Photo Credit: Rafael Ben-Ari – New Zealand In the last blogpost, I talked about how important it is to be able to regulate ourselves as parents (or teachers), because our children learn to self-regulate through interactions with parents/teachers/caregivers whose nervous systems are balanced. In this post, I’ll share how nervous system regulation affects learning. We often believe …
In this first blogpost of a 4-part series on self-regulation, I’ll cover: how children learn to self-regulate (both bring their intense emotions down, and control their behaviour) Do you struggle with your child’s intense emotions, or your own? Do you wonder if your child will ever learn to control his behaviour? We all want …
Read moreSelf-regulation: When will my child learn? (The real scoop)
A reminder that this free presentation is coming up this Tuesday evening at 7:30pm. Also, I’ve had a few phone calls this week asking if registration is required. It is not, however, I’d love to know if you’re coming so that I know approximately how many handouts to print. If you haven’t already called me, can …
Read moreEnding Self-Criticism, Building Self-Confidence – FREE presentation
It can be heart-breaking to see the following in your child: self-critical, easily discouraged, reluctant to try new activities, or feeling defeated before even trying something new. If this is you and your child, OR, if your child is young and you want to prevent these, I have 2 offerings for you today. Presentation The first …
It’s that time of year again–parent-teacher interviews, soon to be followed by report cards. Traditional (public and most private) education programs use standard evaluations to measure students’ learning and assign grades. But if your children’s greatest gifts and abilities aren’t seen and reflected in those evaluations, they’ll almost certainly disengage and become unmotivated, or at the …
Victoria Parents and Educators – There’s a new school opening this fall in the Greater Victoria area. There’s an information session on Sunday, and I wanted you to be first to know in case it’s something you or your friends/colleagues might be interested in. The vision is to create an education system that honors our children’s …
Prior to homeschooling when my son was still in school, I often had to push him to get him to go to school or do his school work. I was concerned that pushing him constantly, and his resultant state of strong resistance, was teaching him that it was more important to disconnect from his feelings …
Read moreTeaching My Child to Follow His Inner Rhythm: My Reflections
I wrote this in my journal this past spring about 2 months after my son left the public school system to attend a 4 day per week outdoor Wilderness/Montessori homeschool program. Prior to leaving school, I felt a sense of panic every time he began talking with his friends about video games because increasingly, it …
Read moreThe Development of a “Self” in Children: My Reflections
Happy Summer! Are you looking for a few extra ‘screen-free’ ideas for your kids this summer—either at home or on those long car rides? It’s great to spend time together doing outdoor activities in the summer, but sometimes the kids need to just chill for a bit or you need to get a few tasks …
We all want our children to express themselves fully and authentically, and not change who they are in an effort to please those around them. What are some small strategies we can use in our everyday interactions that nurture their confidence to express themselves without censoring or shaping it to gain approval of those around …
Read moreRaising Your Child to be Engaged, Authentic and Inspired