Think of your typical toddler. If you were listening in to their conversations you’d hear a lot of NO to this, and NO to that, and how-could-you-even-suggest-that NO! Sure the NOs are their way of testing out and flexing their own autonomy, but it can be taxing tiring, and tedious for parents. Parents want to support and nurture their child on their journey of growing up, moving out and supporting themselves, but those NOs seem to know no boundaries…so, yes The struggle is … [Read more...]
Speak Up–Helping Your Child Find Their Voice
"Speak up. I didn't hear what you said." The only thing that would make me cringe more, after hearing that phrase directed to a kidlet, is to hear their Mom or Dad say "Oh Johnny or Sally is shy." ARGH!! First off, adults need to be sure to give young children enough time to answer. Secondly, I am not fond of the word shy. It's a self-defeating, self-realizing label. Children learn language from direct, interaction with their parents, other adults—even other children. It’s really quite … [Read more...]
Open-Ended Questions–Why You Want to Use Them with Your Child
At preschool, the kidlets often were presented with a question, either as they entered class or during group times. These questions tended to be open-ended questions--meaning there are no Right or Wrong answers and, therefore, they were free to give their opinion--and how often are kidlets given that option?! We took great pains for these to be private so the kidlets could come up with their own answer...and whatever they said was put down! I mentioned one of the benefits of open-ended … [Read more...]