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’If you want to raise a creative child, you have to teach them to think independently,’ says Adam Grant, teacher at Wharton School of Business, PA, a father of three, and author of a book of psychology. Bright Side brings you three basic principles from this extraordinary man that should be followed by every parent who wants their children to grow up to be creative and talented.
Reading develops only with practice -- the more you read, the better you get; the better you get, the more you read. So how do we help children enjoy reading and choose to read more often?
Silence in kids often arouses worries to the parents. But don't. Their reservation appears not because they are incapable of what other kids do, but because they communicate with the world differently. Here are a few things you might want to know:
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....
This article gives a fresh list of things that today's parents should seriously think about and succinctly explains why it can be bad. Don't make the list judge what you do but be aware of what can happen if you push your child too much in certain directions.
We all know how difficult it is to be consistent with parenting. The area of discipline is even fraught with a lot of hand-wringing, usually out of guilt on our part. We've lost count at how often we've given the kids a pass from an infraction that would have meant automatic suspension of iPad privileges if it happened on a day when we're not distracted (read: bone tired).
Now that I have kids of my own and work really hard to create a positive home with honest communication, I am hopeful that will never feel the need to lie, at least not any worse than I had. Why do we want our children
to be honest and understand the value of truthfulness?
Support and encourage their efforts, and love them unconditionally
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...
If you're like most parents, you'll do just about anything you can to increase the odds that your kids will be successful.
So, what if I were to tell you there's a simple thing you can to do to make it more likely that they'll be successful in life -- specifically by increasing the likelihood that they'll learn to read other people, and even predict how they'll react?
I love magnetic letters and I recently bought myself some lowercase magnets and decided to create some printables to use as mats to place over cookie sheets and turn them into wonderful magnetic free choice activities. Lowercase letter magnets are so versatile and no matter what level your child is at I have a printable or two that will work perfectly. But before I link the free printables I want to share with you some of the benefits of using these manipulatives in your class or homeschool program
So many children are dealing with major struggles in their everyday lives, and giving up or avoiding the issues altogether is not an option. Our students need to understand that struggling and failing are natural, and that the most important part of defeat is the determination to get back up, try again, and move forward.
Finally, there is an answer to this question, and it is a good one. The Reason Why Children are 800% Worse When Their Mothers Are Around is simple. If your child acts up in front of you it means that you are being a good mom, and doing your job just right.
To celebrate his new hearing aids, one toddler busted out some cute moves.
Can you really raise happy, well-behaved, resilient, confident children just by consistently rewarding them with delicious pastries? Perhaps, but that’s not what The Danish Way of Parenting is about.
Raising a strong-willed child can be a challenge when he or she is young. They might seem overly difficult, stubborn and opinionated. But strong-willed children are also spirited, fun and courageous. They simply want to learn things for themselves instead of accepting what others tell them. They may have a habit of testing boundaries and limits, but it’s because they are strong, passionate and they live life to the fullest. So how can a parent raise a strong-willed child without discouraging the child’s high energy, persistence and spunk? Here are ten tips for parenting a strong-willed, free-spirited child:
“Children feel under pressure to have this perfect life that it looks like everyone else is having according to Instagram and that’s really hard to deal with”
Throughout my ten years as an Occupational Therapist, I have seen and continue to see a decline in kids’ social, emotional, academic functioning, as well as a sharp increase in learning disabilities and other diagnoses.
It's not what you try once, or what attitudes you hold. It's what you actually do, every single day.
It doesn't help. Here's what to say instead.
Today’s kids are more worried than any kids in recent history. According to some long-term surveys of mental health literature, the average kid today is more anxious than people who were hospitalized for anxiety in the 1950s.
You want your child to know how to manage his emotions and control his impulse to throw a tantrum. A child with self-discipline, for example, understands he needs to wait after dinner to have dessert. How can you teach him patience and self-control?
Not only did one nature-loving guy manage to single-handedly rehabilitate an injured deer who was abandoned by her family, but he also managed to capture the entire story of compassion and healing on camera.
Baby names take on new meaning when you know the story behind them.
Some kids take the philosophy of being wrong and strong very seriously, and it often leads to amazing results. Here are some of the moments kids had no clue what to do with their homework or exams, but didn't let that keep them from going down in a fireball of glory.
Taking care of a pet has been shown to help children develop empathy and compassion for animals, people and themselves. But how can you tell if your child is ready for the responsibility of caring for a pet?
Playing with items on a lightbox is so simple, and yet it can be so intriguing to children of all ages. Familiar items become new again when you add light. Make that experience portable with your own easy DIY lightbox.
Stow some travel-friendly items inside and you’ve got an activity that’s perfect for evening car trips. Set up in the kitchen and use your lightbox for some messier sensory play or creating artwork.
I was sitting in a church meeting listening to a father of five discuss parenting with a group of fellow dads. He had children ranging in age from 7 to 21. He covered a few topics, but what really hit me was when he said, “Guys, when you get home you need to just put down your bag and let the kids climb on you. I can’t tell you how important that is.”
The year Sam started kindergarten, he turned 6 in October. He was one of the oldest children in his class, and he didn’t know how to read. When he started first grade he was almost 7, and he still didn’t know how to read. Fortunately for Sam, he entered first grade in 1999. And his teachers, Mrs. Gantt and Mrs. Floyd, didn’t panic if a child didn’t learn to read in kindergarten. In fact, they expected that most children would learn to read in first grade. (They also supported and encouraged children who learned to read easily in kindergarten, like Sam’s brother Ben.)
Finding Dory is set to be a huge draw because it works by cleverly and subtly tapping into our love of nostalgia. It is a movie about a forgetful blue fish desperate to find her long-lost parents...
This girl, like many others, is facing being bullied at school. When her Dad, Khari, heard about it & fought back with this song.
Kids put together the strangest outfits. You’d think this is because kids can’t be bothered with style (so many more important things to do!), but that’s not the case. Kids care very much about what they wear.
Are you ready to be committed for 5 minutes for this divine happiness?
Mosquitoes are Singaporeans' all-time enemy. They are one of the most common carriers of diseases, so you definitely want to keep them away from your kids.
It’s the increasingly fashionable approach, with an emphasis on baby-wearing, co-sleeping and long-term breastfeeding. But does it make for happier, better children?
Karen Katz, award-winning author and illustrator of children's books including the bestselling Where Is Baby's Belly Button?, answers your concerns about reading to babies and toddlers.
Do people treat lost rich kids differently to poor children? A heartbreaking video filmed for Unicef found the answer is most definitely yes.
Every parent or parent to-be has heard of the 'terrible two' phase but as someone who has been there four times, I can tell you that the twos are nothing compared to the age of three! At two they can be whiny and a bit defiant, but at three they can actually talk a bit more and it seems their attitude is beginning to fully develop!It seems that experts are now agreeing that while those two year old's are getting a bad rap, it's really the 'threenager' that parents need to be wary of!
For this new bullet on your DIY bucket list, you can thank Reddit user “radamshome,” a video game artist who just uploaded his entry in the Dad Of The Year awards to Imgur. It has a cozy reading nook, 12-volt lighting, a top sitting area, and enough room for him to cuddle up with his daughter for a bedtime story. If that makes you feel inadequate, wait until you look under the hood of this thing.
Bose is releasing a step-by-step build kit that breaks down the science of sound and is designed to empower kids through discovery and education.
San Francisco photographer Melissa Kaseman knows that imaginative art can come in tiny packages. That much is evident in her photo series, “Preschool Pocket Treasures,” which depicts the small objects she finds stuffed in her son’s pockets each day when he comes home from preschool.
No cleanup needed!
More childhood experts are advocating less coddling and more freedom for kids to explore, problem solve and create their own play - even if it means bruises.
Here’s one Father’s Day craft we know both Dad and your kids will love. Do you remember Shrinky Dinks from when you were little? They were so fun! Well, they make blank Shrinky Dink sheets now that you can use to create your own projects with.
Once upon a time, babies’ first smiles would often be dismissed as “probably just gas.”
Now, scientists know better.
Starting nearly from birth, infants’ ethereal grins provide a window into their social and emotional development, researchers say. And the responses those enchanting and goofy expressions elicit can help program babies’ brains for a lifetime of social interactions.
These are so lusciously creamy, sinfully rich-tasting – the kind of thing you put in your mouth and kind of can’t believe what’s happening. Vegan, almost raw, and full of whole food ingredients, they are also downright filling!
5-Ingredient Vegan Magical Fudgesicles
Makes 4 cups / 1 Liter / 10 fudgesicles
Ingredients:
1) ½ cup / 75g unroasted, unsalted cashews
2) 1 14-oz can / 400ml full-fat coconut milk
3) 1 large, ripe avocado
4) 1 cup / 250g pitted, packed soft dates
5) ½ cup / 55g raw cacao powder (cocoa powder will also work)
Optional add-ins:
1) a few pinches sea salt
2) vanilla (seeds from 1 pod, powder, or extract)
3) a few drops of food-grade essential oils (peppermint, orange, almond etc.)
4) finely diced fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mango etc.)
5) a pinch of cayenne pepper
6) espresso powder
7) finely chopped toasted nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios etc.)
Optional toppings:
1) melted raw chocolate (recipe here) or melted dark chocolate
2) cacao nibs
3) finely chopped toasted nuts (cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios etc.)
4) dried fruit (I used raspberry on the ones pictured)
5) citrus zest (lemon, orange, lime)
Directions:
1. Place cashews in lightly salted water and let soak for 4-8 hours (overnight is fine).
2. Drain the cashews and rinse well. Add to a blender (a high-speed blender is highly recommended) with the remaining ingredients (and any flavourings, if using) and blend on high until as smooth as possible. Add water only if necessary – you want to mixture to remain quite thick.
3. Spoon mixture in popsicle molds. Firmly knock the molds on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Insert a popsicle stick into each mold and place in the freezer until set – at least 6 hours. To remove popsicles, run the mold under hot water until you can easily pull a fudgesicle out.
4. If you want to decorate your fudgesicles, dip or drizzle them with melted chocolate and sprinkle with desired toppings. Eat immediately, or place back in the freezer to set until ready to enjoy.
Researchers suggest helicopter parenting may keep kids from making — and learning from — mistakes. Helicopter parents are those who intercept their kids' mistakes before they even have a chance to make them. That protectiveness may help keep kids from getting hurt or from getting bad grades, but a new study found this parenting style may cause serious harm to a child's psyche..
A few years ago, when our child was still waking up at night (he was two at the time), I went into our Doctor’s office with this complaint… “My 2 year old is still waking up at night .” Her advice changed our nights!