotional child to just stop, (so basically, if you are a human being) here are three things to keep in mind that will help you help kids process their emotions free from shame.

Our selection of travel games is sure to keep your little ones occupied and parents sane!

From Water Wow painting with water to the Play Draw Create for older kids, you are sure to find something to keep them busy.

These 👇🏾

https://www.weareteachers.com/positive-language-in-the-classroom/?fbclid=IwAR14yjXKEPR3KGqa1Qh54CXblp9HXPpCThGKQpicRoOOpGPw9o6v-jy6tYA

I Am Not An Angry Mom. I'm An Overwhelmed Mom. We aren’t angry parents. We are just parents with unmet needs, lagging skills, and lots of overwhelm - both sensorially and emotionally.

Activate your brain in 3...2...1...
Thinkfun's addictively fun games build critical thinking skills while sparking creativity & lighting up minds! Their mission is to build the future problem solvers, creators and critical thinkers.

✔ Perfect for ages 6-99
✔ Helps develop reasoning, critical thinking, problem solving

Find them at
https://www.brightbeans.co.za/brand/thinkfun/

via Clever Classroom

Month 19: We asked 4 professionals what they wished toddler parents would do more—their answers are here We asked some of our favorite early childhood, Montessori, and resilience experts to share some advice with us. Here are their top ten tips.

Having a special needs toddler, who is spot on developmentally with tantrums but can’t vocalise anything as she can’t talk, this article has put a new spin on things for me. Let me know what you think!

Toddlers, Meltdowns and Brain Development: Why Parents Need to Ditch Traditional Discipline - Raised Good Toddlers are misunderstood. Learn about how brain development impacts your child's behaviour and how you can help as a parent.

Just facts. 🙄

Today I came across this small organization that performs a VITAL role in society. Looking after abandoned or orphaned babies with special needs or that need end of life care. There are very very few places that do this heart breaking work. Having lost a child myself, I take my hat of to them for caring for these babies and toddlers while knowing they will most likely have to say goodbye to them. Please support them.
I will also help with any toy contributions. Please contact me directly and I will send an invoice with a substantial discount and no delivery fee, so that we can spoil these kiddos.

🧱🧱 Sponsor-a-Brick Fundraising Update 🧱🧱

Friends we desperately need your help!!

While have been blessed with many donations for our new and bigger Butterfly Home since we launched our Sponsor-a-Brick campaign in June, donations have now slowed to a tiny trickle. And, after paying for the last much-needed materials and labour, we are officially in the red… 😰😰

If you, or anyone you know (that includes businesses and corporates), can help us out by contributing to our building fund, here is how you can go about donating:

🧱 You can sponsor bricks online at our shop [https://butterflyhome.org.za/shop/sponsor-a-brick/], through our Back-a-Buddy campaign [https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/bhp-fundraiser], or pay directly into our account using the reference “bricks”. 🧱

Please forward our campaign on to as many people as possible. Share it with your friends and family! Maybe issue a challenge to them to see who can sponsor the most bricks. Every brick sponsored will get us one step closer to our new home… one brick at a time!

We can do this! Together we can build a beautiful hospice for our butterfly babies!

🦋🦋🦋

via Movement Matters

Brightbeans Toy Company updated their business hours.

What are you doing this Saturday?

Come to our Experience Market in Randburg, Jhb on 6 November for a fun filled, action packed day of activities, demos, events and experience stalls. Come meet our amazing sellers, see their unique products and watch them work their magic in person.

Come watch some demonstrations while you enjoy good food, fresh coffee, milkshakes, bakes & treats. We have an excellent line up of activities for kids of all ages with prizes and giveaways for young and old. Lucky draws, discounts, sales and Christmas specials!

R15 gets you access to all the demos, talks, stalls & experiences. Free entry for kids and pensioners – bring the whole family!

Get your tickets online for an automatic entry into the lucky draw.

https://fixitretailhub.co.za/experience-market/

♥️

Walking Rings - Yes or No?

"Does your baby use a walking ring?” is a question we often ask at the Bhabhisana Baby Project. If the answer is “yes”, we always advise parents to stop putting their babies in walking rings. We also ask the nurses, therapists and doctors we support to discourage families from using walking rings.
Here is why:

The best way to strengthen a baby’s muscles for walking is to spend time on the floor. Tummy time helps to strengthen the muscles needed for rolling, sitting, crawling and walking. It also helps babies develop strong bones and thinking skills as they explore their 3-dimensional world. Unfortunately in a walking ring babies often sit and only use the lower parts of their legs to move around. This results in weak hip muscles shortened Achilles' tendons and eventually toe walking. There is also the danger of falling over on an uneven surface/ step resulting in serious injury.
So save yourself some money and don’t buy a walking ring or let well-meaning friends give you one. If you already have one then rather take the wheels off and let your baby use it as a play table once they can pull up to standing on their own

We hope this information was helpful. Take care and keep safe.