DiscussionWhat if my baby isn't walking yet?
As with every developmental milestone, babies walk in their own time. About 50% of babies walk by one year but that still leaves another half of babies that will learn between 12 and 16 months. Babies who are more interested in fine motor or verbal development may walk later than their more physical peers. The use of bouncers and walke...
Personal & Social Skills
How can I make cleaning fun?
Cleaning up can be fun when it’s a shared experience, when it’s accompanied by a song (“Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere…”), and when there’s a goal in mind. Make the clean-up process a fun activity by incorporating a challenge, such as trying to fit all the toys into a specific basket, or attempting to clean up all the blocks...
Logic & Problem Solving
How do I teach my child about money?
At this age, most children are able to understand that money can be used in different ways. Now’s a great time to teach your child about saving, spending, and giving. You can create three jars and label them “save,” “spend,” and “give.” When your child receives or earns money, help him or her divide the money into those three jars. Est...
Personal & Social Skills
Do motor skills develop naturally? How can I help my child?
Children's physical and motor skills tend to develop a rather predictable sequence. As a children's bodies grow, they will also acquire the skills needed to coordinate and maneuver those body parts. Of course, these skill do not appear out of nowhere or develop in a vacuum.
Personal & Social Skills
My child becomes upset when I can't guess what he's drawn. Help?
Try responding with, “Tell me about your picture.” My mom, a former first grade teacher, passed along this very useful phrase as I started teaching and would have students proudly present their latest masterpieces that were often hard to identify.
Personal & Social Skills
My preschooler won't tell me about her day. How do I encourage her to open up?
It isn't uncommon that a child responds with such a question with not much more than, "Fine!" or "Not much!" While it might be tough to get a conversation started, a few simple things might encourage them to tell you more about their day at school. It is important to ask the right question at the right time. At preschool, it is common ...
Personal & Social Skills
How can I encourage my child to speak in front of his class?
The key is to provide your child with plenty of opportunities to communicate in a variety of contexts. Start with relatively “low-pressure” experiences like ordering food at a restaurant or asking for help locating a specific item in a store. Gradually, introduce more performance-based opportunities like reading aloud to a family membe...
Personal & Social Skills
My child doesn't have a good friend in class. What can I do?
Friendships are important for young school-age children. If you notice that your child is a bit of a loner in school, don't jump in at once and prejudge the situation. Some children might be shy and cautious by nature, while other children might just have trouble finding a right fit with classmates. A first step would be to talk to the...
Personal & Social Skills
My child is anxious when she gets wrong answers. What can I do?
Getting wrong answers on homework or a test can be discouraging. We live in a society in which getting a "wrong" answer is typically looked down upon. We celebrate getting something "right" while disregarding "wrongs." It is no big wonder that many children get anxious when getting wrong answers. Some children get anxious even before c...
Personal & Social Skills
My toddler screams all the time. How can I make him stop?
At this age, children are starting to do so many things on their own, such as walking and eating. However, their verbal skills are still forming. An inability to express certain needs and emotions may be the basic cause for the screaming. At times it’s easy to know what the source of the crying is, such as hunger or a wet diaper. Other...
Personal & Social Skills
How can I wean my toddler off the pacifier without getting a full blown tantrum?
Though we cannot promise tantrum-free results, here are some tips to smoothing the pacifier weaning process. You may want to give your child some warning that “in a few days, we will say bye-bye to your binky.” Continue to remind your child that this will happen, with matter-of-fact language, until the day it goes away. This will prepa...
Personal & Social Skills
How can I get my toddler to put on her coat when she refuses?
Getting organized and out the door with young children is a challenge in itself, add a toddler who refuses to put on a coat and it’s enough to make you want to stay inside! While it is important to give your toddler the opportunity to make her own choices, you need to make sure that she is adequately dressed for the weather. One way to...
Personal & Social Skills