Parenting Tips

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 five-year-old, compassion might look like giving a hug, making a card, or saying something kind to help a friend or family member who is feeling sad or upset. Noticing someone else’s distress and wanting to respond is the foundation of compassion.

Emotional self-awareness involves identifying and understanding one’s emotions – including “big feelings” that can sometimes overwhelm us. Six-year-olds can begin to understand and identify more complex emotions. While preschoolers may only know the word “mad,” at this age you can help kids differentiate between angry, frustrated, annoyed and disappointed – and what types of situations may cause a person to feel a certain way. They can also understand that they may have more than one feeling at the same time.

Young children are very curious about the sights and sounds in the world around them and interested in exploring them. Although they can’t touch, smell or taste light and sound, children can still investigate their properties.

At age five, kids develop more stable friendships and social conflict among friends becomes inevitable. Kids are more likely to have conflict with close friends than with acquaintances because they spend more time with friends and have to negotiate different opinions, temperaments and styles of play. The good news is kids this age are highly motivated to solve these social problems because they care about the relationships. As parents, we can help children learn how to collaborate, cooperate, communicate, negotiate, self-advocate and respect others.

Responsibility means being dependable, making good choices, and taking accountability for your actions.

My family is a month into virtual learning with four young kids. As we get into a virtual school routine, we’re learning what helps us stay connected and on-task in this new normal.

From taking their first steps to learning how to read, children gain self-confidence as they master new skills. This gives them the courage to continue to explore and expand their abilities.

Two-year-olds may use phrases such as "Me do it!" or "Do it myself!" to exert independence. They will often make a mess as they learn to feed themselves soup with a spoon, apply toothpaste to a toothbrush, or "clean" their room, but they will develop valuable skills as they practice new tasks and recognize their progress.