How to Raise Responsible, Self-Reliant Children

Family at kitchen

Helping Kids Develop a Can Do Attitude I often hear teachers and parents alike lament that the students today have little intrinsic motivation and initiative. Certainly as a school counselor, I  often presented lessons on being responsible. When asked what it means to be responsible, children usually have a good idea. They would identify tasks like…

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3 Ways to Help Children Develop Resilience

tug of war

3 Ways to Help Children Develop Resilience What does a child do when faced with a challenging situation? Give Up Find an adult to fix the problem Attempt to solve the problem What is resilience?  It is the ability to recover from difficulties. What are the key factors in developing resilience?  Here’s what we know…

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3 Ways to Help Kids Make Friends

kids on playground

Not having a friend can be hard… What if it’s the first day of school and you are the new kid in the class? What if you return to school after a summer off,  only to find that your best friend  has made a whole new set of friends and you aren’t in the circle…

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Taking the Stress out of Holiday Giving

kids and Christmas gifts

Holiday Giving and the 5 Love Languages Do you feel like your children or students have a case of the “Christmas gimmies?” Is “no” fast becoming  your most frequently used word during the holiday season? Are you rushed and stressed already about shopping and hosting family events? The holiday season is here and as usual…

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Connection with Kids

Two fathers play educational games with their children,

Connection with Kids In her book, The Good News about Bad Behavior, the author, Kathryn Lewis, identifies three steps that are taught in the Parent Encouragement Program. It will come as no surprise to counselors of all types that the first step is connection. Establishing rapport with a student is always the first necessary step…

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6 steps to take charge of test anxiety

Male Student Working At Desk In Chinese School Classroom

Conquering Test Anxiety is Possible As the school year winds down, anxiety ramps up. There is anxiety over passing to the next grade and completing projects. But most of all there is anxiety over testing. The best way to eliminate test anxiety, is to put testing in it’s proper perspective.  In an education world where…

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