Dr Jane Williams is the co-author of Grandparenting Grandchildren: New knowledge and know-how for grandparenting the under 5s. She has been working with families and young children for over 45 years. She is currently the Director of ToddlerROO, KindyROO and GymbaROO, and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the College of Health Sciences at James Cook University, Queensland.
Jane Williams is on the blog today to share why she and Dr Tessa Grigg decided to write Grandparenting Grandchildren. Read on!
Dr Jane Williams
Grandparenting Grandchildren has been a long time in the making. The essence of this book has existed in my brain for at least 10 years, having wanted to write it for a very long time but work always found a way to intrude on my time. So, as I move into the next stage of my life and find myself old enough to have 5 grandchildren under 6 years of age (where did those years go?) I have finally had time to get fingers to the keyboard, and with the support of co-author Tessa Grigg and illustrator, Tom Kerr, the long-anticipated book is finally more than a figment of my imagination!
As well as being a mother of three children, I have worked with families and young children all my adult life, as a paediatric nurse, a GymbaROO-KindyROO franchisee and, for over 20 years, as the Research and Education Manager of GymbaROO-KindyROO. Alongside Belinda Cummings I was also heavily involved in the production and content of the online Australian series of informative, practical baby activity programs for new parents: Active Babies Smart Kids.
Over the years I have noticed more and more grandparents (along with grand uncles and aunts) taking responsibility for the care of very young, preschool-aged children. The demands of modern lives with high living costs often means both parents must work and grandparents help save on costs for childcare. In fact, a close look at statistics says that there are literally millions of grandparents taking on this role. Grandparents who know what I do, often ask me questions about what they can do with their grandchildren at home, particularly in the years before school when children need more active engagement. They want to know what they can do to help their grandchildren be the best they can be in a world that is very different, in many ways, from the world in which they raised their own children.
‘The demands of modern lives with high living costs often means both parents must work and grandparents help save on costs for childcare.’
Believing that grandparents are second only to parents as the most important influencers on their children’s lives, I co-authored Grandparenting Grandchildren to help ‘get grandparents up to speed’ with the latest knowledge and know-how of this very important age. While most child-rearing books are written for parents, Grandparenting Grandchildren provides a ‘one stop knowledge and activity shop’ for grandparents… with a twist. I am very much an advocate of the key role of active movement for healthy development, an area often overlooked, or just referred to as ‘play’. Yes, opportunities for play are essential for our youngest generation, but children also need to be actively engaged in specific active movement opportunities that help the developing brain create all the necessary connections for later learning. Grandparenting Grandchildren therefore includes information about the key role movement plays in the development of the brain and body and how this affects behaviour and emotional regulation, sleep, the development of language, speech, literacy and numeracy skills, imagination, curiosity and creativity.
I also understand that while knowing ‘why’ helps us understand what is important, the ‘how’ is often the tricky part as we all run out of new ideas quickly! Grandparents can therefore find a raft of the best activity ideas that enable the ‘how’. These activities can be done at home, often using ‘old fashioned’ games, and everyday materials and low-cost items, or by utilising a local park or playground. Finally, the most requested area of help, and one that is the most often asked of me “What is the best gift to give my grandchild?” To this end, Grandparenting Grandchildren dedicates a whole chapter to outstanding developmental gifts that are not only fun, but they also help children engage in active movement and support healthy growth and development. So, I hope that while grandparents embrace the ideas and have fun with their grandchildren, they also know they are helping them get a great start in life. Lucky kids.
—Grandparenting Grandchildren by Dr Jane Williams and Dr Tessa Grigg (Exisle Publishing) is out now.
Grandparenting Grandchildren
New knowledge and know-how for grandparenting the under 5s
With people staying healthier for longer, grandparents are increasingly involved in raising their grandchildren. Grandparenting Grandchildren is the first guide of its kind written specifically for grandparents, and aims to help you raise well-rounded, ready-to-learn, happy grandchildren, even if you only look after them for a few hours a week.
By explaining the latest neuro-developmental and neuro-educational research in accessible, applicable ways, it will reaffirm what you instinctively know, while providing new tools to build your grandchild's imagination, creativity and curiosity....
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