Fidgets, Fiddles, Focus and Fun!

Fiddle toys... are they a useful aid to focus and concentration for children? Can they help relieve stress? Are they a distraction for them and others? There has been much discussion about this, some very good and informed input provided (including from my good friend Miriam Gwynne, well worth reading her thoughts on this on her … Continue reading Fidgets, Fiddles, Focus and Fun!

Minecraft, Lego & Additional Needs Children’s Work!

That moment… that moment as a children’s or youth worker when you realise during the ‘talk time’ that you’ve just lost some of your group. They were able to focus for the first three or four minutes, but now, five minutes in, you see them starting to get distracted, starting to fidget. You’ve lost contact … Continue reading Minecraft, Lego & Additional Needs Children’s Work!

Haircut Sir?

Last week James needed his hair cut. A simple enough task you might think, but in James’ case it is one of very many tasks that require a routine to be known, and more importantly rigorously followed, in every aspect. Firstly, there is the location; sat on the wooden bench in our hallway at home. … Continue reading Haircut Sir?

Children’s Peer Groups: Same Age? Or Shared Interest?

Sometimes, we do things that can make very little sense at all. Sometimes, we do those things unthinkingly, because “It’s always been done that way…”  Sometimes, it’s only when we are challenged to really think about it, that we realise that there might be a better way… That’s the journey I’ve been on recently when … Continue reading Children’s Peer Groups: Same Age? Or Shared Interest?