#brainstages

Enjoy Your Kids Through Problem Solving for a Happier Home

Sometimes we get stuck in situations with our kids and feel like we can’t get out of them. But kids can be resourceful in family problem solving! We just finished the “Frustrated to Fantastic in 2021 Brain Stages 5-day Parenting Challenge”! (Recordings are posted in the Brain Stages Parenting group on Facebook.) After the difficult year most of us muddled through in 2020, January seemed the…

Kids Need to Be Able to THINK to Learn—10 Brain-boosting breakfasts kids can make themselves!

Shockingly few kids go to school with their brains ready to learn. Sadly, if their minds aren’t prepared to absorb new concepts and apply what they know, children can become frustrated, lose interest in school, or worse, they can become anxious or depressed.

For our children to do their best thinking, their brains must have three things:

Plenty of sleep (9-11 hours)

A glass of waterin the morning…

5 Secrets to Help Kids Do Better in School that May Surprise You

People ask me things like “How do I motivate my kids to do better in school?” or “How Can I help my child get better grades?” or “How do you motivate a lazy child to study?”

Below are 5 no-kidding, research and experience-based, surefire ways to boost kids’ brainpower and attitude toward learning for happier kids and successful school year.

CREATE OR REESTABLISH A BEDTIME RITUAL.

 Researchers…

6 Easy Steps to Help Your Kids Develop Independence

Most of us worry, at some point, about how our children will grow up and fare on their own someday—especially in this age of boomerang children who leave home, flounder, and come back to regroup and try again (Deloitte 2019).

Given our celebration of independence in the U.S. this month, July seems a good time to think about our children’s ability to do things for themselves to grow into…

5 Games to Build Kids’ Skills

Summertime is a golden opportunity to strengthen your children’s skills through fun games. Even better, you’ll enjoy each other more and playing with your kids builds trust for better communication.

Kids forget a lot by the time summer ends. Most teachers spend a few weeks reviewing information at the beginning of the new school year—and some kids have a hard time remembering what they learned in…

6 Simple Steps to Teach Your Child Self-Regulation

Welcome to Part 3 (of 4) of the Brain-Friendly Ways to Good Behavior series.

Have you ever been in public when your child had a meltdown over something someone said or did that you didn’t see coming?

Has your child interrupted conversations as if he didn’t even notice people had been talking?

Does your child get impatient easily or have trouble waiting her turn?

Does your child tend to get loud…