| By: Melissa Benaroya Screen Time: Setting Limits That Work One of the biggest challenges for parents these days is managing their children’s screen time. Screens are the source of many power struggles for modern families. As a parent or caregiver, it&rRead More
| By: Melissa Benaroya Screen Time: Setting Limits That Work May 2-8 is Screen Free Week, and we're hoping children, families, and communities around the world will rediscover the joys of life beyond the screen. Blogger, Melissa Benaroya walks us through the importance of setting limits that work. Read More
| By: Melissa Benaroya Three Strategies to Ensure a Successful Spring Break Whether you are sticking around the house, traveling abroad, or playing tourist in your own town, there are bound to be parenting challenges or tough moments that arise over the break. All the “together time” can be fun and create wonderful memories, but because dynamics tend to change when kids are out of their normal school routine, it also has the potential to create stress. Here are a few reminders to help you avoid and manage common challenges so you can enjoy the time together while contributing to your teen's social and emotional development. Read More
| By: Melissa Benaroya Experience Required: The Key to Early Brain Development You've probably heard it a million times: A child's brain needs stimulation to help it develop. Actually, it’s not that simple. What a young child’s developing brain really needs is interaction. Although some brain development is genetic, much of it is influenced by experience and interactions. The brain needs and relies on experience. Children learn to process information through relationships with parents and caregivers, especially in the early years. That's why watching an educational show is not as enriching or stimulating as one might think. Read More
| By: Melissa Benaroya Self-Esteem: Can We Hand It to Our Kids on a Silver Platter? Happy National Boost-Your-Self-Esteem Month! How are you celebrating? I've decided to mark the occasion by exploring where the self-esteem “movement” is today. First, though, some thoughts on self-esteem boosting in my own family. Read More
| By: Melissa Benaroya Inside Out: A Parent’s Guide to Viewing & Teaching SEL Skills The recently released Pixar/Disney film Inside Out is a wonderful opportunity for families not only to enjoy an entertaining movie together, but also to have really valuable conversations about the importance of all emotions, what purpose they serve, and how best to express them. Movies such as Inside Out can serve as a valuable tool to teaching social-emotional learning (SEL) and enhance verbal skills when parents are thoughtful about the conversations they have with their children before, during, and after viewing such a film together. Read More