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Child friendly moments happen all the time, yet a lot of people miss them! Capturing child friendly moments will help them see, and understand, what child friendly is all about. Gathering child friendly moments are helping us paint a picture of a Child Friendly Australia.
So get out your cameras, and open your eyes and send us your child friendly moments.
Kristyne Love, Coordinator for Groote Eylandt & Milyakburra Youth Development Unit Inc emailed us with details and photos from the Children's Week Celebration held on Groote Eylandt in the Gulf of Carpenteria. MORE
Download a Permisssion to Photograph form HERE Email us you story HERE
A corporate finance executive in Sydney recently opened her work diary to find that her 7 and 8 yr old daughters had written in it. She was just about to blow a fuse, but then read what her children had written:
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Dear Aussie Friends:
A friend just sent me your video Children See Children Do, where young kids act out adults' reprehensible actions. It's unfortunate that so many people have to be hit over the head like that. But whatever works, I'm all for it. Now in the process of raising two wonderful daughters, I played with them like a big kid. I'm expert at hopscotch, jumprope, jacks, and handball, to name just a few. In handball, we bounce the big red ball up against the garage door and take turns hitting it back at the door, again and again.
Along the way, it often rolls into the street. My daughters would run after it as fast as they could, to "save" this worthless piece of rubber, perhaps to get it as quickly as possible, so they wouldn't have to run so far. But it was clear to me that I had to change their focus.
So I made them this deal:
If a car accidentally runs over your ball, I will buy you two new balls.
That also goes for your bicycle, or anything else you own. Now it has to be an accident. No cheating. But don't you worry about saving anything. I'll buy you two of them. I can replace balls and bikes, but
I can't replace you. Love, Dad
From that day on, whenever a ball rolled into the street, they stopped at the sidewalk, waiting - hoping - that a car would drive by and earn them two new balls. It never did happen, but I'm still good for the promise. -
John Jaeger Irvine, California
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Last night I was having dinner with a friend at an outdoor cafe by the beach. I noticed a very little boy suddenly move towards the carpark driveway. His dad was right onto it: called out his name and yelled "STOP!" His little boy prompltly stopped in his tracks and the dad came up and joined him. He got down low, put his arm around his son and explained how dangerous the driveway was. He gently stroked his little boy's back and then they walked back to their table. Having worked for NAPCAN for nearly a year now, promoting our parenting resources, it was wonderful to see a dad who clearly understands what positive parenting is all about, and putting his skills into action. Instead of using violence and fear he taught his little boy with love. Just fantastic! (Pete - Communications Officer)
PS. Check out all NAPCAN's positive parenting pack ...here
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My wife and I took our son to the museum for a play date with one of his friends and their parents. The museum is a great place to take young children as it is an interactive experience for them. They are encouraged to touch and feel the exhibitions which the boys thoroughly enjoyed. This picture is of me showing my son a kangaroo display. Play dates are a great thing to do with young children as they are the centre of attention for the day and it builds up their confidence. Top |
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It is always special when uncles and aunties come to visit, but this day was extra special for our son. His uncle and his fiance came to visit especially to take us all on a picnic at our local park. After a few chicken sandwiches and some laughs, our son was treated to some pointers from his uncle on how to make the ball fly through the air when you kick it.
This was a child-friendly moment because a child was an integral part of the event and the sheer joy he got from having an audience to watch him kick the ball around made this little 17 month old feel like he was the luckiest kid on earth that day. A bit of fresh air and an uncle with some time up his sleeve made this a child-friendly afternoon.
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We all had heaps of fun at the photo shoot for the National Child Protection Week Poster for 2006. Every photo taken captured a child friendly moment, but this one was priceless. Christian was happily kicking the soccer ball to his Dad, with Alex our photographer snapping away, when Christian produced one shot worthy of the Socceroos. It bowled Milton over, and Christian couldn't contain his glee. He was laughing with his Dad as much as at himself. The importance of play in a child's development cannot be underestimated, but when the play includes a parent the value is inestimable.
The new was released with the Promotions Pack for National Child Protection Week this year.
To order this NAPCAN resource HERE and type NAP 032 in Search
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The wheels on the Wheely Good Fun supported mobile playgroup keep going round and round. Children aged 0-5 years and their parents / carers can enjoy 2 hours of fun with a variety of toys, games, craft activities, playdough, stories and songs. Morning tea is provided for children and a free cuppa for adults.Hayley, her mum Skye, Michelle and her mum Dorothy are actively engaging in a game with coloured rice. They sing the song about the rain as they sift it through their fingers. This type of sensory play allows for peer and adult interaction sharing and co-operation. It develops a sense of touch as they watch and listen to the rice dropping into the container, and encourages the use of language as they describe the noise and sing the song. It encourages self-expression and creativity as they explore the "messy" play. Everybody has a feeling of success and contentment as there is no right or wrong way of playing. Such a soothing activity!
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Our daughter had wanted to swim with dolphins since she was four years old. A few months ago we were lucky enough to have the chance to visit San Diego Seaworld where this is possible. However seeing these large creatures swimming madly around the pool caused a few Initial moments of anxiety. It was only with the encouragement of people she trusted, that this little girl was able to jump into the pool and enjoy a moment she will never forget!
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“During the Easter break I went on an excursion to Toronga Zoo with a couple of friends and relatives. We started the day with a trip on the ‘Sky Safari’, and sharing cable car were a little boy and his dad. Even though we were strangers, the little boy – a real angel, told us all about the adventures he’d been having that day, and everything he’d seen. Even though the weather wasn’t particularly friendly, he really lifted our spirits. This little boy gave us the opportunity to begin our day with the wonder of a child’s perspective, and nothing was going to dampen that, not even the rain.” Top |
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"Our family spent the day recently at a local park along side a beautiful lake, complete with little power boats for hire. Our daughter was desperate to take a ride, so while I pushed our baby around the lake in her pram, my husband and daughter took out a boat. After a while, my husband let go of the wheel and alowed my daughter to take control and steer. Later when we all met up, she obviously felt all grown up: -she didn't stop talking about how pleased she was that dad had trusted her to drive the boat." Top |
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A little while back, I was at a local pizza restaurant with my 1 year old son. It was the first time we had actually taken him to dinner with us with the intention of him ordering, eating and sitting up at the table with us so I was a little nervous on how this would go at that time of the afternoon. But, my fears literally melted away when we were met with the smiling faces of staff who promptly found us a high chair and had no problem with a robust toddler dining with us. This may seem really trivial and maybe even obvious, but the staff did everything in their power to make us feel welcome – from giving Jack his own plate to eat with, to letting him play with plastic cups and his pizza toppings for amusement. Upon leaving, even with the mess he made, the staff gave Jack a warm farewell and made our first “big boy” dinner outing an absolute pleasure. I found this a child-friendly moment that not only gave Jack a special feeling to be embraced so beautifully by strangers, but gave us as parents a boost of confidence knowing that parts of our community are child-friendly” Top |
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“When my first born baby was about 3 months old, one day I decided I was ready and confident enough to tackle the public transport system and hop on a train to meet friends for lunch in the city. Upon arriving at the station, I encountered my first hurdle – stairs. Stairs to some people may not seem very threatening, but when you are a first time mum, tired from sleep deprivation, nervous your child may crack it at any time in public and not be able to cope – stairs can be daunting and confidence-destroying. I tried to lift the pram up by myself, unsuccessfully, only to be met by a gentleman carrying a small bag with the advice of “If you turn it around, it might be easier to take up”, and off he walked up the steps to take his seat on the platform leaving me to tussle with this enormous contraption. Seeing this, a young woman came over right away and without saying a word, took one side of the pram and helped me all the way up the stairs. It’s amazing that in one day your opinion of strangers can go from one extreme to the next. That young lady not only restored my faith in that moment with strangers, but literally helped my son and I become upwardly mobile and ready to take on the city. It literally took about 90 seconds for this woman to contribute to making our community child-friendly. Be on the lookout for parents struggling with everyday tasks because they ride the same train as you and very well may welcome a hand!”
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Michelle and her mum, Dorothy, are regulars at our playgroup, where children upt to the age of 5 and their parents/carers can enjoy 2 hours of fun with a variety of toys, games, craft activities, playdough, stories and songs. Here's a photo of a Michelle and her mum Dorothy having FUN exploring colour, texture and shape while at the same time developing Michelle's hand/eye coordination. This activity allowed Michelle a keen sense of satisfaction and pride, encouraging her to use her language skills in a relaxed atmosphere.
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“There is nothing I love more than when I hold my toddler in a supermarket queue and look down, to my surprise, to see him positively beaming at someone across the supermarket. There they are, complete strangers, taking a moment to make a child smile. No matter how bad a day a parent may have, if strangers throw these “free smiles” at their kids – days are instantly brighter and communities are instantly more child-friendly!”
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My street is really quite unusual: kids freely play in it all day long, just like I was able to do all those years ago when I was their age. It is a dead end street, and everybody drives slowly knowing kids are around. The footpaths are covered in chalk drawings and hopscotch markings, and often you’ll see a kids’ table and chairs out in the sun on the pavement, baby strollers outside a front gate, a scooter or two on the lawn. We don’t live in each others’ pockets, but we all look out for each other, and especially for the kids, so it really is a child friendly little community. The other day I was walking home, and one of the little boys and his mum were watching a friend drop the roof of her convertible car. The little boy was totally mesmerised, while mum, crouched down beside him, was taking the time to explain what was happening. It was priceless. I’ll never forget the look on his face. Talk about a child friendly moment!
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We took our three children (9, 7 and 4 years) to dinner on Saturday night to a restaurant called Feast at Tarragindi. The staff were very responsive to the children's requests and had entertainment on hand in the form of crayons and paper tablecloths. After many artworks were created the children settled down to consume their specially made pasta dinners as requested. We managed to stay for 2 hours ( a record for us!) and all had a great time.
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