HolidayTraditions_Phases
Making friends and keeping them are important life skills. Just like learning to walk, talk, self-feed, and potty-train, there are steps that babies, toddlers, and preschoolers will master as they learn the skill of making and keeping friends. It takes a long time to learn these skills. I mean think about, we’re still developing…
If you ask me, any phase that involves sleeping through the night is far superior to any that doesn’t. Add uninterrupted REM to the fact that most three-year-olds are beginning to learn how to dress themselves, go to the bathroom in an actual toilet, and tell you what…
Who really knows what provokes that mischievous glint in the eye of a four-year-old just moments before they deliver the kick that makes the block tower tumble? I suspect it’s something about the thrill of destruction combined with the wondrous spectacle of discovery. Four-year-olds blend the reckless abandon of toddlerhood with the wide-eyed…
The transition from summertime to back-to-school can happen so quickly that we’re already in our new routine before we even realize it. Below are some suggestions for how to create an intentional and meaningful back-to-school rhythm for a kid in each phase. Preschool: BacktoSchoolRhythm_Pre_single Elementary: BacktoSchoolRhythm_Elem_single Middle School: BacktoSchoolRhythm_MS_single High School: BacktoSchoolRhythm_HS_single
Life can be challenging and unpredictable. And, if you’re parenting a two-year-old, you’re guaranteed this year will have plenty of both. That sweet baby who used to cuddle in your arms has not only learned how to walk but now he can run away from you—and fast. That little angel whose smile used to light…
Toddlers get a bad rap. Sure they whine and throw tantrums. But can you blame them? There’s a lot going on in those pint-sized bodies. By age two, your little one will grow to half their adult height—something they’ll spend the next two decades reaching. And their shape will morph from one designed for…
We moved into a new house about six months ago, which means we’ve been unpacking boxes for oh … about six months. The unmarked boxes are my favorite because it’s like Christmas wondering what will be inside when we open them. Now that we’re finally feeling more settled on the inside of the house,…
The other day, my son and I were at a community center that had, as part of the building, a small room called the “Children’s Chapel.” Inside the room were a few instruments (mostly drums), a number of boxes that had Bible stories inside of them, and several benches with chairs. When we went in…
I loved reading the book The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell. I shared some general thoughts in a post last week. Now it’s time to get a little more practical. I have three kids in different phases, and here are a few practical ways this book hit home for me…