Category: Skills Development

1. Deaf Awareness

   Posted on 11:00pm Thursday 6th May 2021

   Deaf Awareness Week

   When I heard about Deaf Awareness week, I knew I wanted to know more, it isn't something I have any experience of personally, however I find it useful to understand a bit more about conditions that others are living with. You never know when you might meet someone and it might come in useful. 

   Deafness or hearing loss happens when one or more part of the ear are not working properly. There are different types of deafness and different levels of seveerity, having done a bit of reading, it really its quite a complex and varied condition. However, when I started researching, I knew exactly the person I wanted to hear from!

   A few years ago Mary got in touch when shopping for Christmas Gifts for her two children. It was lovely to be able to recommend certain toys and since then Mary has given me so many recommendations of toys which I now stock and have be enjoyd by many. 

   Mary has a son called Ewan Age 5 who is Deaf, and they really are very inspirational.

   

   Here Mary talks about her journey with Ewan and provides an insight into how they have adjusted to living with deafness. 

    

2. Developing Social Skills through Play

   Posted on 12:00pm Saturday 1st May 2021

   Developing Social Skills through Play

   
   Written by Sheila O’Reilly
   Www.instagram.com/rascals_and_rainbows
   
   Now that lockdown is easing and we are beginning to return to some sense of normality, our children will hopefully have more opportunities to play together, so I thought it was good timing for a blog exploring social play and how children develop their social skills through playing.

   

    

3. Developing Fine Motor skills

   Posted on 10:00am Wednesday 9th Dec 2020

   Developing Fine Motor skills

   
   Written by Sheila O’Reilly
   Www.instagram.com/rascals_and_rainbows
   
   There are lots of wonderful toys and activities for promoting and developing fine motor skills, but what do I mean by fine motor skills and why is it important to develop them?!

   

    

4. The Benefits of Playing Games

   Posted on 1:00pm Monday 30th Nov 2020

   The Benefits of Playing Games

   By Sheila O ‘Reilly @rascals_and_rainbows
   
   I introduced games to both my girls at age 3 and they really enjoy playing together. Board games, card games and games like Hape Ocean Rescue, are a great way to explore winning and losing with your child and an opportunity to teach them about playing fairly, following rules, taking turns and dealing with success and also disappointment.

   

5. The benefits of small world play

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 2nd Nov 2020

   The benefits of small world play
   
   By Sheila O’Reilly
   Www.instagram.com/rascals_and_rainbows
   
   Small world play is a favourite with my girls.  It is a wonderful way to let young children act out real life scenarios and also use their imaginations to create fantasy worlds.  There are many benefits to children's learning and development through small world play and it is an important component of play in early years settings.

        

6. The Benefits of Bookish Play and using Story Sacks

   Posted on 5:00pm Friday 16th Oct 2020

   The Benefits of Bookish Play and using Story Sacks

   
   Written by Sheila O’Reilly
   Www.instagram.com/rascals_and_rainbows
   
   Bookish play is a wonderful way of introducing books to your little one and will generally keep their attention for much longer than just reading the story.  Children love to play! Fun and interactive activities based on their story book can spark their imagination and really bring a story to life.