How to hold scissors: Cute method to teach a child how to hold scissors: Thumbs Up Alligator!

As my kids get older, I think a lot about what I need to teach them. When they were little it was all about surviving. Don't get me wrong...

We all have students who want to control everything! Use this simple activity to help students visualize what they can and cannot control in individual counseling or small group counseling.

“My child understands but doesn’t speak” is something that all speech pathologists have heard. While most of the time this is probably true, there are some cases in which the child has learned strategies to make it look like he is understanding when he isn't. I will show you how to detect true understanding.

13 facts that parents who want to raise a bilingual child need to know. You can also find different bilingual parenting approaches.

Many well-meaning parents have walked through my door and given me a list of what their child already knows. But I'm not really interested in that.

As our homeschoolers get older, one of the most important things we can teach them is how to work independently.

By combining my experience as a child of divorce with my perspective as a stepmom, I'll help you better understand and empathize with your stepchild.

Wondering how to teach a child to tie shoes? This method took 3 minutes and my kid learned to tie his shoe without stress, tears and it was super easy.

Dealing With Your Child Being Bullied This is the story about my son getting bullied when he was a first grader, there are more links at the bottom that follow the story and one for a resources page. I feel very strongly about bullying and I hope that these posts will help you if you

If there's one thing the world needs more of - it's kindness! Spread some good ol' TLC with your students by implementing this engaging activity!

What are the best ways to revise for GCSEs? How many hours should a child spend revising? When should they start? What can I do to help them at home? Parents ask me this question a lot. They are keen to help their son or daughter at home and ensure they are ready for their […]

Starting preschool is a big deal. Your child is starting their first day of school. Here are all of the ways you can prep your soon to be preschooler, even when they don’t want to go.

Letters speak loudly. Here is a letter to my husband with things I want my husband to know. Read on to find out what I would say to the father of my child.

If there's one thing the world needs more of - it's kindness! Spread some good ol' TLC with your students by implementing this engaging activity!

I love pragmatic language evals. I even like to write the reports. Don't judge me, because I want to share my pragmatic language evaluation tools with you.

Have you tried Brag Tags yet? I LOVE them. They are a great way to make kids feel special. They help to create a positive classroom environment. They can be used as a positive behavior system. I created Brag Tag Bracelets. They are extra fun for youngsters. There are over 40 different bracelets. They are ... Read More about Brag Tag Bracelets

Is your child starting kindergarten this year? Knowing these 7 things ahead of time should help you both with the transition.

{Proud mama alert!} For tips on teaching a child to quilt, please scroll to the bottom of this blog post! 'My almost-seven-year-old daughter completed her first quilt yesterday! She made a small patchwork quilt and intends to give it to her kitten. We used a charm pack (to limit the amount of cutting needed, since I do not feel she is ready to use a rotary cutter). She chose a cute set of prints in a rainbow of colors. I explained the basics and let her lay out the squares however she liked. She chose a (mostly) rainbow order, with a few wild cards thrown in, just because she liked them. The quilt ended up being about 24"x28". The back is a blue and green piece from my vintage sheets collection. She did SO well sewing the squares and rows together. It was a very s-l-o-w process, but she paid close attention to my instructions. When it came time to quilt the layers, she did AMAZING at staying on track with "stitch in the ditch." I'm including this picture NOT to point out her flaws (because I truly believe that the flaws in homemade quilts make them human and unique!). But... this little spot in the purples makes me laugh. It was near the end of the line and she had done so well keeping right along the seam line. And then... she started singing to herself and just got distracted. We probably could have ripped out the seam and gone back to "fix" it, but I love the memory of my little girl in her own little world and sewing outside the lines. SO her. She chose a colorful polka dot fabric for the binding, which I love because it's actually leftover from this quilt I made for one of her closest friends. I am so so so so unbelievably proud of her for sticking with it and completing this quilt. She was a great listener and followed my instructions so well. And, even better, she seemed to enjoy the process and has said that (maybe) she'd like to make another quilt someday. Are you considering teaching a child to quilt? Here are a few lessons I learned: 1) Start small. A doll quilt is the perfect size to keep his/her attention and complete a project quickly without it taking too terribly long. 2) Use a charm pack or pre-cut fabrics. This saves so much time and avoids having a small child use a rotary cutter. I think their hands (and attention spans!) are too small to accurately or safely cut fabric. If the cut is off or lopsided or too big or too small, the whole quilt is going to be difficult. Starting with precut fabrics is a real lifesaver here. 3) Start simple. My daughter sat on my lap and did the sewing, but I controlled the pedal. Too many moving parts would have overwhelmed her and wouldn't have been fun. She controlled the sewing, I controlled the "driving." She told me when to slow down or stop and I kept a close eye to make sure she wasn't making any huge mistakes (see #6). 4) Go slow. My daughter and I talked a lot about what speed she wanted to sew at. What seemed painfully slow to me was just right for her. Remember that if you've been sewing a while, it seems easy to you but it's a lot of new moving parts to a small person. Slow down. Overall, this small quilt took us about 6½ months. Teaching a child to quilt is not a project to take on if you are in a hurry. 5) Be patient. Kid's attention spans are short. Our goal was to sew one or two rows (5 squares) at a sitting. It was usually 5 minutes or less, which was enough for her. It drove me a little crazy, but I reminded myself it's about the process, not the speed. 6) Forget trying to make anything perfect and don't point out sloppy work unless it's going to ruin the quilt. I had a hard time not doing certain steps for her to make it pretty. Accept that it doesn't have to be pretty to be loved. Her first quilt is very human with lots of spots that show her learning process. In particular, I LOVE the spot where she totally went wonky because she was singing and just being so her. This quilt will be a treasure to me forever. 7) Take pictures. I'm sure it comes as a big surprise, but document the process. If she grows up to be a quilter (or if she doesn't!), these pictures will be amazing to have. If you're like me, the finished quilt will bring tears to your eyes and you'll appreciate the moments you took to document those tiny hands sewing at your machine.

Starting preschool is a big deal. Your child is starting their first day of school. Here are all of the ways you can prep your soon to be preschooler, even when they don’t want to go.

Grief therapy worksheets provide individuals with a structured approach to exploring and processing their emotions and thoughts following a loss. Designed for anyone seeking support in coping with grief, these worksheets offer a practical and useful tool to help individuals navigate the grieving process. By providing a clear entity and subject of focus, these worksheets are well-suited for individuals who prefer a guided approach to healing.

Deep sleep and hormonal dysfunction can cause bedwetting in children. Identifying the precise cause and prompt treatment can help address the problem.

Trying to figure out what to do with your child's artwork? These are the coolest ways to store, display, and save your little one's masterpieces!

If you're looking for information about speech delays in toddlers, this post has all the details, from what to look for to treatment tips!

Learn to handle toddler tantrums with a simple, powerful, game-changing approach that prioritizes emotional co-regulation. It's not your job to stop a tantrum but rather to ride the wave with and support your child. This offers the foundation for future, independent emotional regulation.

If you want to know how to deal with a narcissistic parent and recover from their criticism and unrealistic expecations, we're sharing 7 tips to help!

21+ tips to help you deal with common challenging behaviors and autism, including hair pulling, scratching, picky eating, sleep disruption, and aggression.

Do your students reverse their letters? Learn why students struggle with mirror writing and how to help them.

Or, do you just want to understand us?

As a parent, I know what it feels like to be at a loss for how to help your child build social skills and make friends.

My mom wrote us a letter which we received after she died. These intentional words bring me peace and connection. These are some things I would want my own children to know and remember.

Being the parent of a child born with a cleft lip and/or palate presents its own set of challenges, but there are definitely some tips that can help make things a little easier for you and your new baby.

The workshop model is a great way to differentiate your instruction for all learners in your classroom. This post focuses on workshop for gifted students.

From toddlers to teens, here are the key elements in getting your child to listen and follow through.

ABA therapy is Applied Behavioral Analysis.It is a type of therapy that helps Autistic children and adults in some cases learn appropriate behaviors and life skills.

Imagine a constant barrage of annoying, disturbing and downright painful things being hurled at you all day every day. Pretty upsetting? Want to run for cover? That’s a glimpse of what it’s like for sensory kids that struggle with auditory issues. Scroll to the bottom for a VIDEO I recorded about this topic! This post [...]

One of our students' favorite things is being star student! Each child gets to be the star student for a whole week. Each day we do something special to celebrate that child! We would love to share these ideas with you, so you can help your own students shine! The kiddos C.A.N.N.O.T wait for their turn. Below is the note we send home to the parents to explain the events for the week. Read this to see what the kiddos get to do each day. Click the image to download for FREE! This is the student page. We encourage each student to write the star student a sentence, and illustrate them a picture. These pages are then complied and stapled together with a (construction paper) cover to make a book for the star student to take home on Friday! If you click the image below, you can download them for FREE. There are 3 variations of the student pages to fit the needs for your classroom. These are the posters the kiddos make at school on Monday! You can get 30 for 8.25 at Oriental Trading. Click the image below to take you to their site! After their week is done, the kids LOVE that they get to take these home. Each child also gets a pencil, sticker, and certificate (pictured below)! This is our show and tell bag. Students take it home at the beginning of the week and bring it back on show and tell day. They can only bring items that fit into this bag. The orange bag and star decal are from Michael's. The bag came in a group of 3 for 9.99 (we used our 40% off coupon of course!!), and the decal was only 1.99. This bag is band new this year, but our last one lasted 5 years! We hope you could use some of these ideas for your classroom! Please share any good ideas you have for star student!

Toddlers develop a lot at this age range, so parents need to know what what to teach an 18 month old and some fun activities to enjoy.

Parenting a gifted or twice-exceptional child can be a challenge. I wouldn’t change our journey for the world, but parenting and educating our PG/2E son has been one of our life’s great…

Parenting the right way can boost a child's self-esteem from a young age. Here are thirteen inspiring things that parents should tell their children on the regular.

Have you tried using Collaborative Posters in the Classroom? Collaborative posters are a fantastic way to build a culture of teamwork and unity in your

Looking for the right words to say to your teenage son? Here's an Open Letter to My Teenage Son to inspire you as you write your own.

Is your child having difficulty memorizing multiplication math facts? This method will work!

It’s the very worst part of my motherhood. When my explosive child loses control – what do I do? I heard the sound of glass breaking before I could get to his room. I ran in, and a book flew past my head and hit the wall behind me. My son, crying, out of breath,...

Top 5 things to do in Bologna with kids