Guidance for families

Reading is a learned skill that grows better with practice. To get your child to read more, and become a better reader, engage his imagination and natural curiosity. Associate reading with doing something fun. Even…

The more children read, the more they want to read because it becomes easy and fun. However, some children get in the opposing habit of not reading and not wanting to read. With lack of practice, their skills stagnate…

Kids often leave behind a messy trail from dirty laundry to broken crayons. Getting your child to clean up that mess or help out with other household tasks isn't always easy. A little motivation can help get your child…

Everyone needs a little motivation to do unwanted tasks from time to time, but inspiring kids can be especially challenging. Bribing a child to clean his room or do homework with sweets or toys may seem like a good…

In a perfect world, you wouldn't need to worry about discipline, but all parents face situations that require intervention. The goal of discipline is to decrease the undesirable behaviors and increase the positive…

Positive reinforcement is a discipline strategy that helps children learn socially appropriate behavior. Like children of all ages, toddlers seek approval from their caregivers. Your toddler is more likely to repeat…

Children, like adults, enjoy attention. Children tend to continue a behavior that secures attention. Behavior that does not arouse a reaction or is ignored is likely to eventually fall by the wayside. The key to raising…

To parent successfully, determine the behaviors you want from your kids and then deliberately encourage those behaviors. Along those same lines, don't inadvertently reinforce undesired, negative behaviors. This…

It doesn't matter if your toddler learned name-calling from watching TV or is imitating unkind words he heard his friends use left unchecked, this can develop into a hard-to-break habit. Less obviously than hitting or…

As your children move from childhood to adolescence, they grow socially and emotionally in a natural way. As a parent, learning about children’s needs and taking a proactive stance can help your child form strong…

When your toddler bites or hits another child, you'll likely feel shocked and confused. After all, if your child is aggressive, you've probably done something wrong. Actually, biting and hitting are completely…

You waited with anticipation to hear your child's first words, but now your toddler has some language that you don't want to hear. The longer you wait to put the brakes on your toddler's back talk, the harder the…

Many challenges come with parenthood. Most parents struggle trying to appropriately discipline their children. Being too strict can break a child's spirit, and being too lenient can lead to future discipline problems…

Parents do kids a grave disservice when they don't teach them how to be polite. Teachers, friends, neighbors and extended family all appreciate it when kids are polite to them and are genuinely bothered when kids are…

Some children are blessed with the gift of good study habits, while others possess study habit problems. Helping a child with poor study skills has been proven to bring much joy to both the parent and the struggling…