By the time this article is published, we’ll either be open or about to open! Once National Day has been celebrated we shall return! The expression “absence makes the heart grow fonder” is very true. 

After a few weeks off, we really do miss seeing everyone….
especially your children’s happy faces.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, socialising your children during their early years is beneficial to both you and them. The groups that we run at PACS, assists in developing their emotional, social and physical development. It’s also a great place for Carers / Parents to meet other adults and form vital friendships as you navigate your way through the ups and downs of parenting. We are very proud of the fact that we now run five days a week, offering a variety of different groups aimed to ensure that all of the children that attend benefit from what we do.  

Take a look below at our weekly schedule! 

Totally Toddlers – Time TBC

Mid Harbours Family Centre. 

Come join us for Storytime, craft and play.  

Play Sense – Tuesdays 10.00 – 11.00am

Mid Harbours Family Centre. 

Sensory Friendly playgroup for children who would benefit from a quieter environment. Spaces are limited and need to be booked on pacsgib@gmail.com 

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

The Living Room Café (Methodist Church). Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies in a home from home atmosphere. This is a relaxed session where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and talk about the highs and lows of parenting. 

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15pm

A fun session aimed at toddlers aged from 2.5 upwards giving children the chance to make and try different foods. Come to this yummy and creative session at The Methodist Church. These sessions must be pre-booked via email pacscooking@outlook.com. Details are released on a weekly basis.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

Come join us at the Methodist Church for some interactive Story Time Fun! Different themes every week!

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

Come join us at the Methodist Church for free play, story time and song time fun!

Volunteers always needed!   

We are always on the lookout for new volunteers. Any help is always well received, and you’ll be working with a great bunch of people. There is never a dull moment! Please contact us through our Facebook Page if you’d like more information! 

Details of Monthly Craft Clubs from ages 2.5 upwards be announced on our Facebook page
Please like and follow us on Facebook for regular updates on all of our groups.
facebook.com/parentandchildsociety

One question we get asked time and time again is, is this normal behaviour? 

Playgroup can be a pretty crazy environment for toddlers as they try to negotiate their way through many different situations. Children and especially toddlers don’t always behave how we would like. It’s very common for us to encounter children hitting, biting, snatching, pulling hair and the age old shouting “mine” at the tops of their voices whilst they stamp their feet in frustration.

ALL PERFECTLY NORMAL.

One of the great things about our volunteers is that we are all parents and we’ve all had to deal with this kind of behaviour with our own children. In fact, we massively rely on each other for parenting advice as it comes our own interesting situations! Someone once told me, when my particularly exuberant three-year-old was in the midst of a hitting frenzy, that it’s like breaking in a horse. You want to tame them, but you don’t want to break their spirit. And you know, I actually think that pretty much sums it up! Both of my children have always been referred to as spirited. When they were really little, it used to really worry me. I figured people must mean naughty but were trying to be polite.

But has they’ve got older, with one of them now being an actual teenage rather than a “threenager”, I’ve come to realise that being spirited isn’t so bad…although as a parent its hard work! Everyone talks about how hard the new-born stage is and that the terrible twos are just around the corner almost as if you won’t enjoy it (sometimes you won’t!).

You’ll always have parents who will tell you “Mine would never do that” and other such comments. But rest assured, every parent will experience some challenging situations with their child. When you think other people are watching you, as if they are judging you, most of the time they are probably pleased it’s not them.

A Mum recently said to me, that, after a difficult few days, where their child had decided that snatching and being generally difficult (not observed by us!) was the best way to behave at a few of our sessions, she had seriously considered not coming any more. The best piece of advice we can ever give is….keep coming! The only way they can learn is by socialising. And also, for your own sanity… a cup of tea and a chat with someone whose going through the same thing always helps!  +

Whats on at PACS

Totally Toddlers – Mondays 10.00-12.00pm

Mid Harbours Family Centre. Come join us for Storytime, craft and play.  

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

The Living Room Café (Methodist Church). Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies in a home from home atmosphere. This is a relaxed session where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and talk about the highs and lows of parenting. 

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15pm

Cooking Club at the Methodist Church. A fun session aimed at toddlers aged from 2 .5 upwards giving children the chance to make and try different foods. Booking required.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

Come join us at the Methodist Church for some interactive Story Time Fun! Different themes every week!

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

Come join us at the Methodist Church for free play, story time and song time fun!

Knowing when to start potty training can be a worrying time for parents and if this is your ‘first time’ you can feel unsure of when and what is the best way to potty train. Most children learn between 18 and 24 months but this can vary depending on gender.

At PACS we have had the opportunity to see many children move through the different stages of development and have been able to help and advise parents through them including toilet training. The most important thing to remember is to not worry about it, every child is different and therefore, different techniques and timeframes apply.

When?

Not all children learning to potty training at the same age and therefore it is important that instead of looking at the age you should instead look for signs of readiness, like the following;

• They follow simple instructions
• They understand and use words about associated with the potty
• They can make the connection between the urge to pee or poop and using the potty
• Keep a nappy dry for 2 hours or more
• They go to the potty, sit on it for enough time, and then get off the potty
• They are pulling down nappies, disposable training pants, or underpants
• They show an interest in using the potty or wearing underpants

It is also wise to think about when you potty train to not have any major life changes happening, for example moving house or a new baby or when you child is ill. The time of year can be important too, as it much easier to clean and dry clothes in Summer.

How?

• There are lots of different ways to potty train and you need to find what works best for you , your child and your routines. However, some key tips are:
• Set aside some time to devote to the potty-training process. It will take some time.
• Don’t make your child sit on the toilet against his or her will.
• Show your child how you sit on the toilet and explain what you’re doing. If you have older siblings this is a great way to show your younger one how to use the toilet.
• Establish a routine. For example, first thing in the morning, about 45 minutes to an hour after drinking lots of liquids or eating
• Avoid clothes that are hard to take off. Clothing they can take off themselves really helps.
• Offer your child small rewards, such as stickers or time reading, every time your child goes in the potty and maybe once they are starting to master it a bigger reward.
• Make sure all caregivers — including babysitters, grandparents, and childcare workers — follow the same routine and use the same names for body parts etc
• Remember that accidents will happen. Don’t punish potty-training children or show disappointment when they wet or soil themselves or the bed its an accident and they need your support.

Whats on at PACS

Totally Toddlers – Mondays 10.00-12.00pm

Mid Harbours Family Centre. Come join us for Storytime, craft and play.  

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

The Living Room Café (Methodist Church). Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies in a home from home atmosphere. This is a relaxed session where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and talk about the highs and lows of parenting. 

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15pm

Cooking Club at the Methodist Church. A fun session aimed at toddlers aged from 2 .5 upwards giving children the chance to make and try different foods. Booking required.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

Come join us at the Methodist Church for some interactive Story Time Fun! Different themes every week!

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

Come join us at the Methodist Church for free play, story time and song time fun!

Despite having to close, then open, then close and then open again(!) we’ve tried to ensure that for the children PACS has remained as normal as possible. Safety has always been a number one priority and wearing a thick jumper has become the norm as we keep all the widows open! It’s been an interesting time (to put it politely) and has given us as Play Leaders time to observe and reflect on what we do. One of the biggest observations is how important our groups are to both the children and the parents / care givers. I’ve lost count of the number of times one of us has been stopped in Main Street or Morrissons asking us to stay open, telling us how they spend the week looking forward to coming. Children love routine and coming along to one of our six sessions week in week out provides that. Lockdown also had a major affect on the children’s socialising skills. Learning to interact with other children, and adults, other than those that live with them, is a vital skill before they start school. Due to the fact that each of our sessions offers something different, the children are able to learn lots of different and vital skills along the way. 

PACS runs for the Community. Apart from our Cooking and Craft Club’s, we do not charge for any groups (the charge for the above groups only covers our costs). We pride ourselves on being available to every family in Gibraltar. If coming to one of our groups seems quite daunting, please give it a try. Some friendly faces and a cup of tea whilst your child happily plays is often needed! Come along and see what we are about!

Volunteers always needed!  

If reading that inspired any of you, we are always on the lookout for new volunteers. Any help is always well received, and you’ll be working with a great bunch of people. There is never a dull moment! Please contact us through our Facebook Page if you’d like more information! 

Whats on @ PACS

Totally Toddlers – Mondays 10.00-12.00pm

Mid Harbours Family Centre. Come join us for Storytime, craft and play.  

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

The Living Room Café (Methodist Church). Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies in a home from home atmosphere. This is a relaxed session where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and talk about the highs and lows of parenting. 

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15pm

Cooking Club at The Methodist Church. A fun session aimed at toddlers aged from 2 ½ upwards giving children the chance to make and try different foods. Booking required.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

Sensory Storytime from 1-2pm at The Methodist Church. Come join us for some interactive Story Time Fun! Different themes every week!

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

Diddy Discoverers from 9.45 – 11.45am. Come join us for free play, story time and song time fun!

Monthly Craft Clubs from ages 2.5 upwards.
Details will be announced on our Facebook page: Parent and Child Society – PACS Gibraltar  

Flag Day, Positive Parenting and a TV appearance! 

We at The Parent & Child Society love what we do. From watching your baby learn how to smile, roll over and eventually grab toys! 

To seeing them come running in happily to playgroup where they learn vital social skills and then eventually Cooking & Craft Club where we get to watch them become independent and ready for school.  It really is a joy to watch them grow. We never underestimate the importance of our groups. We are continually working on making the sessions better and developing new ideas. But PACS can’t run without the all-important donations. We are a registered charity run purely by volunteers. Any money received is always reinvested. With Covid restrictions still in force, the purchasing of cleaning products is currently our biggest outlay. New toys, insurance and of course ingredients and items for our craft club all need to be purchased. There is of course no obligation to donate, and it is definitely something we would never police. Our groups are open to all members of the community. But please, when you see our tin at groups, if you have a spare £1.00 then we’d love you to put it in! As we are writing this, the final planning for our annual Flag Day on Friday 28th January. Flag Day makes a huge difference to us as a charity. The more money we have, the better we can be

GBC “Join the Club” 

As always, we are constantly trying to find ways to promote what we do to ensure that we reach the whole community. GBC are running a new season of the programme “Join the Club.” The programme takes a look at Gibraltar’s many clubs, societies and associations and lets you know how you can join in. Some lovely Mums who attend the groups, agreed to be interviewed along with two of our trustees. We’ll let you know when we will be on! Thanks, GBC, for taking the time to come and film one of our playgroups and our ever-popular Cooking Club!

Positive Parenting with ChildLine 

Last October we had the pleasure of working with Childline to offer a Positive Parenting Course to some of the Mum’s who attend our groups. The course was a great success! So much so, that in February we will be offering the course again to a new set of Parents. We are very proud that we are able to offer this to our parents. If you are interested in discussing it further. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch! 

Whats on @ PACS

Totally Toddlers – Mondays 10.00-12.00pm

Mid Harbours Family Centre. Come join us for Storytime, craft and play. Please note that due to COVID restrictions, this group is currently closed. Please check our Facebook Page for updates. 

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

The Living Room Café (Methodist Church). Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies in a home from home atmosphere. This is a relaxed session where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and talk about the highs and lows of parenting.

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15pm

Cooking Club at The Methodist Church. A fun session aimed at toddlers aged from 2.5 upwards giving children the chance to make and try different foods. Booking required.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

Sensory Storytime from 1-2pm at The Methodist Church. Come join us for some interactive Story Time Fun! Different themes every week!

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

Diddy Discoverers from 9.45 – 11.45am. Come join us for free play, story time and song time fun!

Monthly Craft Clubs from ages 2.5 upwards. Details will be announced on our Facebook page.  

We hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year. This time last year we were running Virtual Playgroups due to another lockdown. 2022 is already looking up! 

As always at The Parent and Child Society, we are always thinking of new ideas, new groups and new ways to ensure that we give the best service. Plans for this year are constantly being worked on and we’re very excited to be able to share the following news:

Sensory Friendly Playgroup

For a long time, we have been aware that some babies and toddlers with learning needs can find our groups too loud, busy and overwhelming. We are creating a Sensory Friendly playgroup session for toddler and babies with disabilities and their families. This will be a shorter and quieter session. Details to follow shortly…

Electronic Card Payments!

Donations are always gratefully received and really help us to reinvest in the charity. After what seems like forever, we are now able to accept card payment.  This has caused great excitement at PACS HQ! Please ask one of our lead volunteers for more details. Your help is always appreciated. 

Flag Day

Unfortunately due to Covid, our annual Flag Day was cancelled last year. All being well, we will be able to operate this years Flag Day on Friday 28th January. Please look out for us when you are out and about in town. Flag Day is a vital part of the year for many Charities in Gib, any monies received will be put straight back into PACS. If you would like to volunteer to help with collections, please contact us via our Facebook page!

First Aid Training

All of our volunteers are Safe Guard Trained and First Aid Trained. Thankfully we have many people in the Community who help us with this. Cultural Services ensure that everyone is offered Safe Guard Training on a regular basis. We have also been offered a free First Aid course to update our current certificates in February. All of our volunteers will be taking part in this in the coming weeks.

Childline

Last term we were able to work with Childline by offering our services to enable them to run a Postive Parenting Course. Some of the lovely mothers who attend our groups took part and it was very successful. This year we will continue to build our relationship with Childline and offer more courses to our parents. Please look out for details on our Facebook page.

And as if that wasn’t enough…..

Phew we already seem busy and we haven’t even started yet! We’ll be back as always with our regular groups. We’re planning to make them better than ever! Here’s a reminder of what we do…

Whats on @ PACS

Totally Toddlers – Mondays 10.00-12.00pm

at Mid Harbours Family Centre. Come join us for storytime, craft and play.

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

at The Living Room Café (Methodist Church). Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies in a home from home atmosphere. This is a relaxed session where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and talk about the highs and lows of parenting.

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15pm

Cooking Club at The Methodist Church. A fun session aimed at toddlers aged from 2.5 upwards giving children the chance make and try different foods. Booking required.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

 at The Methodist Church. Come join us for some interactive Story Time Fun! Different themes every week!

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

Come join us for free play, story time and song time fun!

MONTHLy Craft Club – from ages 2.5 upwards. Details will be announced on our Facebook page.

The Parent and Child Society has been running a new session for 3 weeks in October and November called Craft Club!

The Parent and Child Society has been running a new session for 3 weeks in October and November called Craft Club! Although there are several craft sessions for children on the Rock, PACS felt that these can be very expensive and therefore not available to all. So, in time for Halloween and autumn we have run some special craft sessions. These have been very popular with the children and parents alike, with all sessions fully booked within minutes of advertising.

Week one the children made Halloween themed Ghost and Spider Door decorations. Children got to stick paper and cotton wool and make scary faces with googly eyes! The second session saw children using autumn leaves to make hedgehog drawings and autumn sensory jars with glitter, leaves and oil. And to finish the craft sessions for this month, the children made their own play dough and then created letters, animals and monsters from it. All sessions were a great way for children to learn key motor skills and let their imagination run wild!

Due to the success of these session PACS is looking at running some Christmas based sessions in December. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for details.

Totally Toddlers – Mondays 10.00-12.00pm

We will be getting all festive and ready for the Christmas season! For our story we will be reading “Dear Santa.” And for Craft the children will be printing snowflakes and making Christmas Trees! Ho! Ho! Ho!

Come join us at Mid Harbours Family Centre

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies is held at The Living Room Café, Methodist Church. 

The home from home atmosphere makes this a relaxed session, where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and chat about the highs and the lows of parenting.

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

This month at Diddy Discoverers, as well as having our climbing frames and slides, our sensory table will have some Christmas fun and we’ll be having a Tea Party! 

Come join us for our action-packed session at The Methodist Church.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

Come and join us for some interactive Story Time fun! Different themes every week!

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15 pm

Cooking Club will be making Pizzas and Rocky Road. Kids will have the opportunity to make a mess and taste new foods! Come to this yummy and creative session at The Methodist Church

Craft Club will also be running a Christmas
Session. Check our Facebook page for details!

*This session is PACS only session that must be pre-booked via email pacscooking@outlook.com

Contact Us for more information

It’s Christmas time

At PACS Christmas is our favourite time of year. Here are a few of our favourite Christmas reads, crafts and recipes. 

Every year we read “Dear Santa” by Rod Campbell to our toddlers at story time. It’s the follow-up to the classic Dear Zoo. Our toddlers love to lift the flaps to unwrap each present, until Santa finds the perfect present. The repeating phrases are ideal for a pre-reader. Another favourite is “How the Grinch stole Christmas” by Dr Suess. Its rhymed verses and unique illustrations make it a fun for parents to read aloud to their children.

Remember paper doilies? They make the perfect stencil for snowflakes. For one of PACS Christmas crafts we simply secure the doily to a paper plate with paper clips. Toddlers apply paint usually dark blue using a sponge. Then they simply peel off the doily to reveal the snowflake pattern.  A perfect short winter craft for toddlers. Another fun craft is painting pinecones to make mini-Christmas trees. Toddlers paint a pinecone using green paint and then add glitter and sequins to decorate. Its also great fun to find your own pinecone if you can make it to the woods for a winter walk with the family.

Christmas cookies, whether they are store bought or homemade, toddlers love decorating Christmas cookies with icing and sprinkles. In fact, some of their creations have more sprinkles than biscuit. 

We hope you can join us at our playgroups this December to get into the Christmas spirit. Or try these stories, crafts and recipe ideas at home. 

Whether you are celebrating your baby’s first Christmas or have excited toddlers and pre-schoolers who are beginning to understand the magic of Christmas, we wish you a wonderful Christmas.

In the eyes of children, we find the joy of Christmas; in their hearts we find the meaning. 

As a team, we’ve always strived to find new ideas for sessions to ensure all pre school children in our community have the opportunity to experience different activities… 

Our Monday session, Totally Toddlers provides structured play with a craft, Fridays at Diddy Discoverers provides active play with slides and climbing fun. Our Bumps & Babies session is aimed more at Mum’s and carers as the baby stage can be (is!) hard, so tea and a friendly ear is much needed. Then of course we run Cooking Club on a Wednesday and Friday.

This club is very popular and gives the children a chance to discover new foods and gain some independence. Both of our playgroups offer a story time which is always well received by the children. Seeing how engaged they were when we are reading got us thinking that a dedicated story time would work well.

Thanks to our friends at the Gibraltar Methodist Church, we were able to start our new Sensory Story time session in the Summer Term on a Thursday lunchtime. Asking Toddlers / Pre School Children to sit down for an hour isn’t an achievable task which is why we decided to offer something different.

Each week we have a different theme with a table set up to accompany the stories that we are reading. We don’t expect the children to sit still for the whole hour. They are encouraged to play, interact, touch and talk about the story. In fact, many of them like to tell us a story!

Using sensory play makes the book come alive! Why not join us on a Thursday from 1-2pm to see for yourself!

Whats on @ PACS

Totally Toddlers – Mondays 10.00-12.00pm

Traffic light gluing and sticking, painting muddy puddles, finger painting AND bubble painting is the order of the day in November! For our story we will be reading “Peppa’s Car Ride” and “Tickle Me.” Lots of mess! Lots of Fun!

Come join us at Mid Harbours Family Centre

Bumps & Babies – Wednesdays 9.30am – 12pm

Our regular social catch up for parents to be and babies is held at The Living Room Café, Methodist Church.

The home from home atmosphere makes this a relaxed session, where parents can meet up with their young babies to enjoy a cup of tea, make friends and chat about the highs and the lows of parenting.

Diddy Discoverers – Fridays 9.45 -11.45am

This month at Diddy Discoverers, as well as having our climbing frames, tents, tunnels and slides, our sensory table will have some construction fun, an autumn theme and we’ll be measuring things with socks!

Come join us for our action-packed session at The
Methodist Church.

Sensory Story Time – Thursdays 1.00 – 2.00pm

Come and join us for some interactive Story Time fun! Different themes every week!

Craft Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15pm
on the 3rd & 5th November

Craft Club will be heading into Autumn with an autumn themed craft using pine cones and leaves. Come join us for some crafty fun! 

*This session must be booked in advance. Details below.. 

Cooking Club – Wednesday & Friday 12.30 – 2.15 pm (excluding 3rd & 5th)

Cooking Club will be making Stuffed Jacket Potato Skins, Pizza and Banoffee Pies!

The children will have the opportunity to make a mess and taste new foods!

Come to this yummy and creative session at The Methodist Church

*This session is PACS only session that must be pre-booked via email pacscooking@outlook.com

Whether your child started school for the first time, moved to a new school or transitioned to high school it can be an emotional and exciting few weeks for children and parents alike. Here are our top tips for making things go smoothly. 

Drop off: If you know a child in the class arrange to meet and walk in together. Everything is less scary with a friend. 

Create a goodbye routine, whether it’s a kiss and hug, “see you later alligator”, or hi five. Practice this routine at all times when you leave your child, for example at a grandparents, at play dates, not just school. It gives them a verbal and physical reminder that your leaving but will be back again soon. 

Trust in the teachers and teaching assistants. They are complete pros at this and have dealt with children finding transition to school difficult. There isn’t much they haven’t seen before.

Less Questions at pick-up: When you ask your child about their day they may not have much to say. Some children need some downtime before the can reflect, think or talk about school. 

Don’t plan too much in the first few weeks: Wait until they are settled before signing them up for lots of after school clubs. Your child maybe very tired in these first few weeks. 

It’s a big step your parents too: You may feel like you have lost your baby, they are becoming a big girl or boy by starting school. Your pre-teen maybe transitioning to high school and your worried about the challenges and new responsibilities they are going to face. 

Have that chat with a friend or your partner, keep busy either with work, take time for that exercise class or 5 mins to yourself, you have been longing for. This allows you space not to unconsciously pass your anxieties to your child.  

Routine: It’s a word used a lot in all aspects of parenting, but that’s because it works. Its especially useful to build a routine in the first few weeks of school. You may want to make preparations for the next day part of your evening routine. There won’t be much expectations for homework in their first few weeks but it soon comes, so set some time aside each evening. Your child will be processing all the new experiences they’re having so sticking to a bedtime routine helps. Sleep is a remedy for most things.

No comparisons: “look that child doesn’t cry about school”, or “your friends are so much more organised”. Knowing your child and loving them for who they are is one of the greatest gifts we can give to our children.  We each take our own unique journey in our own time. 

In general your child and you should be well settled by half term and used to new routines.