We just wrote a post about executive function and how important these skills are for our kids success in school and in life. Here are some tips for giving your kids lots of practice: Help your child build a framework: Helping your child set attainable goals and breaking tasks into achievable steps helps build executive… Read More →
Want your child to succeed in school and life? Then look beyond IQ scores and test results. We’ve written before about the importance of self-discipline, but the story doesn’t end there. A whole host of mental skills—constituting what is called executive function–determine how as opposed to what we learn. Emerging research is clear that these… Read More →
“I asked mom and she already said it was okay for me to go out with my friends tonight.” “But dad never makes me do my homework before I play video games!” Sound familiar? Parenting across two households can be a real challenge. Working through the pain of ending a committed relationship into a working… Read More →
We know that setting limits is key to the development of respect, empathy, and self-discipline. That said, setting and enforcing them aren’t always easy. Try these tips to get started: Get real. Remind yourself that it is your child’s job to push against the limits and your job to set them. Some children will push… Read More →
For lots of parents, simple conversations can quickly escalate into a power struggle. As our kids start flexing their own muscles of independence, one of their developmental jobs is to find the outer boundaries of appropriate behavior. How far can I go? Who cares? This is especially true during key developmental windows (namely, the “terrible… Read More →
Parents everywhere started bracing themselves for the onslaught of holiday advertising starting around Halloween and lasts for….forever. All of these advertisements trigger the “gimmes” in our kids without them even being aware of it. Not only do advertisements communicate powerful emotional messages about what it takes to be cool, “in,” or hip, they also trigger… Read More →
Just last week my (now grown) kids and I were looking through old photo albums. Brian and Erin couldn’t believe how chummy the two of them looked as little kids. There was hardly a picture where they didn’t have their arms around each other or their chubby little hands weren’t tightly clasped. Their sweet little… Read More →
Dr. Dave and Erin, Our seven year old daughter has been lying a bit lately. One night her toothbrush lay on the sink with toothpaste still on it; clearly she had not brushed her teeth. We asked her if she had brushed them and she said “Yes! I did!” It’s become a bad pattern of… Read More →
We’ve written plenty of posts about the importance of imaginative play for children’s brain development. Far from being a waste of time, kids need free play to thrive. Summer is here and the outdoors is begging kids to get outside and play, play, play! Here are some tips for encouraging free play: Get down on… Read More →
My daughter is 7 years old. She is having a hard time hearing the word “no”, and always has. My daughter frequently melts down and has a tantrum, yells etc. We do not back down, but constantly have to move into consequences, which result in the tantrum escalating, it is exhausting. We try to keep… Read More →
