Four Steps To A Peaceful Bedtime Routine
A guest post by Irina Nichifiriuc Read this post in Romanian In our house, I faced a series of “battles” and obstacles every night as the day wore on towards bedtime. With three children, I
Category: Playlistening
Getting Past a Child’s Perfectionism: What Drives Children’s Rigid Behaviors?
Have you noticed that sometimes your child just becomes rigid? Say he is building a tower and decides the next block for the tower “has to be” the red block. The one after “has to
How I Overcame Getting Dressed Issues with my Sensory-Sensitive Child
My son is diagnosed with sensory issues so getting dressed is a daily challenge for all the family. One morning, I wanted to take the kids out for a walk, so we could have some
Try This When You Come Home to A Cranky Toddler
You’ve had a hard day and you walk through the door, ready to see your child and find out what you missed. Except that when you walk into your home, your son or daughter gives
One (Fun) Way to Survive Grocery Shopping With Kids
Going grocery shopping with my kids always ends up being a nightmare. Historically, I’ll have two kids running up and down the isles playing tag and screaming while the third one is walking next to
Four Steps To Resolve Children’s Big Fears
Many children are afraid of visits to the doctor, but my daughter was TERRIFIED. She’d had a difficult birth and was in the NICU for four days; perhaps those early experiences had stayed with her.
The (Terrifying) Transition to Toddlerhood
Abigail gets an Instagram message from a confused dad whose sweet little baby is just becoming a toddler. He asks, “What discipline tools actually work with toddlers?”
These Four Rules of Play Help Kids Shine
We’ve all read research and articles promoting play, but play is more than independent play or playing with siblings or friends. For sure, kids benefit from those ways to play, but playing with parents and
3 of the Best Ways For Kids to Play
As they move from play dough to playground and from dress up to dodgeball, it may seem like our children spend their whole day playing. And that’s great. But some of the best ways to
10 Games for Kids That Won’t Brush Their Teeth
They say “choose your battles wisely,” and getting teeth brushed in most houses is one many of us struggle with. But with up to 530 million children with poor dental health worldwide, according to the
Four Ways To Play To Boost Your Child’s Confidence
One summer day I was playing outside with a four-year old while his parents were busy. It was the first time that we had played together, so I didn’t know him well, but he was
Complaining Kids? Try This One Thing To Stop The Whining
One day, we were traveling by car six about hours away from our home town. I got food for the kids so they wouldn’t feel hungry during the ride, and they were soon tucking in.
How I Used Play to Help When My Child Was Fighting With Her Friend
Yesterday my 8-year-old daughter had a friend playing at our house all day. There were lots of arguments and power struggles over their play. It wasn’t going well. The other girl said that she wanted
How Playlistening Helped My Son Help Me Laugh
Playlistening is an invaluable tool that helps a child through situations they feel powerless about, scared feelings and blocked fears. It usually works when there is some roleplay involved, like this story about a girl
12 Fun Outdoor Games For Solving Power Struggles With Kids
“Mom! He’s being mean to me.” “She’s weird. I don’t want to play with her.” “They never give me a turn.” “He won’t let us climb the tree.” “She always gets to go first! Just
How I Made Peace With My Son’s Gun Play
Do you know that expression “I used to be a perfect parent, then I had kids?” I think that perfectly describes how sure I was that my children would not play with weapons. After all,
When Children are Focused on Winning or Losing
My 6 year old got his leg injured while he was practising sports. Unfortunately, the injury happened just before a school sport’s event and he was not able to fully take part in it, although
8 Rules for Safe and Healthy Play [Infographic]
We know that play is a child’s work.The best play provides opportunities for fun, and also chances to build intelligence. Because good play has the power to help children laugh through fears and address their