The Gift of Sharing
On a sunny Saturday in November, four-year-olds chose to stop playing and opted for the joy of handing baby shower gifts to their Room 2...
Rituals to Reduce Anxiety
People often wonder how to help a child who gets nervous about going the doctor, or even anxious about going to school. Phrases like...
Write Down Those Feelings
Want a trick to help children clarify, then let go of their upset feelings? Offer to write their emotions down. When a four-year-old was...
The Need for Patience
“Why do I have to learn to read?” a six-year-old asks her dad. “You can read to me,” she explained patiently. Her father asks what she...
Halloween Opportunities
In the weeks approaching Halloween, we have the chance to see what value this celebration holds for children and note some of the risks....
Pause and Refresh
“In an age of constant movement, nothing is as urgent as sitting still.” Pico Iyer A second grader running relentlessly on the grassy...
Boundaries: A Tricky Balance
Can you remember a childhood experience of being forced to do something or stop doing something, and the adults involved didn’t...
Making Togetherness a Game
Want your child to be able play cooperatively with others? Many interactive games teach social skills in an enjoyable way that promotes...
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Why do parents feel so much frustration when a child’s development suddenly goes backward? When we have a child who has adjusted to...
Recognizing Helpful Contributions
We have a delightful photo exhibit in our Hallway Gallery, and we hope families and classroom groups will spend time looking at the...
Punctuality Without Pain
Make being punctual a family value that communicates the message “I respect you and care about you” in any situation, but particularly...
Be A Welcomer
I believe in the world and its bigness and splendor, that most of the hearts beating round us are tender; … that strangers are friends...
Working Together for All
“Learning to work together, learning to work as one; learning to work together, that’s how life’s work gets done. ... We are building...
A Child’s Life Story
“WHEN I WAS A BABY, my first word was ‘cookie.’” A child’s sense of having a life story doesn’t happen automatically as they enter...
Friendship Dynamics
“Old friends, new friends, this is what we do, friends – sing and dance with you.” —Sandra Star This time of year, when we say good-bye...
Channeling Spring Energy
THE FORCES THAT RUN through plants and baby lambs in spring run through all, though it’s often most apparent in children. At school,...
A Sense of Entitlement
FINDING THE BALANCE between protecting children and enabling a sense of entitlement can be challenging. No one wants to raise an...
(Positive) Word of the Day
DICTIONARIES URGE PEOPLE to build vocabulary, at any age, by picking a “word of the day” and finding ways to use it in various...
After-School “Collapse”
JOYFUL AFTER-SCHOOL REUNIONS are difficult when a child gets angry because they have to leave an activity or they fall apart in the car...
“A Chance to Start Over”
“SAY YOU’RE SORRY.” Adults often insist on children making apologies, thinking that having to say “sorry” is part of learning not to...