April is a special month for parents, young children, and early childhood professionals. During this time of the year, a week long national celebration kicks off to recognize the beauty of being a young child. This celebration is called Week of the Young Child (WOYC). Since 1971, the National Association for the Education of Young […]
Child Mental Health
Brain Building Through Words
Parenting young children takes a lot of effort and hard work. There are long days and endless nights sprinkled with meltdowns, fickle appetites, laughter, and rushes of pure joy watching your child reach developmental milestones. Being a parent is one of the few occupations where you will literally feel every possible emotion out there—all within […]
Perfectly Flawed
I guess I had as normal upbringing as any, okay maybe a little different but not unusual. The days passed and before long; at 19 I had my first child, David. Plagued with health problems he was not an easy baby but within a couple months I gave birth to my angel, Enrique Tomas. Kiki […]
Keeping Consistent Family Routines with Rituals
Family routines and predictable schedules are important for young children. Children feel secure when they are able to predict when changes in their daily activities happen. For example, young children are able to say good-bye at morning preschool drop off when they know that daddy always comes back after lunch. Or, children are able to […]
Setting Limits With Children Helps Them Learn Empathy and Self Control
According to Zero to Three, “In order to follow rules and understand limits, children need to develop self-control. Self-control is the ability to cope with strong feelings and stop one’s self from doing something that is not allowed” (Discipline & Limit Setting). For young children self-control might look like: a.) Stopping oneself from hitting or […]