Transitioning into kindergarten can be challenging for children. Children benefit greatly from home support as they enter this new phase of their education. The time and energy you spend helping your child’s first impression to be a positive one is time and energy well spent. Here are a few suggestions that will help make a […]

By Dr. Pam Schiller Critical thinking is defined as analyzing and evaluating information or evidence in order to guide decision making. It is literally thinking about thinking. The term critical thinking is often co-mingled with creative thinking, higher order thinking, and even, problem solving. It is a function of all of these or better put—all […]

Think back to your favorite summer experiences as a young child. My grown children would probably tell you about camp, the beach and family vacations. It’s not likely that they, or you, would put summer reading high their list of special summer memories. And yet, one of the most important things we can do for […]

By Dr. Heather Wittenberg Learning doesn’t have to stop the summer fun. Pre-reading skills give your kids a boost when school starts in the fall, so I’ve created a day of learning that has lots of built-in reading fun. Have the kids help you plan every step along the way!   Early Morning: Go on […]

By Dr. Heather Wittenberg Learning to read is a huge milestone for your child, making it possible to learn about any subject under the sun.  And so we dutifully read, read, read to our kids, hoping that one day the skill will “click”. I’ve got a great shortcut. Summer’s the time for fun and games, […]

The first time someone described me as a work/life balance expert, I couldn’t stop laughing. Me? I said and snorted. The woman who just raised her voice to her darling 6-year-old son for dawdling on his way to bed. The one whose husband got frustrated because she had spent so many nights talking to strangers […]

Summer’s here! Throughout the month of June, I’ll  have lots of ideas for how to boost your kids’ learning. But don’t worry! My tips are simple, inexpensive, and fun for the whole family – and guaranteed to help that little noggin grow. We’ll start out today with how to get your summer learning off to […]

By Joan Firestone, Ph.D. Spring has finally made it to my neighborhood.  And while parents are busy getting out the tricycles and patio furniture, they are also contemplating the perennial question of what to do with the kids when the school year ends. It might well be that the best answer is to enroll them […]

By Joan Firestone, Ph.D. No parent wants their child to become a bully or the victim of a bully. But bullying continues to be a dominant safety issue in our schools and communities. It is, in fact, the most common form of violence in our society, and between 15 and 30 percent of public school […]

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the responsibilities of juggling a career and a family? Parenting is a full-time job and can, many times, be harder than your real one. It’s this anxiety of trying to be all things to all people that can make it seem that the work/life balancing act is unending. As […]

We were at the park, and my shy 3-year-old was having fun by himself in the sandbox. When a bunch of kids came over, I held my breath — because I knew Jacob would rather have the box to himself. He bravely offered to share his shovel with one of them, who proceeded to knock […]

I always assumed I’d be a stay-at-home mom. That is — until our first child was born. Although I loved being a mom, I missed my work — and we needed the paycheck. So, back to work I went. We had an amazing caregiver arranged for the baby. But leaving her that first day was […]