How to Raise a Leader

Leadership can be hard to define. You could say it’s the act of guiding or influencing a group of people, but that definition doesn’t quite capture the spirit of what parents mean when they say, “I want my child to grow up to be a leader.”

How to Raise a Self-Confident Girl

A ten-year-old girl sits in my office, her gaze averted. She tells me that she’s worried because she “froze” and couldn’t remember anything on her math test. She thinks her parents will be upset. She also worries that her teacher will tell her to study harder. She doesn’t want extra math homework. She’s sure that she’s just “not good” at math and there is nothing she can do about it.

How to Raise Strong Girls

“I just wish she had the confidence to speak up.”

This is a phrase I hear over and over again from parents of young girls – and I remember having the same thought when my own daughter was in kindergarten.

How to Raise Your Three Year Old to Treat Others With Compassion

Compassion means we care about others, treat them with kindness, and feel a strong desire to help people in need. Compassion is empathy in action. For a three-year-old, compassion might look like giving a hug or drawing a picture to help a sad friend or family member. Noticing someone else’s distress and wanting to respond is the foundation of compassion.

How to Raise Your Two-Year-Old to Treat Others With Compassion

Compassion means we care about others, treat them with kindness and feel a strong desire to help people in need. Compassion is empathy in action. For a two-year-old, compassion might look like giving a hug to a friend or family member who feels sad. Noticing someone else's distress and wanting to respond is the foundation of compassion.

How to Reinforce Positive Behavior in Toddlers

Positive reinforcement is a discipline strategy that helps children learn socially appropriate behavior. Like children of all ages, toddlers seek approval from their caregivers. Your toddler is more likely to repeat good behavior when you reinforce it with praise or rewards. Providing positive attention also decreases the likelihood that your toddler will misbehave to get attention. Whether your toddler is using gentle touches while petting the dog or working hard to build a tower with blocks, reinforce these positive behaviors.

How to Stop a Toddler from Hitting and Biting

When your toddler bites or hits another child, you'll likely feel shocked and confused. After all, if your child is aggressive, you've probably done something wrong. Actually, biting and hitting are completely age-appropriate behaviors for toddlers. At the same time, parents do need to teach children how to deal with their frustration or anger in a less physical way.

How to Stop Your Toddler From Name Calling

It doesn't matter if your toddler learned name-calling from watching TV or is imitating unkind words he heard his friends use left unchecked, this can develop into a hard-to-break habit. Less obviously than hitting or kicking, name-calling is a form of bullying. Children also resort to name calling when they feel out of control or hurt. Stopping your toddler from name calling requires skillful parenting and teaching him more appropriate ways to express himself.

How to Stop Your Toddler From Talking Back

You waited with anticipation to hear your child's first words, but now your toddler has some language that you don't want to hear. The longer you wait to put the brakes on your toddler's back talk, the harder the process becomes. Halting sass takes cooperation from parents and children. Modifying behavior also requires calm discussions about the situations when the sass happens, and then moving forward to make important communication changes.

How to Support Your Child for a Very Different School Year

Several years ago, while substituting in a kindergarten classroom, I forgot to add the “lunch” icon to the daily wall schedule. As the students filed in, two children burst into tears, convinced that lunch was canceled.

How to Support Your Young Introvert

Last week, I took my kids to their first concert. The auditorium was exploding with dance music, squeals of delight, and small bodies wiggling in the aisles. With each new song, my son became more energized. By the end of the concert, his batteries were fully charged, and he danced all the way to the car.

How to Talk to Kids About Honesty

On the way home from preschool one day, my five-year-old began to tell me a fascinating story. A boy at school had hit him, he shared. “But you can’t tell the teachers about it, Mom!” Alarmed, I asked him for more details.

How to Teach Kids Self-Sufficiency and Responsibility

Your kids spend many years under your protection and supervision. It can be difficult to encourage independence in them as they grow, but this is a necessary rite of passage. To help prepare your offspring for adulthood, teach self-sufficiency and responsibility to your kids. These important life skills will help ensure future success, because your children will have realistic preparation for the challenges and difficulties that await them as adults.

How to Teach Kids to be Polite

Parents do kids a grave disservice when they don't teach them how to be polite. Teachers, friends, neighbors and extended family all appreciate it when kids are polite to them and are genuinely bothered when kids are not polite. Teaching manners gives kids a life filled with greater appreciation for themselves and others when they grow up with appropriate manners and respect for themselves and those around them. This all begins with the basics of teaching kids to be polite from a young age. Here are simple ways to get kids on the right road to being polite.

How to Teach Leadership Skills to Kids

When adults encourage children to develop leadership skills, it's one of the best ways to guarantee them a bright future. Children start benefiting from leadership skills at almost any age. Not only will they gain more self-esteem and interact more easily and effectively with their peers, they can also make an impact on their community. These qualities will continue to develop and evolve as children grow up. Whether you're a parent or educator, you can use simple techniques to support and nourish leadership qualities in children.

How to Teach the Importance of Education to Children

Children at their earliest ages should learn and realize the importance of education in their lives. Some kids, however, may resist your efforts and insist on doing things their way. As a parent, your best teaching tool is your attitude. Having a positive attitude about reading and a curiosity about learning new things instills similar beliefs in your children. Show them that education is the ticket to fulfilling their dreams and having a productive life.

How to Teach Your Child to Listen

Many parents find it very difficult to get their children to listen and behave appropriately. To be honest, it doesn't have to be that hard. It's really up to parents to teach their children listening skills.

If your child isn't listening to you, it's time to take a deeper look into your parenting skills. Take a deep breath, there is help. Follow these few steps in order to learn how to teach your children to listen.

How to Teach Your Eight Year Old Responsibility

Responsibility means being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions. A responsible citizen looks out for the well-being of others and understands we all have a part to play in making the world a better place. For an eight-year-old, responsibility might look like getting themselves ready for school, taking care of their belongings, helping with specific household chores, and looking for ways to be a helper at school and in the community.

How to Teach Your Five Year Old Responsibility

Responsibility means being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions. A responsible citizen looks out for the well being of others and understands we all have a part to play in making the world a better place. For a five-year-old, responsibility might look like getting themselves ready for school in the morning, helping with specific household chores, or helping care for a pet – in other words, age-appropriate tasks that contribute to the well-being of their family.

How to Teach Your Four Year Old Responsibility

Responsibility means being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions. A responsible citizen looks out for the well being of others and understands we all have a part to play in making the world a better place. For a four-year-old, responsibility might look like picking up their toys, clearing their dinner plate, or helping sort the laundry — simple tasks that they can take on to contribute to their family.