Dear Dr. Day Care, My child just turned three years old and is drawing a picture of himself with his head bigger than his body and his legs and arms are coming out of his head! He didn’t draw any details like fingers or toes. Should I be alarmed at his portrait of himself? Signed, First Time Mom Dear First Time Mom, Actually, it sounds to me that your son is right on target! Most children at his age are drawing the same type of images of themselves. Did you know that children go through stages of drawing just like any other stages of development? … [Read more...]
Doing good deeds for others
How do you encourage children to help others? Young children want to help, so this is a great opportunity to channel that energy into something positive. "The desire to help is innate," says Parents Magazine's David Schonfeld, MD , director of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "At first, children like to help others because it helps them get what they want. Next, they do so because they get praise. Finally, they begin to anticipate the needs of others, and it becomes intrinsically rewarding to do nice things for people in their … [Read more...]
Learning through Lemonade Stands
Lemonade stands- a summer tradition! But in today's fast-paced world, what are the benefits of children running a lemonade stand? What could they possibly be learning? There is so much to learn! Children who hold a lemonade stand either to raise funds for a charity or a little bit of spending money are learning lifelong skills. For something that seems so simple for an adult, there are a lot of great learning experiences to be gained. Here are 3 simple skills children can learn from running a lemonade stand. What other skills do you think children can learn from setting up a … [Read more...]
