Do you want to know what your child is thinking? Sit and observe your child while he is playing or engaging with any materials and you will notice that he will often mutter and talk to himself. These monologues are called private speech and peak…
What should be considered in determining whether a preschool is the best one for your child? Â There are no national standards, and there is wide variation among state standards. ~ Fortunately, the Texas Education Agency has established excellent standards for preschool programs in the state…
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…
I have outlined below ways to help your child with imagination/creativity, emotional intelligence, literacy, math, joy of learning, writing development and service. Â As you interact with your child, remember children are not mini-adults. They are qualitatively different in their ways of learning and thinking from…
Your child won’t listen? There are a couple more things to do when a child won’t listen. For levels 1, 2 and 3, see “HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD TO LISTEN- POSITIVE TALK” and “HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD TO LISTEN- INFORMATION/FEELINGS”. LEVEL 4 Asking…
If we had to choose only one parenting tool to use, it would be family meetings.  Positive Parenting: A to Z by Jane Nelson Weekly family meetings made our family’s life a lot smoother. By anticipating what the bumps in the weekly schedule would be, we…
If you want your child to have a high sense of self-esteem, don’t go out of your way to praise her; go out of your way to make sure she experiences mastery in many different ways. We want to be teaching life skills, not providing…