Black Friday and Children
With Black Friday a few days away, I felt it was a good time to share an earlier article on purchasing appropriate toys. When selecting toys for your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, etc., there are a few things to keep in mind. Before buying consider these questions. Is the toy age appropriate? Always consider the […]
Learning Through Movement
Children learn through movement, yet, more often than not, we tell them to sit still and be quiet while learning new material. Many children are capable of learning visually and auditorially without movement, but some are not. When we get new information, it has to be stored for future retrieval. If a child’s memory storage […]
Multiple Types of Learning
According to multiple intelligences learning theory (1983 Howard Gardner), we are all intelligent beings, but in different ways. We learn in different ways and we express ourselves in different ways, as well. It is good to know we are all good at something. When children begin to understand how they are intelligent, they understand the […]
Remembering Assignments During the Busy School Year
Remembering information for school can be improves by adapting a few simple strategies, which can be real game changers for your child’s school life. – Concentration is incredibly important for retaining memory. You need to keep things simple. When studying and trying to remember things for school, focus on only that. Don’t think about that […]
Help Your Child Raise Their Grades
With the school year underway, goals are set for a better year. This includes getting better grades. But how? Of course, setting a routine that works for better attention and focus, as well as taking notes, has great merit, but learning how to study and take tests, also contribute to the student doing their best, […]
Helping Your Child Become A Better Student
With the start of school, so also is there the reminder that with each year we try to improve how much we take away from the school year. It is a time of refreshing our academic selves. It is a time to help our child become a better student. There are a few rules that […]
A New School Year
It’s a new school year, which makes this a perfect time to establish good interactions with school staff. I am encoring a series of articles I feel are important iin this endeavor. One of the most profound statements concerning children and their needs is attributed to Hillary Clinton. She simply said, “It takes a village […]
Teaching the Value of Respect Using the Holidays
The 4th of July offers a great venue to teach your child to respect their country and the symbols that represent it to us. Explain to your child what makes America so special, and how we show our gratitude for the privilege of living within her borders. Look at an American flag together, pointing out […]
“A Child’s Work Is Play”
“A child’s work is his/her play.” As parents, grandparents and caregivers, we strive to create opportunities for our child to meet his/her maximum potential. To this end, assist your child in creative play, as the more creative the play, the greater the intellectual growth. Encourage creative play through “play schemes.” “Play schemes” are defined as […]
A Separate View
At what point in early childhood will your child begin to view himself/herself as separate from Mom and Dad, and is it natural? Yes, it is not only natural, but a desired social and emotional development, and you can help guide the new found independence. Your child’s growing independence from the family and interest in […]
Rewards or Consequences
Should children be rewarded for good behavior? Positive reinforcement is one method employed to gain positive behavior. Rewards can have positive outcomes. Complements are always good extrinsic rewards, but rewards for good behavior cannot keep pace with your child’s changing wants. This system almost never works with middle school and high school aged children. When […]
Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?
With kindergarten registration comes the question of whether your child is ready for school. Most children are ready and should enter kindergarten with their chronologically aged peers, but sometimes a child is not quite ready and may need to wait another year. Late birthdays are always factors to consider. It is hard to see into […]
Boxes for Creative Play
Boxes are wonderful ways to assist in creative play by springing your child’s imagination, which will enhance more complex play schemes. Become An Animal: This simple box horse can be modified to become any animal your child might want to become. Supplies: Large cardboard box, scissors, markers/temper paints, yarn, masking tape, wide cloth ribbon/strips of […]
Easter Activities for Fine Motor Skill Development
Easter Fun Activities To Build Fine Motor Skills Bubble Wrap Easter Eggs You Need: paper paint paintbrushes bubble wrap scissors Directions: – Cut the bubble wrap into squares. – Paint the squares of bubble wrap using paintbrushes. They will need to hold the square of bubble wrap to paint it, in much the same way […]
Sensory Activities for Easter
Peeps Play Dough is squishy in texture, which makes it the perfect Easter sensory activity. To make Peeps Play Dough you need: 5 Peeps 3+ tbsp. of corn starch 1 & 1/2 tsp of cooking oil Optional: Food coloring Instructions: – Combine ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, and heat around 30 seconds or until they […]
Springtime Fun with the Kids
Even though Spring does not officially arrive until the Spring Equinox on March 20th, I always consider March a Spring month. Spring means sunshine, wind, tulips, windmills, and kites. It is the time for flying kites. Three kite designs to purchase in stores are: ⦁ The Sode kite: Known as the Kimono kite, for its […]