Toddler
Feeding your toddler
Food gives us the energy needed to carry out daily tasks, and, for toddlers, the energy needed to grow. This growing process requires a lot of fuel, so you may be surprised how much food your child consumes. The best measure of how much food a child needs is their appetite. They may appear very hungry one day and less so the next; their appetite is variable at this stage. Provided you offer a well-balanced, healthy diet, and pay attention to your child's response of 'hungry' and 'full' you can be pretty sure they are eating enough.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty where people have problems acquiring literacy skills. It is possible that if your child has difficulty in speaking, listening, reading, writing or spelling, that they may be dyslexic. Dyslexic children will benefit from a different approach to learning and, generally, the sooner it is recognized, the sooner your family and your child's teachers can start to give support.
Talking through fears & worries
By the time your child is 3 years she will have developed a lively imagination as well as the ability to distinguish between the past, the present and the future. This new capacity to consider 'what-if' situations will provide her with a great deal of pleasure, but can also bring extra worries. 'What if there's a witch under the bed?'; 'When is mummy going to die?'; 'Will Suzie bite me at playgroup?' are the kinds of questions you can expect to hear regularly from your three, four or five-year-old.
Helping Your Child With Letters & Numbers
It makes sense to get your child used to numbers and letters from an early age. That way, once she starts school she'll feel confident about reading and counting in front of the class. You will find that during everyday activities you naturally talk, sing, count and introduce letters and numbers to your toddler.