Blog

Summertime is exciting! Family vacations, big sleepovers, and days at the pool. But, if you’re anything like me, summertime flies by too fast. Before you know it, the first day of school is right around the corner. Will your family be ready?It can be hard to switch from your family’s fun summer schedule back to your school schedule. Follow these 5 tips to get your family back into their school routine.1. Backup bedtimes. During the summer, children get used to going to bed late and sl …

    He asked if I liked to eat crayons. I’d just moved to the area in the middle of first grade and wanted desperately to make friends, so I said I did. He smiled and a friendship was born. My father viewed my new friend with a skeptical eye, and I knew soon he’d render a judgement. I definitely felt bad for lying to my new friend and was worried that one day I’d have to fess up — or chow down. Fortunately, that day never came. He and I remained friends through elemen …

There is no substitute for family; sisters, brothers and cousins are our first friends in life! In the years before Pre-K, our relationships with these family members grow strong – and often continue as we grow. No matter how many friends we make in school, on the playground or even at our jobs – our very first memories are with family members! Growing up, we spent every holiday at my grandmother’s house. Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas and even days like Lab …

People today live in a world made possible by software. Everyone can shop online, make calls via software-controlled networks, or navigate roads through apps. Companies are working on building houses controlled by software, providing medical care with robotics, and even creating cars that can run on their own. Taking that into consideration, it's clear that a lot of the things kids use run because of code. By the time they grow up, their world will be even more digitalized, and the im …

Five tips for teaching kids how to cope with and react effectively to rumors.Have you ever been targeted by a rumor? I have! In seventh grade, I accidentally burned my neck with a curling iron. The burn resembled a hickey. I tried to cover it up with makeup, but it took less than two hours for a rumor to circulate at school that I had made out with someone, was easy and loose and was most likely pregnant! Growing up in an extremely conservative area, I lost most of my friends by the end of …

Reading is a lifelong skill that benefits students of all ages. As a teacher, I have seen that a student who is a good reader will be more successful in almost every subject in school. This is one learning area that children can continue to work on all summer. And it can be fun! The goal is to encourage your children to read and improve their comprehension as well. You can help with this easily. Here are some tips on how you can do this: Read with your child. It will help your chi …

When it comes to mental health, there is no ONE right approach or treatment. Every story is different; every child is different. Helping a child or teen work through their mental health issues extends outside of the home. Teachers and counselors are an essential part of this journey. The following is a Q & A with Dr. Dan Daly, current Director of Youth Care Emeritus and former Executive Vice President and Director of Youth Care at Boys Town. This article originally appeared …

Teachers / Counselors, Have you ever asked a child how his or her day was and heard the standard response of “good,” but deep down it seems like something is just a little bit off? In my experience as a school counselor, I find that more and more children are dealing with sadness, but it I also find that children can be masters at hiding these feelings. They may feel embarrassed about the feelings, or may not even be aware of what the feelings are – they just might feel different. Her …

Excerpts taken from full article originally featured on boystown.org/parenting.We’ve all heard “Mom, I have this permission slip for a field trip. It’s due today.” If I’m being honest, I hear it several times a year! My daughters struggle to stay organized once they leave school for the day. They’re so excited to come home and watch Netflix or play with the neighbor kids, that they forget I’m supposed to sign them up to go to the zoo.From their teacher’s perspective, it has to be frustr …

What would you tell someone who said there was a new picture book available that describes autism perfectly? What if that person said that this book was able to break down some of the more common behaviors of this complex spectrum disorder, and uses kid language to make those unique behaviors more understandable for other children? Well one blogger and mother of two, one of whom has been diagnosed with autism, found the book Uniquely Wired: A story about autism and its gifts coul …