Does your child tell on other kids for every little thing? Learn how to stop tattle telling in your child once and for all. It was starting to get predictable. I'd leave the twins to cook in the kitchen when one of them would follow after a few minutes. "He was jumping on the couch," my three-year-old would report about his brother. Or we'd be sitting at the dining table and he'd say, "He's playing with his water cup." Sometimes he'd even start the day with yet another report before saying hello: "He was talking instead of staying quiet in bed." The tattling was getting out of … [Read more...]
How to Stop Children from Biting
Have you found your child biting other kids or even adults? Biting is normal, but you can still learn how to stop children biting when you apply these 6 important steps. My twins' preschool teacher wanted to talk at school pickup, which is usually not a good sign. But I figured, Ok, maybe one of them had a potty accident. Nope. "Today, I saw one of your boys about to bite his brother on the arm," she began. "And a few days ago another boy said he'd bitten him during circle time." Turns out my little guy was biting other kids. I've noticed it myself as well at home. He's usually … [Read more...]
What to Do if Your Child Is Talking in Class Too Much
What do you do if your child is talking in class too much? Help her focus, pay attention, and learn in class with these gentle and effective tips. Jeanette saw the dreaded teacher's note. As usual, it said her child had been disrupting the class again with her nonstop talking. She was also getting left behind because she was missing or misunderstanding instructions. When your child is talking in class too much Jeanette tried punishment, which never seemed to work. And both she and her teacher recognized her daughter is a bright girl. But she was running out of ideas on how to get her … [Read more...]
What to Do if Your Child Shows Off to Others
What do you do if your child shows off to others, whether on purpose or not? Here's how to handle social situations when kids end up showing off. "I read the most pages out of the whole class," my six-year-old's classmate announces to us. She continues with her accomplishments, particularly how far ahead she is compared to everyone else. My son looks to me, unsure how to respond. "That's cool," I say. Later, after she left leaves, I explain to my son about showing off. It got me thinking how I'd want him not only to steer clear from showing off, but to respond maturely as well when … [Read more...]
7 Effective Ways to Teach Your Kids to Share
Not sharing with other kids and family members is common with children. Learn effective ways to teach kids to share with these 7 tips. Kids are notorious for not sharing. They won't let other kids play with sand toys. They refuse to let go of the steering wheel at the park, and they hold tight to their belongings even if they weren't interested in them a minute ago. Normal it may be, we still want to teach kids to share and interact with other children or siblings. My twins are learning how to share and take turns be default—they're twins, after all. Add in my eldest and you can see … [Read more...]
Why Commercial Toys Aren’t as Bad as I Assumed
You always hear how marketing departments spend billions of dollars selling to kids and stocking shelves with recognizable characters, from Elsa to Spiderman. These tactics have led some parents to avoid commercial toys for kids and advertising whenever possible, fearing the repercussions, from obesity to lack of creative play. Yet here I was, actively selecting a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles water bottle for my five-year-old. I wasn't always like this. I was the opposite, eschewing commercial toys, clothes and books in favor of their generic counterparts. Any characters that made its … [Read more...]
23 Children’s Books about Being a Good Friend
Being a good friend to others is an important skill children need to learn. Read these 23 children's books about being a good friend to remind your kids the values of being kind to others. At school drop off the other week, I overheard a conversation between two moms. The first was praising the other one's daughter for having been a good friend to her son. My boy says the same about this little girl—how she helped him out in the classroom and "filled his bucket." She's popular among the kids because she's warm, kind and a good friend. Think back to your own childhood friendships. Maybe … [Read more...]
9 Playground Rules You and Your Kids Should Remember
Playgrounds can be fun, but they can also feel chaotic. Check out these 9 playground rules to remember so everyone plays nicely with others. The playground—one of the best ways to keep the kids active, right? It's free, it's outdoors, and kids are left to their own creative devices. Except sometimes spending time at the playground doesn't go so smoothly. Too many kids clamor up the jungle gym, older kids collide with toddlers, and parents are oblivious to their kids' antics. Wouldn't it be awesome to have playground rules everyone can follow? If you and your kids are alone or … [Read more...]