Building Relationships with Kids

Interactions with others help develop our sense of who we are and influence how we relate to others in the future. Positive relationships with kids, with their families, and with our colleagues benefit everyone. Through our relationships and interactions with kids, we contribute to the kid’s need for attachment, self-regulation, social competence, protection, and healthy role models. We have gleaned from research that close, positive teacher-kid relationships are essential. Kids have higher language, literacy, cognitive, and social abilities. They show reduced anxiety, depression, and stress. Your relationships and interactions with kids influence their development and learning in powerful ways. Here …

Selecting the Perfect School for Your Child

Choosing the right school for your kid can feel like a job. Frankly, with all the slashes made in the U.S. on educational budgets, you must be concerned about the quality of learning your child is getting. You may probably be considering different options for high school, ranging from home schools and online schools to private schools and charter schools. Most times, parents need help making this decision as the available options can be staggering. So, what methods can you use to detect whether or not the present school is attending to your child’s needs? If the school is failing …

8 Ways To Improve Your Child’s Memory Power

Are you looking for strategies to improve your child’s memory power? If so, keep reading. Get the learner to highlight or summarize information that should be remembered. Get the learner to repeat to themselves info just heard to help remember the information. Make sure the learner is not required to learn more information than they are capable of learning at any time. Make sure the learner has sufficient chances for the repetition of information through various experiences to enable memory. Draft an agreement with the learner stipulating what behavior is required (e.g., following one-step instructions, two-step instructions, etc.) and which …

A Parent’s Guide to an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)

An IFSP is a document that organizes a plan for young kids who need early intervention services. It is customized for each kid, as well as including a plan for the family. For instance, when kids receive early intervention services, parents may also need the training to support their kids’ needs. Because an IFSP is customized for the individual, every IFSP will be distinct. You’ve just found out your kid is eligible for early intervention. What’s next? An IFSP. An IFSP is a process you go through and a document that you and a team of specialists construct to assist …

A Parent’s Guide to Developmental Milestones

A developmental milestone is a capacity that most kids achieve by a typical age.  For instance, some kids may start walking as early as 9 or 10 months while others don’t start to walk until 14 to 15 months. By looking at the various developmental milestones, parents, doctors, and educators can understand how kids usually develop to monitor any potential developmental issues. For example, between 9 to 12 months, kids begin to achieve physical milestones such as standing up or even walking. While the exact age at which a kid achieves a particular milestone can vary, you may become concerned …

The Edvocate’s Guide to Cooperative Play

Cooperative play is defined as being an organized form of activity that involves the equal distribution of efforts and responsibilities among the kids to reach a common objective. Understanding the cooperative play definition, many people see these activities as being essential in development through childhood. It’s good for kids to spend time working with others, so they develop essential social skills as they matriculate through nursery and school. An example of cooperative play games can involve building dens and putting on performances using a stage with props. Learning experiences like these encourage kids to share ideas, collaborate and come up …

The Edvocate’s Guide to Associative Play

Associative play is the act of engaging in recreational activities in comparable ways to parallel play but with increased interaction between the participants, including taking turns, sharing and having a general interest in the activities of the others. It is different from parallel play as while they are playing away from one another, they are also engaged with what the others are doing. Kids in the associative stage play with other kids; however, while they participate in play with others, they are not yet at the stage to take part in groups. They should play together in the same game/activity …

The Edvocate’s Guide to Parallel Play

Parallel play is one of many essential stages of play that introduce kids to social interaction. With parallel play, kids aren’t really playing with each other but rather next to each other. Kids may play with comparable toys but work independently and are not communicating with one another. This form of play is common between 2-3 year olds, but it can happen at any age. Why is parallel play essential? Your kid is too young for deep friendships and is trying to figure out the world we live in. Parallel play is a good start! While they aren’t directly interacting, …

The Edvocate’s Guide to Solitary Play

Solitary play is one of the initial play stages. Playing independently is a natural step in the development of a kid’s play behavior for a 0-2 year old.  Kids learn through play, and in this stage they have not learned enough from relationships to being able to play with others. Playing independently gives kids the time they need to believe, explore, and create. As a kid plays alone, they learn to concentrate, believe for themselves, come up with creative ideas, and regulate feelings. These things are essential for a kid to learn. Playing alone is essential and normal. Babies and …

10 Disturbing Facts About Teen Dating Violence

According to Choose Respect (a national initiative), some dating patterns start early in life that cause violence throughout a person’s lifetime. This initiative aims to help youngsters in the age group of 11-14 years to keep away from abusive relationships. Parents, teachers, and students in the US should be aware of the prevailing dating violence among teenagers in the nation. Based on the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in eleven adolescents suffers from physical violence related to dating. The number of victims might be even more because most youngsters and adults prefer not to …