Menu
Menu

team

Thriving Together: Building Your Parenting Community and Networks

· ·

 THRIVING TOGETHER: BUILDING YOUR PARENTING COMMUNITY AND NETWORKS

Have you ever felt alone in your parenting journey, searching for meaningful connections and parenting support that truly understand your experience?

Parenting support is essential for building strong relationships and finding encouragement along the way. Whether you’re navigating sleepless nights, behavioural challenges, or simply the daily stress of raising children, having a solid support network can make all the difference.

The Impact of a Smaller Circle

As adults, whether parents or not, we often find that our support networks and the people around us tend to change. From my perspective, they tend to get smaller.

When our support networks get smaller, they can become more impactful. There can be more depth, and the support can be exactly what we need in those moments.

Many things can change or shift our support network and those around us. These could include moving to a new location, outgrowing different friendships, or experiencing and moving through different life milestones, such as starting a family. 

Parenting Support: Navigating Friendships in Parenthood

When we begin the journey of parenthood, it has a whole different impact on support. Suddenly, our friendships and community around you matter in a new way and with new meaning, and the level of support can change from an occasional text message to needing people close by and in your corner more frequently. Parenting can be a lonely, extremely challenging and yet a rewarding adventure. One that I don’t believe any of us are truly prepared for until we are in the depths of parenting. 

Parenting Support Helps You Build a Community

When talking to other parents, a theme that commonly comes up is: how do we build our community around us when we are a parent with a child who may be struggling or feel lonely or isolated? We all crave social connections and to feel heard and seen by having safe people in our corner, but on the other hand, reaching out, connecting with other parents and feeling vulnerable in this space can be quite anxiety-provoking and open us up to feeling judged, criticised and the parent guilt of “what did I do…”, when there are already so many places in our communities that make us feel like that. Just like going to the grocery store to get a couple of items is not always a simple or easy experience, neither is school. 

Carving Out Time for Yourself

It’s essential to carve out time for ourselves, to breathe, and to find moments of stillness amidst the chaos. In these moments, we want you to know: we hear you, and we see you. Parenting is hard and, at times, extremely isolating and lonely. We can often internalise so many feelings inside us as well as having little time for ourselves.

Recharging and Recognising the Challenge

We want to remind you that finding a time to yourself, to not be touched, to not have to answer a million questions or navigate sibling rivalry, but to find moments of stillness amidst the chaos to give back to yourself is so important. 

Don’t get me wrong — our children are our biggest teachers, giving us the most joy in this world. However, we also acknowledge the other side, the toll that parenting can take on our mental, physical, emotional, and social wellbeing. 

Here are a few practical steps you can take to find that connection:

  1. Find Local Community Groups: There are a range of different parent-child groups within your local community that provide opportunities for you to connect with other parents of children of similar ages. This is a great way to build a parenting support system while also engaging your child in social activities. These include playgroups (playgroupnsw.org.au) and activities at the town library.
  2. Connect with Other Parents: Reach out to the parents of your child’s friends to determine if they suit your personality and slowly build your support network.
  3. Engage with Coworkers: If you are working, build a connection with your work colleagues who understand work-life commitments and the demands of juggling both. Consider organising lunch break chats to support one another.
  4. Take 5 Minutes: Set aside some time each day for yourself. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in silence, take a minute to breathe, no scrolling, and have time to decompress and recharge. 
  5. Join our Parent/Caregiver Group: At Explore and Soar, we will be holding a Parent/Caregiver Group every second Thursday of each month. Connect with other parents and enjoy activities like doing a puzzle, colouring or going for a coffee and walk; each month, the activity will be tailored to what the group wants to do. A fabulous and FREE way to connect with others in the Hunter region. We will have catchups in Cessnock, Kurri Kurri, Branxton and Singleton throughout the year. Check our website for details and to register today!
  6. See the Benefits with a Wellbeing Planner: Jess Rodgers has designed a Wellbeing Planner for you and your entire family to use over the course of 12 months to either individually or as a family work on set goals and work towards improving your wellbeing in 8 different areas. This is an excellent opportunity for you as a family to sit down and set out some goals to achieve together while ensuring the family is on the same page and sharing activities, bringing joy and connection. Check here for more information
  7. Engage Online: Join positive, supportive, and inclusive online community groups. Connecting online can enhance your experience and help you feel less isolated.

At Explore and Soar, we focus on building supportive communities for families in our local regions. It’s essential to prioritise both your well-being and the well-being of your family while enjoying connections with others to maintain mental health and overall well-being. 

We’d love to hear about any other fantastic community or networking ideas you have so we can continue sharing valuable resources within our community.

Remember, being together, sharing life experiences, and supporting one another will strengthen us.

If you’d like to chat more, please don’t hesitate to contact us today! Call us on 0477 708 217 or email admin@exploreandsoar.com.au

Until next time, 
Jess

PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 2025

Latest Posts

Welcome to 2025: A Year of Community and Wellbeing!

· ·

Girl Enjoying the outdoors - promoting community wellbeing

WELCOME TO 2025: A YEAR OF COMMUNITY AND WELLBEING!

Welcome to 2025: Explore and Soar is focused on community wellbeing!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Welcome to 2025! As we step into this new year, we’re thrilled to kick off our January School Holiday Group Programs and Intensives, starting January 13th. We can’t wait to see you all there!

Our Annual Theme: Community for Wellbeing

This year, Explore and Soar is focusing on community wellbeing by fostering strong connections within our local communities.

For us, being an active part of both the Explore and Soar and Occupational Therapy communities enriches our connections, support, and resilience, allowing us to provide the best practices for our clients and families. This highlights the importance of communities remaining connected to promote our collective wellbeing.

Every member of our Explore and Soar team is part of their own community outside of work—whether through hobbies, volunteering, or local activities. This community provides them with joy and support. When you think about “Community for Wellbeing,” what comes to mind for you?

What Does Community Mean to Us?

A community can be defined in many ways. While it’s more commonly known as a ‘geographical location or place of residence’, at its core, it’s about relationships that bind people together.

In occupational therapy, there are many definitions of community, but this one stands out for us:

“to do something that cannot be easily done in isolation

(Scaffa, 2001, Pg.8)”

It highlights that the basis of a community is in the relationships of people who come together. A community built around wellbeing thrives when its members come together to share values and cultures and support each other. For us, engaging in our community through jobs, schooling, sporting activities, volunteering, shopping locally, or advocating for community improvements (such as new parks or pathways) are just a few ways we can connect and support one another to achieve common goals.

When we contribute to something meaningful and can use our unique skills and talents within our community, we not only find joy but also enhance our contribution and connection within our community to help improve our health and, ultimately, our wellbeing. 

Understanding Wellbeing

Wellbeing is a personal and multifaceted journey. It is defined by what, how, and where each person is in a positive state. Wellbeing encompasses many aspects of our lives: Occupational/Work, Emotional, Financial, Social, Environmental, Intellectual, Spiritual, and Physical health. Each of these elements plays a vital role in our overall wellbeing, helping us find purpose, contribute, and find meaning in what we do.

When we actively work towards improving our wellbeing, we improve our health and enhance our everyday lives, by finding more motivation and meaning to keep going. 

Now, don’t get me wrong — improving our wellbeing isn’t always easy. It requires consistency, support, and adaptation. Some days, I find balance; other days, I need to focus on my social connections or my physical health. 

It is important to remember that everyone’s version of wellbeing and where they find meaning is unique, and that’s perfectly okay!

Building Connections for Your Wellbeing

Where can you start building connections to enhance your wellbeing? Consider your current relationships. Do they bring you joy, and are they conducive to my wellbeing? What areas could you improve? Reflect on the time you can dedicate to nurturing these connections.

These are all great starting points to direct yourself towards where you want to start building these relationships. 

Here are some great ways to enhance your wellbeing through connection:

  • Volunteer at your child’s school to meet other parents and teachers – This is both rewarding and helps build connections.
  • Say hello to someone who walks at the same time as you are taking a morning stroll – Connect over shared interests.
  • Join a group or activity that sparks your interest.
  • Sign up for a local team sport to enjoy camaraderie and physical activity.

Building relationships in your local community can significantly enhance your community wellbeing, helping you achieve a more balanced life.

Explore and Soar’s Commitment to Connection

At Explore and Soar, we are deeply committed to supporting our local communities and fostering meaningful connections. To learn more about our team, values, and the work we do to enhance community wellbeing, we invite you to visit our About page and discover how we’re making a difference in the lives of our clients and families.

Some ways we do this are:

  • We have continued to develop group programs to support our clients in socialising and engaging in fun activities with children of similar ages, consistently offering these opportunities within our local community in Branxton.
  • We have attended local community events and school expos. 
  • We have sponsored local sporting associations. 
  • Education has also been our way to connect. Volunteering our time to offer online and in-person educational talks to parents of children transitioning into Kindergarten and teacher education and training to further enhance their connection with our clients within the classroom and playground environments. 

Exciting New Initiatives!

We are continually creating opportunities for our clients and their families to connect, share their lived experiences, empathise, and feel supported in their communities.

This year, we’re excited to announce the launch of a Parent and Caregiver Support Group. Join us for coffee, conversation, and connection in a warm, welcoming environment. Keep an eye out for details in the coming weeks.

We cannot wait to see you there!!

Tracking Your Wellbeing Journey

Our own Jess Rodgers has been working behind the scenes to develop a Wellbeing Planner designed to help track goals and wellbeing progress. This planner originated during the rapid changes of 2020-2021 when Jess realised she needed a way to stay accountable and look after her health and wellbeing. 

Jess created a Wellbeing Planner to achieve this goal!

Our Explore and Soar team will utilise this Wellbeing Planner throughout the year to support our journeys and remain accountable for our health and wellbeing to ensure we are happy, healthy, and present to support you, our clients, and our families. And we’re thrilled to offer it to you as well.

If you’d like to join us on this journey, purchase your Wellbeing Planner today. With the new Wellbeing Planner, we hope this will help our clients track and improve their health through intentional goal-setting.

Wellbeing Planner for sale - https://www.jessrodgers.com.au/

We look forward to being part of our community this year, providing support, education, and engagement for all our clients and families.

By focusing on community wellbeing, we hope to inspire you to start building meaningful connections, too!

Stay tuned for exciting events and monthly blogs filled with valuable information just for you!

Until next time, 
Jess and the Explore and Soar Team

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024

References

  • Hyett, N., McKinstry, C. E., Kenny, A., & Dickson-Swift, V. (2015). Community-centred practice: Occupational therapists improving the health and wellbeing of populations. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 63(5-8).
  • Scaffa, M. (Ed.). (2001). Occupational Therapy in Community-Based Practice Settings. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.

Latest Posts

Embracing Transitions and Growth: A Year of Learning and Achievement

· ·

EMBRACING TRANSITIONS AND GROWTH:
A YEAR OF LEARNING AND ACHIEVEMENT

Embracing Transitions and Growth Fuels Our Success!

As we approach the end of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve shared. All I can say is, “What a year it has been!”

It was a year of exploring ways that we transition throughout our lives. From significant life changes such as transitioning into adulthood, moving homes, transitioning into a new school year (especially Kindergarten or year 7), starting new careers, trying a new sport, or managing health conditions to the everyday transitions we experience, like transitioning from home to school, catching the bus, transitioning from playtime to dinner, or switching off technology devices. The list is endless.

Every transition, big or small, contributes to our growth and learning.

By embracing transitions and growth, we develop new skills and gain valuable experiences at each stage of life.

Celebrating Success in Life Transitions

At Explore and Soar, we understand that embracing transitions is essential for both children and their families. Each step forward is a sign of progress.

What truly stands out this year is the unwavering support from parents and caregivers. Your dedication, love, and hard work in helping your children navigate these transitions have been truly inspiring. The effort, persistence, and love you pour into supporting your children as they reach their goals is a beautiful sight. We’ve witnessed the joy and pride on their faces as they master new skills – a testament to your hard work. We also recognise the challenges you face, and in those tough moments, please remember – we see you, we hear you, and we are here to help!

For more on managing life transitions, check out our previous blog to learn more about transitions in therapy.

Explore and Soar: Growing Together

This year, Explore and Soar has expanded its horizons! We introduced a fresh new look and broadened our age range to better support clients transitioning from school to university, work, or community life. We were also thrilled to open our new space in the Kurri Kurri clinic for therapy sessions when home or community settings aren’t ideal.

These transitions wouldn’t have been possible without the collaboration and commitment of our families and, most importantly, the continuous work of our dedicated team, who tirelessly support these transitions and consistently assist our families in new and evolving ways.

End-of-Year Celebrations & Transition Ahead

As we wrap up the year, the Explore and Soar team celebrated with a joyful Christmas party, creating beautiful macrame pieces and enjoying a delicious dinner. We had so much fun!

We also held our Annual Reflections and Projections Day, where we identified our achievements and worked toward an actionable plan for the new year. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect, share ideas, and commit to growing together as a team while continuing to support each other, our families, and our communities.

Important Dates: Holiday Closure & Upcoming January School Holiday Programs

At the end of each year, our team takes a well-deserved break to rest, recharge, and spend quality time with our families and friends!

This year, our Christmas closure will begin at the end of business on Friday, December 20th. We will return with our January School Holiday group programs starting Monday, January 13th, 2025!

If you’d like to join our January programs, be sure to secure your spot today! These fun and engaging programs will run from January 13th to 17th and again from January 20th to 24th, 2025. We cannot wait to see you there. Click here to see more about the programs and secure your spot!

Looking ahead to the new year, embracing transitions and growth will remain a central focus at Explore and Soar.

Until next time, we wish all of our Explore and Soar family a joyful Christmas break filled with quality time with loved ones, sunshine, and relaxation. Look after yourselves, and we can’t wait to reconnect in the New Year and continue this journey together!

Wishing You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Until next time, 
Jess and the Explore and Soar Team

PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2024

Latest Posts

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours

· · Leave a Comment

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

It’s December! Bring on all the end-of-year celebrations after another great year. How are you celebrating and acknowledging the last 12 months? 

End of Year Celebrations

For us, our team have been all together again in November and have had our Christmas Party. We celebrated the last year by being creative with making Christmas wreaths, eating delicious foods and spending some quality time together. Check out some of our Christmas celebratory pictures. Lots of laughs were had! 

We have continued our time together to participate in a team day, where we have spent time together reflecting on just how much we have achieved together for ourselves, clients, their families and our communities. We have been beyond grateful to continue sharing our knowledge and providing ongoing support, therapy and guidance in achieving your goals this year.  So, thank you for being vulnerable and safe in allowing us to come into your home and work so closely to gain these achievements! Without your ongoing commitment, we wouldn’t be able to work so effortlessly alongside you!! 

This opportunity has also allowed us to identify where we will focus on for 2024. As you know, we love a good theme, and this coming year, we have another coming your way. Keep an eye out for our New Year January blog, where we will share the 2024 Annual Theme and all the new exciting things coming!

School Holiday Groups & Intensives!

The last 12 months, we have been focused on developing new group programs for our clients based on feedback we have received. We have been working behind the scenes to be able to offer these options for January 2024. It gave us such joy to announce and share them with you all. If you have missed out on seeing these groups, make sure you check out our website for all the information or contact us today! 

These new group programs, “Game Changers” and “Transition to High School”, will commence in the January 2024 school holidays alongside our popular group programs “Big School STARS (transition to Kindergarten)”, “Shake n Bake” and “Teenage Dirtbags”.

Based on our group numbers, we will also offer limited spots for our School Holiday Intensives Programs. If you would like the opportunity to commence the year strong, discuss it with your treating clinician or call our office today. 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! 

With great love and well wishes, the Explore and Soar team wishes you a great end of year with lots of celebrations, rest and family time. We look forward to going on a well-deserved break with you all from Friday, 15th December 2023 and returning on Monday, 8th January 2024. 

We can’t wait to see you all in 2024.

Until next time, 
Jess

Latest Posts

The Developmental Stage of Handwriting Skills

· · Leave a Comment

THE DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE OF HANDWRITING SKILLS

The year is flying by! I cannot believe that we are already in July! 

Our winter school holidays are in full swing and we are now taking the time out to rest, recharge and perhaps even go on a small trip with our family! June brings about the halfway mark of the year and from here on we start thinking about what the remaining six months of the year will look like. We reflect on what has been achieved in the first six months of the year and set new goals for the months ahead. 

It’s also a time where we start to think about the transition to Kindergarten.

It’s about doing the preparation needed for a successful and stress-free leap into the next stage of life for both parents and children. It’s all about ensuring our children have the skills needed to make the transition. Reading back through our blogs over the years, we have detailed many of these including emotional regulation, sensory processing and gross motor skills.

A big question that is often asked by parents is how to prepare their child’s handwriting skills. How can we actually determine how well our child is prepared to learn how to write and are they ready for the transition to school?

To commence developing pre-handwriting skills, we spend time focusing on and developing our fine motor skills. You can see more information on fine motor skill development in a blog that we previously wrote here in July of 2020! 

The development of fine motor skills in relation to pre-handwriting skills begins with a focus on shoulder stability and control of whole arm movements including strength of the shoulder, upper arm and forearm, transitions to whole hand movements, positioning, grasping, whole hand coordination, finger isolation and finally finger movements.  

Once the development of fine motor skills has emerged and is strengthening, we then focus on the pencil grasp itself. 

Picking up a pencil: It may sound funny, but there isn’t just one way to learn how to hold a pencil. We first teach children a whole hand grasp, then onto a digital grasp, modified grasp and finally we transition to a tripod grasp. Through the early developmental years, forming these grasps is ideal in working towards a tripod grasp when engaging in academics. Each individual holds their pencil their own way, however, our aim is to ensure that they can each reach functional capacity and ease when completing all writing tasks. 

From the moment they pick up a writing utensil, our children draw, scribble, paint, colour and explore within the world of art. This can be in all mediums and is the beginning of pre-academic handwriting skills. This happens from a very young age and continues to develop over time. It plays such an important part in their development and not just with handwriting skills, but with their language, visual information, grapheme knowledge, word knowledge and developing symbolic representations of letters. 

Learning to write is a long term process and something that needs to be based on each child’s individual goals and skills. During our intervention and support, we scaffold and grade activities based on different developmental stages with pre-handwriting and fine motor activities. This allows for foundational skills to be set, whilst we support each of our clients emerging skills and ultimately preparing them to enter schooling

Learning to write can happen at different times for each child but as a guide and general rule of thumb, this is what most children are exploring / have the ability to do at particular ages:

At 15 months to 2 ½ months:

Random scribbling occurs, picking up their pencils and scribbling on anything they can get their hands on. Let’s face it, how many of our toddlers have picked up a writing utensil and scribbled all over our walls or doors without us realising! As frustrating as this may be, it’s a good indication that they are honing their fine motor skills. At this point in time it is about spontaneous circular shapes or scribbles with reduced clear direction. 

At 2- 3 years:

Controlled Scribbling over time with more practice and their hand muscles strengthening, scribbling drawing has increased in control, smaller drawings and creativity is becoming a part of their ability. They are starting to naturally move towards more controlled circular movements, vertical and horizontal lines, including multiple loops and spirals and shapes that resemble the letters ‘t’ and ‘v’.

Basic Shapes  (2 ½ years – 3 ½ years)

The development and understanding of being able to draw horizontal and vertical lines. Other shapes include circles and squares and shapes that may resemble the letters ‘t’, ‘v’, and ‘h’. 

This can then expand into curves, lines, scribbles that resemble writing and creating their own letters and words which is also helping their imagination, building upon letter recognition and developing drawings and ideas that have meaning, which they are excited to share. 

Pictures of objects or People (3 to 5 years)

This is when the development of distinguished drawing, such as drawing a person begins to emerge. From 3 to 4 years of age it is usually people with their arms and legs attached to their head, with expansion and development of head, body and limbs in appropriate places towards the end of 4 to 5 years of age. In addition, increasing details around the face, including eyes, mouth, nose, ears and hair. At this point your child will be able to tell you all about their drawings and what they represent but they may not always clearly represent the idea at hand. Children at this age will have an increased awareness of being able to draw two objects together, as well as beginning to expand on their subject matter, including trees, houses, vehicles etc. 

Letter and Word Practice (3 to 5 years)

In addition to the expansion of picture drawing, the child’s ability to draw and expand on pre-handwriting shapes also increases. This sets them up for increased letter representation and awareness, shapes expand from squares and circles to a cross (X), attempting triangles, diamonds and an interest in attempting letter development. 

All of these stages are fundamental in developing the pre-handwriting skills required prior to entering Kindergarten. Having these foundational skills allows for the awareness, skill and ability to make the shapes and lines required prior to knowing and beginning the correct letter formation. 

This significant part of development and fine motor skills can be lots of fun and can be completed in so many different ways through craft, play and art!  Being able to get creative, with finger painting, shaving cream, water play, colouring in and drawing are all ways that allow children to experience these skills in a playful way. It’s important to remember that play is the most effective way to learn all pre-academic and handwriting skills. Allowing the child to lead the play and explore their ideas with them will inadvertently assist you in naturally supporting and providing these opportunities to develop the skills needed. 

There is no one size fits all when it comes to developing handwriting skills! Remember that each child is different! 

What’s important for us as Occupational Therapists is coming up with creative and supportive ways to facilitate these learnings.

Berk, L. E. (2013). Child Development (9th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education

Huffman, J. M., & Fortenberry, C. (2011). Helping preschoolers prepare for writing: Developing fine motor skills, Young Children, 66(5), 100-103.

Until next time,
Jess

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 7, 2021

Latest Posts

Subscribe to our newsletter

Receive our news and updates via email. That's all.

View our Terms of Use.

Your feedback is always valued at Explore & Soar. If you have some feedback to help us support your needs better, please click here and share your valued feedback with us today.