I love reading. Honestly, I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't enjoy reading. My favorite thing about reading is that you can choose the minute details. You get to picture exactly how everything looks and what each scene looks like. It is like your own personal movie
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If You Have Nothing Nice to Say
by Michele March 10th, 2025 | Behavior, TweensThe tween years can be trying. For everyone. As the parent, you may be feeling frustrated with this hormonal, pre-adolescent person, but remember, he or she is feeling that frustration, too. Of course, frustration is not a get out of jail free card for poor behavior.
The key piece of advice I have for parenting during those moments of frustration is based on something my mom used to say:
If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.
How to Make Family Dinners Awesome
by Tania Cowling March 3rd, 2025 | Elementary, SeasonalMealtimes should be happy routines for your kids. Remember that pleasant eating experiences are just as important as nutritious foods. At this age, the kiddos are developing their food habits and attitudes - hopefully good ones, although sometimes the dinner table can be a battleground between kids and their parents. Do your kids balk at the food served? Maybe the fight is over pizza versus pot roast? Does this reaction make you want to shout, bribe, lecture, or threaten? I hate to admit that this is a normal part of growing
Teaching Preschoolers the Art of Collecting
by Tania Cowling February 24th, 2025 | Preschool, SocialAre you a collector? Do you have memorabilia that you find interesting? Well, children have a passion for collections, too! From baseball cards, matchbox cars, plastic army men, Star Wars characters, and even pocket collections from an outdoor nature walk (as long as they are not live creatures). Building a treasure collection is fun for preschoolers.
The first thing a child has to do is decide what will fit into her collection- the general topic or category she wants to collect. This is an
4 Infant Behaviors to Expect in the Beginning
by Marnie Bii February 17th, 2025 | Behavior, Infants/ToddlersWithin the first few months of life, infants often exhibit a number of curious behaviors that tend to surprise new parents. Infants might scratch their face or body, kick their legs, cross their eyes and root with alarming immediacy. As parents navigate their new caregiver roles, questions might arise about the normalcy of these behaviors. Thankfully, all of these actions are completely normal and frequently resolve within the first year. Learn more below.
Face Scratching
Immediately after leaving the womb, infants often start
6 Ways to Be the Sitter Everyone Recommends
by Jane Wangersky February 10th, 2025 | Social, Teens
Finding work as a babysitter depends a lot on word of mouth and the reputation you have in the community. For such a sensitive job, most parents would rather turn to a sitter recommended by someone they trust. So, here are six ways to be the sitter parents tell their friends about.
Keep an appointment calendar.
This makes you look efficient and professional, whether it's on a device or in a day planner from the dollar store.
3 New Tips for Tween School Success
by Lori Sciame February 3rd, 2025 | School, Tweens
Being born smart certainly helps a tween to succeed in a learning environment, and so does being curious about the world around him or her. It's a given that an engaged student, one who loves learning, will be more apt to
Too Much Screen Time?
by Joe Lawrence January 27th, 2025 | Elementary, Entertainment"Kids today are on these electronic devices too much," say most parents. However, few parents are doing much to change this.
The average child is behind a screen of some sort for two to three hours per day. This equates to a full year before they reach the age of seven. Admittedly, I am not one to shy away from letting the kids enjoy a show or play around on the iPad. Although, my wife and I have been limiting their time on electronic devices this past year,
Four-Step Reflection Tool for Preschoolers
by Joe Lawrence January 20th, 2025 | Preschool, School
I am a huge fan of challenging what I am taught. And I truly believe that there is more than one way to skin a cat. I carried this thought all through school, college, and into my professional life. It is something I want to pass on to my children, but how do you that for a preschooler?
Nothing frustrated me more in school than the teacher telling me I got the answer correct, but the process was wrong. I never understood this or liked it
How to Teach Toddlers About Winter
by Tania Cowling January 13th, 2025 | Infants/Toddlers, Seasonal
To young children, there is no big difference between reality and fantasy. Toddlers believe everything they see, touch, and hear. They basically learn by their senses and experience. So, how do you teach toddlers about the winter season?
The first snowfall of the season deserves to be celebrated. For many children, this is the first snow in their memory. So, make time to take your little one outdoors to experience the snow (if it isn't too cold), or get a front row seat
Teen’s Perspective on Starting the New Year Right
by Sam P. January 6th, 2025 | School, TeensNow everyone has their own New Year's resolutions, but a great one is to focus on your studies. Set a reasonable goal, like doing better in your classes than you did last semester, even if your first semester hasn't ended. Don't make it anything ridiculous; if you got three C's last semester and four B's, try to bring it up to one C and six B's. You don't have to set some crazy goal like a perfect GPA, just try your best and accomplish a few mini-goals.
A
How to Give Back at the Holidays
by Lori Sciame December 30th, 2024 | Tweens
The holiday season offers lots of opportunities to teach tweens about the concept of giving back. Sample volunteer positions include: ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, collecting food for the local food pantry, assisting at a soup kitchen, buying toys for economically disadvantaged children, and writing letters to those overseas in the armed forces.
Why not take some time this holiday
How to Keep Greed Under Control
by Lori Sciame December 23rd, 2024 | Elementary
The holidays are a time of joy and giving, a time for love and family. Unfortunately, however, for elementary age children, the holidays can also be a time of greed. If parents are not careful, children this age can succumb
After Christmas, What’s Next?
by Margot F. December 16th, 2024 | Preschool, Social
After the last present is opened, even with used wrapping paper piled up everywhere, it is common for preschoolers to become frustrated looking for more gifts. Although it took days to plan for the big holiday, the festivities seem to end quite suddenly. It can be hard transitioning from the excitement of Christmas to ordinary life. Here are a few suggestions to help make the shift easier for a preschooler.
Post a schedule of events for December and early January.
Holiday Survival Guide for Parents of Infants
by Marnie Bii December 9th, 2024 | Infants/Toddlers, Seasonal
Despite wanting to share your bundle of joy with family and friends, the arrival of your infant may tempt you to find an excuse to stay home for the holidays. Traveling and visiting with an infant in tow is a whole lot of work, after all. Thankfully, you can take a few measures that will make your holiday visits stress free. That way, everyone can bond with your sweet new baby while you take some much-needed time for rest and relaxation. Here's how to keep your
How to Tell Someone You Want to Exchange a Gift
by Sam P. December 2nd, 2024 | Communication, Teen Perspective, Teens
Christmas is a wonderful time of family gatherings and gift giving, but what do you do when the present your dear grandmother gave you is a sweater you can never imagine yourself wearing? You don't want to hurt her feelings, but you also don't want to have the sweater go to waste and just sit in your closet for a year until you finally "outgrow it" and tell your mom to give it to charity.
Tweens Helping Out With Thanksgiving
by T Akery November 25th, 2024 | Tweens
Thanksgiving is a time for families. To truly turn it into a family affair, ask your tween to help out. Not only does it take some of the stress off of you, tweens will feel that they are included even though they may protest about actually contributing to the holiday. If you are intending to celebrate the holiday as a whole family, it is important to state your intentions early since
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Basic Guidelines
by YPI Editors November 18th, 2024 | Elementary, Preschool, School, School, School, School, Teens, TweensAs November begins, many students are finishing the first quarter of the school year. With this demarcation usually comes parent-teacher conferences. As a parent and a former teacher, I have to admit that these conferences can be stressful for both sides
3 Ways to Bring Children into the Kitchen
by Joe Lawrence November 11th, 2024 | Preschool, Seasonal
Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Christmas is not too far behind. We place so much thought into the gifts we purchase; we lose track of the most important aspect of the holidays: family. One great way to spend time with family is to cook together.
When it comes to fun things to do with my children, my first thoughts do not turn to including my preschooler in the kitchen. In fact, most evenings I am trying to keep her out of