Parenting Articles

Mom Tip Monday: Music

by Heligirl on February 21, 2011

in Mom Tip Monday,Parenting Articles

I quite by accident came across a lesson about kids and music I’d love to share from experience. I read early on that music significantly influences brain development in young children, going so far as improving memory. Like any loving mother, I wanted to offer my kids the best opportunities and music was definitely one. […]

Children can begin to notice difference in gender and skin color as early as six months of age. By age 3, they can place a photo of themselves in their own racial/ethnic group and begin to ask questions about differences. By the time they enter kindergarten, they have a core sense of their racial identity […]

Last week I wrote about a very frustrating experience when I observed a preschool for Sweetness. I got a lot of feedback, both in the form of comments as well as e-mails from local folks who recognized which school I visited. This got me thinking. I learned something fascinating about parental expectations in that experience. […]

The last two weeks I’ve been running a three-part series on encouraging our kids, using techniques aimed at their specific developmental stages. I started by talking about how to encourage children from birth to 6 then went on the last week to discuss specific child development and encouragement techniques for kids from 6 to 12 […]

Last week I started a three-part series on encouraging our kids, using techniques aimed at their developmental stages. I started by talking about how to encourage children from birth to 6. This week I’ll continue the conversation with some insights into the psychological development of kids between the ages of 6 and 12 as well […]

I’ve talked in the past about the pitfalls of praise. It can be empty and hollow, further degrading children’s self esteem by building in them a need to receive praise (external justification) in order to feel belonging or acceptance. Instead of praise, we can encourage our kids, helping them find their way and develop an […]

I talk a lot in my articles about discipline, and specifically positive discipline. That word, discipline, seems to carry some negative connotations. At least I know my first thought when hearing the word is of a child being scolded or spanked (the way my generation was “disciplined.”) Positive discipline is about being kind but firm, […]

If you have a toddler or preschooler in your house, you’re quickly becoming very familiar with their insatiable appetite to explore, experiment and push their boundaries to the absolute limit. That sweet little baby that used to follow your lead and eat, sleep, play and go along with you when you offered has now started […]