How Play Helps Kids Navigate Difficult Times

Last week when I called my kids down for breakfast, they didn’t want to come. They had pulled out all of their stuffed animals and were completely absorbed in pretend play. So I brought up some food and listened in:

How Telling Stories Helps Kids Learn

“Are you going to tell me another story tonight?” asked my 4-year-old son.

How to Allocate Chores around the House

Chores are important for kids, since chores give kids a sense of purpose and a greater appreciate for their parents. It can teach your children responsibility and how to work with others to get a job done, according to Education.com. The values and skills your children gain from doing chores can follow them into adulthood and benefit them throughout their lives. This sounds great, but you need to know what chores are appropriate for each of your children, how to assign these chores and what it takes to get your kids to actually do them.

How to be Kind When You Feel So Mad!

I’d love to say that when one of my daughters has a problem, my usual response is to cheerfully sing, “When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four!” just like my characters from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

HOW TO BUILD A TRUSTING RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CHILD

Trust.

It’s the foundation and the root of our relationships. When trust exists, a relationship grows and flourishes but without trust, a relationship can end in ruins.

Isaac Watts once said, “Learning to trust is one of life’s most difficult tasks.”

How can parents build a trusting relationship with their children? Here are some suggestions on how to do so.

How to Check Your Child's Math and Reading Skills at Home

As a working mom of a kindergartener and toddler, I’m often reminded of my experiences as a teacher in the South Bronx. Sometimes it’s a memory spurred by my daughter reaching a new milestone or overcoming a challenge. Recently, that’s happened a lot as she’s going through the beautiful, but lengthy process of learning to read.

How to Coach Kids Through Big Emotions

Young children can have big feelings, but not yet know how to handle them. Parents and caregivers can learn how to use coaching as a simple tool for responding to a child’s upset to build her emotional competence.

How to Cope With Back-to-School Anxiety

Every summer, about two weeks before the beginning of school, my phone lights up at an alarming rate. With staggered start dates around the country, the concerns about back-to-school anxiety come in waves and continue through most of the fall. Good news: you’re not alone.

How to Create a "Quiet Time" Routine

I watched the video monitor with a mixture of hope and dread, muttering “please sleep, please sleep” under my breath.

How to Encourage a Child to be More Independent

Many kids naturally hit an independent stage, but some children hold back in certain situations, preferring to stay near a parent instead of tackling the situation solo. An independent child feels confident in his ability to tackle a task, is self-motivated and knows how to make decisions, according to "Psychology Today." The way you treat your child and encourage his independence affects how comfortable he feels when he doesn't have mom and dad to do something for him.

How to Encourage a Child to Love Learning

Children are naturally curious and love to play. You can combine these two traits to foster a love of learning. Children also learn through imitation. When they see you reading, studying and learning, they observe that learning is important. Share exciting new insights with your child or special news events. Your child might not be as excited about it as you are, but it sets an example of lifelong learning.

How to Encourage Children to Exercise

Children of every size and shape can benefit from increased physical activity. Through exercise, your child can gain the health benefits of stronger bones and muscles and lower blood cholesterol levels, as well as a decrease in blood pressure and in the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes. Children can enjoy other benefits as well: better sleep, better concentration and the ability to better handle life's emotional challenges. Of course, getting kids to exercise can sometimes be a challenge. Making it a fun, natural part of the day is the key to success.

How to Encourage Good Study Habits in a Teen

With social media, television, friends and videos games as distractions, it's no wonder your teen struggles with good study habits. It can be hard to buckle down, do homework and review notes when you have other priorities, as your teenager likely does. As a parent, you can't do your teen's studying for her, but you can help her create a plan by which studying becomes more manageable, less time-consuming and a part of a regular routine.

How to Foster Positive Sibling Relationships

It’s normal for parents to feel overwhelmed by family dynamics when we find ourselves refereeing the latest he said-she said debate. How did this argument start, anyway? And why did it end in tears?

How to Help Kids Cope with Disappointment

Whether it’s a cancelled play date, an ice cream cone that falls on the ground, a scoreless soccer game, or a broken promise due to unforeseen circumstances, life is full of disappointments of varying sizes. While the gut instinct of the caring parent might very well be to sweep the disappointment out of the way by offering a quick solution, parents can’t always protect their kids from letdowns. And that’s okay.

How to Help Kids Develop a Healthy Body Image

Everywhere we look we see ads showcasing the bodies of our cultural ideal—ultrathin women with bright smiles who radiate happiness, and powerful men with just the right amount of muscle who exude self-confidence. Kids are observant, and they pick up on these things. But no one is more influential to children than their parents, which makes it critically important that parents teach children that happiness and self-esteem come from being healthy, not from fitting the advertising industry’s mold.

How to Help Your Child Overcome Self-Doubt

Almost everyone confronts periods of self-doubt. What if the other kids don’t like me? What if I can’t remember the spelling words? What if my teacher thinks I’m not smart? In fact, those three questions were all uttered by self-doubting kids who needed my help. Self-doubt, it seems, is part of growing up.

How to Help Your Child Study

Some children are blessed with the gift of good study habits, while others possess study habit problems. Helping a child with poor study skills has been proven to bring much joy to both the parent and the struggling student. This article will discuss a number of proactive methods on how to help your child develop good study habits and skills.

How to Help Your Child Successfully Transition Back to School

The re-opening of some childcare centers and schools has parents both ecstatic and anxious. Most parents I speak to are desperate for their children to be back with their friends, playing and learning. Not to mention the need for some relief from the impossible task of trying to work from home while caring for young kids. It’s hard — and everyone needs a break.

How to Help Your Child Think Like a Scientist

As parents and caregivers, we don’t need special training in science or engineering to help our child develop inquiry skills. Young kids love to experiment, explore, and figure out how the world works – and that is the heart of thinking like a scientist!