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 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 | May 25, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, The Power of Play
Play provides more than pleasure. Play energizes and enlivens us, opens us to new possibilities, and nudges our sense of optimism. Play is also a profound biological process that promotes survival, shapes the brain, makes us smarter, encourages adaptability, fosters...
by Susie Windle | Feb 10, 2016 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
Self-help skills make both your and your child’s life easier. As a parent, you can combine teaching, learning, and fun to help your child develop these skills. Let’s take getting dressed as a first example. Providing oversized dress-up clothes with zippers, buttons,...
by Susie Windle | Dec 2, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills
For many families, this time of year includes holiday celebrations and gatherings that can nurture feelings of connection and joy if reasonable expectations are kept in mind. Here are a few thoughts . . . Rituals are important because they provide comfort and a...
by Susie Windle | Sep 2, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
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...
by Susie Windle | Jul 15, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
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...
by Susie Windle | May 6, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Adults can easily forget that kids learn a lot through physical play. Physical play might involve roughhousing, wrestling, climbing, swinging, and running around. All children need this kind of play, and participating in it is one of the ways kids can learn to solve...
by Susie Windle | Apr 1, 2015 | Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Importance of Emotions, The Power of Play, Your Child's Brain
Children love it when a parent will play with them, and child-led play builds a strong emotional bond. When children lead parents in play, opioids—the natural chemicals that give us a general sense of well-being—are activated in their brains. Child-led play has been...
by Susie Windle | Mar 25, 2015 | Discipline and Trying Times, Parenting Playbook, Parenting Skills, The Power of Play
It can be hard to understand aggressive play: things like teasing, pretend fighting, mimicking of superheroes, pointing toy or pretend guns, horsing around in a rough-and-tumble way, and dramatizing battles for dominance and power. It can sometimes be difficult to...
