The past few school years have been a tumultuous ride. From school closures to virtual classes to partial reopening, it seems as if our children have experienced every out-of-the-norm scenario we could come up with. And although the goal was to keep them safe, children’s development took a significant hit. We’ve seen more significant […]
When we hear the term “school readiness,” the first thing most people think of is children knowing academic basics that will help them meet the demands of the classroom. And while these cognitive skills are important, teachers feel that skills in the other areas of child development are just as, or more important. Social, […]
We can all agree that this pandemic has rocked our world, and we are still searching for ways to keep ourselves mentally and emotionally in check. For teens, this has been an even more difficult feat. Adolescence is already fraught with stress and moodiness but adding in the social isolation and fear have led […]
There’s no doubt that children’s social skills have become rusty over the past few years and not progressed as they should have. With more limited interactions than usual, children have experienced adverse effects on their social development. And while many children have had the opportunity to engage in some school setting and/or activity, there were […]
Over the pandemic, children have faced many disturbances in their daily lives and interactions. These things have contributed to a lot of emotional imbalance and brought on or exacerbated feelings of sadness, fear, and anxiety. Since children are still developing abilities to regulate their strong and ever-changing emotions, they need assistance in strengthening these […]
The Importance of Bilateral Coordination on Physical and Cognitive Skills The development of a child can be one of the most fascinating things to watch unfold. From infants mirroring movements to toddlers and children mastering high level developmental skills, the growth they experience in a short time is astounding. And while all skills are important […]
Summer break is typically viewed as a time for relaxation, fun, and no schedules. However, considering the dramatic change in our lives over the past pandemic and seeing communities begin opening back up in a full capacity now, this summer would be the perfect time to get children back on track. As unfortunate as […]
Rebuilding Physical Skills During the Summer For most of the pandemic, children have been stuck inside, in front of a computer for school, and on a device during free time. And as much as parents have tried to keep their children active, it’s been a struggle with the limitations of many activities. But now, […]
For years, parents and children have been faced with the dreaded summer slide, a time when the school year ends and summer learning loss begins. And as if it wasn’t detrimental enough in it’s own rights, this year the summer slide has been accelerated by the COVID slide and trauma related to the pandemic. […]
Raising a child can be one of the most rewarding jobs around. And while it’s exciting to watch children grow and develop into caring humans, parenting definitely brings about it’s fair share of challenges. Fast forward and we are now faced with parenting during a pandemic which presents with even more difficulties. And to make […]
As we know, children can lose control of their emotions for various reasons, and the behaviors we witness are generally unplanned. And since anxiety can look like defiance, adults often respond in counterproductive ways. When children are stressed, the amygdala, in the downstairs brain, is triggered, and the “fight or flight” response takes over. This […]
The Benefits of Virtual Training Although not new, virtual learning has increasingly become a more widely used approach, especially in the wake of the current pandemic. Nearly everyone has been directed to stay at home, which initially seemed like a vacation but quickly became an unwanted situation. With routines upended and everyone limited with access […]
Getting children to behave how we want them to can be tricky. Even with the best intentions, parents often fall short regarding enforcing positive behaviors in their children while also extinguishing negative ones. Understanding reinforcement schedules and strategies for implementing them can be beneficial to parents and create positive behavior outcomes and improve the […]
The Developing Mind Understanding Your Child’s Behavior One of the biggest struggles in parenting is understanding why perfectly sweet and smart children can, in an instant, turn into the most difficult beings ever faced. It’s often as if a switch was flipped and chaos has ensued. This typically results in parents becoming frustrated at […]
The recent closures of schools and businesses are widespread and have led to major disruptions in the daily routines of families. Children are trying to adjust to doing school at home and parents are now trying to balance their new work from home life with their role as teacher to their children. To cope, it’s […]
Kids are not naturally self-motivated. When your child’s mindset is not in the right place, even the most fun activities can be a struggle to get to. With that said, here are some strategies to help you work around lack of motivation when trying to get your kid to class. Be attentive to what […]
Resilience: Helping Children and Teens Build Coping Skills Stress is a significant part of our lives today. And while we all experience it, children and teens have a more difficult […]
Punishment vs. Discipline Good behavior is a learning process for children, and we are their roadmap. Children usually behave per their own emotions and impulses. At the same time, being a parent is also a learning process and sometimes we rely on our own emotions and impulses to teach. Usually, that means we divert directly […]