In your work, you see children who have experienced hard things. Childhood trauma is something that we, as early childhood professionals, need to be aware of, sensitive to and informed about. The pandemic has had serious implications for some children who have experienced family loss, isolation and social setbacks. In this podcast episode, I talk to early […]
I’ve discovered an amazing website that I want to share with you! The National Institute for Play (NIT) has resources that help you understand the importance of play in children’s brain development, mental health, and learning. There’s also plenty in there about how YOUR play in everyday life supports your mental health. I hope you’ll check it out. […]
Do you like to DIY? I sure do! Especially when it involves the kitchen and kiddos. When I was a toddler teacher, we had a tray with all the ingredients for making playdough, measuring cups and spoons, and an old saucepan with a tattered recipe card in it. Whenever the time seemed right, we’d pull […]
Resilience, persistence and patience. These are characteristics we want children to develop so they’ll be able to manage the challenges of life. Seems kinda crazy but guess what, there are things you can do today to help children when they’re in third grade trying to figure out long division and playground politics. But how do […]
As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re reminded that children need our love and care. This is nothing new – it’s why you do what you do! And in the all day long, sometimes wearisome, life of caring for children, here’s some encouragement for you on ways to love those little ones. L.R. Knost describes love […]
Research has shown time and time again what a powerful impact words have on outcome. Both positive and negative language have the transformative power to make situations better or worse. This is true for people of all ages and the effects can be found both from self-talk and the language used around you. Positive language […]