Toddlers can't read, so why do we bother with reading them books?  The answer is simple: one day they will have to learn to read and if they like books, associate them with fun and good experiences, they will be more inclined to want to learn about letters and sounds and eventually reading.

Being able to read a book is a huge and marvelous gift.  It opens the world up for little children and allows them to enjoy the fantastic stories that are available and help them learn at school.  So, by reading to the toddlers and even babies, you're helping them for when they need to learn to read at school and indeed helping on their journey through school.  Plus, even more important at this stage, introducing them to a wonderful world of stories and adventures!

So, what to do to make books fun!  Here are a few tips:

1. Read as often as possible!  You can read a book in bed, while on a journey, in the morning.  Have some cuddly time together when you read and make it cosy and comforting for you both!
2. Try and bring the stories to life by using lots of expressions and funny voices!  It will make your child laugh and will help you get through all the kiddie books without getting bored yourself!
3. Talk about the stories together and try and guess what is going to happen.
4. Let your little on choose the books.  Read the favourites as many times as they want!  Children love things that are familiar so they love hearing books over and over again!
5. Try and encourage the children to say the rhyming bits with you or the catch phrase.
6. Try and get as many book as you can!  Go to the library, book sales, car boot sales and get a wide selection.
7. Allow children to handle books all the time.  Yes, teach them to be careful, but get board books if they are heavy handed and let the look at the pictures, feel the pages and turn the pages.  You don't need to have a shelf of pristine books that no one is allowed to touch.  Better a shelf of books that have been used, and read, and enjoyed for many years!

Today is Mother's Day in the UK and Ireland and although Mother's Day is celebrated in most countries around the world, different countries celebrate it on different days of the year.  Indeed a Mother's Day falls in some country during nearly every month of the year.  One universal feature is that the celebration is Mother's Day rather than Mothers' Day - the distinction being that we are celebrating the achievements of our own individual mother, rather than of all mothers collectively.

The ancient Greeks and Romans celebrated festivals to Mother's and such a celebration features in most religions too.  In the UK and Ireland, Mother's Day falls on the Fourth Sunday in Lent, suggesting that its origins lie with the Catholic Church celebrations of the Virgin Mary.

In the USA, Anna Jarvis began a campaign to establish Mother's Day which was eventually recognised as a national holiday in 1914, falling on the second Sunday in May.  However the holiday was quickly commercialised and Jarvis quickly came to regret what had become of it, spending the rest of her life campaigning against the commercialisation of the festival.  Today Mother's Day is worth over $4bn to the US economy!

Whatever your feelings on whether it's an important celebration or all commercial hype, no one can deny that Mothers deserve to have their achievements celebrated, so take some time to reflect on your own mother, and let's be grateful for all they have done for us!

There are lots of activities you can do with your child to introduce them to reading, that don't necessarily involve learning to read in the traditional sense.  Here are some tips to make learning to read an easy, fun and inspiring time for both you and your children!

1. Look at the pictures: Look at the cover, the pictures throughout the book.  Discuss the style, colour scheme, characters depicted.
2. Look carefully at the title of the book.  Explain to your child what the title is.
3. Look at the characters throughout the book.  What are they doing?  What do they look like?  Do they remind you of anyone you know?
4. Talk about the sequence of pictures in the book.  Look for differences and talk about why may be happening.
5. Chat about what might happen in the book.  Predict a story together and what the ending might be.
6. Make up a story with a different ending and describe what the picture might be if your ending was used instead of that actually in the book.
7. Start looking at the words together.  Follow the words with your finger and then with your child's finger.  Chat about what letters begin each word and sound out the words together.
8. Look at the pictures for clues of what's going on in the story.  Show your child how the pictures can be a great help when learning to read.
9. Focus on the easy words and brush over the hard words or those that are not easily read by new readers (the, said, giraffe).
10. Chat about the book the day after and see how much you can remember together.

Most importantly, have fun when reading with your child.  Don't get annoyed if they don't understand immediately  or struggle on words they knew yesterday.  Certainly don't force them to read or make them do it if they're tired or not in the right mood.

Enjoy... learning to read can be so much fun and they will make you so proud when they try hard and make progress.

Children learn from their surroundings, and are informed by the people the interact with, parents, teachers and carers - make sure that your children are being given a model example because otherwise they will pick up traits and habits that you don't like!

Table manners present a host of unwritten rules that we want children to abide by: remain seated until everyone has finished; finish all the food on your plate; no toys at the table; eat with your cutlery; arms and elbows off the table.  You may wish to impress some or all of these rules but whatever your stance, make sure that you follow them yourself.  Your children won't understand if they aren't allowed toys at the table but that you use your mobile phone at the table.  Why should they eat everything on their plate if you don't finish everything on yours?  Why should they remain seated if you disappear mid-meal to make a phone call, start washing the dishes or take on another chore?

This illustrates just how easy it is to contradict yourself, and can is mirrored in many other areas of a young toddlers life!   Be aware of such contradictions in any regimented environment where we expect our children to conform to rules or manners, and especially to the language that we use and the ways in which we address others.  If we lead by example then our children will naturally follow.

New research has found that one in ten children will be obese in the next five years - what a staggering statistic!  Research carried out at the University of London studied statistics between 1995 and 2007.   The health survey for England provided the data which takes a sample of UK households.

If the trend continues, then researchers predicted that 1 in 10 boys aged between 2-10 will be obese by 2015, and approximately 1 in 9 girls.  In lower income families the statistic was slightly worse. They said  'these increases will affect the lower social classes to a larger extent'.

The research was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health - let's hope the predictions don't become reality.  It's so important to get kids up and moving from an early age.

Children who are overweight at a young age risk greater likelihood of health problems in later life, including diabetes and heart disease.  Children who are more active in their first few years are statistically more likely to maintain an active lifestyle when they are older.

There is so much that parents and carers can do and its one area where you don't need to spend much money.  Going to the local play park, setting off on nature walks round your neighbourhood, heading off the woods and climbing on fallen tree trunks, even walking or scooting to school instead of driving.  Enjoy an active lifestyle with your children and they will benefit for years to come.  Premium Members of ToucanLearn can search for 'Physical Development' activities 'Outdoor' and find lots of fun games and activities to do outside, specifically aimed at the capabilities of their children!

Jaundice is a common condition that affects around half of newborn babies, usually coming on about two days after birth.  Premature babies are more susceptible, 75% of premature babies go on to develop jaundice after birth.  Jaundice is caused by too much of a naturally produced serum, bilirubin, in the body.  Bilirubin is created by the body breaking down red blood cells, and is then converted into a form that the body can dispose of as waste by the liver.  However, babies break down significantly more red blood cells than an adult, producing proportionately more bilirubin, and the organs of a newborn baby aren't fully developed.  Their body may produce more bilirubin than their liver can handle.

The symptoms of jaundice are a yellow tinge to the skin and in the whites of the eyes; sometimes presence of jaundice must be confirmed through blood tests.  Historically, and wrongly,  it was believed that people with jaundice saw everything with a yellow tint, giving rise to the notion of having a 'jaundiced view' of things.

Jaundice is usually treated by placing a baby under ultraviolet light.  The eyes must be protected as UV light is harmful to them, but other than that, the treatment is simple, painless and in most cases successful over a two or three day period.  In severe cases, a blood transfusion may be offered.

Jaundice suffered in adults or older children is harmless, but in newborn babies the brain tissues are still forming.  Bilirubin can build up in the grey matter of the brain causing irreversible brain damage (called kernicterus) - this may be unnoticeable but in rare cases the damage can be severe, leading to loss of hearing, delayed development and learning difficulties.

Late onset jaundice can arise several days after birth and is more common in breast fed babies.  Late onset jaundice usually clears up on its own without treatment, but look out for the yellowing signs and raise it with your doctor or health visitor if you suspect that your newborn might be suffering from jaundice.

Role play forms a natural part of childhood, before long your little ones will assume characters in different scenarios and act out the different parts.  Often role play is based on what children have observed, such as caring for younger siblings, keeping a shop or playing doctors, families or schools.  As their imagination grows, so they begin to play made up scenarios such as fairies or princesses, explorers  or monsters!

Role play offers many lessons to a developing child; clearly pretend play extends language and social interaction as children play with one another, or with a parent.  Make believe nurtures imagination and helps children to develop abstract thought where they can extend the rules of the physical world into their pretend world.  As they play they are developing their understanding of the world, learning to solve problems and learning the ability to view the world from the perspective of others.

Many role play games reinforce gender stereotypes from an early age; this seems to be a natural part of early play.  Doctors and nurses and mummies and daddies might seem politically incorrect in this day and age, but the lessons learned from free play are much more important than lessons enforced about gender stereotyping at this young age.  Any separation along lines of gender simply mirrors their understanding of the world through their own observation, and is done entirely innocently.

Other role play games reinforce notions of good and bad; cops and robbers, fairies and witches, cowboys and indians or simply goodies and baddies all draw lines between the good side and bad side and children dividing themselves in such ways will conform to the expected behaviour.

Young children should be encouraged in their make-believe worlds.  They might be asissted with dressing up clothes or large props such as play houses or camps, but at the end of the day, children will be children and will explore their imaginary worlds even without these!

If you live in England or Wales, you have access to fantastic medical resources in NHS Direct and NHS Direct Wales - particularly useful for families with new babies and are uncertain as to whether a cough, splutter or wheeze is normal or the sign of an important medical condition!

NHS Direct was announced in 1997, and rolled out between 1998 and 2000, giving faster access to direct medical advice.  Most enquiries are made by telephone (0845 4647), calls are switched to dedicatedcall centres staffed by trained medical staff.  They will ask questions relating to the symptoms, and then advise on what action you should take.  They will advise whether you should make an appointment with your doctor; if they perceive there to be a serious risk, they might advice you to seek urgent medical attention in a hospital or even to dial the emergency services.

The NHS Direct website contains a lot of valuable health advice and information, as well as a symptom checker to help you to diagnose your symptoms online.

Scotland is served by NHS 24 and Wales by NHS Direct Wales, Northern Ireland has its own NHS service but doesn't appear to offer a similar direct telephone service.

NHS Direct will give you immediate assistance and will funnel you to the correct service.  Given that most of us don't have medical training, it is reassuring to know that help in assessing any medical situation is just a phone call away.

Children can be very inquisitive, often asking very good questions, and it's easy to brush off or ignore ones we can't answer, but if they ask a question that you don't know the answer to, seize the opportunity to explore the topic and both you and your children will learn something new!

The internet gives us the most amazing resource imaginable - at our fingertips are the answers to almost any question on the planet, and certainly to any questions that our children will pose!  If a challenging question comes your way, take time to research the answer, and encourage the inquisitive, learning nature of your little ones.

The internet is not the only resource at hand.  Perhaps a question might lead to a trip to the library, a museum or the zoo?  You don't have to answer just a single question, take the time to explore the topic area more broadly and that way your children will learn so much more.  Young children absorb facts in an astounding way, but they also need to hear the conceptual reasons behind something as they build up their knowledge and understanding of the world more broadly.

Of course, your children won't understand scientific reasoning behind complex answers, your job is to couch  explanations in terms that they will comprehend.  Reference things that they do understand, and explain things using examples and experiences from everyday life that your little ones will understand.

Well, why is the sky blue and why do fish live in water?

The sky appears to be blue because air molecules scatter more blue light than other colours, until the sun sinks on the horizon at which point the light is coming indirectly and more red, yellow and orange light is scattered, sometimes leading to glorious sunsets!

Fish don't have lungs, but gills - these have developed to filter oxygen out of water rather than taking oxygen from the air.

Now, try explaining those in terms that a four year old will understand!

Play is important for every child and for the first few years of their lives, babies and toddlers learn a huge amount during what they consider to be 'play'.  This is why teaching through play is such a great way to guide and educate our children because the message gets through, they learn and yet it all happens while they are having fun, playing!

During play, children expand their understand of the world, their understanding of themselves, and indeed their understanding of other people.  Once children play together, it is also a way to start communicating with other children and sharing ideas and games.

By six months, children have learned, through trial and error, various sequences that they practice.  If they push a ball, it rolls!  They see that something happens and they like the feeling of it happening.   They are learning to grip and drop and use their hands.

By nine months they might push a ball, crawl to get it and push it again.  They master new skills and make the play more interesting and complex for themselves. They use props more and gravitate towards toys they like.

By a year, they are able to be even more accurate with their props/toys.  They know a rattle will rattle and can kick or throw or roll a ball.

Types of play

• Sensory play: As they gain confidence and control their games become even more complex.  They enjoy the sensation of movement such as swings and slides. They will do things over again to relive the experience.

• Pretend Play: Children begin by being adult led and take the initiative from parents when starting out with pretend play.  Once they see what they can do, they may take the lead.  They may take familiar roles of doctor, or Dad when playing.  They may need, props and costumes and will probably be happy making a dressing gown into a super hero cape or tying a scarf round their head to make a princess veil.

• By 4 or 5, pretend play becomes peer focused and they children will happy to share a pretend game together, working out what to do and who is going to be who in the game.  They will discuss the rules of the game, how it will unfold.  They may well guide behaviour by suggesting an action.  "You'll need to drink your tea before you go to work, Dad."  Pre-schoolers will also have to overcome conflict and negotiate.

• Constructive play: Blocks and boxes are used to create a pretend miniature world.  This type of play, allows the child complete freedom to create a world of their own.

• Physical Play: Rough and tumble, running games, chasing games are all popular with pre-schoolers.  They have more control at this age and can jump, run, climb and chase.  Overly aggressive behaviour should be checked, but it's all about learning how to control their body and what they are capable of.

• Organised games: A more logical and formal game arrangement becomes popular between 4 and 5 years old.  They can cope with and understand the idea of having rules and  are able to follow those rules in order to have a fun game.  The idea of competition is introduced and that of winner or loser!  Teams are also introduced and the idea of working together for a common goal.

What's our role?

Observe and comment in a positive way to encourage them.

Play with them especially when they are young,  It affirms the idea of playing and makes them feel worthwhile if you are willing to play too.

Create a playful atmosphere and allow them to play - give them permission to make some noise or a mess!

Make suggestions if they are stuck.

Ensure everyone plays safely ie. the equipment is safe and that the children behave properly too!

New research brings consensus to the idea that the dinosaurs were wiped out after a phenomenal asteroid collision sited at what is now the Yucatan Peninsular in Mexico - this is the stuff of boys' imagination, combining two fascinating boundaries of knowledge: dinosaurs and space.

Although your little ones are probably too young to comprehend the reality of either space or dinosaurs, why not at least introduce these ideas?  No matter where you live you probably aren't that far from a museum that has exhibits on at least one, if not both, of these topical areas.  Plan a visit and activities around one of these two areas!

Space

To foster an interest in space, take your little ones outside after dark to observe the moon and stars; explain that every star is like our sun but so far away that they appear to be tiny.  Talk about concepts of near and far based on things you can see nearby, explain how further objects appear to be smaller than nearby ones.

Introduce the idea that we live on a planet called Earth and that there are lots of other planets in space but so far away that we can't see them.  Look at a map of the world and describe how we have lots of countries and lots of sea, and perhaps name some of the countries that your little ones might have heard of.

Create a spaceship out of old bottles, boxes or cartons and encourage your kids to go off exploring the universe!

Dinosaurs

Time is a very confusing and abstract concept.  Children struggle to distinguish 'today', 'tomorrow' and 'yesterday', so having them conceptiualise dinosoars roaming the land hundreds of millions of years ago is going to be a challenge!  But you can explain that dinosaurs were like giant monsters and that there were lots of them a long, long time ago!

Find pictures of dinosaurs in a book, online, or best of all, in a sticker book, and look at the different creatures.  Point out their different characteristics such the styles of their legs, tails, horns; maybe some of them have funny necks and small heads, others might have huge teeth; lots walk, some fly, others swim.  Study the pictures and tell your children their names.  See if they can pronounce the really tricky ones - to them the sounds may be no more alien than many of the other words and phrases they hear every day.

Why not make a dinosaur park?  Draw and cut out your own dinosaurs, make more out of card or old bottles, and see if you can create a dinosaur menagerie.

It has been said that Grandparents are taking the lead when it comes to teaching our children traditional values and standards of behaviour.   Over half of those questioned said they learned good manners and values from their grandparents.  Many considered their grandparents to be like second parents, and said that they considered the parents to be confidants.

As the structure and dynamics of families change, it seems that grandparents are now playing an even greater role in children's lives.  Grandparents provide more and more childcare, support in financial or emotional ways and seem tp play an increasing role in the family life.

However, the role of grandparent changes as the children grow.  They may be carer in the beginning, baby sitter as they are older and friend and teacher as they grow up.  Here are a few ideas of the roles a grandparent can play.

Respected ancestor: grandparents are our link with the past.  They are the head of the family and living proof of the family's history.  They can talk about 'the old days', share stories of how life used to be and create a whole new world for little ones who love to listen to their grandparents (often embellished!) tales.

Friend: children feel happy to discuss things with grandparents who often appear more relaxed and permissive than parents.  Children seem more likely to discuss things freely with grandparents and even talk about injustices that they feel with their parents.

Hero: being older, wiser and having lived for so many years, children can see grandparents as their heroes, full of stories and experiences of days gone by.

Teacher of practical skills: they can teach how to polish shoes, how to skip, how to knit, how to do the washing-up.  Grandparents have so many skills and the time to teach them!  They therefore become a role model for children.  They can can be a mentor and guide children in a spiritual way.

Constant, reliable focus: in a world where divorce and separation is becoming more and more common, children look to grandparents as a constant in their life.  They provide a nurturing and reliable place to go and feel wanted and cared for in an unconditional way.

Teachers of social skills: teaching children how to behave in public, how to look after themselves and how to communicate with adults.

Playmate: the magic that a grandparent can bring to a little child's life is priceless!  The simplest of tasks become an adventure with a bit of inspiration and the fresh take on a situation that a grandparent can have.  Children adore the excitement that grandparents can create and the games they have together.

In short, the role of grandparent has many layers, and indeed changes over time.  Being a grandparent is what you make it and with a bit of time and thought it can be such a positive inspiration and a vital part of a child's life.

You don't need fancy toys or equipment in order to be a good grandparent, though.  You don't need lots of brilliant ideas and complicated activities lined up for a visit.  You just need some time, a little creative thinking and be willing to listen to what your grandchildren ask you for.  The most important thing a grandparent can offer is a friendly ear and someone to listen!

With a little bit of help, lots of determination and masses of praise you can get your little ones riding a bike even if you can't ride one yourself!  It is astonishing how quickly children learn about balance, speed, peddling and brakes when they are inspired and excited about riding a bike for themselves.

The most important thing to arrange when teaching to ride a bike is to make sure a helmet is properly fitted and that it is worn at all times.  Elbow and knee pads are a good idea too to mimimise scrapes.  You may even get them to wear gloves in case they fall off and graze their hands...

A correctly sized bike is essential too.  Riding a bike that is too big can be treacherous for little ones and will prevent successful learning.  It may also damage their confidence if the bike is too big to handle.  Make sure the saddle is at the right height too to ensure their feet can touch the ground.  Obviously, check that everything is working correctly, especially the brakes!

Start by pushing the bike and encouraging your child to simply sit on the saddle and have a ride.  Explain about balancing and show them how it feels when the bike is balanced and when it's not.  Then, talk about steering and explain how to make the bike go in different directions.

The next step is to gently push the bike and get your child to propel it forward using the pedals.  Try not to hold the handlebars as this will interfere with their grasp of balance.  They need to master the bike and whether it stays upright or not.

To start, the best place is a slightly sloping area, that is covered with short grass.  It's not difficult to ride on short grass.  The incline will mean they are propelled forward slightly.  And, the grass will mean a softer landing than stone paths.

Keep an eye on how they are sitting on the bike.  It is common for children to sit too far forward and bend their body;  encourage them to sit upright.  Make sure they are not gripping the handlebars too much either.  They need to just gently hold them.

Decide which is to be the leading foot (the one they push off on) and try to keep to the same one each time.

Learning to ride can be incredibly rewarding, but also frustrating.  Be patient and keep practicing to get it right.  Try for a couple of pedal pushes to start with.  Give plenty of praise when they start to get the hang of riding. Keep a watchful eye and direct them rather than tell them off about things they may do wrong.

Once they get the hang of it, they will never look back and it will be the start of lots more fun!

The biggest annual celebration of books and reading is coming soon - 4th March will see the 15th World Book Day event in England and Ireland, but the origins can actually be found in Spain!

On 23rd April 1616 one of Spain's most famous authors, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, died.  Better known simply as Cevantes, he wrote Don Quixote. On that same day in England, William Shakespeare, our most celebrated author also died.

But it's not just because of these two authors we celebrate 23rd April - it is also St George's Day which is very significant because in Spain on 23rd April it is customary for men to give roses to their lovers.  Since 1925 it has become the custom for the women to give their men in return, a book.  Many booksellers today still carry on the tradition is Spain, you'll often get a rose in your  new book if bought on this day.

It is for these reasons that UNESCO deemed this date most appropriate to celebrate books in all their glory.  Children especially are encouraged to take a book and read it!  Children all over the world will do so each year!

In the UK the date was revised in order for World Book day to fall in March when children are mid term at school rather than on school holidays.

Nowadays it's an important part of the calendar and schools and children celebrate it all over the country.  Some will wear costumes to school dressed as their favourite characters, others will dress in their pyjamas to stress the importance of the bedtime story.  Whatever you do, just don't forget to do something with a book on 4th March - and make it fun!

Dramatic play is a great way to encourage communication, teach your children about social behaviour and show them how they should respond in unfamiliar situations.  It is a means by which children can imitate adults and act out various situations.  But, remember even dramatic play, is still play!  Don't make it arduous.  It's just a way to re-enact situations or practice behaviour and use their imagination!  Most of all, its a way to have some FUN!

When children dress up and do dramatic play, they can try out new roles, experiment with behaviour and watch for other people's reaction.  It's a way to further understand their world.

How can you encourage this type of play?  Here are a few tips.

Be a playmate. Don't just tell them what to do; get down there and play with them!  If you become a playmate, an equal, it will seem that you are both on the same level and this may encourage dramatic play.  Act out going shopping, going out for coffee, going to a library.  Get your child to talk and act like the shopkeeper or librarian.  Choose a situation that your child will relate to.  Keep it casual, keep it simple and keep it fun.

Don't interfere. If you want to encourage creative, dramatic play try not in interfere too much or lead the game.  Try not to suddenly announce all stop for lunch and spoil the flow.  Why not have lunch in the underground cave or on the pretend plane?  Play along with what they are doing.  Welcome their ideas.

Space. Creative play needs space so try to create some space that can be used and not worry too much about it getting messy or untidy!  A dining room table can become a cavern, the sofas can be moved round to create an indoor play house.  It can all be tidied away afterwards!  It helps the children be creative in their play and makes them feel they are a little in control of the game if their ideas of building a blanket rocket are not always met with a no!

Ideas. Use things you see or read about as ideas for imaginative play.  Create a fairy cave or a vets on the moon in your living room and try and encourage any ideas your child has.

It's a good idea to have a collection of bits and pieces that you can use again and again for dramatic play.  You could use an old cardboard container as a prop box and keep some useful props in there at the ready.  Or, just gather the bits and pieces as you need them.  Below are some ideas of things to put together to really make a bit of imaginative play into something really special - especially if you permit your child to use real, grown-up items!

Ideas for a prop box:

• At the Beach: Sunglasses, towel, sun cream, shells, play food, picnic rug, sun hats
• The Vets: Stuffed animals, cotton wool balls, doctor's kit, blanket, basket, money, boxes, real carrot for the rabbit
• Post Office: Pens, paper, paper clips etc.  Paying-in slips and forms from a real post office/bank.  Money, envelopes, junk mail, hole punch, stamper.
• Decorator (a good one for outside!):  Buckets and pots of water, apron, different sized paintbrushes, child step to reach high, cap, rags and cloths.

Put a bit of thought into your dramatic play together and you'll find you both really enjoy it!