 CARING FOR YOURSELF Parenting young children can be extremely difficult at times. To rejuvenate, do things for yourself.  If you have not made any investments in yourself, you will not have anything to give to your child. Some say that every day you should do…
When your child does something positive, give him a specific complimentary adjective. This is different from saying “good boy”. Why not say “good boy”? Say you ask your child to clean his room. You walk in and the floor is clean and it seems everything…
Reading means understanding a passage, understanding the vocabulary, making connections with life, and decoding words like c-a-t. Before a child can get to that, though, he needs oral language, alphabet knowledge, book knowledge, phonics, and phonological awareness. Phonics, which you hear everyone talking about, means recognizing symbols and connecting them…
The process a child undergoes to learn to speak, read, and write is interesting to consider in light of how oral and written language have evolved throughout history. Our little kids will master the basics of written language in three or so years. Yet it…
The definition of intelligence depends on the time and culture you live in. During Socrates’ day, intelligent people were those who could memorize extensive passages and then recite them. There were hardly any written texts in 500 BC so this ability to memorize was valued.…
Play is a natural promoter of intellectual growth, literacy, creativity, imagination, Â and social/emotional development. Play promotes intellectual growth. Children, while playing, develop the ability to learn to think symbolically and abstractly. Â The development of symbolic and abstract thought is the ability to represent thoughts, feelings…
 The holidays are often the times when you and your child are with relatives you don’t see very often. Of course, you want your child to be on their best behavior. So, then why does she sometimes act her worst? Think about the whole thing from…
You ask your child to clean his room, and the result is tears, frustration, or tantrums. There are many things you can do to prevent this response. It is essential that you understand that children have cognitive limitations in organizing and to work within those…
Your Aunt Maria says that all you have to do is set boundaries. Your uncle says that it doesn’t matter what you do, kids will just turn out the way they are going to. People are often bombarded with a wide range of parenting suggestions…
Sometimes it feels like you cannot change your child’s behavior so try focusing on changing your own behavior instead. For this, use “I messages”. This only works in certain situations, though, but can be an extremely effective tool. “I messages” are about controlling your own…
Children like to contribute. Even two year olds can do things to help. They often say, “Let me do it myself” so try to find ways for your child to help with chores around the house. We have to remember how challenging it is for them…
What would life be like for us if no one really listened to us? What if we got home from work and wanted to tell our story, and those around us just looked at their cell phones and didn’t look at us. Â What if our…