Students will enter school this year with all sorts of supplies, habits, skills, and feelings. The pens, notebooks, books and class schedules will fit neatly inside their backpacks. The other things can be harder to pin down but have a much greater impact on our kids’ success. Empathy Empathy is one of the core “pro-social… Read More →
If you have ever spent any time with preschoolers, you know that their curious minds are incessant. “Why is that squirrel eating a nut? Where do you think it lives? Why are there nuts on that tree? Where are the other squirrels? Why? Where? How come?” For us parents, these endless questions can be exasperating.… Read More →
We’ve written regularly about the importance of screen-free play and setting screen time limits. These posts, of course, echo the chorus of child development experts warning about the risks associated with too much or age-inappropriate screen time. But there is less guidance for parents about how to use technology to enhance child development. We have… Read More →
I have been cooking with my parents since I was a kid. Usually this involved sitting on the counter tasting the cookie dough batter (yes, with raw egg!), but not always. Sometimes I also helped by licking the brownie mix from the bowl with a spatula (wink, wink). My mom, in particular, loved to bake,… Read More →
This may come as a surprise, but the goal to “eat a variety of foods” is the hardest one for me to implement in my house. Introducing new foods can be met with skepticism (or outright displeasure or disgust) and personally I find it frustrating to spend time making a meal to have everyone turn… Read More →
It is impossible to walk through a grocery store these days and not feel conflicted by the images plastered over magazine covers. Headlines like “Lose Your Belly Fat in Just 10 Days!” or “Best and Worst Beach Bodies” are stacked right alongside cooking magazines with recipes for Decadent Chocolate Cake and Triple Cheeseburgers. Not all… Read More →
Researchers at Harvard’s Making Caring Common project released a report this past fall that holds up an uncomfortable mirror for us parents about teaching empathy to kids. The team surveyed youth and asked them to rank by importance achieving at a high level, feeling good, or helping others. Nearly 80% of youth ranked achievement and… Read More →
Instead of just listing our worries, it helps to name what we know we do want kids and teens to plug into besides computers, tablets and smart phones. A couple of recent studies point to two major ingredients for digital wellness.
“I’m not going to basketball practice next week,” Troy announced to his dad just before leaving for school. “The coach is stupid and I don’t like the other guys that much anyway.” “But you’ve been excited to play on the high school team for years and you just made the team!” he replied. “Well I… Read More →
Students start the school year with all sorts of supplies. They also bring something intangible but very important for their success: a set of beliefs about their ability to learn.
