Links

Search Institute: A wealth of information and research on how to raise successful kids, including the list of 40 Developmental Assets for Preschoolers

Making Caring Common Project, from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Their mission is to help “educators, parents, and communities raise children who are caring, responsible to their communities, and committed to justice.”

The Science of a Strong Start A beginning discussion of how “executive function”–the ability of the child to basically stop and think, to use self-control, and to use cognitive flexibility–is key to the preschooler’s success when he goes on to Kindergarten.

Mind in the Making. Mind in the Making (MITM), developed by Families and Work Institute (FWI), shares the science of children’s learning with the general public, families and professionals who work with children and families. You will get tips on how to help your child develop the “7 essential life skills” needed to succeed in school and in life, starting with “focus and self control” and including “perspective taking,” “critical thinking” and more.

SchKIDules. Picture schedules you can buy for home use. You will get a magnetic board and many magnetic pictures of things your child might do each day, from brushing teeth to going on a bike ride to getting a haircut and much more.

ASL University – Dictionary.  At this site, Dr. William Vicars provides clear drawings and brief, animated images to illustrate many of the hand signs used in American Sign Language (ASL). The alphabet across the top of the page brings up a list of common words in the left side panel, which you can then click to view the hand signs. You’ll be surprised how quickly young children can learn these signs, and how useful they can be when you want to communicate silently, subtly, or without “nagging.”  Try signing  “stop,” “quiet,” “wait,” “more please,” “toilet?” (as in: Do you want to go to the potty?), and “thank you!”  Knowing the signed alphabet can be useful, too. You can find several versions at Lifeprint.com on this page:  ASL alphabet charts

The Incredible Years ®. On the Articles and Handouts for Parents page of their website, there is a wonderful article you can download: “Tips for Using Puppets to Promote Preschool Children’s Social and Emotional Development,” by Caroline Webster-Stratton, PhD. As we discussed in our book, puppets are a perfect “tool” for engaging children in conversation, modeling language and positive behaviors, and encouraging empathy. Be sure to download and read this handout at www.incredibleyears.com/parents-teachers/articles-for-parents/