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In my ebook I discuss the importance of developing intrinsic motivation in our children.  It’s widely accepted that children shouldn’t be bribed because it can reinforce power struggles and negative behaviors.  But at the same time, positive reinforcement and celebrating accomplishments can also be powerful tools.  This can sometimes be confusing for parents and teachers… continue reading

I’m trading my usual Wednesday post for a Tuesday post to let you know about a couple of guest posts I have out there in the blogosphere right now. First off, at Simple Kids I’m writing about the importance of sharing family stories — from the mundane to the miraculous — and the effect it… continue reading

This Friday’s Q&A is a hot topic.  In response to a reader’s question about handling weapon themed play among preschoolers, I’ll discuss the importance of fantasy play for children and how we can come up with reasonable, enforceable boundaries.  Of course, this is a question with answers that come from a variety of perspectives, so… continue reading

I had actually orginally planned on including the moment Timer in the First Friday Q&A, however it simply really did not seem to jive with the hot topic I wound up with for the Q&A feature, so I’m offering it a post of its own. This is one of my favorite time administration tools for… continue reading

Due to the enormous amount of fun we’ve been having with face painting around here lately, I thought I’d let you in on a little secret I learned about a decade ago while teaching at the lab school.  If you purchase an inexpensive set of  Watercolor Colored Pencils you can use them for face paint simply by dipping… continue reading

Just one page into Fountas and Pinnell’s new book, Literacy Beginnings: A Prekindergarten Handbook, I turned to my husband and said, “There’s a good chance I’m going to like any book that starts a discussion of early literacy with a diagram of a classroom that includes things like a sensory table, art supplies, and a dramatic play corner.” Before… continue reading

This week, I’ve written about the Importance of a Good Foundation and introduced you to Literacy Beginnings — A Prekindergarten Handbook,  a resource I truly believe will become a new standard resource for early literacy.  After Wednesday’s post outlining the wealth of information in this great book, you might be surprised to know there’s even MORE!  At… continue reading

The following is a repost from July of last year.  Also, don’t forget to enter the Literacy Beginnings giveaway. Entries end Tuesday at 11:59pm MST. Have you ever overheard someone talking to an infant, and they use that high, sing-songy voice? That’s called “parentese” and it’s been shown in research to support language development in infants…. continue reading

Today I’m over at my friend Steph’s place, Modern Parents Messy Kids, sharing some fun and easy ways to create your own puppet show theaters.  Here’s a taste: The invitation to put on a puppet show always promises plenty of fun for children .  But as another form of dramatic play (something Steph wrote about here) it’s also a powerful… continue reading

I received this stats graphic recently and found it very interesting.  If there’s one thing that I learned from grad school, it was to ask questions, and stats like these bring all kinds of questions to my mind.  Questions about the sample, about correlation vs causation, about significance and the almighty “if so, then what” question. … continue reading