Stop Making Everything Perfect For Your Kid
Teaching Children It’s OK to Fail
.png){kind=logo}
Teaching Children It’s OK to Fail
While each app might not be a big investment, no one wants to waste money or spend kids' limited screen time on low-quality content. To make good choices about the apps you download for your preschooler, use these criteria before you buy, and check out our list of preschool apps worth the money for more recommendations.
Tips for Parent-Educators: These are the top things I wish someone had said to me as I offered my first born to his first school.
1. Be a parent, first and foremost. That's what your kid needs most from you.
2. Proactively build a relationship with your child's teacher at the beginning of the year. Don't wait until there's a problem to sit down with them.
3. If a teacher doesn't ask about your child's strengths and interests, share those.
4. Also share anything you think the teacher should know about your kid that would help them be effective, such as that your kid is an introvert and won't often participate in whole-class discussions. (Again, hopefully they ask this question, but if not, share it.)
5. If your child complains about being bored, class being too hard, not being treated well by peers or adults, listen to your child. Don't hope it'll get better. Go to school and talk to people. Observe classes.
6. Don't be afraid of talking to the principal. Don't be afraid of making requests. You can do this kindly and thoughtfully, but your job, again, is to advocate for your kid.
We've somehow decided that little kids can't understand these complex topics, or we want to delay exposing them to injustices as long as possible (even though not all children have the luxury of being shielded from injustice).
However, young children have a keen awareness of and passion for fairness. They demand right over wrong, just over unjust. And they notice differences without apology or discomfort.
Racial identity and attitudes begin to develop in children at a young age. Two- and three-year-olds become aware of the differences between boys and girls, may begin noticing obvious physical disabilities, become curious about skin color and hair color/texture, and may also be aware of ethnic identity.
5 Elementary Strategies
1. Use children's literature: There's a wealth of children's books (check out here: http://www.adl.org/education-outreach/books-matter/#.VwQW3_krLcs) that can be read aloud and independently to approach the topic of bias, diversity, and social justice.
2. Use the news media: Find topics and news stories that bring forth these themes and discuss them in the classroom -- like the nine-year-old boy who was banned from bringing his My Little Pony backpack to school because it was the source of bullying.
3. Teach anti-bias lessons: Social and emotional skill development lessons are the foundation, and then teachers can move to lessons on identity, differences, bias, and how bias and bullying can be addressed individually and institutionally.
4. Give familiar examples.
Take advantage of children's interest in books, TV shows, toys, and video games, and use them as opportunities to explore diversity, bias, and social justice.
5. Explore solutions: Re-think the concept of "helping others" to include discussions about the inequities that contribute to the problem and consider actions that can address it. For example, while it's useful to provide food to homeless people, we want to deepen the conversation to convey a social justice perspective and a wider lens with children. Therefore, discuss the stigma and stereotypes of homeless people, learn about unfair housing policies, and reflect on solutions that will reverse the problem in a lasting way and encourage students to take action.
Toddlers are terrible listeners. This is a fact. Part of it is because they aren’t developmentally ready to internalize things you’re telling them. That makes it necessary to repeat yourself a bajillion times. Which is also why you don’t see a lot of toddlers who are talk-therapists. And why you never feel better when you’re telling them about your anxiety over all those TPS reports at work.
One of the major criticisms of these typologies is how culturally determined they are. So what does research say about the pros and cons of each of these parenting styles?
But despite all of my husband’s wonderful qualities, I have to admit that it’s always made me slightly uncomfortable when anyone has told me how “lucky” I am to have the type of husband that I do — the kind that thinks of nothing of getting up with our kids at night, the kind that happily makes dinner, the kind that I would never doubt could handle all four of our offspring on his own if I happened to have an overnight business trip. (Hey, a girl can dream, right?)
A Hemet family is trying to raise money to replace their car — the only way to get their grandma to the hospital for much-needed cancer treatments
Raise your hand if you end up doing the majority of your kid’s language arts homework? Or is it just me who spent an entire weekend making a booklet on penguins and writing an essay on Mandela? It isn’t so much that I want to control everything, but I have a fear that if my son hasn’t properly researched a speech or presentation he has to make, he’ll get up in front of his class and make a huge fool of himself. My husband frequently reminds me, “It isn’t your homework, it’s his.” He refuses to get involved, but I just can’t help myself.....
If you’re like me, then you’re always on the lookout for healthy, quick ways to eat your favorite whole foods. Throw your favorite whole grain, veggies, and lean protein in a casserole dish, pop it in the oven, and have an easy dinner that will most likely result in leftovers for the week!
Her TEDx Talk on the same subject, "The Expectation Gap," discussed how some parents believe their kids are too busy with school and extracurricular obligations for additional chores. Gilboa's assertions reflect the results of a recent national phone survey of 1,001 Americans conducted by Braun Research on behalf of Whirlpool in which 82 percent of respondents said they regularly did chores as children, but only 28 percent give their own children chores now.
If anyone can be called the boss in modern, anti-hierarchical parenthood, it’s the children
- The researchers looked at 105 healthy children younger than 3 who had surgery to repair an inguinal hernia, a common operation of early childhood.
- Between the ages of 8 and 15, researchers assessed the children's IQ, language, behavior and mental functions, including memory, learning, attention and thinking speed.
-The children were no different than siblings who were not exposed to general anesthesia at a young age, the study found.
Use these to keep mosquitoes away (or stop down the itching if you manage to get a bug bite).
Here are some dangers involved in hair pins on babies -- choking, stragulation, allergic reaction, hear loss, etc. It may sound terrifying, but this does not mean you need to take away all the lovely pins from your child. Just be aware where the potential (no matter how unlikely it is) dangers can arise so that you don't get caught off guard if anything happens.
These 9 things your kids need from you—whether they know it or not—are too important to ignore.
After a negative interaction with your child, it’s hard to see how to connect with your child and close the gap. Which is why you need the magic 5:1 ratio
When your kids are waking too early, it can make them tired, cranky and just not very happy kids. I put our kids to bed early, at 7:00 and I want them to sleep the full 12 hour, so I teach them to naturally sleep in a little later.
It’s not just educational videos and gadgets.
Can we talk for a minute about parents who ignore their kids when they are being disruptive?
This week in parenting you learned that the reason your kid trusts you might have something to do with you being really, really ridiculously good looking. But if your good looks aren’t exactly translating in the bedroom, a statistician thinks Game Of Thrones is to blame for your lack of literal game. Parents of thumbsuckers and nail biters were given reason to rejoice, because their kids might have fewer allergies later in life. Plus you found out what the hell Pokémon Go is, and while it’s no Nintendo NES Classic Edition, at least it will get you kid outside. All this news and more, because every week is busy when you’re a parent.
What should you say if your child develops unhealthy idea of body image and starts talking about diet?
One parenting milestone that we could all live without is that first time your child pukes all over the car. Every parent has a nightmare story about projectile vomit in an enclosed space, and some parents even drive another 10 hours after that happens, which proves parents truly are rock stars.
Instead of cholesterol-soaked french fries, how about treating your child with crisp-baked tofu?
Synchronize your watches, grab your walkie talkies and put on your thinking caps!
"It's time to stop princess shaming. There are thousands of gendered messages my little girl absorbs every day: the way I curse how my pants fit, the way shopkeepers talk to her, the way teachers assume that I am the dominant caregiver," Vardanis wrote. "There are so many battles to be fought, but princesses with sparkly tiaras may be the least of our worries."
Perhaps the best way to lessen the negative effects of the Disney princess culture to young girls is to expose them to all things in moderation, Time reports. Disney also made an effort in redesigning its Disney Princess collection by introducing braver, "more empowered" and "less boy-crazy" princesses such as Merida of "Brave" and Elsa of "Frozen."
A new study in the journal Science finds that a mobile app that prompts parents and kids to solve nightly number problems together greatly improves student achievement in math. The app, Bedtime Math, creates a kind of math story time.
Because it doesn’t look like the world is going back to pen and paper anytime soon, here are some of the best i-alternatives (and one iPad) that can be your kid’s new study buddy.
Parenting is a tough job and there are infinite ways to succeed and fail. With so many ways to parent, how can you be sure that what your doing is best for your child? Here are 6 science-backed ways unsuccessful kids have in common.
A new study is sure to make some parents giddy as it reveals a simple solution to treat kids with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There is no more need for prescribed medication, just a change of lifestyle would be able to solve the child's behavioral and attention problems.
Scientists at Georgia State University studied how long certain viruses could stay active on a plastic squeaky frog. The virus type, called an ‘enveloped virus’ because it has a protective outer layer, includes flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) – although you don’t need to worry about the last two popping up at your child’s daycare. They’re not active in the U.S.
1. Get the timing right: Make your tot’s appointment for a time when they’re alert and rested.
2. Parent by example: Mums and dads have the greatest influence on their tyke’s dental health. Your child will pick up on your anxiety, so focus on staying cool, calm, collected and confident.
3. No surprises: Bambinos handle dental procedures best when their parents know what to expect and have prepared them for the experience.
4. Look on the bright side: Answer your tot’s questions in a positive way. For example, use words like ‘healthy’ instead of ‘hurt’ and definitely steer clear of scary dental anecdotes!
5. Come prepared: Take along some questions about your child’s oral health.
6. Over to them! When the big day arrives, give your mini-mite some control over their dental visit, such as choosing their own ‘tooth doctor outfit’. Then it’s time to climb into the exciting dentist’s chair and let the check-up begin!
They're naturally independent.
For a child, everything is new. Refresh your view of a mundane day through the lens of a toddler!
The box is thought to prevent cot death due to its small size, which can help prevent babies from rolling onto their stomach, a cause of sudden infant death syndrome, according to the London Evening Standard. In Finland, babies traditionally sleep in the box for the first eight months of their lives.
As the environmental exposures and chemical burden on our bodies has risen, so have rates of diseases, particularly those that impact kids, including asthma, childhood cancers, autism, and ADHD. The questions arise: What are the toxins? Where can we find them? How dangerous are they? Most importantly, how can we reduce, if not remove, them?
Sure, people bothered me. I’d been in arguments and even a few physical altercations, but even then I never truly lost my shit. Then I had children, and my dormant crazy bitch came bubbling to the surface.
Want to know how to make your bright little button even more brainy? These fun learning games and activities are expert-approved and a great way to develop a toddler’s memory and problem-solving skills.
Daughter: What's love daddy?
Dad: You are.
Gluten-free products are increasingly popular, but they are not suitable for everyone. While a diet without gluten may work for adults, there are only a few reasons for children to avoid it, and many reasons not to.
The New York Times journalist Nick Bilton once asked the late Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, the following question during an interview: ‘It seems that your kids are crazy about the iPad, right?’ He got the following, unexpected answer: ‘They don’t use them. We limit the amount of time they are allowed to use iPads at home.’ There’s certainly something to think about here...
Like many other American parents, I had an obsession: academic success for my child. Only, I was going about it completely wrong. Yes, my daughter would later go on to test above average with her academic skills, but she was missing important life skills. Skills that should have been in place and nurtured during the preschool years....
Greater support in special needs education, moving Singapore from tolerance to greater acceptance and the active inclusion of children with special needs and their families by society – these are some of the hopes of parents of children with special needs, a survey has found.
What makes you, you? Psychologists like to talk about our traits, or defined characteristics that make us who we are. But Brian Little is more interested in moments when we transcend those traits — sometimes because our culture demands it of us, and sometimes because we demand it of ourselves. Join Little as he dissects the surprising differences between introverts and extroverts and explains why your personality may be more malleable than you think.
As early as possible, Leatherman says, elementary age kids “should learn what to do in the water, how to swim and how to float.” And as kids are getting comfortable in the water, parents can encourage them to think about safety at the beach. One place to start: what do kids themselves feel cautious about? Parents may be surprised to learn kids are feeling leery of sea creatures, or bothered by the sun, and take the opportunity to talk more about sharing the water with wildlife, or the importance of sunscreen—as well as getting across the absolute basics of beach safety: young kids shouldn’t go into deep water, and should always stay near their parents or a lifeguard.
This DIY Personalized Homework Station is a useful project that teens or tweens can customize to enhance their work space for back-to-school! There is plenty of room for memos and important notes.
What is it like to raise a child who's different from you in some fundamental way (like a prodigy, or a differently abled kid, or a criminal)? In this quietly moving talk, writer Andrew Solomon shares what he learned from talking to dozens of parents — asking them: What's the line between unconditional love and unconditional acceptance?
Pineapple is packed full of vitamin C, vitamin A, manganese and magnesium, among others – which boost the immune system – and a powerful enzyme called bromelain – which breaks down proteins and reduces inflammation.