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![Choosing the right outside school activities for your kids.](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/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>](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/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](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/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.](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/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?](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/g/a/c/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.10k5zh.gjzpwi.png/1566453393560.jpg)
![Inherited fears: face your fears so your kids don't have to.](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/u/n/0/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.1mr9wi.gjzpwi.png/1444090616720.jpg)
Latest
![Understanding your child's response to his or her environment is being shown by research to support development.](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/g/1/4/b/image.related.landscape.300x200.p528uh.png/1563857357343.jpg)
Dandelion or orchid, you can help your child to bloom
If you have a child at the orchid end of the spectrum, and another at the dandelion end, should you parent them differently?
![Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/f/8/w/u/image.related.landscape.300x200.h1f8ww.png/1560292221366.jpg)
Is my child being too clingy and how can I help?
When children are being clingy, they're communicating their feelings. This is normal and healthy.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/e/u/x/h/image.related.landscape.300x200.h1euw6.png/1559207054706.jpg)
Baby, it's true: 5 ways the fourth child raises itself
Would this child need less attention than the first? That didn't sound right.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/e/8/7/r/image.related.landscape.300x200.h1e87d.png/1557359034060.jpg)
Too much love: helicopter parents could be raising anxious, narcissistic children
Sometimes it's best to let your children be free range.
![Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/a/t/r/9/image.related.landscape.300x200.h1atp7.png/1549444792103.jpg)
5 things your child should know before age 5
A 5-year-old is not too young to know how to do these key five things.
![Image: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/9/t/x/y/image.related.landscape.300x200.h19txn.png/1546953151801.jpg)
How can I wean my children off their new habit of playing 'musical beds'?
Co-sleeping can be lovely at first, but I'm nagged by concern about the long-term consequences.
!["I realised my concerns about make-up were more about me than my daughters. It was about me trying to control their ...](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/9/o/4/e/image.related.landscape.300x200.p50pds.png/1546913823479.jpg)
Don't shame me for letting my daughters wear make-up
The lipstick in question was red – the colour of lust and Satan. Never mind that it’s also the colour of Elmo, Santa and one of the Wiggles.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/5/d/v/g/image.related.landscape.300x200.h15dus.png/1536940446780.jpg)
LOL? BRB? Mum proposes alternative text lingo for parents of millennials
As the parent of three millennials, I pride myself on knowing voice mail is out, texting is in. Small-talk texting is out. Getting to the point is in.
![Marc Fennell and his daughter Sophie.](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/4/n/p/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.p500fg.png/1536041351826.jpg)
Raising daughters in the #MeToo age
In the wake of the #MeToo revelations, fathers can do much to ensure their daughters are confident enough to take on the world, writes Johanna Leggatt.
![Photo: Shutterstock](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/4/2/j/n/image.related.landscape.300x200.h142es.png/1558934372400.jpg)
So, you’ve got a runner?
One mum's experience with a pint-sized escape artist!
![Photo: SHUTTERSTOCK](http://web.archive.org./web/20191123235058im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/h/1/4/8/y/9/image.related.landscape.300x200.h148wx.png/1534820419874.jpg)
Doctor's orders: Let children just play
A new U.S. report is recommending doctors write prescriptions for 'play' in order to boost a child's growth and development.
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