by Susie Windle | Sep 7, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Children develop their ability to reason at different chronological ages. Some children arrive at the age of reason when they turn four while others are seven or eight years old before they have reasoning powers. It makes sense then to instruct children accordingly....
by Susie Windle | Aug 31, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play
Telling stories is one playful way to help children address important themes in their lives, particularly those that children might prefer not to talk about. Discharging powerful feelings connected to memories and experiences is important, though, so residual feelings...
by Susie Windle | Aug 17, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
When thinking about how to best prepare our children for the big wide world out there, developing resilience comes to mind. We hope our kids can feel secure and confident as they learn the skills they will need to cope with everyday challenges, disappointments,...
by Susie Windle | Aug 10, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Really listening is active. When you, the parent, really listen to what your child is trying to tell you, it’s important to let him or her know that you are willing to listen and want to understand. It is important to try to sum up what you think your child is saying...
by Susie Windle | Aug 3, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
It’s that time of year again—the beginning of a new school year. Whether this is your child’s first school experience or he or she is starting sixth grade, the new school term will present new challenges. As a parent, you can help make the transition back into the...
by Susie Windle | Jul 20, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
Feelings enhance life, but they can also create some complications. If you have more than one child, quite different feelings may occur during a single shared situation. One child may feel excited about going to a first soccer game, for example, while the other...
by Susie Windle | Jul 13, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
To be emotionally intelligent, we need to operate a dimmer switch of sorts on our emotions rather than simply turn them on and off. In other words, emotional competence requires an ability to modulate emotions—even strong emotions—safely, respectfully, and directly....
by Susie Windle | Jun 29, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
One way parents support their children is through family activities. Children often feel nurtured and supported during times the family is interacting, such as when everyone is eating dinner together, taking a walk, watching a movie, or going to the park. But the...
by Susie Windle | Jun 22, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Sensory Information, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Your preschooler is learning like a sponge soaking up water. She is learning to use her senses, move her body, regulate her behavior, and engage you in conversations. When she learns while combining more than one of these activities, her nervous system gets a better...
by Susie Windle | Jun 15, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Sensory Information, The Importance of Emotions, Your Child's Brain
As your toddler reaches the age of about eighteen months, he or she will realize that his or her angry “me” and loving “me” are within the same person. During this time, your toddler will also realize that the people he or she trusts and loves can also be the people...
