Anyone who has worked in education knows that to be most effective, you need learning activities that can be differentiated to meet a variety of levels and objectives. That’s part of what makes play-based learning so effective — it’s naturally adapted to the needs and objectives of individual learners. I’m always excited when an activity can be tweaked to meet each learners needs, and we happened to have a perfect example pop up at our house recently. (Pardon the cluttered table. Just keepin’ it real, folks!)
The Preservation of Childhood
In a fascinating TED Talk, What Do Babies Think?, child development psychologist Alison Gopnik points out an interesting fact about brain development: It’s for the birds.
Do You Use Flashcards?
I’m sharing some favorites from the archives as I spend some extra time with my family and our new addition!
Flashcards are a common catch-phrase for developmentally inappropriate teaching methods. Even I use the term that way. But like many teaching approaches, it is important to separate the objective, the content, and the method. You might be surprised to find that flashcards may not always be as evil as you thought. [Read more…]
Creating a Quiet Space for Children
First Friday Q&A: Supporting Children During Divorce
I’ve been sharing some favorite posts from the archives as I spend some extra time with my family and our new little guy. This Q&A originally appeared in November 2011. (That explains the sweater!) I’d love to hear your new questions! Keep sending those to me at questions@notjustcute.com!
(Video also available here.) [Read more…]
Praise Junkies Beware
I’m sharing some of my favorite posts from the archives while I spend some extra time with my family.
Blanketing children with praise, seems like a natural step toward building independent, confident kids. But praise may actually produce results in our children that are opposite our intentions, according to an article in New York Magazine (How Not To Talk to Your Kids).
10 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten
I’m so excited to welcome author and former kindergarten teacher, Susan Case from Kindergarten and Preschool for Parents and Teachers, and thank her for today’s post!
Children are excited about starting school, yet also a little afraid. Starting school means changes in their daily routine including being away from familiar surroundings, learning new rules, and following directions from other adults. It’s natural to have doubts and fears about change. Talk to your child about what they can expect. Perhaps you can visit the school’s playground. Katie from Mommy with Selective Memory emailed me this concern:
The Disembodied Mind
Enjoy this popular post from last year!
I am a nerd. (It’s OK. While the term might have made me cringe in high school, I have since learned to embrace my nerdiness.) I recently found myself on a short trip with some down time for a little reading, and as any good nerd would, I packed along one of my favorite textbooks from grad school. (I know, I just confessed to having a favorite textbook.)
What Ever Happened to Nap Time?
Recently, a participant in the Parenting with Positive Guidance Ecourse asked for a bit of advice. Her children had suddenly stopped napping and everyone was suffering from the consequences. Tired, grumpy kids. Frazzled, grumpy mom. What do you do?
Little Shoulders
As we get ready to welcome a new little one to our family, I’ll be sharing some favorite posts from the past.
My grandmother had a lot of sayings. “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” “Do not throw upon the floor the food you cannot eat, for many a starving children would think it quite a treat.”
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