What kinds of stories do you tell yourself about yourself? One important story that we need to tell ourselves to build up our resilience memories is that when something is hard, we do it and get through it. The way  all of us get better at anything is by having something be hard and seeing that we can […]

We often think of literacy in a traditional sense: it’s reading chapter books, learning spelling, and practicing handwriting. You may be worried that reading comic books “doesn’t count” or that texting among kids (with all those wonky abbreviations!) isn’t real communication. You may wrestle the tablet from your kids after too much “screen time” because what could […]

“Kids these days don’t like to read – they just want to be in front of a screen!” “I loved reading as a kid, but my child would rather do anything than sit down with a book. Where did I go wrong?” “My kid gets extra frustrated with reading homework. They just won’t put any […]

It takes so much to just get our kids through the day: we want them to do better in school, get enough sleep, eat healthfully, enjoy some extracurriculars, and have enough time to relax. When our kid acts out, we often think about how we can restructure the things above. Do we need more rules? Higher expectations? […]

I often hear this from parents whose children are struggling with reading.. “I feel so guilty, I know I should have read to him more when he was younger.” “I was so much better about reading with my other kid.” “I’d read to her more if I wasn’t so busy. She’s struggling because of me.” […]

It’s no surprise that we learn better in positive environments, so making time to meaningfully celebrate accomplishments (however small!) with your child is fun in the short-term and helpful in the long run. Maybe your child brings home a great test they were worried about, earns their next belt in karate, or makes it to a higher […]

During our consultation, I noticed that Coby had some missing skills necessary for early reading, and that his motivation to read was already low, even at his young age. His parents weren’t sure if it was too early to supplement Coby’s learning, but we discussed how starting early can preempt a lot of the social-emotional […]

Amy (not her real name) was entering third grade when I met her mom after an event on children’s literacy. Her mom scheduled a call with me and explained to me how Amy had lost her confidence in reading over the past two years since she had trouble sounding out words.  Her parents knew that […]

Many parents know all about the importance of play, but don’t always have an easy time engaging their children in play at home.  To get the most from their play, children need: Time alone away from watching eyes to explore the world around them Time with a supportive adult to show what they’ve learned and […]

Play helps us deal with difficulties, provides a sense of expansiveness, promotes mastery of our craft, and is an essential part of the creative process. Most important, true play that comes from our own inner needs and desires is the only path to finding lasting joy and satisfaction in our work. In the long run, […]