In my life as a mom, I try to consciously to choose material that is really worth it. To decrease my clutter, I’m a little picky about what I let into my house. I only keep what has a real impact on a daily basis. This is the case for the Time Timer, which I have been using every week (sometimes every day!) for about 5 years. Recently, it broke and it was then that I realized how much I had developed using it automatically. I [...]
When you're a parent it's often wonderful, but often very difficult. Why is it so complicated to be a parent? A mini-person who looks like us It's hard to be a parent because the mini-person we interact with is also the one we love the most in the world. They are the one that we would be ready to give our lives for, the one we want to see happy at all costs. It’s difficult to put constraints on them under these conditions, which is normal.This [...]
We’re leaving in 5 minutes… You must be ready in 15 minutes ... Quick, your bus will leave in 10 minutes ... Easy to say (and to repeat) for parents, but difficult to understand for children! Ah, the idea of time! If there is an abstract concept for little ones (and some bigger ones), that's it ... And this is probably the main reason why parents are stressed and tired of repeating themselves. Why is the idea of time so complicated? First, analog clocks - you know [...]
Oh dear! Your offspring have been acting out recently. You feel you are constantly repeating yourself, without being heard. Well then, it’s baseball time! April is the start of baseball season and my child being a die-hard fan, we came up with the idea of Disciplinary Baseball. No material necessary… except for a bit of consistency and perseverance. This all too familiar example will help you understand the concept of the game: You have just given a simple instruction to your child. He does not listen and pursues his [...]
As a mother of five, managing conflicts and emotions has become a big part of my daily chores. I appreciate tools that help my children become more autonomous in dealing with their emotions and in dealing with conflicts. I recently received two posters and am so happy that I brought them into my home! The first poster offers strategies on how to remain calm. The illustrations make it easy for younger children to understand. The array of solutions is realistic and useful. The very first [...]
Kids can be very colorful at times and keep us on our toes. We could even think that they are purposely putting us to the test, which is not the case obviously. When we experience a rougher patch with them. Nonetheless, it's important to know where these behaviours and reactions originate from in order to understand why they occur. The article, with its four strategies, is a guide to help us deal with opposition or resistance from our children. These are but a few examples that [...]
Hand-eye coordination: In hand-eye coordination the eyes and the hands work together in order to perform an activity or reach a goal. A child cannot learn to eat properly, if he or she has poor hand-eye coordination skills. To eat, the child must see the food, reach out and then bring the food up to his/her mouth. In other words, hand-eye coordination is one of the first functions to give children a sense of mastery – doing something for themselves and thereby developing a sense of [...]
How do I play with my child if he has no interest in playing? Learn about DIR-Floortime® Play with your child. This is the idea behind Dr. Stanley Greenspan’s approach: DIR-Floortime®. He developed this model in the 1980’s to help children on the autism spectrum develop to their full potential. In Greenspan’s model, the “D” in DIR stands for development. Having a clear understanding of where the child is developmentally is crucial to being able to build on their capacities. The ‘I” stands for individual differences. [...]
Time spent by children in front of a television, tablet or cellphone screen has been a serious subject in recent years. Margo summarizes the new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): 0 to 18 months: only one exception applies The AAP recommends that screens be avoided for children under the age of 18 months, on the pretext that they will not benefit from them in terms of education. On the other hand, one exception is video exchange with software such as Skype or Facetime. [...]
Feeding a baby can be a real puzzle for some parents. As a matter of fact, information varies, introducing a wide variety of food is important… and a baby could simply refuse to eat! There are basically two approaches to introduce food in a baby’s diet; introducing food by gradually changing texture (ex.: pureed, then strained or mashed, then small pieces) or by baby-lead weaning (BLW). This approach promotes the baby’s autonomy (the baby grasps chunks of soft food as early as the first meal, while [...]