News from the Early Childhood Council

Toddlers Turf is a member of the Early Childhood Council. The council has many interesting snippets of information some of which are featured here.
 

Child restraint laws are changing

On 1 November 2013 child restraint laws are changing to improve safety.
The mandatory use of child restraints will be extended by two years, with all children required to be correctly secured in an approved restraint (this includes booster seats) until their seventh birthday. 
To find out more about these changes and to find a certified Child Restraint Technician who can advise you on the best child restraint to suit your child and your vehicle visit www.nzta.govt.nz/childrestraints

Working mums have a positive effect on child’s grades

Research from a study from the United States and Denmark has found that children who had a mother that was employed during the first three years of their life had better academic results in high school. The exhaustive study tracked 135 000 Danish children through to age 15, observing their home life and academic results. The highest performers had mothers who worked part-time, however the general finding was that maternal employment had a positive outcome for children’s school grades.
 

Can afternoon naps help pre-schoolers learn better?

Taking an afternoon snooze may actually improve a child's ability to learn by improving memory, a small study suggests. In a typical day, pre-schoolers pack information gleaned from a day of ABCs, shape sorting and social interactions into the short-term storage areas of their brains, said Rebecca Spencer, lead study author and a neuroscientist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
"A nap allows information to move from temporary storage to more permanent storage, from the hippocampus to the cortical areas of the brain," she said.  Read more.
 

Support math readiness through music

Music is one of the first ways children experience math. Without thinking, our bodies react to music. When we hear music, we rock our babies, clap along, and even look toward the source of the sound. These responses are reactions to musical elements such as steady beat, rhythm, and melody, all of which reflect mathematical concepts. Even the youngest of children can respond to music and the mathematical principles behind it. Here are three musical elements that relate to math. Read more.