This post is for parents whose children lack an assertive voice. When Alicen was a toddler, if someone took a toy or did something she didn’t like, she would just stand there or cry. When she was a preschooler, she would sadly walk away or come bury her face against my leg. She didn’t have an … Continue reading Helping Kids Speak Up for Themselves
Calm Parenting is a hot topic these days. My Calm Parenting workshops have quickly become as popular as my Positive Discipline classes. In both sessions, and in many other, unrelated classes parents report losing their cool often. They say they would like to provide a calm household, but find themselves yelling more than they’d like. This week’s posts … Continue reading Calm Parenting – Know Your Triggers
The steps of Positive Discipline are not something I’ve created, these steps have been around for years. Originally written in 1965, Dr. Haim Ginott introduced a version of these steps in Between Parent and Child. Systematic Training for Effective Parenting, or STEP classes, desiged by Dinkmeyer and McKay have been in session since 1976. These … Continue reading The Steps of Positive Discipline
When offering choices in discipline, the goal is to offer two positive choices for the child that both meet your goal in parenting. These choices can focus on the how, what, when or where. Let’s say you need to have the playroom cleaned up. Offering choices about how could include, “would you like to start … Continue reading How Choices Work in Positive Discipline
When your child is challenged by a new problem, the idea is to remind them of what they already know and build from there. This can help make the task seem more manageable and provide a familiar strategy. Let’s say your child has mastered 25 piece puzzles, and they are starting on a 60 piece puzzle … Continue reading Best New Learning Builds on Previous Knowledge
The theme this week is working through problem solving with your children. Our third guideline is ‘corrections shouldn’t feel like corrections.’ This guideline is easier to follow with younger children. When a two-year-old says, “I need a ram-baid,” we don’t tend to correct in a heavy way such as, “no, you said that wrong! It … Continue reading Corrections Shouldn’t Feel Like Corrections
Continuing the theme of helping children become independent problem solvers, give hints and suggestions not outright answers. A few examples: When your first graders asks, “mommy, how do you spell elephant?” Avoid spelling it for them. Give hints and suggestions for how they can spell it. You might offer to help them learn to look … Continue reading Give Hints and Suggestions Not Answers
Whether your four-year-old is working on a hard puzzle, or your fourth grader is struggling through math homework, when they ask for your help, start by asking them how they would like to be helped. If you swoop in and give them your brand of helping, you may be doing too much, which discourages independent … Continue reading Ask Them How They Want to Be Helped
Throughout your child’s education, it is important to build a sense of home-school connection. There is benefit for your child’s academic motivation if they feel you value their school, and that their school welcomes you. There are so many ways you can work to build this bridge. Take an interest in their progress – Ask … Continue reading Building Academic Motivation
Here are a few reasons to make eating as a family a priority: Children learn valuable life skills – There is benefit in children learning how to prepare and cook food, as well as how to clean the table. This sounds crazy, but I have fond memories of washing and drying dishes after meals at … Continue reading Benefits of Eating as a Family
Parenting by Dr. Rene 