Children want to feel good. It’s a fact of life, like all of us. But being a child isn’t necessarily always simple or easy. Boys and girls get teased, fail exams and get picked last for the sports team. But despite these challenges—and maybe even because of them—children can learn how to become emotionally healthy while using their everyday life experiences. Psychologist Paul Ekman stated, “It is our responsibility to learn to become emotionally intelligent. These are skills, they’re not easy, nature didn’t give them to us—we have to learn them.” And this is precisely why teaching children earlier, rather than later [...]

Mindfulness in Children The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing. - Jon Kabat-Zinn Parents oftentimes ask me, “What one thing can I do with my child to help him or her?” and I oftentimes reply, “Add a mindfulness practice into your daily life.” One simple mindfulness practice done consistently with your children can help them calm and connect to their inner peace. The place within that isn’t chaotic and troubled by the latest text, bully at school or mean [...]

New Trend: No Homework for Elementary Students Homework may be the greatest extinguisher of curiosity ever invented. - Alfie Kohen, author of The Homework Myth Sweeping our country is a new trend, which I love: No homework! Many parents are singing the praises of these policies, which remove the nightly nagging of “Have you done your homework?” Plus, it frees up time where parents can genuinely connect with their child whether over dinner, or gardening in the backyard without the stress of impending schoolwork. Of course, the no homework program isn’t for every principal although I really think in [...]