The Emotional Child

Building Character

May 16, 2012
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This post is by regular contributor Cath Oehlman aka Squigglemum. Character is higher than intellect. Ralph Waldo Emerson It is of little traits that the greatest human character is composed. William Winter Every human being is intended to have a character of his own; to be what no others are, and to do what no [...]

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Encouragement vs Praise

April 2, 2012
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This post was first published in August 2009. By Definition; praise (prz), n. 1. Expression of approval, commendation, or admiration. 2. The extolling or exaltation of a deity, ruler, or hero. 3. Archaic A reason for praise; merit. en·cour·age (n-kûrj, -kr-) 1. To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten. 2. To give support to; [...]

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Parenting: Perfect or Principled?

March 29, 2012

Today I would like to welcome fellow teacher, blogger and pregnant mama (though she is pregnant with #4), Amanda Morgan of Not Just Cute to Childhood 101. As a society, we tend to be suckers for a great slogan.  Lexus had a catchy one a few years ago: “The relentless pursuit of perfection.”  We could [...]

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Children & Separation: One Mother’s Story

March 22, 2012
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As a teacher who grew up as part of two families I have always had a passion for understanding how to best help children cope with separation and divorce. As much as we all hope it wont happen to us, divorce is a constant in our society and there are many, many children and their [...]

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Family Time: Connecting With Older Kids

January 25, 2012
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This post is by regular contributor Kate Fairlie of Picklebums. When my children were small they rarely went anywhere without their father or I. We knew everything they did and everything about them. We were their whole world. As babies they were always close. They were breastfed, worn in a sling and slept beside us. [...]

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Young Children and Independence

July 21, 2011
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“The essence of independence is to be able to do something for one’s self.” ~ Maria Montessori “I do it!” Young children often strive for independence. Helping them to develop a sense of independence can be as simple as choosing everyday tasks and putting in place a system or procedure that enables a child to [...]

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Friendship: Helping Children Learn to Be Inclusive

May 20, 2011
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At a very young age children begin to notice difference. I remember one time when Immy was about 18 months old and we were walking through a shopping centre and she stopped and stared as a very tall man of (I believe) African descent. I think she stopped as she had never before seen a [...]

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Friendship: Developing Sharing Behaviour

May 12, 2011
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Consider the following two sharing scenarios; 1. A child is playing with a toy. Another child sees and wants the toy too. An adult intervenes, saying to the first child, “Billy, you can have a turn for two minutes and then we will let Abbie have a turn.” The adults waits with the children and [...]

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