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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Introvert or Extravert?

girl-hugging-legs-

What is the Difference? When I teach parent training groups on personality style, one question that often comes up is how to best parent a child who is reserved or introverted. I always reassure parents that there is no one single personality style that is better than another.  This statement often resonates in a powerful…

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The Secret to Successful Parent Conferences

parent with child

How to engage parents through crucial conversations Recently I presented a training on parent engagement and crucial conversations for the staff at a local school.  You might wonder why a school would be interested.  It was a school that already delivers a great academic program with lots of dedicated teachers.  The involvement of parents is…

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