I grew up in Wānaka in the 1980s and have a background in psychology and marketing, followed by 20 years in the local tourism industry. Becoming a parent in 2015 opened a transformative new chapter, with my children becoming my greatest teachers and deepening my curiosity about parenting, child development, and behaviour.
Our family homeschooled for nine years before joining a wonderful local school community in late 2024. I’m passionate about building strong foundations and relationships for families, and about creating opportunities for parents to connect, share experiences, and support one another as we grow alongside our children.
This month's picks are about the early years: neuroscience and natural infant development, the importance of play, and great infant-parent relationships.
"Dance with me in the Heart" is written for parents and caregivers as a guide to the most important dance in every baby's life, the Partnership Dance. Each baby's future rests upon how well this dance is accomplished. Babies are born ready to dance the Partnership Dance, but they can't dance it with us when we have forgotten how the steps go. "Dance with me in the Heart" presents simple steps for care and respect, steps which get your relationship off to the best start. The information outlined will assist you to connect with your baby at the deepest of levels, the peaceful level of the heart.
Neuroscientists have isolated three pivotal factors for “a complex brain to create itself” during the first seven years of life. The first factor is emotional nurture, that warm, empathetic relationship that grows into trust in human beings. Along with emotional nurture goes conversation; the child and adult enjoy each other’s company, they enjoy talking together. The third factor is play and lots of it. The living and learning that happen through play offers each child their best chance for health, happiness, and success in education and living - both now and in the future. There is no hurry for ‘school’ learning. Study after study shows that leaving formal cognitively-based learning until after the brain has laid down the foundations required for abstract learning gives our children a ‘head’ start when it comes to higher learning.
Janet Lansbury's advice on respectful parenting is quoted and shared by millions of readers worldwide. Inspired by the pioneering parenting philosophy of her friend and mentor, Magda Gerber, Janet's influential voice encourages parents and child care professionals to perceive babies as unique, capable human beings with natural abilities to learn without being taught; to develop motor and cognitive skills; communicate; face age appropriate struggles; initiate and direct independent play for extended periods; and much more. Once we are able to view our children in this light, even the most common daily parenting experiences become stimulating opportunities to learn, discover, and to connect with our child.
