This blog was provided by our friends at Sparkler! For more blogs and to learn more about Sparkler please visit: https://playsparkler.org/ Gratitude — feelings of thankfulness — helps children (and all people) feel less stressed, more optimistic, and happier. Listen to Sparkler’s new song — “I’m Grateful” and learn five ways to help children […]
The Holiday’s are fast approaching and with that can come hours and hours of travel with your family. Every parent knows that when traveling with children the inevitable “are we there yet” happens as soon as boredoms sets in (which happens sooner rather than later). Hopefully, with some of the following tips and […]
When you go to the pediatrician for your child’s 9, 18 and 36 month appointments, you’ll likely be asked to complete the Ages and Stages Developmental Questionnaire (ASQ). This questionnaire is used to gauge where your child is at developmentally and if any concerns should arise, your pediatrician can make referrals for services. However there […]
Our Friends over at the Sparkler app sat down with Dr. Jenny Radesky the director of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Michigan, and she authored the American Academy of Pediatrics’ screen time guidelines. Her research focuses on the intersection of mobile technology, parenting, parent-child interaction, and child development. Dr. Radesky chatted with Sparkler about screen […]
No one parenting style is “right” and realistically parents don’t just parent with one style 100% of the time. What we know about parenting styles is that each style can affect children’s behaviors, self-esteem, relationships and academic success. So, what are the styles? There are 4 parenting styles that have been identified: Authoritarian Authoritative […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
