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7 Ways to Start the New School Year on a Positive Note
September is approaching, and whether this summer was relaxing or stressful (or a combination of both!), it is slowly coming to an end. It’s normal for kids and their parents and caregivers to feel a mix of anticipation, curiosity, and maybe even dread about what the new school year might bring. Here are seven creative…
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Ideas for Celebrating the Season!
It was far from normal, and this school year marked the first time since 2018-2019 that most kids were in real classrooms, in person, together. So, when they leave their classrooms and say goodbye to their teachers this month, it will be truly transitional. Celebrating all that they accomplished this school year can help with…
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It’s Teacher Appreciation Month and We See You
What a school year this has been! By many accounts, this year proved even more challenging than the previous two years, leaving many educators exhausted and discouraged. And yet, you keep showing up. You continue to be present and attentive to the needs of your students. Even though you may feel depleted, you keep dipping…
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An Easy Way to Reduce Stress and Strengthen Relationships in Your Family
Want to play? What? Too busy doing important things to play? It turns out (check out this research), play is extremely important – for just about everyone and everything, but especially for learning and developing children. But why? Stress: It turns out play reduces stress (and therefore) facilitates learning. We know stress lowers the amount…
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Developing Firmness Tools for Parents
Kind compassion and grounded firmness are critical to effective parenting. If we can do both, our parenting takes on a strong even keel, so that in stormy times or calm, we know we are getting where we want to go with our children in a way that has direction and purpose. Both parents and kids…
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The Great Reset for Families
Priya Parker, the author of The Art of Gathering, encourages us to enter into 2022 with conscious intention and in community. Recently, she discussed her ideas for a concept called “the great reset” on Brené Brown’s podcast. Parker calls upon us to recognize the gift of our times: “We are in a moment of creation. And that…
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Routines, Rituals & Traditions in Families
Routines provide consistency and predictability. They help our kids feel safe, and we as adults feel more organized and less chaotic. Specifics of routines tend to be unique to each family. Rituals and tradition provide comfort for kids and more than that, tend to be the foundation of our childhood memories as we grow. They…
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For Healthier Kids, Flip the Script on Self-Care
One way to help kids who are struggling is to try flipping the script – talk less about self-care and more about care for others around us. Research shows that kindness towards others is more beneficial for mental and physical health than self-care. Active kindness: helping others, volunteering, being generous and consciously kind, results in…
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How Parents & Caregivers can move on from “What’s Wrong with Me?”
Our early experiences shape us in profound ways. If those experiences were persistently stressful or traumatic in your early life, you may suffer from the results of adversity, just like millions of other parents and caregivers. Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey teamed up on a new book titled What Happened To You? that illuminates…
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How to Help Kids Rebuild Their Stamina for the New School Year
Masked up, many children have headed back to in-person learning. Though the academic load has not yet become heavy, the time in isolation has taken its toll in many ways. Just like an athlete returning to training after post-injury recuperation, our kids need to slowly build back the stamina they once had. We can help…
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