![<i></i>](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/9/s/0/e/image.related.landscape.380x253.gv9pm0.png/1490850027511.jpg)
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![Choosing the right outside school activities for your kids.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/1/j/n/o/f/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.1jngm.gjzpwi.png/1463456936588.jpg)
Choosing extra-curricular activities for your children
Extra-curricular activities give children the opportunity to develop their skills in various areas so children develop a number of interests and talents - but be care ful not to over-schedule.
![<i></i>](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/i/j/j/4/o/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.giir54.gjzpwi.png/1465192107427.jpg)
10 signs you're over parenting your child
Over parenting is a new normal for today's mums and dads who, as dedicated as they may be, still succumb to overindulging, overprotecting and overscheduling their children.
![bath time](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/j/k/a/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.11gk3d.gjzpwi.png/1444362893058.jpg)
![Leaders and followers are not always polar opposites.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/2/x/7/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.32x3f.gjzpwi.png/1444623667063.jpg)
![When do kids get their first kiss?](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/g/a/c/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.10k5zh.gjzpwi.png/1444341457792.jpg)
![Inherited fears: face your fears so your kids don't have to.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/u/n/0/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.1mr9wi.gjzpwi.png/1444090616720.jpg)
Latest
!['I never, ever, use the word fat to my babies.'](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/p/v/e/i/image.related.landscape.300x200.gupto0.png/1488502208655.jpg)
When your perfectly healthy four-year-old thinks they’re fat
One mum got a huge shock when her perfectly healthy four-year-old said she just wanted to be skinny.
![Some kids are raking in up to $40, but the average per pearly white is $2.62.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/o/s/8/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.guoqje.png/1488431227013.jpg)
Kids receiving up to $40 per tooth as Tooth Fairy expectations rise
Warning: potential Tooth Fairy spoilers within.
![What's in a name?](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/m/r/y/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.gumrmo.png/1488267965709.jpg)
Do you look like your name? Science says you do
Can you tell what a person's name is just by looking at them? Scientists think that you can.
![Oldest siblings are the smartest - science says so.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/b/q/k/o/image.related.landscape.300x200.gubita.png/1487035186456.jpg)
Study finds firstborns are smarter - and there's a logical reason why
A new study has demonstrated what us first-borns have always suspected - eldest kids are the smartest. And it's all down to the different way we were parented.
![Yet another reason to love the daytime nap - they might be helping our preschoolers learn.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/a/8/q/y/image.related.landscape.300x200.gua5m2.png/1486701565222.jpg)
Another reason to love naps: they may help preschoolers learn!
Parents aren't the only ones who benefit from their kids' daytime nap (hello brief respite!). According to a new study, naps may actually help preschoolers learn. Talk about a win-win!
![A little girl doesn't come to the conclusion that girls aren't as brilliant as boys because one person told her so.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/3/a/5/y/image.related.landscape.300x200.gu39pc.png/1486078139690.jpg)
Study reveals true terror of raising daughters
A study this week was a terrifying reminder that we have far less control over the development of our children than we think.
![Hair Apparent.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/y/5/l/r/image.related.landscape.300x200.gty5jr.png/1485992517237.jpg)
My child's transition became routine rather than dramatic
The change experienced by Laurie Frankel’s six-year-old was certainly momentous, but at the same time it was remarkably straightforward.
![Byrne plays video games at his family home.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/6/f/v/5/image.related.landscape.300x200.gt6ffa.png/1481487894252.jpg)
Video games are more addictive than ever; this is what happens when kids can't turn them off
Byrne's parents knew it was their last option. If this new plan couldn't save their son, maybe nothing could.
![Parents are being encouraged to ease up on hygiene.](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/v/g/6/6/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsvg0f.png/1479860176865.jpg)
The reasons why you should let your kids get dirty
Is society's total aversion to dirt responsible for the surge in diseases such as asthma, allergies, autoimmune diseases, and even obesity and coeliac disease?
![<i></i>](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/q/j/k/i/image.related.landscape.300x200.gslyhu.png/1479265772465.jpg)
I bought alcohol for my kids, even when they were underage. Here's why.
No one takes alcohol more seriously than me; that's why people are surprised about my parenting choices.
![Photo: Women You Should Know](/web/20170331222139im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/n/d/w/x/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsndvk.png/1479355430719.png)
Girls write six-point letter to their dad to convince him to let them pierce their ears
Like many young girls, twin sisters Eva and Ami are desperate to have their ears pierced.
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