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Read Along Series: Last Child in the Woods (Part 4)

July 11, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Get Outside 3 Comments

Read Along Part 4

 

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Savoring Childhood in Neverland

June 27, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP Leave a Comment

This was originally posted in 2011 as Reminders from Neverland.  Childhood seems to move so quickly, but summer is the perfect time to slow down and savor it! 

[Read more…]

What You Need to Know About the Summer Slide

June 19, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Building Readers, Child Development & DAP 2 Comments

What is "Summer Slide" all about?(This is our favorite version of the summer slide!)

This is our favorite version of the summer slide!

If you haven’t already seen the catch phrase everywhere lately, you soon will.  From the headlines and pin titles, it appears people are working to avoid “summer slide” like it was the next pandemic.  So what are the facts about the summer slide and what’s the best approach for you and your school age kids? [Read more…]

On the Other Side of Fear

June 17, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Celebrate!, Child Development & DAP 4 Comments

Kenna

It’s graduation season.  Odds are fair that, whether it was a preschool graduation or a elementary school promotion or the long and arduous university or high school ceremony, you’ve seen a bit of pomp and circumstance during this past month or so.

[Read more…]

Building Strong Boys: Beyond Me, Here, and Now

June 12, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Uncategorized 5 Comments

graduation

Image Source

Advice is never hard to find.  Good advice?  Well, that may take a little more looking.

Consider, for example, the many suggestions to simply “live in the here and now” and to “do what makes YOU happy”.  There are certainly times and circumstances when these little gems are just what the doctor ordered.  But as pervasive, overriding guiding principles, we may be well on our way to missing the mark.

Future Orientation

For as much wisdom as there is in the zen-like suggestion to live in the moment, there is something powerful — and necessary — in teaching our children to see beyond that.  The term used in academic literature to describe this ability to imagine and value life beyond the hear and now is future orientation.  In one study, the review of data from 850 at-risk teens showed a direct correlation between positive future orientation and lower levels of violence in the teenage years. [Read more…]

First Friday Q&A: How Do You Teach Kids Gratitude?

June 7, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Positive Guidance and Social Skills, Uncategorized 6 Comments

Not Just Cute1-003

No one wants to be accused of raising a spoiled brat, but gratitude doesn’t usually come naturally.  So this months’ question asks, how do we get our kids to feel gratitude and show good manners?

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Read Along Series: Last Child in the Woods (Part 3)

June 4, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Get Outside 5 Comments

NatureWhen my husband and I were dating and newly married, we made a lot of camping trips to the national parks near our home.  I clearly remember one day, while hiking in the Narrows we passed a family hiking, the husband with a toddler in a backpack carrier.  We looked and each other and said we’d be that family.

Then we had kids.

[Read more…]

The Parable of the Swing: Why Kids Need Both Choices and Boundaries

May 29, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Positive Guidance and Social Skills, Uncategorized 15 Comments

 

I’m sharing a little sneak peak into my newest ebook, Positive Parenting: The Basics.  

Parable of the Swing

 

I often write about the importance of giving children choices.  They are struggling with a need to feel powerful in a world that often makes them feel powerless.  Being able to take control and make their own choices gives them that powerful feeling, meaning they feel less compelled to seek out power in negative ways like tantrums or fighting.

Children also need to be offered choices to give them practice making decisions and experience handling consequences as life skills.  Giving children choices is important.  But it is also important to recognize that as adults, we need to be clear in setting the boundaries for those choices. [Read more…]

The Myth of Perfect Parenting Series: It’s Never Too Late

May 14, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Uncategorized 7 Comments

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Remember way back when I started this series?  I had a new baby and was being lured by the siren call of perfectionism.  Wrapped in this swaddle of blankets was a clean slate — perfection embodied.  It was my chance to start over as a parent and get it “right” this time.

[Read more…]

Building Strong Boys: The Video Game Debate

May 3, 2013 by notjustcute Filed Under: Child Development & DAP, Positive Guidance and Social Skills, Uncategorized 12 Comments

The Video Game Debate

Video games have come under fire lately as a possible contributing factor in a variety of undesirable behaviors, particularly for boys.  Whether it’s examining possible links between real world violence and video games or questioning the connections between gaming and issues of apathy and motivation, many are quick to point a finger at the flashing screens in living rooms all around the world.

[Read more…]

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I’m Amanda Morgan. Here’s what I’m about…

In early education, there is too much distance between what we know and what we do. I bridge the gaps that exist between academia, decision-makers, educators, and parents so that together, we can improve the quality of early education while also respecting and protecting the childhood experience.

Content Copyrighted (2008-2025), Amanda Morgan, All Rights Reserved

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