Spending precious time with extended family during the holidays is filled with joy and traditions but by its nature can bring anxiety to children who are shy or have special needs. Starting with the customary hugs and kisses and obligatory, “look how much you’ve grown!!”, can bring unintended discomfort at the intensity of attention and sensory […]
Most of us have siblings; some are close, while others are not. To some extent, our personalities dictate how close we are as adults. But as children, how can we encourage a positive relationship? How can we avoid pitfalls that drive our children apart? A space of ones own. Our retired pediatrician, Jane Anderson, recommended that […]
My daughter falls down and starts crying, and her brother goes to her and asks if she needs ice. Warms the heart. But other times, he knocks her down or grabs a toy from her. We all want our children to grow up with empathy, good citizens compassion for their fellow human beings. Yet children […]
My fondest memories of preschool were with my best friend: drinking green punch, painting, tying our shoes. When my first started preschool, my hope was for him to make wonderful friends. But how does this happen? Some kids make friends on their own. My elder child, now five, made his first friends before starting preschool, […]
As we’ve undoubtedly all experienced, young children can find sharing and turn taking challenging, to put it mildly. It is hard for them to think about consequences and how their actions affect their friends’ feelings. Here are some tips from our Mom experience to help children learn, starting with a simple puppet show script to […]
As parents we face a daily conundrum of opportunities and needs to coach our children about everything from conflict resolution and manners to transitions and routines. Two creative tools I love for teaching children social and life skills are social stories and puppets. Storytelling can be such a powerful way to engage children, capturing their […]