Yasim's Blog

You shouldn't overreact to your child's negative feelings. It's normal for kids to become oversensitive or clingy or nervous at times because of something in their environment, but it's not an unhappiness. For better or worse, children pick up on their parents' moods. Even young babies imitate their parents' emotional style, which actually activates specific neural pathways. In other words, when you smile, your child smiles and his brain becomes wired for smiling. But be genuine your child will sense if you're acting. If you make a point of enjoying small things and saying what you're grateful for, you'll be a positive role model for your child. The first key to creating a happy child says Hallowell. Connect with them, play with them, he advises. If you're having fun with them, they're having fun. If you create what I call a 'connected childhood,' that is by far the best step to guarantee your child will be happy. Unstructured play al...

Excerpts from baby center Nurturing your preschooler's self-esteem may seem like a hefty responsibility. After all, a feeling of self-worth lays the foundation for your preschooler's future as he sets out to try new things on his own. "Self-esteem comes from having a sense of belonging, believing that we're capable, and knowing our contributions are valued and worthwhile," says California family therapist Jane Nelsen, co-author of the Positive Discipline series. "As any parent knows, self-esteem is a fleeting experience," says Nelsen. "Sometimes we feel good about ourselves and sometimes we don't. What we're really trying to teach our kids are life skills like resiliency." Your goal as a person is to ensure that your child develops pride and self-respect — in himself and in his cultural roots — as well as faith in his ability to handle life's challenges (for a preschooler that may mean copying capital letters accurately). Here are ...

Do you feel as if you spend more time talking at your child than to her? Many children have notoriously selective listening skills — they hear what they want and seem to tune out the rest. But listening is a skill that we can help our children improve. Like a muscle, it needs constant exercise to grow stronger. Here are some games and activities to boost your child's listening skills. Because children learn in different ways, the games are arranged by learning style. If you're not sure what type of learner your child is, take our quiz . But any child can benefit from the suggestions in all three categories. For auditory learners Talk to your child all the time. Tell her about an interesting story you read in the newspaper. Describe a conversation you had at work with a friend. When you go shopping for clothes, tell her about the shopping trips that you used to take with your mom. Get in the habit of narrating everyday chores. If ...

How to raise a child who listens well - From Baby Center Being a good listener is critical to your child's success at school. If he can't follow directions, whether on the playground ("Pick a partner and pass the ball back and forth across the field") or in the classroom ("Take out a piece of paper and a crayon") — he'll have a tough time learning. Children who are good listeners also have an advantage socially — they tend to be very good friends to others. Here are seven ways you can help your child become a better listener: Be a good listener yourself Don't interrupt your child when he's telling you a story. Give him your undivided attention when he's talking — don't read the paper or carry on a conversation with someone else at the same time. Turn your attention to him when he wants to tell or show you something. If you want him to listen to you, he needs to see that yo...