Participation as a right: 3 important aspects What is children’s right to participation? According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child [1], all children, regardless of age or maturity, have the right to freely express their ideas and
Prematurity is the leading cause of peri and postpartum morbidity and mortality. About 9% of newborns are born prematurely, that is, born with less than 37 weeks of gestational age (GA). The number of gestational weeks determines the development and
All seasons are appropriate for children to spend time outside. However, spring, usually characterized by friendly weather (not too cold and not too hot), as well as interesting changes in the environment (growing and blooming plants), and the fact that
When we talk or write about children with disabilities, we should think carefully about the words we use, as we explained in a previous blog post (The power of words). These words should be grounded in a good understanding of
Imagine two situations where children are playing: Situation 1 | The five-year-olds play joyfully outside. Joe is autistic and Tom is disabled. They show great difficulties in the game, because Joe isolates himself and Tom cannot move his wheelchair through
This blog message was written by teacher trainers Helena Taelman & Marlies Algoet (Belgium, ODISEE) Meals can offer excellent opportunities for language stimulation, according to current research. How can we savor every bit of it in the family context and
This blog post was contributed by Cecília Aguiar (ISCTE-IUL). Every year, in some countries, a number of parents of children who were born in the last months of the year, need to make an important decision: to register in primary
Toddlers are experimenting with clay and water. Katie is building complicated waterways using plastic blocks. Her younger friend Anna looks at it in silence. ‘What are you doing, Katie?’ – the teacher asks. ‘The water is flowing fast!’ Placing her
This blog post was contributed by Manuela Pessanha (ESE-Instituto Politécnico do Porto) “Children are a people and they live in a foreign land”] (Beppe Wolgers, 1956) During the first years of life, children are fully dependent on adults that take
You have probably come across images of loose parts via social media groups and pages that boast wonderful pictures of intricate constructions and balanced mandalas, coined together with pretty loose parts. Loose parts are becoming popular elements in early childhood settings for a variety of reasons; one of them: to offer developmentally appropriate practice.
