Meet Jessica Nossiter- Developing Young Minds

       If I look back at why I started my blog about 4 years ago, the answer is simple. I had completed one and a half years of teaching and was looking for a new venture- the journalism route. I applied for a job at Media24 and during my interview with a kind soul named Charlene, she suggested that I start a blog as I ventured through the rather taxing interview process. I was to write for Women's Health magazine and although I never accepted the job (a better teaching post came along), the blog stayed. The focus of my blog has shifted since and I started realizing how important businesses are. Especially businesses that start from a simple idea or during a trying time.  I remember sitting behind the cash register at my dad's shop waiting to make a sale. His shop was my best place to go do as a child and teenager and at that time I never realized how much risk, effort, and motivation it took to actually run a successful business. That is why I decided to focus on certain extraordinary business ventures that I feel you should invest in. I will feature some Dramatic Dolls who took the plunge and started something unique.  I will feature these brains behind the endeavor and share their stories. We can all draw inspiration from each other and get motivated by the success of others. Remember when we admire someone else we strive to better ourselves. 

      

      Therefore let us look at our first Inspirational Soul -Jessica Nossiter. 

                                               Jessica is the beauty and brains behind Developing Young Minds and she focuses on developing activities for the little ones to keep them developing their fine motor skills and engaging in various tasks. Her business started during lockdown but is enjoying success and will continue even as levels change. 

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       What motivated you to start your venture/business?

Being a student studying a Bachelor of Education in foundation phase teaching, Pinterest has always been a good go-to for me. Through studying, I have been taught a lot about Pinterest and other good sites to get inspo from. I am now in my final year of studying and I can say that from year 1, I had created a Pinterest board called ‘fine motor’ and over the years, along with all my other boards, it has grown and grown with fun, creative and educational ideas. Sitting at home during the nationwide lockdown due to COVID-19, I am still able to, fortunately, continue with my studies, but my mind kept pondering on the idea of creating a business where I could share my knowledge and ideas to a whole lot of moms stuck at home with their little busy toddlers running out of ideas to keep them occupied. Developing Young Minds the name I came up with for my business as these activities I make help build and develop these young minds that are ready to learn. My activities are mainly focused on fine motor development which aids in the development of tiny muscles in your hands and fingers. Activities include cutting, sticking, using pegs, using Velcro, and playing with playdough. Although I am still new and small, I hope to carry on and grow my business post lockdown.

What have you learnt on your journey?

I have learnt that whenever you have an idea, never be afraid to pursue it because, with perseverance, your idea will take you places, and I hope and can see already that my idea can take me places. I have also learnt that in going ahead with my business, I have already helped a lot of moms and dads with keeping their toddlers occupied during the lockdown, as many moms and dads are already pulling their young ones out of school for the year as they have missed so much learning already, so my activities can help them continue learning and developing at home.

What inspires you?

Although I am not a mom myself yet, I am a big fan of mom bloggers and I love following them on Instagram and learning from them. As I am studying teaching, these toddlers and teaching is what inspires me the most as I have always dreamed of being a foundation phase teacher, and by the end of 2020, my dream will have come true. I absolutely love sharing my knowledge with the younger generation and seeing a child achieve something and enjoy doing an activity is what really warms my heart as it shows that whatever I’m doing, is working and I’m not only helping myself, but I’m helping a whole lot of young learners develop into shining stars.

A look into the activities:

                                        

A message from Jessica: 

"Here at Developing Young Minds,

which is based in Durban Kwazulu Natal, we create exciting,

engaging, colourful and educational activities for our little

learners ranging from the age of 12 months to 9- years old.

All our activities are laminated for safekeeping, reusing and

durability. Our focus is on fine motor skills which are the 

important little muscles in our hands and fingers, but we do 

provide other fun activities or flashcards which children can

learn from."

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