Here are some Kids Talk articles that might be helpful for the holidays: Gimmee! Gimmee! ‘Tis the season to be jolly. If only our over-demanding children would stop with the demands for this and that, and this again. For a second, try to see the world from your child’s point of view and you might […]
Category Archive:
Great parenting tips
What Kind Of Busy Are You?
What kind of busy are you? Seth Godin wrote in his blog that there are two kinds of busy: “When I’m giving a speech, I don’t have the ability to squeeze in a phone call, think about what’s for dinner or plan tomorrow’s meeting. I’m doing one thing, and it’s taking everything I’ve got. So […]
Know Your Child By Likes and Dislikes
What’s your child’s favorite food? Color? Outfit? What does your child dislike? Preferences give important insights into our personalities. For the child who is agreeable in most situations, we have smooth sailing. The child who expresses strong preferences, though, can push us to the limits of our patience. How long can we listen to…I don’t […]
Got an itch you can’t scratch?
Something you want to know? Is there something that is bothering you but you can’t quite put your finger on it? Got an itch you can’t scratch? Answer my one question survey to see if there might be a Kids Talk remedy. Plus your answers help me plan newsletter topics, webinars and more. Thank you! […]
The Breakfast Pledge
Last year in my For School Leaders newsletters I focused on teaching civility. With this series on teaching civility, I drew heavily from Christine Porath’s book, Mastering Civility: A manifesto for the workplace, as well as other sources. Teaching civility, the grace and courtesy lessons we offer in our Montessori classrooms find renewed importance. Who do I want to […]
Kids Say the Darnedest Things
There is magnetism with a 2 1/2- to 3-year-old and their ability to blurt out observations in public. These comments can make us understand, that, yes, we are paying for our raising. One teaching principle that I’ve found helpful to alleviate mortifying moments is the idea of indirect preparation. If you know it’s coming, prepare. […]
Strong Families Create Success
In Betty Smith’s classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, she tells the story of a young girl Francie Nolan in the early 1900’s, living with her family in the tenements. There wasn’t enough food. Her father drank up his paycheck, and her school rolled in chaos and neglect. Francie’s family owned two books: The Bible and The […]
The Sign of A Good Hearted Woman
The first time I went into Nina Clare’s kitchen a drawing near her back door surprised me because I recognized it. It was a drawing of a stylized cat on a piece of slate. The drawing of the cat looks like one that a child of seven or eight might draw. The cat has only […]
The Power To Act From Real Choice
My husband likes to stop and indulge in an Italian dessert at our local gelato shop. On any given day there may be thirty different varieties of gelato on display. New and untried flavors, such as mango/lime, are frequent. My husband usually asks to taste five or six flavors before deciding on two scoops. “How […]
The Transformation of the Possessive Instinct
For the child under the age of seven years another indicator of on-track development is the sublimation of the possessive instinct. This transformation of the possessive instinct occurs when the child is given an environment where he or she has the right to use the materials as long as he or she wishes, while respecting […]