DiscussionMy son doesn't play with the other kids in his class. What can I do to help him feel safe and make friends?
It's heartbreaking for parents to see their child struggle to make friends. Research has shown that high-quality friendships in kindergarten are associated with greater social skills in first and third grades, particularly for boys. One way you can help your child make friends is to provide him with plenty of opportunities to interact ...
Personal & Social Skills
My child is disrespectful. How should we react to this behavior?
When children have trouble communicating how they are feeling or what they need, they will often act out or display inappropriate behaviors. Therefore, the first step in minimizing these problematic behaviors is to identify the real reasons behind the behaviors. For example, is your child hitting you as a way to communicate anger or a ...
Personal & Social Skills
What if my child refuses to wear his costume on Halloween?
Holidays such as Halloween can disrupt routines that are a comfort to young children. This may lead to a child not wanting to participate in festivities, which may include a refusal to wear a costume. It may be helpful to ask your child whether there is something about the costume that bothers him/her, and to see if it is something tha...
Personal & Social Skills
My son loves to paint but always makes a huge mess. Any tips?
Messy (or sensory) play is a fun and interesting way for children to explore and learn about the world around them, but for parents it is just so, well messy! Here are a few ways to minimize the mess. The first is to choose a location that is easy to clean up such as the kitchen, bathtub, driveway, or backyard. Lay a vinyl shower curta...
Creativity & Life Skills
How can I get my daughter to tell me more about her school day?
I experience this every day when I pick up my son from preschool. I am so excited to see him and hear about all the fun things he has done at school that day, and when I ask him he usually responds with a one word answer.
Personal & Social Skills
My child has an imaginary friend, should I be concerned?
Having an imaginary friend is more common than you might think -- approximately 40-65% of children have an imaginary friend during the preschool years. While extremely common, many parents are concerned that this type of play might be indicative of extreme shyness and difficulties establishing normal relationships with peers. Fortunate...
Personal & Social Skills
What are some ways to help learn to write letters besides tracing?
Along with having your child practice tracing and writing letters on paper, you can have your child make letters with fun materials. Head outside and have your child use a wet paintbrush to "paint" letters on a warm sidewalk, write letters in the sand with stick, or use sidewalk chalk to create driveway messages. If it's more of an in...
Reading & Writing
How can I teach my son how to handle teasing or bullying at school?
Bullying begins as early as preschool, so it’s wonderful that you want to teach your son coping strategies for dealing with a bully. One of the best ways to teach your child how to handle teasing and bullying is to model confident, respectful behavior with other people. You can also practice standing up to a bully by role playing with ...
Personal & Social Skills
My child's teacher doesn't know him well? What can I do?
Many teachers have up to 30 children in their classroom, all with their own unique set of needs. Given the large class size, sometimes each student doesn’t always get the personalized attention they need. If you are concerned that this is the case for your child, start by arranging to spend an hour or two in the classroom so you can ob...
Personal & Social Skills
How do I keep my kids interested in learning over the summer?
I can hear it already. “Mom, I’m borrrred!” No matter how hard I try to keep my house stocked with fun games and activities, my kids don’t seem interested. One way I’ve learned to help them engaged is to engage in activities myself. Last summer I purchased a few drawing books that I thought would be fun for my kids. I kept setting th...
Why does my son act out the same stories over and over?
While it may be frustrating to parents, repetition helps children learn. When your son acts out or reads the same story over and over again, it helps him better understand the storyline and become more familiar with the ideas and vocabulary in the story.
My son can count, but has problems determining “how many” are in a set?
Understanding “how many” are in a set — known as the “cardinal principle”, is a difficult concept for many young children to grasp. Most children begin to understand this concept around 4 years of age, but it can take up to a year to master.