Here's how to give your kids a BIG head start in life!
This advice comes from AOL and Harvard Med professor, Dr. Lawrence Kutner--The 5 Emotional Skills Every Child Needs:
Number 1: Patience. Patient kids do better in school and make more friends. To help your kids learn patience, try cooking together. It's hard to wait for those goodies to come out of the oven, but it's worth it.
Number 2: Self-reliance. As kids get older they love to do more for themselves. It's how they develop self-confidence. So give your child tasks that they can manage easily - then add to them as they succeed--Try having them set the table. Start with putting out the right number of plates, then let them work their way up to the silverware, and so on.
The 3rd emotional skill every child needs to learn? Taking responsibility. Help them out by owning up to your mistakes so they can see how you recover and set things right--And be careful of the "homework trap." Too much help with homework teaches kids to be irresponsible. For example, show your child how to outline an essay - don't write the essay for them.
It's hard to let your kids get on the bus with a backpack full of mistakes, but they'll come home that afternoon with a better idea of what they need to do to be successful.
Skill #4: Making friends: Your goal is to help your child develop close friendships with appropriate people. Think quality not quantity. Point out the good - and bad - friendships in books and on TV. And encourage your child to try activities that'll help them meet other kids with similar interests.
And the 5th skill every child needs to succeed: Self-control. Handling disappointment is a big part of life. And sore losers have fewer friends than other kids--So help your children keep their cool by mentioning setbacks you suffered as a kid. That'll also help your little one feel more secure because they'll sense that you're more focused on their effort than the outcome.
Number 1: Patience. Patient kids do better in school and make more friends. To help your kids learn patience, try cooking together. It's hard to wait for those goodies to come out of the oven, but it's worth it.
Number 2: Self-reliance. As kids get older they love to do more for themselves. It's how they develop self-confidence. So give your child tasks that they can manage easily - then add to them as they succeed--Try having them set the table. Start with putting out the right number of plates, then let them work their way up to the silverware, and so on.
The 3rd emotional skill every child needs to learn? Taking responsibility. Help them out by owning up to your mistakes so they can see how you recover and set things right--And be careful of the "homework trap." Too much help with homework teaches kids to be irresponsible. For example, show your child how to outline an essay - don't write the essay for them.
It's hard to let your kids get on the bus with a backpack full of mistakes, but they'll come home that afternoon with a better idea of what they need to do to be successful.
Skill #4: Making friends: Your goal is to help your child develop close friendships with appropriate people. Think quality not quantity. Point out the good - and bad - friendships in books and on TV. And encourage your child to try activities that'll help them meet other kids with similar interests.
And the 5th skill every child needs to succeed: Self-control. Handling disappointment is a big part of life. And sore losers have fewer friends than other kids--So help your children keep their cool by mentioning setbacks you suffered as a kid. That'll also help your little one feel more secure because they'll sense that you're more focused on their effort than the outcome.
