Pine Cone Health

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. Charles W. Eliot Our SLP @edmonton_slp has some excellent strategies to get the most out of reading to your child.... Stay tuned for part 2.

Most parents don’t set out to create helpless children. It happens accidentally. You tie your preschooler’s shoe because it’s faster. You clean the playroom because it doesn’t get clean otherwise. You make their lunches because there’s less mess.... Over time, your kids start to rely on you to do almost everything for them. Even things they are more than capable of doing themselves. You feel exhausted and burned out from fulfilling your child’s every demand. Psychologists call this Learned Helplessness. What if, instead of doing everything for your child or leaving them stranded, you met them where they are. You took their unique developmental stage and abilities into account. And, you supported and encouraged them as they took steps toward independence at their own pace? TIPS TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S INDEPENDENCE: Take Development into Account: Resist the temptation to compare your child with their peers. Just because other children can do a skill without support, doesn’t mean your child should be left to struggle. Give each child time to mature and develop at their own pace. Focus on Connection: Actively work to build a strong relationship with your child. Get into their world, ask questions, spend time together. Creating a strong foundation helps your child feel safe, knowing that you will support them in difficult situations, and encourage independence when they’re ready. Put this Into Perspective: Forgetting a homework assignment or needing help with a zipper periodically is not cause to panic. These rare occurrences are opportunities to show love to your kids when they are struggling. If it is a pattern or an ongoing challenge, it may be a sign that your child needs more help to be successful. Emphasize with the Struggle: Sometimes, you will not be able to intervene. In these moments, let your child know that you understand how they are feeling. Put yourself in their shoes and put their experience into words, It’s hard when I can’t leave work to bring your permission slip. I know that is frustrating. Focus on Problem Solving: If your child is struggling on a consistent basis, even with your support, sit down and brainstorm solutions together.

We love this mindfulness and grounding technique from the @thecalmclassroom - it can also be used by adults too!

Here is another tool for your tool box from our SLP @edmonton_slp Oftentimes, parents naturally describe what they, or their child, is doing during routines and while playing with toys. This is a great language strategy! Toy Talk is different as it shifts the focus from you to the toy/object. This technique provides opportunities to use different nouns during play naturalistically. Research has shown that parents who use Toy Talk also use more diverse sentences. Toy talk isn’t better than narrating or talking about what you’re doing - it’s simply another strategy to support language development.

We love this visual tool from @mindful_kin to help kids process and express how they feel. Sometimes kids don’t have the words to express how they feel (like us adults) and we can turn communication into a great activity that incorporates art, communication, self-awareness and visual leaning.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. Charles W. Eliot Our SLP @edmonton_slp has some excellent strategies to get the most out of reading to your child.... Stay tuned for part 2.

Most parents don’t set out to create helpless children. It happens accidentally. You tie your preschooler’s shoe because it’s faster. You clean the playroom because it doesn’t get clean otherwise. You make their lunches because there’s less mess.... Over time, your kids start to rely on you to do almost everything for them. Even things they are more than capable of doing themselves. You feel exhausted and burned out from fulfilling your child’s every demand. Psychologists call this Learned Helplessness. What if, instead of doing everything for your child or leaving them stranded, you met them where they are. You took their unique developmental stage and abilities into account. And, you supported and encouraged them as they took steps toward independence at their own pace? TIPS TO SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S INDEPENDENCE: Take Development into Account: Resist the temptation to compare your child with their peers. Just because other children can do a skill without support, doesn’t mean your child should be left to struggle. Give each child time to mature and develop at their own pace. Focus on Connection: Actively work to build a strong relationship with your child. Get into their world, ask questions, spend time together. Creating a strong foundation helps your child feel safe, knowing that you will support them in difficult situations, and encourage independence when they’re ready. Put this Into Perspective: Forgetting a homework assignment or needing help with a zipper periodically is not cause to panic. These rare occurrences are opportunities to show love to your kids when they are struggling. If it is a pattern or an ongoing challenge, it may be a sign that your child needs more help to be successful. Emphasize with the Struggle: Sometimes, you will not be able to intervene. In these moments, let your child know that you understand how they are feeling. Put yourself in their shoes and put their experience into words, It’s hard when I can’t leave work to bring your permission slip. I know that is frustrating. Focus on Problem Solving: If your child is struggling on a consistent basis, even with your support, sit down and brainstorm solutions together.

We love this mindfulness and grounding technique from the @thecalmclassroom - it can also be used by adults too!

Here is another tool for your tool box from our SLP @edmonton_slp Oftentimes, parents naturally describe what they, or their child, is doing during routines and while playing with toys. This is a great language strategy! Toy Talk is different as it shifts the focus from you to the toy/object. This technique provides opportunities to use different nouns during play naturalistically. Research has shown that parents who use Toy Talk also use more diverse sentences. Toy talk isn’t better than narrating or talking about what you’re doing - it’s simply another strategy to support language development.

We love this visual tool from @mindful_kin to help kids process and express how they feel. Sometimes kids don’t have the words to express how they feel (like us adults) and we can turn communication into a great activity that incorporates art, communication, self-awareness and visual leaning.