Most of us want to protect our children from struggle. After all, if we shoulder their burdens, they’ll be happier, right? Not usually. Children are happiest when parents scaffold their children’s ability to tackle life’s challenging experiences. This kind of scaffolding is necessary from a very young age. As children […]
Resilience
Each of us wants our children to develop positive relationships—to experience the power of unconditional love, support, friendship, and encouragement throughout school and life. But we also know that creating and sustaining relationships is hard work—effort that requires a cooperative ability to interact with others. Psychologists call this capacity sociability, […]
Sociability
Intellectual curiosity and learning go hand in hand. But let’s be honest… Curiosity isn’t what most of us first think about when it comes to our children’s education. We want our kids to do well in school so we usually focus on external measurements of learning and academic success — […]
Curiosity
Successful kids get excellent grades, right? They play at least one sport very well. Successful kids do regular community service and, of course, take Advanced Placement courses. They attend the best colleges and attain great-paying jobs. Wait. If you’ve ever envisioned this fairy-tale definition of kids’ success, it’s time to […]
Compass-Inspired
Parental relationships can be messy and confusing for kids, even in the best of circumstances. Children learn about intimate relationships from their parents. So it’s not too surprising that negative patterns can be repeated from one generation to the next. What should parents know about their own intimate relationships that […]
Sociability
Coaches often utter the words “believe in yourself” to young people struggling with self-confidence. But what does it mean to believe in yourself? And why is it so important to the development of healthy and successful youth? No one in the world of psychology is better known for the study […]
Compass-Inspired
What is collective impact? And how can it make a difference for children and teens? Collective impact is a relatively new term and strategy for helping communities effect positive social change. For example, most communities offer a variety of support to young people through after-school programs, services, internships, etc. But […]
Compass-Inspired
The phrase “family values” conjures an array of reactions in today’s politically charged world. And that’s a shame. Because whether our family values are conservative or liberal, they shouldn’t really change the ideals we hold for raising and educating our children. Family values have far too long been associated with […]
Compass-Inspired
Terrorism has become a sad and terrifying part of life in the 21st century. It is difficult enough for adults to understand and make sense of violent acts perpetrated against innocent people, but what about children? How do adults help kids make sense of terrorism while promoting children’s well-being at […]
Resilience
“A growth mindset is when students believe that their abilities can be developed,” says Carol Dweck, renowned Stanford University psychologist. Dweck coined the phrase growth mindset after decades of research on how children and teens become successful. Dweck’s groundbreaking book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, explains that success and […]
Creativity
Martin Richard lost his life when the second of two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013. This 8-year-old boy believed in peace and kindness, values he proudly displayed on a poster he made at school. How do we honor Martin’s wish for a more […]
Empathy
If you’re looking for creative science experiments for kids, we’ve got some great resources for you! Whether or not you have a budding ecologist, neuroscientist, or engineer, all children gain important abilities when parents support and encourage doing at-home, easy science experiments. For kids of all ages, the benefits are […]
Resourcefulness
