The Innovative Dad
A psychologist’s blog about raising and educating children through the lens innovation.
Stop Worrying about Grades (and Start Worrying about Proficiency)
With the school year just getting underway, I’ve been thinking about all of the information that I will have heading my way - grades, report cards, parent-teacher conferences, interim progress reports, and, in some cases, the online grade book. It’s a lot of...
Studying around the House
How and where our children study can have an impact on how they retain and recall information. Sometimes it's better not to just study at the kitchen table. https://youtu.be/FLMd3fpFDo4
Stopping Back Talk
Having your kid talk back to you pushes all of our buttons and we tend not to respond well. Yet, our gut reaction to their behaviors doesn't help us correct it or prevent it from happening again. Check out these strategies for minimizing back talk and dealing with it...
Battling Negative Self-Talk, Part 2
We all need more tools in our toolbox for supporting our kids, particularly when they are using negative self-talk. By speaking poorly about themselves, they are setting themselves up for failure instead of success. https://youtu.be/zArCONuyXE4 More Resources for...
Battling Negative Self-Talk, Part 1
Listening to you kid put herself down can be downright demoralizing for a parent. This is a potentially damaging behavior with some long-term consequences if left unchecked. See what you can do to battle negative self-talk. https://youtu.be/L3dpIiU2cv4 More Resources...
The Challenge of Parenting the Moon and Other Parenting Patterns to Avoid
Have you ever found yourself staring up at the night sky and trying to make out the constellations, like the ancient Greeks? Maybe you can figure out where Orion and his belt is or tried to figure out which stars make up the Big Dipper. Perhaps you’ve cloud watched...
Reading to Your Toddler
We all want to read to our kids. But it can be a bit of a challenge to read to your toddler. They won't sit still when reading, try to turn the pages, or just simply lose interest. Here are some tips to help get them engaged in reading. https://youtu.be/7amlgHzUtvY
504 Plans vs. IEPs: Does It Matter?
Getting your child help at school can be confusing and intimidating. There are all sorts of new terms to understand, deadlines to track, and policies to follow. While the law requires parental participation and informed consent, even the most informed parents can...
A Minute to Kvetch
All kids whine and kvetch. It seems to be a given. But, it can be annoying, particularly when it happens all of the time. How do we channel the kvetching so that it doesn't drive us nuts while still allowing and encouraging our children to share how they feel?...