If you are searching for community service ideas for kids, you may be hoping to help them: 1) Meet school or scouting service requirements; 2) Build positive resumes for college; and/or 3) Develop into more empathetic and caring young people. Whatever the reasons, it’s helpful to understand why learning to […]
Empathy
Listening to one another is one of the most important ways parents and children create close, loving relationships. When kids feel seen, heard, and understood, they learn the meaning of empathy. They acquire the abilities to emotionally connect with others, make friends, and develop lifelong social skills. Yet listening is […]
Empathy
Every parent with more than one child knows how sibling rivalry can abruptly interrupt the peaceful coexistence of the entire family. Sociability is the capacity to understand and express feelings and behaviors that facilitate positive relationships. Children learn sociability every time they manage to put their own emotions into words […]
Sociability
How does negativity affect your child’s healthy development? It’s likely no surprise to learn that all of us have inner voices, private conversations we have with ourselves. Neuroscientists have discovered that those voices are naturally more negative than positive in tone. Unfortunately, children’s inner voices are particularly negative, usually driven […]
Self-Awareness
I hear many complaints these days about the younger generation’s lack of civility. And indeed, times have changed. But where do we draw the line when it comes to respectful behavior in children? How do we teach them to live considerately of others? While driving through Seattle recently, I saw […]
Sociability
Don’t you love the excitement an unexpected gift brings to a child? I remember the way my daughter eagerly anticipated the arrival of Santa Claus and how each gift brought joy to her face. Some toys or stuffed animals became favorites for many years to come. But most gifts brought […]
Compass-Inspired
Middle school is often linked to that awkward stage of development when young people start to question their confidence and abilities. This occurs as they gain awareness of the world around them and as they compare themselves to friends and classmates. Middle school is also a time of accelerated learning […]
Self-Awareness
Many of our cherished memories are tied to childhood and music. Today, neuroscience is beginning to understand how music heals the body, influences our emotions, sparks creativity, and even connects us with nature. From infancy onward, I tried to fill my daughter’s life with melody – from classical to folk […]
Compass-Inspired
Some of the best psychologists and educators in the world author Psychology Today articles in a variety of fields, including child development, parenting, autism, happiness, intelligence, and resilience. In the same spirit that I publish and update my list of the Best Back-to-School Articles for Parents in late summer, this […]
Compass-Inspired
America Rice, age 11, recently expressed her views about hard work and perseverance: “If you want something,” she said, “you have to earn it. Everything is not going to come to you just when you want it.” How do children grow up to think and feel like America Rice? How […]
Resilience
One of the first things you might associate with teenagers is their risk-taking behavior. And most of the time, those associations are negative. Right? That’s because we are deluged with stories of troubled youth whose risk-taking actions got out of hand —sometimes with tragic results. But what if there was […]
Resilience
Do you parent, teach, or mentor a child with special needs? Of course you do! As you know, the term special needs is most often associated with disabilities. It usually refers to a child who needs special assistance or accommodations for medical, psychological, or learning deficits. But have we allowed […]
Self-Awareness
