Judy Arnall Professional Parenting

TIP OF THE DAY - Independence. I had a Quora question that might be beneficial to post here with so many parents struggling to keep their kids engaged in online work. How can one make their child more independent in their studies? In a word - impossible. This is a matter of nature and not nurture. Adults can’t speed along a child’s ability to be independent. Children’s independence in learning is a matter of self-control, which is one type of executive function, and governed... by the development of the pre-frontal cortex. Children acquire executive function skills from ages 36 which is why they don’t start formal education until age 6, when they have enough self-control to sit and pay attention for about 15 minutes while receiving instruction. The next big leap of self-control is age 1325 years, which is the best time for children to receive more independent instruction such as online learning. They have the executive function to sit and pay attention to the instruction and then the self-control to set about doing a task such as writing an essay or planning a project. Independent learning begins about age 13 or grade 7 in schools to take advantage of this leap in executive function skills. Until that age, children learn best in solitary play, or group activities, or if it is necessary, very, very, very short sessions (515 minutes at most) of being assigned a task to do something, but with constant supervision and support. That means being close by their side to encourage them to keep at it. All children will eventually become more independent in their assigned work, but as with most developmental tasks arising from brain development, it comes at different ages with different children. Your child’s brain will get there. Be patient! See more

The Unschooling Divas are at it again! This month's Q and A will focus on literacy. https://us02web.zoom.us//tZAsduyvrj8iH9N7nRQ2mIB3xIYFdjSTQ

This is why I can't do math past grade 8! https://news.harvard.edu//spanking-children-may-impair-th/

Free 3-day Modern Woman Survival Summit for career, parenting and wellness tips. I'm speaking about the Good news on Screentime to ease our COVID guilt! Come join us! https://arleneklein.com/modern-woman-survival-summit/

Save the date! Sunday March 21 is our next Unschooling Diva's Q and A. Theme this month is Screen Time. Join Golda David, Robyn Robertson and Judy Arnall for a lively discussion over zoom. 1-3 pm. When: Mar 21, 2021 01:00 PM Edmonton Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZAlfu6uqTMqH9CQKHucshiOkd7-vj-gs

The Unschooling Divas present two Q and A sessions: Beginning Unschooling is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT_TFWS-W1I and Advanced Unschooling is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8f1KKSxqpk

TIP OF THE DAY - Kids university bound? I put together a tips sheet after having 3 homeschooled kids in 3 universities the first year (yes, I had 3 kids under age 3 - oh, the diapers!). I hope this might be helpful to you. https://judyarnall.com//tips-for-applying-to-college-and-/

Kid Pushback - When your child is grumbling about something - anything, the best response is to validate their feelings. When someone feels heard, they are more likely to listen to you. Validating your child's feelings doesn't mean that you agree with their grumbles - it just means that you accept them and how they feel. A great relationship builder! Here is a demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEECY89u7o0

Video Games Build Brains!

Lois Brothers did a wonderful job putting together this excellent conference on Fostering Children's Self-Esteem in a social media age of anxiety and depression. Creative, Confident, Happy Kids Parenting Conference from Manitoba running Jan 30-Feb1, 2021 Parenting young children to Teens Come join us for this free conference! ... https://creativeconfidenthappykids.com/ja See more

MENTOR MONDAYS - Teresa Wiedrick is a homeschooling mom and author of "Homeschool Mama Self-Care." This looks interesting for the Mid-Winter Slump. https://www.facebook.com/events/607701953378243

TIP OF THE DAY - Let's talk children's self esteem. How do you keep your child's self-worth and self-confidence up in homeschooling? This free online Canadian conference is worth checking out! https://creativeconfidenthappykids.com/

Sign up now for the biggest, free, virtual homeschooling conference of the year, online from Feb 3 to Feb 9. Please use this link and all affiliate bonuses will support the non-profits Unschooling Canada Association and Alberta Homeschooling Association. https://canadianhomeschoolconference.com/aff/88/