Adolescence is a challenging time for many children. Hormones are running wild and there’s intense pressure to fit in and belong. Their school work gets more challenging and much is expected from them because they are older. In addition to all this, adolescents are trying to figure out who they want to be. All of this can be overwhelming. One… Read More
Executive Functioning: What Is It and Why Is It Important?
Cognitive skills are the core skills our brain uses to learn, think, read, and pay attention. These are skills children need to develop in order to succeed in school and eventually the work place. For the purposes of this website, we will be focusing on a particular set of cognitive skills. Namely, those related to executive functioning. What is Executive… Read More
Study Skills: Preparing Kids To Ace Any Test
We often expect kids to study and pass exams even though no one has taught them how to study. This was true for my own kids. My son was in first grade when he first started taking spelling tests. I would tell him to go study and after twenty minutes, I would give him a practice test. To him, studying meant… Read More
How To Help Kids Overcome Test Anxiety
In case you’re not familiar with test anxiety, imagine that you’ve studied and prepared for the big test as much as you possibly could. Now it’s test day. Your teacher hands you the test and as soon as you see it, your stomach tightens. You draw a blank because nothing on the test looks familiar. Your mind is racing and filled… Read More
10 Ways To Improve Your Child’s Organizational Skills
When I practiced as a school social worker, I noticed that a common reason why many of my students were performing poorly was because they were disorganized and would often do things like forget to turn in assignments, wait until the last minute to start working on projects, etc. This was especially true for my middle school students who now… Read More
Learning To Read Boosts Children’s Self-Confidence
Learning to read is essentially the foundation of all learning. Therefore, when a child struggles to read, it makes learning about other subjects extremely difficult. It also puts them at greater risk for academic failure. According to veteran educator, Michelle Stewin,NBCT, “students that are unable to read will face long term academic struggles and potential hardships as adults.” Knowing this,… Read More