Walking with Children

Adults walk with purpose, with a clear destination in mind. For the child this is not so, he walks to explore his surroundings with all his senses engaged: sight, sound, taste and touch. A walk is an adventure, a journey without a destination, an exciting opportunity...

The Young Child’s World

“Help me to help myself.” One of the most common questions I get from parents of the toddler and young child is how to prepare the home environment to assist their child’s natural tendencies and development. I tell them first and foremost, in their quest to assist...

The Art of Giving

With the holiday season upon us our thoughts and attention turn to the “giving and receiving” that seem to occupy a great deal of our lives at this time each year. The holidays bring a wonderful opportunity for us to teach our children not only how to receive but how...

Teaching Sharing: When and How

Not all sharing is good or appropriate, yet we are constantly telling children of all ages to share: share your toys, share your books, share your food – share, share, and share!  Sometimes the request is actually more of an admonishment than a request: “You must...

Repetition

Many adults, in the course of their daily interactions with children often miss out on what I believe are some of the most precious and insightful experiences we can have with young children. Sure, they often say cute and adorable things, but more often than not the...

Children and The Case Against Praise

Yes, I really did mean “against”. How can praise be a bad thing you ask? Everyone likes a pat on the back – right? Isn’t approval a basis human desire? We are led to believe that without praise children will not develop self esteem – the buzz word of previous...