Men’s Health Week: Confronting stigma in men’s mental health
The Barbie film was a clever satire about gender inequality, which became one of 2023’s most-talked-about movies. It depicts a fantasy matriarchal society where the Barbies hold all the power and prestigious jobs and the Kens are an afterthought. Barbie has a great day every day – but Ken only has a good day if […]
The ripple effect: How emotional learning shapes future leaders
“Are you OK, Mummy? You look sad,” observes 3-year-old Amelie as she climbs onto her mum’s lap. Her mum, Monique, does indeed look sad as the tears falling slowly down her cheeks attest. But Monique doesn’t want to worry her daughter so she quickly rearranges her features into a rather fake smile and, in an […]
Five visualisation exercises to boost children’s confidence and creativity
As Mohamed Ali famously said, “If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it – then I can achieve it.” Or maybe you prefer Oprah’s version: “Anything you can imagine, you can create.” Visualisation has been practised by many different people, including Lady Gaga, Richard Branson and Michael Jordan. It harnesses the […]
Cultivating thankfulness: Teaching children the attitude of gratitude
“That’s mine! I nicked it!” So declares Timothy Spall’s character, Darren ‘Dabba’ Barrington, in the 2003 dark comedy crime caper, Getting Square. Dabba is a former criminal turned Gold Coast restauranteur whose past has finally caught up with him – the police are digging up his garden and have found his stolen treasure hoard. In […]
The building blocks of a healthy young brain: Early brain development essentials
The human brain is astounding. It goes through periods of rapid growth, then prunes itself. It’s capable of rewiring itself after an injury. And it forms new neural pathways in response to the right stimuli. Your child’s brain development begins in the womb and continues at a rapid pace during early childhood. Here’s what you […]
Creating a culture of emotional learning in schools and communities
Some people are inconsiderate and oversensitive. They need to be right and, when things go wrong, they blame everyone else. Reality TV shows may love such people but, in real life, they’re hard to work with, hard to live with and exhausting to be around. Why? Because they lack emotional intelligence. What is emotional intelligence? […]
Unveiling the power and importance of kindness
Since the pandemic began, you may have noticed signs in shops and cafes saying, ‘The whole world is short-staffed. Please be kind to those who showed up.’ It’s a reminder not to be rude, disrespectful or even threatening to the people who are trying to make your coffee or help you buy groceries. We really […]
Self-love: Positive affirmations for kids
The 5 Love Languages was a New York Times bestseller, eventually leading to a sequel The 5 Love Languages of Children. Its author, Gary Chapman, explored the idea that we all give and receive love in 5 key ways: quality time, acts of service, physical touch, gifts and words of affirmation. Unfortunately, many of us […]
Meditation for growing minds
Children are quite amazing. These bundles of energy are constantly growing and changing. And they’re always asking questions – you run out of explanations at times! They’re also learning how to handle some of the more difficult aspects of life. How to get back on the bike when they’ve fallen off. How to share or […]
Little minds, big worries: Identifying childhood anxiety
Do you remember how wonderful it was when your baby began to talk? It melted your heart to hear them say Mamma’ or ‘Dadda.’ And you could finally ask ‘What’s wrong?’ when they were upset and get a helpful answer. It took the guesswork out of things. But only for a while. Now, you feel […]