For Parents

Why So Shy?

What does every parent want? For their child to grow up to be a happy, well-adjusted adult with the necessary social skills to succeed in life. Good social skills are crucial for building friendships and learning how to empathize with others. Don’t worry if your child is shy and isn’t making friends as easily as [...]

Friends Aren’t Food

Our children’s behavior can be inconvenient at times—even downright embarrassing! Please… don’t pretend you don’t know what I mean. I know you get it… I saw how you acted at Publix the other day when Junior was running along the top of the aisle throwing cans at innocent shoppers. Oh… sorry… maybe that was someone [...]

Max the Magnificent Learns Listening

The School for Amazing Kids had amazing teachers. Max’s teacher, Miss Christina, loved to garden. She had been growing plants and caring for them since she was a little girl. Miss Christina shared her love of gardening with her class by teaching them how to grow a bean plant. “I’m going to climb my beanstalk [...]

Don’t Come Back ‘til Dark! – The Benefits of Outdoor Play

Growing up, I remember absolutely living outside. If my school books made it into the house, the sound of them hitting my bedroom floor was followed almost instantly by the noise of the front door closing as I went outside. Back in the day—and I realize that was a long time ago—life was a little [...]

A School of Sharks

You’ve just discovered that your child’s daycare is in fact not a fun place to learn and play with friends, but instead filled with a collection of ravenous little creatures out for blood. And one of them decided that your precious baby looked delicious and went ahead and took a bite—it’s time to set out [...]

Reading for Fun and Profit—Raising a Child Who Loves to Read

Okay, okay… I’ll be the first to admit that your child isn’t going to make a lot of money immediately by learning to read. I did get you to read this far, though, right? And, later on in your child’s life, it will prove invaluable: a huge amount of business and workplace communications are conducted [...]

So Your Kid’s a Biter? What Not to Do

First off, don’t refer to your child as ‘a biter.’ This is a normal—and temporary—way for young children to respond to feelings and situations they don’t know how to deal with properly. Adding a label causes you to see and respond to them differently, and it’s unwarranted. Excellent educators and caregivers are painstakingly careful not [...]

It’s All Fun and Games…

Sometimes I think worrying has become a national pastime. Obviously you want what’s best for your child, and you don’t want to see them hurt…and once you have a child, it occurs to you just how dangerous the world really is. Twigs on bushes suddenly seem to be actively reaching for little eyes to poke, the corners of your coffee table suddenly transform [...]

I’ll Never Let Go: Easing Separation Anxiety in Your Child

The first few times you drop your child off at daycare or leave them with another caregiver, be prepared for crying, clinginess, and even tantrums. Seeing your little one so upset and having to leave anyway can be heartbreaking, and if you’re not careful you’ll give yourself a guilt trip that can ruin your whole [...]