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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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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5 Ways to help children develop GRIT

kids on playground

5 Ways to Help Children Develop GRIT Prepare the child for the path; not the path for the child.  (author unknown) Over fifty years ago, Emmy Werner, a psychologist did a groundbreaking four decade study of hundreds of children living on the Hawaiian island, Kauai. One third of the kids were born into poverty or…

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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 the Internet Has Changed Kids’ Lives

Young girls playing or working on a computer

Three Ways the Internet has Changed Everything for Kids (and what to do about it) I often hear experienced teachers complain about how students have changed over the years.  Children who will spend hours locked into a video game can hardly pay attention for ten minutes to a classroom lesson.  It seems that children of…

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