Djeco Collages Soft and Gentle

Djeco Collages Soft and Gentle for children aged 3+ Make a delightful collage with a younger child using felt pieces on a board. Create a story with the animals you create. http://gillsonlinegems.myshopify.com

Charities aim to get disabled children playing by Emma Tracey

Parents of disabled children say finding fun things for them to do is a full-time job. Could a new TripAdvisor-style site solve this? "We went as a family to a water park which has a klaxon which goes off to let you know the wave machine is about to start," says Alexa Wilson. It wouldn't cause problems for most families but her children, Ellie 13 and Toby ten, both have Fragile X syndrome - a form of autism which comes with learning disabilities. Ellie doesn't like unexpected loud noises and, when the klaxon sounded she got up and ran out and refused to return. "This is just one more place we now can't visit," says Wilson. "Had we known about the klaxon, we could have warned her." It's this sort of extra detail that SENDirect hopes to provide. It's a new review website aimed at families with children who have Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).

Stan Palmer is 12 and has Down's syndrome. His dad, Steve, says most activities don't advertise that they're inclusive, even if they are, which creates uncertainty. He says more effort needs to go into making it obvious so that parents can make the right choices. "If we just turned up at a mainstream rugby class with Stan, it just wouldn't work because he needs extra attention," he says. "Or if he was typically developing he might say 'I'm going to paint a picture now', but we have to help and guide him into play." Palmer currently finds out about inclusive leisure activities for his son in a "very ad hoc" manner via other parents of SEND children, or on social media.

Stan's dad Steve says it's difficult to find suitable activities for him According to the consortium of nine charities behind the new website, Palmer is not alone. Useful information about inclusive family activities and many other important services is scarce. In a recent survey by the consortium, three-quarters of families said they have difficulty finding information about what services are available to them. "We developed SENDirect in response to families telling us that finding vital local services for any child with additional needs is over-complicated, confusing and choice is severely limited," says Jolanta Lasota, chair of the consortium. Stan's dad says he needs extra attention when playing The new website allows visitors to search by postcode, price range and age suitability, for everything from health services, to specialist equipment, to childcare. Family activities come under the category "fun stuff".

For Wilson it is important that her children get to as many leisure activities as possible. "Life skills and social skills are more important for Ellie and Toby than straight-forward education," she says, "because building up friendships and social skills is what is going to help them survive when we're not around to look after them." Functional services have traditionally been prioritised for disabled people but Lasota says that being able to find and use leisure resources might reduce a need to use other expensive specialist services - such as mental illness facilities. "We know that isolation leads to mental health difficulties and therefore those people would need more access to mental health services," she says. "What we're trying to do is break down that isolation, so that families are included in their communities and don't feel so alone." Hundreds of parents were involved in the development of SENDirect. They helped decide what sort of information they would find useful when researching services. Users can rate each service based on their experience, which will then be visible for all to read. This is something Wilson welcomes so she can do her homework and avoid failure. "It's taken trial and error to find out which cinemas and theatres are right for Ellie." She says lots of "fun things" have an accessibility statement but usually this just means access for wheelchair-users. "They don't really think about people with learning disabilities," she says. Wilson says that if she heard about a cinema that has a more tolerant attitude to a little noise then she would go there. She observes that if parents are less anxious then in turn their children will be more relaxed too. "We have had bad experiences in theatres where staff were unhelpful to the point of rudeness," she says.

Sixteen-year-old Shane Goncalves has cerebral palsy, is blind and has a severe learning disability. His mum, Sam Bergin-Goncalves, wants nothing more than for her son to reach his full potential, be independent and live a life with rich and varied experiences - as any parent would want. She has an interesting thought on how sharing information like this can lead to even more positive collaborations. She says she's hoping that SENDirect will give her family the ability to link up with others to pool money from their personal budgets - funding given to them by social services - and widen the opportunities available. "It would be good to approach providers with ideas for activities that my son and his friends would like to do," she says. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-ouch-30923074

Four Healthy Habits for children's Screentime by Rebecca Dodds

If you can barely tear your child away from their tablet, here’s what you need to know about healthy screen time for kids Playing with a tablet, mobile phone or desktop computer can be beneficial for children’s learning and development (not to mention affording parents a break while the kids are occupied), but when is it too much? It can be hard for parents to tell. Here are some guidelines to help you and your children get the most out of screen time.

1. Work out how much screen time is right for your child “Screen time becomes worrying when it impinges on time that children would spend on other play activities that are important for development,” says Lucy Gill, director of apps and technology at Fundamentally Children. “Active, social and imaginative play are vital and it’s hard to get too much of these,” she explains. “Passive screen time, such as television, and more interactive, solitary screen time (playing with tablet games and apps) are fine and even potentially useful in small doses, but these should not encroach on active, social or imaginative play.” Lucy describes what Fundamentally Children calls a ‘balanced play diet’, which, like your child’s food diet, should contain a healthy balance of the different kinds of play. So, when should parents be concerned that their child’s play diet is out of balance? “If a child is spending plenty of time playing actively indoors or outdoors, interacting socially with parents, other adults and children, as well as in imaginative or creative play, then some screen time should not be a concern,” she says. “If children are becoming increasingly reluctant to do anything else and you’re struggling to interest them in playing outside or interacting socially, then decreasing their screen time would be a good step.” A more specific guideline for appropriate length of screen time could be based on your child’s age: “A rule of thumb is that children can, on average, concentrate for about five minutes per years of their life, so at three years old they can concentrate for about 15 minutes,” Lucy explains. “This concentration span is a good basis for the maximum length of a screen time session, as beyond it a child’s usage will become more passive and less developmentally useful.”

2. Make sure your child is getting the most out of their screen time Screen time does not have to be a passive, mindless activity. Children of all ages can benefit from developmental apps and games (sometimes without even realising they are learning!), so it’s important to choose the right content for your child. “We’ve seen children enjoy playing games that have learning or developmental benefits,” says Lucy. “Some are obviously educational yet still fun, and with others the children don’t even notice they are learning – they just see it as a great game. Clearly this is a win for everyone.” Lucy recommends doing some research and finding apps and games that are recommended for your child’s age group and which focus on developing skills that your child is interested in or which you are eager to encourage. 3. Enjoy screen time together “We strongly encourage parents to play apps alongside their children,” says Lucy. “We know parents are often grateful that screen time occupies their children while they get on with other things (as a mother myself, I know this!), but occasionally being with your child while they play allows the child to benefit even more from that time.” Some games suggest ways in which parents can encourage children to play which benefit them within the game or offline, and it’s good to take advantage of these opportunities to gain further benefits. “For example, if a child is playing a screen-based, dress-up or role playing game, encourage them to think more about the characters and roles they are taking on,” suggests Lucy. “At the end of screen time, help them to act out what they’ve seen on screen or engage in some other form of play inspired by whatever captured their interest. This is also a great way to transition away from the screen without a tantrum!”

4. Set consistent limits on screen time If your child is resistant when you say their screen time is over (and most are), it may take some time to establish your house rules regarding tablet or computer usage. “Children of all ages need to have their expectations clearly set,” Lucy advises. “Just as an adult would object if someone came in, with no warning, and swiped their mobile halfway through a text message or turned off the TV during their favourite show, so children will not respond well to screen time being ended unexpectedly.” Setting a time limit, making your child aware of it, warning them when they’re about to reach it and sticking to it consistently is what will help you succeed painlessly here. “There can, of course, be some leeway,” says Lucy, “such as allowing them to play to the end of the level or some other natural end point, but don’t let that turn into several more minutes of play.”

She also suggests using an alarm or the parental control limit feature available on some tablets (“Some children respond better to anyone but their parent heralding the end of play!”) and establishing clear consequences if they do not willingly end screen time. “You might be amazed at how quickly they will hand over the tablet if they know the alternative is that they don’t get to play again for a few days.” Lucy also stresses that it’s important to limit your own screen time around your kids: “Children really don’t respond well to hypocritical behaviour. Make time for your child when they finish their screen time – put away your own screens and agree on an activity to do afterwards in advance.” She also points out: “Making the transition more about what they do next than just putting the screen away will make it much easier.” Try to limit screen time close to your child’s bedtime, too – the blue light from tablet and mobile phone screens is known to interfere with sleep. Visit the Good App Guide on Fundamentally Children to find apps suitable for your child. And check out our collection of free phonics reading and spelling games here. Words: Rebecca Dodd

Give Play Back to Childrenby Jason Fernandez Walter

Recently, children have had their playtime obstructed and cut down by a big margin from what they had a couple of years ago. The freedom of play was missing from society for a long while and now, it seems as if it's something no one actually cares enough to bring back. After all, children were only made to focus on academics only and not on play, right? Wrong!

Longer school hours and piling heaps of homework on children has contributed greatly to this outcome and now, most schools and parents are calling for a sanction on playtime at schools, to which we have only one exclamation to make: you're being idiotic. Sure academics help children to learn, but what many have forgotten is the play is the basis of learning for all children under the age of 10. Without the basis, all you're doing is creating further problems for any future academic failings. There's a reason why Finland requires its children to be seven years of age before they begin school. And they have the highest educational standards and results in the world! What's more is that finish elementary schools give children up to 75 minutes of recess time every day whereas elementary schools in the United States can only muster an average of 27 minutes.

Overburdening children with hours and hours of studying times and homework is only going to result in a stressful environment. The days when stress and anxiety were problems faced by adults only are long gone - and children as young as 5 years old can succumb to these mental problems too. As for the argument that playing will only bring the learning capabilities of children down, recent studies have shown that higher playing times and better grades at school have a direct link.

And it's just not studies in which your children can excel if playing times are increased, but their overall development is brought under the light as well. The physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects of a child are developed massively which all help the child to hone multiple skills in later life and also ensures their brain development is undertaken in the best possible way. Play also helps the bond between a child and his/her parent or caregiver to be strengthened in more ways than one.

First of all, the communication barrier between the two is improved vastly and children learn to let their feelings and emotions known in a more positive way. And secondly, they also learn of each others limitations, wants, likes and dislikes, which helps the relationship to grow. Play helps children to accept other children; realize their shortcomings and work together to minimize them. Emotionally, they also develop friendships and likeness towards each other and get along and resolve conflicts whenever needed.

So you can see from today's assessment (although a relatively minor one) that play is just as important (if not more) than academics for children and there is no way it should be limited or cut down. Instead, we should work on ways to increase playtime as much as possible.

An avid researcher and keen blogger and writer, Jason Walter spends most of his time at playgrounds with his children and on outdoor playground equipment. He also finds ways of conjuring up ways parents can help their children. Jason believes that children shape a healthy society and are its future and draws inspiration for his work from is two sons. You can read more of his writings and you can follow him at Preschool playground equipment.

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