I believe wholeheartedly that our children require a great deal of practice at becoming empathetic, compassionate, contributing members of society and that they deserve a great deal of support along the way. Feelings can be SO BIG for kids and, in a world that thrives on immediate gratification, it can be hard to work through the “stuff” that comes with those big feelings. This wonderful article from Montessori Nature discusses the elements a child needs to learn to regulate their emotions at a young age.
Teaching our kids the proper response to an emergency is a skill best reviewed such as we would a Montessori lesson. Talking through the process may be appropriate for older children, but practice makes perfect. Going through the motions, sharing and talking in casual conversation, and giving kids scenarios to practice will really seal the deal! Today recently did an article about this
This amazing article in The Atlantic, written by Adam Grant, gives powerful insight to the value of prioritizing kindness and concern for others over achievement as a way of supporting children’s life-long success.
“Quite a bit of evidence suggests that children who help others end up achieving more than those who don’t. Boys who are rated as helpful by their kindergarten teacher earn more money 30 years later. Middle-school students who help, cooperate, and share with their peers also excel—compared with unhelpful classmates, they get better grades and standardized-test scores. The eighth graders with the greatest academic achievement, moreover, are not the ones who got the best marks five years earlier; they’re the ones who were rated most helpful by their third-grade classmates and teachers. And middle schoolers who believe their parents value being helpful, respectful, and kind over excelling academically, attending a good college, and having a successful career perform better in school and are less likely to break rules.”
MCS has proudly celebrated #KINDNESS week, where random acts of kindness have boosted our community throughout this week. We invite and encourage you to promote similar acts of kindness as a way of supporting your child’s efforts.
Parenting can be exhausting, especially after looking at a list of 13 more things to do with your children! The most important thing, however, is to find the routines and habits that work for you and your family and focus on those. And don’t forget to follow your instincts. You are the most qualified to know what your child needs to become who they are meant to become.
It feels like adequate sleep is increasingly becoming more difficult to achieve. Two working parents in most homes, after school activities, more screen options, and a number of other factors can make it difficult to ensure our kids are getting enough sleep.
At school, we know that students learn better, experience more positive peer relationships, and enjoy school more when they are getting enough sleep. The APA recommendations for sleep can be found here and we also recommend listening to your child’s needs and adjusting schedules accordingly. Experts say that the specific time a child goes to bed isn’t as much a contributor to good sleep as a consistent bedtime routine. Be sure to follow those consistent and comforting bedtime routines to help your child achieve the best night’s sleep possible.
Teaching proper hand washing is one of the best preventative measures we can teach our kids to prevent the spread of illness. With flu season in full force, we recommend a couple great resources for teaching proper strategies. The CDC addresses hand washing here. B-Inspired Mama shares some clever ways to teach kids about germs here. Let’s work together to keep our community healthy!
My greatest hope for my children is that they will experience healthy, rewarding relationships. Sometimes that feels like a tall order when I can’t even manage to carry what feels like a meaningful conversation with my pre-teen and teenage sons. I’ve learned that asking the right questions is the ticket to successful conversations. “How are you?” and “How was your day?” are sure to illicit one word answers. This article from Positive Parenting Connection shares a list of questions that will help get your kids talking! Happy Conversing!
Phrases like “helicopter parent” and “lawnmower parent” have earned their reputation with great legitimacy. While the world is changing and childhood may provide more opportunity for danger “in this day and age”, the adult’s approach to protecting children from danger may be more harmful than helpful in some cases. Not only does risky play provide greater strength to the child’s body, but it also teaches skills of assessment, resiliency, and strategic thinking. Small steps with mistake making, practicing the proper use of judgement, and assessing risk are essential skills which prepare a child for success as adults. Practice makes perfect!
This article on Montessori in Nature is a great resource for determining which kinds of risk are appropriate for your child.
Questions are one of the most powerful teachers in existence. How else do we really know where someone else is coming from? And how can we possibly meet them where they are at without that information? Asking questions gives kids a chance to think critically, use their language, and reason and decide. It’s in the presence of their trusted adults they will do the most learning. Might as well use a method that involves them! Enjoy reading about how to use questions to help a child work through a mistake or problem.
One of the key tenets for the Toddler department at MCS is to foster independence. There are many ways that we help guide our students through their exploration and discovery of their environment. Toddlers love to learn by doing even when it does not look as clean and concise as we might like it to. This article from Psychology Today speaks to the idea of letting our toddlers help in a variety of ways to grow their sense of independence.
