Homeschool Help
Join us this August for our FREE 3-part live series on making it the BEST homeschool year ever.
Break the "Good Job" Habit with These 21 Alternatives
Excess praise can be damaging to our children's intrinsic motivation (working just for the pure pleasure of it - not to please anyone else), but what should we do instead? Constant "good jobbing" is a habit, and habits can be hard to break. But it can be done!
My Baby Doesn't Want to Be Alone! Ever! And That's Normal.
It can happen overnight. One day your baby is happily playing on the floor with a toy while you attempt to tidy up the living room and the next day he's pulling at your legs, terrified that you will leave his...
Why We Include Poetry in Every Theme (Even the Hard Ones)
There’s so much bad poetry written for kids...but it doesn’t have to be that way. We include real, beautiful poetry in every Theme—sometimes a classic, sometimes original. Because the good stuff matters!
Before You Say "Good Job" Again, Read This
"See my picture? I made it for you. Do you like it?" When a child comes to you with excitement to show you some of his work, it can be difficult not to respond with praise. On the tip of the tongue is a...
Conflict Resolution Starts in the Sandbox
The sand beckons them. One child reaches for a shovel and kneels, prepares to dig. The other takes off his shoes and swishes his bare feet back and forth. “A sand angel!” he exclaims. His whole body ...
Get Rid of (Most of) Your Kids Toys
Every three months or so I go crazy decluttering my house and removing nearly all of the children's toys. I'm not an organized person by nature, so while my minimalist goals may never be reached, I find...
Get Out Of Your Child’s Way (So That The Magic Can Happen!)
Children are magical beings! The development that occurs naturally within the child is completely unseen and uncontrolled by us. But first, you have to get out of their way.
Don't Feed Your Kids. Organize the Fridge!
Did the kids eat this morning? I didn't see it with my own two eyes, but what have we here? A hodgepodge of mugs filled with varying amounts of milk or water or.... something... on the dining...
Five Ways to Respect Newborns
It's not just you. Science confirms it - babies smell delicious. They also look like angels when sleeping. And nothing is as soft as a baby's bum....
Why Is My Child So Grabby?
A lack of self-control is actually very common in early childhood. And most of the problem lies with the extremely-slow-to-develop prefrontal cortex.
Your Parenting Journey
Boisterous or clingy, shrieky or shy, our toddlers give us the wildest ride of our lives and win our hearts forever. Your parenting journey, just like your toddler’s personality, is unique. In this excerpt from the Introduction of Toddler Discipline for Every Age and Stage, you can get a glimpse of my own pathway toward compassionate, gentle discipline.
Every Child is a Star
Every child deserves to know that they are made of stars. From the tiniest babe to the gangly teen, we should be whispering it in their ears. “You are part of something absolutely amazing,” we say. “Your body was part of the very beginning, and it will be part of the very end.” Of what? Of everything.
Don’t Let Power Struggles Define Your Parenting
We call this the "power struggle". It's not fun. Avoid at all costs. "Don't get into a power struggle," the haughty book authors say, while looking down at you from much higher ground - a ground which is typically stood upon by people who have children already in college. "There are better ways to get children to do what you want." Ok, then.
Move Over, Unicorn. I’m Making Childhood Magical!
Children, like unicorns, are magical beings, and they deserve a magical childhood. But unlike unicorns, they also have specific developmental needs.
Making Tantrums a Positive Experience
When your child is having an emotional meltdown, it's hard to keep your cool! What if your child is crying uncontrollably or is kicking and screaming on the floor? What then? No matter what, realize...
Surprising Ways to Encourage Cooperation
At one point or another, we all feel the terrible aftertaste of envy in our social relationships. We see the venal colleague who gets ahead or the layabout relative who repeatedly falls into success. The resulting...