Oh, the places you’ll go! The worlds you will visit! The friends you will know! – Dr. Seuss1 “What are you guys up to?” I say to the three six-year-old friends in my living room. “We’re sharing our books!” one says with… Read More
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment
Tags: children learning to read, Creative thinking, emotional, Empathy, how children learn to read, Moral development, parents reading with children, Perspective taking, promoting reading, Reading, Responsible decision-making, role of reading with families, Social, Social awareness, Stories and social and emotional development, teaching reading
You are invited! Because you follow and read Confident Parents, Confident Kids, you clearly care about the powerful influence you possess as a parent and you realize how you use that influence matters greatly. My friends, Cecilia and Jason Hilkey, have launched… Read More
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment
Tags: "Happily Family Conference", "The Heart and Science of Parenting", brain science, building resilience, Cecilia and Jason Hilkey, Empathy, family mindfulness, Jennifer Miller, Learning about parenting, Mindfulness, Parenting, Social and Emotional Learning
“It is high time the ideal of success should be replaced by the ideal of service.” – Albert Einstein Most leaders acquire their power from the choice of their social group to elevate individuals to that level. However, parents, by the very… Read More
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment
Tags: "The Power Paradox", Awareness, Communication skills, Empathy, Foresight, Listening for understanding, Listening skills, Parent reflection, parenting and leadership, Parents as servant leaders, power, Power and parenting, Relationship skills, Responsible decision-making, Robert Greenleaf, Servant leaders, Servant leadership, Service
Use the smell of your morning coffee or tea to remind you to take some deep breaths to start your day. When there is global and national unrest, we all experience a nagging anxiety that just won’t seem to go away even… Read More
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills
Tags: Dealing with Anxiety, Empathy, global unrest anxiety, managing stress, parenting and stress, parenting and stress management, parenting tension, self-care, Self-compassion, Stress management
My son burst into tears as his friends waited at our door to play. He had fallen up our stairs and gashed his shin on the metal rims of the hall steps. I plopped on the floor to comfort him and as… Read More
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills
Tags: Breathing to calm down, Calm, Connection, Empathy, Gratitude, holidays & mental well-being, holidays and anxiety, holidays and stress, peace, planning for big emotions, social and emotional competence
Because of the numerous holidays celebrated through the fall and winter months, it is an ideal time to discuss how people celebrate around the world – both the uniqueness of traditions and also the many commonalities. I was struck by the number… Read More
How do you help young children learn about and experience the joy of giving? Check out how the article begins… “Look, Mama!” my five-year-old son E said peering proudly over his grocery bag teeming with – toys? “Oh!” I was confused by… Read More
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills
Tags: Empathy, giving and young children, kids and the joy of giving, kindergarten giving, Learning about gift giving, NBC Parent Toolkit, Perspective-taking and giving, preschool giving, teaching young kids about giving
Though the sunshine sparkles through the yellow leaves during these beautiful Fall days, there is less light in the morning and evening. And we’ve been doing this school thing for a few months now. We’ve poured it on and now we are… Read More
Category: Building a Positive Family Environment, Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills
Tags: Altruism, Appreciating children, Confident Parents, Empathy, Interactive modeling, KIds' behavior change, Kids' strengths, Looking for the good in kids, Morning routine, Nagging, Parent behavior change, Positive reinforcement, Resilience, Scolding
How do we, as parents, help our kids experience and develop compassion? It’s a concern of mine as I look around me and notice my family’s eyes glued to screens and those activities encroaching on my child’s attention. And when he looks… Read More
Category: Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills
Tags: caring conversation, children's books on compassion, Compassion, Daniel Goleman, Empathy, Kindness, Listening skills, Raising a compassionate child, teaching kids compassion, Teaching kids empathy
Learn the following simple steps of the traffic light model and practice problem-solving with your kids as a game this summer. And try out the rap that goes with it! Then, gently remind and use it each time siblings or friends get… Read More
Category: Modeling Social and Emotional Skills, Practicing Social and Emotional Skills
Tags: Building communication skills, Collaborative for Academic, Collaborative problem solving, Consequential thinking, Empathy, Evaluating actions, Goal setting, Kids communication, Kids conflict management, Perspective taking, Problem solving, Roger Weissberg, Self control, Self=awareness, Social and Emotional Learning, Stress management, Summer problem-solving game, Traffic light problem-solving model
