As parents we want to know about our kids day, but often times when we ask how their day went their response is something like: “I don’t know”, “It was fine/okay/good”, or my favorite “I don’t remember”. So, how do we get them to open up to us to talk about what they learned or […]
At some point in everyone’s life we’ve all been bullied and/or have been a bully, it tends to be unavoidable. So, lets learn what bullying is, who is bullied, why bullies do what they do and how we can arm our children with the knowledge of how to deal with bullies. Who Tends to […]
This Blog was provided by Sparkler: Play for Parenting; Sparkler Blog. By Donna Housman, Ed.D Dr. Donna Housman, Ed.D is the founder and CEO of Housman Institute, which conducts research on emotional intelligence in young children and develops high-quality programs to train early childhood educators. Dr. Housman has over thirty-five years of experience as a […]
At some point we’ve all been there, right? We’re overstimulated, over being call upon, over being touched and having to repeat ourselves or having to pick up the same messes day after day with out an ounce of recognition. Many people may criticize parents who feel this way; many people may say that parents […]
Sparkler family & community engagement specialist, Meaghan Penrod, spoke with Dr. Marianne L. Barton, Clinical Professor and Director of Clinical Training at the University of Connecticut Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Barton is a licensed psychologist and has worked for more than 30 years providing evaluation and treatment to young children and their […]
One of the goals for Help Me Grow is to ensure that every child is ready for Kindergarten on their first day. The school year is fast approaching and that means many new families are preparing for their children’s first day of school, but what exactly should a brand new Kindergartener know? Well, Help Me […]
Separation of anxiety is a normal part of childhood, at some point all kids experience some form of separation anxiety. Here is what parents can typically expect. Infants As early as 4 months your baby may experience separation anxiety, however typically infants will begin to show signs of separation anxiety around 9 months when […]
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do in the field. I am a licensed clinical psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at UConn, with a joint appointment in Psychiatry at UConn’s School of Medicine. My primary roles are in research and teaching at both the undergraduate and […]
Of course playing is fun for kids, but it’s also essential for learning about the world and themselves; kids develop their social-emotional, cognitive, language and physical skills. Play helps kids develop social skills, cooperation, sharing and turn taking as well as empathy and building emotional connections with their peers. Play also helps children […]
For more than 100 years, researchers have been asking: What happens to student learning during the summer months? Researchers have found evidence of what educators call “summer slide,” “summer setback,” or “summer learning loss,” especially for children from low-income families (source). These statistics are not destiny! Summer can be a time of growth, curiosity, […]
