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Tag: parenting

Three phones charging on a wall-mounted hallway shelf with cables running into a slot behind and a blank sheet pinned above.
Kids Tech & Screen Time

A family device agreement that actually holds

An agreement written by one parent at 9pm and announced at breakfast…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A plate of quartered sandwiches, a bowl of fruit and two glasses of water set out ready on a kitchen bench.
Rainy Day & Weekend Activities

Beating the 4pm to 6pm witching hour

The late afternoon is hard because everyone in the house runs out…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A wall calendar with several weeks blocked in different colours and one week left blank, beside a closed laptop.
School Holidays

Working parents and the holiday care gap

Australian school holidays run roughly twelve weeks a year and annual leave…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A school uniform laid out on a bed beside a packed school bag and a pair of school shoes.
School Holidays

Getting back into the school routine after the break

The reset works better started a week early and in small increments.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A sprinkler running on dry grass in a backyard with a half-finished cardboard project on a shaded verandah.
School Holidays

Christmas holidays: six weeks is a long time

The Australian summer break has three distinct phases and most households plan…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A small desk in the corner of a living room with a closed laptop, and a school bag and afternoon snack nearby.
Working Parents & Work From Home

Working from home with school-age kids

The 3.30 problem is the one worth solving, because the rest of…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A glass jar of coins on a kitchen table beside a hand-ruled savings chart with crayons resting on it.
Family Budgeting

Teaching kids about money by age

Money lessons only work when they match what a child can actually…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A taped cardboard box on a high garage shelf above a half-full open box of plain toys on the floor.
Storage & Decluttering

Decluttering kids’ toys without the tears

Doing it secretly works until the day it does not, and then…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An open school bag on a kitchen floor with crumpled notes spilling out, and an empty tray on the bench above.
Family Organisation & Planners

The school-year calendar setup that stops missed notices

Notices get missed in the gap between the app, the email and…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
An open lunchbox on a kitchen bench with most of the food still in it and a school bag beside it.
Picky Eaters

Packing lunch for a child who will not eat at school

A lunchbox that comes home full is usually about time, packaging or…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A child's plate with raw carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, corn and a small bowl of dip in separate groups.
Picky Eaters

Vegetables a fussy child will actually eat

Texture is usually the objection rather than taste, which changes what to…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A simple hand-drawn chart stuck low on a fridge with some boxes ticked and a pen hanging beside it.
Routines & Organisation

Chore charts that kids actually use

Most chore charts die in week three. The four reasons are consistent…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A stack of plates on a low table beside a folded cloth and a basket of unmatched socks.
Routines & Organisation

Age-appropriate chores from 2 to 16

Children are capable of far more than most households ask, and the…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A child's bedroom at dusk with a block-out blind drawn against bright evening light, a lamp on low and two books on the bed.
Routines & Organisation

Getting kids to bed without the two-hour battle

Most bedtime battles are caused by something that happened earlier in the…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Three clear lidded storage tubs on a high shelf above a shallow open basket holding a few plain toys.
Toys by Age

Toy rotation: how to make the same toys last

Children with fewer toys available at once play with them for longer.…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A phone in a plain case resting on a kitchen bench beside a charging cable plugged into a wall socket.
Kids Tech & Screen Time

When should a child get their first phone

There is no correct age and anyone who gives you one is…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
A thin school reader open on a lounge room floor beside a small timer and a cushion in afternoon light.
Reading & Literacy

Home readers: how to survive the nightly routine

Home reading turns into a nightly argument for a predictable reason. Ten…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team
Pasta pieces arranged in four rows of three on a kitchen table beside a pencil and a blank sheet of paper.
Learning & Homework

Times tables that actually stick

There are far fewer facts to learn than the grid suggests, once…

Dovelyne editorial team
Dovelyne editorial team