Presentations on Child Development
Aimed at teachers and parents with preschool children, I have developed a series of presentations that deal with relevant issues to empower them for the important role they play in a child's development.
I am available for doing these presentations at schools, relevant organisations and institutes, and special events. The topics (see below) can be presented individually or as part of a course/ workshop and can be adapted to specific situations.
If you are a parent and would like to organise a talk or workshop together with friends, I am available to meet at your home or any other convenient location.
Please use my contact form if you are interested in hosting a presentation or course specific to your needs, or want to be notified about upcoming events.
( * Presentations can be given in English or Afrikaans. )
For individual and specific needs related to your child, please contact me to make an appointment for counselling or assessment.
Presentation Topics
[ Topic 1 ] Ready for School? Your role as parent.
The first 7 years of your child's development is of vital importance in helping him or her to acquire skills that are a prerequisite for formal schooling. Areas of developmental skills, such as language, cognition, motor, social and emotional, will be presented.
The importance of developing these areas, milestones in your child's development, and your role as parent in cooperation with preschools are discussed.
[ Topic 2 ] The Importance of Play.
Fine and gross motor skills are equally as important as language skills in the development of the brain. Through movement, your child explores his or her environment and stimulates neural growth in important parts of the brain. Aside from your child's natural ability to exercise these skills, well-planned activities and play is very important to motor development.
This presentation discusses the various motor skills, their relation to the development of the brain and what types of play and activities your child will benefit from.
[ Topic 3 ] Attention and Attention Deficits.
Attention is a fundamental cognitive process that is vital to your child's development of learning skills.
Of all childhood cognitive disorders, attention deficit (ADD) is the most prevalent, but also one that is often misdiagnosed and wrongly treated (for instance, the use of prescription drugs in some cases is alarming).
This presentation discuss the myths and facts of attention and attention disorders, and the important role you can play in developing your child's attention skills.
[ Topic 4 ] Structure and Discipline.
The way that you and your child communicates depends to a large degree on establishing routines and defining roles. It is important to lay foundations for structure and discipline during your child's formative years to prevent problems that can have adverse effects throughout his or her school years and beyond. In this presentation I'll discuss a positive approach to this often misunderstood subject.