by Susie Windle | May 4, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play
As a child learns to connect ideas and concepts, certain accompanying emotions may cause him or her to suddenly become disorganized. The child may become anxious or withdrawn or actually feel disorganized. You can help your child by tuning in to the specific emotions...
by Susie Windle | Mar 30, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
To “feel felt,” children need parents to tune in to their primary emotions. In any given situation, these are the emotions children feel first, such as happy, sad, mad, or scared. When parents connect with a child’s primary emotional experience, a special kind of...
by Susie Windle | Feb 9, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
Some children seek out touch and movement more than others. Often these are the kids that have higher activity levels. They may want to swing highest on the swing and will likely find jumping in a mud puddle great fun. Other kids find too much touch and movement...
by Susie Windle | Jan 12, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Early experiences influence your child’s later life. What your child learns about the world today influences how he or she will interpret new events as well as shape what is learned next. What is learned next then influences the theories developed about the world as...
by Susie Windle | Jan 5, 2011 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, Your Child's Brain
Making connections with our children (and others) involves verbal and nonverbal communication. When scientists look at the way the brain functions as we connect with one another, they see that the processing that occurs in the brain’s left hemisphere is connected to...
by Susie Windle | Oct 13, 2010 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
Researchers are divided about the effects of violent video games on children. One view holds that a connection exists between children’s exposure to violence in the media and aggressive, violent behavior in youths. The advocates of this view believe that although...
by Susie Windle | Aug 4, 2010 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
Child care comes in many forms. Sometimes a relative provides care for a child, and sometimes it is a person outside of the family. A child might receive individual care or be part of a group, and the setting might be in a home—the child’s, a relative’s, or a day-care...
by Susie Windle | Jun 23, 2010 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
Cross-cultural research indicates that a father’s warmth plays an important part in a child’s long-term healthy development. Expressions of love and nurturance—such as verbal expressions of love, hugging, cuddling, comforting, praising, and playing—predicted healthy...
by Susie Windle | Feb 3, 2010 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions
Imagine a mother holding and gazing at her baby, perhaps pursing her lips to make a kissing motion. At that, her baby’s lips move inward. Mother then widens her mouth and lips into a slight smile, to which baby responds by relaxing his or her lips, hinting at a grin....
by Susie Windle | Jul 8, 2009 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
At times, a child’s challenging behaviors are fueled by his or her need for emotional contact with you, rather than a desire for attention. The need for emotional contact is genetically programmed, so if a child feels that connection is lost, he or she may act...