Parenting Playbook

First friendships . . .

First friendships play an important role in the social and emotional development of your child. Typically, these first friendships are formed through interactions in preschool and kindergarten. Most children aged four to seven understand that a friend is someone with...

Wiggly at mealtime . . .

Sometimes it seems that children just won’t sit still at mealtime. On occasion, they may be more inclined to stand up and turn in circles or imitate a favorite action hero than to sit nicely and eat the food that has been prepared for them. There is a reason for this...

Making good sense of behaviors . . .

As a parent, you may have found yourself feeling frustrated and angry about something you thought your child did only to find out later that it wasn’t his or her doing. A significant other may have been the person who tracked mud across the freshly cleaned kitchen...

Optimizing anxiety . . .

In favorable conditions, a child learns how to manage feelings of anxiety by being exposed to just the right amount of distress. The optimal amount of anxiety to be experienced by a child will depend on his or her age as well as temperament. No mathematical formula is...

Playful innovation . . .

Play is a wonderful way to learn, and one of the ways children learn major motor skills is through repetitive play. The first time a child makes his or her way up and down a set of stairs leads to a second and third time. Practice makes perfect. After mastering a...

Disagreements . . .

Disagreements are merely differences of opinion. Since disagreements are unavoidable, the real key to disagreeing is doing it in a way that respects the parties involved. Kids need to learn how to respectfully disagree, and parents have an opportunity to teach this...

Children need to move . . .

Your child may seem unable to sit still, but there is a reason for it. The brain wiring needed to curb his or her restless impulses is not yet developed. That’s why children need room to roam, a change of scene, or a novel toy—all of which activate the calming...

Manageable versus excessive amounts of anxiety . . .

Experiencing manageable amounts of anxiety can help a child build coping resources. Excessive amounts of anxiety are another story. When toddlers are routinely exposed to excessive amounts of anxiety, they cannot learn from the stressful situations or tune in to their...

Receptivity in relationships . . .

As parents and caregivers, we have the opportunity to help children create an open and receptive state of mind rather than a reactive one. Doing this is important because participating as healthy individuals in healthy relationships requires receptivity. Connecting...

Entering a wider world of ideas together . . .

When your toddler can use words to express herself during playtime, a new dimension begins in your relationship because you are both speaking the same language. At times, however, knowing everything that is on your toddler’s mind may feel uncomfortable. For example,...

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