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Back-to-school articles

Best Back-to-School Articles for Parents: 2024

Back-to-school is always a time when parents and teachers revisit what is important for children and how to best support their positive development. This popular list of back-to-school articles, started in 2012, has been updated for the 2024-25 school year. Most articles bring you the latest thinking and research on […]

Compass-Inspired
Tackling poverty through service-learning

Service-Learning Fosters Lifelong Development

When I was a teenager, we didn’t have a term for service-learning. There were opportunities to volunteer in our communities but not many people thought about the lifelong value of such experiences. As I reflect on my early volunteer experiences, I know for certain that my life was changed as […]

Empathy
Character traits for kids

Character Traits for Kids and How Families Nurture Them

Parents and families play key roles in developing character traits for kids. Parents who create positive home learning environments also understand that fostering character traits for kids is as important as academics and homework. They know that family values get passed from one generation to the next.  But how to instill values […]

Self-Awareness
Perfectionism in children

Perfectionism in Children Can Be Moderated by Parents

In today’s culture of high stakes testing and tough competition for college admissions, perfectionism in children can be viewed as a desirable trait. But recent research shows that perfectionism can interfere with a child’s ability to achieve goals and shape their futures–the core of what it means to be resourceful. […]

Resourcefulness
Science Experiments for Kids: Making Learning Fun, by Marilyn Price-Mitchell PhD

Science Experiments for Kids: Making Learning Fun

If you’re looking for creative science experiments for kids, we’ve got some great resources for you! Whether or not you have a budding ecologist, neuroscientist, or engineer, all children gain important abilities when parents support and encourage doing at-home, easy science experiments. For kids of all ages, the benefits are […]

Resourcefulness
How to Instill Compassion in Children, by Marilyn Price-Mitchell PhD

How to Instill Compassion in Children

How do children learn to care? How do they feel connected to their communities and know they can make a difference in the world? The answer isn’t as complex as it might seem. Like many college students who became committed to social and environmental causes, Danielle talked about developing compassion at a […]

Empathy
Children Learn What They Live: Lessons from Dorothy Law Nolte, by Marilyn Price-Mitchell PhD

Children Learn What They Live: Lessons from Dorothy Law Nolte

Meet Dorothy Law Nolte. She’s a woman who understood the field of positive youth development before it was invented. Born in 1924, Dorothy Law Nolte became a parent educator, family counselor, and writer known for her inspirational poem, Children Learn What They Live. First published in 1954, it was pasted […]

Compass-Inspired
3 Sources of Positive Youth Development, by Marilyn Price-Mitchell PhD

3 Sources of Positive Youth Development

Do you ever wonder how children grow up to be happy, fulfilled, and engaged in life?   While there are no easy answers, research shows that three things make a big difference.  First, children need positive life experiences that engage them in meaningful activities.  Second, they need adults who help […]

Self-Awareness