Helping parents help their children

A précis of an article of the same name accepted for publication in The American Academy of Pediatrics, Society of Developmental & Behavioural Paediatrics Newsletter

By

Dr Jane Williams
General Manager, GymbaROO
Adjunct Senior Lecturer,
School of Nursing, Midwifery & Nutrition,
James Cook University,
Townsville, Queensland
Australia

Intensive research in the past decade points to the important role that parents play in assisting their children to develop to their maximum potential and improve their long-term cognitive, social and emotional well-being.

Toddler Kindy GymbaROO (www.gymbaroo.com.au) in Australia and New Zealand, and KindyROO(www.kindyroo.com) in Asia and Europe, is a highly regarded organisation that provides quality parent education and child development classes for families whose children are aged 6 weeks to 5 years. For over 25 years, the comprehensive program has kept abreast of, and integrated, the latest neuro-physiological and neuro-developmental knowledge about early childhood development. All classes are taught by tertiary qualified professionals. Children have fun participating in the activities with their parents, and parents learn about their children’s development.

Educating parents

Helping parents understand the neuro-physiological basis for development is woven into every session in a way that does not overload parents, and positively enhances both the parent’s and child’s enjoyment. In this way, parents enjoy learning what and why certain activities are developmentally appropriate for their child.

Programs such as this are very effective at helping parents understand their children’s developmental needs and at encouraging parents to ask questions when they are concerned about their child’s development.

Links to health services

When parents do raise concerns about their child’s development children are referred to professional health services, including doctors and child health nurses.

Effectiveness of the GymbaROO program

Several research reviews have reported that the GymbaROO/KindyROO program provides parents with very helpful information about their child. In one study, more than 30% of parents felt that the knowledge they had gained about their child’s development was one of the most important things gained from attending the program. The majority of parents also reported that the program stimulated their child’s social and motor skills, and promoted confidence and self esteem.

Conclusion

The KindyROO program provides a positive way of educating parents, improves parent awareness, provides children with developmentally stimulating opportunities, increases early identification of children with developmental problems and reduces the number of children who are not identified until they fail at school. Educating parents and actively involving them in their child’s development is the best way to improve long-term social, academic and physical well-being in children.

Reference:

Williams, J (2007 in press) Helping parents help their children. American Academy of Pediatrics Society of Developmental & Behavioural Paediatrics Newsletter.