The concept of timeouts was developed by a psychologist named Arthur Staats in the 1960s. It was created as an alternative to spanking and other forms of physical punishment, which were very popular at the time. The idea was that children would be briefly removed from a rewarding or stimulating environment when they showed a particular challenging behavior, like aggression. Timeout is short for a timeout from positive reinforcement. It is based on the behavioral…
As parents, our short-term goal is to get our children to listen to us and follow the rules and limits we set for our family, and how children learn morality plays a huge part in this. The long-term goal is to raise children who truly understand why we have created these rules and limits and develop an internal motivation to be kind and do the “right” thing. In other words, we want them to follow…
Think of how much is learned in the early years of a life: crawling, walking, talking. These learned skills are sculpting the circuitry of the brain though plasticity. As you get a little older and begin to practice skills, neurons connect and those activities become easier. Practice a song, and soon you know it “by heart,” which, technically speaking, is “by brain.” Learn a dance, and soon you can perform its steps without consciously thinking…
Summer is finally here, and so are the American Library Association summer reading lists. The lists are full of book titles to keep children engaged in reading throughout the summer. Four summer reading lists are available for birth-preschool and grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Each list is available to download for free. Titles on the 2023 Summer Reading Lists were compiled and annotated by members of American Library Association’s Quicklists Consulting Committee. American Library Association…
There are many fun activities for families to enjoy in the Boston area in July 2023. Check out our list of July activities and events happening around Boston and have a wonderful month! Find 4th of July Fireworks Near You in MA! Many towns around Boston celebrate on different dates and times, so you are sure to find a display to fit your schedule near you. Find out where they’ll be shooting fireworks off nearest…
From teachers to students, anyone who’s been to class since March 2020 has had to deal with COVID-19. But for the class of 2023, that connection is a little deeper, as the pandemic hit during their freshman year and turned their time at school upside-down. “Kids were talking about ‘What are we gonna do after spring break?’ And I remember saying that we might miss a couple days, maybe a week after spring break at…
Poetry is a mindfulness practice for award-winning author and poet Clint Smith, but as a young person, Smith felt that poetry wasn’t for people like him. Smith said that teaching poetry can feel intimidating when presented as if it’s a “geometric proof or a code that students are supposed to unlock.” He recommends that teachers instead emphasize that no interpretation is wrong. Online resources for teaching poetry can show young learners “that there are poets…
Adults and children of all abilities can have fun in Massachusetts this summer. In addition to having a number of special needs events scheduled, Massachusetts also has accessible spray pools, beaches and parks with ramps, wheelchairs that navigate sand and/or can float in the water, and much more. Check out this list of fun summer events and and resources that are accessible and include everyone! 1. Massachusetts Accessible Pools & Spray Decks. All of the…
Looking for a fun and affordable way to keep your little one entertained this summer? These low-cost summer activities for kids can be done inside—or outside—the house. Whether you are a working parent or a stay-at-home one, you are probably looking for ways to stave off summer boredom. Once school is out and the kids are home, things can become chaotic very quickly. We’ve rounded up a dozen summer activities that can be done inside…
Reading is taught, not caught. This phrase has been in circulation for decades, but it bears repeating with each new generation of parents, and it has never been more fully supported by compelling evidence. Learning to read is a complex, unnatural, years-long odyssey, and parents should bear no illusions that their kids will pick it up merely by watching other people read or being surrounded by books. Kids literacy is more complicated than that. Parents…
