Positive Parenting Malta

This Father’s Day, we celebrate the dads, granddads, and father-figures whose steady love, guidance, and encouragement make all the difference.

Your quiet strength builds confident hearts and happy homes.

Stakeholders and children in the study reported that heavy digital use can reduce opportunities for outdoor play, hobbies, and face-to-face interaction. It can also contribute to fatigue and sleep disruption when devices are used late at night.

These everyday experiences are essential for children’s development, helping them build empathy, communication skills, and emotional resilience.

Families can support children’s wellbeing by creating routines that include screen-free moments, shared activities, and time outdoors.

Source: Attard et al., Children and the Impact of Technology on Their Wellbeing (2025)

The study found that peer influence plays a major role in children’s digital behaviour. Many children feel pressure to remain constantly connected in order to maintain friendships and social status.

This pressure can lead to prolonged screen time and tension between family boundaries and peer expectations.

Parents can support their children by helping them develop confidence in setting digital boundaries, encouraging offline activities, and reminding them that real friendships extend beyond screens.

Source: Attard et al., Children and the Impact of Technology on Their Wellbeing (2025).

Becoming parents is a huge life transition — and many couples find it challenging to balance sleep deprivation, new responsibilities, and relationship changes.

The Parents as Partners Programme, developed by Philip A. Cowan and Carolyn Pape Cowan, is an evidence-based 16-week programme that helps couples navigate this stage together.

Parents who take part report:
✔ Better communication
✔ Less parenting stress
✔ Stronger teamwork
✔ Greater confidence as parents

Most importantly, you’ll connect with other parents experiencing the same journey.
You don’t have to do this alone.

Send us a message for more information.

Sensory Play Supports Healthy Development

Sensory play is more than just fun — it plays an important role in early brain development.

Research in early childhood development shows that when babies and children explore textures, sounds, smells, and movement, they strengthen the brain pathways that support language, problem-solving, motor skills, and emotional regulation.

Sensory play also encourages curiosity, creativity, and independent exploration.
Even more importantly, when parents join in, these activities create moments of connection and shared discovery, which help children feel safe and supported while they learn.

The best part?

Sensory play doesn’t require expensive toys. Everyday objects, nature, and simple household items can become powerful learning experiences.

Try this activity this week and explore the world through your child’s senses.

Connection Reminder

Grounding is not about being perfect.
It’s about pausing, breathing, and reconnecting.

Parenting doesn’t require perfection. What children need most is connection, safety, and calm presence.

When parents pause, slow their breathing, and regulate their own emotions, they are teaching children one of the most powerful life skills: how to calm their bodies and feelings.

Children learn emotional regulation not only through words, but through what they experience with us.

Taking a moment to breathe and reconnect together can turn a stressful moment into a moment of growth and trust.

L-idea ta’ dan il-ktieb ħarġet minn esperjenza ta’ omm li għaddiet mid-dipressjoni ta’ wara t-twelid. Riedet tgħaddi messaġġ li din il-kundizzjoni hija trattabbli u bl-għajnuna l-omm tista’ tfiq minnha.

Digital technology is part of children’s everyday lives, but balance is important.

Research with children in Malta aged 7–15 found that excessive digital engagement is affecting important parts of daily life.

Nearly 45% reported missing homework or studying, while about one-third missed sleep or hobbies because of time spent online.

Parents can support healthier habits by encouraging balanced routines that include sleep, study, hobbies, and offline play. Setting clear but supportive screen boundaries helps children learn to manage technology in a healthy way.

Source: Attard et al., Children and the Impact of Technology on Their Wellbeing (2025).

One of the most damaging aspects of cyberbullying is how quickly harmful content can spread. A single message, image, or comment can circulate widely among peer networks, leaving a lasting digital record.

For children and adolescents, this can lead to intense embarrassment, social exclusion, and emotional distress.

Parents can help by talking to children about digital responsibility, empathy, and the long-term impact of online behaviour. Encouraging kindness and accountability online helps create safer digital communities.

Parenting can feel heavy sometimes… like we should always be doing more, giving more, being more.

But what if the most important things our children need are actually much simpler?
-Connection.
Presence.
Space to grow.

This blog is a gentle reminder to come back to the basics—and to trust that you might already be giving your child what they need most.
Read more in the blog: https://positiveparenting.gov.mt/en/coming-back-to-the-basics-what-children-really-need-from-us/