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a useful guide to children’s growthVivian B bya

DEC

EMBE

R 20

08 •

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Vivian Corporation, Sanitas Buildings, Tower Street, Msida MSD 1824 • Tel: 2134 4610 / 2134 4616 • Email: info@viviancorp.com • www.viviancorp.com 800 73102

from all the team

Wishing you all the bestfor this Festive Season

at Vivian Corporation

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Play Enables Children to Discover the World Around Them

Play is a very important aspect in children’s life and their development, in various important ways. As the children are playing they discover all about themselves and what they can do. Play helps them

make friends, enjoy the company of those around them and also discover the world around them.

Playing makes children’s life so wonderful whilst it enables them to discover and develop their skills.

The Benefits of PlayPlaying with your children enables you

to communicate more effectively in your relationship.

Play allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, physical

• Exploration: By learning through discovery, they develop belief in their skills and abilities.

• Movement: As soon as they can move, they would want to play all over the house. The “I can do it by myself” expression shows that they are growing confidence. • Imagination: Toddlers start to use their imagination in pretend-play. This is a new

and exciting experience for them and they would love it. • Creativity: Children can be creative in play. They would love it when you smile at

their drawings and paintings. • Socialising: Playing with friends is a great way for children to learn important

social skills like sharing and taking turns. • Problem-solving: Chlidren’s confidence is boosted by solving a puzzle toy on their

own - they would rather do it without too much help. • Language: Playing with others builds up a children’s vocabulary, speech and

communication skills.

strength and their emotions. Play is important to healthy brain development. It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them. Play allows children to create and explore a world they can master, conquering their fears while practicing adult roles, sometimes together with other children or adult caregivers. As they master their world, play helps children develop their abilities that improve their confidence and are

ready to face future challenges. undirected play allows children to learn how to work in groups, to share, to negotiate, to resolve conflicts, and to learn self-advocacy skills. When children play independently, they practice decision-making skills, move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately engage fully in the passions they wish to pursue.

Playing with your children help you build an enduring relationship

When we observe our children in play or whilst we are playing with them, they are given a unique opportunity to navigate a world perfectly created just to fit their needs. The interactions that occur through play tell children that parents are fully paying attention to them and help to build enduring relationships. Parents who have the opportunity to glimpse into their children’s world learn to communicate more effectively with their children and are given another setting to offer gentle, nurturing guidance. Less verbal children may be able to express their views, experiences, and even frustrations through play, allowing their parents an opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of their perspective.

Quite simply, play offers parents a wonderful opportunity to engage fully with their children.

The Bilingual Talking Toys Line offers specific contents and activities for the linguistic development of the child in each phase of his growth, accompanying him from the first syllables to the first phrases. The line has been developed following the findings of the Chicco Observatory, which, with the collaboration of mothers, paediatricians, expert paediatric nurses, children’s associations and nurseries, researches, follows the child’s development in each phase of his growth.

Bilingualism: The Extraordinary Potentials of Early Infancy.

Language experts worldwide have demonstrated that the brain of a newborn baby is potentially multilingual and naturally predisposed to receive a large quantity of

Rhythm, ringing sounds, first words, in Italian and English. A line completely dedicated to your child’s linguistic development

Here are some tips on how children can improve their confidence through play

The Pleasure of Listening and Reproducing Syllables

From the first months, the newborn baby enjoys listening to all the sounds in the surrounding environment and reproduces single syllables. sing-with-Me Kitty Book, sing-with-Me Puppy Book and Talking Telephone stimulate the child to reproduce syllables through the listening of recorded nursery rhymes. In this phase, the role of the parents is fundamental, because by telling the stories of the illustrated characters, they help the child to associate a sound with an object. The bright illustrations attract the child’s attention and invite him to interact with the toy activities.

The Enjoyment of Transforming Sounds Into Words

At 9 months, the child starts to “mumble”: he repeats connected syllables and pays great attention to the variety of vocal sounds, trying to reproduce them.

With Talking Cube, the child listens to many fun melodies and tries to sing them in “his own manner” following the music.

The Discovery that Each Word has a Meaning

The child starts to assimilate many words from his family’s vocabulary and to pronounce them. This is the time when he gradually discovers the meaning of words and associates them with objects. Whilst playing, the child becomes familiar with the first words and short phrases: he can discover colours and animal names and sounds with Talking Farm; learn the numbers and “reach” familiar places with Talking Driver; discover the alphabet, animals, the game of opposites and many other activities with Talking Garden Activity Table.

The Freedom to Create a Phrase by Joining Words

The child always talks to himself when he plays, and he learns many new words each day. Talking Video Phone is the first role-play toy that allows the child to have fun “conversations” on a video phone: the child can select and display places and characters on the large illuminated screen and create eight stories which, not only will widen his vocabulary, but also help him to produce small structured phrases.

information and sounds. During this phase, the child is able to assimilate any type of vocal sound, even if he belongs to a different language. As the child grows, he learns how to select only the necessary information, and ignore the information that is less important. Therefore, the child progressively hones his capacity to distinguish and reproduce the characteristic sounds of his mother tongue, but loses the capacity to recognise, and therefore repeat, all the others. Exposing the child to other languages starting from 6 months, is therefore possible to naturally predispose the little one to learn foreign languages more easily in the future.

Why Bilingual Toys?Experts encourage exposure to language in a

6m+

9m+

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non-conventional manner, through the pleasurable experience of playing, which stimulates the child to develop all of his skills harmoniously: sensory skills (sight, touch, hearing), cognitive, co-ordination, creative skills, as well as linguistic skills. The Chicco Bilingual Talking Toys line features friendly characters that accompany the child to discover the first words and fun nursery rhymes. The strong rhymes and short phrases make them ideal for familiarising the child with the rhythm of language.

The contents of the toys are progressively more complex to offer appropriate stimuli for each phase of growth. The same contents are reproduced in both languages, so that the child can enjoy himself whilst playing using both the Italian and English languages.

BILINGUAL ITALIAN-ENGLISHChicco Bilingual Talking Toys

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Chicco has for many years worked closely to the needs of the baby’s development, and offers a selection of products that have been developed with competence, love and a sense of responsibility. Here is a guideline of toys that you can choose from for your children and friends. The guideline is broken down by age; from newborn to two years plus.

Gradually the baby widens his field of exploration of the world and hones his psychomotor skills, starting to complete more precise movements by grasping objects that surrounds him.

�m+

From 9 months the baby discovers the pleasure of communication and how to express himself, paying a lot of attention to the variety of the sounds and then trying to imitate them. In this period the baby hones his co-ordination, learning to stack, divide and understand the concept of shapes and association.

9m+

The child begins to move autonomously and needs toys that favor the activities of exploration of the surrounding space, allowing baby sharpen his motor skills, acquiring greater balance, control and safety.

�m+2

The baby starts to become more and more independent and has the need for role play toys, playing by himself or with his first friends. He interprets with imagination typical situations of the family environment and of the world of his parents.

2yrs+

...and for the

Choosing Your

Favourite Toys this Christmas

Games emphasize skills like math, reasoning, logic, and various social skills. Using board games to practice these skills help make

learning fun, and a change from worksheets and books

Older Children

Through the senses and the first emotional experiences the new born baby begins to discover the environment that surrounds him. He needs toys offering suitable stimuli in the development of the senses of sight, hearing and touch.

0m+

Chicco Toys and Orchard Toys are available from all leading

Baby Shops and Toyshops

Benefits of Board GamesBoard games are not only fun, they

make a great complement to any home-schooling curriculum. Whether you use a traditional approach to home-school, classical, or more free-form, games create a welcome way to develop or practice growing skills.

Games emphasize skills like math, reasoning, logic, and various social skills. Using board games to practice these skills help make learning fun, and a change from worksheets and books.

Board games can be used at any time during the home-school year, but they can be especially helpful during the cold winter months where much time is spent indoors.

Here are some ideas and recommendations for games for the different age groups. Feel free to use games that fit your child’s personality best.

Greedy Gorilla – Healthy Eating concept. Children have to use the healthy food card to create nutritious

meals and post the junk food into the gorilla’s mouth to make him burp!

What’s Rubbish – A game that encourages children to learn about separating rubbish and put into recycling bins.

Two by Two – A card game which enables children to find and pair up the animals, then post them in the 3D Noah’s Ark

Snakes and Ladders & Ludo – An old favourite game that enables children to improve their math skills. Highly recommended.

Bus Stop – A fun addition and subtraction game, by counting the passengers on and off the big bright bus.

A range of puzzles is also available• Giant Alphabet• Who’s on the Farm• World Map

Orchard toys offer a range of games and puzzles for children 2 years up. They have been developed in conjunction with educational specialists. This ensures that they not only stimulate, but educate as well. All games are tested in schools and homes to ensure that they offer great play value.

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What Causes indigestion?1. Excessive play, 2. Overexcitement, 3. Overindulgence, 4. Overeating, 5. Eating between meals,6. Eating when tired or when excited7. Being tired from outings,8. Neglect of the afternoon nap9. Being overheated, or chilled,

First Symptoms1. “Nervousness,” 2. Irritability, 3. Bad breath, 4. Bloated bowels, 5. Coated tongue, 6. Cold feet, 7. Sleeplessness, 8. Babies are always irritable and cry

easily

Plasmon Pancino:The Plasmon Pancino range is

there to help you and your little one during digestion. The Pancino herbal tea is a soluble extract which unites the unique properties of the Fennel (Helps Digestion), Mint (Refreshing) and Melissa into a pleasant taste. Plasmon uses only

the best herbs, selected according to the Oasi programme of Plasmon, used immediately after being picked to conserve their natural qualities.

SPOT ECKCHIndigestion? Plasmon can help…

Method of PreparationAdd 4 teaspoons in 100ml

of warm water and shake well. Alternatively you can add ¾ of a teaspoon to a glass of water at the desired temperature.

Ricetta.

Did you know? The Plasmon Pancino Tisana Finocchio, Menta e Melissa is good for both children and grown ups

Soppa tat-Ti©ie© u Qarg˙a ÓamraG˙andek bΩonn:• 50gqarg˙a˙amramqattafinfin• VaΩettPlasmonPollota80g(ti©ie©)

Kif tipprepara:1. Sajjaril-qarg˙a˙amrafiftitilma(daqs

200mlbiΩΩejjed)sakemmtkunsaretsew.UΩafurkettabiextg˙affe©il-qarg˙a˙amrasabiextispiççab’krema.

2. Ûiddil-vaΩetttat-ti©ie©u˙awwadtajjeb.

3. Servidinl-iklas˙una.

Tajjeb li tkun taf: Il-qarg˙a ˙amra fija il-vitamina A li tant hi importanti g˙as-sa˙˙a tat-tarbija li qed tikber. Din is-soppa hija idejali g˙al ©ranet kes˙in tax-xitwa u g˙andha iΩΩomm lit-tarbija tieg˙ek kuntenta illejl s˙i˙ jekk titmaha filg˙axija.

With Plasmon you can rest assured that you are giving your child a healthy meal with wholesome ingredients

Plasmon Recipe Corner during “Hajja” again!

For the 3rd consecutive year, Plasmon is the main sponsor for the Recipe corner in “Hajja” with Claire Agius Ordway.

This year the programme is taking a different shape. Instead of focusing on the different milestones the baby goes through, “Hajja” will be focusing on situation that the family / couple goes through before and after the arrival of the newborn. These issues will be discussed by parents as well as professionals. During this programme you can also get ideas of how to use the Plasmon items to prepare a nutritious meal for your child, during the recipe corner.

“Hajja” is aired every Thursday 18:15 on TVM with a repeat show every Saturday at twelve thirty in the after noon.

Enjoy it!!!

Plasmon jars do not necessarily need to be cooked or heated up before giving them to your baby, they can be given at room temperature. The

ingredients in the Plasmon Jars are already cooked and ready for you to give to your little one. This applies for all 80gr meat jars, ready meals as well as vegetables. If you

want to warm the meal for your baby’s taste, you can add the jars at room temperature to boiled pasta. The ready meals can be warmed up slightly in a Bain Marie.

Do I need to cook the Plasmon Jars

before giving them to my baby?

Become a fan of Plasmon on Facebook!

onYou can ask questions, start discussions, find Product Information as well as information about our latest Plasmon promotions.... Look for PLASMON (MALTA).

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From a tiny helpless newborn, he is turning into a sturdy and sociable toddler who very much has a mind of his own. Your role as a parent is crucial in your baby’s development: you are his first teacher and friend and by being aware of the stages of development, you can encourage certain skills at certain times. It’s important, however to remember that your baby’s development is individual to him so never push him beyond his capabilities.

For your convenience, Plasmon is now also available at the Agenda Newskiosk in Mater Dei Hospital. You can find the main items that you would need for your child’s stay at Hospital.

The Plasmon recipe book can be yours for FREE by coming to our offices and presenting 50 wrappers of any Plasmon product.

Plasmon Club members can get this recipe book for only 25 Wrappers! Hurry up as stocks are limited.

With Plasmon you can rest assured that you are giving your child a healthy meal with wholesome ingredients

closer to you…

Your baby is developing from day one and it’s one of the most fulfilling aspects of parenthood to watch him grow and learn. You’ll become fascinated by his skills and amused by how he tries to copy you.

Physical Development:During these months, your baby

is at a very exciting stage, where he is learning to do a vast array of new movements as well as exploring new capabilities, which he can exploit.�. Eating with Fingers and drinking

from cup2. start trying to crawl�. Transfer objects between hands 4. Grasp and pull things towards self�. Learn to sit without support6. Can now bear weight on one hand

when lying on the tummy.7. Learn to roll easily from tummy to

back and then back to tummy.8. Grasp and pull things towards self9. Transfer Objects between hands

Communication Skills:At this stage children’s

vocalizations increases from one syllable words to two-syllable words as well as syllables related to actions. Most Babies of this age:�. Begin repetitive babbling 2. Associate gestures with simple

Nutritional Requirements:At this stage the baby would have

tasted solids or else is to start. It is important that the baby gets used to the idea of having another texture in his mouth other than only liquids. It is important to state that milk should remain part of your baby’s diet but should be complemented with other foods at this age. By the ninth month, the baby should have tasted the following ingredients: Yoghurts, Fresh Cheeses, Ham, Fish, Legumes, Egg Yolk, Fresh Fruit (except citrus fruit, kiwi and fresh strawberries).

Social & Emotional Development:Babies show a wider emotional range

and stronger presences for familiar people. Most babies can:�. Express several clearly differentiated

emotions2. Distinguish friends from strangers�. Recognize people they see everyday but

still shy at strangers4. Respond actively to language and

gestures�. show displeasure at the loss of a toy.

Thinking Skills:

scientists have found that babies begin very early to have glimmers of how the world works. Very young babies have been found to do the following things:�. stare longer at “impossible” events (like

ordinary objects suspended in midair)2. Distinguish between inanimate and

animate objects, and understand that inanimate objects must be propelled into motion by external force.

�. Distinguish among pictures that show different numbers of items.

4. use the relative size of objects as a clue to how close or how far away they are.

�. search in correct places for hidden objects

6. Explore everything within reach7. Anticipating repetition and imitates you. 8. Will start showing signs of determination

GET YOUR PLASMON

RECIPE BOOK!

words and two-word phrases like “hi” and “bye-bye”

�. use vocal and non-vocal communication to express interest and influence others.

4. Try to reach for interesting objects�. Banging on the table for attention

Each and every

child is different

and develops

at his own pace

Your Baby’s Development Milestones 6-9

“Growing Up in Malta is the innovative idea from two mums. A free magazine for the whole family, available from various distribution points across the island.

For more information and a list of distributors please contact: diana@growing-up-in-malta.com or call 99866358.

Find us on Facebook. Just search for “Growing Up

Growing up in Malta

�

Hannah Chappel, 1 year 7 months

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TRUE OR FALSE

Mummy’sCompetition

send a photocopy of this section with your correct answers on: Plasmon Mummy’s Competition Vivian Baby December 2008Vivian Corporation, sanitas Building, Tower street Msida, MsD �824by not later than 7 January, 2009

Only one entry per member is allowed. Two winners will be given a Rimmel pack each.

Kids Corner

Colour in a photocopy of this part of the newsletter (only one entry per member is allowed) and send to Plasmon Kids Corner, Vivian Baby, December 2008

Vivian Corporation, Sanitas Building, Tower Street Msida MSD 1824by not later than 7 January, 2009 and WIN 1 of 2 Orchard Games

COMPETITION

WORD SEARCH

send a photocopy with your correct answer to: Chicco Mummy’s Competition Vivian Baby, December 2008Vivian Corporation, sanitas BuildingTower street Msida, MsD �824by not later than 7 January 2009

Competition

septemberWINNERSVivian Baby would like to congratulate the following winners of Issue 3

SMA: Ms MaryRose Falzon – siggiewiChicco: Ms Rita Vella – Mosta (Word search)Plasmon: Abigail Magri – B’Kara (Kids Competition) • s. Felici – Mosta & L.Buttigieg – Naxxar Vivian Baby: s. Vella – M’scala

Mark true or false next to each statement below (Hint, all the anwsers are in the Plasmon section)

TRUE FALSE

Vivian B byCompetition

Send a photocopy of this competition with your correct answers on Vivian Baby’s Competition, Vivian Baby December 2008, Vivian CorporationSanitas Building, Tower Street Msida, MSD 1824 by not later than 7 January, 2009

The first 3 correct answers will be given a Bistefani gift each

a

Across4. A land devoted

to cultivate fruit trees

6. The Plasmon range which helps digestion.

9. Also known as milk sugar

Down1. Another word for children2. We receive them during this special month3. Plasmon is the main sponsor of the recipe corner during this

programme5. One of the Chicco talking toys that has animal sounds and names7. A form of pain in the abdomen8. The ingredient in the Plasmon Pancino Fennel, Mint and Melissa

Herbal tea which helps digestion

N L s E L z z u P

E A G T G A s L s

R u s A M x A T L

D G E L C Y I u G

L N L K E F R u A

I I E I E I M C M

H L A N G u A G E

C I E G u N H G s

O B O R C H A R D

BILINGuALTALKINGORCHARDPuzzLEsPLAYxMAsBENEFITsLANGuAGECHILDRENGAMEs

by Orchard Toys

The gift for the first correct answer will receive a snakes and Ladders & Ludo

Orchard Toys Board Game

Overindulgence is a cause of indigestion.

Plasmon Pancino Tisana Finocchio, Menta e Melissa is only good for children under three years of age

Plasmon ready meals HAVE to be cooked before giving them to your baby

Plasmon is not available at Mater Dei Hospital

Plasmon Club Members can get the Plasmon Recipe book for only 25 Plasmon Wrappers

“Hajja” is aired every Friday on TVM

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9

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Competitions are open ONLY to Plasmon & Chicco Club members. If you are not a member yet, kindly contact us via email on info@viviancorp.com or via-telephone on Freephone: 80073102 and ask for registration