We recently (finally!) had a sunny day in NYC. I love being outside, feeling the sun on my face, relaxing in the park. Little did I know that on this sunny day I would be a part of a young family’s “first.” I watched as the young couple encouraged their daughter to let go of Read More
5 Ways to Enrich Your Young Child’s Fine Motor Development (3-5 years old)
I thought about naming this post “big work for little hands” but decided to go with the title you see above. That being said, my discarded title brings up an important point. I believe strongly that typically developing children accomplish tasks when they are ready. Developmentally, not all little hands are ready for big work. The activities Read More
Special Needs Products for Everyone: Stomp Rocket Junior and Stomp Rocket Ultra
The Stomp Rocket Ultra and Stomp Rocket Junior are some of my favorite activities to use with children. While they recommend you use these toys outside, with a few precautions (moving breakable items), I think the Stomp Rocket Junior can be a perfect activity for working on gross motor development while inside. It’s a great way Read More
Parenting On The Same Page: Building Relationships
Having a successful relationship with your partner helps you both be more effective parents. Here are some tips for building that relationship. Be a team: We often hear “there’s no /i/ in team.” This is never more true than in building a spousal relationship. If one of you has an issue, it is a problem for Read More
Spoiled, But Not Rotten
Here’s a wonderful tidbit from a recent parent workshop I conducted. I was talking with a group of working parents about the guilt they were feeling. The conversation progressed to purchasing items for children and whether or not that assuages some of the guilt. The truth of the matter is that whether they are working Read More
My Favorite Things: Lunchskins
These days, we’re all trying to be a little kinder and gentler to our environment. My reaction to this concept is the same reaction I have to most parenting advice…it has to be practical for the person using it. I love Lunchskins because they are just that, practical! Lunchskins are reusable sandwich (or snack) bags that make Read More
Can You “Kid” With Kids? How Humor Can Be Helpful
Many of us know adults who use humor to diffuse the tension in situations, but did you know that humor is a wonderful technique with children, from toddlers on up? When they are about to tantrum or fight, catch them off guard with humor. You could try saying “Hey wait a second. Where did my child Read More
A Wonderful Sight: Grown-Ups Playing
I try to balance my blog posts to cover child development, current issues, ideas for support, and simple, feel-good stories. Today is a day for a smile! The last time it rained I noticed how many adults were wearing tall, whimsical, rainboots. While these are usually reserved for children, I’m so glad to see this trend for Read More
Guest Post: 5 Ways to Enrich Your Child’s Language Development (0-3 years old)
1. Read 2 to 3 books a day with a clear beginning and ending. Books can vary in length Be creative in your reading style (i.e., singing the words, playing with character voices, changing your speech). It is ok to skip pages based on your child’s attention span. Make books accessible throughout the day. The Read More
Little Lunch Launchers
Lately I’ve been hearing the same thing from parent after parent….”My toddler/2/3 won’t stop throwing his food. I put him in the high chair to eat and almost immediately the food is flying. And the best part is, when I say ‘no throw,’ he laughs!” Here are just a few ideas that can be helpful: Read More