Category: Parenting Younger Children

Learning from Negative Emotions: 5 Uncomfortable Feelings Kids Need to Experience

Though positive feelings play a big role in how we learn—providing a sense of reward and satisfaction—the importance of negative emotions shouldn’t be overlooked. Uncomfortable feelings often teach children essential lessons, and learning to manage these emotions early on can create the foundation for lifelong stability and success. Processing and contextualizing negative emotions helps kids become more ...

Why Imaginary Friends can be Helpful for Young Children

Most parents know that imaginary friends aren’t usually a cause for concern. These figments of a child’s imagination are a normal part of development, generally occurring between the ages of 2-6. Your child’s imaginary friend may remain a part of his life for just a few months or several years, but he (or she) will fade away ...

A Guide to Setting Age-Appropriate Limits For Children

Many parents are reluctant to set limits because they don’t want to upset their children or incite power struggles. However, not establishing clear boundaries is proven to create emotional difficulties for children and make them more challenging to parent. Kids need limits to help them learn how to self-regulate. Without rules, they have no framework for coping with intense ...

Fighting Anxiety: 11 Tips to Help Your Child Relax

Like adults, kids often feel overwhelmed by the many commitments, choices, and interpersonal situations they must manage each day. Research suggests that school-aged children also experience significant anxiety resulting from global crises, such as the pandemic and climate change. Unfortunately, kids have far fewer tools for dealing with chronic stress than adults. Likewise, their still-developing brains are highly susceptible to ...