"There is no way to be a perfect mother, but there are a million ways to be a great one."
Ask a child what they want for their birthday, and you’ll get a laundry list of specifics. But ask a child about what they’re thankful for, well that’s a different story. It’s such an abstract idea. So if thinking of receiving a gift is so easy for toddlers and preschoolers, how can we make the idea of gratitude more accessible to children?
The bumpy road of parenthood is fraught with change. As soon as you get comfortable with one routine, your little ones change it up. The one coming up for me is the transition from crib to toddler bed. How do you know when it’s time? And when it is time, which bed is the right one?
I’ve potty trained four children. Yet as each once approached that all-important milestone marker, I would nervously think, “How do I do this again?" But, after going through potty training four times, quite differently each time, here are a few tips that might help.
Social skills are not just for making friends. Socialization in toddlers supports learning, development, critical thinking, learning abstract ideas, independence, and a sense of community. However, social skills are learned behaviors. And in a world where we have had limited social interactions over the past two years, how do we teach these important skills to children?
When young children feel emotions, it can be strong, and it can feel physically uncomfortable and even scary, further amplifying that emotion and creating a cycle ending in a full-blown tantrum. Labeling their feelings as they happen can help give them the security of knowing what is happening.
Three of my children were early talkers. That’s why it was so surprising when my fourth baby hit an all-important language development milestone around 12 months, but he didn’t say a word. Language delays are the most common type of developmental delay in children. And while it may just be a waiting game, there are things you can do to help encourage words in late talkers and keep your own worries at bay.
Our favorite days consist of running around outside, hours spent on the playground, meeting up with friends for activities, and balancing that out with a little quiet time at home. But sometimes those ideal days are not in the cards. Whether it is summer heat or winter cold keeping you indoors, here are some ways to help busy toddlers stay occupied – and parents sane – when you can’t venture outside.
Sharing for little ones can be really hard. And although I worry about how my toddler will grow, I can take solace in the fact that his brain is just not developed enough to understand sharing. Here are some tips on how to support a child’s social development and empathy by teaching some sharing skills.
