Healthy Parenting

A Healthy Start to Life

‘There is powerful new evidence from neuroscience that the early years of development from conception to age six, set the base for competence and coping skills that will affect learning behaviour and health throughout life.’
(McCain and Mustard 1999, The Early Report: Reversing the Real Brain Drain, Ontario)
Since this report was published there is now a growing body of research which shows the importance of early brain development. How children are nurtured and stimulated in their first years of life is critical to how they perform at school and the path they take in life.
Research from The Australian Early Development Index is looking at the range of risk and protective factors that affect mental health and behaviour. More importantly, they are developing strategies and information programs to reduce these risk factors and support families and communities, for example, initiatives such as Positive Parenting Programs, Teenage Parenting Programs, Post Natal Depression programs, Community Health programs etc.,

The most important place, however, for children to be nurtured and loved during these early years of development is in the home. As parents, watching our children at play, we can see how they put in every ounce of concentration and energy. Play is work for children, through which they learn more about themselves and the world around them. They also learn life skills which help them throughout their lives.

Squeezing and manipulating toys, for example, will help develop their fine motor skills. Playing, hopping, skipping and running builds muscles and dexterity and generally promotes their physical development.
Play develops the brain as children work out more difficult problems and develop their problem solving skills.
Parents can use practice situations to show children how to behave. For example playing shops or sitting on chairs and pretending to be on a bus etc.
Playing games with other children teaches them social skills:- how to share, build self control and shows them how to cooperate in play situations so they are able to grow up to be respectful and independent adults.
Children love to play with their parents and this can be a fun way for both children and parents to learn from each other. By learning the language of our children’s play we gain a portal to their world and how they think. We thus know what is important to them and can give them the opportunity to learn values and beliefs through this context.


Our children are a gift from God. What greater role can parents have than to nurture and teach their children in a safe, loving and secure environment. In this way parents will offer their children the opportunity to reach their full potential and become the people God intends them to be.