Dear Faith, My 5yo has enormous tantrums--kicking, hitting, even biting. We went through a phase of this at 3.5 when her younger brother came, but we thought it was solved. Now we don't see any external factors. Her father wants to move to more punishment-based discipline. I don't necessarily agree, but certainly need to find something that will help her, and us … [Read more...]
How to Help Your Kid Calm Down
October 23, 2019 · by · 2 Comments
We all know that toddlers and preschoolers have BIG emotions! We don’t want to squash those emotions; rather, we want to help our children learn that they can be in control of their feelings, instead of letting their feelings rule them. This important skill is called emotional self-regulation. It is one of the most important skills learned in early childhood, … [Read more...]
A Playful Way to Teach Kids to Control their Anger
March 14, 2019 · by · 4 Comments
A friend recently sent me a link to THIS STORY by NPR about a researcher in the 1970s who noticed that the Inuit community where she was staying had very strong cultural expectations about people controlling their negative emotions (especially anger and disappointment). Although they never raised their voices to reprimand their children, all of the children grew up to have … [Read more...]
Holiday Book Sale
December 4, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment
Many of my readers don't know that my mom is none other than Rahima Baldwin Dancy, author of the classic early childhood book You Are Your Child's First Teacher. Up till now I've kept it mostly on the down-low, but now I'm letting the cat out of the bag! So...if you've read her book, then you automatically know lots of stories about my childhood. Yes...I really used to climb … [Read more...]
Holiday Craft Projects with Kids
November 27, 2018 · by · 1 Comment
Children thrive when we slow down and do things with a "sense of spaciousness": the attitude that we have enough attention for our task AND the child(ren), and that we have all the time in the world for whatever is happening right now. During the holiday season it can be especially hard to slow down. We still have everything we normally do, plus holiday parties, shopping for … [Read more...]
How To Avoid the Terrible Twos
November 13, 2018 · by · 2 Comments
Everywhere you look, the message about toddlers is that they are “terrible,” that their favorite word is NO, and that they’re using all of their energy to become independence from us. However, this cultural paradigm has gotten it all wrong! Toddlers and parents are not going from connection to independence. Rather, they are transitioning from one-sided relationships (where … [Read more...]
Bath-Time Hair Washing
September 21, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment
Dear Miss Faith, My 2yo son screams bloody murder every time I wash his hair. I'm ever so slow and careful, but nothing seems to help. He particularly hates it when water falls into his ears, which is almost impossible to avoid 100%. It's gotten to the point where he starts crying as soon as I mention that it's time for a bath. Any suggestions you have would be most … [Read more...]
Verbal Apraxia and Motor Planning
September 3, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment
Something I haven't talked about much here on the Joyful Toddlers blog is the fact that my daughter (who is four and a half now, as I'm writing this) was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), also called Verbal Apraxia. When it was a big deal it felt too scary to talk about in such a public space, and now that it's largely resolved I mostly don't think to talk … [Read more...]
My Oat Bar Recipe for Play Garden
August 13, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment
I know that parents are always on the lookout for healthy snacks that kids love. I serve these Oat Bars at my outdoor parent-child Play Garden classes, and parents always ask for the recipe. Well, here it is! They are super simple, with healthy ingredients, and the children love them. Healthy Oat Bars Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix: 2 cups of unsweetened … [Read more...]
My Kid Talks So Loudly
July 19, 2018 · by · Leave a Comment
Dear Miss Faith, My son is almost three and he's very verbal, be he talks SO LOUDLY, all the time. I am very sensitive to noise and sometimes I feel like I can hardly stand to be around him. Telling him to talk more quietly doesn't seem to have any effect. Dear Mama, I get migraines and am sensitive to noise then, too. You have my sympathy! I have some ideas for you. It … [Read more...]
