Biolink Attention Training Port Elizabeth

First things first: why are gross motor skills vital for successful learning? These skills allow children to sit up straight in chairs and work at a table. It also enables children to concentrate for longer periods of time, as is expected in the school environment. Children need more movement than adults to develop their big muscle but instead, spend most of their time in a sitting position during the day. Children also need to develop skills such as balance, using the two halves of the body together in activities, crossing the mid-line and coordination skills. Here are 8 fun ways to develop the important gross motor skills without breaking the bank: 1. Pretend play  Fire up your child's imagination and movement through pretend games - waddle like a duck, fly like an airplane or hop like a rabbit. You can also let your child pretend to be something and you can guess what he or she is. 2. Jump around with hopscotch Hopping and jumping can be challenging for kids with g...

"Executive function" is the latest buzzword in education circles. Teachers, tutors and psychologists alike are emphasizing the importance of strengthening a child's executive function. This begs the question: what does it entail and how does it work? What are executive functioning skills? Executive functioning skills are the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully. Just as an air traffic control system at a busy airport safely manages the arrivals and departures of aircraft on multiple runways, the brain needs these skill sets to: 1. Pay attention Avoid distractions and control impulsive responses.filter  Focus our attention. Set and achieve goals 2. Solve problems Persist at seeking solutions after an initial attempt has failed. Retain information in our brains. Remember and follow instructions that involve multiple steps in a specified sequence. 3. Be flexible Adju...

These 10 simple tricks will not only boost your child's cognitive development but also serve as great bonding experiences. 1.  Sing-a-longs Sing songs with your child and encourage them to sing along with you. Play their favorite songs and music in the house and car regularly and they may eventually start singing along by themselves. This activity helps promote memory and word identification. 2. Identify noises Have your child identify noises that they hear throughout the day (i.e. a bird singing, a car horn, running water or the dishwasher). They will begin to understand how sounds relate to objects in their everyday environment. 3. Practice the alphabet Help your child identify letters by singing along to the “Alphabet Song,” reading books about the alphabet, and playing with alphabet puzzles. Here is an example of an easy game to help your child learn their letters: a) Cut out individual squares that feature each letter of the alphabet written in bright...