Children who do not get enough sleep often have trouble paying attention, can become cranky, may fall asleep during the day, can have behavioural issues and can struggle to focus. If this sounds familiar, it could be that their sleeping hours might need a firm adjustment.

Kylie-Jane Shannon, owner of Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centres, informs parents on sufficient sleeping hours for children based on their age, and why this rest should not be taken lightly. “It’s time to take sleep seriously for our children and to make sure they get the best out of every experience when they’re awake,” says Kylie.

As we are sleeping, our brains move between two types of sleep. These are known as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and non-REM sleep. Together, the stages of REM sleep and non-REM sleep develop a sleep cycle.

Babies spend more time in REM sleep, with their sleep cycles much shorter than adults. Time spent in REM sleep decreases and sleep cycles get longer as children get older. By the time they attend school, one complete sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes, similar to adult sleep cycles.

“The first two non-REM stages are known as light sleep stages. One can wake up easily, and the heart beats and breathing rate slow down. Stage three non-REM is a deep sleep, which is usually harder to wake up from, and often a person is confused when woken. During this stage, the body releases well needed hormones for growth and development,” says Kylie.

“In the last stage of the REM sleep cycle, breathing becomes faster, eyes move faster underneath the eyelids, and heartbeats become faster.  The limbs do not move during this phase. REM sleep is vital for learning and memory,” Kylie adds.

Adequate rest promotes a more energetic and healthier child and supports the child’s physical, mental and emotional development. The amount of sleep needed for children varies, and experts recommend the following hours of sleep for children: Infants between 0-3 months need 14-17 hours. Infants between 4-12 months need 12-16 hours. Toddlers between 1-2 years need 11-14 hours, and pre-schoolers between 3-5 years need 10-13 hours.

“Creating a regular bed time routine can encourage and develop better sleeping habits,” says Kylie. “Turning off digital devices at least an hour before bedtime is important, and the removal of these devices from the room should also occur. Providing a 30 minute heads up, followed by a 10 minute heads up when getting them to bed, particularly for pre-schoolers, is important. Over a short period, they will soon get used to the routine,” she adds.

Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre continues to dedicate its expertise and delight to serving families within the town of Wallan, Victoria.

Check out their full range of services and current featured promotions at junglekids.com.au.Visit their Facebook page to view all their activities and special offerings. Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre is open seven (7) days a week and is open until 5:00pm on weekdays during the school holidays.

As part of their Play-all-day Single Admission, adults and babies attend free of charge. 12 months to 3 years old attend at $8.50 and 4 years old to 12 years old attend at $10.00.

Written and syndicated by: YDMA Group

Donning an awesome fairy outfit or astronaut suit, sparks an absolutely creative and wondrous experience for children. A major plus, is that there are excellent advantages that benefit children’s development.

Kylie-Jane Shannon, owner of Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre, discusses the benefits of dress up fun, and how it can spark imaginative creativity and provide for healthy development in children, at both play centres, and at home.

“Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre offers themed parties for young children that promote dress up play for children, stimulates their imagination and inspires their creative abilities,” says Kylie. “The Safari and Fairy parties are very popular and others are on offer too,” he adds.

The array of costumes enables children to transition into their favourite character, as well as teaching them to dress up without any fuss, supporting parents in their quest for stress-free dress up experiences with their little ones. The possibilities of dress up are endless. Arts and craft items can be supplied to enable children to build props or add other effects to enhance their dress up experience.

“Dress up play is more than just wearing a particular costume, it helps the child imitate the mannerisms of the character they’re playing. This also allows children to infuse their own creative take on the character, and encourages individually unique thinking,” says Kylie. Children can create their own special themes, express a range of emotions, and effectively communicate through language, all in a safe environment.

The fun shouldn’t just stop at play centres; take children out into the community dressed in their costumes and watch how they use their imagination. Imaginative play can extend to designing games while they are in ‘character’. Take your fairy princesses to the park and watch them create a fairy garden.

Play super-hero games such as X-Ray vision or Captain America (Visit Firstcry Parenting’s 10 fascinating superhero games for kids here). Your child might choose to be a pirate stomping around and scaring people, or a doctor giving their teddy a check-up. The ideas are endless. Get involved with your children as they play, and don’t forget to capture these fun and exciting moments on camera.

Have a dress up box at home and watch your child develop their imagination, build their confidence, express their emotions and above all, have fun. Items in the dress up box can include hats, eye-patches, sunglasses, swords, wands, cloaks, gloves, etc as well as ready-made costumes or pieces of material that children can use to transform themselves into a favourite character.

“Dress up fun can be an exciting and collaborative experience between parents and children. It supports healthy and creative development and is as important as academic development at school. So, allow their imagination to flow through their character and costume choice, and watch their creative magic unfold,” says Kylie.

Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre continues to dedicate its expertise and delight to serving families within the town of Wallan, Victoria.

Check out their full range of services and current featured promotions at junglekids.com.au.Visit their Facebook page to view all their activities and special offerings. Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre is open seven (7) days a week and is open until 5:00pm on weekdays during the school holidays.

As part of their Play-all-day Single Admission, adults and babies attend free of charge. 12 months to 3 years old attend at $8.50 and 4 years old to 12 years old attend at $10.00.

Written and syndicated by: YDMA Group

2023 has arrived, and along with it, comes a list of resolutions and goals set by many. For parents, it’s ensuring that their children get the very best out of life through educational, entertaining and simply wholesome experiences. This is where play centres play their biggest role.

Kylie-Jane Shannon, owner of Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre, gets her children’s play centre ready for the year ahead, by educating parents on key items to bring when visiting Jungle Kids, or their nearest play centre.

“As the new year commences, it’s important to reaffirm that parents should be prepared for their children’s play experience. Having a simple yet effective checklist of items that their children may need when visiting their play centre is important,” says Kylie. “Below is a list of necessary items for children that parents should pack for ideal play centre preparation,” Kylie adds.

Wash towel/ face cloth: “As the Australian heat does its rounds this summer, keeping a dry and clean face cloth or wash towel for children is necessary,” says Kylie. From wiping sweaty faces, to a temporary dry up before heading home for a nice bath after a day of play, face cloths and wash towels do the trick to reduce germ buildup and keep children comfortable and dry after a sweaty day of play.

Spare clothes: “Keeping a spare set of clothes can come in handy for lots of reasons,” says Kylie.

Socks: “At Jungle Kids, socks are mandatory for a hygienic and optimum play experience,” says Kylie. Parents must pack socks for their children when coming to Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre’s play areas.

Comfortable shoes: Where shoes are allowed, having comfortable footwear for children is a must for play centre fun. It allows them to have as much physical freedom and mobility that is uninterrupted throughout their play experience. For an after-play solution, pack a comfortable pair of slippers or comfortable and soft footwear to soothe their feet, as well as provide ventilation and much-needed air to avoid sweaty, smelly and hygienic issues.

Hand sanitiser: Sanitising children’s hands before play is crucial before and after play. “Most play centres will have onsite wash basins with liquid soap. Parents should use these facilities to ensure that their children are well-prepared hygienically for play,” says Kylie.

Bottled water: Kids will go through a long and hot day of play. Having cold water on hand is crucial. Alternatively, parents can purchase water from the play centre’s cafe.

Snacks: Strenuous playing can make anyone hungry. “At Jungle Kids, our delectable selection of healthy meals, chilled water and alternative beverages provides a great and affordable pit-stop for children and parents from our comfortable cafe,” says Kylie.

Backpack: A large, named backpack where all items can be kept safely is a must. “Teaching kids to keep their own items together in one place is a valuable learning experience for life,” says Kylie.

“Preparation may sound tedious and daunting, but when regularly done, the results will be a relief for both parents and children. Being prepared for a busy day of play ticks many boxes, so let’s get ready for a great year of great play,” says Kylie.

Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre continues to dedicate its expertise and delight to serving families within the town of Wallan, Victoria.

Check out their full range of services and current featured promotions at junglekids.com.au.Visit their Facebook page to view all their activities and special offerings. Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre is open seven (7) days a week and is open until 5:00pm on weekdays during the school holidays.

As part of their Play-all-day Single Admission, adults and babies attend free of charge. 12 months to 3 years old attend at $8.50 and 4 years old to 12 years old attend at $10.00.

Written and syndicated by: YDMA Group

When a person thinks of a ball pit they generally think of a fun time for kids to jump around and play with their friends. However, few people know the educational and developmental benefits of ball pits for children. “Ball pits provide children with many opportunities to enrich their learning. Because of our growing attachment to technology and our devices, it’s becoming more difficult to get kids to play outside and use equipment such as ball pits and we are forgetting how important these activities are,” says Kylie-Jane Shannon, the owner of Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre.

Young children enjoy playing in ball pits, they will normally dive in and have fun. Babies and young kids are immediately attracted to anything that rolls and it holds their attention, which helps with their development. Playing in ball bits helps children to strengthen their muscles and throwing and rolling the balls helps them to develop their fine motor skills. It is also a good opportunity for sensory play for young children. As they move through the balls it provides them with a sense of calm. Walking through and over the balls will also help children to start to build their balance skills. Playing in ball pits with other children helps them to develop their social skills too. Each child will find something exciting about a ball pit, whether it is the bright colours of the balls or to discover what it’s like to throw and catch the balls. This will also help children stimulate creativity and imagination as they create their own games.

There are many reasons for children to play with balls. The simple act of rolling, kicking, catching or throwing a ball helps children improve their motor skills, hand-eye coordination and timing, which are all an important part of the developmental process for children. Playing in a ball pit will also help children develop their language skills and teach them how to negotiate with others. Ball pits also help children to be expressive as well as release their energy and tension. The skills learnt in the ball pit will help children progress to cooperative and competitive play as they get older.

While some types of play may seem irrelevant or not necessary, many children’s games and activities have a substantial effect on their development, and their development as a child has a substantial effect on how there life could be as an adult,” says Kylie. Besides a ball pit, there are many ways parents can include ball play into their children’s play routine. They can simply buy them a little ball and play a one-on-one game or they could find specifically designed ball games to enhance their child’s development,” adds Kylie.

Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre has an amazing ball pit facility for children as well as other facilities that support children’s development. It’s the perfect facility for parents to take their little ones out for a day of fun but also for a day of building developmental skills!

Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre continues to dedicate its expertise and delight to serving families within the town of Wallan, Victoria.

Check out their full range of services and current featured promotions at junglekids.com.au.Visit their Facebook page to view all their activities and special offerings. Jungle Kids Indoor Play Centre is open seven (7) days a week and is open until 5:00pm on weekdays during the school holidays.

As part of their Play-all-day Single Admission, adults and babies attend free of charge. 12 months to 3 years old attend at $8.50 and 4 years old to 12 years old attend at $10.00.

Written and syndicated by: YDMA News