The Kids First Blog

Most of us didn’t like writing essays when we were in school. Assignments always seemed long, and tedious, and no one wanted to do them. Still, there were some kids who always seemed to get the best marks for their essays. Why? Well, it’s not because those students were inherently smarter, or because they had […]

Is your child telling you that handwriting is dead and that computers are the way of the future? Since the digital era began, we’ve been hearing about the demise of handwriting. While there’s no doubt that digital technology is having an impact on the way kids learn, recent research suggests the things that parents and […]

Parents often worry about their child’s progress. Regardless of whether your son or daughter is your first child or you have other children, it’s understandable to be concerned if he or she doesn’t seem to be meeting common developmental milestones in the same way as peers. You might even be wondering: Does my child have autism? If […]

Is your child aggressive? Many parents are understandably concerned that their children displays aggressive behaviour at home, at school, or in the playground. Research suggests that it’s important to intervene as early as possible if you observe this type of behaviour in your child. Some approaches require the help of experienced professionals. There are, however, […]

Your child’s pencil grip might seem like a silly thing to worry about. As long as they get the words on the page, does it really matter? Actually, yes… handwriting does make a big difference, not only to your child’s learning, but also to their ability to ‘show what they know’ at school. Kids First’s […]

Your child’s pencil grip might seem like a silly thing to worry about. As long as they get the words on the page, does it really matter? Actually, yes… handwriting does make a big difference, not only to your child’s learning, but also to their ability to ‘show what they know’. Kids First’s occupational therapists […]

 Are meal-times a mess for your family? Do you find yourself: Arguing with your children? Doing ‘deals’ to get them to eat? Wasting time, effort and money on dishes that don’t get eaten? Worrying that your child’s nutrition is compromised? Concerned that your child’s picky eating is stopping them from enjoying parties and outings that […]

We all want our children to be caring and sharing kinds of kids, but learning to share is an acquired skill that doesn’t always come naturally. Kids First’s child psychologists tell us that while it’s natural to want our children to be generous, kind and cooperative, very young children are by nature self-centred. They tend […]

Kids First Director, Sonja Walker has been a teacher for 28 years. Here, she shares a ‘secret’ school readiness tip that will help your child make a more confident start to school. If your child is heading off to school soon, you’ve probably been preparing for months. You’ve bought everything on the list provided by […]

In this final part of Kids First’s helpful introduction to the NDIS, our speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists and teachers explain the choices that are available to northern beaches children and families. Read on for all the details … There’s quite a bit of confusion among parents whose children are eligible for the National Disability Insurance […]

Part 3 of Kids First’s helpful series of NDIS facts dives into the issue of services that your child could be eligible for under the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Get the details below … What does the NDIS cover? Many northern beaches families were hopeful that the NDIS would cover the schooling or medical costs that […]

In this second fact sheet in our NDIS series, the Kids First team explains how families in Sydney’s northern beaches can get and use NDIS funding for their child. There are 2 pathways to the NDIS. If your child is aged under 6, your journey will begin with an NDIS early childhood partner. If your […]

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was introduced to Northern Sydney on July 1 2016, so the Kids First team in Brookvale has developed a series of fast fact sheets to help families navigate this new program. We hope you find our 4 part NDIS series helpful! Many families who have children with disabilities may be familiar […]

Speech therapy is often one of the most common therapies parents seek when looking to support their child with autism.  Brenna Donovan, Speech Pathologist at Kids First Children’s Services in Sydney’s northern beaches, has supported hundreds of children with ASD and explains how speech therapy helps kids who are ‘on the Spectrum’. Speech therapy can […]

Speech pathologists from Kids First Children’s Services in Sydney’s northern beaches explain why some kids lisp and what parents can do to help. What is a lisp? A lisp is a speech sound error that usually presents when a child (or adult!) has difficulty placing their tongue in the correct position to produce /s/ and /z/ […]