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 →
At the end of a conversation with your teen, you might be hard pressed to identify the exact moment when it went from a calm, cool conversation to doors slamming. Depending on the day, talking with your teenager might feel like walking through a minefield blindfolded. There aren’t a ton of great models out there… 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 →
We all know now that nutritious food builds strong bodies. But did you know that we need brain food too? Our brains take up only 2% of our body weight yet consume nearly 20% of our body’s energy. That’s why what we feed our brains is so important. Eating “brain food” improves kids’ moods, elevates… Read More →
Hello! Is there any research that shows a time of day for learning, retention of information, and developing skills that is better than others? Are there certain groups of people that do better at certain times of the day or does it depend more so on the individual? At this facility, our morning classes are… Read More →
We are learning more and more about alcohol effects on young brains. This gives us more information to share with teens themselves and more scientific reasons to set clear limits and consequences around underage drinking. It also helps make clear why hosting drinking parties doesn’t do teens any favors! Alcohol and the brain Adults issue… Read More →
Parent question: I am looking for a good technique to stop my 5 yr old from hitting me when he doesn’t get his way. I usually use the 1-2-3 counting and then time out in his room, but find for hitting it doesn’t work well, because I am not going to let him hit me… Read More →
Does this sound familiar? You are driving your daughter and her two friends to a soccer game and the car is unusually quiet. They must be mentally preparing for the big game, you think. How nice. You maintain this illusion until you hit the first long red light at which point you glance into the… Read More →
I just wrote a post on the importance of face-to-face interaction for tweens. Here are a couple of ways to make sure you are striking a good balance between online and offline time: Make meal times screen free. This is a great time to start conversations about the day and connect with one another. Ask… Read More →
